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Pete McC's Doug Bradbury Manitou Full Suspension In the now standard start to a Retrobike.co.uk story I want you to wind the clock back 17 years - it's 1992, Carter USM are riding high in the charts and playing on my 'auto-reverse' walkman, my Calvin Kleins are visible for all to see above the waistband of my baggy jeans and the MBUK Summer Special has just landed in WHSmiths. This years Summer Special really lived up to it's name as nestled amongst the pages of vital holiday reading was an article so special that it would get read with an amazed open mouth more often than a lottery winner rereads his winning ticket - the Superbike Test! Four bikes - all works of art, all utterly desirable and all far too expensive for a 17 year old on...

The 'Leftfield' BoTM for April 2009 is Gary Turner's GT STS.

Archangel’s 1993 Klein Adroit 'Tinker Juarez Replica' Ever since I saw a Sachs chain add featuring Tinker Juarez on his Klein Adroit EX in Team Storm paintjob on the pages of Mountain Bike Action magazine in 1993, I have lusted after a similar Klein. I remember drawing pics of Team Storm Adroit on my Physics exercise book during high school lessons. At the time, it was more exciting for a young man than learning about gravity! Fast forward 12 years. After graduating from the University, I was able to get a good and well-paid job and my love for the bikes from my teen years began anew. Now I was able to buy those bikes I drooled after while reading the American bike magazines but never had funds to buy any of them. From the beginning...

Following on nicely from DrS' RC-100 BoTM victory we have 20 questions with Adrian Carter of Pace Cycles, one of the leading lights of the British MTB scene. Adrian Carter with early proto RC100 from about 1988. Note the 24in rear wheel and drum brakes. The bike also had the first threadless headset (bored out Shimano 105 road headset) fitted with one-piece steerer tube stem. Retrobike: Hello Adrian. 1) RB: Ok, we've all heard stories about tubes not rolling off workbenches, box section strength and cartoonists saying they're easier to shade... why were they really square section then? Adrian Carter: Nope not heard those stories and no one ever made fun of square tubes that I can remember. Actually we used box in some frame areas...

For those who have expressed interest and would like some new Retrobike Endura kit please check the thread here. We now have more than enough orders to go ahead and will be placing the order asap to try and ensure delivery for MM.

Welcome to the first and almost certainly last in our self-penned 20 questions series (16 in this case). This article features retrobike's #1 skip monkey, bin raider and angle grinder operator, the one and only Legrandfromage. Legrandfromage, recently. 1) Legrandfromage: so, who the hell are you to be doing a '20 questions' thing when all you do is wind up people on the site by finding 'stuff'? Legrandfromage: I thought it was a funny idea... I live near a recycling centre that has provided some fantastic stuff that people simply throw away. And I dont get out much. 2) LGF: whats you best find? LGF: In terms of value - a broken Macbook Pro - sold for silly money. In terms of 'I'll keep forever' theres been some Campagnolo...

English off-road pioneer Geoff Apps has finally been nominated for the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame by Graham Wallace. Click here for full details > http://www.completesite.com/mbhof/page.cfm?pageid=7&categoryid=4&memberid=209

A fine victory for a British classic!

It all started back in ‘Ebay and Market Watch’ thread (October 2008) Gravymonster had spotted it on Ebay and posted it up for fellow retro bikers to see. There seemed to be lots of interest but not a lot of bids, seemed like an opportunity not to be missed so I quickly sold off lots of bits in the ’For Sale’ thread to finance a bid. I was thinking it would go for well in excess of £700, but to my surprise when it came to bid with a few seconds remaining it was at just £252. The auction ended and as the screen refreshed the final total was revealed £362! I could not believe my luck. Research (October/November 2008) The bike had been tinkered with over the years as parts wore out or broke. With a 1993 Grundig bike there was only one...

The first Old World Mountain Bike Championships are to be held in Bergen (NH), 40 minutes north of Amsterdam, Holland, this September. A group of vintage mountain bike enthusiasts have come together to organise a weekend of retro bike activities, designed to crown the first Old World Mountain Bike Champions. All racers will have to use mountain bikes built before 1995, with extra points gained for original features including cantilever brakes and skinwall tyres! As committed restorers and riders of classic machinery including Klein, Fat Chance, Overbury’s and Orange, the group recognised that, despite the growth of interest in such historic and important brands, there were no activities or races dedicated to the early days of mountain...

Second in the retrobike 20 questions series is a man who will need no introduction, Keith Bontrager. If you really need one check out his entry in the MTB Hall of Fame. Keith building in the garage 1980 Retrobike: How's life? Keith Bontrager: Life is pretty good, though complicated sometimes. Nothing surprising I guess. RB: Keith, what is the mtb holy grail? KB: This is one for Gary F. He's best at that kind of question. RB: And what is the mtb holy fail? KB: Getting too carried away with the mtb holy grail. RB: Desert Island Discs Scenario - one luxury. Bike or corkscrew? Or something else? KB: Bike, as long as there isn't too much sand. I have lots of ways to get a cork out of a bottle besides a corkscrew. RB: Wine. Bike...

A fine victory in the February e-stay special BoTM for Hairstream's Yei Ultimate.

Cold head? Balding? Want to be the coolest kid (or middle aged chap) on the block? Then buy a retrobike hat! Three styles are available, click here for more details.

Welcome to the first in the retrobike 'feature bike' series. Each month (or so) the retrobike team will pick a different bike we feel deserves a place on the front page. The Feb 2009 Feature Bike is Elev12K's exquisite Zieleman Type Special -> More details on this build can be found here in the forum.

January's BoTM 2009 is ameybrook's 1989/90 Yeti C-26 - 20th Anniversary Special. A few words on the C-26 from ameybrook Very few bikes are as shrouded in mystery and controversy than the Yeti C-26. To many, this frame exists only as internet rumors and the occasional poorly-scanned photo. Like a campfire ghost-story, its cursed tale is told by “cult” bike collectors and enthusiasts as a relic of mountain biking’s unadorned past, and its halcyon days of over-abundance. The rise and fall of the C-26 project mimics that of countless other startups from that era, where thousands were thrown at the “next big thing” in design, only to have the company pull up stakes to follow hotter trends that popped up seemingly overnight. Yet, where...

Welcome to the first in (hopefully) a series of industry profiles, features and interviews of various mountain Biking VIP’s. People that have been there through the ages, observing, commenting on and sometimes defining the times we all now refer to as the halcyon days of our sport. In the first of Retrobike’s ‘20 Questions* with…’ series, we are proud to present an interview with the creator of everyone’s favourite mountain biking sheep, Mint Sauce. To those of you not aware of Jo Burt’s colourful and imaginative mountain biking timeline, check out the website dedicated to our woolly little friend, his chums and their seminal comic strip at www.thisiswhy.co.uk. *Retrobike reserves the right to make 20 Questions with… less...

After a closely foaught contest Defiant's Serotta ATX takes Bike of The Year 2008. Nice one! Click here for details of the build.