You all ride rubbish bikes!

[superstu]

i think he's talking about the american merlin...

 

[Agency_Scum]

My thoughts chime with Legrandfromage but I'd add I feel the same about magazines. Singletrack's first 3 years were just like Privateer. There's a nice warning here for an excellent niche mag nailing a narrow demographic with idiosyncratic articles ( remember " Armchair reads, " huge prose passages about Soulcraft Option 3 or why single track is lovely ). I scan it in WHSmiths and see nowt but jaundiced bike journos ( you know, the type that made them leave their jobs and start STW ) wittering on about waiting interminably for the next 15 speed cassette to come out or how the bike lifts have improved at Les Gets with an almost religious hatred of anything that's not next year's kit.

 

[andrewl]

My latest build came from the tip shop, so yes from that point of view its rubbish. That said even though it was high end in 1984, I think it’s to call the ride off road rubbish too

 

[andrewl]

My thoughts chime with Legrandfromage but I'd add I feel the same about magazines. Singletrack's first 3 years were just like Privateer. There's a nice warning here for an excellent niche mag nailing a narrow demographic with idiosyncratic articles ( remember " Armchair reads, " huge prose passages about Soulcraft Option 3 or why single track is lovely ).

In some respects you could say the same about Retrobike though...

 

[Agency_Scum]

Quite true though I'd wager to not such a great extent. Our " jaundiced moments " tend to occur in waves; usually when there's bouts of profiteering, sense-of-humor failiure or trolling.

 

[petitpal]

In twenty years time all those 19 year olds who've been reading MBUK this month, and nodding sagely at the 'all old is crap' comment, will be busy ferreting around tips dragging out bits of hydro formed aluminium and splinters of carbon and moaning about how the kids these days don't understand real bikes (while bidding on ebay for an original spec Alivio rear derailuer that came with their entry level £2K bike back in 2011). All part of life. Relax.

Was just reading a '96 (I think) edition of MUBK and on the back cover: cannondale headshock advert (the one with the massive headed babies). 120mm of travel, disk only. Made me wonder how far we've actually come. Personally I plan on growing old disgracefully with my bike and bugger if anyone else think it's crap or not. Especially not kids. What do they know?

 

[brocklanders023]

The whole thing about full suss, etc. is a distraction. There were plenty, in fact I reckon a better variety, of 4" odds travel bikes around back in 98 for example.

I think some of the best 3 or 4" full suss bikes came out in the late 90s, so you don't need to leave the retro arena to have just about every type of bike you need unless you are a down hill or extreme free ride agent.

Agree with most of this thread but can't with this. I've never had a go on a late 90's/early 2000's full suss bike that I thought was much cop. I bought a 1999 GT I-Drive thing to get back in to the sport and it put me off for another 5 years. My 2006 Orange 5 restored my faith in full suss and my current 5 moved the game on again imo.

Don't think I'd buy another modern HT as I'd be just as happy with a retro one but I'd not go near a 1998-2003 FS as they don't compare to stuff from 2007ish onwards. I'd have an early RTS or Pro Flex but that's because I wanted one when I was young.