has everyone lost the passion?

[digitalkreation]

Kudos, Fluffy. Those two pics say it all!!

 

[al-onestare]

I suppose I should point out to all the 'retro Kona' fans on here that sloping top tubes were not well received across the board back in the day and there were those who thought they looked less appealing than a good old horizontal tube. As JeRkY notes, so much of what you like now reflects what you were brought up with as a nipper.

Fair point.

I do like a few of the modern frames, the Rocky Mountain one shown on this thread is one.

To be more specific I don't like the over-engineered alluminium frames that look like great big flying buttresses with ropey scaffolding.

 

[Stick Legs]

I love anything that a man with talent could make in a garage.
Or at least looks like that!

To be fair the market dictates, and one day we will be like the grumpy old roadies we all used to bash because they couldn't understand why anyone needs indexed gears!

I have no desire to buy anything on show at my LBS.

Sad but true, I am stuck (cycling wise) in 1995. Where are my Carter and Nirvana tapes?

 

[guybe]

From this

To this

That's bad enough seeing the change's in the above photo's but wondering what the bikes is going to look like in 10 years time 2019? it's not even worth thinking about it :shock: :roll:

I have to agree about the modern MTB's, I find it hard to find any passion about them but I guess they do handle better and more comfy to ride them than retro MTB's which make your ride more enjoyable.

 

[messiah]

Going into bike shops used to be pure porn for the soul, but recent trips have left me feeling utterly deflated.

Nothing I want to buy, and wanky staff who obviosly consider me to old to "get it".

oh well... back to ragging my old bikes.

 

[missmyfat]

God we sound like our parents! Every generation maintains that it was so much better in their day whether its the bikes, music or even the weather! You know you are old when you find yourself saying this
P.S I thought konas had always been fugly!

 

[Konaglider]

I have to agree.I pop into my local(Bromley Bike Co)....

I used to live in Bromley, Bickley just down the road from Brom Bike Co. They did have some lovely stuff. I bought a Peugeot road bike late 80's, and a 93' Lava Dome from them + lots of 'bits'.

Does anyone remember The Fridge, a shop in Croydon, that would swap bits you took in for other things. Ahh!, good days

 

[marky2484]

Whoah! Aren't we all forgetting something? Mountain bikes are designed to perform a function. Go over rough ground. Go down STEEP rough ground FAST. 1980's technology restricted how well they could do this. 2000's technology means they can do this better. As a result of this they look DIFFERENT. Our tastes and fixations , as a group , I suspect, were formed in the Eighties and Nineties . If I wanted to look at a bike -I would take the early Rocky Mountain. If I wanted to ride a bike( or needed to be competitive ) - I would choose the latter..... Just sayin'........

 

[Neil G]

i think it all started going down hill, when classic steel hardtails were starting being made in aluminium, Cindercone is not the same, and big bold graphics, that are half underneath and half up the side of the down down, and 2 tone colours, usually white and silver or the like, just not the same. i look at the the steeds here, and all seem so clean and functional.

Indeed, you only have to look at the state of the Hei Hei now compared to the old version to see how dire things have got. One it quite beautiful and functional whilst the other looks like some cheap Saracen. Hosed

 

[kanerdog1x1]

on a side note, i always thought that suzuki's gs500 was the work of the devil, ugly, slow, no soul. then this weekend i rode one. oh, it has character.

so these new bikes look awfull, and i mean truly bad. but some of them, especially the higher end stuff does RIDE well. excactly what it was designed for. thats why i have modern bikes to thrash, and retro bikes to admire.

dont care what my every-day bike looks like, as long as it works.