Mountain biking is still a relatively young sport, and because of that, it’s steeped in nostalgia. In the 90s, though, the sport was perhaps at its most ambitious with thermoplastic carbon frames popping up, and dual-forked mountain bikes poised to push boundaries.
Through that period, and throughout MTB’s history, there are plenty of iconic (or plain mental) bikes. With this YT Industries/Manitou build, Mondraker’s Global Communications manager, Doddy (also of GMBN fame), throws back to one of the most hairbrained designs of the 90s, with a seriously modern perspective.
- 500g of added weight and 160mm cranks: Laurie Greenland tells all about his custom Santa Cruz V10 downhill superbike
- The daily driver of the UK’s most exciting DH World Cup rider — we speak to Phoebe Gale about her Orbea Rallon
- Bike check: Fabien Barel’s Canyon Strive:ON CFR LTD
Anyone who knows Andrew Dodd, or better known as Doddy, either through his tenure at GMBN, or his time as a bike journo, you’ll know that he’s all about everything mountain bike tech, but also everything retro. Really, that means there’s no better person to smash modern technology with retro vibes.
“I’m a self-confessed super fan of everything MTB, and have a bit of a penchant for the retro stuff”, Doddy explains.
“One of the single best-looking products of all time was the original Manitou suspension fork, designed by Doug Bradbury. There’s something about the machined, angular look to it that just looked right to me.
“After a long chat with some of the folks at Manitou, I suggested the idea of building a retro-mod, and they loved the idea.”
For this collision between old and new, Doddy chose YT Industries’ enduro bike. It runs 170mm of suspension at both ends, and a pair of 29in wheels, but importantly, it has received a one-of-a-kind, custom paint job from the folks at Fat Creations. If you’re acquainted with Manitou’s EFC fork, you’ll know full well where the inspiration came from. However, as with almost every component on this bike, there’s a story behind the frame choice.
Doddy continues: “The Manitou EFC DH fork was always one of the lesser-seen and cooler forks, and was used on a longer travel version of their suspension frame, so I wanted to build something that looked like it.
“Seeing as the original bike I was looking at was ridden by Jurgen Beneke, it gave me the idea of using a German frame and putting the flag on there, in the same way the US flag was on the original. So I picked a YT Capra.”
In homage to Manitou’s suspension of the 90s, this bike is graced with the brand’s Mezzer Pro fork and the Mara Pro shock. But importantly, it’s not just the frame that gets the retro-mod paint job, because, of course, the fork is painted identically to that EFC fork of old.
“I worked with Ali and Bex from Fat Creations on this project, and was with them for the whole process, and even did a little air brushing myself.
“What won’t be appreciated from the finished bike is the sheer amount of detailed masking on the fork. Honestly, that fork is one of the single most impressive bits of paintwork I’ve ever seen; and I have the privilege of working with a team of amazing custom painters at our own in-house paint shop, on custom projects like the Gulf X Mondraker bikes we have been making.
“I’m sure Ali won’t mind me saying this, but Bex was the star of the show with this project. She is incredible.”
What the camera doesn’t really pick up with the paint job is the sheer attention to detail and the metallic fleck deep within the blacks. No corners have been cut.
Some might say that the rather spendy 5Dev Titanium cranks look very futuristic, but even then, they were picked in a tip of the hat to 90s design.
“5Dev make modern machined cranks, but they somehow nod back to the older days – so they were an intrinsic part of this build too.”
As for the rest of the bike, it’s draped with a slew of components from Reynolds and Hayes, but a favourite of ours is the ProTaper cockpit. There’s something about the silver highlights on black carbon that makes it pop.
Although XTR Di2 is currently all the rage, the bike’s shifting is provided by Shimano’s mechanical XTR 12-speed drivetrain. Then, it’s Reynolds carbon wheels are wrapped with Hutchinson’s Griffus tyres sorted with tan walls. That’s another retro look that has stood the test of time… arguably.
“I’ve not looked back at this bike for a while, but it’s definitely one of the coolest projects I’ve worked on over the years – and it’s got me thinking about doing another one. I have some ideas…”
