Pics later.....
But still got my Dave Yates. My first "proper-ish" MTB was a Carrera krakatoa which I bought round the time I graduated in 91.
91 was a bad year to graduate in terms of employment so I had a lot of time to go riding - and not a lot of money. So my record collection got thinned out gradually and the parts on the Carrera got better - up till I started teacher training at Manchester Poly and used my loan check to buy the Dave Yates frame (731 Designer Select in pearlscent silver) from Neil Waltons in Didsbury in early 93. Campag OR brakes, Middleburn RS1s, Look Moabs, XT (thumbies), Hope hubs on 231, Renthal bars, USE Ti seatpost... Pretty much the same stuff I still ride in its more updated versions....
Head/top-tube assembly came undone after a while and Dave replaced the main tubes with 531 Tandem tubes. Brought it with me when the ex and I moved to Denmark in late 94 where it got to race against Henrik Djernis, Michael Rasmussen and Lennie Kristensen, amongst others.....
Upgraded to Magura Tomacs, Pro Class forks, Middleburn RS3s, Hope Fatso/Ti-glides and Sachs Quarz round this time.....
Rode my last race on it in 2005... And decided to have it refurbished by Dave in 2007. Dave said the seatpost was "junk" and changed it - and it got repainted white. Hardly used it since the refurb - but it's still the only bike I really consider "mine" and would be the last to go in a forced clearout.
Others.... My Wilier and De Rosa are both owned from new. The Wilier was my road racing bike when I had a licence and the De Rosa was ridden the 110 miles to my wedding..... So big sense of affinity with those too. The others - even the Paces and the Carbon bike I've ridden up Ventoux, D´huez and Galibier - not so much.