My first real mtn bike I bought was a 89' KHS Comp (black with purple metallic splashes and yellow lettering) hardtail, Suntour shifting, and no front suspension. I went front suspension with a black Trek 6000 (orange decals) in 1991 or so, complete with the gold Rock Shox Mag 21 (which I later painted black) and custom built wheels.
Next came my dream bike a 1996 Rocky Mountain Thin Air - probably the lightest mountain bike I ever will own - superlight hardtail that I still miss - bright yellow! I should note that was my last bike as a bachelor (about ten years ago - crazy!). I rode it a good three years or so and made the move to full suspension.
Riding my Thin Air - June 1996 - Toniata
I bought a used Trek Y-3 aluminum with a sweet Rock Shox SID 100 in the front from a friend of mine - it actually was a brand new frame due to warranty issue on the previous frame. It also was black but with red trim. Too much bob action for me and man was it heavy. I rode it maybe 2 years or so and decided to go lighter weight but still full suspension. I ended up purchasing my current bike a 2002 Giant NRS2 which I really have enjoyed the last three years.
Hmm...my post turned from "beef" to "relief" to a historical retrospective "life and times of my mountain bikes!" I guess that's what happens when one is passionate about exploring a sport like mountain biking!
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Bummer. I've had some similar bike shop experiences at the place we've bought our bikes from, usually as a result of bad communication between employees who are stressed, but warranty/services problems do seem to fall to the bottom of the priority list at most places. This time of year it's surprising too, because they shouldn't be that busy.
Cool trip down bicycle memory lane. That's some kick-ass hardware. I've tended to cheap out on my bikes over the years:
-- 1987 Baysport, canary yellow, $200. Kent Kroeker took this one on his half-pipe and pretzeled the rear rim. Classic department store bike, and it would best be forgotten except that I took it on my first real mountain bike ride at Walhalla. Milt and Kirk Karlowski just punished me...can't believe I wanted to ride again.
-- used 1985-ish Norco Bigfoot, $200 from Paul Dyck in Morris. It had mostly dysfunctional Suntour components, but served me well for years. I think it ended up sold for $5 at Syd Reimer's garage sale in the early '90s.
-- 1994 Bonelli, fully rigid, $400. My first "real" mountain bike bought new from Royal Sport Shop in Winnipeg. Still works.
-- used 1994 Trek 830, $350, with 2"-travel grey Rock Shox cheapo fork. Angelo rebuilt this bike for me and got it working really sweet.
-- used 1996 Norco Rampage, $350 with a 3" Rock Shox "DH" (ha haha) fork and Rhyno Lite rims. Still probably the most fun bike I've ever owned -- sweet steel frame and components that worked great together. It was built pretty beefy for the time.
-- used 1998 Specialized FSR Extreme, $1000, cannibalizing parts off the old Norco. Introduction to full-suspension, 4" dual-crown fork and 3" in the back was considered a freeride bike back then. Five years of solid service, but unfortunately this was yet another garbage Rock Shox fork that blew cartridges by the six-pack.
-- 2004 Kona Stinky. Amazing bike going downhill, a total pig to climb. Tough as nails and super fun.
Oooh, that was fun. We're such bike geeks.
Cool retrospective that only a true bike geek can appreciate! Something that sticks with me from my dealings with bike shop mechanics was when this greasy guys says, "Hey you actually ride your bike eh? The bikes we usually get are usually wrecked from poor maintenance but you really ride!"
I took that as a compliment - I used to fear that first scratch on the new frame but now I revel in and I look forward to scratches on a new frame - each with a story! My NRS2 frame has wear from the cable housing rubbing on the paint, numerous scratches from granite drop-offs or boulders from the Whiteshell, and my pedals are barely recognizable as Time ATAC's...
Cheers to singletrack, sweet downhill, and thigh screaming climbs!
Wow! What a miriad of bikes! I think I've had 4. And I don't even remember what they are. The one I have now would be this...
--- used 1998 Specialized FSR Extreme, $1000, cannibalizing parts off the old Norco. Introduction to full-suspension, 4" dual-crown fork and 3" in the back was considered a freeride bike back then. Five years of solid service, but unfortunately this was yet another garbage Rock Shox fork that blew cartridges by the six-pack.
...with the blown-out shocks and all. But hey, it works. Thanks Jer, btw. ;) I envy both of you a bit for the commitment you can give to such a wicked sport. You're warriors, truly.
Cheers back atchya. Well said!
Angelo and I got our fair share of singletrack goodness in the past 30 hours, going on two great (albeit cold) rides. The first was yesterday afternoon just before dusk, out on a nice loop that Jason and I did this spring on Rattlesnake Mountain here in Summerland.
Then this morning we headed back to an area near Penticton that I'm in love with -- hour and a half of steady granny-gear climbing to get up to a mountain top overlooking the valley, then 45 solid minutes of fast, flowing singletrack descent. Dreamy. Every ride these days feels like it might be last, making it extra sweet.
So true Jer - the season is fleeting and I definitely wanted to make the best of it on Friday afternoon. Pat bailed on us due to a sore ankle so it was just me and my buddy Jason. I was still riding a long travel bike - too cushy for me but we put on 14km on brand new singletrack - sweet rolling hills through some pretty impressive red and white pine stands. Saw a bald eagle and plenty of crows - must have been a kill nearby! We just keep finding new trail - it never ends. We keep saying we've found the Shangri-La of the Sandilands and at any minute we'll wake up and it's all gone. We actually lost the trail for a bit over a forested clear-cut area - the devastation is brutal but we found our way through!
Jason - my brother has all a wack of my handed down bikes and he's not complaining other than the fact he rarely gets to ride. The nice thing about hand-me-downs are you didn't have to pay all that $$$ and taxes initially!
Oh did I mention is was plus ten degrees celsius on Nov. 11 in southern Manitoba!!! Rumor has it snow will be arriving Monday but I'm hoping to ride into December!
Snow has arrived as forecasted but so has my new frame! Turns out I'll be in possession of a 2005 Giant NRS red frame - as soon as I can make to Winnipeg...my plans to go were somewhat halted by our snowy weather!!!
Well, there is a certain inevitability with the snow, right? The fact that you were still riding this week means you got a nice long season. Sucks when you've got new gear to try to try out, though...
I've never been to Sandilands in summer -- only ever snowmobiled there, and I remember it being incredible...fast, swoopy hills and thick forest.
Yeah - living in Manitoba = snow but we were hoping to bike into December. There is something about doing something you shouldn't be doing in a given part of the year like running a whitewater river in December in a kayak. There are a few memories that I have like that - biking across Rice Lake (cold but no snow - just miles of ice!), skating with a sail across Red Rock, playing soccer on my birthday (March 9) on grass, running the Gull River in kayak while it was snowing, waterskiing in the snow, etc.
And yes the Sandilands are fine piece of Manitoba - kms and kms of singletrack; you'll have to join Pat and I sometime!
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