What state is retro biking in at the moment?

[Silvergoat]

Re: Re:

I would imagine that the majority of forum users, will be still hankering back to the "proper" retro days of circa 87-93 in terms of kit, frames and restorations.

I certainly wish I could recapture those proper retro days of circa 87-93 again! Magical. Doesn't feel that long ago but a lot of time has passed, alas. The first generations of bikes from the start of the MTB scene will always be special. But scenes always develop, move on and evolve. I intend to keep on riding retro as long as I can. Keep the faith!

 

[cce]

Re: Re:

Why? Because this is when MTB'ing properly hit the UK for the first time, we were all reading the Freewheel catalogue and drooling over the Merlin made Ridgeback Titanium and Kestrel carbon framed bikes et al, as well as being sucked in by Syncros, Manitou, Ringle and so many other uber cool brands introduced to us via MBUK etc.

Whilst bikes of 2005 when this forum launched will become "vintage" at some point, I don't think they'll ever be cool or retro in the same way that the original bikes from the original era are - simply because of the time period they represent and how we were all being sucked into riding MTB's as a result.

and the people who were too young for this? the people for whom the height of nostalgia is an early jump bike?

I'm sure they can either setup their own forum of retro-jump-bikes (just wait a second whilst I register the domain name... who can't seed a market, eh...), or there'll be some virtual campfire for them to sing kumbaya.

If this site has an arbitrary line in the sand, that has a bit of gnashing of teeth over, but is largely true for when MTB-ing first really took off in the UK, then why not. If it changes, then that will surely be because the guv wants to.

But what will the guv do in the face of declining traffic?

 

[cce]

Re: Re:

I would imagine that the majority of forum users, will be still hankering back to the "proper" retro days of circa 87-93 in terms of kit, frames and restorations.

I certainly wish I could recapture those proper retro days of circa 87-93 again! Magical. Doesn't feel that long ago but a lot of time has passed, alas. The first generations of bikes from the start of the MTB scene will always be special. But scenes always develop, move on and evolve. I intend to keep on riding retro as long as I can. Keep the faith!

I've been here a long time and I've never hankered back to those days. 95-98 is my "golden era"

 

[Silvergoat]

Re: Re:

I've been here a long time and I've never hankered back to those days. 95-98 is my "golden era"

That makes me an ancient relic then!

 

[Neil]

Re: Re:

and the people who were too young for this? the people for whom the height of nostalgia is an early jump bike?

I'm sure they can either setup their own forum of retro-jump-bikes (just wait a second whilst I register the domain name... who can't seed a market, eh...), or there'll be some virtual campfire for them to sing kumbaya.

If this site has an arbitrary line in the sand, that has a bit of gnashing of teeth over, but is largely true for when MTB-ing first really took off in the UK, then why not. If it changes, then that will surely be because the guv wants to.

But what will the guv do in the face of declining traffic?

Ask him.

I'm not entirely sure the answer is to effectively create a forum called: I'll_be_anything_you_WANT_me_to_be.co.uk, though.

And to be pedantic... 'cos I know it'll come, I'm pretty sure apostrophes aren't allowed in domain names (hell, there was a time when underscores had to wear read 'A' on their clothes...)


and yes, I know, they're not case sensitive, either...

 

[The History Man]

There seems to be an assumption that it's only MTB. 77 to 82 was my 'golden era' My first 'proper' road bikes and messing with what would now be described as clunkers(?) Fitting cow horns and larger tyres to fixed wheel racers and old heavy cast-offs. Riding them to destruction. Arsing around standing on one pedal at speed etc.

After that a bike became a tool to get me to work... Until I saw a Yellow Explorer.

 

[Silvergoat]

There seems to be an assumption that it's only MTB. 77 to 82 was my 'golden era' My first 'proper' road bikes and messing with what would now be described as clunkers(?) Fitting cow horns and larger tyres to fixed wheel racers and old heavy cast-offs. Riding them to destruction. Arsing around standing on one pedal at speed etc.

After that a bike became a tool to get me to work... Until I saw a Yellow Explorer.

I stripped off the guards and pimped up my old 3speed Elswick Hopper with cows and fats in the mid 70's. And it still handled like a cow.

 

[FluffyChicken]

There seems to be an assumption that it's only MTB. 77 to 82 was my 'golden era' My first 'proper' road bikes and messing with what would now be described as clunkers(?) Fitting cow horns and larger tyres to fixed wheel racers and old heavy cast-offs. Riding them to destruction. Arsing around standing on one pedal at speed etc.

After that a bike became a tool to get me to work... Until I saw a Yellow Explorer.

Possibly because we are in MTB chat ;-)

 

[cce]

There seems to be an assumption that it's only MTB. 77 to 82 was my 'golden era' My first 'proper' road bikes and messing with what would now be described as clunkers(?) Fitting cow horns and larger tyres to fixed wheel racers and old heavy cast-offs. Riding them to destruction. Arsing around standing on one pedal at speed etc.

After that a bike became a tool to get me to work... Until I saw a Yellow Explorer.

this is a good point, the road section is much less prescriptive, and it's growing well while the MTB section is dying off.

 

[Neil]

There seems to be an assumption that it's only MTB. 77 to 82 was my 'golden era' My first 'proper' road bikes and messing with what would now be described as clunkers(?) Fitting cow horns and larger tyres to fixed wheel racers and old heavy cast-offs. Riding them to destruction. Arsing around standing on one pedal at speed etc.

After that a bike became a tool to get me to work... Until I saw a Yellow Explorer.

this is a good point, the road section is much less prescriptive, and it's growing well while the MTB section is dying off.

How are you discerning "dying off", though?

And is being less than a peak really evidence of "dying off"?

It could be other sections / forums will take off, or be added - doesn't have to mean that traffic in general dies, though. At some point, the retro split on here will see reduced traffic and interest, doesn't mean that holds that this particular subforum needs to broaden it's scope.