Rare Retrobikes...

[pete_mcc]

Just love that Highpath! A bike purely designed for the UK rather than emulating the US west coast bikes of the time (ie designed for mud and rain and going up hill!).
Hub brakes, mudguards, chain case - this was a truely hollistically designed bike rather than a sum of parts like so many. Just needs a set of Chris Bell egg rings for the full on 1980's mad british look.

Can't understand why this is worshipped by the Brits in the same way as the Cunningham is by the US chaps as it seems to me that both were designed by guys who looked at the whole bike from the ground up rather than just build a frame and put their name on it, both were designed for specific environments, neither compromised on the builds because of what was available (both either sourced or made parts, rather than going for groupsets), both were bought by truely 'early adopters' of the sport, both are rare as hens teeth. Suppose it's because the UK kids were never really going to get into a bike with mudguards, not 'rad' enough......

 

[Crell]

Just love that Highpath! A bike purely designed for the UK rather than emulating the US west coast bikes of the time (ie designed for mud and rain and going up hill!).
Hub brakes, mudguards, chain case - this was a truely hollistically designed bike rather than a sum of parts like so many. Just needs a set of Chris Bell egg rings for the full on 1980's mad british look.

Can't understand why this is worshipped by the Brits in the same way as the Cunningham is by the US chaps as it seems to me that both were designed by guys who looked at the whole bike from the ground up rather than just build a frame and put their name on it, both were designed for specific environments, neither compromised on the builds because of what was available (both either sourced or made parts, rather than going for groupsets), both were bought by truely 'early adopters' of the sport, both are rare as hens teeth. Suppose it's because the UK kids were never really going to get into a bike with mudguards, not 'rad' enough......

...'nt

The problem with highpath is that for most (including myself) they are before their point of reference, though if you buy for historical rather than nostalgic reasons I agree entirely.

It is a thoroughly engineered piece of kit, and I'd say desireable because of it.

 

[scant]

Can't understand why this isnt worshipped by the Brits in the same way as the Cunningham is by the US chaps .

probably because the cunningham is a LOT nicer to look at.

 

[shovelon]

Re: Mountain bikes I would like to see here... Highpath Clel

This is my rare 1988 Highpath Cleland.

These bikes were developed by Geoff APPS during the 1970s and one was riden up Snowdon as early as October 1981.

Was this the first MTB ascent of a British mountain?

Were these the first type of Mountain bikes to be made in Britain?

OMG, I love that bike! I could see riding one proudly.

 

[Disco Drive]

Overbury's have not been mentioned yet.... and how about that borillium prototype from an early '90's Anaheim show? £50.000 just for the frameset!!!

 

[scant]

Overbury's have not been mentioned yet.... and how about that borillium prototype from an early '90's Anaheim show? £50.000 just for the frameset!!!

$26.000 i thought?

 

[GrahamJohnWallace]

Highpath Cleland (New,clean,upright,reliable and British)

This is a picture of my Highpath "Cleland" when it was new in 1988.
Since then it has covered several thousand muddy miles, worn out stacks of tyres and one set of brake shoes (Try that with rim or disk brakes).

For information: Highpath engineering was run by David Wrath-Sharman who produced a range of inventive designs. His Clelands being re-engineered versions of the Geoff Apps designed "Cleland Aventura". (I also own one of these that I bought second hand in 1984).

Information on Clelands can be found on the following website though the only Highpath made bike they feature is the Dingbat.



http://www.james-walters.net/cleland/index.html

 

[Crell]

Overbury's have not been mentioned yet.... and how about that borillium prototype from an early '90's Anaheim show? £50.000 just for the frameset!!!

You've just gone from rare to "one off" proto / attention grabber.

It was an American. I also remember they did some M-16s or Comp-lites that had drill holes in the main tubes.

Overburys are there with Lloyd, Yates and Roberts etc as trad british frame shop that started manufacturing "ATB"s.

In fact a guy I was at uni with in '90 had a filleted pink Overburys...it was lovely and I'd forgotten all about that.

 

[Andy B]

WTB Bon Tempe?

Saw 2 of them up at Dalby Forest a while ago, one with a Ti swingarm, the other with the alloy swingarm.

The owners believed that they were the only 2 in the country.

IMHO that makes them pretty rare.

 

[GrahamJohnWallace]

Cleland v Cunningham

Before I owned a Cleland (Later made by Highpath) I owned a 1984 Evans Cycles MTB (Same as a Saracen only silver) fitted with Cunningham style drop handlebars. Off-road this bike was slower, less comfortable, less reliable, had less traction and much weaker brakes than the Clelands. I found it dificult to keep up with these tall English bikes. I ended up buying a Cleland for off-road use.

Clelands are like a massive 650b wheeled BMX's they allow the rider to use the rider to utilise their body weight in a very BMX manner. One second all your weight on the back wheel for traction, the next, weight forward onto the front wheel and push on the bars to lift the back wheel clear of an obstruction. You can't do this properly on most mountain bikes especialy those with suspension. I can stop, from speed, half way down a steep slope, to turn off, and manage a hill start on a steep slope without problems. (I can't do either of these on my Giant NRS Carbon)

I continue to ride my Clelands cos the're capable, reliable and fun, not because there old and rare.

Most riders I meet don't take much interest in the bikes until they see what they can do. I remember one hill climb where I got to the top on my own. The other thirty mostly younger and fitter riders had to all walk up because there bikes didn't have enough traction on the muddy slope.
(And I didn't even have egg rings fitted).