Retro MTB racing

Wezzo

Dirt Disciple
Are there any Classic MTB Race series in the UK. Almost every other mode of transport has a race group, e.g Classic Racing Motorcycle Club, British Historic Racing, Yamaha Past Masters, etc. for motorbikes. Being a 50+ and what I understand is termed a Grand Veteran, I’m not sure I want to rock up to any of the modern events. Besides which, modern MTBs really don’t float my boat
 
There's a gang of RBers who like to enter numerous race series riding retro bikes. Check the events section to see if anything tickles your fancy. There's a few teams, most relaxed, some less-relaxed, entered into the 2019 Mountain Mayhem next June. Again,check the events section.

You'll struggle to find any classic MTB race series. Availability and cost of replacement parts that are likely to perish or deteriorate with race use is a put-off for some in a true racing sense. Not to mention that several race events are struggling with entries nowadays, I can't see there ever being an appetite for a large scale classic/retro series or championship, unless someone uncovers a shitload of super cheap retro tyres, mechs, chains and fork parts.
 
There's a gang of RBers who like to enter numerous race series riding retro bikes.
I don't normally reply to 2.5 year old posts.
But I'm interested in this and have joined this forum to try to find out if any like minded folk exist. Anyone able to point me in the right direction (I'm UK South Coast based).
While people might get a bit upset that I am not hanging old 1990s racing MTBs on my wall, I believe doing so is a bit of a waste. But then none of my bikes are immaculate OCD jobbies so I might as well use them.

I'm toying with the idea of entering the next race in the Southern Enduro series on my full rigid 1994 Cadex CFM3 (owned from new, but with all the DX 7 speed gear recently taken off it and put carefully away when I saw how hard it is to get that stuff). And with a shorter stem and bigger, more modern front tyre and none age specific Avid arch rivals for (slightly) better braking. I contacted the organiser and he thought it was a great idea. I've been up a few times and played on all the trails it's held on (Queen Elizabeth Country Park near Portsmouth), and it's all totally doable, only blue and red runs with no jumps anywhere over about knee high- and all the jumps have ride-arounds anyway for those who need them. No nasty gap jumps or anything.

Also, I know there will be much better riders there on the day, but so far I've been catching up with a surprising number of the riders on their full suspension bikes- downhill. Sometimes wildly so- there seem to often be people on 6 grand full suspension bikes going literally half the speed they could be doing. A lot of it is fairly flat and narrow with lots of trees to thread between- narrow bars, short wheelbase, steeper head angle and flickable rigid forks are actually quite useful. Also, people forget, that towards the lower end of the talent curve where I reside, having crap brakes actually can make you faster downhill. Some of the nicest, most flowing and fastest sections of riding I have done lately have been after my battered forearms cannot sqeeze the brakes properly while also holding the bars hard enough any longer! Even when I can squeeze the brakes, if I'm going well the tyres are often not in contact with the ground anyway. Indeed, I've come to the conclusion that some people (many people) should not be allowed hydraulic disc brakes, as they are too tempted to hang off them all the way down. Uphill and on the flat it's only the eBikes that have been troubling me so far.
The way I see it, on a 27 year old bike, just finishing somewhere outside of, say, the bottom 20 would be quite satisfying. Enduro racing only times the downhill stages, so it massively stacks the odds against a bike like mine, but in a perverse sort of way that seems to add to the attraction of it.
Does anyone else think like this...

I suggested it to my brother, who also did a bit of MTB racing back in the 90s, retains a Team Marin in good usable (but similarly not garage queen) condition and generally should know better. He cannot see the attraction at all, thinks I will hurt myself very badly, (either physically by crashing, or emotionally by coming a resounding, embarassing, last, or both!). He's point blank refusing to take part and keeps trying to talk me into doing it (If I MUST) on something/ anything more modern with Zebedee forks as a bare minimum.
 
I'm with your brother on this one. It's like racing apples against bananas, theres bound to be a slip up.
 
I don't normally reply to 2.5 year old posts.
But I'm interested in this and have joined this forum to try to find out if any like minded folk exist. Anyone able to point me in the right direction (I'm UK South Coast based).
While people might get a bit upset that I am not hanging old 1990s racing MTBs on my wall, I believe doing so is a bit of a waste. But then none of my bikes are immaculate OCD jobbies so I might as well use them.

I'm toying with the idea of entering the next race in the Southern Enduro series on my full rigid 1994 Cadex CFM3 (owned from new, but with all the DX 7 speed gear recently taken off it and put carefully away when I saw how hard it is to get that stuff). And with a shorter stem and bigger, more modern front tyre and none age specific Avid arch rivals for (slightly) better braking. I contacted the organiser and he thought it was a great idea. I've been up a few times and played on all the trails it's held on (Queen Elizabeth Country Park near Portsmouth), and it's all totally doable, only blue and red runs with no jumps anywhere over about knee high- and all the jumps have ride-arounds anyway for those who need them. No nasty gap jumps or anything.

Also, I know there will be much better riders there on the day, but so far I've been catching up with a surprising number of the riders on their full suspension bikes- downhill. Sometimes wildly so- there seem to often be people on 6 grand full suspension bikes going literally half the speed they could be doing. A lot of it is fairly flat and narrow with lots of trees to thread between- narrow bars, short wheelbase, steeper head angle and flickable rigid forks are actually quite useful. Also, people forget, that towards the lower end of the talent curve where I reside, having crap brakes actually can make you faster downhill. Some of the nicest, most flowing and fastest sections of riding I have done lately have been after my battered forearms cannot sqeeze the brakes properly while also holding the bars hard enough any longer! Even when I can squeeze the brakes, if I'm going well the tyres are often not in contact with the ground anyway. Indeed, I've come to the conclusion that some people (many people) should not be allowed hydraulic disc brakes, as they are too tempted to hang off them all the way down. Uphill and on the flat it's only the eBikes that have been troubling me so far.
The way I see it, on a 27 year old bike, just finishing somewhere outside of, say, the bottom 20 would be quite satisfying. Enduro racing only times the downhill stages, so it massively stacks the odds against a bike like mine, but in a perverse sort of way that seems to add to the attraction of it.
Does anyone else think like this...

I suggested it to my brother, who also did a bit of MTB racing back in the 90s, retains a Team Marin in good usable (but similarly not garage queen) condition and generally should know better. He cannot see the attraction at all, thinks I will hurt myself very badly, (either physically by crashing, or emotionally by coming a resounding, embarassing, last, or both!). He's point blank refusing to take part and keeps trying to talk me into doing it (If I MUST) on something/ anything more modern with Zebedee forks as a bare minimum.
😅😅Brilliant
 
I'd love to see a retro enduro series. Perhaps make it pre 2000 only. Modern parts allowed for consumables such as drivetrain, tyres, grips etc. Maybe modern bars and stems allowed. Time penalties for any other modern parts. Mandatory that at least the frame fork and suspension is pre 2000.
 

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