[Closed] awful designed suspension bikes (retro content 😉

Happy days when there was more change to talk about than wheel size.

I'd love three of those above to be in my garage - you could keep the Treks.

This has to go in here. End of thread.

[img] https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSXzApmY4ilPzvXPeV9GIqZL40WR26I2Jwd1vzAq-HdZ6WCAyrD6w [/img]

Trek 9000=
[img] [/img]

Davey, if you'd ever ridden one, you'd know it wasn't an "awful design" at all. Rode wonderfully, looked awful!

I raise you this..... [img] [/img]

That Manitou is damned sexy...and the SBike doesn't look bad...

Bow-Ti with USB?
[img] [/img]

The Bow Ti is gorgeous... The fork is very very wrong though.

[img] [/img]

[url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/when-mtb-went-badthe-huck-it-years ]So many more here....[/url]

More BSO than bike

[img] http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=212828&t=1 [/img]

The first Orange FS. The X1, was it?

X1
[img] http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=67131 [/img]

And a bonus....Orange Mr O
[img] [/img]

That Muddy Fox had me lusting after it...

The original Orange wasn't that bad - only a steel URT.

The Bow-ti can't be in this thread - just too gorgeous and used some really crazy ti alloys.

For me it has to be anything 'sweet spot' eg Klein Mantra, Ibis Szazbo, WTB Bon Tempe. Just scary to ride.

GB

Bloke in our bike club very occasionally comes out on one of those Y framed treks in the OP. He didn't like the wallowy suspension, (born and bred roadie!) so swapped the shock for a couple of lengths of steel plate. 😯 I'm always expecting a massive BANG as the mount explodes into the frame.

I saw the thread title and had a £50 bet with myself the Klein Mantra would appear in the first post...but i was wrong.

Too many 'shockers' to compete for the title.

Edit-Gee mentioned the Mantra while i was typing!

That Bow-ti is mine and the SUB fork worked really well BTW (for the era)

It did 40000 miles before a tube crack. One day I'll get it over to Enigma for a repair. Fork still works.

Yep, longer than I thought to see Mantra named

I test rode a Mantra back in the day...and then bought an Attitude Race

How about...
[img] [/img]
Allsop Softride

You're wrong about that manitou, it actually rode really well. It was light, short travel with the main pivot within the chain rings.

I really liked mine.

Ever given your hair a trim and cut a little too much off one side, so tried to rectify it by snipping a bit off the opposite side, then a bit more, then some more until you end up BICing the lot off? The design of that Karpiel is basically the opposite of that train of thought.

Always wondered what would happen if you managed to get a Slingshot airborne and massively cased a jump. I expect it would involve a high-tension cable and lower limbs.

I always wanted one of these, but can't imagine the were the most efficient design...

[img] [/img]

halcyon days.

when there was more than two suspension designs, and engineers made stuff on cnc machines.

pity they were super expensive and snapped.

AMP research. oof. rear wheel steering.

[img] [/img]

kona sex

[img] [/img]

Matt, I don't think the old super v and rave s were that bad. I had a super v and remember it being alright.

He old Trek and Gary Fisher Y framed full sus bikes were rubbish, I hated the early Oange bouncy bikes too...the Mr O was a monstrosity. I int like the others either!

You're wrong about that manitou, it actually rode really well. It was light, short travel with the main pivot within the chain rings.

And it looks flipping ace, I really, really wanted one of those when I was 14.

Everything else on this page was run over by the ugly bus. And that Cannondale got reversed over a few times to make sure...

i must admit that i lusted after the manitou (still do tbh) am seriously regretting putting it up now (goes off and thrashes himself with a rusty flexstem as penance 😳

Double post....

I remember the Kona Sex bikes. A friend had one as his first introduction to full suss but it got knicked at Burnham Beeches. I don't remember it being much good though.

[img] [/img]

I had one of these, saved for ages...good god it was gash

OK here's a challenge. Find a picture of the bolt on rear suspension I saw in MBUK back in the day.
It was some sort of parallelogram that fixed to the brake bosses and spindle.
Even then it looked like a pile of poo.
edit, my 2000 mount vision still looks and rides great.

For those that remember these old designs from bitd, don't you think its amazing how much this stuff has come on since year 2000?
Will we be ridiculing current Santa Cruz/Giant/Orange designs in ten years time (ignoring wheel sizes!)

dropper posts are the new girving flex stem 😀

Will we be ridiculing current Santa Cruz/Giant/Orange designs in ten years time (ignoring wheel sizes!)

Doubt it. Wasn't there a thing in the 10th Anniversary issue of the mag looking at bikes from then and bikes from now, and there weren't a whole lot of differences (apart from functioning brakes and increased travel)

I had a Super V 1000 SL and it wasn't too bad! The Headshok wasn't the best though. +1 for Bigrich though. Back in the 90's every manufacturer had a different design and everything was cutting edge. It made buying the magazines worthwhile.....

Don forget the GT RTS...that was an awful looking bike.

I think we probably will look back and think WTF, but part of me think that bikes are not changing the way that they did back then. Technology was being tried and tested back then...some of be old DH bikes were mental.

+1 on the Manitou. I had (still have the frame) the single shock model after that one with the linkage shock. It was a really supple ride with an excellent geometry, it was just the shock and damping technology that was lacking at the time. That and a 60mm fork mated to the 100mm back end. I updated with a Pace downhill fork with a huge 75mm travel!

Orange X1 bob yak trailer swingarm!

Gone are the days of anything goes experimentation then. Concepts and designs have plateaued and been standardized?

Surely that means sales will stagnate? They'll have to invent something radical like a whole new wheel size? Crazy talk i know!!

hows about this beauty 😆 [img] [/img]
mountain goat are awesome bikes,but i think i'd pass on this 😯

I've ridden the Manitou in Singapore of all places! Not that bad, and looks lush.

Jesus wept that Mountain Goat is awful! I need some bleach to remove the I age from my eyes.

A Boulder Gazelle
[img] [/img]

zippykona - Member
OK here's a challenge. Find a picture of the bolt on rear suspension I saw in MBUK back in the day.
It was some sort of parallelogram that fixed to the brake bosses and spindle.

Saleem that posts on here had a Coyote prototype with a softride? unit fangled onto it. I think they ground the dropouts off the frame to bolt it on. The rear canti brake mounts were fine but the anchor for the cable hanger was a botch. I rode it one sunday on a group ride and although I was fairly fit at the time, it was a mare on the climbs. I can't even remember it having any advantage. It seemed to be working on the descents but I suffered so much that it was the first and last time I took it out.

[img] [/img]
Softride mark 2, with "damping"

[img] [/img]
Jamis Diablo

Trek Y paintjob 😉
[img] [/img]

but they did have other uses (love the water bottle still attached!) -
[img] [/img]

A lot of these designs would prob ride OK with more modern shocks - well excluding the softride ones.

I give you The Shockster

[img] [/img]

and in situ

[img] [/img]

That is a whole new level of special that thing.

The thing is all these monocoque carbon frames are far closer to the correct application of the material than the classic diamond frame.

The rep left one of those shockster things behind when I worked in the trade. We had it for years, he didn't want it back, tried to sell it, eventually fitted it to a pub bike and good god it was terrifying. Took it off again and sold it to a kid for £20. Was one of those legendary things you know you've had for absolutely ages.

Well it's been mentioned but there aren't any pictures so far...

[img] [/img]

Anyone remember the "commuting" version you could buy? Rigid forks and a big foam bumper in place of the shock, designed (apparently) as a comfortable commuter bike.

Madness.

[img] [/img]

😆 (someone had to, surprised it took this long)

Iain1775, as a five owner, LOL.

And for world DH champ winning reto- awfulness, I give you
[img][url= http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1005/650241946_395ee317f9.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1005/650241946_395ee317f9.jp g"/> [/img][/url] [url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/9431851@N03/650241946/ ]Iron Horse FS-Works[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/9431851@N03/ ]atmaka[/url], on Flickr[/img]

This is like reading MBUK in the 90's - ace

I had a Y11 - and it was pretty good - for the time ...
I rode a proflex - and that wasn't ....

i feel a little guilty including these, they're not *awful* as such, i think they're quite clever, sort of...

anyway, the kona 'future shock':

[img] [/img]

I know those Kleins wer rubbish to ride, but they did look ace. I've seen a chap at Cannock a few times on a purple one complete with Spinergy wheels.

I've never seen that bolt on suspension...not a good idea. How much did it weigh?

I had the chance to buy one of those muddy foxes a few years ago. I didn't and have regretted it ever since. I'd love to have one for retro rides.

I had a Whyte PRST-1 & 4 and despite the looks they both rode well, in fact the PRST-4 is still one of my favorite XC bikes.

[img] http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=79337&d=1123184586 [/img]

Futureshock?

I love the way it was touted as a new thing when leading link suspension had been about on motorbikes for years.

Lawwill did leading better.

Gary Fisher less so with the rear end.

[img] [/img]

Those GT RTS bikes always looked ace though, they had a properly mean look about them - sorted design. I remember being at the Short Course DH CHamps at Penshurst back in about 1998 and it being THE bike to own. Especially if fitted with RockShox Mag 21 SL Ti, a fork that even back then cost £650! Had a whole 46mm of travel but the really rich folk would have got the long travel kit which put it up to 60mm.

Anyway, how about one of the traditionals:

[img] [/img]

A mate had one on a sponsorship deal. To be fair he would have been fast on anything but he did the pro thing and only said nice things about it while he was riding it.
Then once the deal was over, he told us all quietly about how dreadful it had been. Again, this was back in late 90's so most full sus designs were dreadful back then!

There are actually some technologically significant bikes listed there. Represented an existing era! What do we have now - austerity and 29ers

Those Shocksters are still listed on the Lightning recumbent site...

[url= http://www.lightningbikes.com/accessories.html#rear-suspension ]Lightning rear suspension[/url]

[img] [/img]

I must say all these bikes look great to me! I'm a sucker for anything unusual...

Simple and effect human suspension.......hardtail 🙂

zippykona - Member
OK here's a challenge. Find a picture of the bolt on rear suspension I saw in MBUK back in the day.
It was some sort of parallelogram that fixed to the brake bosses and spindle.

Here's mine. I'm keeping it in reserve for my worst bike in the world build.

[url= http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7405/8730467957_172a05d776_z.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7405/8730467957_172a05d776_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url]

epicyclo,
Awesome!
You don't use it then.

Anyone else remember the Isolator front hub from back in the days when all you needed for front suspension was a hub that had the body separated from the bearings by elastomers 😯

This is funny - I currently own a GT RTS, a Slingshot, a Proflex, and a USE SUB fork 😉

And they're all brilliant. Well, not sure about the Slingshot as I haven't got around to building it up. The SUB fork is the best front suspension I've ever used.

[img] [/img]

Had one of these, absolutely loved it...So much so, that I've ridden hardtails ever since 😆

If you look at the evolution of motorcycle suspension it used the same designs before settling on what we have now. Very, very odd that bicycle designers didn't just adapt current motorcycle designs.

There was even a backlash to having rear suspension on off road bikes with many handrail bikes co-existing for years.

Motorbikes don't have the engine jumping up and down on top - I don't think you can just translate the design across.

very odd that bicycle designers didn't just adapt current motorcycle designs.

The designs we now have look like adapted modern motorcycle designs. Complete with linkages, mono-shocks and forks.

The designs posted here all look like pre-ww2 motorcycles designs.

"very odd that bicycle designers didn't just adapt current motorcycle designs."
"The designs we now have look like adapted modern motorcycle designs. Complete with linkages, mono-shocks and forks."

Make your mind up eh.

You missed the context. This is about early designs. Bicycle suspension went through the same evolution as motorcycles. Unnecessarily.

They could have just fine gone straight to modern designs by copying motorcycles. Nothing has changed since the early 80s in motorcycle suspension design. Bicycles all follow that design now.

You lear to pedal smoothly when you own one of these:
[img] ?v=0[/img]

Followed by one of these:
[img] [/img]

And one of these:
[img] [/img]
Then one of these:
[img] [/img]
And one of these:
[img] [/img]

I dont have to worry too much about that now though as I have one of these:
[url= http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5197/7204150870_9cf002a4a2.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5197/7204150870_9cf002a4a2.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/78973345@N02/7204150870/ ]6-April-2012 (1)[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/78973345@N02/ ]CaptainS404[/url], on Flickr

Things started getting a lot better from the subfive on. The subfive had a lockout, the five had a swinger and worked quite well. The SL had an RP23, the flux has an RP23 but doesn't need pro pedal

"Bicycles all follow that design now."
Apart from Dw link,Fsr,Maestro,Vpp,Zero Loss (and all derivations of twin link/4 bar),Pendbox,Idrive....
I quite like moto style linkage drive single pivots.They are however difficult to design with sufficient anti squat in all chairing sizes.May see more in the future as 1x drivetrain gain popularity.
Good reading [url= http://linkagedesign.blogspot.co.uk/ ]here[/url]

All variations of mono-shock linkage rear ends with forks. Which is where they could have started.

[img] [/img]

Apparently the Mantra was originally designed to have a rigid fork and pivot around the middle, hence the 'folding in half' sensation. The commuter version was as close as this got to market.

Those old ProFlex were also on my most wanted list in the 90s...

Ooooh 857...

Don forget the GT RTS...that was an awful looking bike.

😯

RTS1 with spin tri spokes, best looking bike of all time.

Still want one for the wall

Burn him.