how much have mountain bikes come on?
Discussion
Just curious as to how much mountain bikes have evolved, I used to be heavily into mountain biking when I was younger, spending a few bob and upgrading any bits that broke. I had a few years where I had little time for it. I've had a road bike for a year now, and haven't touched my mountain bike since I've had it, though my fitness gains are huge.
Anyway I'm going to head off to llandegla tomorrow for a good thrash around following having the wheels rebuilt, a good service by myself and taken off the road biased rubber and put on some big tyres back on.
I was just giving my bike the once over and looking at the components and I thought, 'what a great bike' but then I though, It's probably been 7 years since I first bought it and 3 years since I spent any money on it.
Anyway its a 2005 (i think) specialized rock hopper pro disc?,
Changes form original are:
Easton ea 50 bars
azonic short riser
dmr lock ons...
marzocchi all mountain 3s on the front in 2008.
XT rear mech
some spds
Is this dated paperweight? or still good, to me it rides beautifully, it's exactly what I want in a bike. A friend told me I'd have to spend over a £1000 to get an equivalent specced quality bike nowadays, are they that different?
cheers.
Anyway I'm going to head off to llandegla tomorrow for a good thrash around following having the wheels rebuilt, a good service by myself and taken off the road biased rubber and put on some big tyres back on.
I was just giving my bike the once over and looking at the components and I thought, 'what a great bike' but then I though, It's probably been 7 years since I first bought it and 3 years since I spent any money on it.
Anyway its a 2005 (i think) specialized rock hopper pro disc?,
Changes form original are:
Easton ea 50 bars
azonic short riser
dmr lock ons...
marzocchi all mountain 3s on the front in 2008.
XT rear mech
some spds
Is this dated paperweight? or still good, to me it rides beautifully, it's exactly what I want in a bike. A friend told me I'd have to spend over a £1000 to get an equivalent specced quality bike nowadays, are they that different?
cheers.
HT's haven't come a huge amount in the last couple of years, the geo would have relaxed a bit over the years as that seems to be the way things are going. The latest one will be a few Lbs lighter, forks a little plusher etc etc.
Fashion would had made the bars wider, stem shorter on the new bike.
You won't have your arse handed to you by a like-for-like rider just because they've got a 2012 Rockhopper.
Ride it, enjoy it, be carefull if you hit any of the black graded bits!
Fashion would had made the bars wider, stem shorter on the new bike.
You won't have your arse handed to you by a like-for-like rider just because they've got a 2012 Rockhopper.
Ride it, enjoy it, be carefull if you hit any of the black graded bits!
When I was 15/16 (about 15 years ago) I was doing 60-mile rides on one of these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Raleigh-Max-Ogre-15-Moun...
Looks about as dated as a hobby-horse!
An eight year old bike that was pretty good to begin with? Get out there
Looks about as dated as a hobby-horse!
An eight year old bike that was pretty good to begin with? Get out there
I have a 1999 Specialized Rockhopper A1 FS Comp - was the top of the 'Rockhopper' range back then.
It's a hardtail with Manitou forks.
I've hammered it over the years, used it lots for training when I was bike racing 1999 - 2005. Its done lots of hard miles, mostly off road.
But I also religiously maintain it too - in fact last month fitted a new chain, cassette and front sprockets, did the wheel and bottom bracket bearings etc.
The frame and all the components are still like new - both in appearance and function.
I go out maybe 2 - 3 times a week on it even now, with a few mates, all of whom have the latest £000's bikes. We all pretty much stick together during the ride and end up at the finish point together.
In what, 13 years of use, I've never had a breakage or failure apart from punctures.
I think with bikes and biking, it's all about your fitness first and the bike second. Ok, if you buy a crappy BSO from a mail order catalougue, it will hinder your progress. But a Specialized from 2005? That's new and up to date, that is!
Forget thinking of buying a new one - you don't need to.
It's a hardtail with Manitou forks.
I've hammered it over the years, used it lots for training when I was bike racing 1999 - 2005. Its done lots of hard miles, mostly off road.
But I also religiously maintain it too - in fact last month fitted a new chain, cassette and front sprockets, did the wheel and bottom bracket bearings etc.
The frame and all the components are still like new - both in appearance and function.
I go out maybe 2 - 3 times a week on it even now, with a few mates, all of whom have the latest £000's bikes. We all pretty much stick together during the ride and end up at the finish point together.
In what, 13 years of use, I've never had a breakage or failure apart from punctures.
I think with bikes and biking, it's all about your fitness first and the bike second. Ok, if you buy a crappy BSO from a mail order catalougue, it will hinder your progress. But a Specialized from 2005? That's new and up to date, that is!
Forget thinking of buying a new one - you don't need to.
SkinnyBoy said:
2005 bike?? practically new fella, give it a service and she'll be golden. I've been using my 1996 Marin a lot lately, purely because its perfect for commuting to work via our crappy roads and shoddy bikepaths which kill me on the road bike.
I think there was a step-change in frame geometry with most manufacturers somewhere after 1993, because good as my Rockhopper of that vintage is, the higher (road racer style) top tube and rear chainstays do hinder progress a bit.SkinnyBoy said:
Gorgeous isn't she?
Without a doubt! Yes.i would say there are four or five major milestones.
mid 70s - the clunker era. It was the likes of Gary Fisher et al riding the fire roads of Marin Valley, using bits that they found to make off road bikes and devised home build modifications to adapt parts to suit that pretty much started this whole thing! some good reading here http://.sonic.net/~ckelly/seekay/repack.htm
mid 80s - index shifting.
late 80s - Joe Murray. Revolutionised geometry with sloping top tube designs by many hardtail frames still rely on the old school kona geometry which says a lot about how important it was.
Mid 90s - The development of suspension that works, bikes like the Manitou with what were effectively suspension forks replacing the seat stays and the mk1 Marin B17 were pretty important as bad as they were in terms of allowing bike designers to work out how suspension on a bike actually worked leading to stuff like the Specilaised Epic.
....and in 2013 - XTR will be electonic shifting, dampers are super smooth, clutches in rear mechs....
mid 70s - the clunker era. It was the likes of Gary Fisher et al riding the fire roads of Marin Valley, using bits that they found to make off road bikes and devised home build modifications to adapt parts to suit that pretty much started this whole thing! some good reading here http://.sonic.net/~ckelly/seekay/repack.htm
mid 80s - index shifting.
late 80s - Joe Murray. Revolutionised geometry with sloping top tube designs by many hardtail frames still rely on the old school kona geometry which says a lot about how important it was.
Mid 90s - The development of suspension that works, bikes like the Manitou with what were effectively suspension forks replacing the seat stays and the mk1 Marin B17 were pretty important as bad as they were in terms of allowing bike designers to work out how suspension on a bike actually worked leading to stuff like the Specilaised Epic.
....and in 2013 - XTR will be electonic shifting, dampers are super smooth, clutches in rear mechs....
I remember my first mountain bike in 1988, a Peugeot something or other BSO from the grattan catalogue lol It was a gate and a half, but that bike got me into off road big time. The geo was very roadie horizontal top tube and a 21" seat tube if I remember rightly. Hammered that thing into the ground within 6 months whilst saving up all my pocket money and summer job money to buy a "proper" mountain bike which was a Reynolds 501 Holdsworth with Exage groupo in a medium this time. Loved that bike, can't remember what happened to it for the life of me. I've had heaps of bikes since then. its an addiction. I think I emotionally relate to retro bikes as I was a spotty youth at the time and riding one now takes you right back to that time when life was simpler!
Suspension has really come on. Back in 2000 ish I wouldn't touch suspension because I couldn't afford kit that actually worked. MY bog standard ROck Shock Tora on my Charge Duster is a brilliant shock, works unintrusively the whole time. It's just a case of more £££'s = less weight now, before budget shocks were horrible.
Otherwise, I still like my steel hardtail frame and there's not much in the last 5 years or so that's "must have".
Otherwise, I still like my steel hardtail frame and there's not much in the last 5 years or so that's "must have".
Well this weekend I will be digging these out of my shed for a clean up prior to me getting back into shape:
1990 Muddy Fox Courier Comp, replete with bright green paintwork.
1998 / 99 Orange O2
1998 / 99 Klien Pulse Race.
I'm sure all three will be perfectly useable and I'm actually looking forward to getting the Muddy Fox ridden more than the other two.
(I'll stick some pictures up if anyones interested once they're clean and shiny.)
It seems to me that full suspension bikes have seen a huge amount of development - I recall the days of elastomer blocks between seat-tube & seatstays - and the hardtail has just bimbled along.
The real change IMO has been in the differentiation of classes of riding. When I took up mountain biking every bike was an 'all mountain' bike in reality, now you can have a bike for every occasion / trail / mountain etc.
1990 Muddy Fox Courier Comp, replete with bright green paintwork.
1998 / 99 Orange O2
1998 / 99 Klien Pulse Race.
I'm sure all three will be perfectly useable and I'm actually looking forward to getting the Muddy Fox ridden more than the other two.
(I'll stick some pictures up if anyones interested once they're clean and shiny.)
It seems to me that full suspension bikes have seen a huge amount of development - I recall the days of elastomer blocks between seat-tube & seatstays - and the hardtail has just bimbled along.
The real change IMO has been in the differentiation of classes of riding. When I took up mountain biking every bike was an 'all mountain' bike in reality, now you can have a bike for every occasion / trail / mountain etc.
fathomfive said:
The real change IMO has been in the differentiation of classes of riding. When I took up mountain biking every bike was an 'all mountain' bike in reality, now you can have a bike for every occasion / trail / mountain etc.
Thats not a change though, every bike is still an "all mountain" bike. its just marketing depts inventing terms and selling niche products with an ever smaller range of usability.Its not impossible to ride a fully rigid mtb down the black route at Cwmcarn.... if you believe the Giant/Specialised marketing dept though, you will die if you attempt it without 160mm front and rear travel...
nothing grips my s
t more than this utter nonsense regarding labelling terrain, WTF is "all mountain" and "free ride"? i assume its some new form of riding where you go up a bit, along the top, then down a bit... well fk me but isnt that what we have all been doing for the last twenty five years?!?!? Like "trail riding" is also some new fangled idea, a trail is a path, a route, some of it might be muddy, some of it might be rocky, you adapt your riding style to suit. it doesnt take a trail bike to ride a trail and it pains me when people feel they have to drive to go mountain biking, like we just sat in the pub talking about it before trail centres opened....
I just hate the "you're going to ride that here" look when you turn up somewhere not riding the latest flash-bang bike witha suitably ambiguous label dreamt up by some t
t from marketing...rant over and apologies if you work in marketing, i'm not sorry for offending you, i'm just sorry you work in marketing....
pablo said:
fathomfive said:
The real change IMO has been in the differentiation of classes of riding. When I took up mountain biking every bike was an 'all mountain' bike in reality, now you can have a bike for every occasion / trail / mountain etc.
Thats not a change though, every bike is still an "all mountain" bike. its just marketing depts inventing terms and selling niche products with an ever smaller range of usability.Its not impossible to ride a fully rigid mtb down the black route at Cwmcarn.... if you believe the Giant/Specialised marketing dept though, you will die if you attempt it without 160mm front and rear travel...
nothing grips my s
t more than this utter nonsense regarding labelling terrain, WTF is "all mountain" and "free ride"? i assume its some new form of riding where you go up a bit, along the top, then down a bit... well fk me but isnt that what we have all been doing for the last twenty five years?!?!? Like "trail riding" is also some new fangled idea, a trail is a path, a route, some of it might be muddy, some of it might be rocky, you adapt your riding style to suit. it doesnt take a trail bike to ride a trail and it pains me when people feel they have to drive to go mountain biking, like we just sat in the pub talking about it before trail centres opened....
I just hate the "you're going to ride that here" look when you turn up somewhere not riding the latest flash-bang bike witha suitably ambiguous label dreamt up by some t
t from marketing...rant over and apologies if you work in marketing, i'm not sorry for offending you, i'm just sorry you work in marketing....
No need to apologise - well apart from the accusation I work in marketing
My statement is an observation of a change, driven by marketing, yes, but a change nonetheless.
I'm firmly in the same camp as you appear to be from your rant (not enough swearing though).
fathomfive said:
No need to apologise - well apart from the accusation I work in marketing
My statement is an observation of a change, driven by marketing, yes, but a change nonetheless.
I'm firmly in the same camp as you appear to be from your rant (not enough swearing though).
pablo said:
fathomfive said:
No need to apologise - well apart from the accusation I work in marketing
My statement is an observation of a change, driven by marketing, yes, but a change nonetheless.
I'm firmly in the same camp as you appear to be from your rant (not enough swearing though).
pablo said:
Thats not a change though, every bike is still an "all mountain" bike. its just marketing depts inventing terms and selling niche products with an ever smaller range of usability.
Its not impossible to ride a fully rigid mtb down the black route at Cwmcarn.... if you believe the Giant/Specialised marketing dept though, you will die if you attempt it without 160mm front and rear travel...
nothing grips my st more than this utter nonsense regarding labelling terrain, WTF is "all mountain" and "free ride"? i assume its some new form of riding where you go up a bit, along the top, then down a bit... well fk me but isnt that what we have all been doing for the last twenty five years?!?!?
Like "trail riding" is also some new fangled idea, a trail is a path, a route, some of it might be muddy, some of it might be rocky, you adapt your riding style to suit. it doesnt take a trail bike to ride a trail and it pains me when people feel they have to drive to go mountain biking, like we just sat in the pub talking about it before trail centres opened....
I just hate the "you're going to ride that here" look when you turn up somewhere not riding the latest flash-bang bike witha suitably ambiguous label dreamt up by some tt from marketing...
rant over and apologies if you work in marketing, i'm not sorry for offending you, i'm just sorry you work in marketing....
Top rant!Its not impossible to ride a fully rigid mtb down the black route at Cwmcarn.... if you believe the Giant/Specialised marketing dept though, you will die if you attempt it without 160mm front and rear travel...
nothing grips my s
t more than this utter nonsense regarding labelling terrain, WTF is "all mountain" and "free ride"? i assume its some new form of riding where you go up a bit, along the top, then down a bit... well fk me but isnt that what we have all been doing for the last twenty five years?!?!? Like "trail riding" is also some new fangled idea, a trail is a path, a route, some of it might be muddy, some of it might be rocky, you adapt your riding style to suit. it doesnt take a trail bike to ride a trail and it pains me when people feel they have to drive to go mountain biking, like we just sat in the pub talking about it before trail centres opened....
I just hate the "you're going to ride that here" look when you turn up somewhere not riding the latest flash-bang bike witha suitably ambiguous label dreamt up by some t
t from marketing...rant over and apologies if you work in marketing, i'm not sorry for offending you, i'm just sorry you work in marketing....
It's all getting a bit silly now.
Cross Country
Trail
Enduro
All Mountain
Park
Slopestyle
Freeride
Downhill
Some of the fully names are born out of an industry who oddly takes a lot of things from winter sports and Motocross.
The positive side of it is to give someone a reasonable idea of what a bike character might be like before they buy it, but of course then the marketing departments come along ably assisted by the warranty department trying to lay down what you can and can't do on it before you're killed to death - has anyone ever read the 'dos and don'ts' that come with Marzocchi stuff these days!
A lot of the "you're riding that here!!" guff is genuine shock because of this, not so much here, but on some of the MTB forums you get young lads asking if they're OK to ride Afan on FS Gaint with only 4 inches of travel, or if you really need FS to survive Cwmcarn - bloody hell, the trails have been here since the early 00's at the latest, Afan goes back years before it was a centre, guys were hitting the same lines on full rigid steel bikes with road bike brakes.
Geometry helps a lot though - slack head angles help nutty descents and steep helps xc-blasting and climbing - and that no one can deny. So there is a degree of truth in the fact that no bike is perfect for all applications.
Anecdotally, having witnessed a lot of crashes marshalling at amateur DH events, the guys with the steeper head angles are the ones more likely to be having front wheel snatch and OTB moments.
Anecdotally, having witnessed a lot of crashes marshalling at amateur DH events, the guys with the steeper head angles are the ones more likely to be having front wheel snatch and OTB moments.
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff