Bike Hoarder
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It's late 1992, it's cold and miserable in Gloucester, I'm off on my paper round to earn my few ££'s a week to buy shiny bits with (who am I kidding, just to keep my bike on the road). So with Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine or Nirvana in my ears I pedal on dreaming of my perfect bike, flicking through pages of MBA and MBUK when the newsagent isn't looking, mentally making my shopping list.
In that era there were 2 shops in Gloucester that were selling the good stuff (iirc there were at least 5 shops in Gloucester at that time), Dave Swan Cycles on Barton St, or Bigfoot. I hung around at Dave's. No actual reason other than it was my side of town, I grew up near Barton St, it was familiar to 15 year old me. I watched bikes being assembled, watched wheels being built, learnt the art of adjusting indexed gears. Not sure what they made of me, shy, unfit and riding a BSO.
While I knew of Smokestone frames, they were way out of my price range - circa £600 was never going to be achieved on my meagre wage. I dreamed then of a Whiskey Town Mountain Goat, with its colour matched Rock Shox, and XTR. I picked up an old Raleigh from a school friend, it had XT thumbies, and 105 hubs. I rebuilt it after giving it a colour change.
Dave Swan made my first set of wheels, Ambrosio CC22 in purple, with STX SE hubs - parralax hubs, 32h, purple, they were the bees knees in my opinion. TBH it's been a while since I looked at this photo, not a bad spec for a skint 6th former. Note the San Marco Rolls saddle (still my favourite), Look pedals and Smoke/Dart tyres.
Fast forward 30 years, God has it been that long? My obsession with mountain bikes has never wavered, with life settled, a reasonable wage, I couldn't resist when @JohnMarin_77 was selling his. Sadly it was a bit spicey on my pockets, and i missed out in the end. But life has a funny way of giving you another chance - @Matttymm PM'd me with opportunity to buy the frame and a deal was done. After another epic round trip to the west country it was picked up and squirreled away into the workshop (thank you Matt).
In that era there were 2 shops in Gloucester that were selling the good stuff (iirc there were at least 5 shops in Gloucester at that time), Dave Swan Cycles on Barton St, or Bigfoot. I hung around at Dave's. No actual reason other than it was my side of town, I grew up near Barton St, it was familiar to 15 year old me. I watched bikes being assembled, watched wheels being built, learnt the art of adjusting indexed gears. Not sure what they made of me, shy, unfit and riding a BSO.
While I knew of Smokestone frames, they were way out of my price range - circa £600 was never going to be achieved on my meagre wage. I dreamed then of a Whiskey Town Mountain Goat, with its colour matched Rock Shox, and XTR. I picked up an old Raleigh from a school friend, it had XT thumbies, and 105 hubs. I rebuilt it after giving it a colour change.
Dave Swan made my first set of wheels, Ambrosio CC22 in purple, with STX SE hubs - parralax hubs, 32h, purple, they were the bees knees in my opinion. TBH it's been a while since I looked at this photo, not a bad spec for a skint 6th former. Note the San Marco Rolls saddle (still my favourite), Look pedals and Smoke/Dart tyres.
Fast forward 30 years, God has it been that long? My obsession with mountain bikes has never wavered, with life settled, a reasonable wage, I couldn't resist when @JohnMarin_77 was selling his. Sadly it was a bit spicey on my pockets, and i missed out in the end. But life has a funny way of giving you another chance - @Matttymm PM'd me with opportunity to buy the frame and a deal was done. After another epic round trip to the west country it was picked up and squirreled away into the workshop (thank you Matt).
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