Retro bikes that live at the back of your garage thread

I've a 1991 Clockwork that lives on my study wall, complete with XT groupset including thumbies, Pace RC30 forks, Salsa ahead stem etc.........I've also got a Hairy Quim, sorry Harry Quinn 70's racing bike hiding at the side of the garage - with the first ever rear derailleur with a floating top jockey wheel, exciting. Is a Blue Dragon Kaffenback a classic yet, got one of them kicking about also.......

dug out the betd long travel plates were quite expensive and led to me cracking a seat stay (i finally got a colour matched replacement in the original crc fire sale after years with a wrong colour one)

Mid 1990s Kona Kula. Still in use for bothy trips.

'97 Lava Dome

I don't have any of my old bikes but I keep looking out for something like this...

I'd love to take one to Morzine and see if the good old days were as good as I remember. 

I saw this on the Pleney this year and was very envious...

I mean, it probably rattled itself to death after a few runs but they look awesome. I'd happily retire it to the living room wall.

I ride this to work most days. Period parts where they have been replaced of course as it's over somewhere like 35 years old.

My Best bike. Custom built, custom paint scheme with full Dura Ace 7402 and another that's 35 years old. Pretty original other than replaced rims and saddle  

Thorn kiddie back tandem. Not sure how old it is, the seat post bolts have nuts at the back and it's 26 inch wheels.

It arrived with a ridgid fork and an enormous stack of stem spacers

Enormous enough that I swapped them for some Marazzochi RC3 ti bombers.

This also let me swap the terrifying with 140kg on board front V brake for a disk with a massive rotor.

To my surprise it also cleared 2.3 butchers front and back which gives helps the steel frame and coil fork give a magic carpet ride on the school run.

Oh and my old Ribble 653. I refurbed it from green/white to pearl white about 5 years ago. Doesn't get used much, like the Herety as I've a CX bike that gets used when not commuting. Some bits are 40 years old, others 35 years, and some much newer.  

My only bike from 1994 - 2022 was one of these (this one isn't mine, i can't find a photo).

It's a fully rigid Giant CFM3, still with original LX rear mech, Exage cantis, stem, bars and fork, and i rode it 5-6 days a week.  I also 1X'ed it for simplicity and ease of maintenance.

Sadly, due to Long COVID i haven't been able to ride it since 2020, and due to lack of space it has been relegated to the loft while my new hybrid ebike takes pride of place in the space under the stairs.

I have a 1994 Specialized FSR frame.  Like this.  

Posted by: sharkattack

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I don't have any of my old bikes but I keep looking out for something like this...

Same, eldest is 12yo, but put as much modern kit in as will fit, see if that helps. Keep seeing Whyte PRST-1s popping up on marketplace…

Not a bike as such. But a frame.

My first proper mountain bike I suppose - a 2001 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR XC

I stripped it when I replaced it with a 2010 Stumpjumper FSR and put the bits on a new Barry White Inbred frame. I think it only needed a different front mech, seatpost & collar. Everything else went straight on.

I can't get rid of it 

Not exactly retro as its only 20 years or so old, this Salsa Juan Solo lives in my attic, not seen it for 5 years but my mum says it’s still there and all complete except for the FX80x fork. Brand new/unused Mavic SLR ceramic front rim fitted to the carbon SLR hubs, think I’ve still got a replacement ceramic rim for rear that I never got round to lacing up. 

Dunno if it’s worth much these days, still in rather unmarked condition which given how much time I spent on my face is surprising 

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Similar vintage T Shirt after seeing one being worn in a mag article .

@kimbers I remember that first photo

I have a 98 GT STS in the loft,  bit of a shame really but it is one of those bikes where you are unsure on actually riding it.  

My lifer bike featured on now defunct CRC  👍been to Morzine , Whistler Bike Park , Tahoe , Kamikaze at Mammoth and more iconic riding spots and a bit like it's owner sitting back and cruising now .

'95 Fully rigid Klein Attitude. I have a Spark, it's the most fun I've ever had on a bike, the Klein just beats me up. Can't get rid of it though. Raced it for years and even won the odd one on it too (Eastway Beastways mainly). So many great memories attached to it.

Mine at York last year: Kona’s at York 2024

Saracen Kili-flyer from 1990, fillet brazed Tange prestige that I eventually added stainless steel handmade track dropouts to for singlespeed duties.

Parkpre Pro-Elite Ti that my Mrs raced at 1995 world's. Eldest lad has been restoring it so might be rebuilt sometime....

Giant aluminium lightweight 26er from 1997 that I later machined and bolted / bonded some aluminium frankendropouts for her to win SSWC2001 🙂

Late 1970s or early 80s Jack Taylor road frame.  Suspect it's unrideable but keeping it (he lived not far from us when I grew up and my dad knew him - bike was my dad's)

My toddling round the village bike (now I don't commute) is a 90s Zaskar frame

Also have a 2001 or so Bulitt and a cheap & nasty Boxxer of similar vintage (plus a Marz 66SL, a shiver SC that I bought from somebody on here and an Airborne carpe diem cross frame from about 20yr ago).  A friend of ours is riding round on an old Stiffee of mine, too

Christ, it's some kind of a disease isn't it ?!

If anyone one wants a 95 Cindercone I need to sell one, its in fair condition with period upgrades but mostly original I think. I bought it off a mate to hang on the back of the camper, as the thieves that might steal stuff have no idea what it is. 

Oldest thing I have is a 2007(ish?) Charge Blender. I flogged mine to get a full suspension bike but when I was looking for a cheap frame to build up as a dadcountry bike this came up in Radstock for £30. 
all pilot up using mainly age appropriate parts from the garage for jumping, pumping and dad ride duties for the pricey mum of £100 (including the powder coating (a friend of my dad’s slipped in in to a big job he had for the price of a bacon sarnie) and most of the parts came off an old Kona Howler 4x bike I had in the barn. 

all rebuilt with the help of my then 4 year old daughter    

I used to have various retro bikes, but sold them all. I keep an eye out for a Trek 930, my first proper bike

I like retro Marins, particularly the Zolatone ones. probably because my first MTB was a 1990 Palisades.

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The FSR is an absolute dog to ride, worst bike ever. 

  1992 Breezer Lightning Pro - Owned from new (purchased in 94, was an ex dealer demo from the one year ATB Sales imported them). Note 1992 "dropper seatpost" 😉 Still have most of the original parts ie rigid forks, dia compe brakes etc

1996 Breezer Ignaz X

Literally in the back of my garage, hanging by a hook, is a Fisher Sugar 1. Same as this 

Orginally built for my ex, my son used it a bit, then it was a loaner, until recently, now no longer used by anyone.

Has lovely Mavic/Hope wheels, Manitou forks, the original Bonty seatpost and some Coda cranks. STX-RC mechs. All works fine, but the shock is a bit squelchy.

Currently I have these as well as projects Aluminium O + Saracen Kili Flyer filet braised.

1993 Shorter steel time trial bike, fillet brazed by the late great Barry Chick and ridden as a team bike by the Leo RC. Bought used off eBay for £400 ten years ago.

Now refurbished and running modern electronic groupset and carbon bling. I raced to a PB for 50 miles last Sunday 

Retro is not the same as old. 

Wish I still had my 1996 Bontrager OR but it was nicked. 😭

Sadly my Bontrager Race lite got nicked as well, but I still have a Privateer frame in the garage and a 20 year old GT BMX my son road a bit thats very pretty 

This is still in a mates shed at home. Still haven’t worked out how to get it to Tasmania. 

Well it was running Cinelli Angel bars, original dura ace nine speed cables and zip 440 with tubs. Which I raced too for a while. Those wheels are now doing track duties and the iconic bars are with a friend. It’s a fabulous bike. Modern parts on old bikes really does it for me. Once geometry is nailed down good bikes are always good. What’s changes in MTBs is really geometry. 

'94 DBR Axis CroMo.

I did have a 94ish Scott Yecora stashed in the loft, until I sold it to @sazter off here.
Oldest bike I still have is my old 456 evo, 2012 vintage frame, all gas pipe raw steel and 26 inch wheels.

Not in the back of the garage, but still in regular use, my partners 99 rockhopper

Also have a rocky mountain fusion (also a commuter), and a 1995 bontrager race.

Collected most of the bikes I wanted as a kid over the last few years, but have settled in just the bonty now. 

'99 Spesh Hardrock, CroMo fully rigid, acera 7speed. It's all the now wife could afford. But it gave me the bug. Lusted after some bombers from Woolly Hat Shop in the back of MBUK for years, but bought an original Giant Trance instead.

Nowadays Mrs A rides a modern geo 27.5 Giant FS, a Liv Embolden E+. It died just before we were due to go on holiday to Les Gets so she spent time riding her Kona Dawg Pro from 2003??? until the hire bike was available. The Spesh turbo Levo is world's apart, it's a magic carpet ride as opposed to the 'bag of bones' the Kona gave. 

I have a Kona Caldera HT from 2005, bought new as the shop wanted rid of it and my Marin Hawk Hill died. Rode it everywhere, still have it hanging in the garage with most of the original parts (Just got rid of the very knackered Race Face cranks). Was excellent bike forks were a little bit heavy but it never let me down. 

Late 80s Colnago. Rides like a dream, although the gearing is a bit high for me nowadays.

The "retro" bike at the back of my garage that doesn't get used (not been ridden in about 2.5 years or so) is this

That's a Whyte T-129 that I bought in August 2018.  I bought it off Andy who I recall saying had ridden 237 miles on it in total - I've now covered another 583 or so (938km). It's barely run in, at that mileage, but I know I've had to get the rear wheel bearings replaced on it...

Not in my shed/garage, but spotted in Ghyllside Cycles' workshop having just had the ~30 yr old fork serviced with a new seal kit (that they had in stock!)

Nice ‘94 Explosif.

Not mine but good to see this still in use at a cafe stop

Not in a garage. Not mine. Late 80s or early 90s I guess? Doesn't have the force 40 brake design like my m1000 had.  

My 1990 GT Tequesta which my parents bought me still lives in my FIL's garage. I also have the parts for the Orange Mr O frame which my friend designed.

Posted by: retrorick

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Not in a garage. Not mine. Late 80s or early 90s I guess? Doesn't have the force 40 brake design like my m1000 had.  

1990 SM1000.

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No pics but I got one of the first 100 Souls a while back, which I thought I'd go mountain biking on (because I had a gen 2 and absolutely loved it, my first superbike) but time has not been kind! So instead it has 2.5 slicks on and is only used for going to the shops, which it is kind of brilliant at. I'll take it to glentress or something some time but it is sooooo short, I barely remember how to ride bikes like this. 

I managed to build it up with almost the same bits as I had on my first Soul in 2009, and in a nice twist bought off ebay my old Revelation u-turns that I sold on here in about 2013, without realising.

My 2002 Cove Stiffee has just been superseded as pump track bike frame to go and hang in the shed with a 1993 Marin Muirwoods that was my first proper grown up mountain bike. 

Not massively old, but here are my contributions.  Still ride both of them as I've still not yet got round to buying a new bike.

The oldest is my DMR trailstar which I still ride quite a bit at the local pump track:

Then there's my not so old Orange Clockwork reissue (2008 iirc) which I still ride a bit, but not loads:

In the shed and sometimes on the office wall. 1989 Pace RC100 full refurbed. My 1990 Orange Alu ‘O’ - owned since new

and slightly newer….

1995 Dave Yates 653 race bike / campy Record and later Clockwork Orange re-release 2007-8? 

I still pootle around on some of these occasionally 

oh, I can play this game.

1. Raleigh, nominally Competition, from 83 but was part of a group buy by students of BNC OE group on an annual basis. Too much Campag from new to be standard.  2. Pre war Dawes with various old bits set up fixed. 2.Raleigh Mirage MTB. The purple thing. 26" wheels binned along with everything else. Cotic Road rat forks with right hand disc. Midge bars and White Industries excentric hub with a fixed wheel and 700c rims. 4.2006 Specialized Enduro not worth selling. 5.Hand made Steel frame, Columbus Brain , various Campag groupsets attached. 6. Another, un-named steel frame. Very light. Campag bits. 7,8, 9. three trikes in various variations of assembly.10. My Cervelo TT bike is 20 something years old. 11. Raleigh ??. White with R/Y/B decals. Junk really 12. Puch Touring set up single speed and 700c wheels not original 26x 1 3/813. Orbit Tandem. MTB wheels. 13. Half bike really as wheels in the roof. Raleigh , nominal, Competition from 82 as # 1. 14. Rivola (Google it) Columbus frame mostly built, needs cables but why bother as it is too big. There is something missing but it's raining so I am not going to check. 

Wanted. Bigger shed. 

Thinking of doing something like this with my Kona, but with klunker bars 

Still regret selling my Sugar 1 but it had been hanging in the garage for c10 years after I got my Dialled Alpine.

Pangs of guilt aren’t helped by one of the coaches at my sons disability riding club that has a similar era Fisher hardtail.

Of those of us at the club with MTBs, I’m the Luddite with my 26” wheeled Alpine now my wife has her Scott Lumen.

The coach is proposing a retro bike day (my wife also has a 26” Fisher still) and I would have love to have the Sugar to ride!

Voodoo wanga

Dialled Prince Albert

Recommissioned out of the dusty back of the in-laws garage. New tyres, cables, seatpost and saddle. It’ll be serving ride to the station and lock it duties as it’s essentially unstealable. 

nothing on these Raleigh Twenties is standard; BB is custom thread 76mm, wheels are 20” but 451 not 406 so tyre choice limited, head set top race is a nylon bush, front hub is 93 mm bespoke Sturmey Archer, rear an AW3 dating this bike to 1980. Seat tube is 28.6 mm thanks SJS. Saddle is original 1987. Rides like a dream. A heavy dream and double my T-line. 

Having recently moved house I now have a larger bike room. I am about to mount my 1999 Marin Attack Trail frame on the wall, I don't think it will ever work again but it is a frame I will never sell 

I will also never sell my 2013 Salsa El Mariachi Ti, but that does get used, most recently at SSUK last weekend 

Posted by: TiRed

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Recommissioned out of the dusty back of the in-laws garage. New tyres, cables, seatpost and saddle. It’ll be serving ride to the station and lock it duties as it’s essentially unstealable. 

nothing on these Raleigh Twenties is standard; BB is custom thread 76mm, wheels are 20” but 451 not 406 so tyre choice limited, head set top race is a nylon bush, front hub is 93 mm bespoke Sturmey Archer, rear an AW3 dating this bike to 1980. Seat tube is 28.6 mm thanks SJS. Saddle is original 1987. Rides like a dream. A heavy dream and double my T-line. 

Great bikes. I had one as a pub bike in glasgow. Used to unscrew the join lever and leave the whole thing in a heep.. better than any chain.

Some knob stole it from the close. 

So i got a dawes kingpin.

We have an old Raleigh Dynatech with the titanium frame tubes in our shed. Used to be my brothers bike, then I borrowed it when he stopped riding and it's been with us ever since. It needs some TLC, and not been ridden in ages, but I cant bear to part with it as it was the first MTB I ever owned (well borrowed technically).

Three Zaskars 🙂

2001 Standard in small (lads bike)

2004 Race (Easton) Mine

2007 Pro (Kinesis) just sold the frame for $300

Pantera too. Well, frame and a set of Bomber 3.5 forks.

@rocketdog  

(Literally) hanging up in the garage most of the time is me folder. It’s attached to the rafters by a climbing sling and gets dragged out now and again for train trips. It cost me £45. 80’s Elswick Hopper.  

@mrsparkle

This has become my son's road bike . It had sat in my FILs barn for what must be 30 odd years . Just needed tyres and tubes and it was good to go