Then and now - the FS build comparison

Mid '95 and the Amp B3 frame, all the way from Laguna Beach, arrives at my London office - lots of management annoyance at a big parcel for me in reception.
Add Mavic 123 on Hope
X-Lite bars and seat post
Middleburn cranks
Avocet O2 saddle
XT V brakes, XT front and rear mechs, XT thumbies
3x6 transmission
26 inch onZa porcs front and rear
Horst link suspension, 3 inches of travel front and rear.
24lbs all in, without really trying. About as rigid as a bag of wet noodles, super supple suspension, lightning fast uphill, terrifying downhill

Early '19 and the Transition Sentinel alloy frame arrives in a big parcel at home.
Add Stans on Stans.
Rental carbon lite bars and 175 dropper post.
XT boost cranks
Clarkes ti saddle
XT disc brakes KCNC 92gm rotors, XT shifter and XT rear mech
1x11 transmission
29 inch Magic Mary front Purgatory rear
Horst link suspension, 160mm front travel, 140mm rear
29lbs all in, without really trying. Rigid as the Forth rail bridge. Super supple suspension, nimble uphill and climbs up and over anything, awe-inspiring downhill

Nice. Both were fun to build and ride. Different bikes for different times....

Re:

How long did you rent the bars for?

Damn, I knew I put that 'h' somewhere...now, where did I leave it?

photos?

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Ancient and modern.

What the photos don’t obviously show is how much BIGGER the Transition is than the B3. I am 5-7, both are medium. Both were specified as being appropriate for my height and weight. But the discrepancy in size is huge. Chris Porter’s thesis - ‘Are we all riding bikes which are too small for us....’ seems real enough....

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And yes that IS a 3D PURPLE watering can....

And yes...the saddle looks horrible on the Transition...but it does only weigh 175 grams....

Got to say it again, love that AMP

Frames were smaller in comparison to modern longer bikes, though stems were longer to compensate, or should i say were made shorter to compensate. Its more about the riders fit than the bike though, have you measured the distance between the saddle and bars on both bikes, the saddle to pedal should be the same.

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Couldn't agree more - absolutely about fit.

In 1995 I played with a long top tube Prestige Marin, running a very short stem and yet preserving 'reach'. It was a fabulous ride - stability downhill went through the roof, and yet climbing ability was preserved. Then along came slack seat angles from the 'States and things lost direction a bit. Gary Klein has a lot to answer for. Gary Fisher by contrast got it right with his short lived 'long' geometry - which now turns out to be right, in my view.

I almost always have run in line posts and rammed my seat forward - this is now being implemented through much steeper seat angles - the Transition is 69.4 - and as you say, despite the HUGE 29 inch wheels and ginormous frame, the 'cockpit' dimensions are not that different to the AMP, with the exception of where you sit in relation to the BB, which is improved on the Transition and gives great climbing ability.

I know which of the bikes I would prefer to take over a four-foot drop off, or at Warp Factor 9 into a rock garden....

Awww....now you are making me regret selling the AMP.....but boy did we need the space.....I was still riding it, and still enjoying it.....