# Has anyone else out there been in a time-capsule!?



## 93M500 (Nov 10, 2021)

I started mt. biking back about the fall of 1992, we rode hard and fast for years. Then college, career, wife, kids, house, mortgage. Yay me!! Anyway, this past sept. I'm back in full force! I never gave it up, just lightened up a lot for 20 years. But now I am finding soooo many changes to the bikes, I mean every component has changed. Now we're back to the 1970's style flat pedal (how did we go backwards there)? When I upgraded to the clipless and the special shoes and all, I thought "wow" now we're high tech!! I think all the new stuff is cool, finally they came out with comfortable new geometry frames, 1x drivetrains (who needs three big sprokets and a derailleur up front), dropper posts, wide handle bars, hydraulic disc brakes, incredible suspension systems, etc, etc....

I just ordered the mmmbop from Ragley bikes, It will arrive this week, very exited. I really hope I like this modern slack geometry stuff.....coming off a 1993 rigid hardtail and all. The good news is i'm healthy and still shredding up the trails, just not as fast 'n furious like the old days...

Any old comrades out there know where i'm coming from?

I'll see ya out there...


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## Prognosticator (Feb 15, 2021)

Congrats on the new bike! Things have come a long way!

I have never been in a time capsule. ABA basketball played Marvin Barnes had his chance but declined:

There’s the one about the Spirits getting set to depart on a flight from Louisville at 8 a.m. that would get into St. Louis at 7:56. After one look at his ticket, Barnes exclaimed “I ain’t getting on no time machine,” and promptly rented a car for the trip home.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

Not me. My first MTB was a 1984 Diamond Back Mean Streak.
Followed by an '86 Specialized Stumpjumper.
I've averaged roughly one new bike every year since.
Ridden a ton -- off-road cycling is my passion even though I came to it from the road.
Anyway I've been there for every advancement -- from SPD pedals to thru axles to dropper posts.
But I've never owned a carbon fiber frame.
Yet. 
Bikes are finally getting awesomer.
I wonder how mountain bikes are going to get even better from here.
Not by adding a motor... that makes it not a mountain bike.
I know because I have an ebike, too.
=sParty


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## J_Bone (Dec 14, 2014)

93M500 said:


> I started mt. biking back about the fall of 1992, we rode hard and fast for years. Then college, career, wife, kids, house, mortgage. Yay me!! Anyway, this past sept. I'm back in full force! I never gave it up, just lightened up a lot for 20 years. But now I am finding soooo many changes to the bikes, I mean every component has changed. Now we're back to the 1970's style flat pedal (how did we go backwards there)? When I upgraded to the clipless and the special shoes and all, I thought "wow" now we're high tech!! I think all the new stuff is cool, finally they came out with comfortable new geometry frames, 1x drivetrains (who needs three big sprokets and a derailleur up front), dropper posts, wide handle bars, hydraulic disc brakes, incredible suspension systems, etc, etc....
> 
> I just ordered the mmmbop from Ragley bikes, It will arrive this week, very exited. I really hope I like this modern slack geometry stuff.....coming off a 1993 rigid hardtail and all. The good news is i'm healthy and still shredding up the trails, just not as fast 'n furious like the old days...
> 
> ...


I went through the exact time warp as you!! I last rode MTB in 96 and came back in 2014 to find the bike I had stored all these years to be a historic museum piece. 
I’m riding a modern XC bike now, BUT I’M STILL USING CLIPLESS PEDALS!!!! I gave up flats in the 80’s on both my BMX and MTB bikes. I’ve ridden with flats recently and I refuse to use them unless I’m dirt jumping or free riding, which I don’t do anymore. I’m too old for that. lol  

Have fun and ride what you like!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## 93M500 (Nov 10, 2021)

J_Bone said:


> I went through the exact time warp as you!! I last rode MTB in 96 and came back in 2014 to find the bike I had stored all these years to be a historic museum piece.
> I’m riding a modern XC bike now, BUT I’M STILL USING CLIPLESS PEDALS!!!! I gave up flats in the 80’s on both my BMX and MTB bikes. I’ve ridden with flats recently and I refuse to use them unless I’m dirt jumping or free riding, which I don’t do anymore. I’m too old for that. lol
> 
> Have fun and ride what you like!
> ...


Thanks, yeah i'm giving the flat pedals a try, I ordered some cheapos just to see if i like them. Still have my clipless!


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## Crankout (Jun 16, 2010)

Good to hear! We started biking at the same time ('92) but I remained in it during those milestones of life you mentioned. Yes, much progress during the past several decades! Enjoy!


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## Cary (Dec 29, 2003)

Yep, every time I go visit my Mom’s house. She even still has a rotary phone. Do you know hard it is to dial someone on a rotary phone when you aren’t used to it anymore? At least my cell phone works on the street in front of her house.


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## Cicch95 (Apr 6, 2016)

I got my first mountain bike in 1994, a Univega Alpina 5.7 with the old toe cages. Still have it and it is 100% operational, though I don't ride it anymore. I found the original receipt for it in a tool box not long ago. lol. I rode that bike until about 2005. Took a few years off with work and kids. Then went back to it after an anniversary trip with to Moab with the wife. The elastomer in the Rock Shox Quadra 21r were dust! Ended up replacing them with metal springs in the long run. I picked up a Specialized stumpjumper hard tail from a buddy. I think it was a 2000 or so. I still have that bike too!  I ended up moving to a 2011 Specialized stumpjumper carbon comp 29er hardtail when I just couldn't "compete" with my buddies anymore. Yup...still have it. I finally made the move to a full squish in 2019. Picked up a Motobecane Hal6 Team bike 27.5 +. Love the slacker geometry of the trail bike. Still ride with clipless though....tried one ride with flats...HATED it!


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

I found this one. Seems legit.


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## WHALENARD (Feb 21, 2010)

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## sgltrak (Feb 19, 2005)

I started riding on mountain bikes with wide bars, flat pedals, wide rims, and slack geometry in 1984 while working in bike shops in high school. For the first ten years I rode MTB, I always had new bikes and tried lots of stuff because of my shop connections. 

The next ten years I was having kids, building houses, and starting businesses so I never updated my 1993 bike, though I continued to ride a ton. 

For the past 17 years I have continued to ride a ton, but never bothered to catch up to the latest and newest tech. I have a bunch of bikes that get ridden a ton, but the newest one is 10 years old (so I guess all of my bikes are time capsules). I eventually ended up on newer tech like disc brakes, droppers, 29er wheels, 1x drivetrains, but well after the early adopters. I do still have bikes with 9 and 10 speed drivetrains, bikes without droppers, and a few with front derailleurs, but none of those reduce the fun factor. After 30 years on clipless, I don't see myself changing those, even running them on my 1962 coaster brake klunker.


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## Scott O (Aug 5, 2004)

Jayem said:


> I found this one. Seems legit.


You might want to be careful with that, Jayem, maybe even have a friend try it out first. Looks alot like one of them Swiss suicide pods.


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## 93M500 (Nov 10, 2021)

Scott O said:


> You might want to be careful with that, Jayem, maybe even have a friend try it out first. Looks alot like one of them Swiss suicide pods.


....Or a real futuristic bumber-car!!


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## 93M500 (Nov 10, 2021)

Cicch95 said:


> I got my first mountain bike in 1994, a Univega Alpina 5.7 with the old toe cages. Still have it and it is 100% operational, though I don't ride it anymore. I found the original receipt for it in a tool box not long ago. lol. I rode that bike until about 2005. Took a few years off with work and kids. Then went back to it after an anniversary trip with to Moab with the wife. The elastomer in the Rock Shox Quadra 21r were dust! Ended up replacing them with metal springs in the long run. I picked up a Specialized stumpjumper hard tail from a buddy. I think it was a 2000 or so. I still have that bike too!  I ended up moving to a 2011 Specialized stumpjumper carbon comp 29er hardtail when I just couldn't "compete" with my buddies anymore. Yup...still have it. I finally made the move to a full squish in 2019. Picked up a Motobecane Hal6 Team bike 27.5 +. Love the slacker geometry of the trail bike. Still ride with clipless though....tried one ride with flats...HATED it!


I hope i like the flat pedals, they will be much easier here on the real technical trails, not having to pop in and out of the clipless. But then again, I'm so used to the clipless, i can get in and out so fast, its like breathing, plus they are on the loose side for quick pop-out emergencies.


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## Cary (Dec 29, 2003)

Scott O said:


> You might want to be careful with that, Jayem, maybe even have a friend try it out first. Looks alot like one of them Swiss suicide pods.


Rumor is they are coming out with a MTB version. A full rigid with no brakes with a starting point at the top of Red Bull Rampage. They say it is fast, but no guarantees on painless. Helmet not included.


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

there's a lot of cool new tech out there, and a lot of trends. the good news is: you don't have to follow the trends and most of the old tech that's not available any more was left in the past for a reason. you have choices now and no one can tell you what to do. the trouble is all those choice mean you have to try different things and make a choice. or spend your entire paycheck on the dizzying amount of option. whatever you do, find a bike that suits your needs and just ride it.

Pedals: IME, shoes are still part of the system on flat pedals. if you buy some nice flats, get some decent mtb sneakers to go with them. some people ride in Vans or combat boots or Crocs, but my experience is that most shoes get destroyed quickly on pedal pins. (personal experience, do whatever you want.)


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

sgltrak said:


> ... my 1962 coaster brake klunker.


 deets, please.


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## 93M500 (Nov 10, 2021)

mack_turtle said:


> there's a lot of cool new tech out there, and a lot of trends. the good news is: you don't have to follow the trends and most of the old tech that's not available any more was left in the past for a reason. you have choices now and no one can tell you what to do. the trouble is all those choice mean you have to try different things and make a choice. or spend your entire paycheck on the dizzying amount of option. whatever you do, find a bike that suits your needs and just ride it.
> 
> Pedals: IME, shoes are still part of the system on flat pedals. if you buy some nice flats, get some decent mtb sneakers to go with them. some people ride in Vans or combat boots or Crocs, but my experience is that most shoes get destroyed quickly on pedal pins.


If I find I really like the flats, then I guess i'll find a decent not expensive sneaker that works well, one with a tough sole i guess. They don't have to be pretty....


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## sgltrak (Feb 19, 2005)

mack_turtle said:


> deets, please.


Here is a photo shoot a friend did for his website a few years back. In the build list, the frame was incorrectly listed as a 1964, but it is actually a 1962 Schwinn Typhoon.








Your Group Ride


Your Group Ride is the home for competitive cycling news in Fort Collins Colorado.




yourgroupride.com


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## mack_turtle (Jan 6, 2009)

93M500 said:


> If I find I really like the flats, then I guess i'll find a decent not expensive sneaker that works well, one with a tough sole i guess. They don't have to be pretty....


"not expensive" is relative. shoes that last twice as long cost half as much when you think long term. my Ride Concept sneakers were $100. that's not generally expensive for sneakers, but I'm still nursing them along after nearly two years. I would have destroyed eight pairs of $50 Vans (outlet store pricing) in that time, so it's cheaper in the end. mine are ugly and I don't care what they look like.


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## Velobike (Jun 23, 2007)

I started mountain biking before mtb. So to me a proper bike had drop bars and track pedals (without toe-straps).

Track pedals because they don't clog up with mud and are light. The bike had to be light because it would often be on my shoulder while I scrabbled up rock faces and steep pitches to get to a track on the other side. It had to be simple because I could risk a mechanical in the middle of nowhere, so that meant single speed or a hub gear.

Tyres were the widest I could get, and that meant about 38-40mm.

This was back in the 1960s. I was blessed with growing up in Scotland where we have the right to roam, i.e. cross any land, and I did.

Now I walk into the lbs and what do I see? Light drop bar bikes with knobby tyres about 40mm. Some of them could be fitted with hub gears.

It's time warp!


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## joeduda (Jan 4, 2013)

I started riding trails with a borrowed Ross 5 speed beach cruiser. Had a ton of fun on that thing. Thats where the sickness began, lol. Then a panasonic, another Ross, Mt Mckinley this time, and a 88 Mongoose John Tomac Signature (has a 72 degree head angle) and I love that bike, its still hanging in the rafters. Fast forward 37 years and I've got a Giant Anthem Advanced Pro 1 and it's incredibly fast and fun. Who's knows what's next, the only thing I know is if I'm breathing I'll be turning pedals.


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## rockychrysler (Aug 9, 2003)

I first noted the sense that I'd somehow slipped past my prime around 2005, when "free ride" bikes began to really take over the sales floor. If recollection serves, Interbike that year looked very different, really for the first time. As did the pages of my favorite magazine, Bike. It was around that time that the editors killed the regionally attuned section, Local Knowlege, which focused on all-things XC, racing, trail building, bike advocacy, in order to make more room for full-page pictures of full-suspension bikes on overhead wooden ramps in the arboreal forests of the PNW.

Despite the transformation in the bike culture around me, my compulsion to ride didn't change. Nor did my fondness for it. But my rigid hardtails, cantis, and lycra just didn't comport with this new style of riding. There are still free ride trails near my house that I've never ridden.

Over the course of the next decade, having stepped away from the sales floor, another sea change in the bicycle world occurred, this time while I wasn't looking. As mentioned by the OP, between 2005 and 2015 a dozen or more important technological and ergonomic advancements revolutionized both the bikes and the ways we ride. Every one of them is crucial. Every one of them an enhancement and an advantage. I love my new bike! I'm never giving up my wide bars, my big tires and wheels, my thick rims, my disc brakes, my dropper post. They've all made my riding better than ever, faster than ever, safer even.

But I will stipulate, while also acknowledging my initial skepticism, none of the aforementioned new-things have made mountain biking more pleasureable, more consistently non-stop fun, than have tubeless tires. Spent the first 25 years of my riding fixing probally 40 flats a year. Literally can't remember the last time I flatted a bike running tubeless.


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## d365 (Jun 13, 2006)

I've been riding non-stop since '91. Yeah, things have changed some.....


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## 93M500 (Nov 10, 2021)

Ride Cocept, never heard of, but i'll check them out. I normally wear Northface Hedgehogs, probably better for hiking though...I was gonna buy the Vans too,,thanks.


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## kosmo (Oct 27, 2004)

I guess I'm in a time capsule of sorts, not really getting on with a lot of the new bike design trends.

Really wide bars: I'm big-ish with wide shoulders, and I've tried, but settled back at 760 - 770.

Really short stems: Tried 40 and 50, and settled back at 80 (but no love lost for the 120 days!). But I'm very long of torso for my height.

Steep seat tube angles: Where did my power go?! But great on the _really_ steep grind portions of a ride.

Dropper posts: I get this one, but my ancient, moto-battered knees don't bend far enough to take full advantage, and honestly, I just hated the toggling of yet another lever. Took away some of the purity of biking.

Longer reach: Finally! Love it! But again, I'm long of torso.

Low BBs: Argh. I ride of lot of chunky, old school xc stuff that demands pedaling. Possibly I'm the only guy in the world that rides his Fuel EX and Slash in high mode.


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## Calsun (May 12, 2021)

Very different now with deciding on which pedal type and then which pedal and which shoe and with flat pedals the pin length and locations. Only one shift lever but now have levers to control the front fork shock and the dropper post. Tire choices are far greater and going tubeless is practical and entails less effort than doing frequent tube repairs. 

Changes in frame geometry and tire size along with the advent of droppers has changed riding styles and positioning over the bike and this has complicated deciding what is "best" for any particular bike and riding situation. By comparison with road bikes the only significant changes occurred more than 20 years ago.


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