Retro feel on a modern hard tail.

[Neil G]

Thin tubes bit of a gimmick (why did we move away from them in the first place) but I know they'll sell well as they look good.

I see the use of silver parts and amberwall tyres on those to make the retro look as well....quite a nice touch.

 

[Reluctant]

We're told that despite thin tubes, they'll be stiffer than old bikes. Everything has to comply to the new CEN test standard these days, so can't be so flexy as in the olden days.
Agree, silver and amber walls look well old skool.

 

[kaiser]

Thin tubes bit of a gimmick (why did we move away from them in the first place) but I know they'll sell well as they look good.

I see the use of silver parts and amberwall tyres on those to make the retro look as well....quite a nice touch.

Wonder what those tyres are?

 

[Neil G]

We're told that despite thin tubes, they'll be stiffer than old bikes. Everything has to comply to the new CEN test standard these days, so can't be so flexy as in the olden days.
Agree, silver and amber walls look well old skool.

Apparently they ride not to disilmilar to a Ti bike which isn't a bad thing.

I was unsure they would pass the CEN test but there's been a bit of finite element going on so I'm sure they'll be good...prototypes have been tested for while now.

 

[OrangeRetro]

Thin tubes bit of a gimmick (why did we move away from them in the first place) but I know they'll sell well as they look good.

I see the use of silver parts and amberwall tyres on those to make the retro look as well....quite a nice touch.

Wonder what those tyres are?

Charges own...

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/s ... arge-26489

Hope more amber walls start to follow!

 

[legrandefromage]

Anything from Tesco or Toys R Us would give you that retro feel on a modern hardtail...


Cynical? Me? Pah....

 

[MikeD]

We're told that despite thin tubes, they'll be stiffer than old bikes.

Where's physics when you need it? ;-)

Dunno if the CEN thing is necessarily all that relevant - the tests measure impact strength and fatigue life, I can't see any reason why a twangy frame couldn't pass those.

The tyres rock

 

[IbocProSX]

I'm a bit surprised the custom frame option isn't mentioned more often. You seem to know the ride you want, find yourself a builder that makes it happen.

I bought my Curtlo 29er used, but it has custom geometry. And Doug Curtiss has been producing quality rides for over 20 years. He actually built and rode "retro" frames as well as modern ones. And at 650 GBP for a custom frame he is not out of reach of mere mortals.

http://www.curtlo.com/frame_pages/advanced_mountaineer.html

Enjoy!!

 

[brocklanders023]

Thanks for the replies.

Have thought about custom but can't really afford to go that way as I change my mind all the time :roll:

Might have found some retro content that fits the bill so we'll see. Don't think I'd get anything new without trying first so I think I'll be pestering Stif for some demos.

 

[mikesnowdon]

Isn't this the sort of riding that most of us do? - just ragging a bike around some nice trails.
Who needs more than a nice, agile hardtail for that?

Exactly!!

Why people haul massive travel full sus bikes around is beyond me. Isnt "AM" just putting a granny ring on a DH bike? Looks that way to me.

On a recent ride I was one of only 3 riders on a hardtail in a group of 32. Most of the serious guys were on 130mm travel front and back pushing 30/32lb up the hills. All we were riding was forest singletrack with a few roots and the occasional little jump. Needles to say me on my 23lb hotrodded Lava Dome had no trouble hammering up the climbs and I was right on the back wheel of the 2 fastest riders during the downhills. I got me thinking how pointless these modern bikes are for the type of riding most of us do. I get the feeling people are just following the current fashion and paying tooo much attention to what the magazines tell you to ride.

In that video the guys on a circa 24/5lb steel hardtail with what looks like 100mm forks. Its an excellent example of why we dont need to push huge travel bikes around. Great vid too!!!