I got into mountain biking in 1992. I lived on a golf course and worked there so i had the trails to ride on all summer. I didnt get a full-suspension bike until maybe 2003 or so 😊
Those Brooklyn Machine Works bikes were and still are my dream bike. I was lucky enough to see one with an Marzocchi Monster fork and Avalanche rear shock waiting at the chairlift at Highland Bike park. It even had the old shin burger pedals and Gazzaloddi tires.
Went to Interbike in Las Vegas in the mid-ninties where designer John Castallano introduced his patented Sweet Spot suspension to Klein, Ibis, Schwinn and other manufacturers. Klein came out with the Manta which raised the pivot point above what was specified in John's patent and never paid John a dime for his design. Fortunately, both Ibis and Schwinn did use John's advanced design for their first full-suspension bikes. The Ibis Szazbo and Bow-Ti were exceptional futuristic bikes in their times.
They were at the time futuristic, and for sure innovative at the time. But definitely the original concept was much better than what Klein and some others opted for. But still - it’s all written on the wall. Love that MTB is old enough to have a (short) history
Another great video. Have to admit I did like the look of the Klein Mantra! Top 3 awesome bikes 1. Millyard Racing MR002. 2. Yeti C-26. 3. OG Cannondale Scalpel Just outside the top 3… so a top 10 then! 4. Look 989 5. Shaun Palmers original Intense DH bike 6. Richard Cunningham’s Nishiki Alien 7. Tom Pidcock’s Pinarello race weapon! 8. Stoll M3 9. 2012 Yeti ASR… Not the cut down seat mast though! 10. S-Bike mtb from the 90s Definitely worth a video on these and other forgotten brands… Formula Carbon mtb, Kestrel bikes, S-Bike. It would great to see something on the El Camos 00 ‘Super bike’.
I used to race XC in Alaska in the early 90s and worked in a bike shop that sold Kleins. More than a few of the people I raced against rode those things. I rode a Fat Chance Yo Eddy, and I always felt like I had the best XC race bike around. The Kleins looked beautiful, but they were too stiff and too harsh to ride; while my Yo Eddy rode like a dream and was an incredible bike. I was fortunate too in that I got an early one designed for the original welded, straight blade fork; and when I put a suspension fork on it, it raised the front end and neutralized the steering to about 69 degrees, and made it descend much closer to a modern geo bike. It was much more stable when going fast downhill, yet didn’t compromise the steering for technical riding. I got the bonus of being able to use larger tires up to 2.6 wide; which was unheard of back then. It was great for winter riding; I had 2.6 Fisher Beartrack tires studded up with sheet metal screws that I ground down the tips, and I could ride on ice that couldn’t be stood upon. If I had the money and were still riding off road, I would buy a modern Yo Eddy 29er for a hardtail backcountry bike (I would have a full sus too, but for most non-backcountry riding). Fat Chances are amazing bicycles. While the Kleins were amazingly engineered bikes that were beautiful, I never liked how they rode. 🤷🏻♀️
I love the look of the bb7. I remember when they were new. Unfortunately it's absolutely impossible to find any Balfa's for sale anywhere. Brooklyn Machine Works bike's made the only DH bikes where the pedaling action was separated from the suspension action. Very heavy steel. I always wanted one in the 90's. These are also impossible to find for sale anywhere. I once saw a Kirk on ebay. It's very interesting. I've never heard of Mondraker before. I completely agree about the Klein paint jobs. I've seen a few in person, back in the 90's. Although I disagree on the Mantra. I don't think it's ugly at all. Although the placement of the pivot is problematic. I'm a big fan of the URT suspension design. I've had three Schwinn homegrown carbon's. And because the pivot was in the center it handled very well. The Slingshot mountain bike was made in Michigan USA. I've seen two or three of these in person back in the 90's, when I lived in Michigan. Great memories. Thank you.
As someone who worked in the MTB industry in the 90's I've definitely seen my share of crazy designs. Bikes I'd love to have: 1) Sunn Radical Plus 2), RockShox LTD (designed by Trevor Lee Harris), 3) Superco Silencer 4) Appalache Real 5) Ancillotti Scarab Philippe Perakis ATZ DH bike is pretty up there for a crazy bike- low pivot URT, A arm telescopic fork that used the air shock as a structural member. ATZ built some wild bikes.
Yep, and it has a very cool story. It used to belong to William Nealy. Writer and cartoonist that wrote a brilliant MTB book in the 90’s. Has his graphics on the headtube. I have lots of shots!
@@DoddyMTBtech lol, no way have owned a copy of his hilarious book 'Mountain Bike!' since 92/93?. however I was more of a fan what Jo Burt would dream up in mbuk every month
I had a URT bike as my first full suspension, a 1999 Gary Fisher Joshua and you described the feeling of riding it very well. It was almost a hardtail when standing up, but not in a good way, I didn't like that I had to sit down to really take advantage of the extra weight of the full suspension bike. And speaking of weight, it was a pretty significant thing, my modern aluminum Trek Slash with 170/160mm of travel and 29x2.5 tires probably weighs less than that 26" bike with 100/100mm of travel.
Nice one Doddy. Top content as ever. My top ten would include a Giant ATX1 DH like Warner used to ride, and blue white and red GT DHi. The nineties Marin hardtails with zolitone paint job, and matching day-glo forks and bar/stem were also fab. I liked the Kona Stab with the big coil shock for its beefy look. Ditto the Orange patriot/222 for its swingarm that looked like a girder 😅. Got a soft spot for the Whyte Prst1 too, just because of how it was marketed and received at the time. People thought it was the future lol.
My first ever DH race was the Leaping Lizard back in '96 or so. There was a tandem team there consisting of a GT engineer and his brave wife riding a one off tandem with a DHO with 800 lb motorcycle sourced springs. They had a loop of rope tied around the fork arch and the lower triple clamp just in case those JUDY circlips of course failed. They might have been the only contestants In the class. They won in my heart. Oh, and I rode a 22" polished Heckler with an OG Z1 and 7" GT BMX bars.
Wow! The Leaping Lizard is really well known - I always wanted to go and ride that, and hit the Laguna Trails with the Rads. Never got round to it in my magazine years.
Mondrakers are def the pioneers with the long low and slack bikes...the first real departure from RB based geometry...and the MTB world is all the better for it❤
I think I was lucky enough to go to Whistler most years for nearly a decade, from around 2003. Usually for a press camp, then stayed on for a few more days riding. Some amazing memories from back then!
Realized I hadn't been subscribed, fixed that! Love these, would 100% watch you do your own tech segments like hackbodge & bike vault if you wanted to solicit user submittals too!
I agree, the Klein hardtails are beautiful and definitely the nicest welds even today. I live in near Chehalis, Washington (where Kleins were made pre-Trek) and ride with some of the original employees from time to time.
2015 Voodoo 2x10 Bizango (lime green). 2018 GT Sensor Alloy Comp 29er 1x11. Two of the most brilliant bikes ever produced - relatively cheap, reliable, brilliant rides, infinitely upgradeable, easy to maintain, underrated. Regularly performs as well as the competition on the trails and at the bike park. You should see what I've managed to do to mine. Ps. Finn helped me with my GT upgrades - sound bloke.
Had a Z-2 BAM (and also a Z1 on a later bike), and it felt like you could plow into almost anything back then.....I miss the easy oil changes and drop in bushing replacement.....I bet these would still rate high even today.
The bike I absolutely drooled over in early 2000s would have to be Kona Stab Primo. Later that got usurped by the V10, back when the 10 meant 10 inches😂
I lusted after a Klein Mantra back in the day! I've since seen reviews that say they were terrifying to ride 😬. Not as handsome as a modern full susser, but compared to what else was on the market in the mid 90s it looked amazing.
1: Cannondale Super V, the bike that changed my life in 1999 2: Raleigh XXIX belt drive, early 29er singlespeed 3: 2020 Trek Fuel, cuz it got me imto the modern era
My all time favourite bikes , intense m1 (second version ) the 2011 foxy rr (the green one with the gold link) the summum you mentioned azonic steelhead and the green scott voltage fr20
My top 3 bikes from any era: 1. Mountain Cycle San Andreas. I lusted after this thing when I was a kid and would still love to own one! 2. DMR Trailstar. The original hardcore hardtail? I had one of these and got into all sorts of mischief with it. Have you seen the anniversary Ti version? 3. 2018 Specialized Demo 8. Just a beautiful DH bike.
I had a Schwinn Unified Rear Triangle bike for about two weeks. At that time, Schwinn was a serious mountain bike maker. The bike bobbed so much that I took it back. It was my first full-sus bike. It was many years later before I bought another full-sus bike.
@LaurentiusTriarius they are actually very good XC/Marathon bikes. While you are seated the suspension is great and they climb like a goat. Descents on the other hand are terrifying with the original setup. If you use your front brake, the high pivot point makes the bike fold together. The wheelbase is reduced and you have to be very careful that you don't go over the bars. If you see a Mantra, that is used today, the chances are high, that it has a 165mm rear shock instead of the original 170mm and a lockout. Both make the descents a lot less terrifying, even though blocking the suspension downhill seems counter intuitive.
I (still) have a Klein Mantra. I bought it intending to fit a Rohloff, because obviously with the URT the chain length doesn't change under suspension movement, and it wouldn't have needed an idler. But although I found it went uphill better than any other full suspension bike I've ever ridden, it had absolutely terrifying brake dive, definitely needed an anti-dive front fork. Adding both a Rohloff and a Use SUB put it out of my budget, to I never got it into what I'd consider a usable configuration and I never raced it. But I do still have it, and I do still think it's a classic (and interesting) design.
Checker Pig actually put a kind-of damping at least on the rear shock later. My top 3 bikes: Rocky Mountain Altitude '92 Team Edition | Pace RC 100 | Klein Attitude in this toxic greenish to violet fade
We had a set of the original Bomber Z1s in the bike shop where I worked ca 1997. I remember that model featured disc brake mounts on both legs in anticipation that dual front discs were about to take off. Of course they never did and that feature was quickly dropped.
if we're including fun frame builders making frankensteins, Dan Hannebrink had his all terrain bike which used shaved down ATV tires and a wild drivetrain , but ultimately was, i think, basically the old manitou forks-on-both-ends style. of course, compared to almost any URT it was still a work of art
Bromont ?? There's a bike called Bromont ... I can't believe that ! That's my local mountain, an hour travel from home. Had season pass like 20 years ago for many years. We never tried to gap the whole wooden thing, but I know exactly what it is ;) Was not even aware that some bike was called after that mountain, so funny ! For those who don't know, that moutain is like 3-4 hours travel from this year's DH cup (mont Sainte-Anne).
Growing up in Manhattan during the birth of mountain biking, we had a really nice bike shop, known as TOGA (now know as GOTHAM which always had great inventory. I recall always had Top notch inventory. one day a customer test riding a SLING SHOT, gorgeous, but very odd mountain bike. Potential customer client on the bike and sped off around the block. Minutes later, he returned the bike and said to the shop salesman “ this thing not be sold to the general public!! 😅
Had a go on a Brooklyn race link when i was 17 and working in a bike shop. Only up the road and back but i took 2 things away, 1 it was around 40kg and 2 when i rode up the curb it was like the curb wasn't even there. Felt like a crosser with cranks
There was a bike called the Chic Shock or similar, maybe made by Balfa, it used rubber bands mounted externally for the suspension. I'm not sure if it was only the fork on a hardtail or if it had also rear suspension. I live near Bromont and started biking in that period, I remember that bridge, it was scary. I never jumped it.
i am from a time where elevated chainstay were a thing my dreambike was a Rock Mountain Experience. in my teens i never could afford such a thing, but it was just looking awesome sad also that modern bikes mostly looking stealth and nobody use colours anymore like Klein did. not only was Klein's paintjobs awesome, they also at time welded the biggest alu tubes together. for today standards they may seem thin, but at the time their diameter were almost twice the size of every other bike tube
Just got around to watching this vid 12 days late... And immediately have to weigh in. As a former owner (got stolen) the Checker Pig was a design with loafs of potential. Okay, not the carbon spars that spring the fork (which was a sort of upside down design, with cantilever brakes!), which ran in plastic sleeves, or the carbon ring, bith of which had , naturally, zero damping but boy could that thing bunny hop. You just compressed it and let go and you cleared and curb/log/pedestrian of choice. The rear suspension design was actually pretty good, very low pivot. Always wondered what it could have been like with a proper shock and fork.
Finally sold my BMW TMX earlier this year - with 26/4x3.0's siesmic hubs and avy our back and super monster t up front - weighed 36kg and had its own gravity well too - a beast and may well reappear online next year with new owner - fancied a Balfa back when but BMW came along at right price
Slingshot bikes were wildly popular in Michigan (where they were invented originally) for XC racers and riders. Like anything else, it just was too weird to catch on, but they did ride great. I did have the pleasure (?) of riding Trek's 1992 full suspension, the 9000, and it was literally the worst kinematic I've ever experienced with a bike. It bobbed just from looking at it. Also pushed a Klein Mantra around Winter Park Colorado in the 1990's, the bike actually climbed really well, but you had to take your feet off the pedals for the downhills or get your legs turned into jelly.....the AMP B-3 that came after was far better looking, and riding........then the Turner Burner, another quantum leap forward....and.......come to think about it, all those bikes were kinda weird!
That’s exactly why I didn’t care for Kleins. Too stiff! They rattled the rider going downhill. I was a Fat Chance Yo Eddy rider when I raced XC in Alaska in the early 90s and I always felt like I had the superior bike.
Thanks for commenting, loving reading through all these! The Amp B2 is still my all-time favourite looking MTB. I have one to rennovate, but life has been a bit busy. Need to clear out a lot of stuff before I start a project. Strictly on a one-in-one-out rule at the moment!
My 1996 Santa Cruz Heckler is still my favourite bike. It looks like the prototype for a modern trail bike, with the right setup it rides surprisingly modern compared to other bikes of its era, mine measures in around 66 degrees up front with a 100mm Z1 Bomber, Rock Shox Super Deluxe in the back, coil sprung, oil dampened. It's just a really really great bike, yet when I overtake slowpokes on the climbs, or park it in the rack outside the cafe at the local bike park nobody even bats an eyelid... I do have a Trek-era 1999 Klein Attitude Race though, 1.5kg for the frame, internal cable routing, blue fade paint. People definitely stop to look at it. I had a 1997 GT LTS that was horrendous, I hated the way it behaved under braking, and it felt like I was sitting on top of the bike, rather than in the bike like my Heckler. I sold it very shortly after acquiring it.
Nicolai Nucleon gearbox bikes have to be some of the most horrific looking of all time, though respect to them for trying. And you can't talk crazy Balfa without mentioning the nouveau riche ! Superco Silencer also tried to bring back the BMW designs
Rode the Kirk but it wasn’t as sloppy as the slingshot or squaretubed pace frame. We put up with some shocking bikes just because we assumed that anything new had to be an improvement.
I just picked up a bicycle that I’ve always wanted it’s a 1996 Klein Pulse 2 in black it was just a frame so I went all out with period correct XTR group set I also put a Girvin vector smart fork on it.
Hi great channel i do recall a bike it had square tubing forgot the name think it was in the 90s think forks were ridged had a metal brushed finish really big welds on it 🎉
Pace research bikes, from Yorkshire in the UK. They were incredibly advanced - they used square 'tubes' and were milled externally (like external butting) to save weight and adjust the feel. They used a one-piece stem and steerer tube, that would adjust the headset from the bottom and be secured by the fork crown (the first example of the Aheadset design). They also had grease nipples for feeding grease to the bearings and a whole load of other innovative features. Would really love one for my collection, but they still go for a lot of money.
Yes you should do a top ten show, and bye the way this show was wicked good. What do you think of a modernized Sling-shot concept using modern materials and perhaps a pivot where the flex plate was on the old version? Well done Sir. and have a great Halloween. Cheers - M
The Klein Mantra (and the URT design generally) get a lot of flak they don't deserve, usually from those who don't understand how they work. Firstly, low pivot URT's *are* junk. High ones- like the Klein- were meant to be used WITHOUT a sprung fork, and *with* a rider capable of understanding and using the changing effects of actively loading and unloading to effect ride and handling to the terrain. They were never meant to be big travel DH bikes, but a means of bringing suspension to lightweight XC frames.
Way back in the 90's when I got my first decent job and was able to buy my first new mountain bike I was tempted by the Klein but the Trek was similarly equipped but cheaper and I cheaped out. I still regret it as I agree Klein made the best looking bikes around
I had my 2003 Monster T for 15 years. Never serviced it and it was still performing fine when I sold it in 2022 for £799 (4 times what I paid for it 🤣)
Cool look back at the bikes of yesteryear. I remember quizzing a salesman in a bike shop about the URT bikes. He insisted it was great and i was like it's literally worst of all worlds.. Actually wanted to ask much as i agree they were mad, it seems a bit cold to rip into these as "disgusting ". For better or worse they were somones design experiment baby. I dunno just feels bad having so much media recently just tearing them apart so raw.
I kinda want a Mantra for city rides. One honorable,enrion should be the Proflex. I have a 95 855. An absolute beauty in my opinion. But it feels like you’re riding on the handlebars! So awkward!
I have a Klein Attitude with the night storm paint and a GT STS 200 carbon fiber with aluminum joints and a RS DHO and a Jamis Diablo carbon monocoque with a Manitou triple clamp fork all bikes that were not cookie cutter bikes.
checkered pig seems like something thats about to comeback as a new gravel tech
🥶🥶🥶
Ahhh ha ha ha 😂
I got into mountain biking in 1992. I lived on a golf course and worked there so i had the trails to ride on all summer.
I didnt get a full-suspension bike until maybe 2003 or so 😊
Those Brooklyn Machine Works bikes were and still are my dream bike. I was lucky enough to see one with an Marzocchi Monster fork and Avalanche rear shock waiting at the chairlift at Highland Bike park. It even had the old shin burger pedals and Gazzaloddi tires.
Doddy always delivers! Great video
Went to Interbike in Las Vegas in the mid-ninties where designer John Castallano introduced his patented Sweet Spot suspension to Klein, Ibis, Schwinn and other manufacturers. Klein came out with the Manta which raised the pivot point above what was specified in John's patent and never paid John a dime for his design. Fortunately, both Ibis and Schwinn did use John's advanced design for their first full-suspension bikes. The Ibis Szazbo and Bow-Ti were exceptional futuristic bikes in their times.
They were at the time futuristic, and for sure innovative at the time. But definitely the original concept was much better than what Klein and some others opted for. But still - it’s all written on the wall. Love that MTB is old enough to have a (short) history
Another great video. Have to admit I did like the look of the Klein Mantra!
Top 3 awesome bikes
1. Millyard Racing MR002.
2. Yeti C-26.
3. OG Cannondale Scalpel
Just outside the top 3… so a top 10 then!
4. Look 989
5. Shaun Palmers original Intense DH bike
6. Richard Cunningham’s Nishiki Alien
7. Tom Pidcock’s Pinarello race weapon!
8. Stoll M3
9. 2012 Yeti ASR… Not the cut down seat mast though!
10. S-Bike mtb from the 90s
Definitely worth a video on these and other forgotten brands… Formula Carbon mtb, Kestrel bikes, S-Bike. It would great to see something on the El Camos 00 ‘Super bike’.
Great bikes in there! The Millyard was incredible. One of the coolest things I saw in my time at MBUK. That guy is a genius.
P.S. Forgot to add the Pace RC100!
Just gone down a Millyard DH bikes wormhole on RUclips because of this comment! Fascinating...
I used to race XC in Alaska in the early 90s and worked in a bike shop that sold Kleins. More than a few of the people I raced against rode those things. I rode a Fat Chance Yo Eddy, and I always felt like I had the best XC race bike around. The Kleins looked beautiful, but they were too stiff and too harsh to ride; while my Yo Eddy rode like a dream and was an incredible bike. I was fortunate too in that I got an early one designed for the original welded, straight blade fork; and when I put a suspension fork on it, it raised the front end and neutralized the steering to about 69 degrees, and made it descend much closer to a modern geo bike. It was much more stable when going fast downhill, yet didn’t compromise the steering for technical riding.
I got the bonus of being able to use larger tires up to 2.6 wide; which was unheard of back then. It was great for winter riding; I had 2.6 Fisher Beartrack tires studded up with sheet metal screws that I ground down the tips, and I could ride on ice that couldn’t be stood upon.
If I had the money and were still riding off road, I would buy a modern Yo Eddy 29er for a hardtail backcountry bike (I would have a full sus too, but for most non-backcountry riding). Fat Chances are amazing bicycles.
While the Kleins were amazingly engineered bikes that were beautiful, I never liked how they rode. 🤷🏻♀️
I love the look of the bb7. I remember when they were new. Unfortunately it's absolutely impossible to find any Balfa's for sale anywhere. Brooklyn Machine Works bike's made the only DH bikes where the pedaling action was separated from the suspension action. Very heavy steel. I always wanted one in the 90's. These are also impossible to find for sale anywhere. I once saw a Kirk on ebay. It's very interesting. I've never heard of Mondraker before. I completely agree about the Klein paint jobs. I've seen a few in person, back in the 90's. Although I disagree on the Mantra. I don't think it's ugly at all. Although the placement of the pivot is problematic. I'm a big fan of the URT suspension design. I've had three Schwinn homegrown carbon's. And because the pivot was in the center it handled very well. The Slingshot mountain bike was made in Michigan USA. I've seen two or three of these in person back in the 90's, when I lived in Michigan. Great memories. Thank you.
Love these Videos. Love that "the man" (Mondraker) let you make them. More please Doddy.
As someone who worked in the MTB industry in the 90's I've definitely seen my share of crazy designs. Bikes I'd love to have: 1) Sunn Radical Plus 2), RockShox LTD (designed by Trevor Lee Harris), 3) Superco Silencer 4) Appalache Real 5) Ancillotti Scarab
Philippe Perakis ATZ DH bike is pretty up there for a crazy bike- low pivot URT, A arm telescopic fork that used the air shock as a structural member. ATZ built some wild bikes.
that black Adroit is just gorgeous
Yep, and it has a very cool story. It used to belong to William Nealy. Writer and cartoonist that wrote a brilliant MTB book in the 90’s. Has his graphics on the headtube. I have lots of shots!
@@DoddyMTBtech lol, no way have owned a copy of his hilarious book 'Mountain Bike!' since 92/93?. however I was more of a fan what Jo Burt would dream up in mbuk every month
Kleins look really good hung on a wall, like in 'Seinfeld'.
Love this! I still have the dimond back poster on my wall!!!
The good ol days of moto influenced MTB. Cool video
I love Klein Matras to look, never had chance to ride one. The green one from video have stunning paint.
I had a URT bike as my first full suspension, a 1999 Gary Fisher Joshua and you described the feeling of riding it very well. It was almost a hardtail when standing up, but not in a good way, I didn't like that I had to sit down to really take advantage of the extra weight of the full suspension bike. And speaking of weight, it was a pretty significant thing, my modern aluminum Trek Slash with 170/160mm of travel and 29x2.5 tires probably weighs less than that 26" bike with 100/100mm of travel.
Coolest old bikes - the ‘94 Manitou FS and Mountain Cycle San Andreas. Pure magic in aluminum form given the tech available at the time.
Hey Doddy still got my Garry Fisher Super calibre and my Joshua x1 hanging up in my shed, really your Tech Tips Cheers Mate 🇦🇺
Nice one Doddy. Top content as ever.
My top ten would include a Giant ATX1 DH like Warner used to ride, and blue white and red GT DHi.
The nineties Marin hardtails with zolitone paint job, and matching day-glo forks and bar/stem were also fab.
I liked the Kona Stab with the big coil shock for its beefy look. Ditto the Orange patriot/222 for its swingarm that looked like a girder 😅.
Got a soft spot for the Whyte Prst1 too, just because of how it was marketed and received at the time. People thought it was the future lol.
Came for the BMW pic, now going away looking for a Tora. So many bikes I'd forgotten about.
My first ever DH race was the Leaping Lizard back in '96 or so. There was a tandem team there consisting of a GT engineer and his brave wife riding a one off tandem with a DHO with 800 lb motorcycle sourced springs. They had a loop of rope tied around the fork arch and the lower triple clamp just in case those JUDY circlips of course failed. They might have been the only contestants In the class. They won in my heart. Oh, and I rode a 22" polished Heckler with an OG Z1 and 7" GT BMX bars.
Wow! The Leaping Lizard is really well known - I always wanted to go and ride that, and hit the Laguna Trails with the Rads. Never got round to it in my magazine years.
@@DoddyMTBtech I've done some rides with the Rads. Mostly in Trabuco Canyon which just had a major wild fire.
Mondrakers are def the pioneers with the long low and slack bikes...the first real departure from RB based geometry...and the MTB world is all the better for it❤
Bb7 was one of the best bikes I’ve ever owned. Took it to Whistler in 2004. Probably saw Doddy there.😊
I think I was lucky enough to go to Whistler most years for nearly a decade, from around 2003. Usually for a press camp, then stayed on for a few more days riding. Some amazing memories from back then!
Realized I hadn't been subscribed, fixed that! Love these, would 100% watch you do your own tech segments like hackbodge & bike vault if you wanted to solicit user submittals too!
Cemeteries are beautiful. Thanks for sharing your pictures :)
No Saint Luzifer Scandium in Black with fork and 7,7kg, love it and greetings from Salzburg
Love Klein, that slingshot bike is great, would love one.
I always liked the compexity of Brookling bicycle, dual chains etc etc. Very weird stuff. 😃
The Balfa BB7 is sick! 😍🔥🔥🔥
SO right about Klein. Just gorgeous.
I agree, the Klein hardtails are beautiful and definitely the nicest welds even today. I live in near Chehalis, Washington (where Kleins were made pre-Trek) and ride with some of the original employees from time to time.
thanx for the vid! miss you on gmbn!
2015 Voodoo 2x10 Bizango (lime green). 2018 GT Sensor Alloy Comp 29er 1x11. Two of the most brilliant bikes ever produced - relatively cheap, reliable, brilliant rides, infinitely upgradeable, easy to maintain, underrated. Regularly performs as well as the competition on the trails and at the bike park. You should see what I've managed to do to mine.
Ps. Finn helped me with my GT upgrades - sound bloke.
I have a 1996 Foes Weasel that I upgraded to disk brakes in 2003. It has a Brake Therapy kit which is similar to the kit on the Balfa.
First gen Bomber Z1's were released to the public in 1996. Total game changer ❤🔥
I love to see old DVD's of guys like Richie Schley riding the NW on hardtails sporting Zokes.😁
Had a Z-2 BAM (and also a Z1 on a later bike), and it felt like you could plow into almost anything back then.....I miss the easy oil changes and drop in bushing replacement.....I bet these would still rate high even today.
The Tandem (last one) was the best!🍻
The bike I absolutely drooled over in early 2000s would have to be Kona Stab Primo. Later that got usurped by the V10, back when the 10 meant 10 inches😂
stab primo just looks monstrous
I lusted after a Klein Mantra back in the day! I've since seen reviews that say they were terrifying to ride 😬. Not as handsome as a modern full susser, but compared to what else was on the market in the mid 90s it looked amazing.
1: Cannondale Super V, the bike that changed my life in 1999
2: Raleigh XXIX belt drive, early 29er singlespeed
3: 2020 Trek Fuel, cuz it got me imto the modern era
Been a while Doddy! Love ur show! cheers mate!!!
My all time favourite bikes , intense m1 (second version ) the 2011 foxy rr (the green one with the gold link) the summum you mentioned azonic steelhead and the green scott voltage fr20
My top 3 bikes from any era:
1. Mountain Cycle San Andreas. I lusted after this thing when I was a kid and would still love to own one!
2. DMR Trailstar. The original hardcore hardtail? I had one of these and got into all sorts of mischief with it. Have you seen the anniversary Ti version?
3. 2018 Specialized Demo 8. Just a beautiful DH bike.
the San Andreas was next level in terms of how advanced it was. Still look beautiful today too!
The Balfa bb7 and the Turner dhr must be two of the best looking dh bikes ever made!
I had a Schwinn Unified Rear Triangle bike for about two weeks. At that time, Schwinn was a serious mountain bike maker. The bike bobbed so much that I took it back. It was my first full-sus bike. It was many years later before I bought another full-sus bike.
hey I love my Mantra. it's still my favorite XC bike. With a modern rear shok and the lockout option descents arn't as scarry anymore.
My dad still had his, until he passed away in 2018, we sold it to a delighted collector apparently people really liked the looks of them 😊
@LaurentiusTriarius they are actually very good XC/Marathon bikes. While you are seated the suspension is great and they climb like a goat. Descents on the other hand are terrifying with the original setup. If you use your front brake, the high pivot point makes the bike fold together. The wheelbase is reduced and you have to be very careful that you don't go over the bars. If you see a Mantra, that is used today, the chances are high, that it has a 165mm rear shock instead of the original 170mm and a lockout. Both make the descents a lot less terrifying, even though blocking the suspension downhill seems counter intuitive.
I (still) have a Klein Mantra. I bought it intending to fit a Rohloff, because obviously with the URT the chain length doesn't change under suspension movement, and it wouldn't have needed an idler. But although I found it went uphill better than any other full suspension bike I've ever ridden, it had absolutely terrifying brake dive, definitely needed an anti-dive front fork. Adding both a Rohloff and a Use SUB put it out of my budget, to I never got it into what I'd consider a usable configuration and I never raced it. But I do still have it, and I do still think it's a classic (and interesting) design.
Checker Pig actually put a kind-of damping at least on the rear shock later.
My top 3 bikes: Rocky Mountain Altitude '92 Team Edition | Pace RC 100 | Klein Attitude in this toxic greenish to violet fade
I didn't know that, they were rarely seen or featured. Be interested to see one!
We had a set of the original Bomber Z1s in the bike shop where I worked ca 1997. I remember that model featured disc brake mounts on both legs in anticipation that dual front discs were about to take off. Of course they never did and that feature was quickly dropped.
That Klein bikes still look amazing today. The ridged ones of course.
if we're including fun frame builders making frankensteins, Dan Hannebrink had his all terrain bike which used shaved down ATV tires and a wild drivetrain , but ultimately was, i think, basically the old manitou forks-on-both-ends style. of course, compared to almost any URT it was still a work of art
Bromont ?? There's a bike called Bromont ... I can't believe that ! That's my local mountain, an hour travel from home. Had season pass like 20 years ago for many years. We never tried to gap the whole wooden thing, but I know exactly what it is ;) Was not even aware that some bike was called after that mountain, so funny ! For those who don't know, that moutain is like 3-4 hours travel from this year's DH cup (mont Sainte-Anne).
Very cool to read! Sounds like you need a Sintessi Bromont frame as a garage/workshop trophy for the wall!
Sintesi always get mentioned for the bromont/verlichi, but the sintessi bazooka 3 was one of the nicest looking downhill bikes ever made
I was a sponsored rider for Bianchi in the 90's. I got to test pre production models. Check out the Super G with its double pivot rear end.
I have photos of that bike somewhere! I completely forgot about it! Thanks for the reminder!
I remember a weird one from the early 90's a hard tail Alpine star, I loved mine thought I was the coolest kid ever on it.
Growing up in Manhattan during the birth of mountain biking, we had a really nice bike shop, known as TOGA (now know as GOTHAM which always had great inventory. I recall always had Top notch inventory. one day a customer test riding a SLING SHOT, gorgeous, but very odd mountain bike.
Potential customer client on the bike and sped off around the block. Minutes later, he returned the bike and said to the shop salesman “ this thing not be sold to the general public!! 😅
Had a go on a Brooklyn race link when i was 17 and working in a bike shop. Only up the road and back but i took 2 things away, 1 it was around 40kg and 2 when i rode up the curb it was like the curb wasn't even there. Felt like a crosser with cranks
Top 3
1 Yeti C26
2 Fat chance shock-a-billy mark 2
3 Yeti ARC
Any Lawill Schwinn beats all three.
@floydblandston108 but I already have a Yeti Lawwill DH6
I have a Trek Y 5 and a Gary Fisher Joshua
There was a bike called the Chic Shock or similar, maybe made by Balfa, it used rubber bands mounted externally for the suspension. I'm not sure if it was only the fork on a hardtail or if it had also rear suspension.
I live near Bromont and started biking in that period, I remember that bridge, it was scary. I never jumped it.
I have a 2001 Gary Fisher beer bike after some upgrades it's the most beautiful bike to ride outstanding
You forgot to mention the Mantra design would force all the weight forward going downhill. A lot of people became lawn darts.
Haha, thanks for that! Also, I’m borrowing lawn darts 🎯 😂
i am from a time where elevated chainstay were a thing
my dreambike was a Rock Mountain Experience. in my teens i never could afford such a thing, but it was just looking awesome
sad also that modern bikes mostly looking stealth and nobody use colours anymore like Klein did.
not only was Klein's paintjobs awesome, they also at time welded the biggest alu tubes together. for today standards they may seem thin, but at the time their diameter were almost twice the size of every other bike tube
GT Xizang one of the most beautiful bikes and hoping they will bring it out again.
That tandem is the Quasimodo of bikes
😂
Just got around to watching this vid 12 days late... And immediately have to weigh in. As a former owner (got stolen) the Checker Pig was a design with loafs of potential.
Okay, not the carbon spars that spring the fork (which was a sort of upside down design, with cantilever brakes!), which ran in plastic sleeves, or the carbon ring, bith of which had , naturally, zero damping but boy could that thing bunny hop. You just compressed it and let go and you cleared and curb/log/pedestrian of choice.
The rear suspension design was actually pretty good, very low pivot. Always wondered what it could have been like with a proper shock and fork.
Finally sold my BMW TMX earlier this year - with 26/4x3.0's siesmic hubs and avy our back and super monster t up front - weighed 36kg and had its own gravity well too - a beast and may well reappear online next year with new owner - fancied a Balfa back when but BMW came along at right price
BMW bikes are a thing of obscure beauty. Quite legendary now too!
I know it's a weird bike, and it gets a lot of hate, but I love Trek's Y22. Purely iconic!
my brother in law still has one. Always thught they looked lovely. I borrowed one for a video years back, and enjoyed riding it!
Slingshot bikes were wildly popular in Michigan (where they were invented originally) for XC racers and riders. Like anything else, it just was too weird to catch on, but they did ride great.
I did have the pleasure (?) of riding Trek's 1992 full suspension, the 9000, and it was literally the worst kinematic I've ever experienced with a bike. It bobbed just from looking at it.
Also pushed a Klein Mantra around Winter Park Colorado in the 1990's, the bike actually climbed really well, but you had to take your feet off the pedals for the downhills or get your legs turned into jelly.....the AMP B-3 that came after was far better looking, and riding........then the Turner Burner, another quantum leap forward....and.......come to think about it, all those bikes were kinda weird!
That’s exactly why I didn’t care for Kleins. Too stiff! They rattled the rider going downhill. I was a Fat Chance Yo Eddy rider when I raced XC in Alaska in the early 90s and I always felt like I had the superior bike.
Thanks for commenting, loving reading through all these! The Amp B2 is still my all-time favourite looking MTB. I have one to rennovate, but life has been a bit busy. Need to clear out a lot of stuff before I start a project. Strictly on a one-in-one-out rule at the moment!
My 1996 Santa Cruz Heckler is still my favourite bike. It looks like the prototype for a modern trail bike, with the right setup it rides surprisingly modern compared to other bikes of its era, mine measures in around 66 degrees up front with a 100mm Z1 Bomber, Rock Shox Super Deluxe in the back, coil sprung, oil dampened. It's just a really really great bike, yet when I overtake slowpokes on the climbs, or park it in the rack outside the cafe at the local bike park nobody even bats an eyelid...
I do have a Trek-era 1999 Klein Attitude Race though, 1.5kg for the frame, internal cable routing, blue fade paint. People definitely stop to look at it.
I had a 1997 GT LTS that was horrendous, I hated the way it behaved under braking, and it felt like I was sitting on top of the bike, rather than in the bike like my Heckler. I sold it very shortly after acquiring it.
Nicolai Nucleon gearbox bikes have to be some of the most horrific looking of all time, though respect to them for trying.
And you can't talk crazy Balfa without mentioning the nouveau riche !
Superco Silencer also tried to bring back the BMW designs
Rode the Kirk but it wasn’t as sloppy as the slingshot or squaretubed pace frame. We put up with some shocking bikes just because we assumed that anything new had to be an improvement.
yeah absolutely - but I still just have fond memories or how much new stuff was appearing constantly back then!
12:08 That thing is far from ugly. In fact, it looks sleek, minimalistic, and elegant. I'd ride that Mantra, even with those V-brakes.
Hey Doddy, wasn’t there an Adroit years ago in MBUK with the design of Mint Sauce completely covering it? I can’t find a pic of it anywhere though
not sure TBH. You sure it wasn't a Zinn?
@ Hmm, think it was a Klein, maybe it was in MBR or some other mag?
I just picked up a bicycle that I’ve always wanted it’s a 1996 Klein Pulse 2 in black it was just a frame so I went all out with period correct XTR group set I also put a Girvin vector smart fork on it.
open bath marzocchis..agh no coating on inner bits, 2 rides after the fresh oil change everything was the pretty same gray oily sludge
Pro-Flex had some real horrors I thinking cannodale had a few too but to be fair most of the big bike brands have few scary skeletons to look back on
Doddys face at 12:10 , pure disgust . Brilliant .
🤣
Hi great channel i do recall a bike it had square tubing forgot the name think it was in the 90s think forks were ridged had a metal brushed finish really big welds on it 🎉
it was made by pace cycles,
Pace research bikes, from Yorkshire in the UK. They were incredibly advanced - they used square 'tubes' and were milled externally (like external butting) to save weight and adjust the feel. They used a one-piece stem and steerer tube, that would adjust the headset from the bottom and be secured by the fork crown (the first example of the Aheadset design). They also had grease nipples for feeding grease to the bearings and a whole load of other innovative features. Would really love one for my collection, but they still go for a lot of money.
Yes you should do a top ten show, and bye the way this show was wicked good. What do you think of a modernized Sling-shot concept using modern materials and perhaps a pivot where the flex plate was on the old version? Well done Sir. and have a great Halloween. Cheers - M
Happy Halloween!
TOP TEN. YES please!
Dave Cullinan used to ride for Kuwahara during his BMX racing days.
The Klein Mantra (and the URT design generally) get a lot of flak they don't deserve, usually from those who don't understand how they work. Firstly, low pivot URT's *are* junk.
High ones- like the Klein- were meant to be used WITHOUT a sprung fork, and *with* a rider capable of understanding and using the changing effects of actively loading and unloading to effect ride and handling to the terrain. They were never meant to be big travel DH bikes, but a means of bringing suspension to lightweight XC frames.
Way back in the 90's when I got my first decent job and was able to buy my first new mountain bike I was tempted by the Klein but the Trek was similarly equipped but cheaper and I cheaped out. I still regret it as I agree Klein made the best looking bikes around
I am wondering about the pedal kick-back on that Iron horse bike.
It had ALL the kickback you could ask for...........
@@jokermtb Yeah, after I commented, I saw he mentioned it wasn't good.
My buddy had an original San Andreas that looked like aircraft quality.
First time I've heard you taking the piss out of bikes......strange days indeed.
I've mocked bikes for years!
Yellow Dee Max wheels. Way cool!
I love the mantra... I own three frames.
I had my 2003 Monster T for 15 years. Never serviced it and it was still performing fine when I sold it in 2022 for £799 (4 times what I paid for it 🤣)
Three bikes for me, well 4-
Manitou HT
Klein Adroit
Chas Robert’s DOGS BOLX
Pace RC200
Damn, I want a rigid Klien so bad. ❤
Cool look back at the bikes of yesteryear. I remember quizzing a salesman in a bike shop about the URT bikes. He insisted it was great and i was like it's literally worst of all worlds..
Actually wanted to ask much as i agree they were mad, it seems a bit cold to rip into these as "disgusting ". For better or worse they were somones design experiment baby. I dunno just feels bad having so much media recently just tearing them apart so raw.
The first Slingshot production bikes were actually BMX race bikes back in the early 80's.
wow, cool fact!
I kinda want a Mantra for city rides. One honorable,enrion should be the Proflex. I have a 95 855. An absolute beauty in my opinion. But it feels like you’re riding on the handlebars! So awkward!
Can’t beat yellow Dee max wheels 😮
Schwinn Straight Six.... not freaky... just awesome.
I have a Klein Attitude with the night storm paint and a GT STS 200 carbon fiber with aluminum joints and a RS DHO and a Jamis Diablo carbon monocoque with a Manitou triple clamp fork all bikes that were not cookie cutter bikes.
The last bike looks like it was on the roof rack when they tried to get in the garage!
How did you miss out on the Allsop Softride bike Doddy? That thing was horrendous looking! 🤣
it was in a recent video I made, so I didn't want to duplicate! But yeah, horrifying! The stem worked really well though TBH!
Cool old tat 😉
Surely some of the scariest and 'best' bikes must be some of the 90's Cannondale concept bikes - made in colab with Alex Pong
Yes! The roller skate bike 😂
@@DoddyMTBtech that one would be the scariest to ride!! 😱😂