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Friday 21st October 2011 was the 35th Anniversary of the first ever Repack Race - an event which is widely considered to be the genesis of the sport of mountain biking.To celebrate the event some of the forefathers of the sport (Kelly, Breeze, Bonds to name a few) and others took to Mt Tam to run the Repack once again. Full aftermath and pictures of the 35th Anniversary Repack ride up here.

2011 saw the Retrobike National Ride Series return to the South East. The Leith Hill meet was part of the Retrobike 2011 National Events series and was kindly supported by Bikefood. The ride saw forty seven retrobikers taken on the dusty conditions, the full Retrobike Leith Hill Ride aftermath thread can be found here.

Another glorious month of RetroBike riding in September saw over 50 RetroBikers find a break in the weather to complete Mr. K's Day in The Peaks ride. It turned into a perfect and memorable day for all those who dusted off their old steeds and braved the demanding Peaks trails. October 23rd will see the climax to our little series at Leigh Hill in the North Downs. The event is being hosted by our South East group and from reading the recce threads it promises to be a great days riding. Full details can be found here. Retrobike Rides have now been going strong for many years. They have evolved from a couple of dodgy looking characters meeting in the woods to ride their retro pride and joys to groups of up to 40 enthusiasts meeting up...

The latest Coolwall vote has been declared! Girvin Flexstems are COOL. One centimetre of rubber sprung travel has been judged cool by the retrobike users :D Next up on the vote are Entry Level Groupsets. Are the groupsets many of us started on back in the 90s cool? As ever you decide!

Mechagouki wins our inaugaral Story of the Season writing contest with his piece entitled "Summer Ride". Enjoy :D Awake. The heat in the room is already uncomfortable and the reddish glow around the curtains tells me I’m late for work. Except this is July 15th 1992, and if I have a job I don’t care about it, and for a day like this, I’d probably consider skipping. I roll out of bed and stumble to the bathroom, through the frosted glass I can see it is one of those summer days where the sun’s radiance is almost overwhelming, a chrome-white glare that squints eyes and burns skin. Back in my bedsit I see what the fridge has to offer; stale white bread, a near empty tub of margarine and a bottle of HP sauce – breakfast of champions! I...

DaCorsa are a group of German enthusiasts who restore and ride retro road bikes part as hobby part as business. There are some top draw bikes and pictures on the site including some shots from L'Eroica 2011, well worth a look here > www.dacorsa.de . Click here to discuss in the forum.

The September 2011 Photo of The Month (PoTM) contest was won by GaryTurner's 'Autumnal'. Now taking nominations for the October 2011 PoTM contest :D Click here to see GaryTurner's shot in all it's glory 1. GaryTurner's 'Autumnal'

The The September 2011 road Bike of The Month contest was taken by DancingJack's Klein Quantum Pro - another interesting month, another worthy winner :D The race for second was drawn once again, Gordy's Flying Scot ending up on equal votes with Mark34's Alan Carbonio. Roll on next month! The full result is as follows 1. DancingJack's Klein Quantum Pro 2 equal. Gordy's Flying Scot 2 equal. Mark34's Alan Carbonio Now taking nominations for the October 2011 rBoTM contest. Click here for more details and full results The September 2011 road Bike of The Month top three are as follows 1. DancingJack's Klein Quantum Pro Click here for full DancingJack's Klein Quantum Pro build thread. 2. Gordy's Flying Scot 3. Mark34's...

Date :: 23rd of October Start Time:: 10.30am Where:: STARVEAL CORNER CAR PARK, Leith Hill Road, Nr Ockley, Surrey (make sure you get the right car park there is a sign as you enter & height barriers) Grid Ref: : TQ 13038 43297 Nearest Train Station:: Gomshall, Surrey What to ride:: As this is the day after the 35th anniversary of the Repack, it would be nice to see bikes of pre 1990 vintage. However anything old school goes. For more details and to sign up please click here.

The Bicycle Academy sounds like a great project happening here in Somerset, UK. Check full details in their press release below. “A place to learn how to make bikes. You keep the skills, your first bike goes to someone who really needs it” The Bicycle Academy is a new enterprise providing people with the skills and facilities to design and make their own bikes. Frame building will be taught by the legendary Brian Curtis as evening classes or short weekday courses from The Bicycle Academy workshop in Frome, Somerset. As part of the learning process each student will make a frame to be donated to people in Africa, then once graduated students will be able to use The Bicycle Academy workshop to hone their skills and build their own...

The The September 2011 'Neon Special' Bike of The Month contest was taken by pete_mcc's Klein Attitude Graffiti. The Klein will be featured in next month's mbr magazine and Pete will receive a year’s subscription to the magazine. The full result is as follows 1. pete_mcc's Klein Attitude Graffiti 2. dinger's Landshark Tandem 3. boy"O"boy's 1991 Alpinestars al-mega DX Now taking nominations for the October 2011 BoTM here. Click here for more details and full results The September 2011 'Neon Special' Bike of The Month top three are as follows 1. pete_mcc's Klein Attitude Graffiti Click here for full Klein Attitude Graffiti build thread. 2. dinger's Landshark Tandem Click here for full Landshark Tandem build thread. 3...

Another year, another excellent Peaks meet. For 2011 the meet was part of the Retrobike 2011 National Events series and was kindly supported by Bikefood. Once again the meet proved to be one of the most well attended of the season with over fifty riders out - all bar two on old school machinery. Ride organiser, lumberjack and ice road trucker Drystonepaul has an official ride report up which can be found here and here. The full Retrobike Peaks Ride aftermath thread can be found here

So August draws to a close after a superb month of riding. The weather perhaps hasn’t been ideal for most of use but the local and national RetroBike rides scene has been in full flow. The national series crossed the border into Scotland for a memorable ride around Drumlanrig. The hospitality was amasing and with the Tunnocks weighing heavy we took on the slippery roots and rocks with smiles from ear to ear. A full aftermath more pictures than you shake a stick at, can be found here. September is as always a Peaks month. On Saturday September 10th we will once more be tackling the stunning Peak District, starting out from Hope. Full details can found here. As always RetroRides are free to attend, leisurely paced and great banter is...

:: Date: Saturday 10th September 2011 :: Distance/time: 20 miles approx spread out over a full day's riding with plenty of fuel stops and banter. :: Meeting at: Woodbine Cafe, Hope at 10:30am for 11:00am start. [Restricted on road parking and a Pay and Display car park ~ Regular trains from Manchester and Sheffield] :: Directions: Grid Ref: SK170835 ~ Postcode: S33 6RD :: Accommodation: Plenty of options in and around the Hope Valley, including a campsite about half a mile from the start point, and the infamous Woodbine B&B. :: Terrain: Rocky and natural Peak District tracks and trails with long climbs and longer descents. Can be a bit exposed on the moors so be prepared if the weather is inclement. Some short road sections but...

The The August 2011 road Bike of The Month contest was taken by gordy's ALAN Corsa Super - another strong and varied month, another worthy winner :D The race for second was drawn. Spikes took an equal standing on the second step of the podium once again with another super clean Chris Chance road, he shared runners up spot with Stedlocks crisp Tommasini Super Prestige. Roll on next month! The full result is as follows 1. gordy's ALAN Corsa Super 2 equal. Spikes' Chris Chance 2 equal. stedlocks' 1986 Tommasini Super Prestige Now taking nominations for the September 2011 rBoTM contest. Click here for more details and full results The August 2011 road Bike of The Month top three are as follows 1. gordy's ALAN Corsa Super 2...

The August 2011 Bike of The Month contest was jointly taken by FMJ's 1995 Brodie Sovereign and spesh's 1987 Muddy Fox Courier. The contest was super tight with 5 bikes finishing within four votes of each other. The full results is as follows 1=. FMJ's 1995 Brodie Sovereign 1=. spesh's 1987 Muddy Fox Courier 3. nevadasmith's Salsa A La Carte 4=. GearlessInSeattle's 1992 Kona Hot 4=. Bushpig's WTB Phoenix The winner(s) take a MBR Magazine subscription, congratulations. Now taking nominations for the BoTM September 2011 'Neon Special' here. Click here for more details and full results The August 2011 Bike of The Month top five are as follows 1st equal. FMJ's 1995 Brodie Sovereign Click here for full build thread. 1st equal...

There are fewer things more iconic in the world of retrobike than Klein factory paint - from Dolomite to Nightstorm the work of the skilled painters almost overshadows the undoubted technical innovation of the framesets themselves. Forum member Jonrock has been honing his skill repainting Kleins for several years now, he stands heads and shoulders above others as being the only real option for a factory look refinish. Jon has taken his hobby to the next step and started a website with full details of the services he offers, check it out here > http://www.kleinspainted.com and don't forget to tell 'em retrobike sent you!