Retro Bikes of Quality

[bordercollie1]

This thread started so well and then it began to feel a bit like the Tri Talk forum.

At least I now know how the headset on a Pace worked.
It puzzled me every time I saw a Pace on here.
Thanks for the pics and explanation.

 

[MCsanandreas]

:idea: I'm going to break a rule to try and get this thread swinging again. Grove Innovations Hardcore. This one doesn't belong to Oneschnark!

now that i do like! even think the crazy colours look good.

 

[pete_mcc]

This thread started so well and then it began to feel a bit like the Tri Talk forum.

At least I now know how the headset on a Pace worked.
It puzzled me every time I saw a Pace on here.
Thanks for the pics and explanation.

My fault in all respects, I'd been over and looked a STW.com for a short while and it obviously influenced me!

The pace was a real revelation in terms of that aheadset, why they didn't patent the idea was beyond me as it was so obviously an aheadset before it's time.
I've now got a bike with Truss forks and have been wanting to get a new stem and steerer made for that working in the same principle.


Other bikes of distinction?

Yeti Ultimate.

Started as a project by MBA to create the 'perfect bike'. The brief was to create the ultimate bike (hence the name) that was supposed to be light, strong, stiff, manoeuvrable yet stable. The initial design didn't have the curved seatstay/chainstay junction, instead it had a standard arrangement.

This project was one of the first outside of Fisher to use the evolution headset size, it was also the birthground of the aluminium FTW stem (designed to fit the big headset). The FTW stem went on to become the Answer Attack stem that covered many bikes steering needs throughout he 90s.

It was also one of the first bikes to use the all on the top tube cable routing and used an early version of the top pull mech created using a bottom pull mech and an eyelet cable stop with the inner cable running to a clamp on the bb. This was the same as used on Trimbles (I think but tintin40 can expand), and was later used on Treks. strangely this feat was not used on the production yeti, instead it used a pulley mounted under the chainstay/seat tube junction (called the 'love junction' as the welders just loved it's complexity!

a Love Junction yesterday.

It also featured a huge amount of mud clearance, a revelation for a west coast producer (in fact yeti experts can apparently date the frames by the distance between the rear brake bosses!)

Sadly, as with many vintage bikes of that era, it ended up being a bit heavy, a little prone to cracking and quite long in the body. But it is great for the UK due to it's mud clearance, nippy geometry and sloping TT.

 

[kase1983]

i dont dare post a pic now. So i thought id post a pic off a bike i like

It wont take long before folk get offended that there slapped together heaps are not fitting the bill so i thought id have a pic before it all gets shut down.

Anyway.

 

[pete_mcc]

Even more bikes of distinction:

Cunninghams.

All this is a blatant rip from the http://www.cunninghambikes.com/ site.

Charlie Cunningham was a very early pioneer of many features that we see on modern mountain bikes. He is sited as one of the first people to actively produce bikes made with sloping top tubes and he actively pushed the production of welded aluminium bikes.
You like the shiny aluminium look on your bike? Most of Charlies were polished alloy mainly as paint on a mountain bike will just get chipped and scratched with use and can cover up fatal cracks and flaws.
You like your cam quick releases, like ringles? Charlie was the man who introduced those back in 79.

He introduced 135mm rear spacing on his bikes when the rest of the world was using 126mm
He invented Grease Guard grease injection system
He created the first cnced magnesium stem 20 odd years before Easton introduced a close copy.
He pioneered the two chainring/wide range cassette 20 years before the racing community and parts manus introduced it again.

And finally (for this list as there are many, many more things that Bushpig or Halaburt could add) he designed the ground control tyre.

 

[Elev12k]

In 1992 Panasonic issued the marvellous MC-Pro and later MC-Team mountainbikes. It was the mountainbike counterpart of the PR-6000 roadbike of the Panasonic pro team. It was also full Tange Prestige, silver brazed with lugs and shared the lush team paint. I think Matsushita is the largest ever company been involved in bicycles. We all know that if a Japanese company of this kind or the sincerelly dedicated Japanese in general get serious the outcome will not be like something of the mill or shop in, say, US or Italy.

Simple straightforward spec including m900 and no incompatible or unobtainable goovy stuff.

Unfortunately it doesn't come with the 'hobbyed in shed' kind of sentiment, but it is sure worth being mentioned.

Sorry, no pics. It is not as omnipresent as the Yeti, Phoenix or Potts.

This was my contribution for this week. Next week I will eleborate on the groundbreaking mountainbikes of the Netherlands.

 

[JohnH]

Sorry, no pics. It is not as omnipresent as the Yeti, Phoenix or Potts.

Is this any help?

http://picasaweb.google.com/scarsgo/199 ... 7602385186

http://picasaweb.google.com/scarsgo/199 ... 7366911650

 

[pete_mcc]

Next week I will eleborate on the groundbreaking mountainbikes of the Netherlands.

..by first explaining why Mountain bike of the Netherlands is not the world greatest ironic oxymoron

 

[Elev12k]

Sorry, no pics. It is not as omnipresent as the Yeti, Phoenix or Potts.

Is this any use, Elev12k?

http://picasaweb.google.com/scarsgo/199 ... 7602385186

http://picasaweb.google.com/scarsgo/199 ... 7366911650

Yes! I recall putting them on the scanner No 'live' example though. The one you really want is the 1992 model though. Pictured bikes are 91 and 93.

 

[Elev12k]

Next week I will eleborate on the groundbreaking mountainbikes of the Netherlands.

..by first explaining why Mountain bike of the Netherlands is not the world greatest ironic oxymoron

Hey! Dutch contributed greatly to the mountainbike history. MTB was even renamed 'ATB' for areas with not so much mountains, but still spectacular off road possibilities. There are mountains however. There are the frightning decents in Limburg and do not forget the sky high sandy dunes were sometimes surrealistic speeds can be achieved. I preserve the best for next week however.