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Just the comments on the Ribble thread got me thinking. Anyone here still ride old school angles?
I know it's all about longer, lower, slacker these days but I know I still enjoy riding my Surly KM Ops off-road for certain rides. Anyone else?
Yup, my winter SS is a rigid steel Voodoo Wanga, so basically a mid-90s Kona in terms of geo. Love it!
There’s nothing wrong with “old” geometry. No matter which age of bike I ride I don’t have any issues keeping up downhill or on singletrack.
My 1994 Kilauea is still the best bike I’ve ever ridden for twisty single track, ok when it gets a bit rocky I could do with suspension but it’s perfect otherwise. My more modern bike is slow and ponderous in comparison. And a lot heavier!!
Still ride an old Giant Anthem with small wheels and bars so narrow people think I've lost half.
It's fine, and I end each ride smiling, so why change it?
Been out a lot on the 2008 Stinky lately, had forgotten how much of a hoot it is.
Yeah, but it’s got drops and is a gravel bike
I just finished building myself an old 26er Soul. It's as ace as they always were.
Does a 2004 Kona Caldera count as old school? I ride it reasonably regularly on local trails - it’s still good on pedally twisty stuff. Turns in and accelerates a lot quicker than my aeris 145, but on rocky stuff it gives you a good beating and I quickly want for my fs.
Still ride my '97 Indy Fab Deluxe SS on occasion (most recently did the 75km HOTS ride on it) and it's a great ride. Fast too.
Still loving my prince albert - just plain good all round fun ☺️
Charge Cooker, it was old skool even when it was new.
I have absolutely zero doubt a new Scott Scale would be quicker down technical single track, but the bike is rarely the limiting factor and there's a perverse joy in ragging the nuts off a £150 steel single speed when in a group of carbon FS superbikes.
still biking with a 2003 Rocky Mountain Blizzard Hard tail that I recently rebuilt..... does the job.... 🙂
Yes. 2004 orange evo 4 is my slop bike.(which I secretly love):-)
Thanks for the replies. Does not have to be retro, except the angles. My KM is still a spring chicken.
72 degree on my Open
does 69.5 count?
Actually wondered, runnin 2.4 front 2.2 back must make that a touch slacker though, anyone know how much?
Original Trailstar LT here, used daily, there’s nothing better
69.5 is close but I'm thinking it'll start with 7 to count 😉
bigger tyre up front defo disqualifies me then! 😆
2005 cannondale f1000 with lefty, just don't ride it enough to be worth replacing it. But it's still fast and keeps me competitive in marathon races!
Old School ?
2001 Specialized Stumpjumper HT.... love it. Why change and a 2007 Stumpy FSR.
Wish I kept my 2004 Stumpy FSR which was also great.
Still riding a Charge Duster, which is short and has a steep 71 degree head angle. I am seriously tempted to buy a 27.5 plus bike to replace it though.
Original DMR Sidekick 🙂 technically it's my wife's, but also used for tag-along duties and jump sessions.
Trek 970 1990 - red one - 1 inch headset with full mudguards and enough clearance for 27.5" if my DX hubs ever give out 😉
Well I just bought a ritchey p29 which would be fairly traditional I guess. I mainly ride xc with a bit of racing so anything which can’t climb well doesn’t interest me.
I ride a Mk1 Soul. I have a 140mm Pike, a dropper post and short stem. With flat bars it goes uphill and down like a dream. With a bit of a rise I think I prefer it but I need to wind the fork down a bit on steep ups.
No desire for anything else.
Go to any XC race and there will be a lot of people going very fast on relatively modern bikes with angles that the forum / magazines would describe as old school. Scott Sparks are about as longlowslack as you'll see.
My two main bikes are a geometron g15, and a singular swift. Pretty much at polar opposites on the 29er geometry scale, but both great fun in different ways.
I'm not entirely sure what's meant by 'old school angled', is this one?...
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Cos if it is. Yes. Frame dates from 1990, no angles altered.
X2. Both 26ers, so bonus points.
On one Inbred, rigid. SS. Angles possibly not as old Skool as some, and I've got a short-ish (45mm) stem and long-ish bars (760mm). But old Skool in so many ways. Used as the winter slop hack, but also for quick one hour blasts throughout the year
Cannondale Prophet. Angles fairly modern-ish (think HA is 67ish °?) but proportions quite un-modern (short reach, high BB, slack seattube = wandery steering up steep climbs). But my first FS, and lashed together for around £350-400 and it's a properly capable bike.
A lot of proper old skool geometry bikes were actually lower BB wise than many so called low bikes of today.
I still prefer a low BB for stability over a long wheelbase.
I also still ride 26" Dirtjump bikes which are steep and short (shorter WB than old skool geometry but not quite as steep a HA). and BMX which is super steep and short. Don't have an XC style bike at all. haven't had one for 25 years.
If you ask around most folk will tell you I'll ride anything 😉
Still ride an old Giant Anthem with small wheels and bars so narrow people think I’ve lost half.
Snap. 2006 Anthem, plus bar ends, of course. It just won't die.
With these forks (Manitou R7 Pro) and 20 mm of sag, this comes out at about 70°. BB drop 18 mm. Ride every week, fab to ride, don't plan to change anything until it becomes too hard to get decent spare parts 🙂
2008 P7 (69deg) which is still the most modern MTB I've owned. It flies.
Plus this 2007 XTC. It climbs.
My only MTB is a 2002 Rock Lobster 853.
I have never owned anything but a bike with less than around 72 degree angles. They work fine for fire roads and fast easy single track. I also has a large saddle to bar drop as again that works for me and I like the position it puts me in.
Currently riding a track bike off road again with 74 degree angles and it is fine.
The new geometry is basically to allow for the deficiencies of longer telescopic forks.
I prefer to ride rigid, so old school is perfectly fine.
@ Kerley I know what you mean about fire roads and fast singletrack. I also use mine for towpath and other such mile munching. Mine is pretty heavy but comfy. Still feels nice and nimble though too.
how old id oldskool?
mine is just over 10yrs old, one of the most raved about bikes on here at the time, one of the most chuckable.
said it before, and I'll say it again, if it weren't for the sticker on the down tube these days you'd think it had square wheels what with being 26er, 3x9, well skinny 740mm bars, super skinny 27.2 seat tube with few droppers available (all external routing), super skinny 1 1/8 straight steerer, 2.3" tyres (even then stones stick in the side nobbles and wear the inside of the chainstays away), QR dropouts...
but cos it says soul on the top tube and cotic on the down tube it does still go just like the day it arrived.
I like 27.2 skinny seatposts. It was on my must have list when I shopped for my KM. I admit it was an odd must have list mixing the modern and the old though.
Cos if it is. Yes. Frame dates from 1990, no angles altered
No angles altered? That bb meant to sit 2 inches above the axles? 😆 you not stressing that too much with at fork?
Frame dates from 1990, no angles altered.
Just like the Tower of Pisa is perfectly normal because the window sills are still at right angles to the walls.
My newest off road bike is 8 years old (and 26"), and even then was considered a bit steeper than the latest trend in angles. I might change it in a year or 2, but have just replacd the drivetrain (it's now 1x11) so might as well get some value out of that.
No angles altered? That bb meant to sit 2 inches above the axles?you not stressing that too much with at fork?
HaHa! Believe me, It's the most comfy bike I've owned. Rides great & fits me perfectly. I've had it since 1994.
Maybe I'm just versatile & can ride anything without worrying about angles & BB heights?
But tbh, my Fiveling Cabinet feels a touch better going down steep stuff! 😉
Both my bikes are old school
1998 Marin East Peak FRS, short top tube, high bottom bracket, 100mm stem !
2010 Specialized Hardrock
geometry on these is more than suitable for the grouse moor tracks here in south Aberdeenshire I spend most of my time riding. I tried the descent of Clachnaben once and decided I was underskilled and under biked.
I still say that my Singular Hummingbird singlespeeds (including the Ti one) when used with the proper rigid forks with 55mm offset, are the best handling bikes that I’ve ever ridden.
I’ve just measured the Ti one at 70/73 degrees, so very old school, I suppose. I did think about fitting a -1 degree headset but I’ve not bothered so far. I have the BB height at about 310mm. A superb bike anyway...
Although I've loved riding my new - ish - Swift over couple of years, it's in bits at the moment so out of necessity I've been out on old Kona (1995, Kilaeua, SS) and also old Stumpjumper HT (1998, alu, also now SS). while they feel odd at first, and definitely twitchy, can concur with newrobdob about responsiveness through singletrack, also feel I am more able to ride them hard after being on the Swift..
only thing is lack of rear disc brake, otherwise they'd be out a lot more in crappy weather.
Yes, all my mtbs are now old school. Don't want one of these new slack things, wouldn't ride very well where I live these days...
I'd still like to be riding my 2002 Rocky Mountain Blizzard, but the frame has a crack in the seat tube bottom bracket weld. Should get it fixed really... Replaced it with a Mk2 Soul, which does ride a bit nicer.
Couple of years ago I spent the year riding round Swindon on my old EBB Inbred! That was a fun year of riding 🙂
I love it that 2010 is now old school that marketing bullshit is in full flow these days! 😆
Don't worry the bike I'm talking about was available from 2014 - 2016!
Even the one my son rides, which he swears by, was from 2013.
As I said before, this thread was more about old school angles/geomtery than retro bikes.
If all I rode was bike parks and or I lived in the Alps or only road purpose built trails I would go LLS but for"natura" riding in Dorset, Devon and Wales I like the "older" geometry. I have pretty slack but still not ultra modern bike for bike parks etc but riding on natural trails although better on the downs is not better overall.