My Raleigh Dyna-Tech Odyssey...c 1991. VERY rigid. (It ended up being taken in part of the 'settlement' by my first wife together with all my camping kit...I managed to keep the negative equity and the house....not bitter....)
Replaced with a Marin Team in early 94 (It was toss up between the Marin and a KHS Montana Pro) that did countless Polaris/Trailquests...who needed suspension!
There’s been definite phases of bikes that were in vogue.
When I started riding in the late nineties, then through to about 2003, it was all Marins. They were cheap and light and simple enough that they worked well in the UK. Now you never see a Marin.
Then it seemed to be Specialized Enduros.
That then moved to Orange Fives. You couldn’t move for them around 2010. And now, you’ll not see an Orange.
Since Orange went out of fashion, Santa Cruz seems to be the brand. And at some point, they’ll either forget what made their bikes appealing (like Lapierre, Orange, Cannondale and Marin) or rest on their laurels and no longer be the latest and greatest thing (like Specialized Enduros and Commencal Metas).
Plenty of those are location specific though, you'll still see plenty of Orange and Marin around here but local shops sell them so that'll be why. Santa Cruz defo seem to be on the decline though compared to the days when every other bike was a 5010.
Not sure there's properly dominant brand where I ride atm, maybe Nukeproof? I real mixed bag.
Ragley would have been on my list as they were everywhere when the original Blue Pig came out but declined to the point they weren't mentioned, until the CRC fire sale brought them back in to focus.
I imagine plenty of the mentioned brands are UK specific as either no one imports them or the distributor doesn't advertise or get the bikes in to shops. Salsa suffer from this as they had plenty of interesting bikes when I was looking but virtually no stock in the limited suppliers they had. Transition seems to be going in a similar direction.
Specialized Enduro Expert, my first full suspension bike. Bought it to go on my first Alps trip with the Singletrack Girls week in Verbier. Loved it
Orange is probably the biggest one, at one point you couldn’t go riding anywhere without seeing one, but I can’t remember the last time I saw one in the wild.
As above, Oranges are still quite popular here in Lancs and I also see them when I'm over Hebden way (closer to the source obvs).
Mine may have been the only one I saw on a recent weekend in the Tweed Valley though. And I was surprised that a teenage lad was admiring it like it was something exotic.
Nukeproof probably the most popular brand here too, initially because Nigel Page & Elliot Heap were local but also 'cos they've been so cheap in recent years I guess.
When I saw the title I was gonna say Lapierre. The Zesty was such a feelgood bike and so popular. I know quite a few broke, but still quite something to lose that much market share.
Colin - I think you would really like my Marz Z1 coil fork - it's ridiculously smooth.
Certainly don’t see many MTBs with Toe clips anymore!
We had someone turn up for the Bottles & Chains Christmas ride on an original Trek 69er.
All alloy Yeti's will be recycled or on the garage wall by now. My SB66 is.
I sold my DMR Switchback last year. Short, high & steep, but seemed fine 20 years ago. Even without a dropper.
I still have a 90's Salsa Ala Carte & a DBR Axis TT.
Agreed. Mine were ditched after the Verbier visit. Removed after the first day as I couldn't get in them.
Specialized Enduro Expert, my first full suspension bike
same here, I replaced it with an Orange 5, and also had a Cotic Soul - I must have spent too much time on here....
Fat bikes.
Keep up qwerty thats first page stuff.
Raleigh Activators!
Im pretty sure I have a copy of What mountain bike with a hardtail test that featured the Stiffee, Chameleon, Soul and the DMR. I alternated between wanting a cotic and a cove for ages. I used to see loads of Kona dawgs and coilers around Bristol in the early 2000s as well as Marins and i think what must have been Cannondale Jekylls / early Prophets?
I think there was a guy with a lovely titus (racer x?) in the uni club as well as an awesome awesome Spesh big hit (the 24in wheel one)
Omg I’ve owned pretty much everything mentioned in this thread: Orange, Yeti, DeKerf, Indy Fab, Chameleon…..no one’s mentioned Cannondale Jekyll or F2000 - I had both of those in Volvo (Tinker) red back in the day….or how about a Klein Mantra…..all of those were for the cool kids in the 90’s and haven’t seen in a long time….
Saw a bloke riding an aluminium Yeti 575 a couple of months ago.
Same black colour I used to have. Looked good TBH.
Another vote for the gen1 Marin FRS bikes - B17, Team DH, Rift Zone etc. we sold heaps in the dealer I worked in
I suspect they're all in skips due to the massive cracks. Gave up after my 6th warranty replacement.
Not frames, but what happened to RST? Mozo Pro 3.5, 4.5 and Hi5s were everywhere in the late 90s, but the brand just seemed to disappear.
How about GT full suss bikes? Used to be loads of I-drive and their replacements about. Haven't seen a GT FS in the wild for years!
Well the STSs _definitely_ all broke! Snappiest frame evar!
I sold my DeKerf Generation on to a friend who's always coveted it - hopefully he's still riding it now. I should really look him up. I had Argos braze on a disc mount that Chris DeKerf mailed over from Vancouver and remove the canti hardware, and while they couldn't replicate the original gorgeous dark green/blue metallic, they did do a really lush forest green. The importers at the time were Dauphin Sport up Box Hill and a short ride from my doorstep; I asked if they could get the mount and decals ordered in, but they never bothered asking DeKerf, so I called their number and spoke to Chris himself, which was a bit of a fanboy moment for me. He made up and posted the disc mount, a beautiful little fillet for the chainstay and two sets of decals for peanuts.
I owned two Mountain Cycles San Andreaseseses (San Andreaii?) - the second one in brushed alloy to replace a super rubbish Marin Alpine Trail that ate two or three RS SID rear shocks (one in the middle of an Alps trip) before MTB Sales gave in and sent me a Vanilla RC. I know they were a bit marmite, but the Sannies really were very special bikes. Someone had a matched pair in matching scary set ups at BPW late last year.
We've got an Orange Five in the shed for our youngest, although he's now growing out of it and into the Kona Process 111 I was running until recently - that may also fit the 'hardly see them these days' list, although I don't think many made it to the UK. Arguably it's one of the first downcountry (spit) bikes.
There's definitely space for older 26" FS bikes with good 24" wheels as kids first serious MTBs. Ours both got to try FS thanks to someone on this thread passing on a Scandium Kona FS frame for peanuts - an incredibly generous thing for them to do.
Both started on 24" wheels and moved up to 26" as they got bigger, and I've since passed it on to another parent on here as a complete bike, so hopefully it's getting another kid or two into riding. Definitely a great way to give an older FS bike new life and get kids riding at the same time, but as soon as our oldest got onto the Process he was riding a load faster.
How about GT full suss bikes? Used to be loads of I-drive and their replacements about. Haven’t seen a GT FS in the wild for years!
GT RTS and then the LTS were staples on the race scene for years. Back then, you could build up an RTS in DH race spec or XC race spec and the bike would just do it! The ultimate race bike for many was the GT RTS 1 with RockShox Mag21 forks (boasting a whole 46mm of travel!)
The Zaskar was the same in HT version, it could be built in proper burly jump mode or lightweight XC race mode. They really were incredibly versatile bikes!
Cannondale Jekyll
Can confirm at least one didn't go to the tip because there's a frame and lefty sat on a bench in my shed. Makes a nice ornament, but several sizes too small for me and lefty seized rock solid.
Proper cyclo cross bikes, now everything's gone all gravelified.
Specialized Enduro Expert, my first full suspension bike.
Ooo, camo Manitou Sherman forks (another brand you don't see many of on the trails). They were ace. I had those on my Dialled Bikes Morning Glory ... another "famous for five minutes" brand and definitely a much regretted sale on my behalf. Can't remember what I swapped it out for but it wouldn't have been anywhere near as good (rose tinted glasses off).
Fat bikes.
This saddens me. Mainly because I bloomin love mine.
Considering the conditions there were not many at the puffer this year.
Lapierre – Zesty’s were everywhere for a few years, now you never see them.
I had one... 2009 - was absolutely fantastic for it's era. Of similar ilk, my mate had the Commencal Meta. Which obviously cracked.
Used to see a lot of On One 456's and Cotic Souls in the Surrey Hills - the latter catching my eye as for some reason I loved the skinny tubes and the old Cotic wrap logo... I went on to buy a couple of Solaris's.
Proper cyclo cross bikes, now everything’s gone all gravelified.
And in particular cyclo cross bikes with cantilever brakes. Last race I did last year I was the only rider I saw with cantis. For good reason obviously - they are not very good.
There must be loads of old high end cx cantilever bikes somewhere - I wouldn't have thought they would make a popular commuter bike even.
but what happened to RST
Still going, pretty big range too by the looks.
My MTB is a 2011 Cove HJ, it rarely gets used as I've been mostly broken since I bought it, hence I ride gravel bikes.
My old 2005 Merlin Malt 1 is still being abused by my nephew and my very old '91 GT Timberline was still going strong until about 2yrs ago when it was nicked from my mate's house. He'd been riding to work on it for about 5 years so he was gutted.
Litespeed. I had two Pisgahs. Even rode one down Snowdon with a full 80mm of travel.
Single speeds!
I seem to be the kiss of death for bikes according to this thread! My most recent ownership has been:
Cove Hustler
Turner 5 Spot (DW Link)
Lapierre Zesty
Orange 5
Santa Cruz Bronson x2 (Still see plenty of SC but the Bronson as a model is definitely less common since 29ers became more the norm).
joshvegas
Free MemberThen i remembered he had owned an ellesworth so i a not sure i should read much into his aesthetic taste.
Ah don't worry, I was fully aware it was hideous
chestrockwell
Full MemberHow about GT full suss bikes? Used to be loads of I-drive and their replacements about. Haven’t seen a GT FS in the wild for years!
They decided they were too good for Halfords and cancelled their deal, and as a result sold IIRC 5% as many bikes in the UK the next year. Then they were super slow catching up with more modern geometry and absolutely fumbled the wheel size changes.
Loved all of these and very very happy memories.
Marin Attak Trail. Became so worn it went out with the recycling.
Replaced with the Ibis Mojo. Tour Mont Blanc, multiple Morocco trips. Loved it and still have the frame. Tough as nails
Ms RM and an original Spesh Epic in Torridon
And an Orange 5, bought on the Cycle to Work scheme. Ms RM did the Mega on it... it's still going strong as a 27.5 now. This was its first day out of the box, Devils Staircase.
Corratec with their bow frame, split curving top tube, the first production bikes I saw with disc brakes I think (maybe Formula).
I remember seeing Oli Beckingsale & Paul Lasenby XC racing with one of them on those FS Marins, first FS I'd seen being raced XC. They were both very fast. (Oli may have been on Scott so that'd make it Paul on the Marin).
Klein. I've got a '95 Attitude (and '95 Pulse) and still ride them in sunny Suffolk but I haven't seen another (MC1 or 2) for years. There is a very active FB group with members of the original factory and with their help many Kleins get repainted and rebuilt to stock. Prices are silly now. I've got a queue waiting for my frame to snap so they can buy the rigid forks!
Not only bikes you don't see anymore websites as well !
Red Pashley postie bikes
&
Fixed gear 500 miles a week courier bikes.
Sunn - their XC Ti frame with Obsys forks actually came with signed x-rays of the welds, built by Morati, sublime.
Their race team dominated DH.
Ooo, camo Manitou Sherman forks (another brand you don’t see many of on the trails). They were ace.
Lol, no they weren't, they were shite like everything else they made.
I'll qualify that.
They were fine if you rode them in design conditions ie. dry and dusty. As soon as water entered the chat all bets were off. Maintenance heavy, expensive and IIRC poorly supported compared to other brands. RS Psylos were terrible too, I'm genuinely shocked every time I see a set as they wore out so fast.
I'd anyone wants to fling mud back I have MX-6's and Sektors in my history!
Don't think anyone has named *THE* bike that everyone desired 25 years ago (but to be fair not many could actually afford) was a Pace RC100. Those machines square tubes were just lovely.
With a Pace carbon fibre suspension fork, they were a less common because the fork was constantly having to sent back to Pace to be fixed.
The reason you don’t see RC100s anymore is because all the retronerds have them tucked away in sheds, guarding them from the bad things actually riding them will do to their ‘investment’
Same with Brooklyns, and all the Huck to flat monsters of the time, though there were never many of those to begin with.
And Kleins, for that matter.
Their race team dominated DH.
Like Iron Horse did…
RS Psylos were terrible too, I’m genuinely shocked every time I see a set as they wore out so fast.
SOME Psylo's were terrible. It was honestly a 50:50 lottery. Either they worked forever or they were total shite. There was no in between. A lot of 90's / early 00's stuff was like that!
If we are talking dialled bikes I still have this MK1 PA. I pre-ordered it so got to choose the RAL colour, Mike liked it so much he went with it for production and mine became less unique.
GT RTS and then the LTS were staples on the race scene for years. Back then, you could build up an RTS in DH race spec or XC race spec and the bike would just do it! The ultimate race bike for many was the GT RTS 1 with RockShox Mag21 forks (boasting a whole 46mm of travel!)
The Zaskar was the same in HT version, it could be built in proper burly jump mode or lightweight XC race mode. They really were incredibly versatile bikes!
Yep, the original RTS-1 with M900 XTR was a thing of beauty for teenage Chest. Had a frame a few years back but couldn't afford to do the build justice. GT full suss were everywhere for going on 20 years, then they weren't.
The reason you don’t see RC100s anymore is because all the retronerds have them tucked away in sheds, guarding them from the bad things actually riding them will do to their ‘investment’
Plenty of them still being ridden although you're more likely to see the RC200's as there wasn't that many 100's made.
God I wanted a Sunn Radical. Even though the rear triangles all broke (Sunn were briefly in the same glorious category as Hope, "Companies that when you break something on warranty, send you two replacements because they know the replacement will also definitely break and it saves them on postage".)
Fat bikes.
This saddens me. Mainly because I bloomin love mine.Considering the conditions there were not many at the puffer this year.
Don't worry, they're all alive and well and have migrated to Formby.
Flocks of them can be seen among the dunes.
Found a couple more from my stash...
Ibis Tranny 26" wheels. this was light and fast! The 29" one could actually run as a Fatbike with a different rear triangle....
...which brings me to fatbikes. 9Zero7 with the groin saving top tube. Stepping off into deep snow was no longer life changing. I still have this bike and it's very fast on JJ's and it's tubeless carbon rims. 10.5kg. Don't see many about.
Same with Brooklyns, and all the Huck to flat monsters of the time, though there were never many of those to begin with.
They're alive and well but a lot either made their way to eastern Europe or, in the case of Brooklyns, became collector pieces with eye watering price tags. Vintage DH group on Facebook is the place to see them, Cranked covered the Ukrainian riders.
I’d anyone wants to fling mud back I have MX-6’s and Sektors in my history!
I had a pair of MX6s in pimp gold. Swapped out the oil halfway through an Alps trip once - it was Citroen ATF fluid, so really easy to sort. I also used to undo the allen bolts on the clamps at the end of each day's riding so the forks would untwist themselves. I might even have had to do that halfway down the Pleney once. An aftermarket 20MM boxxer bolt through axle that could be torqued up from Jason at Goldtec really helped with steering accuracy, but they weren't actually that horrible to ride. The stock axle was basically a smooth 20mm alloy tube, which was quite terrifying!
I had the QR version! Stopping to untwist was just par for the course.
Nice when they worked but flawed in more than a couple of respects. In retrospect a polished anodised surface is less than ideal for clamping on on to with wide clamps. The less said about the caliper mount the better.
I loved the pike u-turns. Mostly set at 110mm, but bumped to 130mm for any fun descents or 80mm for any viciously steep climbs.
I forgot to service them one winter and the peak district grit ate the anodising on one leg.
They were motion control, numerous magazine reviews poo pooed. I found it excellent except right at the ragged edge of control on big rocky descents where it could feel a bit out of control for a moment here and there. Maybe I just didn't ride as fast as reviewers
OMG great thread…
my ownership history of bikes you don’t see… there’s 2 out of these I wish I still had, the Klein and the Heckler… beautiful things to look at and ride IMO.
Klein attitude, bought in 99, blue grad colour, RS forks, took to Morzine and rode it down les gets WC course!
Santa Cruz Heckler 2003, trans blue custom colour, fox vanilla 125 rlc, first full susser, loved it.
Cove Stiffee, Marzocchi AM SLs, silver lowers with black stanchion air forks, lovely things, but frame too harsh
On one Inbred 456 powder blue, 99 quid sale frame, simple steel HT, loved it and want it back or a Bfe
Intense 6.6, Fox 36 vans, XTR drivetrain, still got the frame, Fox Vans modded to 120 and built onto Octane Zircus DJ bike!
Lapierre Zesty, BOS devilles, bought frame only off here and custom built, still own and love it!
YT Decoy Elite, Fox 38s, well I’ve earnt the Ebike buzz, everywhere I go on it it turns heads, future classic…
I am a U-Turn fan, have a set of Rev 426 and Boxxer Rides with it.
Another one that's disappeared, Cove Hustler - loved this bike. It replaced a Marin fs that creaked constantly and was just brilliant. Not the lightest but rode so well, also had the Fox TALAS forks which I liked although the stanchions lost the anodising.
For contrast is my Pivot which is perfect (don't see that many of them around either really)
Earthed 4 is on over on Pinkbike if you want to relive the old days when every bike was a Five, a Patriot or a 222.
Marin is the one I never see any more - my dad had a couple in the late 90s/early 00s before he swapped to SC. Mount Visions used to be everywhere - mostly with big mapboards clipped to the handlebars. Martha Gill is doing good work keeping the brand visible on social media, but I never see them on the trails
Santa Cruz I still see millions of, but then LBS is a dealer, and the local ex-world champ and his mates all have them.
I miss Turner. Did some of my best riding ever on my '02 RFX. Brilliantly engineered bike and great backup from the factory when needed - I had a couple of failures when there wasn't a UK importer worthy of the name - ended up speaking to Dave Turner himself both times and got replacement parts from the USA very quickly and FOC.
Have we done Park Pre? I had one of those in 1995 and took it to the top of Ben Nevis with Steve Worland and Brant. (Got the highest puncture in the UK too!)
I had a Turner Burner XC back in the day. Loved that, and had a Flux later on too. Would like to see what a modern one would look/ride like now.
Anyone still running a Trek Stache? Those were fun bikes.
Oh, and MTB tandems! You used to always have a couple at bike events and Trailquests - we got 16 or so together for a STW feature, which was probably all of the ones in the UK!
I loved the pike u-turns. Mostly set at 110mm, but bumped to 130mm for any fun descents or 80mm for any viciously steep climbs.
I had the Pike 454 dual airs and used them in a similar way sometimes, though it was more useful to have the u-turn to be able use the same fork on a range of frames designed for different travel. Didn't have to worry about taking the thing apart to swap to a new frame.
Dawes Cougar (abt 1987)
Here's mine, set up the way I would have wanted if if it had been available in the 1960s. Makes a good rough stuff bike. 🙂
These days we don't see many of the early British traditionally built lugged frame bikes built out of Reynolds finest. I particularly like having a lugged Reynold fork for the aesthetics.
Needless to say, being a traditionally built Dawes it rides beautifully.
I miss the kind of bikes/frames that were cheap, fairly cheerful, but actually very good value. Ones that were affordable on a bit of a whim and often delivered lots of fun. Yes, the On-one/Planet-X of old (yes I am very aware of the old, long threads on their customer service!), and going a bit further back, the excellent range of Merlin and Rock Lobster bikes that again, were excellent value. My first 'proper' mtb was a Rock Lobster 853 frame that was for sale for under £200. Merlin also did brilliant custom wheel builds. Should have gone for a full build with hope mono mini brakes which could be had for £1k.
I know market and industry forces have changed forever (as have PX/O-O and Merlin), but I wish you could get an interesting looking frame for a properly puntable price. Most sites have bargains, but it's more about luck and what ageing stock in S and XL is hanging around. I can't think of a contemporary equivalent?
Nostalgia trip over!
Anyone still running a Trek Stache? Those were fun bikes.
I have massive regrets about selling mine to swap the bits onto a Fuse M4 three years ago. I can't put my finger on it, but the Stache had a lot more fun to it, even though you couldn't get a long enough dropper into it and it came up quite short in the TT. Such a silly, lovely bike.
Oh, and MTB tandems! You used to always have a couple at bike events and Trailquests – we got 16 or so together for a STW feature, which was probably all of the ones in the UK!
A friend still has a bright yellow rigid Cannondale Divorce Machine(tm) in his garage, I think. He's still married. He managed to pilot it through Yoghurt Pots / Parklife on Holmbury Hill without beaching it on the crests, which surprised me a great deal. Interesitng in tight berms, that bike.
Dawes Cougar (abt 1987)
Here’s mine, set up the way I would have wanted if if it had been available in the 1960s. Makes a good rough stuff bike.
Lovely, it's like a bicycle version of one of those mid-life crisis retro motorbikes that blokes get into (except I'm sure you ride it plenty).
How's the braking though? I guess you just have to pull hard and use the terrain to slow down?
@bentudder @chipps - I regret selling mine as well
I also had the one before then, the non chubby Stache. Not sure I ever saw another one of those..
Definitely preferred the chubby one tho. It seemed a perfect compromise between a fat bike and a 'normal bike'. Ended up buying a Mojo3 with 27.5 x 2.8 so was like a gateway drug. From memory the Stache came with 29 x 3.0 - only ever one or two tyres you could buy with those dimensions even during 'Peak Chub' about 10 years ago.
Oh and I REALLY wanted the full suss version that came out a couple of years after. In fact if one ever came up for sale, I'd still be very tempted.
AlexFull Member
I also had the one before then, the non chubby Stache. Not sure I ever saw another one of those..
I had the same colour as you, my first 29er and a brilliant XC/trail hardtail for the time. Lovely colour too.
I miss the kind of bikes/frames that were cheap, fairly cheerful, but actually very good value
Yep. Inbreds with trackends AND a gear hanger. Guard/pannier bosses.
Just made a bit more modern geo and capable of the most sensible ie prevalent standards so you can run rigid or hardtail.
I would be very interested
The reason you don’t see RC100s anymore is because all the retronerds have them tucked away in sheds, guarding them from the bad things actually riding them will do to their ‘investment’
RC200 tucked away in my garage. Complete with the cracked head tube which is a common feature.
With a Pace carbon fibre suspension fork, they were a less common because the fork was constantly having to sent back to Pace to be fixed.
Ha! Also a set of these in the garage which did indeed go back and forth to Pace multiple times to be "fixed." Andy by fixed I mean less crap. Finally managed to get them to retain their air pressure when going over bumps. Never managed to fix their amazing ability to suck in water through the seals.
Looked amazing though and they were so, so light. (Which was handy when it came to carrying the bike through water features to keep the forks dry and operational.
KHS made some lovely bikes - then they seemed to disappear off the map.
bentudderFull Member
I’d anyone wants to fling mud back I have MX-6’s and Sektors in my history!I had a pair of MX6s in pimp gold. Swapped out the oil halfway through an Alps trip once – it was Citroen ATF fluid, so really easy to sort. I also used to undo the allen bolts on the clamps at the end of each day’s riding so the forks would untwist themselves. I might even have had to do that halfway down the Pleney once. An aftermarket 20MM boxxer bolt through axle that could be torqued up from Jason at Goldtec really helped with steering accuracy, but they weren’t actually that horrible to ride. The stock axle was basically a smooth 20mm alloy tube, which was quite terrifying
I still have a set in the loft. Total loss lubrication system, I used them for a Megavalanche once. By the end of quali I had ATF all over my shin pads.
They looked cool tho and worked ok at the time
As to where they all went. A lot of these bikes are in my loft! SC Nomad, Spesh enduro, Marin, mega, etc.
The only bikes that I own are an 2008(9?) Orange Clockwork reissue and a DMR Trailstar. Pretty much every time I go down the local trail centre I get someone walking up to me to look at (and sometimes photograph) my bike. It's kinda weird, but I sorta like it. Puts me off spending 000s on a full susser, when you can actually (shock horror) get round every red fine on a bike with (gasp) 26" wheels.
Lots of stache still about (mines still in the collection, although as a bike with a boingy frontage it tends to be ignored over the joys of more niche and silly stuff now) and still loads of 29+ rubber available as well.
Rigid single speeds and fat bikes. At one point there would be some weird contraption on every ride. Now less so. Unless you could those e-bike things.
@cha****ng
How’s the braking though? I guess you just have to pull hard and use the terrain to slow down?
Let's say adequate, not scary...
It's not as if I'm going to go hurling down a downhill course. Better than a road bike though - I've got one of those gizmos on the front brake that allegedly adds a wee bit of leverage to the cantis.
If we rerun this thread next year, will we all say non-ebikes?
Cove Hustler - seen regularly where I am... but only because my best mate still rides his as his main bike.
