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Looke up Morewood last night, after seeing a Pyga mentioned online. Their website has a "this site may have been hacked" warning on Google, and on Twitter, they havn't been active since 2016. Had fond mamories of my Makulu, but looks like they're no more.
Any other brands we've lost recently? I thought Pyga were gone too, but seems they're still alive.
scary fast rocket power parts.
Evans?
Dunno about recently but it was a shame Sunline went under, they made brilliant handlebars.
Just about to sell my faithful V1 flatbar on a bike this week. Almost brings a tear to me eye.
Iron horse as we knew and loved them.
now punting out BSOs, not World Cup winning DH weapons
Iron horse as we knew and loved them.
now punting out BSOs, not World Cup winning DH weapons
I remember when Muddy Fox had their own shop in London in the mid eighties and the bikes were really desirable. And in the Courier they made a bike that made the sport open to a whole new group of people. Now along with Karrimor have suffered a fate far worse than death.
tomhoward
Iron horse as we knew and loved them.
There was all sorts of dodgy goings on being reported on forums weren't there? Containers of bikes and supposed buyouts and the like. And then it all ended up on CRC on specuial offer and then they were gone.
Lots of Sundays still around, loads of mates still have them
Iron Horse must be a decade dead now, a real shame. Sam Hill on a Sunday at WCs what a time to be a fan!
Cove aren't dead, but they're 'just' a bike shop again now, a Bike Shop with 5/6 year-old 26" frames still for sale, impressively they've not really discounted them. It must have been incredibly hard to be a micro manufacturer when you need to retool every year for the latest standards.
X-Lite
Originators of Muc-off, but don’t make components anymore and Muc off is now their brand name (I think)!
Cove G-spot was the first bike I really lusted after, loved the cnc work on the rocker.
https://www.thebikelist.co.uk/images/models/Cove/G-SpotFR-06/big-pic-19.jp g" alt="" />
It must have been incredibly hard to be a micro manufacturer when you need to retool every year for the latest standards.
Even some of the (relatively) large boutique brands like Ibis and Yeti really struggled with 27.5 - they had to release the SB75 and the 130mm version of the Mojo HD - essentially their 26" bike with bigger wheels and reduced travel - to fill the gap.
Not that recent but I'll always be a little sad about Merlin metalworks going kaput.
As a kid I was always confused between MS Racing and Alpine Stars - we're they the same company? Maybe it was just the paintwork that was the same
Alpinestars 'as a kid'.... Fill your boots!
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=116406
Rox
^^ Love Rox. Would love to see them back from the dead
Ok so not deceased but pretty dormant...... dialled bikes. I see some promise of new frames but seems to have been bmx focused for a good few years.
Prince Albert I’ve owned I think 3 separate frames as always kept going back to that model. Had a Kobe ti and MG too. A new 650b PA with updated geo he can have my pre-order now.
Are Azonic still a thing? Some of the original risers, they were there balls. Fond memories of my DS2 as well, despite it breaking most of my hand. plus my Hammer stem was way ahead of it's time 😀
Good call on Scary Fast. Brilliant gloves.
Karrimor. 😣 Used to make the very best luggage and jackets.
OF3 - Cool glove/clothing brand
Answer - no longer making shoes, sadly. Might still be doing parts somewhere.
Fred Salmon- oh yeah...!
Bullet Bros
Club Roost
Onza bar ends, scary fast, panaracer tyres. Merlin metalworks.
Oh and DirtyHabit used to make great tees.
X-Lite, hmm. Overgauge bars too wide to fit through the (single bolt) stem; seatposts that wouldn't clamp the saddle securely, and banana-bending seat-tube bolts that would go firing off in pieces into the undergrowth; bonded bar ends where the stub would come off the clamp while riding...and don't get me started on Onza HO pedals. Sometimes it's best to let the dead rest in peace.
AMP
Dagger
Boulder
Klein
Funk
Bontrager (as a bike brand)
Lemond (as above)
Mt Zefal
Mt Christophe
Cosmic
Revolver
Tushingham
Etto
Bula
Been Bag
To think that in the late 80's I was under the impression that Muddy Fox made the best mountain bikes in the world!
I was about 10 😀
Gary Fisher
Al Carter
What happened to Emmelle?
As a kid in about 1991 I bought a really cheap MTB (think it was Emmelle?) Horrid pinkish red paint job with cheaply chromed cranks and chain rings. Weighted a ton due to drain pipe frame material. Made in China.
I had to buy this cos my Raleigh ATB got stolen. That was a better bike even though it was low spec.
My parents pressured me get the Emmelle 'cos I needed a bike to do my paper-round and they didn't want to have to take me around more bike shops.
Then that got stolen in about 1993, and they again pressured me into getting another readily available bike with was a POS looking back which I overpaid for again. This was a road bike a size too small and with cotter-pined cranks.
I swapped this for a Raleigh MTB my Dad found in about 1994. This was a pretty decent bike made in about 1991 with 'rapid fire'? thumb shifters, oval teck chainrings and Reynolds steel. I resprayed the frame and used this until about 2001 when the rear wheel started to fall apart one spoke at a time.
Club Roost
Ah memories. First aftermarket/upgrade part I bought. A set of lime green Comp II bars, with a bolted brace that said Go Fast on it. A frankly ridiculous 685mm wide that felt waaay too wide 😂😂😂
Emmelle
Moore Large.
M*L*
Geddit?
Hard to believe that anodized bar ends (or bull horns) were so cool once.
I put some on my Raleigh MTB - in 1994 - and I felt like a million dollars lol.
Dawes? My first mtb was a Kick Back. Absolutely loved it and the Raleigh Yukon in Orange that followed it after it was stolen.
Could we see Mike Ashley vomit these brands up in Evans stores in the future?
Dawes are still going. More into hybrids and touring bikes now, mind
In my childhood MBUK days I see dreamed of owning a San Andreas Mountain Cycle.
Karrimor. Used to make the very best luggage and jackets.
I've got a Karrimor rucksack with a lifetime warranty which I bought in about 1988, still going strong.
Raleigh.
I mean, as they used to be.
M*L*
Geddit?
reported for swear filter avoidance
Coyote used to do some really good value for money frames back in the late 90s / early 00s. I've got a black Coyote Dual which is still going strong and I came very close to buying one of their full-suspension frames. It was sold for around £600 from what I remember.
Top Line
Grafton
Ringlé
Cooks Bros
Bullseye
Critical Racing
Roox
Kingsbury
Action-tec
SRP
Mountain Goat
Trimble
S-bikes
Chequer Pig
Tomac (which were just manitou frames)
Just a few off the top of my head.
Azonic - still going, I've got their pedals on my bike.
Answer are now called Pro Taper. Beats me why.
+1 for Scary fast gloves. Can't even remember throwing them out, they just vanished.
A San Andreas was so far a head of it's time, it was mind blowing.
Gravity Research. US made pron brake levers that probably didn't make it over here. I had their t-shirt though, olive green with yellow "Gravity Research" on the front and a black silhouette of someone shredding on the back. I loved that t-shirt.
Amp research. One of the most innovative and influential companies to have existed in the MTB world. Disc brakes, Horst link full suspension, very cool linkage forks, etc......
No need for a thread here, they're all conveniently listed in the On one sale page already!
I’ve got a Karrimor rucksack with a lifetime warranty which I bought in about 1988, still going strong
1992, PURPLE, Alpiniste 65l still in regular use here. Unsurprisingly, Karrimor won't warranty the zip that's knackered.
Proflex/Girvin
Actually saw some guy on a Proflex at Bedgebury a couple of years back & was amazed it all still worked.
My first MTB was a Townsend with splattered black over green paint, the "Gas-Pipe Special" to my friends.
Stratos
The awesome looking MX6 forks are still quietly leaking oil in my loft.
My two most ridden bikes have been listed above.. Club Roost XC4 Enduro and Coyote Ultralite HT4.. both a good 15/20 years old but still ride really well..
Mountain Cycle?
Ballistic Forks?
No need for a thread here, they’re all conveniently listed in the On one sale page already!
I was actually going to ask whether this thread was a Planet X marketing exercise.
1990 Karrimor Jaguar 63 SA in blue/grey - with the additional clip-on pockets.
I have some Maverick DUC forks and a set of ZZYXX forks in the cellar. Can't wait for triple clamp XC forks to come back into fashion.
Halson of inverted fork fame...
I'm still riding my Maverick, terrific bike.
Nuke Proof - the most desirable carbon bits back in the day.
Club Roost
Trans-X
Kalloy
Haven't seen any Univega bikes for a while
@PrinceJohn, I think Only Club roost of those is dead, and even thenb you can still buy Club Roost stuff (but I don't know there's a connection).
Nukeproof is now a CRC brand, Tranz-X is still a massive manufacturer in Taiwan, they just sell less own brand stuff now (but you still see it) and Kalloy is also still around but less own-brand stuff.
@benpinnick the Nukeproof one was slightly tongue in cheek, given the difference between the original brand & how it sits today.
I didn't know both Tranz-X & Kalloy were still going tho.
Dialled Bikes- they used to be pretty revered on STW. They disapeared for a few years, around the advent of 650b. Mike focused on BMX and then moved to the US.
Now they are back but making one expensive frame, with a barely legible website and lots of info missing. Shame really. Feels half baded, like he's just capitlising on the days of old. No real media, and social media only being updated once a month. Still, wish Dialled & Mike all the best.
Hot Chili
DDG the Shooter was on my want list back in the day, then there was the Hitman full suss frame.
Mongoose, as a maker of decent bikes. For a few years they has a weird dual existence with two completely separate ranges - "proper" bikes, and BSOs sold, I believe, exclusively in Walmart. They've not been distributed in the UK for a while and having just looked on their website, certainly on the MTB side, it looks like BSOs only these days. Not sure if their BMX range is any different (I don't really know my BMXs).
Doesn't Chris Akrigg still ride a (assumedly not BSO) Mongoose?
Dialled have 2 frames on the website? trail bike (Alpine) and a DJ/Slalom/mess about bike (hotrod)? Not hideous money either.
Mongoose, as a maker of decent bikes. For a few years they has a weird dual existence with two completely separate ranges – “proper” bikes, and BSOs sold, I believe, exclusively in Walmart. They’ve not been distributed in the UK for a while and having just looked on their website, certainly on the MTB side, it looks like BSOs only these days. Not sure if their BMX range is any different (I don’t really know my BMXs).
It's odd that Chris Akrigg still rides for them.. He's a phenomenal rider and most of his riding videos are viewed by the MTB community I imagine, yet they don't have a serious MTB for sale. Half the bikes he rides aren't even available to buy.
Machine Tech
Zinn (British)
Monolith
Formula 1
Chuck?
I still miss my old Spooky Metalhead...
What happened to Brooklyn Machine Works?
@ tomhoward - I’d call $900 for a Dialled Bikes Alpine frame fairly hideous money....
What happened to Brooklyn Machine Works?
Dunno, thought they were still going but looks like the FaceBook page was last updated 2 years ago, with pics of touring bikes and hipster fixies.
Pharrell Williams bought the company (BMW) and turned it into a hipster brand before it went bust.
Answer are now called Pro Taper. Beats me why.
They're part of the Manitou / Hayes group of companies, oddly both "answer" an "Pro-taper" now make bars (and stems, and pedals).
Mongoose, as a maker of decent bikes. For a few years they has a weird dual existence with two completely separate ranges – “proper” bikes, and BSOs sold, I believe, exclusively in Walmart. They’ve not been distributed in the UK for a while and having just looked on their website, certainly on the MTB side, it looks like BSOs only these days. Not sure if their BMX range is any different (I don’t really know my BMXs).
Mongoose still exist, they make a dirtjump frame and the teocali still exists as a 4-bar design rather than the old i-drive.
From BMW website...
Loads from the nineties - Grafton, Cook Bros Racing, Gravity Research, Zero, Marinovative, OnZa, Moonhead, Funk, Cunningham (bit sad that one), the list could go on all day.
Ah **** most of these have already been mentioned.
Dialled have 2 frames on the website? trail bike (Alpine) and a DJ/Slalom/mess about bike (hotrod)? Not hideous money either.
$900 (£693) for a Reynolds 631 frame with little to no R&D, plus you'll need to pay import tax & fees. That's damn expensive. Makes a Cotic look good value. Where's the added value over any other bike brand? It's not brand tax, it's not a race team, it's not R&D, it's not paint and it's not the website..
Overbury's a bike shop in Bristol who made their own bikes. I very nearly bought the Pioneer in 1988 but in the end went for a Robert's White Spider custom frame. I might well have bought the Overbury's but the day I was in the area was a Wednesday and it turned out they didn't open then.
Tbh I had only looked at the hotrod when I posted that, $5-600 iirc, assumed they’d both be the same
Buy a bike seem to have the club roost name stuck on all sorts of stuff so I'm assuming they bought it at some point. I remember the echoing "crack" of a friend snapping some original go-fast riser bars in some silent woods.....
Quasar suspension forks.
Parkpre (Mrs used to race for them)
Sachs (pre-Sram buyout)
Is Control Tech still around?
Alpinestars ‘as a kid’…. Fill your boots!
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=116406/a >
Now this I find interesting - funny isn't it how much knowledge we now have with the internet compared to when we were young when the only real source of info was MBUK
My first MTB was a Townsend with splattered black over green paint, the “Gas-Pipe Special” to my friends.
I'll thing you'll find that was an ATB and not MTB 🙂 In our group of friends we had a mix of these and Falcon Cheetahs - if you saw a Muddy Fox or the like, well, they must have been the super rich!!
What ever happened to 24seven? THere was a time when those 24" wheels were everywhere
How about Tomac Bikes. When I started MTB as a kid I used to dream of having a Tomac DH bike. Now it exists as nothing more than a On-One marketing exercise of chinses BSOs, and even that is scaling down.
Is Control Tech still around?
They were still on CRC not so long ago, I assumed they were a hotlines brand now?
How about Tomac Bikes. When I started MTB as a kid I used to dream of having a Tomac DH bike. Now it exists as nothing more than a On-One marketing exercise of chinses BSOs, and even that is scaling down.
I think they bought the brand and John Tomac kicked off, not sure what happened next but I guess he won or they caved in.
My first MTB was a Townsend with splattered black over green paint, the “Gas-Pipe Special” to my friends.
I’ll thing you’ll find that was an ATB and not MTB In our group of friends we had a mix of these and Falcon Cheetahs – if you saw a Muddy Fox or the like, well, they must have been the super rich!!
Yeah Dammit the horrid day glow pinking red MTB I bought in about 1990 or 1991 was actually a Townsend not an Emmelle. I was misremembering.
Heavy steam pipe steel frame with cheap welding and some sort of non branded group set with ultra-cheap chromed chain set. The chrome was so cheap that spots of rust would appear on the steel underneath. Same with the rims. All made in China.
Worst bike I ever owned.
Townsend became a sort of by-word for shit bikes between me and my brother lol.
You used to see lots of Townsends.
What ever happened to 24seven? THere was a time when those 24″ wheels were everywhere
And also, 24 bicycles? of Le Toy and pornking fame. Seen mainly doing massive hucks down flights of stairs BITD
Lahar Bikes is another one. The owner, Aaron, ended up unable to meet demand and kept a load of riders money. Sad end to an exciting company. Yes, that is an interanl geared hub. Essentially a Carbon Zeroed before they even existed.
a Muddy Fox
These only existed as legends in my neck of the woods. Anyone riding one of these would have attained mythical status.
The most exotic MTB's we would realistically see people riding were Raleigh Mirages, maybe with the triangle bag thing in the frame corner for extra kudos.
Shock Works suspension forks?
Also, while Progressive Suspension are still going, they went back to making motorcycle stuff only. Their 5th Element rear shock used to be EVERYWHERE, it came factory fitted on my brother's Santa Cruz Bullit.