16 Questions to:

[Tallpaul]

1) Who are you ?

Hi, I'm Paul, 30 years old and I'm tall. Although, I'm far from being the tallest person I know - that honour falls to my friend David who stands at 7'2".

2) When did you start mountainbiking ?

1993(ish), I remember a kid at school talking about going to Chicksands on his Muddy Fox and I thought 'that sounds fun'.

3) What was your first mountainbike ?

I wish I could remember what it was. My Mum found it in the back of the local paper 2nd hand; it was white, lugged, about 23" (as was the fashion) had an all in one bar/stem combi and flouro pink grips. There aren't even any photo's of me with it

4) What do you have in your pockets right now ?

Chewing gum, security pass and some post-it notes.

5) What is your favorite mountainbike ?

Orange Five.

6) What's your most hated chore on the household chore list ?

Picking my girlfriends hair out of the drain in the bath.

7) What bike would you buy if money was no object ?

An Orange Five Pro in Apple Green.

8 ) Name one thing that not many people know about you ?

I held my secondary schools triple jump record for 15 minutes. My friend Graham subsequently broke it but I had used all three of my jumps of my final sports day at the school. I'm particularly gutted as to this day my sister still holds the high jump record.

9) What is you favorite bikepart ?

Shimano Deore DX 7sp Thumb-Shifter.

10) Which bike (brand) is overrated according to your own humble opinion ?

Klein. 'Storm' painted ones in particular.

11) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be ?

I really do love England, but my part is too flat! So somewhere near some hills and water, preferably in the West.

12) If you could go on a road trip with any person (dead or alive), who would you choose and where would you go ?

Kelly Brook and I'd take her wherever she wanted to go.

13) What is you next bike going to be ?

I currently have a 1996 Kona Hot on my workstand...

14) Which bike(part) do you regret selling

Right now, a 27.0mm Syncros post that I had - I need it for the Hot!

Longer term, my Hei Hei was awfull pretty...

15) Do you think it is cruel that there is an "S" in the word lisp?

Frankly, no.

16)Do you ever stare at all your bikes,parts,tools and think i shoulda collected stamps?

No, but my Girlfriend does

Next up is Anthony

His question:

16) Why Kona?

 

[Anthony]

Thanks Paul!

1) Who are you ?
I’m Anthony

2) When did you start mountainbiking ?
When my children started cycling out of sight

3) What was your first mountainbike ?
A 96 GT Talera

4) What do you have in your pockets right now ?
My keys and a handkerchief

5) What is your favorite mountainbike ?
Either the Rock Lobster 853 that my son now has or the RM Element TSc

6) What's your most hated chore on the household chore list ?
Paying bills

7) What bike would you buy if money was no object ?
I suppose I’d ask Carl Strong to make me an 853 frame (Rody doesn’t build with 853)

8 ) Name one thing that not many people know about you ?
I’m quite clever

9) What is you favorite bikepart ?
Onza Ules (thin end outboard)

10) Which bike (brand) is overrated according to your own humble opinion ?
Most of them, Cannondale?

11) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be ?
In a Sussex farmhouse

12) If you could go on a road trip with any person (dead or alive), who would you choose and where would you go ?
I wouldn’t mind riding around Canada with Marie-Helene Premont, but I’d let her choose where

13) What is you next bike going to be ?
They’re all unexpected

14) Which bike(part) do you regret selling
The 853 Explosif I’m about to sell

15) Do you think it is cruel that there is an "S" in the word lisp?
Don’t be thuth a thilly arth

16) My question was why Kona?
Kona frames are good to ride, cheap and pretty. That’ll do me.

I’ll ask Geoff, do you recommend a mountain biker emigrating to Oz?

 

[Geoff]

Thanks Anthony. I've enjoyed reading this thread. Good idea Bas.

1) Who are you ?
I’m Geoff, 27 years old, originally from the fine county of Dorset. I've been living in Australia for most of the past five years.

2) When did you start mountainbiking ?
Some time around 1993 I think, at 11 or so. I grew up on a farm so there was always plenty of places to ride. Lugging my cast iron bike over the hills, great fun.

3) What was your first mountainbike ?
Depends on your definition- first thing I took mountainbiking was my 24" wheeled 91/92 Peugeot Tim Gould replica (alas, built not by Ritchey but by Peugeot, out of scaffolding poles). I went from that to my first proper mountain bike, which was my Kona. Helluva difference...

4) What do you have in your pockets right now ?
Nothing. Wallet, phone, keys etc are on my desk instead.

5) What is your favorite mountainbike ?
Actual individual bike would be my Kilauea. Best thing I ever bought, for the simple reason that I can't think of any other possession which I have had for so long, that has given me so much enjoyment throughout it's life. It's never going to leave.

6) What's your most hated chore on the household chore list ?
Most of them really. Hanging the washing, making my packed lunch, running up the bins... Quite like vacuuming though. Also cooking is alright if I am allowed loud music and red wine.

7) What bike would you buy if money was no object ?
Something Ti retro and a custom steel modern. Seeing as money is an object, I haven't decided on which particular ones yet.

8 ) Name one thing that not many people know about you ?
I have mild tinnitus and it really pisses me off. Stupid clubbing, stupid 18 year old drunkenness, standing next to the speaker all night! Grrrr.

9) What is you favorite bikepart ?
I was thinking about this for a while. It's interesting how ones tastes change over the years. I remember when the Cooks Bros E cranks came out, I wanted a set sooo much. Now, not so much. For cranks, I'd prefer Middleburn. Bit of bling, but still workmanlike. Overall favourite part is hard- M900 mechs, DX or XT thumbies, King headsets... but I pick the humble UN-72 for being the toughest S.O.B. ever. It was "buy new bike, ride it a couple of months, kill cheapo OEM BB, put in UN-72, forget". Perfect.

10) Which bike (brand) is overrated according to your own humble opinion ?
Modern day Cannondale amuses me because it's the brand that gets "Ooh"s from people who know nothing about bikes. Not sure how that happened. Maybe it was Madonna and co buying them way back when. Not really the bike's fault I suppose. I'm tempted to say Kona - but only because if they were rated similarly to their original competition (Marin, Specialized, etc) I would be able to pick up Explosifs a lot cheaper than is possible at the moment. Is it possible to say they're overrated when wishing to buy more of them yourself? :?

11) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be ?
Only one place? I'd prefer nice houses in several locations and free air travel for life. Is that too much to ask? I can't give you one answer- a nice cottage in Dorset and a big old Queenslander over here would be nice though.

12) If you could go on a road trip with any person (dead or alive), who would you choose and where would you go ?
Where? Big long trip around North and South America, taking in lots of cycling and lots of record shops. I'd go with my wife, and probably take a mate along for the cycling bits.

13) What is you next bike going to be ?
Probably (shock horror) a road bike. Then I can rebuild the Bontrager for offroad.

14) Which bike(part) do you regret selling
My Project 2s, Impact and Velocity. For nothing (literally). I am an idiot. At least they aren't hard to find I suppose.

15) Do you think it is cruel that there is an "S" in the word lisp?
Meh. I'm sure we can cope.

16) Do you recommend a mountain biker emigrating to Oz?
JUST for the mountain biking? No. There are a whole bunch of reasons I recommend emigrating to Oz. Higher standard of living, laidback lifestyle, sunshine and icecream... Specific to cycling, the weather is good enough that I usually have to clean my bikes due to dust rather than mud, the forest parks around cities have excellent maintained trails in them which are under constant development and the cycling community itself is pretty cohesive and friendly.

I can really speak only of the Brisbane area. I need to explore further afield. It sounds like Tasmania would be a great place to holiday, biking wise. Might have to check that out.

On the negative side, buying those Fats, Hei Heis, Ringle bits and so on is expensive with our crappy exchange rate. Also, around Brisbane at least, the trails are nearly exclusively forest park trails- quality wise they are fantastic, but I miss the bridleway rides across southern England. I will be spending a month or so in England next year, so will have to top up on Mint Sauce-style mountain biking.

Sticking with the Anglo/Australian theme, I would like to nominate Kingroon and ask him for question 16 whether he prefers being 'right-way-up-Mint' or 'upside-down-Mint' and why.

 

[kingroon]

Cheers for the PM Geoff

Righto.. What a great way to kill ten minutes at work

1) Who are you ?
KingRoon, aka Matt

2) When did you start mountainbiking ?
In 1987.. My Mum took me down to Halfords on Eastbourne's Terminus Road and bought me a 15 Speed Peugeot Alpina; it was the schnutts. It weighed 15 Tonnes but I'll never forget the freedom it gave me.. My first rides were up on the South Downs and I got my bro and a coupla mates in to it with me.

3) What was your first mountainbike ?
Peugeot Alpina, I think it cost £180?

4) What do you have in your pockets right now ?
My slightly dysfunctional Nokia N95, an Oyster Card [TFL travel card thing] and 15p change from my EAT Coffee.

5) What is your favorite mountainbike ?
Eesh.. Desert Island Discs type scenario? Fat Chance Yo, with stock M900 and a splash of sympathetic Blingle

6) What's your most hated chore on the household chore list ?
Ironing my shirts. Which I no longer do as I have recently discovered that for the Princely sum of £1, I can have each shirt washed, and ironed, and hung on individual hangers at my local Dry Cleaners

7) What bike would you buy if money was no object ?
I'm not sure money has anything to do with it? Presumably Ti is the most expensive material, but I'm not sure I'd like a Ti bike.. Hmm.. I've got a soft spot for the Ibis Mojo SL, but not sure I'd like to ride it in case it [the DW Link] is sh*t.

8 ) Name one thing that not many people know about you ?
I put myself in a coma once; Mountain Bike related.

9) What is you favorite bikepart ?
Wheels. I love building them. Very theraputic

10) Which bike (brand) is overrated according to your own humble opinion ?
It'd be too easy to name the Contentious Three [Pace, Kona, Klein], but given that I've never ridden any of them.. Probably Specialized i.e. no idea what all the fuss is about [mostly to do with the Epic]..

11) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be ?
England. I've recently moved back from 6 years in Australia and to be honest, I'm still rediscovering what's great about this country. But, if I had to go elsewhere.. Portugal.. Love it..

12) If you could go on a road trip with any person (dead or alive), who would you choose and where would you go ?
Kelly Slater, South America.

13) What is you next bike going to be ?
Currently buuilding a lurrrrvley AquaFade AMP Fat Chance Shock-A-Billy with straight 737 XT and a touch of Blingle & Kooka. It's gonna be a Bewt

14) Which bike(part) do you regret selling
Every piece of Ringle I have ever sold.

15) Do you think it is cruel that there is an "S" in the word lisp?
Isn't that Irony? Kinda like Dyslexic being hard to spell correctly? Or Sesquipedalian meaning the use of long [or multi syllabic] words.. Kinda funny, but not.. I don't say "Lithp", and I'm sure people with Lisps go out of their way to avoid saying it

Geoff's 16) "and ask him for question 16 whether he prefers being 'right-way-up-Mint' or 'upside-down-Mint' and why."
Gotta be the Right Way Up Mint Having my parents closer, my sister and her family down in Brighton has made a heap of difference. The Biking is much better too, for the greater range of cycling conditions [e.g. Chalk, Clay, Mud, Mountain/Hill Ranges etc.]. London Rocks. It has History, beautiful Architecture, great Pubs, excellent Transport [anyone ever caught the "Metro" in Sydney?? :roll: ] and great links to the rest of the Country..

My 16) (make up your own question for the next person in line)
10.05am; Would you like another Coffee?
I'd f*kken love one mate, cheers

Edit: Totally mis-read that Q16.. So.. For Mr Zero, I ask..

"Bikes, Beer or Travelling - Choose 2 "

 

[SeeingisBelievingGTMuseum]

It's been a few days since anyone's answered up so here goes:

1) gm1230126...that's an automobile part number...don't ask why I use it. Still haven't figured it out myself.

2) Started mountain biking in Northern Minnesota in 1983 while managing a bike shop.

3) My first mountain bike was a Tange DB lugged all Japanese Panasonic ATB pre-indexing.

4) In me pockets? A husky knife, my key ring with a forged fork end which I've used as a king ring ornament since the 1993 Taipei bike show and like many of you an empty wallet

5) Favorite mountain bike is a toss up....really love my 91 Xizang for it's forgiveness and it is my fall ride. Love my Psyclone as well as it's the classic steel ride...and the new SS Psyclone well it's just a damned good commuter and tons of fun around town.

6) Most hated household chore(s)...toss up between a sink full of dishes and playing taxi driver for my always busy kids. Don't know how I ever made it everywhere when I was younger....oh yeah I walked or rode my bike. Those were the days.

7) I can honestly say I already own what I want in bikes and have no desire to spend huge sums on any other bike unless of coarse that 18" NOS Team Scream Psyclone were to one day appear....But I don't think there is one that still exists on this planet.

My background when younger was cross-country ski racing and Biathlon (with a rifle on snow). I got into biking as a form of training for skiing because I hated running...Ever see someone running that's smiling?

9) Favorite bike part Shimano PD-M737 XT clipless pedals what can you say one of the most tried and true products ever produce.

10) Most overrated brand...toss up between Cannondale and Klein.

11) I'd have a place on a secluded side of a hill or mountain where there are four seasons and close by biking, bass fishing and cross country skiing.

12) Road trip partner...would have to be my wife when the nest gets emptied....only four years to go. Looking so forward to this era of life.

13) I don't know if there will be a next bike unless it's another interesting one-off. (liar) I do need to find an 18/15" tandem as the one I have is a tad too big.

14) Bike part that I shouldn't have parted with...a Whitepine hub....they are rare and just way-out there in cool/bling factor even if not practical.

15) Do I find it cruel that there's an S in "lisp"?...no that's not cruel and I even asked my wife who's a speech pathologist...she didn't think so either. What else would you call it?

16) So Z-Girl What's your tire of choice?... and I ain't talkin cars and trucks here people.

 

[Zaskar Girl]

1) Who are you ?
Carin Hebing

2) When did you start mountainbiking ?
1989

3) What was your first mountainbike ?
Raleigh Mustang

4) What do you have in your pockets right now ?
ID pas for work

5) What is your favorite mountainbike ?
GT Zaskar, nothing else matters

6) What's your most hated chore on the household chore list ?
cleaning windows, cleaning at all

7) What bike would you buy if money was no object ?
GT XIZANG 14,5"

8 ) Name one thing that not many people know about you ?
Twirling

9) What is you favorite bikepart ?
the frame (only when it's a Zaskar LE)

10) Which bike (brand) is overrated according to your own humble opinion ?
Any brand except GT

11) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be ?
Colorado, for the most beautiful bikespots and weather

12) If you could go on a road trip with any person (dead or alive), who would you choose and where would you go ?
Missy Giove for some awesome downlhill lessons

13) What is you next bike going to be ?
GT XIZANG

14) Which bike(part) do you regret selling
A racebike of the dutch proteam

15) Do you think it is cruel that there is an "S" in the word lisp?
:roll:

16)So Z-Girl What's your tire of choice?... and I ain't talkin cars and trucks here people.
Hmm, I ride the usual non-retro Schwalbe NN+RR but I was a huge fan of the old, oldschool Onza Porcupines

16 question for LTS Biker:
For what bikepart did you pay way too much, but you couldn't resist buying it?

 

[LTS Biker]

1) Who are you ?
LTS Biker (really?)
René in real life.

2) When did you start mountainbiking ?
Somehwere around 1992, when I took a round on a friends mountainbike.

3) What was your first mountainbike ?
Real dutch steel Batavus Rambler

4) What do you have in your pockets right now ?
A lighter and a wallet. for the rest as much as on my bankaccount.

5) What is your favorite mountainbike?
Hmmm, I really like my Zaskar in style and handling, but also like my modern Trek 9900, but I think I prefer the Zaskar.
Haven't ridden it for a long time, but my LTS is I think still a favourite.
I'll choose the LTS

6) What's your most hated chore on the household chore list ?
I eh.. don't really mind it, but I hate to start with it.

7) What bike would you buy if money was no object ?
The Tomac replica.. ow wait... The bike from Tomac himself

8 ) Name one thing that not many people know about you ?
I never acted in Airwolf.

9) What is you favorite bikepart ?
My Rock Shox collection.

10) Which bike (brand) is overrated according to your own humble opinion ?
Schwalbe

11) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be ?
Canada I think

12) If you could go on a road trip with any person (dead or alive), who would you choose and where would you go ?
Claudia Schiffer

13) What is your next bike going to be ?
GT XIZANG
or a modern bike.

14) Which bike(part) do you regret selling
Chris King wheelset.

15) Do you think it is cruel that there is an "S" in the word lisp?
a what?

16 question for LTS Biker:
For what bikepart did you pay way too much, but you couldn't resist buying it?
Eh... what is much?
I think that was for my Rock Shox SIDney, but it ended for quite a good price.

Next one is for Sniperworks with question #16:
How much did you pay for your M900 rear derailleur and what happened to it????
Sorry couldn't resist.

 

[Mr. Zero]

Thanks for the hot potato Matt. :roll:

1) Who are you ?
Philosopher, minimalist, outdoor enthusiast, audiophile, computer geek and bike junkie. And my name is Jason if you didn't already know.

2) When did you start mountainbiking ?
1987 or thereabout.

3) What was your first mountainbike ?
1988 fillet brazed Jamis Dakota.

4) What do you have in your pockets right now ?
Driver's license, iPhone, keys, some change and a little metric tape measure I picked up from the Gita booth back at the 1990 Interbike show.

5) What is your favorite mountainbike ?
My 1993 AMP B2.

6) What's your most hated chore on the household chore list ?
Hmm, “hated”? I really don't mind taking care of the place I live, but I suppose if there is one thing it's keeping up with the trimming of the monster palm tree in the backyard that seems to be constantly attacking the neighbors.

7) What bike would you buy if money was no object ?
Scott Spark Ltd

8 ) Name one thing that not many people know about you ?
I'm a black-belt in Kung-Fu from the 80's. (Who studies Kung-Fu anymore!?)

9) What is your favorite bikepart ?
The stem. It somehow seems to be the face and much of the personality of the bike.

10) Which bike (brand) is overrated according to your own humble opinion ?
Any brand trying to market it's workaround-for-not-securing-a-license-to-the-Horst-link as the latest design.

11) If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be ?
Portland, Oregon, USA

12) If you could go on a road trip with any person (dead or alive), who would you choose and where would you go ?
From San Diego, California up the Pacific Coast Highway to Vancouver, British Columbia with my brother.

13) What is you next bike going to be ?
1995 Voodoo Bizango

14) Which bike(part) do you regret selling
Just about every interesting bike I was foolish enough to part with at some point in the past I've managed to reacquire. So I'd have to say it's the Interloc Vortex Crankset that should be fitted to my Breezer Twister that I miss the most.

15) Do you think it is cruel that there is an "S" in the word lisp?
No, but I do find it somewhat entertaining.

16) "Bikes, Beer or Travelling - Choose 2 "
That's pretty evil, so it's a good thing I realize it's a trick question! We all know you can't split the Holy Trinity! Good try :twisted:

 

[pigman]

12) If you could go on a road trip with any person (dead or alive), who would you choose and where would you go ?
Missy Giove for some awesome downlhill lessons

er ... maybe not ...
http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/m ... ison-22073

 

[Defiant]

12) If you could go on a road trip with any person (dead or alive), who would you choose and where would you go ?
Missy Giove for some awesome downlhill lessons

er ... maybe not ...
http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/m ... ison-22073

let's keep this tread clean from comments,..
There's a comment topic about the 16Q's here:
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=61183