# Old riders, old bikes.



## tductape (Mar 31, 2008)

So do any of you other old guys still have your original rides collecting dust up in the rafters of the garage?

I collect old steeds so it would be unfair to show what I have hanging. Curious to see what you've still got?


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## soulshaker (Sep 23, 2013)

I've got an mid-80's era Schwinn Sierra but it is in mint condition (restored and upgraded a bit) and ridden regularly. I use it for some paved bike paths nearby.


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## Velobike (Jun 23, 2007)

I have a few old bikes, but seeing as I predate the mtb era, so do they. 



These were the sort of bike I used to ride offroad before mtbs, and I still like to take one out every so often for the fun of it. You haven't experienced true downhill terror until you've done it on a rod-brake roadster.


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## life behind bars (May 24, 2014)

tductape said:


> So do any of you other old guys still have your original rides collecting dust up in the rafters of the garage?


Nope, broke them decades ago. I have usually been quick to adopt new technology when it comes to bikes.


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## Eric Malcolm (Dec 18, 2011)

Velobike said:


> I have a few old bikes, but seeing as I predate the mtb era, so do they.
> 
> 
> 
> These were the sort of bike I used to ride offroad before mtbs, and I still like to take one out every so often for the fun of it. You haven't experienced true downhill terror until you've done it on a rod-brake roadster.


Absolutely TRUE.

I even tried it once on a fixed wheel only track bike when I was in a youthfully stupid head space....

Eric


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## PlutonicPlague (Jan 19, 2014)

I still have my 1980 Univega Sport Tour 12-spd road bike. Its been all over the Big Island of Hawaii and to the top of Haleakala on Maui, and even circumnavigated Oahu, back in April 1981 on a month-long tour with my GF. I was 30 then. Its tires are now on the verge of rotting as it languishes in the far corner of my garage, rusting beneath its coating of dust. At 65, I have little time left for cleaning, polishing, or maintaining old relics. And yet this junker has not been sent to the crusher. Perhaps my subconscious entertains vague plans to maybe rattlecan the frame and make it into a cheap SS. then again, perhaps not!


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## santacruzer (Nov 30, 2004)

I still have my 74 Nishiki Olympic and 92 Serotta T-max


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

I wish I still had my '81 StumpJumper just to sell to a vintage collector. I was in disbelief when someone paid a high price for a Brooks saddle I got in the 1970s so thought same craziness might happen selling the first generation StumpJumper.

We still have our 92 Fat Chance, and I still ride one of the Typhoons I got in the early years of finding or modifying bikes to ride on trails. My wife rides the old Fat most of the time. I put a women's seat and swapped the WTB drops for riser bars.


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## Welnic (Feb 6, 2013)

I still have my 89 Wicked Fat Chance. But it doesn't collect dust, it's in the regular rotation to get ridden.

On a 100 mile overnighter:


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## tductape (Mar 31, 2008)

Awesome stuff. Here is one of my Steve Potts on the trail:


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## tductape (Mar 31, 2008)

And a 81 Ritchey getting riden hard before loaning it out for a while:


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## MellowCat (Jan 12, 2004)

I still have my 1991 GT Zaskar Frameset and original wheels in the garage, should make it into a local cruiser, seems a waste its just sitting there!


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## sryanak (Aug 9, 2008)

I have a '49 Schwinn Paramount that used to get ridden offroad a bit. Also a 1975 Ron Cooper, no off road, an 81 Stumpy, it doesn't get ridden much although my kid took it out the other day, an '89 Klein Pinnacle, yes to offroad still after that they probably can't be considered old. I do have a first generation Fatback, it's old by fat bike standards but still not even close to old.


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## VeniVidiVici (Oct 10, 2015)

My old BMX racing bike I've kept for 38 years. I never even thought to ever to get rid of it over the years.


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## dwt (Jul 19, 2009)

Is 1995 old enough? I have a 1995 Ted Wojcik steel 26'er frame that I converted to single speed in the late 90's. It has track dropouts for chain tensioning. Recently I swapped the rigid 26" fork for a 120mm suspension 27.5" fork and wheel. It is now about 3lbs heavier, but suspension keeps my hands and forearms more comfy. Next modification will be oval chainring. 

I'm 64 years old striving to keep in good health despite unavoidable old age set backs

My advice to 50 somethings: 50 might be the new 40, but 60 is the old 60. Genetics and all the bad stuff you did to yourself in your misspent youth catches up with you right around then. Do. NOT let yourself get out of shape in your 50's; you'll pay as I am in your 60's, when it's not too late but SO much harder. 


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## N10S (Sep 27, 2004)

I love old bikes and although I went through the years of FS bikes and various fads, I have become a retro-grouch over the past 4-5 years and don't care for the trend towards equipping every bike with oversized head tube, hydroformed main tubes, through axle hubs and long travel forks. For XC riding its just not needed. Ok thats just my opinion so if you dig those things then good on you and your quest for the latest tech.

My older non-mtb bikes range in age from a 1940 Hawthorn Bomber, to a Early 50's Hercules touring , and a 1958 ( what a great year to be born) Schwinn Racer with Bendix two speed hub. All heavy metal to be sure. I have two Stingrays as well to help me re-live my youth as I see them hanging from hooks in my utility room.

Here is my 40 Bomber










After that I have had various early MTB's including a sweet filet brazed Ritchey Timber Wolf and many various steel and ti Bontragers, and fat chance bikes. All of those are unfortunately gone now but I do still have my 1984 Ross Mt Whitney.


















Its just good old 4130 Chromoly steel, but its still fun to ride. All first generation Shimano XT Deer Head gruppo with the exception of the Suntour XC bear trap pedals. Every time I ride this bike it brings back memories of what an ultra stable early mtb with slack head tube felt like. Hard to believe that friction shifting could be so smooth and precise, but it really is. This bike is pretty much all OE kit with the exception of the saddle which is late 80's early 90's. Gotta fix that one of these days.

One more older bike I still have is my 88 Raleigh Edge mountain trials with 26" front and 24" rear tires/wheels. Ok so it was originally purchased for my wife when it was new and I think she has ridden it 4-5 times since 1988. I finally just claimed it as mine and take it out for short XC trail riding where the rear 24" wheel doesn't leave me feeling like I am pedaling my butt off.


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## dwt (Jul 19, 2009)

N10S said:


> I love old bikes and although I went through the years of FS bikes and various fads, I have become a retro-grouch over the past 4-5 years and don't care for the trend towards equipping every bike with oversized head tube, hydroformed main tubes, through axle hubs and long travel forks. For XC riding its just not needed. Ok thats just my opinion so if you dig those things then good on you and your quest for the latest tech.
> 
> My older non-mtb bikes range in age from a 1940 Hawthorn Bomber, to a Early 50's Hercules touring , and a 1958 ( what a great year to be born) Schwinn Racer with Bendix two speed hub. All heavy metal to be sure. I have two Stingrays as well to help me re-live my youth as I see them hanging from hooks in my utility room.
> 
> ...


Nothing wrong with old bikes, which we all grew up on, but TBH, canti and side pull brakes just plain didn't and don't work well on mountain bikes, to the point of being dangerous (think going down steep rock stair cases). There is a REASON they got dumped for V-brakes, which actually stopped the bike (but not too much modulation) and that V brakes got dumped for hydraulic discs (stopping power AND modulation). Certain game changing technology like disc brakes totally improved the sport for the better. My old HT SS has V-brakes rear (no disc mounts on frame) and disc brake front on a suspension fork. I liked it rigid as well, due to sub 20 lbs bike weight, but fully rigid and over 60 y/o body not a great combo. HT painful enough

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## Ericmopar (Aug 23, 2003)

VeniVidiVici said:


> My old BMX racing bike I've kept for 38 years. I never even thought to ever to get rid of it over the years.


LOL It says redline but the bike is definitely a Mongoose, before the brand went to carp. 
I had one almost exactly like that, gold Araya rims, tube fork... I think the stock fork was a forged steel Ashtabula, along with the stock cranks. 
Those things were nickle plated chromoly. You could scrub them with a SOS pad.


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## scooderdude (Sep 27, 2004)

I'm 60, now, and still own/ride my second mountain bike, a '87 Ritchey TimberComp, along with a slew of other vintage mtb. This year, though, I've been on a modern bikes only, with no vintage rides at all so far.


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## dwt (Jul 19, 2009)

scooderdude said:


> I'm 60, now, and still own/ride my second mountain bike, a '87 Ritchey TimberComp, along with a slew of other vintage mtb. This year, though, I've been on a modern bikes only, with no vintage rides at all so far.


That should convince you that vintage mountain bikes are museum pieces that should be on display only, not to be ridden. Same way nobody skis on 210cm minimal sidecut skis anymore. No fun, potentially dangerous.

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## scooderdude (Sep 27, 2004)

dwt said:


> That should convince you that vintage mountain bikes are museum pieces that should be on display only, not to be ridden./QUOTE]
> 
> That isn't a rational stream of logic. That I wear flip flops for a while doesn't mean shoes are now obsolete; I will wear shoes again. I not only ride old bikes, I also race them. So, no, I don't agree, although I do have a number of bikes as museum pieces because they're cool for other folks to look at. But all have been ridden, some harder than others, and will be ridden many times again.


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## tductape (Mar 31, 2008)

dwt said:


> That should convince you that vintage mountain bikes are museum pieces that should be on display only, not to be ridden. Same way nobody skis on 210cm minimal sidecut skis anymore. No fun, potentially dangerous.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Scooderdude, If you don't post a pic of you racing downhill and smoking all the modern bikes on your prewar with drum brakes, I will.

There is no doubt quality hydraulic brakes are an improvement over Canti's and V's but to say they are dangerous is laughable.


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## tductape (Mar 31, 2008)

Did it anyways.

Hey Scooderdude, what place did you finish at the end of the series, that year you raced this bike against youth on their Supermondodeluxe modern bikes?

Sure the bike helps, but it is more the rider, and I wish I had half the skills Scooder does:


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## scooderdude (Sep 27, 2004)

Here is one of my all time favorite ways to show how to hustle an old, steel rig with like pilot down the trail at a fast clip. It just happens to be that '87 TimberComp mentioned earlier and recorded a few years ago, when I was still a young late 50s rider.


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## scooderdude (Sep 27, 2004)

tductape said:


> Did it anyways.
> 
> Hey Scooderdude, what place did you finish at the end of the series, that year you raced this bike against youth on their Supermondodeluxe modern bikes?
> 
> ...


Got 3rd overall in the DH Open Single Speed class series of 5 races, as I recall, at this particular venue, with one overall 1st place win on one of the courses using a 70 y.o. bike with no suspension, and top 5 finishes in every race against 20-30 somethings on carbon, disc braked, FS rigs.


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## dwt (Jul 19, 2009)

scooderdude said:


> dwt said:
> 
> 
> > That should convince you that vintage mountain bikes are museum pieces that should be on display only, not to be ridden./QUOTE]
> ...


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## scooderdude (Sep 27, 2004)

Because it's fun, it's challenging....and it makes you a better rider. There are very few trails I haven't ridden on an old rigid mtb or cross bike in my local area that others only ride on FS rigs with all the bells and whistles. When you can drop that steep root section on a rigid bike with canti brakes and extended seatpost wearing your XC kit, then once back on the modern rig you'll be that much faster and fluid.


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## dwt (Jul 19, 2009)

scooderdude said:


> Because it's fun....and it makes you a better rider.


I learned on them in the 80's. So my riding is already influenced and ingrained by rigid forks requiring me to pick lines, by non indexed shifters and side pull brakes that sucked. Trust me, those bikes weren't fun. If I want a stripped down simple feel these days, I'll ride a rigid single speed that has disc brakes. As I've posted, my single speed is from the 90's, HT frame with no disc mounts. My current fork is now suspended. I use disc brake front and V-brake rear. That's retro enough for me and it IS fun. It was also fun when I had lightweight rigid fork and was sub 20 lbs.

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## J_Westy (Jan 7, 2009)

scooderdude said:


> Because it's fun, it's challenging....and it makes you a better rider.


Still one of my favorites!


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## scooderdude (Sep 27, 2004)

Here's a clip while aboard a drop-bar monster-X bike flung down Enchanted Loop in Santa Cruz.


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## veloborealis (Oct 25, 2009)

dwt said:


> Trust me, those bikes weren't fun.


Ummm... nope! Those bikes were a blast. That's why so many of us oldtimers are still riding mtb almost 40 years later. New bikes are better, though... way better.


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## dwt (Jul 19, 2009)

veloborealis said:


> Ummm... nope! Those bikes were a blast. That's why so many of us oldtimers are still riding mtb almost 40 years later. New bikes are better, though... way better.


Exactly. I wouldn't ride an old, old bike circa 1980's for any reason, not even for money, much less fun. I'm old enough to remember when Vbrakes and indexed shifters were introduced. Those little improvements made mtb fun. Your bike would stop when you wanted or needed it to; you could downshift to granny gear without dropping your chain. Before them, I still remember a lot of frustration and swearing. But I stuck with it and by now, where you can fine tune all your components & parts ( knowing what you want and why you want it), it's way more fun if way more expensive. Same with skiing and golf. Once you master a sport, you know and appreciate even tiny little tweaks that improve the overall experience.

Then you've got to learn to distinguish hype from improvement.

For example. Oval chainrings are making a comeback in the small bike manufacturer market: Absolute Black, Wolf Tooth, Rotor,

I bit the marketing and bought one for my singlespeed mtb and one for my fixed gear road bike., just when the weather is turning too bad to ride these bikes enough to assess the legitimacy of oval over round. It may be that I fell for candy, or it may be that they are viable permanent components. Anyway, I'm admitting to impulsive hype induced purchases that may be for pure candy. So I can feel my credibility crumbling in real time. However, they were both eBay purchases, where I had accumulated a surplus reserve of cash from old parts I had sold. So it's like a simple trade. No money lost if they turn out to be bogus

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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

dwt said:


> I learned on them in the 80's. So my riding is already influenced and ingrained by rigid forks requiring me to pick lines, by non indexed shifters and side pull brakes that sucked. *Trust me, those bikes weren't fun.*


But they were. Riding in the 80's kicked @ss, just like it does now in 2015. Trust me, 30 years down the line our kids will mock the bikes we ride now, but that doesn't mean they'll be having more fun!


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## dwt (Jul 19, 2009)

J.B. Weld said:


> But they were. Riding in the 80's kicked @ss, just like it does now in 2015. Trust me, 30 years down the line our kids will mock the bikes we ride now, but that doesn't mean they'll be having more fun!


Guess I'm weird. But I distinctly remember frustration with brakes and shifting on those bikes. Fun yes, I never quit. But many moments of not so much fun ( even painful) and dammit I was a much happier camper when decent brakes and shifters came out. Suspension fork was not too shabby as well. Full suspension got good just as I started to get old man's sore back syndrome. Perfect. Once you see behind the curtain, your perspective irrevocably changes.
Look, I had loads of fun for decades skiing on the technology that existed in the 60's to the 90's. But shaped skis perfected in the new millennium, really turned the ski industry upside down; agame changer in the truest sense. Once you get used to and tuned into really good modern advanced equipment, I don't care what sport, the stuff used to float your boat looks foreign and performs below your new standard for normal. That's all I'm saying. And that I don't get why anyone would prefer antiques over the modern stuff. I'm not knocking it, it just doesn't click in my head. If I tried to ride my old rigid steel bike ( was it a Brookstone?) with the crap components on the terrain I ride today, it could be life or at least limb threatening. Even more so with old ski equipment. Most ski areas don't even allow old skis and bindings on their terrain.

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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

dwt said:


> I don't get why anyone would prefer antiques over the modern stuff.


I'm no retro grouch but my point was that when you don't know anything different it's irrelevant. The shifting may have sucked on my '84 trek but that bike was magic, in some ways the riding was better than now because it was all so new! And the brakes were awesome (for the time) btw, reviewers were raving about their incredible stopping power in all the bike mags.

Do you think you'll be having even more fun than you are now 2 or 3 years down the road when bikes are even better?


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## VeniVidiVici (Oct 10, 2015)

Ericmopar said:


> LOL It says redline but the bike is definitely a Mongoose, before the brand went to carp.
> I had one almost exactly like that, gold Araya rims, tube fork... I think the stock fork was a forged steel Ashtabula, along with the stock cranks.
> Those things were nickle plated chromoly. You could scrub them with a SOS pad.


Yep this Mongoose started out Candy Red till it got scratched up so I just scraped all the paint off. I used to have the first square tube Redline before this frame. These are Speedo forks Cook Bro Stem Redline V-bars Philwood spider and sprocket one-piece chromoly cranks. I been riding my 29er a lot and just today took out my Mongoose and I was like what happen this bike seems like a tricycle now. I just kept looking at it thinking It seems so tiny now hahaha. I haven't got any taller since I was 16 riding this bike. But i got so used to the size my 29er this bike looks like a tiny bicycle now!!!


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## dwt (Jul 19, 2009)

J.B. Weld said:


> Do you think you'll be having even more fun than you are now 2 or 3 years down the road when bikes are even better?


When I'm 2-3 years older? No, Sadly, I wouldn't be able to take a better bike to any new limit. Too old to bother trying to improve skills dramatically. Just focusing on not declining hard enough. 

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## Mr Crudley (Jan 27, 2006)

Ericmopar said:


> I had one almost exactly like that, gold Araya rims, tube fork... I think the stock fork was a forged steel Ashtabula, along with the stock cranks.
> Those things were nickle plated chromoly. You could scrub them with a SOS pad.


Ha Eric. You have fine taste in BMX'ers. I still have mine parked at my folks house begging for a rebuild. It sounds just like yours.

I'm torn between stripping it and starting again or leaving the old battle damaged paintjob that says 'teenage adventures'.

Geez, I really have to give the Goose some lovin...


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## Velobike (Jun 23, 2007)

Seeing as I started riding in the mountains on a singlespeed dropbar race bike, I find any mtb of whatever age a great improvement. 

I always chased the fattest tyre I could fit. Back in the 60s it was for 27" rims it was 1½" (in the UK), so when the first mtbs started filtering through with 2" tyres I was enraptured.

Going from road brakes to cantis was an eye opener - all that stopping power! I still like them, and reckon the problem most folk have with them is mainly down to using crap compressible cable outers, but they really do grind the rims away. V-brakes were another step forward because they are more tolerant of poor cables, so generally are seen to work better, and are dead simple to set up, but also do the rims in. I actually considered going back to steel rims after wearing a set of brand new rims to tissue paper thickness after a particularly muddy 24 hour race.

In the UK there are quite a few of us supporting the Retro Bike movement, and we meet a few times through the year to punt our old iron around singletrack. It's getting a bit like the car restoration thing though, some of the bikes are immaculately restored and look too good to be treated so unmercifully.

BTW good to see someone else racing on drum brakes. Any time disadvantage is more than offset by the time saved in not having to do a disk brake pad change a few times in 24 hour races (usually muddy here).



EDIT: my bike I use for retro rides also has drums - it's not strictly retro now.


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## Vespasianus (Apr 9, 2008)

dwt said:


> That should convince you that vintage mountain bikes are museum pieces that should be on display only, not to be ridden. Same way nobody skis on 210cm minimal sidecut skis anymore. No fun, potentially dangerous.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I don't think you will ever understand. It is not always about being able to go fast and hit the gnarliest jump.


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## Rev Bubba (Jan 16, 2004)

No, but I know where my mid-90's GT Karakoram is collecting dust. In a friend's basement in New Hampshire. Every once in a while I ride it and am always amazed at how much better bikes have become since the GT which still has most of the original LX items that came with it. 

That was not my first mountain bike but it is 20 years old


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## tductape (Mar 31, 2008)

I find with better brakes, suspension etc, it just means you go faster and add to the quiet time. Is more better? One of my best friends used this same argument for years as he never wore a helmet.

22 yo bike, 53 year old rider:









29 yo bike, 53 year old rider:


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## J_Westy (Jan 7, 2009)

tductape said:


> 22 yo bike, 53 year old rider:
> 
> View attachment 1028929


Right on brother!


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## Ericmopar (Aug 23, 2003)

Mr Crudley said:


> Ericmopar said:
> 
> 
> > LOL It says redline but the bike is definitely a Mongoose, before the brand went to carp.
> ...


I had that same color Tuff-neck stem and Red anodized KKT Rat Trap pedals! 
I keep thinking my tube fork was a redline, or maybe a Paterson. The Paterson's made frames in the garage in Hayward where I lived back then and a friend Mario used to get frames from them to thrash and test. LOL


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## dwt (Jul 19, 2009)

tductape said:


> Scooderdude, If you don't post a pic of you racing downhill and smoking all the modern bikes on your prewar with drum brakes, I will.
> 
> There is no doubt quality hydraulic brakes are an improvement over Canti's and V's but to say they are dangerous is laughable.


A brake that can't slow the bike down, let alone stop it, is dangerous. Speaking from personal experience in the late 80's early 90's. Not a laughing matter. If you haven't had the privilege of riding a mountain bike with side pulls down a rocky technical descent, you wouldn't get it. I'm talking about side pulls and cantis, not V's. I still use a V as rear brake on my old SS , which has no disc mount. It does the job, but having a disc up front clearly illustrates the difference between the 2 designs in terms of stopping power and modulation.

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## someoldfart (Mar 14, 2013)

You want to seriously check out old parts before riding them hard. I know more than few riders that snapped old forks. One friend ended up with about 150 stitches in his face when a rigid steel fork broke at speed. Oh. And cantilever brakes are less strong than modern road calipers.


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## dwt (Jul 19, 2009)

Vespasianus said:


> I don't think you will ever understand. It is not always about being able to go fast and hit the gnarliest jump.


I never endorsed that philosophy. My posts have been all about obsolete equipment, mainly brakes, that were bad because they would not enable the rider to SLOW DOWN, for example, to control a rocky technical descent. If the bike gets away from you in that situation, the results could be ugly. I'm an old fart, but I rode those museum pieces back in the day, as well as long straight cut alpine skis. I had fun, but in light of the technology and equipment available today, I sometimes wonder how I survived. I'm in one piece, but I have parts that are still worse for wear because of mishaps. Indeed, the fault of the rider was the main cause, but the bad equipment was not blameless.

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## Ericmopar (Aug 23, 2003)

dwt said:


> A brake that can't slow the bike down, let alone stop it, is dangerous. Speaking from personal experience in the late 80's early 90's. Not a laughing matter. If you haven't had the privilege of riding a mountain bike with side pulls down a rocky technical descent, you wouldn't get it. I'm talking about side pulls and cantis, not V's. I still use a V as rear brake on my old SS , which has no disc mount. It does the job, but having a disc up front clearly illustrates the difference between the 2 designs in terms of stopping power and modulation.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I had V-Brakes on my 2000 Stumpjumper FSR with Koolstop Salmon pads (Koolstop licensed Phil Wood's brake compound back then) Avid Single Digit Vs and wheels with Mavic's UB braking surface and I could stop with one fingered braking. (much easier to maintain and cheaper too, than what I have now)

Now the cheap ass side pull brakes on our BMX bikes, those were truly a nightmare. 
In hind sight, the BMX industry was totally taking advantage of ignorant kids and their parents.

(Dear Mozilla BMX is a real abbreviation) I love Firefox, but Mozilla's spell check sucks...


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## Mr Crudley (Jan 27, 2006)

Ericmopar said:


> I had that same color Tuff-neck stem and Red anodized KKT Rat Trap pedals!


We could have swapped bikes and wouldn't have known any better.



> I keep thinking my tube fork was a redline, or maybe a Paterson. The Paterson's made frames in the garage in Hayward where I lived back then and a friend Mario used to get frames from them to thrash and test. LOL


You lived in the right neighbourhood. Mine are the lower rent hi-tensile Tanges made for or by Mongoose (I think - Not the welded dropouts one like VeniVidiVici has onboard). Not that I cared, they held up my front wheel for a long time.

I always lusted after Bottema forks and who doesn't like the SE Landing Gears :thumbsup:

Anyone got any dusty Oakley 1's lying around that need a new home. :skep:


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## dwt (Jul 19, 2009)

Ericmopar said:


> In hind sight, the BMX industry was totally taking advantage of ignorant kids and their parents.
> ...


Mebbe so, but the skills you learned as a kid will stay with you for a lifetime. I never learned how to hop and jump without being clipped into the pedals. That I consider a defect in my riding abilities

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## Mr.Wizard (Feb 4, 2015)

Still riding a Trek 950 as a gravel grinder and a Trek 970 I rigged for camping with racks...

Folks always comment on thes two bicycles...

Long live investment cast!


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## older'nslower (Feb 28, 2009)

I no longer have my first mtn bike - an '89 Trek spec'd with maybe Shimano LX. Talk about unsafe at any speed - the brake levers were plastic and would pull all the way to the bars with the bike only slowly coming to a stop. It had a short, level top tube and I always had to make sure my weight was back or the bike would have me endoing at the slightest provocation (and it was not a small size bike either). I was 29 y/o at the time, so crashes weren't the issue that they are now.

What I like about the current crop of bikes is the fact that momentary lapses of attention do not lead to nasty crashes. They're simply more stable and forgiving with the larger wheels and long front-centers. I can now ride seated (or not) down hills where before I would need to get my rear off the seat and over the tire. I have long legs and a short torso (hence some of my early bike instability) and it's nice to drop the seat and crouch over the bike on rough descents. Doing that enables me to equalize my CG to that of my shorter-legged, stouter-built brethren. 

I have many fond memories created on those old bikes, but I was a younger man then. I would ride them still if that is all that was available, but it's not. I prefer to relive those memories in my head and ride the latest iron (or aluminum/carbon as the case may be). However, to those who keep the old beasts alive, I cheer you on. I can look at them and be back in the heady days of my youth. 

(I do still have an "old" '96 GT LTS with which I have not been able to part. I let it out for gentle rides around the local park. Everything else I sold as soon as I moved on to another bike.)


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## N10S (Sep 27, 2004)

I am a long leg short torso guy too, but for me all of the older GT's and Bontragers were the most fun to ride. I love an agile bike that requires my complete attention and the Bontragers were some of the most demanding. Like you I also had a new GT LTS 1 back in the mid 90's and always felt it was a pretty decent FS back in the day. I got the bike buying itch recently to look for another old FS bike. I looked at a few Amps (which I have owned B2, B3, B4), and then stumbled onto an immaculate 1996 Pyscle Werks Wild Hare which I purchased earlier this week. It has a full factory build with 950 XTR 8spd gruppo. I owned one of these (not nearly as nice) back in 2007 and really enjoyed it so I know what I am getting into with this bike. Its very similar to a Ventana and really well built in same fashion as a Titus racer X. MTBR reviews are really positive on this old "deathtrap" ! 

I do own a new 2015 Salsa ti Fargo, and have owned various newer niner hardtails and other newer 29ers including some custom builds. The point is that I have a pretty good idea of what a "new" bike is going to provide me, and although the new rides are nice, its not night and day from my perspective. It is interesting how much hating on older bikes there is in this over 50 forum (which surprises me a little). Having owned and experienced riding newer bikes, in my opinion many of the 90's vintage bikes are still very capable on the trail and a heck of a lot of fun to ride fast and far from the "death traps" people are referencing.


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

N10S said:


> I am a long leg short torso guy too, but for me all of the older GT's and Bontragers were the most fun to ride. I love an agile bike that requires my complete attention and the Bontragers were some of the most demanding. Like you I also had a new GT LTS 1 back in the mid 90's and always felt it was a pretty decent FS back in the day. I got the bike buying itch recently to look for another old FS bike. I looked at a few Amps (which I have owned B2, B3, B4), and then stumbled onto an immaculate 1996 Pyscle Werks Wild Hare which I purchased earlier this week. It has a full factory build with 950 XTR 8spd gruppo. I owned one of these (not nearly as nice) back in 2007 and really enjoyed it so I know what I am getting into with this bike. Its very similar to a Ventana and really well built in same fashion as a Titus racer X. MTBR reviews are really positive on this old "deathtrap" !
> 
> I do own a new 2015 Salsa ti Fargo, and have owned various newer niner hardtails and other newer 29ers including some custom builds. The point is that I have a pretty good idea of what a "new" bike is going to provide me, and although the new rides are nice, its not night and day from my perspective. It is interesting how much hating on older bikes there is in this over 50 forum (which surprises me a little). Having owned and experienced riding newer bikes, in my opinion many of the 90's vintage bikes are still very capable on the trail and a heck of a lot of fun to ride fast and far from the "death traps" people are referencing.


Most old bikes pretty much stink for the sort of riding one can do these days. I love my classic Fat Chance, but the modern bikes my wife and I share make it almost a whole other sport. They're why she rides again. No way could I go close to as long, far, fast or big without the modern bikes.

I don't hate the old bikes but if our biological clocks for riding are ticking, I'm going for all I can. I hurt for days if I ride my old bikes or single speed the way, where and how I can ride the 2016 Remedy. It can enable me to eat dust on an A ride vs lead a B ride.

My wife's back riding with more passion than ever. After 15 years not into it. That makes our 3 late model bikes worth every penny.


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## N10S (Sep 27, 2004)

bitflogger said:


> Most old bikes pretty much stink for the sort of riding one can do these days. I love my classic Fat Chance, but the modern bikes my wife and I share make it almost a whole other sport. They're why she rides again. No way could I go close to as long, far, fast or big without the modern bikes.
> 
> I don't hate the old bikes but if our biological clocks for riding are ticking, I'm going for all I can. I hurt for days if I ride my old bikes or single speed the way, where and how I can ride the 2016 Remedy. It can enable me to eat dust on an A ride vs lead a B ride.
> 
> My wife's back riding with more passion than ever. After 15 years not into it. That makes our 3 late model bikes worth every penny.


Older and newer bikes still work pretty well where I ride. Most of the trails I rode in the 80's and 90's are still there today, and some have evolved over time, some new trails have been added and others have been shut down. Really some nice trails but mostly an environment of tight wooded single track which is what I love to ride. As far as new bikes go 29er wheel/tire size, disk brakes, and platform valved suspension have certainly provided improvements in performance, but its not a profound night and day difference. I have a 2015 ti Fargo and while its a great bike, I have owned bikes within the past 10-15 years that were just as capable and probably more fun to ride. Every now and then I take my sons 2002 FSR S-works out for a ride and that bike is still a rocket and only weighs 23.5 lbs. . Its only got XTR V-brakes and I have considered upgrading the brakes to disk, but honestly the XTR brakes work really well. At 57 I guess I am fortunate because I can pull from a variety of bikes to ride and it never puts me in too much pain. I will say that my days with single speeds is probably over though and I sold my titus HCR SS this past year and doubt I will buy another. Since this thread is about "Older riders, older bikes" here is a pic of that new "old" FS rig I just bought.










At the end of the day its great that we can all ride what we like to ride where we like to ride. If a newer rig keeps you going stronger then more power to you for sure. Its a great sport and excellent exercise and one of the best things a person can do to stay fit and young in mind, body and spirit.


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## dwt (Jul 19, 2009)

bitflogger said:


> Most old bikes pretty much stink for the sort of riding one can do these days. I love my classic Fat Chance, but the modern bikes my wife and I share make it almost a whole other sport. They're why she rides again. No way could I go close to as long, far, fast or big without the modern bikes.
> 
> I don't hate the old bikes but if our biological clocks for riding are ticking, I'm going for all I can. I hurt for days if I ride my old bikes or single speed the way, where and how I can ride the 2016 Remedy. It can enable me to eat dust on an A ride vs lead a B ride.
> 
> My wife's back riding with more passion than ever. After 15 years not into it. That makes our 3 late model bikes worth every penny.


Word.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## N10S (Sep 27, 2004)

dwt said:


> Word.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


You have it all figured out guys...


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## tductape (Mar 31, 2008)

dwt said:


> I never endorsed that philosophy. My posts have been all about obsolete equipment, mainly brakes, that were bad because they would not enable the rider to SLOW DOWN, for example, to control a rocky technical descent. If the bike gets away from you in that situation, the results could be ugly.


As technology improves, ones speed just increases, the lines get steeper, and the gaps get bigger (no fear yet right?).

To quote Mr. Newton:

F=M x A

When suspension showed up and improved over time, we didn't ride safer, we started riding harder, when decent disc brakes showed up, we didn't ride safer we just rode faster. When we got your first set of modern shaped ski's, we didn't descend safer, we embraced that new found technology to attack the hill like never before.

When really going for it, we are always going to ride on that adrenalin inducing edge limited only by our equipment and ability.

So if we are riding at the peak of our equipments potential and personal ability, which bike is going to give you the bigger bang when something goes wrong.

F=M x A


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## spindeepster (Nov 25, 2015)

This is my 1937 TruSport. Built in Westfield Massachusetts. I disassembled the whole thing and had it powder coated. The spokes, bottom bracket ball bearings, seat leather, and tires and tubes are all new. Everything else is original including that bad-a$$ springer seat. The handle grips pictured have been replaced with period-correct grips. I ride it on nice days to my local pub, about two miles from home.









This my wife's 1955 Columbia "Three Star DeLuxe".


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## spindeepster (Nov 25, 2015)

....and this is my 1950's era RollFast Pub Crawler. The functional springer fork is original to the frame. I have taken creative liberty with the bike including using handlebars from a tandem, a laid back seat post, wheels with 144 spokes........each, and leatherwork done by a friend that includes the recovered seat, tool pouch, and whiskey bottle holster. This bike weighs over 50 LBS!!


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

spindeepster said:


> This is my 1937 TruSport. Built in Westfield Massachusetts. I disassembled the whole thing and had it powder coated. The spokes, bottom bracket ball bearings, seat leather, and tires and tubes are all new. Everything else is original including that bad-a$$ springer seat. The handle grips pictured have been replaced with period-correct grips. I ride it on nice days to my local pub, about two miles from home.
> 
> View attachment 1038211
> 
> ...


Awesome bikes and nicely restored. The seatpost on yours is a riot.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

spindeepster said:


> ....and this is my 1950's era RollFast Pub Crawler. The functional springer fork is original to the frame. I have taken creative liberty with the bike including using handlebars from a tandem, a laid back seat post, wheels with 144 spokes........each, and leatherwork done by a friend that includes the recovered seat, tool pouch, and whiskey bottle holster. This bike weighs over 50 LBS!!
> 
> View attachment 1038216


Another sweet ride.:thumbsup:

Who died in your driveway? :yikes:


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## Panama Red (Jan 14, 2011)

I still have my 86 mountain goat with smoke paint job


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

Panama Red said:


> I still have my 86 mountain goat with smoke paint job


Is it camera shy?


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## shwndh (Nov 20, 2004)

N10S said:


> Older and newer bikes still work pretty well where I ride. Most of the trails I rode in the 80's and 90's are still there today, and some have evolved over time, some new trails have been added and others have been shut down. Really some nice trails but mostly an environment of tight wooded single track which is what I love to ride. As far as new bikes go 29er wheel/tire size, disk brakes, and platform valved suspension have certainly provided improvements in performance, but its not a profound night and day difference. I have a 2015 ti Fargo and while its a great bike, I have owned bikes within the past 10-15 years that were just as capable and probably more fun to ride. Every now and then I take my sons 2002 FSR S-works out for a ride and that bike is still a rocket and only weighs 23.5 lbs. . Its only got XTR V-brakes and I have considered upgrading the brakes to disk, but honestly the XTR brakes work really well. At 57 I guess I am fortunate because I can pull from a variety of bikes to ride and it never puts me in too much pain. I will say that my days with single speeds is probably over though and I sold my titus HCR SS this past year and doubt I will buy another. Since this thread is about "Older riders, older bikes" here is a pic of that new "old" FS rig I just bought.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That's a great looking bike! Looks like my old 2001 Jamis Dakar Expert. That was the era when Marzocchi made the best forks. Also, you could get a full XTR drivetrain for under $3000.


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## tductape (Mar 31, 2008)

Panama Red said:


> I still have my 86 mountain goat with smoke paint job


Collectible classic for sure. Deluxe? Pictures? Original owner? Love to see it.

I have an 83 in camo I am slowly collecting proper components for.


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## brownplus (Mar 31, 2005)

*only old bikes....cept the lynskey, but c'mon, no 9ers back then*



























actually ride the kona 26'er the most....rear susp. never worked out for me.


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## matuchi (Jun 9, 2008)

I still have my 1996 Stumperjumper M2FS Comp that I bought new - but my 14 year old son took it over a few years ago.


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## always_last (Jun 7, 2012)

I still ride my '94 Kona Kilauea



I also have a Niner hardtail which does see more trail time and does enable me to go faster, no doubt, but I don't always want to go faster. Sometimes I want a different challenge and don't mind picking my way through rock gardens instead of blasting through them. My other older riding buddies don't get it, they're just looking for any way, any thing that will enable them to ride faster or ride longer. We've been riding the same trails for almost 25 years now, for me the old bike can breathe new life into some old trails.


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

always_last said:


> I still ride my '94 Kona Kilauea
> 
> 
> 
> I also have a Niner hardtail which does see more trail time and does enable me to go faster, no doubt, but I don't always want to go faster. Sometimes I want a different challenge and don't mind picking my way through rock gardens instead of blasting through them. My other older riding buddies don't get it, they're just looking for any way, any thing that will enable them to ride faster or ride longer. We've been riding the same trails for almost 25 years now, for me the old bike can breathe new life into some old trails.


I'm smiling because I still ride my classic Fat Chance but nothing has breathed new life in old trails like the fully modern AM/Trail bike (Remedy 29), fat bike or Honzo. They also got my wife back at it after 14 years of saying she was done with the sport. She gets first choice when we ride together.

I don't dislike the old bike but it causes hurt one way or another - I get too beat up or it's stall or crash where the other bikes excel.


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## Jseis (Dec 28, 2009)

Still ride the Motebecane Grand Jubilee I purchased 42 years ago ($219) at The Bike Stand in Oly, WA. Rode it cross continent in '76.








Still has original crank, seat, bars, derailleurs, but upgraded wheelset, TTT stem, bar end shifters. Oh yes, it's got MaFac cantis for you sharp-eyed types. Brazed on water bosses too. LBS did the work. Original Canada stickers still on it.








Lower left. I'm the shaggy headed blonde








Title was "Ignoring a great view". Trip of a lifetime 4K miles in 60 days.


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## 70sSanO (Nov 20, 2013)

I really started riding road bikes in 1986. I still ride a 1988 Cannondale with downtube shifters. 3 years ago I rode my first trail at the age of 61 on an old GT that someone gave me. I have no mtb skills to fall back on as my reflexes diminish. It was probably not good for me to have associated the value of an older road bike with an older mountain bike, but that is the direction I went. I have done a bit of "mild" technical stuff but I realize now that I would have been better off if I had gone the modern route, but it is what it is and that is what I ride.

My old mountain bikes have decent enough components XTR M900 cantis and Avid SD 7 V-brakes along with older XT and XTR drive train stuff, Marzocchi forks. 2x7 setups with a thumb for the front and rear triggers that shift great.

A year and half ago someone tuned in front of me on my road bike and I shattered my clavicle... titanium plate and 11 screws. As soon as I was able to get back on the bike, I clipped a tree with my shoulder, kept riding, but ended up with partially torn rotator cuff tendons. My shoulder doesn't hurt that much, but with retirement less than 6 months away, it has impacted my ability to get back into golf and I haven't been back in the water since the accident so I don't know how well I can paddle. But this has caused me to back off a little on how and where I ride. I am honestly more concerned about not being able to surf and that takes precedence. My ortho guy says that I'll probably need surgery in a few years if it deteriorates. I still love getting out and riding trails and for what I am doing, my old bikes are fine.

John


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## dwt (Jul 19, 2009)

70sSanO said:


> I really started riding road bikes in 1986. I still ride a 1988 Cannondale with downtube shifters. 3 years ago I rode my first trail at the age of 61 on an old GT that someone gave me. I have no mtb skills to fall back on as my reflexes diminish. It was probably not good for me to have associated the value of an older road bike with an older mountain bike, but that is the direction I went. I have done a bit of "mild" technical stuff but I realize now that I would have been better off if I had gone the modern route, but it is what it is and that is what I ride.
> 
> My old mountain bikes have decent enough components XTR M900 cantis and Avid SD 7 V-brakes along with older XT and XTR drive train stuff, Marzocchi forks. 2x7 setups with a thumb for the front and rear triggers that shift great.
> 
> ...


IMHO, stick with what you know best lest learning the new sport ruin everything for you. I learned to mtb in my early 40's on a fully rigid bike in the late 80's & got fairly proficient before graduating and upgrading into more refined equipment in my 50's. I raced a bit but was never much good. Then, just before I retired @ 65, I had brain surgery to remove a benign tumor. Good news: benign; bad news the surgery messed up my balance permanently. That leaves me riding tamer terrain than I used to. Do I still want to go gnar? Hell yah. Do I still try? Hell yah. Do I sometimes regret it? Yes. But not close to hospitalization level. That ain't gonna happen. Too much other stuff to enjoy. Road bike, golf, kayak, skiing, both DH & XC. So gotta keep shoulders, arms, hands, fingers, legs, intact.

Don't risk losing use of limbs for something you just might be a tad too old to learn. That's my opinion as an old fart

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## 70sSanO (Nov 20, 2013)

dwt said:


> IMHO, stick with what you know best lest learning the new sport ruin everything for you. I learned to mtb in my early 40's on a fully rigid bike in the late 80's & got fairly proficient before graduating and upgrading into more refined equipment in my 50's. I raced a bit but was never much good. Then, just before I retired @ 65, I had brain surgery to remove a benign tumor. Good news: benign; bad news the surgery messed up my balance permanently. That leaves me riding tamer terrain than I used to. Do I still want to go gnar? Hell yah. Do I still try? Hell yah. Do I sometimes regret it? Yes. But not close to hospitalization level. That ain't gonna happen. Too much other stuff to enjoy. Road bike, golf, kayak, skiing, both DH & XC. So gotta keep shoulders, arms, hands, fingers, legs, intact.
> 
> Don't risk losing use of limbs for something you just might be a tad too old to learn. That's my opinion as an old fart
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Great post! I am truly impressed with your ability to recover and persevere.

John


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## whitecoyote (Sep 12, 2014)

My fully restored 1978 Schwinn Le Tour III.


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## bikeCOLORADO (Sep 4, 2003)

15 year old Giant AC.


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## Zomby Woof (MCM700) (May 23, 2004)

Although I do have a new bike, a 2015 model, here's my 1st mountain bike that I ride (not so often any more). It's a 2000 model.


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## bikeCOLORADO (Sep 4, 2003)

Zomby Woof (MCM700) said:


> Although I do have a new bike, a 2015 model, here's my 1st mountain bike that I ride (not so often any more). It's a 2000 model.


Post is incomplete. What's your new bike?


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## Zomby Woof (MCM700) (May 23, 2004)

bikeCOLORADO said:


> Post is incomplete. What's your new bike?


The Cannondale Scalpel 29 Carbon 3


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## bikeCOLORADO (Sep 4, 2003)

Too cool! I just picked up a new ride as well. First day on the trail night before last. It's pretty sick.


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## Zomby Woof (MCM700) (May 23, 2004)

bikeCOLORADO said:


> Too cool! I just picked up a new ride as well. First day on the trail night before last. It's pretty sick.
> View attachment 1069836


That looks like a nice bike! I don't see Orbea's around here in GA but I have heard of them. I got mine in Oct 2014 because the swing arm cracked on the old bike. I have since repaired it, that is the picture you see with the black swing arm. Anyway, Cannondale gave me 40% off on a new bike because they have a lifetime frame warranty. But since they couldn't fix the old bike as they don't make (or have any NOS) parts for it they gave me the discount.


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## bikeCOLORADO (Sep 4, 2003)

My number one qualification for buying bikes is Warranty. I won't buy a bike that doesn't have a lifetime warranty. I've cracked/broken 3 Giant frames, I'm not huge or abusive - but I do ride technical terrain. This time it came down to a Giant Trance, Santa Cruz 5010 and the Orbea Occam (all lifetime warranties). The local Orbea dealer threw me a deal I couldn't refuse.


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## Fuzzle (Mar 31, 2015)

1994 custom McMahon TI. What makes the frame unique is the blue anodizing. It's a dangerous process submerging a TI frame in electrocuted water :eekster:.

This pic is about 5 years old. Don't I' smashing in my mis-matched kit ? Got behind on the laundry. I actually illustrated/designed that Jersey for the club I rode with back in the 90's.

I had a little accident that day :cryin:.


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## Fuzzle (Mar 31, 2015)

Looking good people! Nice seeing that you never to old to have a bada$$ bike.


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## tductape (Mar 31, 2008)

Fuzzle said:


> 1994 custom McMahon TI.


Classic!


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## paramount3 (Jul 13, 2014)

I went through a retro/Craigslist phase, but I've gotten rid of most of the old bikes. I still have a couple of early 90s fully rigid MTBs: a 1991 Schwinn Paramount that serves as a commuter/beater/gravel-ish bike, and a 1992 Kona Kilauea, which resides at a relative's house so that I can ride (mostly road, some dirt road) when I'm visiting. A couple of years ago I took the Kona on a 72 mile/6000 ft vertical ride, mostly paved but with some dirt/mud road, and it was a great ride.

I tentatively tried full suspension with an obsolete Craigslist special about 4 years ago, but it was enough to convince me of the value of suspension. I am now on my fourth full suspension bike, having just purchased a new modern geometry mid-travel full suspension 29er. (I tend to get a new bike each time I have a significant crash.) The initial impetus for trying full suspension was that I would get neck and back pains from unexpected hits riding a hardtail, and that doesn't happen now with the full suspension bikes. Unlike some other folks, who take pride in underbiking, I am a firm believer in overbiking now. I have no problem riding the full-sus bike for rides that are more road than trail, although I am also willing to ride some dirt on the rigid bikes (including my rigid 29er with touring tires which now serves as my road bike).

My journey from retro-grouch to embracer of modern technology was halting, but for me now, it's all about reliability, safety, comfort, and fun. These things are delivered with a modern full suspension bike--as long as you don't get sucked into trying high-risk by the capabilities of these bikes.


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## Velobike (Jun 23, 2007)

Seeing as it's old rider, old bikes in the title we need to show the riders too. 

My 1998 1x1 with a WW2 era rider (at SSEC 2014 in Northern Ireland)


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## Fuzzle (Mar 31, 2015)

tductape said:


> Classic!


I really like that Jersey on you Avitar!


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## Fuzzle (Mar 31, 2015)

How do you guys like the old Geo compared to the modern?


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## Velobike (Jun 23, 2007)

Fuzzle said:


> How do you guys like the old Geo compared to the modern?


I reckon there's a lot of BS talked about geometry. The human body hasn't suddenly changed over the last 10-15 years.

"Modern Trail Geometry" is marketing speak for we have designed the frame to use a long travel suspension fork so it jacks up the front end and makes a virtue of the slack head angle that results. They don't mention that when the rider is on the bike the forks working position gives much the same head angle as unModern Trail Geometry.

I suspect it really should be called Trail Park Geometry because its real benefit is on artificial trails with downhill bermed corners and "features" rather than natural trails where technical climbing is probably the majority of the ride.

In my opinion, what matters is where you position your body on the bike, ie how far the centre of mass is from the front pivot point and how high it is above it. You can get it in the same relative position with a steep HA or a slack one. And then you want a decent amount of trail.

On a rigid bike, I'll stick to steep head angles because there's less front wheel flop on steep climbs. If I ever was to buy a frame to fit front suspension I'd buy one that was designed for that suspension travel, while ignoring the buzzwords, but seeing as the majority of my time on the bike is spent on climbs on natural trails, I''m unlikely to ever go for suspension.

However humans are remarkably adaptable, so many different arrangements can be made to work. If you look at bikes over the last 120 years, there have been many permutations, but most of them can be traced to riding conditions of the time, the materials available for bike construction, or what suited the dominant riding hero of the time.

(There's no right except what feels right to the rider, so anything I have to say on the subject should be viewed in that light.)


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## Eric Malcolm (Dec 18, 2011)

Velobike said:


> I reckon there's a lot of BS talked about geometry. The human body hasn't suddenly changed over the last 10-15 years.
> 
> "Modern Trail Geometry" is marketing speak for we have designed the frame to use a long travel suspension fork so it jacks up the front end and makes a virtue of the slack head angle that results. They don't mention that when the rider is on the bike the forks working position gives much the same head angle as unModern Trail Geometry.
> 
> ...


Well stated and I wholly agree.

Eric


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## Romaxy (Jul 5, 2016)

My old Diamondback. Restored by my childhood friend/riding buddy.


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## paramount3 (Jul 13, 2014)

Eric Malcolm said:


> Well stated and I wholly agree.
> 
> Eric


I love the idea of a pure, rigid bike that climbs like a banshee, and allows me to precisely pick a line on descents, using my balance and skill in place of artificial crutches like a slack head angle, a 120 mm fork, 120 mm of rear suspension, and ultra fat, low pressure tires.

However, at the age of 52, I understand that I no longer have the skill--actually, let's be honest, I never had the skill--to safely handle a rigid, steep HA bike on the terrain that I sometimes find myself on. I love to climb, but I will accept a modest decrease in climbing responsiveness to have a machine that will allow me to more safely experience the joys of mountain bike riding for a few more years. And since moving to a good FS bike, I find that I no longer tweak my neck and back, and don't pound my wrists and hands the way I used to. I ride fully rigid MTBs on the road. But for anything more challenging than a smooth dirt road, I'll take a modern FS trail bike.


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## stingray66 (Oct 2, 2009)




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## tductape (Mar 31, 2008)




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## honkinunit (Aug 6, 2004)

I just realized reading this thread that I have mostly "old" bikes:

1972 Schwinn Super Sport Ladies 
1972 Windsor Profesional Full Campy 
1984 Miyata Team Pro
1985 Santana Arriva Tandem
1988 Nishiki Linear "Funny Bike"
1989 Serotta Nova Special X Full Campy C-Record
1990 Santana Sovereign Tandem
1995 Moots YBB MTB
1995 Trek 6000 bonded aluminum MTB
1999 Moots Psychlo-X YBB
1999 Ventana El Conquistador de Montanas Tandem 
1999 Schwinn Paramount Titanium 
2000 Schwinn Rocket 88


We only have four bikes newer than 2000....All of the above are ridden at least a couple times a year except for the Linear - I can't get that low any more! 

I have owned and sold off at least as many as I currently own. 

It is a disease, but I have slowed down in the past few years. But I do have a brand new bike on the way! Not cured.


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## paramount3 (Jul 13, 2014)

Honkinunit,

I had a 2001 Rocket 88. Got it in 2011 as my first full suspension bike. Nice extended riding position, same as I was used to on my 1990's rigid bikes. I hit a rock garden on the Rocket and went over the bars, miraculously avoiding broken wrists and collarbones, but I got a pretty nice gash in my leg from landing on a rock.

Sold the Rocket for a 2012 FS Marin. I'm now on my 4th FS bike, a 2016 Orbea. Won't go back to that old riding position again, not on trails anyway.

And I too, have had the disease, but I'm down to 4 bikes. Depending on how you count...


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## beezee (Feb 15, 2017)

Fuzzle said:


> How do you guys like the old Geo compared to the modern?


I have an '85 Ritchey which is a pretty relaxed ride. It is ultra stable but not so maneuverable, which makes it great for steep descents (aside from the lack of suspension). The new bikes are better handling but of course not as stable. There has to be a compromise somewhere! Oh, and I do like this new fangled click shifting.


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## scooderdude (Sep 27, 2004)

beezee said:


> I have an '85 Ritchey which is a pretty relaxed ride. It is ultra stable but not so maneuverable. The new bikes are better handling but of course not as stable.


Here's how another older Ritchey, this one an '87, as well as rider take on the trail.Trying to catch the group of other vintage riders after we were separated.


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## beezee (Feb 15, 2017)

scooderdude said:


> Here's how another older Ritchey, this one an '87, as well as rider take on the trail.Trying to catch the group of other vintage riders after we were separated.


Thanks for posting. Nice to see a vintage Ritchey at speed.


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## honkinunit (Aug 6, 2004)

paramount3 said:


> Honkinunit,
> 
> I had a 2001 Rocket 88. Got it in 2011 as my first full suspension bike. Nice extended riding position, same as I was used to on my 1990's rigid bikes. I hit a rock garden on the Rocket and went over the bars, miraculously avoiding broken wrists and collarbones, but I got a pretty nice gash in my leg from landing on a rock.
> 
> ...


Our Rocket 88 is nicknamed "Bob". And I'm sure you know why.


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## dg5228 (Jun 16, 2017)

*2 Moldy oldie's*

I am 62, got a mid 80's MTB1800. It's currently in pieces and I got all the parts. Going to paint it and put 7 speed cassette ( I know its a uni-glide but I can change that)on it with new crank etc. I love the cro-moly frame and it fits me, all 6'2" with 31 inch legs...lol. Worth it? :madman: Not really but not only do I ride I am a dabbler. Oh ya got a hybrid Schwinn, Trek 820 and just traded away a Novarra amigo.


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## bachman1961 (Oct 9, 2013)

tductape said:


> Scooderdude, If you don't post a pic of you racing downhill and smoking all the modern bikes on your prewar with drum brakes, I will.
> 
> There is no doubt quality hydraulic brakes are an improvement over Canti's and V's but to say they are dangerous is laughable.


+

I especially take note of the ski reference. I've been skiing old out of date stuff all my life... whether for recreation, teaching or volunteering in adaptive programs.

What's between the ears has to account for some of that "being safe" and rational.

I rode my 91 rigid, center-pull HardRock for 12 years before getting a 2001 hardtail with v-brakes. (Purchased in 03). Disc were already out and f/s had been around a long time. I rode that 01 Kona for 14 years and just now updated to a '17 hardtail with disc brakes.....

Nope, I don't blame the equipment for nothing beyond it's path to freedom, a good mental health outing and fun times.


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## bachman1961 (Oct 9, 2013)

I'm enjoying the topic of old bikes, classics or where some of us started from. It's giving me more incentive to keep up the others and mix up what I ride.
The Specialized and Kona were out rolling along the creek over winter just down from my house about 500 yards.

My newest bike is pictured at an open space region at the south end of town. In Nov , I'll be 56 and I just knew getting a newer bike would boost my riding fever !


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

Fuzzle said:


> How do you guys like the old Geo compared to the modern?


Yup climbs better and descends better


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## ethierjung (May 30, 2017)

Zomby Woof (MCM700) said:


> Although I do have a new bike, a 2015 model, here's my 1st mountain bike that I ride (not so often any more). It's a 2000 model.


I'm right there with you.
My 98 Super V 500SL and I have a couple Scalpel Carbon Team bikes


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## Birdman (Dec 31, 2003)

1991 Cambria Bicycle Outfitters Fat Bastard. Frame by Litespeed, with Fat Chance geometry. Fork my Gene Spicer. Set up as a SS with White Industries hubs. Still gets ridden, but not nearly enough. 20.5 lb.







JMJ


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## Scott In MD (Sep 28, 2008)

This is only 20 years old .... all original though, right down to the bottle cages. I took this bike out for 27 miles this weekend.


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## sgltrak (Feb 19, 2005)

I built this 1962 Schwinn Typhoon in 1987 and have ridden it consistently since. It has been a commuter, MTB, and short track racer. 








This 1993 Paramount Team was purchased brand new and it was my main bike for about 11 years, until I cracked the drive-side chain stay short track racing it. This bike had well over 10,000 hard Colorado and Utah miles on it and it still hangs in the garage.








I bought this 1997 Moots YBB SL used in 2004 and have put close to 15,000 miles on it since then. It doesn't get as much use as a mountain bike any more because I have retrofitted it with a disc brake tab and can swap in 700c cross wheels for use as a gravel grinder. However, it did serve me well last summer during a 200 mile, 3-day bike-packing trip.
















My brother in law bought this 1995 Marin Team brand new and then sold it to me a few years later when he replaced it with a new Litespeed. It is the bike I take to vintage rides, but aside from that it doesn't get much use.








I don't have my first mtb because I sold it to be able to pay for the 2nd. Same thing with numbers 3-6. Several others have been sold over the past 30 years. I have a couple modern (2008, 2012) 29'er hard tails which get most of the use now.


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## dirt diggler (Jan 14, 2004)

Took this out for a spin. I might give it to my daughter for a campus bike.


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

More riding in other conditions and places on the new Fuel EX has me feeling more strong that our 1960s Schwinn is the only old bike I care about.

Yesterday was at a place I've ridden for 30 years. Whether old school gnarly stuff, modern trail or low level flight, the modern bike makes later age biking a dream.


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## rob_ralph (Dec 14, 2015)

All I have is the older stuff......nothing post '93. Recently got a bug for old Schwinn 3-speeds


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

rob_ralph said:


> View attachment 1144881
> 
> All I have is the older stuff......nothing post '93. Recently got a bug for old Schwinn 3-speeds


And I'm surely eating words now loving big wheels and adding a second plastic frame to the family.

P.S. Also did more fat biking than Nordic skiing this past winter.


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