ok folks, If there had to be JUST ONE...

Augustus

Retrobike Rider
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It's an oldie, and a toughie, but ok, so if there had to be just one...JUST ONE retrobike that sums it all up. One bike that encapsulates all that is retrobike and retrobiking and mountain biking in it's heyday, what would that bike be?

Don't just jump in there with your fave's, think about the context, their impact at the time, think deeper than lust, but at the soul, the language they talked, the conventions they fought against?

Put those pre-conceived ideas, those personal preferences and fond memories aside and be objective. Weigh up things like the Kleins of old and their fat alu tubes being different and a new thing at the time, the Pace's that blew us all away with their mix of uber engineering and oh so stylish design with a hit of funk in that fluro yello on georgeous subtle grey. Or those Fats with their total American-ness and fun confident graphics and their exquisite frame builds? Or those...........

I don't know, I'll have to have a think. Maybe the 1990 Klein Attitude? So Iconic, so exotic hanging there on On Your Bike's wall in Brighton in 1990, so out of reach. A bit obvious maybe? But that's ok if it fit's the bill.

Over to you...
 
Breezer - the inspiration for Mountainbikes (as owned and run by our good friend Repackrider), and thence the first Stumpjumper.
 
surely the (obvious) answer is the (82) stumpjumper? first proper mass produced moutainbike

Edit: beaten by Grahame in the time it took me to find the piccie!
 

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perhaps it's not just about the obvious answer though, or the first, more the true icon, that could be the last retrobike built before the new age, could even be a modern bike because of it's blood line? Or the most undeniably beautiful, or a combination of the best paint and angles and name and welding and and and...
 
Wu-Tangled":2c9r3pqn said:
perhaps it's not just about the obvious answer though, or the first, more the true icon, that could be the last retrobike built before the new age, could even be a modern bike because of it's blood line? Or the most undeniably beautiful, or a combination of the best paint and angles and name and welding and and and...

have you been drinking? :LOL: ;)
 
[/quote]have you been drinking? :LOL: ;)[/quote]

no, but i have eaten the biggest bacon sandwich and packet of kettle chips possible and now feel quite ill. :shock:
 
okay the expanded answer: - the stumpjumper defines what a retro bike is to me; groundbreaking (rather being custom is was off the shelf and a volks-bike!), affordable (relatively) and quite beautiful (look at the biplane forks and the clean skinny tubes)

BUT - it's not a bike I ever used to want (i was 5 at the time!), I'd have one now but itd rarely get ridden (unless I went visiting Marin county :cool: )

so my 'perfect' retro bike would be the 93 Explosif, my 93 cindercone was a revelation after riding my mongoose and the top-of-the-range Explosif was the pinnacle of my bikes ethos; same ride just lighter and better and way more attractive :D

I always lusted after the Pace, Yo's or the salsa, but I never saw one in the flesh those days much less could ever imagine owning one, so the Explosif was it - a tangible dream! (think gradeAfailure said something quite similar on another thread)

(hope that's a bit more what you wanted! if not I'm sure it'll generate some anti-kona comments :LOL: )
 
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