Another newbie addicted to the old skool.
Good evening people thought id put a hello in here from me.
Im John, im 28 and from Hull in East Yorkshire, i used to be a mad keen biker in my youth but stupidly gave it all up not too long after passing my test.
I have a bike again but its a new skool one (carrera vulcan '08 with a few upgrades) but newer bikes dont seem to hold the passion and enjoyment that the bikes im used to seeing about (in my day) did or indeed still do.
I had a few clunkers as i got into biking, the best one of the bunch was a Raleigh Max chromo I, which was poo really with a full acera-X groupset but i swapped and changed loads of stuff on it and somehow ended up with 95 xt thumb shifters, a hope hubbed front wheel and full Xt iirc, this got stolen one sad night alongside my mates Al Carter DX!
With the insurance pennies i purchased a '96 Giant Track ATX850, bought brand new from my local bike shop (ellerkers) in ball burnished aluminium finish with full stx groupset and black cro-mo forks, this was upgraded with what eventually became a mix of 97-98 XT parts, iirc 98 was the first year the XT came in a four arm crankset, which i converted back to five arm to run middleburn anodised chainrings, she had M600/LX v brakes, Xtr rear mech and an Xt front (top pull bottom swing as these didnt rattle like the top swing ones) i had 97 judy XC forks (cream legs with red decals) and in 99 i got a set of XT hubs built with double butted spokes onto mavic D 521 rims, oh and i had (and still do albeit minus its roller) an anodised blue DCD
I loved this bike and looking back i cannot figure out why i didnt get a car and bike rack as id planned and driven to all the wonderful places id heard about and ridden, hard!
I stripped and sold pretty much everything i once had and the frame went into the shed, i got it back out a few years back and built it back up from spares i had lying about and an old full sus thing i bought from a mate, my dad now uses it as his daily commuter bike.
I love seeing bikes about that i knew from when i was back into it years back, like a few months ago a lad passed me while i was stuck in traffic riding a pro-flex 855/6, i got so excited seeing it i couldve sex-wee'd lol.
Im currently looking through some of the projects and galleries on here and lusting after a 96 GT Zaskar as a pontential retro bike or build basis, or the one ive always lover would have to be the Specialised hardtail with rockshox FSX forks that the legendary JMC rode in the video 'Dirt' speaking of which has anyone converted a copy onto dvd at all or know anywhere to get the soundtrack from, i know its all seperate tracks and i currently have the song clouds, but i love 'this side of heaven' and would love to have a copy!
Anyways enough dribble from me, im off to browse the for sale section again!