Oh man...I think I just became a collector

[warren_cox]

I have just been struck by the same affliction. I'll be honest, and this isn't going to sit comfortably in here(!), I've always looked back at the bikes of old and thought 'how the hell did I ride those throughout the 90's and not end up seriously hospitalised or with both testicles intact', and whilst there was a respect for the exotica of the day (I'd owned mid range GT's, Spesh and Klein's back in the day), I never actually felt like having one in my collection.

Like you, I have MTB's for specific disciplines of terrain (from 2012 - 2020), a CX bike, a road bike, a TT bike, even a brace of BMX bike, but not a retro bike. A few weeks ago that changed when I was offered a Zaskar by a good friend who was looking to fund a Manitou FS build. The sentimental part of me fancied it from a nostalgia perspective but I had no plans of riding it so it would be wall art. However once I got it and started building it up, a bug took hold and I've spent the last few weeks dressing it to my taste and my god it gets addictive. Sifting through the 'Í saw you coming' priced mix of old tat through to NOS now fills much of my evenings, and I've even been looking at potential other bikes.

Once the Zaskar is finished I'll post something up, collecting the Spin's on Monday, then it's nearly there. But I'd just like to confirm you aren't alone in this affliction, I'm up to my nuts in it, and will be seeking the appropriate therapy in due course (and yes, obviously the missus supports the hobby full heartedly!)

 

[Tsundere]

I have just been struck by the same affliction. I'll be honest, and this isn't going to sit comfortably in here(!), I've always looked back at the bikes of old and thought 'how the hell did I ride those throughout the 90's and not end up seriously hospitalised or with both testicles intact', and whilst there was a respect for the exotica of the day (I'd owned mid range GT's, Spesh and Klein's back in the day), I never actually felt like having one in my collection.

Like you, I have MTB's for specific disciplines of terrain (from 2012 - 2020), a CX bike, a road bike, a TT bike, even a brace of BMX bike, but not a retro bike. A few weeks ago that changed when I was offered a Zaskar by a good friend who was looking to fund a Manitou FS build. The sentimental part of me fancied it from a nostalgia perspective but I had no plans of riding it so it would be wall art. However once I got it and started building it up, a bug took hold and I've spent the last few weeks dressing it to my taste and my god it gets addictive. Sifting through the 'Í saw you coming' priced mix of old tat through to NOS now fills much of my evenings, and I've even been looking at potential other bikes.

Once the Zaskar is finished I'll post something up, collecting the Spin's on Monday, then it's nearly there. But I'd just like to confirm you aren't alone in this affliction, I'm up to my nuts in it, and will be seeking the appropriate therapy in due course (and yes, obviously the missus supports the hobby full heartedly!)

You're here for ever, there is no way out!

The truth is though that these old ATB/MTBs are just about as close to peak bike as we ever got, any decent quality rigid bike from the era with nice low mileage components can form the basis for a build suited to almost any kind of cycling activity (with the exception of competitive road or downhill racing) - commuting, touring, bike packing, cruising, trail riding, gravel riding etc etc, and they compare very favourably on price generally speaking.

Ultimately they were built to very high standards, even many mid range consumer tier bikes are of a higher quality in terms of tubing and workmanship etc and the groupsets were famously overbuilt, anything from LX up in good nick is going to take any punishment you can throw at it, same goes for Suntour and other equivalents.

So they are great bikes in their own right, nostalgia plays a part of course, but it really does come down to the fact that while the sport was in its infancy the cycling industry was forced into a situation where a handful of visionaries were already years ahead of the game, and so there was something of an arms race where quality and durability were at the heart of almost everything that came out, along with the incredible levels of innovation, and on that journey from early klunkers to the highly evolved downhill racers of today, ie during the late 80s and early 90s, they hit peak bike almost without realising it. That's why Surly et al exists, and good luck getting an early Surly, which is no more than a fairly decent imitation of a 90s rigid mountain bike, for less than a couple of grand, and why would you when you could get the real thing for much less than half that?

That's what I tell the wife anyway.

 

[frkl]

You were always a collector, it’s only now that you’ve accepted it.
Welcome to collectors not so anonymous.

Although here I don't think there is the aame emphasis placed on recovery...

 

[warren_cox]

You're here for ever, there is no way out!

The truth is though that these old ATB/MTBs are just about as close to peak bike as we ever got, any decent quality rigid bike from the era with nice low mileage components can form the basis for a build suited to almost any kind of cycling activity (with the exception of competitive road or downhill racing) - commuter, tourer, cruiser, trail bike, gravel bike etc etc, and they compare very favourably on price generally speaking.

Ultimately they were built to very high standards, even many mid range consumer tier bikes are of a higher quality in terms of tubing and workmanship etc and the groupsets were famously overbuilt, anything from LX up in good nick is going to take any punishment you can throw at it, same goes for Suntour and other equivalents.

So they are great bikes in their own right, nostalgia plays a part of course, but it really does come down to the fact that while the sport was in its infancy the cycling industry was forced into a situation where a handful of visionaries were already years ahead of the game, and so there was something of an arms race where quality and durability were at the heart of almost everything that came out, along with the incredible levels of innovation, and on that journey from early klunkers to the highly evolved downhill racers of today, ie during the late 80s and early 90s, they hit peak bike almost without realising it. That's why Surly et al exists, and good luck getting an early Surly, which is no more than a fairly decent imitation of a 90s rigid mountain bike, for less than a couple of grand, and why would you when you could get the real thing for much less than half that?

That's what I tell the wife anyway.

I totally agree that if you show me a mid 90’s exotic I find it far more interesting in design, and forward thinking in it’s innovation than the new mass produced generic bikes. I have the same feeling about the late 70’s mid 80’s F1 cars, turbo charging, ground effect skirts, six wheelers, turbo fan cars, dancing suspension, to my mind that felt like peak F1. All the expert cottage engineering produces some outstanding innovation and that had an amazing drip feed into mass market consumer products. And with MTB it’s not just the bikes, but the componentry that still commands such desire today.

As much as I don’t lust after new bikes in the same way, I just find the geometry so much more confidence inspiring with the longer wheelbases and slack angles. The abuse they take is something else, and I’m not a petite / elegant rider. I’m not sure I’d want to inflict that kind of abuse onto a retro, or whether I’d have the confidence it my riding skills or the frame construction to take it. I tend to ride 27.5’ers rather than 29’ers, but I doubt in 20 years time I’ll have any of these hanging on a wall! Also I find the new coil/air suspension forks way ahead of the old elastomer products, but then you pay for the privilege. Drivetrain wise I’m still a massive Shimano fan, I’ve run XT / Saint or XTR since 1992 and whilst gear ranges have increased I don’t think modern gear changing is any better.

I’m unsure where my vintage journey is going to go, quite fancy an interesting Klein or a Yeti, depends on right price/right time. So glad I was of an age group to have been actively riding whilst these bikes were being raced, very special time for the industry and customers.

 

[slackboy]

I think Peachy's lad summed elegantly it up here:

 

[frkl]

You're here for ever, there is no way out!

The truth is though that these old ATB/MTBs are just about as close to peak bike as we ever got, any decent quality rigid bike from the era with nice low mileage components can form the basis for a build suited to almost any kind of cycling activity (with the exception of competitive road or downhill racing) - commuting, touring, bike packing, cruising, trail riding, gravel riding etc etc, and they compare very favourably on price generally speaking.

Ultimately they were built to very high standards, even many mid range consumer tier bikes are of a higher quality in terms of tubing and workmanship etc and the groupsets were famously overbuilt, anything from LX up in good nick is going to take any punishment you can throw at it, same goes for Suntour and other equivalents.

So they are great bikes in their own right, nostalgia plays a part of course, but it really does come down to the fact that while the sport was in its infancy the cycling industry was forced into a situation where a handful of visionaries were already years ahead of the game, and so there was something of an arms race where quality and durability were at the heart of almost everything that came out, along with the incredible levels of innovation, and on that journey from early klunkers to the highly evolved downhill racers of today, ie during the late 80s and early 90s, they hit peak bike almost without realising it. That's why Surly et al exists, and good luck getting an early Surly, which is no more than a fairly decent imitation of a 90s rigid mountain bike, for less than a couple of grand, and why would you when you could get the real thing for much less than half that?

That's what I tell the wife anyway.

I agree that the 90s saw the peak of bike tech. And actually the bikes of mine that see the most use are drop bar conversions of an ATB and a MTB. Both of these, with a change of tires, can handle such a wide range of riding. The MTB is surprisingly fast on the road with a pair of Kojaks.

If I had to get rid of all bikes but one by Tomorrow, this is the one I would keep.

A lot of money certainly gets sunk into the collection, but I suppose what would be worse would be addicted to consuming new bikes. Man, someone who buys every new category if bike that the marketeers come with...

 

[warren_cox]

I agree that the 90s saw the peak of bike tech. And actually the bikes of mine that see the most use are drop bar conversions of an ATB and a MTB. Both of these, with a change of tires, can handle such a wide range of riding. The MTB is surprisingly fast on the road with a pair of Kojaks.

If I had to get rid of all bikes but one by Tomorrow, this is the one I would keep.

A lot of money certainly gets sunk into the collection, but I suppose what would be worse would be addicted to consuming new bikes. Man, someone who buys every new category if bike that the marketeers come with...

Downcountry

 

[frkl]

Downcountry

I heard about that. My understanding was that iy was started as a joke but then picked up by the sales dept...

 

[yakboy]

I think Peachy's lad summed elegantly it up here:

It was good of Jimmy to change the name to protect the innocent

 

[Hotwheels.]

Although here I don't think there is the aame emphasis placed on recovery...

Who wants to recover anyway!?