The sequence of bikes from the mid 80s.....for me - how about for you?

[2manyoranges]

This may have been done before - tell me so if so. The comments on the original onZa April Fools' made me think about the bikes which I have had. Here we go, in order of acquisition, since the precise history of in and out gets a bit complex.

1980s
Raleigh Mustang (borrowed)
Dawes Ranger (bought complete)
Cannondale sm600 (bought complete but seriously upgraded)
Marin Palisades - chain stay brake (serious miles, thousands and thousands on the South Downs) (bought complete but seriously upgraded)
1990-on
Marin Team Ti (build)
Marin Rocky Ridge (bought complete)
Klein Pinnacle (build)
Proflex 854 (bought complete)
Amp B3 (build)
Marin Team Issue (build)
Bontrager Race OR (bespoke complete)
Orange C16R (bought complete and needed only Judy XCs) (serious miles, thousands and thousands on the South Downs)
Orange C16R (bought complete)
Orange P7 (bought complete)
Orange P7 (build)
Orange EvoO2 (build)
Orange P7 (build)
Klein Quantum ProCarbon (bought complete)
And there endeth the retro bikes...

post script
And then it all went terribly modern....(build, build, build.....)

 

[raidan73]

Good memory!

 

[Relliott6879]

- Emmelle Nevada 15 (gas pipe tank, 15 friction shift gears, steel 24" rims)
- Hawk Trakatak (another gas pipe tank, bought for the princely sum of £16, from a school mate who'd just got a brand new Raleigh Apex for his birthday. Still a P.O.S. but had indexed gears and 26" wheels so I could actually use decent tyres)
- Raleigh Mirage (snapped up by my Dad at a Police auction in 'you'll grow into it' 23" gatepost size. Reynolds 501 frame, 300LX group, massive improvement on anything I'd had before.... bent it doing jumps at the local BMX track!)
- Dyna-Tech Diablo (bought the frame and fork for £50 from a school mate who'd upgraded, transferred the components from the bent Mirage)
- '96 Kona Fire Mountain (bought with a loan from my Dad, repaid in instalments from my paper round wages, kept it until 2011 upgraded with full '05 XT group, Fox fork, Hope everything including disc brakes (mount brazed on by Mercian Cycles) resprayed... nicked by a scumbag who broke into our flat. )
- Trek 9500 (the pogo stick full suspension one). Gifted the frame by a mate who'd upgraded to a new Specialized FSR, had it resprayed and built it up with all new components (Deore 3x9 group, RST 281XL triple clamps, Magura HS33 brakes). Rode it and enjoyed it for a while, gifted it to a friend in need)
- '93 GT Timberline (rescued from a skip with seatpost snapped off at the saddle clamp. Saddle from my spares bin, cheapo post off eBay and used it for years as a commuter. Gifted it to my brother in law a couple of years ago)
- '05 Kona Caldera (bought off eBay with seized Hayes brakes as a replacement for my stolen FM. Replaced the brakes with Deore, sprinkled it with a bit of Hope bling, never bonded with it and sold it on at a loss)
- '10 Cannondale CAAD 8 (the start of my dirty (or, rather, not!) little road habit. Bought it cheap off eBay to see if I would enjoy road riding without committing too heavily. The bug bit hard, upgraded everything bar the frame and fork (Shimano 5800 105, Shimano wheels, Pro finishing kit), crashed it a couple of years ago in Spain and creased the downtube but still have it today as my Zwift bike)
- '94 Kona Fire Mountain (bought to replace the stolen '96 and given a nut and bolt resto, built up as the bike teenage me would have specced if I could afford it. Still have it and love it today. Build thread here)
- '13 Specialized Epic 29 Carbon Comp (bought from eBay as I felt I really should have something a little more modern, but wanted something without mega-slack angles and the ability to run a front mech. I've got a loose plan to upgrade everything to M8000 XT but I've had a brand new triple chainset and front mech in boxes in the garage for a couple of years and haven't got any further. In truth, I barely ride this bike, Strava reckons I've not even put 100 miles on it)
- '08 Cannondale System Six (bought the frame NOS to replace the crashed CAAD 8 with a view to swapping everything across, got carried away and put Mavic Cosmics and a brand new R7000 105 group on it. By far my most used bike)

 

[2manyoranges]

Nice history. I can see why the Fire Mountain played on your mind. Proper geometry, well done Joe M.
It's really interesting to trace different directions of travel at different times, and the way chance intrudes....

 

[raidan73]

I can't remember the full list but here's a few that spring to mind.......

First was a 1988 (I think) Raleigh Chinook. I saved up for it and got some birthday money to go towards it too. I thought I did pretty well to get a 531 frame and an Exage groupset as my introduction to MTBs. I bent the seat stay after hitting a 'blind jump' on Exmoor and flying through the air for what felt like ages. I still wouldn't have grown into it if I still had it today!

I think my Bromwich came next. Fillet brazed 531 with a chainstay u-brake. I loved that bike though it also was a little big for me but I got a good deal on it, from the bike shop I soon after worked in. That one suffered a cracked seat tube and and ovalised head tube.

Had a few Konas including a 91 Cinder Cone followed by a 92 Kilauea (stolen whilst locked up in the centre of Plymouth) and a 94 Lava Dome, bought as a frame only direct from Second Level Sport. I built that up with loads of nice parts - Accutrax fork, USE bits and red Z-Max 1.7" are what I remember. Finished the build and raced it at Woodbury Common that weekend (punctured). Was subsequently stolen from the bike shop, where I worked, the very next day I believe. Someone saw the guy steal it and knew his name. the police caught up with him and he admitted stealing it (though I never saw it, or any of the parts again). He was ordered to pay me something like £100 compensation but refused and spent 30 days in a young offenders institute instead, thus cancelling out his debt to me!

 

[longun]

Think it may be easier to do on a word document then pasted it over haha, didn’t have that many when I was younger but boy have I made up for it now......

 

[2manyoranges]

Goodness Raidan you started with some very selective things...531 Bromwich is a very fine place to begin....

 

[mamadirt]

Think it may be easier to do on a word document then pasted it over haha, didn’t have that many when I was younger but boy have I made up for it now......

Ha ha, mine are actually in a Word doc. Too embarassed to post here in full but I'll copy and paste the first 6 years and then 2020/21

1991
Dawes Zed
1992
Diamondback Camarillo with Scott Unishocks
1994
Polished alloy Merlin Cycles frame with Rock Shox Quadra 21R
1996
Kona Cinder Cone
1997
Trek Y3

. . . and many years and later . . .

2020
Mongoose Dolomite fat bike
2012 Subrosa Altus frame
Orange Airo frame
Falcon Cycles vintage road bike/cruiser
2009 Trek 3500
1999 DK Fury BMX
2004 Raleigh Chopper reissue
2008 DMR Transition 24

2021
Y2K Kona Chute
1996 Marin Hawk Hill

205!

In my defence I do only have 3 now (and 2 more in the US)

 

[retrobikeguy]

As many of are thinking ..... loads, where do I start?

Means Theyre still with me

First ATB was in 1990 .... I think
Raleigh magnum
Raleigh Euro
GT talera 90
GT timbeline 89
Raleigh Discovery 91
Marin Palisades 90
Marin Muirwoods 91
British eagle boss 91
KHS montana pro 91
Orange clockwork stx 93
GT karakoram elite 91
Offroad proflex 550 90
Trek 8700 91
Pace RC100
Manitou FS 93
another GT Karakoram elite 91
GT karakoram 91
Kestrel MXZ
GT tequesta
Kestrel CSX
Pace RC200? red
Fat chance Team Violet
Slingshot
Saracen Trekker
Another GT karakoram elite
Proflex 750 90 - Became the Team tribute
Yet another GT Karakoram elite 91
Pace RC300
Another Kestrel MXZ
Trimble Inverse4
Breezer storm 91
Beasty Bike
Specialized s-works carbon 91
Hartmann Ram
Another Trimble inverse4
Cannondale m800 91
Kona fire mountain 91
Scott windriver 91
Kona Fire mountain 93
Kona cindercone 95
Browning Test unit
Trek 930 90
GT Avalanche 91
Orange clockwork 94
Thorn Nomad
Miele ATB
Dave hinde disc
Marin Bear valley 91
Gary fisher Hookooekoo 89
Specialized Rockhopper comp 88
Trek 9000
And another GT Karakoram elite
FW evans
Kona fire mountain 90
Roberts Snow Leopard
Overbury's Pioneer
Thorn Raven tour
Dave Yated Diablo
Raleigh Maverick 87
Dave Hinde 653
Bromwich 531
Proflex serrota built
Frontera 531
Marin Palisades 88
Araya 85
Marin Palisades 89
Specialized street stomper
Specialized Rockhopper expert
Marin Eldridge Grade
Marin Pine Mountain
Cannondale 24/26
Kona Lavadome 89
Kona Cindercone 89
KHS Decsent 93
Orbit Frontier 88
Dawes Wildcat
Raleigh dune dancer
Marin Bear valley 89
Orange Formula Prestige
Rocky mountain hammer
Zinn centaur disc
Checker pig CPX6060
Cobra No74
Zinn project flowers

In the process
Orbit 531
Gilles Berthaud
Orange clockwork
Orange Alu O

Plus some others I cant remember ...... I'm old ya know

 

[doctor-bond]

Blimey - some lists of quality here. Off the cuff, I've had a handful ... but it's a good memory excercise.