June 2012 BoTM 'Dead End Special' - Nominations Please

[andrewl]

Just to open up a line of debate......... Would bonded frames count as dead end technology :?:

You can still get custom bonded frames (think ti lugs with carbon tubes) and so I would say technically no, but can see where you are coming from.

 

[halaburt]

...we're looking for is retro bikes whose design never made it through the retro period
...Any other evolutionary dead ends accepted

So 26"-wheeled, all-rigid, fillet-brazed steel bikes are fine, right?

 

[andrewl]

...we're looking for is retro bikes whose design never made it through the retro period
...Any other evolutionary dead ends accepted

So 26"-wheeled, all-rigid, fillet-brazed steel bikes are fine, right?

Only when equipped with a screw on freewheel and Suntour shifting.

Oh and a 1" threaded headset should be a minimum requirement too.

 

[andrewl]

Just to stir the pot a little more. He's my entry

Pace RC200 F5 (which was updated at some point in its life).

As you can see its sporting subtle design features such as a 1" head tube and Ti centred hubs, but most importantly square tubes - a feaure which I think its fair to say died a number of years ago...

 

[Neil]

Not wanting to derail this, just wondering about boundaries, but isn't there argument for totally rigid mountain bikes? Surely all proper, contemporary, mountain bikes (not hybrid) have at least a boingy front end, for quite some time?

This isn't leading anywhere, it's not a leading question to try and get something to qualify, just really musing on the criteria.

Rigid doesn't seem to have survived as an off-road aspect, perhaps there's an odd exception, but as a generalism, whenever I've seen line-ups of modern bike ranges, I don't recall rigid being apparent.

Though all that said, which I think is fair comment, I don't perceive it as the spirit or intent of this month's BOTM, so my suggestion would be to disallow it as criteria, just that for the sake of discussion, it does seem to have evolved out of proper mountain bikes.

 

[Neil]

Just to stir the pot a little more. He's my entry

Pace RC200 F5 (which was updated at some point in its life).

As you can see its sporting subtle design features such as a 1" head tube and Ti centred hubs, but most importantly square tubes - a feaure which I think its fair to say died a number of years ago...

Plus blocks of wood nailed to the pedals - haven't seen that since the 70s, um, man...

 

[GoldenEraMTB]

Not wanting to derail this, just wondering about boundaries, but isn't there argument for totally rigid mountain bikes? Surely all proper, contemporary, mountain bikes (not hybrid) have at least a boingy front end, for quite some time?

This isn't leading anywhere, it's not a leading question to try and get something to qualify, just really musing on the criteria.

Rigid doesn't seem to have survived as an off-road aspect, perhaps there's an odd exception, but as a generalism, whenever I've seen line-ups of modern bike ranges, I don't recall rigid being apparent.

Though all that said, which I think is fair comment, I don't perceive it as the spirit or intent of this month's BOTM, so my suggestion would be to disallow it as criteria, just that for the sake of discussion, it does seem to have evolved out of proper mountain bikes.

Don't think rigid mountain bikes were evolutionary.

And actually, fillet brazed rigid mountain bikes did survive, but now are called "boutique", so I guess they could be deemed endangered, but never extinct.

So, let's see those rare birds
Birds are dinosaurs, right?

 

[Raging_Bulls]

hmm ... tough one.

I'm thinking about entering my 728 on account of the frame design.
However Trimble made something similarly-looking and kept that model going until the mid 00's.
That being said, the Trimble is carbon, the Sbikes were either alu or Cro-Moly.
The Sbikes used square tubing, like the famous Pace models. So perhaps that argument can be used.

Sbike

NOTE : While this may be my own 728, it's not the picture I'd use because this was taken before I bought and completely rebuilt it.

Trimble

Would this be a grey area or just plain ineligible? No problem if it's ineligible, there are plenty more BotMs to come.

 

[KermitGKona88]

Wouldn't an Sbike qualify as E-stay frame :?:

Also I can already see it is going to be 'handbags at dawn' this month so steering well clear, nothing to see here but me and the chickens!!!!!

 

[kaiser]

Not wanting to derail this, just wondering about boundaries, but isn't there argument for totally rigid mountain bikes? Surely all proper, contemporary, mountain bikes (not hybrid) have at least a boingy front end, for quite some time?

Plenty rigid bikes still available commercially. Singular, Salsa, Niner, Charge, Genesis off the top of my head all have rigid bikes in their range.