1991 GT Avalanche, originally with Rock Shox Mag 20s. Not much left of the original bike except bars, shifters, grips, ders, crank. Can't part with the frame though!

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/4435/gt8006003ap.jpg

Here's a mid 80's Novara Aspen that I picked up in a thrift shop for $70. It was the second thrift shop find of my budding "career", and it got me full-on back into biking and started the whole thrift shop haunting routine I have since developed. This bike was as clean as could be when I picked it up, and I rode it all over town for a couple of years before selling it for $100.

I wish I still had it.... :(

Here's three pics - the first is my old Peugeot - another mid 80's bike that I found at a thrift for $5, and put about $20 into to make it rideable. The second is another photo of the red Novara. I sold the Peugeot for $100, and bought the nicer Novara for $70.

Both are seen in full dress, configured as RAV - Rabbit Assault Vehicles. I have a taste for bunnies..... :eek:

The third photo is of the current incarnation of the RAV - a 1997 Gary Fisher Joshua Y

WOW! Cool bike! LOVE where you're riding! It's gorgeous, and I'm incredibly jealous! :D

I have been corresponding with one of the other forum members, who has been lamenting the teal paint on his Ross. When I pointed out to him that he should be thankful that he did not have the teal and pink Ross Mt. Hood, he found it hard to believe that anyone would market that combination. Well, here it is, in a file photo. THIS IS NOT MY BICYCLE. Don't you just love the bulbous stem?

However, I do have a 1988 GT Karakoram, as depicted in the other pic. Again, this is a stock, file photo, as you guys would ban me if I showed a pic of it's current condition. The bicycle is just worn out, after 3 years as my race bicycle and two further years as by winter bicycle. I only made three changes; SPuDs, bar end extensions and a Cinelli Unicanitor saddle. Out of the five ATBs I have owned, it is not the lightest, most expensive or oldest, but it is my sentimental favourite. It is from the period when riding and racing off-road was a pleasure and not a chore.

That stem looks like it ought to belong on the Ambiguously Gay Duo's bike! :lol:

OH the humanity!!!!!!! :)

Well it's not a vintage mountain bike but it is vintage off-road. 1955 Monark.

Oh, I like the Monark. I love the funky geometry! That really rocks! :D

Looks like the original vintage mountain bike to me...

I'm guessing this is exactly the kind of thing the guys in Crested Butte (or wherever, I'm not trying to start an argument) used when they started all this craziness. I love how the seatpost curves echo the top tubes.

I'll have to take a new picture of mine and post it.

1988 Schwinn Project KOM-10 Team Issue
"Team USA" Paramount-style red-white-blue paint job
"obsolete" under-chainstay U-brake
"obsolete" front SunTour RollerCam brake
black Ritchey rims
SunTour XC derailleurs with "obsolete" thumb shifters
"obsolete" 4-finger motorcycle-style Shimano brake levers
Brooks Team Pro saddle
Nitto stem with "obsolete" hole for front brake cable

don't ask me why, but I dig those GT's...

Hey thanks for the love guys. I expects the kids to dis me as they go past on their new stuff but I'll try to keep up with them with 37 pounder with 65 year old cranks on the downside.

Nice bike. I have a 1993 GT Ricochet and I absolutely love the triple triangle design. I have friends trying to get me to give up the frame, but I won't!

Oh, trust me....if they're dissing you, it's just because they are either jealous....or ignorant! :D

http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/8...05large8ci.jpg

http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/8123/wedge3mm.jpg

This is my 1988 Rocky Mountain Wedge (17.5") that is still my main ride today. In 1988 it was extreme as it had that radical sloping Toptube that was strange in comparision to level top tubes. It came with Full Deore XT 6-speed with U-Brakes front and back.


The Frame is Tange Prestige and it is all Filet brazed. It came with a costom 6 color splatter paint that is still lovely to look at today inspite of all the hard miles this bike has seen. Note the cable routing along the top tube, that was also different for a MTB of this era.

It was hand made in Vancouver Canada by Lance Bolen, now CEO of Rocky.

I have graded it over the years to a 7 speed system, as well I have rebuilt the wheels with Mavic rims, alloy nipples and 14/15/14 double butted spokes. It has a Titanium Bottom bracket with self extracting crank bolts. It had a matching fork, however the steer tube was bent on a jump, so I replaced it with a Syncros straight fork, then the Judy when suspension forks come out.



http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/1298/gtright7lq.jpg

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/7482/gtleft1af.jpg


This is a 1988 GT Karakoram K2 (17.5"). I put slicks on it this summer and will turn this in to a full commuter with fenders and lights. I had bought it for my wife back then, however we later upgraded her MTB to a better fitting frame 1 year later and this one hung in the rafters of the garage forever.....


The best part of this bike is the Kickstand :) I love having this :p

I don't have a photo yet but I just picked up a Parkpre Grand Sport at Play it Again Sports for $10 and a pair of ancient rollerblades. Anyway, as I take it apart it seems to me it was never ridden hard, just left out in the weather. The spokes are very rusty, and there's rust on a few other areas, but overall not bad for next to nothing. Not sure what year it is, but guess mid 90s. I plan to fix it up and ride it! :o

We have a 1988 Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo. We picked this up at a Garage sale for my 13 year old. He had a choice between a new X-Mart bike and the Hoo Koo E Koo and chose this bike. (I'm glad he chose the Gary Fisher). The bike is the same as when we bought it. The only changes to the bike were made by the original owner, who changed the seat, rear tire and added the Salsa bars. The front tire is an original Gary Fisher mountain bike tire in good condition. That's the original Owners Manual leaning against the front tire. I also included a picture of the decals in their current condition. My son still uses it weekly and has taken it on three trails near our home. The previous owner kept up the service on the bike as he used it as a loaner to the Boy Scouts on trail hikes. All we did was re-lube the bearings and clean the chain that is still in spec.

Your boy's got taste; raise his allowance.

Great thread.

I used to long for a set of chromed Bull Moose bars with a 531 sticker hung on the wall at my LBS. They probably weighed more than your average modern HT frame...

Still ride an Orange Clockwork (with orange and white fade), must be at least 15 years old. Still use early XT friction shifters.

Wow! all these bikes really show how far cycling has become, but not all necessarily for the best.
The one thing these bikes all had was frame sizing that would fit a 6 ft tall person, a welcome sight in this age of compact frames and threadless headsets. I love this era of mountain bikes absolutely the best. Cutting edge innovation, but still with a healthy respect for tradition.
I own a 1986 Focus MB350 21 inch fully lugged tange chrome moly, 18 speed, double butted, with state of the art Suntour XC Sport components, Sugino triple crank, and get this...old school Dia-Compe Mafac copy cantilevers with actual motorcycle brake levers. Brooks b-17 Champion Standard leather saddle, and micro adjust seatpost, more braze on's than you could ever imagine. The front fork is a work of art,with a large wheel base, it rides like the wind, still has the original IRC 26X2.10 knobby tires. The only things I 've had to replace so far were the chain and stem. I got a new Shimano ultra glide chain 6 speed. The old original Suntour xc stem cracked, but i replaced it with a Nitto retro model. original Ergo grips, slight raised bars and Tange headset all give this bike a once in a life look. I've put 7000 miles or so on this bike and it just keeps on ticking. After 20 years. wheels have never been trued... still razor straight.why? four cross spoke pattern . I'm so sorry i don't have pictures yet, but they are coming soon!!
color? deep dark vintage blue sparkle.
I also have a 1984 BCA (ROSS) Bicycling Corporation of America fully lugged 20 inch frame, full Tange
chrome moly steel tubing, double butted, with shimano deore components, and ...get this... bio pace chainrings added later, fluted seatpost, shimano cantilevers, old school 90 degree type as used on old tandams. I love the black and red headtube paint job. with full braze-ons and great geometry (non-sloping top-tube) excellent leg extention with the big frame and not a mile of seatpost in the air like the new bikes.This bike and the focus are true classics from a totally different time in biking history.
commonly referred to as the..." First Generation, Pre-Suspension Mountain Bike" Era (1978-1987)
(My favorite era for mountain bike's) These bikes need to be saved now! They are getting harder to find! Vintage Ritchey's, Univegas, Diamond backs, Treks, Speciallized stump jumpers, GT Avalanch, Focus's,
Bridgestones, Ross, BCA, Schwinn, Wheeler, and so many more that i can't think of! Save Old Bikes from being thrown in to the trash forever. restore what you can for the next generation. They have never seen a pre- suspension mountain bike, or a classic leather brooks saddle. they think mountain biking is taking a chair life to the top and then hanging ON FOR DEAR LIFE.... oh sh7*7t!!! WHILE THEY BOUNCE AROUND LIKE PING PONG BALL'S DOWN THE MOUNTAIN. they MAY NEVER KNOW WHAT A FINELY CRAFTED LUGGED STEEL FRAME FEELS LIKE!oh well enough of my soap box.
Good Luck and Keep on Biking!

Sorry about the delay in posting this. In addition to the Hoo Koo E Koo I posted earlier, we have a 1989 Nishiki Ariel. This is a pre-Cunningham era Nishiki. I purchased this used and added the Suntour fork and made my own brake cable support. I still have the Chro-moly rigid fork set aside. The only other changes include replacing the original tires that had dry rot and the seat. The seat that came with the bike was a torn, replacement seat. I mounted a Bontrager CRZ+. However, I recently came across an original Nishiki mountain bike seat in fair condition attached to a Schwinn road bike at a garage sale. I bought the whole deal just to get the seat. That's the original owner's manual on the ground. As for the condition of the bike, my youngest son (13) just completed his first advanced MTB trail using the Nishiki.

Just picked up a his and hers (like a Mixte!) Marin, Madrone Trail, bike. designed by Joe Murry,84/85 Nat,l Champion, made in Taiwan. It has the longest wheel base I have ever seen. Kinda looks like a chopper! The men's was way to big for me, so the other one gets the good stuff treatment, like alloy wheels,DNB climber shifters and F&R derailleurrs, brake set up is all Lee Chi, using braze on attachments. Don't know what size the rims are, 26 " I think. 26 x 1 3/8. Oh, 18-speed! also have a suntour av tech front and shimano sis rear derailleurs. Don't know which is the better set up. Any and all comments are welcome. :)

Just measured the wheel base on the Marin and 2 other bikes, all about 42 ", must the frame geometry that makes it look longer!