Most expensive early 90's mtb?

[cimmerianbloke]

Well guys, you have me here, 32 grands for a frame, must have been done for some spoiled kid in the Emirates... What is it about beryllium, harder than kryptonite?

 

[elite504]

Beryllium.
Fantastic strength to weight ratio, but very expensive.
But more importantly, very toxic. In the blood, it is fatal. Breathing the dust leads to Berylliosis. I've been involved with designing pressed Beryllium parts, and thats is one thing. Machning and fettling it is something else, as you have to control the dust.
As far as I know the beryllium machine was avalable for a few years, and was tabled in a few guises at various shows.

I have a feeling it may be derailing from topic a tad, as I think the jist was what was the most expensive things that could be got by any Joe Soap over the counter at Evans, or mail order from Stif/sShockwave/Evolution etc. . In which case we're probably back to the Epic Ultimates and stuff. ..

 

[nightfire]

I recall the Guiness Book of records back then said the most expensive bike was manufactured by Stif, which I believe was a complete bike based around a Merlin frame.

It was called the Flipper. I think it had Pace forks and Paul Mechs etc

 

[FMJ]

Beryllium.
Fantastic strength to weight ratio, but very expensive.

One of the Mail Order shops that advertised in MBA BITD (Bikepro?) Advertised an American beryllium brake booster @ $999. It was something ridiculous like 3-4 grams. Whether they actually had it in stock............

 

[sunchaser]

I don't know about the most expensive but, back in '93 I remember drooling over a Kona Lavadome that cost a huge £525. I couldn't believe a bike could cost so much

 

[Rampage]

Does anyone know the weight of the beryllium bike/frame?

 

[nightfire]

I don't know about the most expensive but, back in '93 I remember drooling over a Kona Lavadome that cost a huge £525. I couldn't believe a bike could cost so much

You could have bought a car for that!

 

[marin man]

Looking at the retrobike price inflation thingy for 1997.....that means my scott,in its current guise would cost 11,950 pounds....... :shock: :shock: :shock:

 

[hydorah]

Been thinking about this after reading on another thread that a £1000 modern bike would be as good as a £5000 retro and after seeing a modern Cannondale that costs over £7000 :shock:

What was the most expensive retro bike pre around 1993? I choose this date as suspension, carbon, etc were only just popping up at this time so the main bulk of the bike cost was the frame and the groupset.

I'm talking about bikes you could get from a shop, not the hand built bespoke exotica. My guess would be something like the first full suss Manitou or titanium hardtail from the likes of Fat?

Can't remember anything over about £2500 myself so what do you lot think?

People love saying that (and at all price points) I heard £500 modern betas £1000 retro and in most cases there is no comparison

I don't know where the sugestion is coming from TBH

I guess they are using metrics like weight and suspension travel or something

But how can you make accurate comparisons? For example modern kit is cleverly designed and refined to work pretty well while being knocked out rapidly and cheaply but most of it's built to a definite price nature is evident and it just hasn't got the same robustness and as for aesthetics...

At the lower end:

I have a new Deore LX mech and it is blown away for quality by anything else LX that I own

And as for the exotica:

You get hand crafted and craftsmen produced CNC'd components which have actually been inspected and finished by skilled inovative people

VS 'cookie cutter' modern counterparts...

But this stuff doesn't number up too well you can see it touch it and feel it

but it's not like 65 gears beats 21, 10 inces oftravel each end beats 2 on the front only etc...

I tell you what I'd MUCH rather have a grand's worth of retro bike than modern!

You'd get something very special for a grand... Probably something that cost £3000 - £5000 BITD!! What would you choose for yur Grand of retro, there's a question!

I blame the modern consumer for why we aren't making real progress, with new bikes IMHO we should be being offered continually lighter and better handling bikes, rather than more and more gears and heavier unneccessary braking technologies and there are a lot of stupid geometries on the market right now...

And another awesome thing about retro biking you get so much for your money - At least for now...

And yeah for me aesthetics are a big value

So the bottom line for me is there's no point buying new bikes 'cos they're not that good and not worth the money whatever the number say

 

[Archangel]

Merlin XLM with XTR cost about $5000 in mid 90s.

I remember that Klein Adroit and S-Works Carbon (with CrMo lugs) cost about 25 000 Finnish Marks in 1992 which is about 4200 EUR.