Can retro MTBs still be ridden hard?

[novocaine]

Yes. Yes they can.
Unfortunatly those of us who owned them back then are a but more fragile.

 

[madjh]

In my location we don´t have problems of rust or something like that. My two retro rides are one mint and the other will be new, so I will ride normal, as I use to ride the rest. But I understand the question, if the bicycle has components with 50% of life or less it is a pain in the ass. I owned two like that and I was not able to ride hard because I feel insecure with that brakes and wheels. So, maintenance is the key. Good brakes, good wheel set and they will feel good enough to ride with conficence.

 

[legrandefromage]

T tt t t tt ttt ttt is s ssssss nn n nnn nnnotthh ththth ing gggggggggggg wron gg g g ggggg wwww wiwwith ww WITH!! r ridddingggg g g g g g a old d d d d d d d d d d d dddddddddddd JESUS!!!

hardtail

 

[2manyoranges]

LGF - that is the best rendering of the ride quality of a Zaskar that ever I have seen

Jon Jones - go steel, boy.

Orange, Sunn, Kona, Marin, Roberts.

Orange were early adopters of disc brake tabs, so there are nice Oranges out there on which you can put sensible stoppers.
Kona ride beautifully.

Steel.
Is Real.

 

[Tootyred]

If you have had modern bikes then expect a couple of things when you go back to quality steel...

It will be lighter, the frame will be less likely to break, there is much less to go wrong (i haven't had my rigid forked serviced for over 30 years now), oh and the brakes will work....all the time....no mater if you oil the chain or accidentally ride through the wrong type of mud.

Shove some 550mm bars on and a long stem and go scare yourself silly, like we all do on a really bumpy downhill.

 

[M-Power]

I’ll use a car analogy. Why is an F40 still regarded as the pinnacle of performance motoring ? A - because it a pure experience requiring commitment, has no driver aids, is light, fast and still handles beautifully at full chat.

 

[legrandefromage]

I’ll use a car analogy. Why is a McLaren F1 road car still regarded as the pinnacle of performance motoring ? A - because it a pure experience requiring commitment, has no driver aids, is light, fast and still handles beautifully at full chat.

Fixed that for you

 

[novocaine]

Strangely id possibly say that something like the mk1 golf is the pinnicle of motoring over something like the mclean or the fiat. Completely attainable to every man, fantastic to drive, brings people together.

 

[widowmaker]

I can hear a can of worms being opened

 

[legrandefromage]

Heres me and my resting bitch face riding a £25 car-boot sale 1989 MBK Trekker HiTech in the Peak District - the rear tyre is original...

May 2021