Bit bored of my bikes ending up very similar

[2manyoranges]

*but the most bombproof headset ever.

Spot on.....you are absolutely right. So good that I was prepared to grapple with the insanely large stackheight and get a new steerer tube into my Tange Prestige forks on a Cannondale.

https://bikerecyclery.com/nib-nos-m...r-headset-1-1-4-threaded-black-vintage-1990s/

 

[greencat]

Simple. Get a Campag Centaur groupset together. On a Cinelli frame, and with FIR rims. Vittoria tyres. All Italian. YUM.

Or

Mavic Dakar. On an early SUNN frame, with Mavic rims and Hutchinson tyres. All French. Zoot allORs.

Of course, the Campag costs a fortune…but works brilliantly.
The Mavic groupset looks amazing and works like….PANTS. Absolute rubbish underbar shifters, terrible front mech, and uselESS chainset with its crank arms made out of cheese.

Easy.

Mavic Dakar Rear hubs were crap too. Aluminum axles that were prone to snapping - and 6 week waiting list for a new one bitd (gawd knows how long it would be now )

 

[ferrus]

Agreed, Mavic customer service could be shite (though sometimes it was great), but the BBs and headsets were fab, and the mech’s were the only genuinely rebuildable ones ever made - and they worked pretty well!
Never used the shifters to be fair, and agree that the crankset was a bit crap - but overall, beautifully built, serviceable stuff.

 

[marc two tone]

Well, it appears you have a certain ideal or, benchmark for any build.
Where, you take a well put together machine and mildly modify it with bolt-ons from that day....better forks, cranks and some shiny stuff.
Maybe try keeping a bike as, is.
Its takes ages to get a 90+ % original bike, makes it a tastier prospect to procure.

Something i did recently (as above) was to keep stinky old sram x4 with....alivio cranks! Who da thawt it. Man, it just works. I havnt swapped out to lighter and better, the shifting is smooth, no ghost shifting and that annoying hesitation when you shift up the cassette. Or, failing to drop to granny ring, when you most need it.

Give OEM a go, no boost controller or greddy clutch

 

[Prodigal Son]

It´s cause in the late 90s all mtbs rode the same. Geometry? Norba. Gears? Shimano. Fork? 2.5in suspension. Try late 80s mtb and you will a world of difference: different geometries for different trails and suntour/campy/shimano/sachs/mavic gears, rigid forks from soft to very stiff.

 

[d8mok]

It´s cause in the late 90s all mtbs rode the same. Geometry? Norba. Gears? Shimano. Fork? 2.5in suspension. Try late 80s mtb and you will a world of difference: different geometries for different trails and suntour/campy/shimano/sachs/mavic gears, rigid forks from soft to very stiff.

Yeh the earlier bikes I have (not 80s but earlier 90s) have so many more options.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

If you are tired of all the builds ending up the same, build something vastly different

 

[Imlach]

 

[2manyoranges]

View attachment 677166
If you are tired of all the builds ending up the same, build something vastly different

matt - what vastly different? like a wooden fence?

 

[CTK]

What about trying to bodge a road groupset on?