How we used to ride.

[Globalti]

Younger MTBers might not appreciate what we oldies went through as test mules for 20 years to bring them the comfortable, fine-tuned, lightweight and fashionable kit they can buy nowadays. Have a look at this:

http://www.mudintheblood.co.uk/hwutrhome.htm

NB: I still have thumbshifters on my MTB, even more amazing.... they're Suntour thumbshifters! Little beauties they are and they go for good money nowadays.

 

[chillyuk]

I have Shimano indexed front and rear thumb shifters on my Ridgeback hybrid. Although they work perfectly at present, the particular models are completely obsolete, so I was pleased to find a pair of new old stock shifters from the US on Ebay. They can go into my "just in case" spares stock.

A lot of us will remember when mountain bikes weren't even thought of. We did cross country on road bikes, maybe with the modification of some slightly heavier and chunkier tyres.

 

[Muddyfox]

A lot of us will remember when mountain bikes weren't even thought of. We did cross country on road bikes, maybe with the modification of some slightly heavier and chunkier tyres.

Unfortunately im in that bracket

Bombing through the local woods and doing jumps on my old 5 speed Raliegh Arena complete with drop bars

Simon

 

[Happiness Stan]

What about the rear brake calipers mounted under the chain stays?

Stroke of genius that.

 

[patheticshark]

awesome film:
http://www.klunkerz.com/

 

[Debian]

Good thread.

My first MTB, which I still own and use as a town hack, was a Peugeot something or other, can't remember the model but itis predominantly grey with orange and black flashes.

Anyway - steel frame (MangAlloy), no suspension, 21 speed friction shifters and useless cantilever brakes, whitewall tyres (still the originals but more dirty orangewall now ) with a slight tread and a centre slick section.

Mutts nuts when I bought it (early 90's).

 

[Hacienda71]

I still have my old mtb from early 90's no suspension thumb shifters, state of the art at the time. I remember my mate getting roc shox for his GT we were in awe of it.

 

[Norm]

+1 to the last two. My Giant Coldrock now has Schwalbe City Jets, rack and mudguards and serves just fine as a town bike, thumbshifters, Biopace and all. The pink and white colour scheme is... um... challenging, so the closest I'm going to come to posting a pic is...

 

[lukesdad]

Still use a friction shifter for the front on my race bike.

 

[ufkacbln]

What about the rear brake calipers mounted under the chain stays?

Stroke of genius that.

Got one of the original Saracen Mountain bikes that had these.... so efficient that I had the brazings removed and "normal" Calipers put in place.

 

[Globalti]

Here y'are oldies, you'll enjoy this, I bought the first issue and it only lasted for about four:

 

[Hacienda71]

Here y'are oldies, you'll enjoy this, I bought the first issue and it only lasted for about four:

Now that is proper mountain biking, No poncy suspension or disk brakes just a bloody strong frame and wheels and a nutter at the top of the hill

 

[Globalti]

I didn't get suspension forks until about 6 years ago and even they were second hand!

 

[GilesM]

A lot of us will remember when mountain bikes weren't even thought of. We did cross country on road bikes, maybe with the modification of some slightly heavier and chunkier tyres.

I remember those days (Giles Old git) we refered to it as roughstuff, I went on a couple of weekends camping with the Roughstuff Fellowship (1980 ish), great fun, tea stops usually included a primus stove and freshly made tea somewhere in the middle of Exmoor, and just like mtb one of my mates fell off and broke his arm on the Long Mynd.

My first mtb was in 1990, a fully rigid steel Saracen, I still see it as I gave it to a friend, still working well.

 

[thegrumpybiker]

Anyone remember the Raleigh Bomber from the early '80s? It probably qualifies as the UK's first MTB shaped object. From memory it looked like a beefier version of what the cool kids were doing at the time, putting big cowhorn bars on their racers. My schoolmate had one, it weighed a ton. Mind you so did he so it needed to. Gonna have to google for one now...