BoTM Jan 2011 Pre' 90 Special - The Poll

Very strong month again and even though there are three way out in front it would be pretty easy to make a good case for half a dozen more at least. That said, amazed that doctor_bond's fantastic Peugeot badged Roberts has had so little love.

I wasn't sure what to go for but in the end plumped for the pistachio Explosif as most evocative of the 80s in the UK (I remember seeing the whole splatter range in FW Evans in The Cut in 1989, back when Evans was still a proper cyclists shop; I wonder f the expansion and dropping the FW were simultaneous and the beginning of the end for their credibility?).

Anyway, seriously close contest, perhaps closest yet at this stage.

GoldenEraMTB":16vuhg5p said:

Oh, one more thing, my condolences to Makster, as it appears your Jamis is heading to a second shut out. Somebody give this bike a vote already.

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Why thankyou kind Sir!

I'm quite hopeful it doesn't get a vote to be honest. It makes me love it more that nobody else does

I'm sure it will get plenty of admiration at Mayhem this year, especialy when its overtaking modern tat

I loved it Makster! Nearly got my vote but just missed out to the Mt Tam for me... You needed a picture in the snow

ededwards":3a3rmaim said:

Anyway, seriously close contest, perhaps closest yet at this stage.

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Do people tend to look at the results before voting, and pick between the front-runners?

I was dithering between the Cunningham and the Roberts Team Peugeot. I picked the Cunningham partly because I think it should beat the Kona. If other voters are acting similarly, that would tend to concentrate the votes as soon as a few leaders emerge.

Might it be an idea to make the poll results invisible until after the close of voting?

Honourable Mentions this month: the Fisher, the Claud Butler, the Ritchey, and that bizarre Bontrager (probably the most interesting bike on show this month, and almost certainly the ugliest!)

makster":zwnmi7mo said:

GoldenEraMTB":zwnmi7mo said:

Oh, one more thing, my condolences to Makster, as it appears your Jamis is heading to a second shut out. Somebody give this bike a vote already.

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Why thankyou kind Sir!

I'm quite hopeful it doesn't get a vote to be honest. It makes me love it more that nobody else does

I'm sure it will get plenty of admiration at Mayhem this year, especialy when its overtaking modern tat

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cheers!

ededwards":1nvamncn said:

I wasn't sure what to go for but in the end plumped for the pistachio Explosif as most evocative of the 80s in the UK

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Not really sure how a bike that was only available in the UK for 18 months of the eighties could be considered evocative of the decade, especially when it's hey day was really the early to mid nineties. It's a bit like saying the music of 'Jive Bunny and the Master Mixers' was the most evocative music of the eighties due to their 3 number ones in 1989.

For me the Kona is the least '1980s' UK bike in the list (along with the Cunningham) as it has the most modern frame appearance with it's drop top tube and straight forks, with the Kona being directly influenced by the Cunningham.

Bikes that are evocative of the 80s in the UK are bikes like Muddy Foxes under the arse of every London courier, the big Saracens used by the Crane brothers, the Peugeots of Tim and David, the Overbury's that won so many early UK races or (dare I say it) the Raleighs, all with their quintessentially 1980s massive frames, long wheel base or funny angles.

But, for me, this is a competition for the best bike from the nominations that happen to be made in the eighties and so I've chosen accordingly. The Kona is a really tidy example of it's breed and is up there, but is not for me.

pete_mcc":qyvhot5y said:

Not really sure how a bike that was only available in the UK for 18 months of the eighties could be considered evocative of the decade, especially when it's hey day was really the early to mid nineties.

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How is that pertinent to myself (and the rest of the members outside of the UK)? The contest isn't for Bikes Available in the UK That Were Evocative of the Decade. It's for Bikes Built in the 80s.

And where I come from, Konas (and RMs and Norcos) were as common as dirt, and what you thought of when you thought MTB, while I've never seen an Orange, or Dawes, or Roberts outside of in pictures. I'm sure a great number of members can say the same thing (substituting their regional brands), so your criteria is lost on us.

FMJ":16el90jn said:

pete_mcc":16el90jn said:

Not really sure how a bike that was only available in the UK for 18 months of the eighties could be considered evocative of the decade, especially when it's hey day was really the early to mid nineties.

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How is that pertinent to myself (and the rest of the members outside of the UK)? The contest isn't for Bikes Available in the UK That Were Evocative of the Decade. It's for Bikes Built in the 80s.

And where I come from, Konas (and RMs and Norcos) were as common as dirt, and what you thought of when you thought MTB, while I've never seen an Orange, or Dawes, or Roberts outside of in pictures. I'm sure a great number of members can say the same thing (substituting their regional brands), so your criteria is lost on us.

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Very True this is after all the WWW... and back in the early days of mountain biking in the US none of the major companies were publicly held(stock exchange). Most bike and part distributors were 2nd and third generation family owned companies. Many were part of national label distributor groups that may have distributed lines such as Sekine, Kuwahara or Takara or traveled themselves to Taiwan and Japan and spec'd there own lines that were sold regionally within the US in maybe a 6 - 9 state area,. I spec'd one of those regional brands, Timberlin, for four years. I'm sure many of the US independent regional brands probably sold as many or more bikes as many of the UK national brands like Orange, Dawes and Roberts.

FMJ":t3rsez40 said:

pete_mcc":t3rsez40 said:

Not really sure how a bike that was only available in the UK for 18 months of the eighties could be considered evocative of the decade, especially when it's hey day was really the early to mid nineties.

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How is that pertinent to myself (and the rest of the members outside of the UK)? The contest isn't for Bikes Available in the UK That Were Evocative of the Decade. It's for Bikes Built in the 80s.
.

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Try engaging your brain and reading before you make a weak point. If you read my post it relates to a point that ededwards made:

ededwards":t3rsez40 said:

I wasn't sure what to go for but in the end plumped for the pistachio Explosif as most evocative of the 80s in the UK

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So I was commenting on bikes in the UK also.

And then read my last line:

pete_mcc":t3rsez40 said:

But, for me, this is a competition for the best bike from the nominations that happen to be made in the eighties and so I've chosen accordingly

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Happy? Feel a bit foolish? I accept your apology.

Down to the Cunningham, the Grove, and the Wicked. I'm pulling the lever for the Grove.

I want to like the Cunningham more than I actually do. After nearly 25 years of cycling, I've had it drummed into me over and over why they are so amazing, but still at the end of the day...

Maybe it's an east coast thing. Maybe that's why I feel like I can relate to the Grove.

It is a good month either way.