[Header image by Steve Thomas]
Christmas time can stir up a fair few memories and emotions, including bike-related and lost years of old fat tyre legend. With this in mind, I took a retro memory ride back in time to the last century, with a 1970s detour and the founding days of our beloved sport, to come up with a personal fantasy top 10 list of classic pre-year 2000 mountain bikes that I’d just love to own. Do read on and let us know in the comments your fantasy retro bike faves.
- Mountain bike Icons – the greatest riders of all time
- Bike check: Nino Schurter’s Scott Spark
- Bike check: Fabien Barel’s Canyon Strive:ON CFR LTD
And while I’m here, have a happy dayglo 1990s Christmas, and go shred it like Johnny T would do!
Orange Vitamin T
Humbly understated at first glance, but boldly juicy in attitude, the Orange 1990s hardtail titanium thoroughbred from up north was a true classic of the era. I’ve owned and ridden many a classic Orange over the years, though, never a Vitamin T. I can remember riding a few times with Orange’s founding wizards – Steve Wade and Lester Noble aboard their prototype Vitamin Ts (or at least I think they were – all was top secret at the time), and even shooting some cheeky brochure images for them too.
These were the bikes that even the leading pros of the era would give their right cranks for. Slap on a simple 1-inch travel Pace RC1 fork, some Middleburn cranks, X-Lite purple bar ends, a purple USE seatpost, purple Hope hubs, and let’s get this 90s retro ride party a ripping. Naturally, I’d have to dig out my old, era-defiant Orange kit to ride this one, if I can breathe in deep enough.
Breezer 1/JBX1
The One, the actual 1, the bike that really kicked it all off in terms of mountain bike theory and development was Joe Breeze’s aptly named JBX1, or more fondly known as the Breezer 1/ballooner. Hand-built by the godfather himself (Joe Breeze), this bike came about in 1977, or thereabouts, and was the imaginative brainchild of dreams that didn’t yet quite exist, but which, one day, could, and would be. This bike is widely considered to be the first true template for the modern-day mountain.
It was in the back of Joe’s car when he paid a visit to Tom Ritchey, who asked to take a look; the rest, as they say, is pure fat tyre history. Made from an unknown vision, tuned to timely perfection from parts that weren’t meant to be there. There weren’t too many of these bikes made, sadly, and things progressed fast after that. If ever you do happen to come across one, ride it like you stole it– as you’d most likely have to if you did find one.
Ritchey P-21
The bike that broke a thousand dreams, and made many more in with it. The Ritchey P-21, all carved out of the finest Ritchey Prestige steel tubes and garnished in that iconic red, white and blue livery, was one of the most victorious XC bikes of the early 90s, race honed with special thanks to Thomas Frishcknecht and Henrik Djernis, and many others.
Ridden, perfected, and evolved over many years by Tom Ritchey himself, these were some of the last surviving steel bikes at the sharp end of the World Cup scene, and yet they rode like an absolutely trail-tailored perfect dream, which is why so many of us still lust after these classics. Naturally, this would have to be an early XT and XTR build, with Ritchey’s own Logic furnishings, maybe an early 90’s RockShox RS1 fork to soften the ride, or better still, go full and pure 1990 with Mr Tom’s finest rigid fork.
Mountain Cycle San Andreas
My secret crush of the early 1990s was on a Mountain Cycle San Andreas, not that I’d ever dare to ask her out for a ride. Simply ogling from afar at its beauty and marvelling at its eccentric, yet very futuristic and sleek design and unpolished body was enough. Although rarely seen in person in the UK, I had my first sighting in the very early 90s, and then a couple more through the UK distributor at the time.
In an era when front suspension was only just gathering bounce, and where full suspension bikes were as rare as a free pint, the San Andreas was well ahead of its time. With its bold and boxed aluminium mainframe, homegrown inverted front fork, in-house coiled rear shock and swing arm, the San Andreas was like nothing else out there, and a fine example that the bike industry really should have taken a lead from back then.
If one came along today? For sure, I’d ask her to party like it was 1999 with me on the trails of old.
Roberts D.O.G.S B.O.L.X
D.O.G.S B.O.LX by both name and nature; the classic steel hardtail of so much desire in the early 1990s, and a valuable asset these days. Made by legendary frame builder Chas Roberts, generally from Columbus tubing, with sweet and wide wishbone rear stays, a seat tube lug, mostly built by order, and often finished in white with ¾ black painted rear stays.
Simple, elegant curves and fine lines, these bikes were good old bikes, and when decked out with bold and bright bling from the likes of USE, Syncros, and shifted by original early era Shimano thumb shifters and stopped by purple cantilever brakes… these bikes were also something of an untold status statement to own and ride.
Dave Yates Diablo
Northern steel at its 90s off-road finest. Northeastern frame builder Dave Yates started building his Diablo frames in the very early 1990s; handmade, fillet brazed, in either Columbus or Reynolds tubing options, all classic lines, sleek and comfortable on the trail, and humble by looks and nature.
There were a few of these around locally during that time, always ridden with flair by those who knew how to ride. Although Dave does indeed still build frames, the Diablo was a soulful northern star of a past era, and those that are still around are collectors’ classics these days.
Saracen Kili Ultra
Although I rode Saracen bikes many times over the years, of all kinds, the one I remember with the most affection was my 1992 shocking purple-rose pink Kili, a fully steel-framed bike with rigid forks. Nothing at all fancy about it, a down-to-earth, no-nonsense, and time-proven thoroughbred cross-country bike, and lovely with it.
However, the one that got away, the one I rode next to with Saracen team riders many a time, was the mighty titanium Kili Ultra. Brushed natural titanium finish, those signature Saracen rear seat stays, and – through the early 90’s generally run with Shimano XT/XTR groupsets and Pace RC1s.
Funnily enough, I was talking with an old friend from the early 90’s recently, and remembered that he had the Ultra, what a bike of its time, jammy fecker.
John Tomac’s Yeti C-26
In mountain biking terms, nothing quite screams ”Yo, welcome to 1990” quite like the vision of John Tomac aboard his dropped-bar Yeti C-26. The legend and legacy of Johnny T may be lost on younger readers, but it stands as tall as ever for those of us old enough to remember his glory days.
Tomac is quite probably the greatest icon the sport has ever had – and one of the best all-round bike racers of all time, having ridden BMX, XC, downhill and road at the highest level – and having won in each. He only rode Yeti for one year, 1990, the year of the first official World Championships, held in his then home town of Durango. He raced both cross country and downhill at those championships on his Yeti C-26, and on dropped road bars. The C-26 came out of an experimental ‘bonding’ between Yeti and Easton, who supplied the carbon frame tubes, which was very unusual on bikes at that time.
Add to the mix a Tioga disc rear wheel and Johnny’s unmatched flare on a bike; ahh, those were the days. Only a dozen or so were ever made, and finding one for sale would be like stumbling on the holy grail of mountain biking.
Moots RigorMootis
Born high up in the Colorado Rockies back in the early 1980s, Moots makes some of the finest titanium bikes around. During the late 90s-early 2000s, I dropped in at the Moots factory a couple of times, rode with Kent Eriksen (the founder), stayed and rode with other Moots folk of the time, rode on Steamboat trails aboard various Moots bikes, but sadly, I never owned one.
The bike that I always really wanted to own as a personal ride was the RigorMootis, aptly named for a titanium hardtail of the finest order. Simple brushed titanium, matching Moots branded seatpost, bar and stem, and whatever tailored components fit the moment in time. Sadly, the RigorMootis as a model has expired, although I certainly wouldn’t turn my nose up to any Moots bike, be it old or new.
Nicolas Voulioz’s SUNN Radical+
Throughout the 1990s, Max Commencal’s SUNN bikes were a major force on the World Cup circuit, both in cross country and even more so in downhill. Ridden to perfection and rainbow glory by the likes of Francois Gachet in the early 90’s, to Anne-Caroline Chausson, and then Nico Vouilloz later that decade, the SUNN Radical+ was truly that – a radical and rapidly developing bike.
Although the early Sunn-Chippie bikes were great things to see, it was Nico’s late 90’s Radical+ that really set a new benchmark, and perhaps gave a little more conclusion on the direction of full suspension bikes moving ahead. I’ve seen and shot that bike with him, and that of ACC, both in action and up close; the pics are sadly lost to pre-digital and trans global time. In retrospect, I always regret not asking Nico for a spin on his Radical+ from the 1997 World Champs; who knows, I’d likely have just kept riding, while looking over my shoulder for the gendarmes.
