Great early MTB Brands that are not what they used to be...

[Osella]

Schwinn!
From the handmade days into a Wal-Mart brand now.. Very much a similar story to GT, Raleigh or Muddy Fox.

I'd liken Kona to Saracen (and add to this Voodoo) as brands who went chasing sales and trying to be all things to all people in the late 90's, but are now clawing their way back to some degree of respectability and making some decent products.

 

[02gf74]

Saracen went very bad but have gone back to making top notch bikes, cant say i noiticed the same with kona.

 

[Ollie]

Saracen and Kona both had their bad phases till a couple a years ago, Saracen are making some respectable trail and dh bikes. Kona are finally crawling out of their deep pit they were stuck in, the likes of the process has proved to be quit popular

 

[sinnerman]

Schwinn!
From the handmade days into a Wal-Mart brand now.. Very much a similar story to GT, Raleigh or Muddy Fox.

I'd liken Kona to Saracen (and add to this Voodoo) as brands who went chasing sales and trying to be all things to all people in the late 90's, but are now clawing their way back to some degree of respectability and making some decent products.

I don't really think Schwinn have ever ever left the Wal Mart brand, to be fair. They may have joined the party at points....

hell if it wasn't for the likes of the Excelsior and the Paperboy of yesteryear, the Mountain bike movement might never have been, or it might have, but taking a different path......(shit that could get deep).

 

[syncrosfan]

From '98 to '01 Schwinn made some of the greatest bikes ever with their Homegrown series! No Wal-Mart brand shite then.

 

[sinnerman]

Saracen went very bad but have gone back to making top notch bikes, cant say i noiticed the same with kona.

Are they the same Saracen, or are they a Defunct name, Purchased by an Importer/distributor, re-marketed, its easier to resurrect an old name, than create a new one, they save Tens of thousands of pounds, or put another way, they don't spend it having to build a new foundation.

Sure the Product Is Good, but then tweeked far east product usually is, Clever marketing sells bikes.

 

[sinnerman]

From '98 to '01 Schwinn made some of the greatest bikes ever with their Homegrown series! No Wal-Mart brand shite then.

you need to delve a little deeper my friend, Homegrown was the handbuilt arm of the firm, they were still making BSOs, as well. I think in 98 my entry level bike on the shop floor was about £199 and was called a Mesa from memory, they weren't bad with an Alivio rear mech and tektro V brakes. They never left the Bottom end of the Market im afraid.

I will say this though, What you got even at the entry level, was a better experience than sum brands even at £199.

 

[syncrosfan]

Fair enough, the '98 and '99 Homegrown Factory Limited were built at Yeti, the 2000 and 2001 were built at Control Tech I believe. Their top of the line bikes were pretty damn nice. Took a major plunge later, no more high-end products.

 

[sinnerman]

Fair enough, the '98 and '99 Homegrown Factory Limited were built at Yeti, the 2000 and 2001 were built at Control Tech I believe. Their top of the line bikes were pretty damn nice. Took a major plunge later, no more high-end products.

as I said, they occasionally joined the party, I think the owners of Schwinn bought Yeti too hence the Homegrown..., much to the disgrace Yeti Lovers.

 

[Chris D]

Anyway, what's wrong with that blue Klein??

Agree totally. I have that frame, and ok it may not have the kudos of early Kleins, but with some upgrades mainly from my back killing Stumpy Pro FSR XTR, it makes a very good, lightweight cross country bike.

I actually, big time, selling the Bontrager Race Light wheels.