UKC

Oldest steed?

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
 Tall Clare 27 Aug 2012
I've just started exploring the thrilling world of mountain biking, and I'm using a borrowed bike until I decide it's worth getting a new one of my own (i.e. saving up!)

It's been pointed out to me that using a 17 year old Cannondale complete with Headshok system is like learning to drive in a car with a manual choke, no power steering, etc. Still, it seems to be doing the job for the time being.

It got me thinking, though - what's the oldest bike being regularly used by a UKCer?
 Bob Hughes 27 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare: Gary Fisher Big Sur, 1998
 johnl 27 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare: 1952 Raleigh Lenton Sports, 1972 Carlton Corsa, 1950s Phillips Sports plus a load of others, although I would really like a 50s Horace Bates.
 Tom Last 27 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:

Kona Lava Dome - bought second hand in 1998. Still expecting it to snap in half!
 johnl 27 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare: The Cannondales with the headshocks are still great bikes for general trail work and are starting to become "collectable" by enthusiasts.
 Oceanic 27 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:

1962 Mercian that my mum used to time trial on. Only the frame though, I replaced all the other bits with new stuff last year.
 johnl 27 Aug 2012
In reply to Southern Man: Another classic, you can't beat a steel frame and unlike aluminium you won't snap it.
 ayuplass 27 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare: I'm using a 1991/92 GT backwoods with Maribou forks. It does the job but when I had a go on someone's modern bike I couldn't get over how good disk brakes were. I'm upgrading soon
 lost1977 27 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:

have a orange p7 frame from around 96-97 with a pair of judy's sitting next to me waiting to be rebuilt
 lost1977 27 Aug 2012
In reply to lost1977:

the above project will have to wait until i finish my new track bike
OP Tall Clare 27 Aug 2012
In reply to lost1977:

My brother has a P7 from that sort of time - still in (occasional) use.
 Timmd 27 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:

I'm riding a fully rigid mtb from the early 90s at the moment, and i've an old FW Evans road bike/frame from the 60s possibly, don't know how old it is exactly though.
Removed User 27 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:

1990ish Trek 970 in use as commuter and for getting into remote hills.

Just sold a mid 90s Concorde Squadra EL and am still slightly regretting it.
 DaveHK 27 Aug 2012
In reply to Southern Man:
> (In reply to Tall Clare)
>
> Kona Lava Dome - bought second hand in 1998. Still expecting it to snap in half!

1990 Lava Dome still going strong as a tourer and some time rigid MTB. Kona had it dialled way back then.

 The New NickB 27 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:

1996 GT that I do a few miles on every so often if I want to go off road.
 CM 27 Aug 2012
In reply to DaveHK: MTN TEK awesome ridgid bike XT throughout so solid survived a santa cruz super light and lapierre x-control. still a great bike no-one has heard of...
 Timmd 27 Aug 2012
In reply to Timmd:
> (In reply to Tall Clare)
>
> I'm riding a fully rigid mtb from the early 90s at the moment, and i've an old FW Evans road bike/frame from the 60s possibly, don't know how old it is exactly though.

MTB is a Mongoose Switchback in red, am going to have a disc brake mount brazed onto the back and some disc forks made by Field Cycles in Sheffield when I have the cash.

Am thinking it'll pay for itself eventually in me not having to replace rims as they wear out, the rims which were hardly used when put onto this bike are starting to show signs of wear after a bit less than a year approx.
 JSA 27 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:

'96 GT Zaskar LE in judy yellow (really stands out in a crowd)
 Dom Whillans 27 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:
1989 Kona Lava Dome. Now running slick tyres, V brakes and a respray. There's a bit of a theme developing on this thread, isn't there?
Don't be a moaner, get a Kona.
 Kevin Forde 27 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:
Commuting 15km each way to work on a 1979 Nishiki Landau, though *most* of the drivetrain is fairly new.

However, if anyone has a threaded Uniglide 12T or 13T sprocket around you could really make my day...
 cousin nick 27 Aug 2012
In reply to JSA:
> (In reply to Tall Clare)
>
> '96 GT Zaskar LE in judy yellow (really stands out in a crowd)



'98 GT Zaskar. Forks, headset and wheels and drivechain replaced and it still gets ridden every week. Love it!
 stonemaster 27 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare: Early 80s Muddy Fox 18 gears, rigid and weighs it!
 gethin_allen 27 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:
I have a 1996 Marin muirwoods that still gets the occasional run out. Saying that it is a 1996 bike is probably being a bit disingenuous though as only the frame, the front wheel and the mechs are original.

I should probably get rid of it as I have other bikes and would like to make space, but, I've had it since new and it was my first proper MTB.

I used to ride a ~1986 Peugeot Avoriaz road bike back and forth to work but the mailard hub went and in the ensuing crash i bent pretty much every component of the bike and had to get rid of it.
In reply to gethin_allen:

Does this question not get into the Trigger's Broom problem

youtube.com/watch?v=5XGqxAZz88M&



 jonnie3430 27 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:

1956 Schwinn SS Cruiser, where it all came from.
 Wilst 28 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:

A 1950's Hoffie steel track frame on my fixie gets used most days (when it's not in peices) which is good fun and a really nice ride even on really crappy roads. My first proper mtn bike was my dad's old chromo xc diamondback hardtail from the mid 90's with a set of Pace RC36's with the brakes on the back of the fork and period xt, it was great! Only finally made the move to a full susser this year.

I think old steel mountain bikes are pretty cool and so much better looking than all the new hydroformed aluminium stuff. Learning to ride on a hardtail without much travel makes you learn pretty quickly about picking a line and makes you a much better rider in the long run.
 Mark D 28 Aug 2012
In reply to johnl:
> (In reply to Southern Man) Another classic, you can't beat a steel frame and unlike aluminium you won't snap it.

Now that's not quite true is it.
 Escher 28 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare: I have a 93 Clockwork Orange in a box waiting to be rebuilt, can't wait to ride it again, haven't done for 15 years.
 johnl 28 Aug 2012
In reply to Mark D: Not quite but aluminium is much more likely to suffer stress fractures, also steel is much easier to weld back together.
 Richard Carter 28 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:


1973 Viscount Grand Prix.

Although to be fair it doesn't look very old as some one I know powder coated the frame for me and the groupset is a mixture of Shimano 5700/6700 parts :-P
 Mooncat 28 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:

Occasionally ride a 1937 Baines Flying gate and a 1953 Hetchins, too nice to ride regularly though. My almost daily ride is a 1991 653 framed Cougar with Campag Chorus 8sp.
 Cuthbert 28 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:

We have a 1927 Raleigh Tandem.
 gethin_allen 28 Aug 2012
In reply to Mark D:
> (In reply to johnl)
> [...]
>
> Now that's not quite true is it.

My old Marin has a lifetime guarantee on the frame, I'm not sure how comprehensive this is but it does go to suggest that they are confident in their products.
So far I haven't been able to break it.
 steveriley 28 Aug 2012
Main road bike was a 1989 531 steel thing until 2 months ago. It never fotted quite right! Now missing pedals and awaiting a new home with an old friend right now. 1994 Marin Pine Mountain has just ventured to the South Coast to start a new life with another carer. Hack bike is the thing I built whilst still at school, ahem, around 1980?
 Guy 28 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare: 1981 Peugeot Tourmalet which I have had from new when I was a wee lad (never grew!) I updated it a long time ago with Biopace which I now think of as resistance training
 steve taylor 28 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:

Marin HawkHill rigid MTB from the early 90s which is excellent, but has been converted to hybrid status, plus a Claud Butler Majestic (531 frame) from early 80's which is about to be serviced to become my work bike (to save my Specialized Allez from getting wrecked over the winter).
 LastBoyScout 28 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:

Mountain bike = fully-rigid Trek Singletrack 970, 1995 model, bought in 1996, I think - might be a year later.

I also have a 1960s-ish Motobecane Inter Club road tandem, which I've entered the Bishops Castle Tandem Triathlon on a few times.
 Tricky Dicky 28 Aug 2012
In reply to gethin_allen:
>
> My old Marin has a lifetime guarantee on the frame, I'm not sure how comprehensive this is but it does go to suggest that they are confident in their products.
> So far I haven't been able to break it.

My Dynatech titanium frame had a lifetime guarantee, but when it snapped they replaced it with a heavier steel frame. Those guarantees don't mean much..........

diablo 28 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:

recently, i bought a Carerra second hand. I liked it as it was black, lots of gears and slick tyres. Mainly as I'm interested in speed rather than grip Then, I found it was from Halfords It goes quite well, considering the age of the user. And I've gone travelling distances that only should be considered with a car.

A bit different to my Tour de France replicas I has when i was at school. It's more robust in that I'm not getting back wheels for it as i used to try to use them off road.

Makes me sound like a bike heathen ?

diablo 28 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:

PS, good to see you're still around
 rousse 28 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare: 1990 Marin Eldridge Grade MTB, with the grey 'Zolatone' frame and fluorescent orange bar, stem and forks. More a commuter these days though, but did get used for proper mountain biking way back when. No front suspension was a killer!
 Andrew W 28 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare: 1983 dawes imperial on almost all original parts only parts that I've replaced are both derailleurs due to me stripping the threads.
cobbwebb 28 Aug 2012
In reply to lost1977:
Ahhh I have an Orange Clockwork half built waiting for time and love....in the meantime a Specialised Rockhopper is being lashed about a bit.

never quite took to the fangly stuff...though I reckon they would be great for my wrists these days!
Hairybiker 29 Aug 2012
1996 Proflex 856. Still a head-turner - walked into the bike shop with it the other day and one of the staff wanted to take a picture of it!
 Hat Dude 29 Aug 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:
Suspect I may have the oldest carbon road bike on here; a mid 90s Giant Cadex which I bought 2nd hand in 2000. Original frame with lots of replacement bits on it including carbon forks.
Weighs a ton compared with new carbon frames but rides nicely.
 Graham C 03 Sep 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:
I was out riding at the weekend on my 1992 Salsa a la Carte. still complete with original tyres (though not very air tight), Suntour XC Pro, middleburn cranks, Rock Shox Mag 21SL Ti forks.
I last rode it in the Brighton Big Dog in 2009, before that I used it for National Points series until about 1995.
My friends were riding their "old" bikes too.... A Fat Chance Yo Eddy, and an Ibis Mojo.

I also have a Cannondale Raven Super V 4000, rare too, in raw carbon, that will be out for a ride soon, that is a 1997 vintage I think.

I've owned both of them from new.
 stewieatb 03 Sep 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:

I have a steel road bike, probably French-made, the original stem has '1990' marked on it. I acquired it on here actually. She is very much due an overhaul, so the frame is going in to the bike shop tomorrow to get the BB removed and the headset races pressed out, then it's going to the workshop for a shot-blast and powder-coat. When it comes back from there, it's getting a new BB and a rebuild. Unfortunately it's my Oxford town bike and it lives outside for most of the year, as my college has no covered bike racks, so it suffers a bit.
In reply to Tall Clare:
Fully rigid Orange c16r. Now relegated as a tourer but it has done penmachno in the not to distant past.
Still not totally convinced that its right with drop bars!
loverly to ride though
 FrankBooth 07 Sep 2012
In reply to Tall Clare:
Got a 1930s' tandem that gets dusted down from time to time. Bought on ebay largely on impulse - good fun for nipping to the pub and back!
 lost1977 07 Sep 2012
In reply to mountainpenguin:

if i catch you using an Orange C16r with drop bars i might give you a good kicking and rescue and rehome your bike

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...