Away from the dark side.....

[ishaw]

Agree 100% with m730 and DX stuff, pinnacle of retro MTB.

I'd like to throw suntour xc pro into the ring. Arguable better than anything Shimano had at the time, if only the rear freehub wasn't so proprietary when it came to cassettes.

I'd also add Shimano xtr m952. For me the best gearing, shame the bbs and chain rings are now hard to come by (I am lucky enough to have a stockpile for my bikes wearing it).

I'm also partial to m970/2 stuff. It's pretty and works, took all that was good from m95x and added carbon, dual pull shifters and works really well. The last, best 3x drivetrain imho.

 

[Tootyred]

Again, @ishaw got to totally agree about suntour. The team marin came with full xt, but after a short dalliance with a xc pro equipped proflex, i kept the xc pro 7sp shifters and the beautiful champagne brake levers for the marin.

There started a love affair that has now gone on for over 30 years.....

Rip suntour....a company that stuck to their engineering and quality principles.....even at the cost of the business.

 

[FluffyChicken]

I had (still have) the XC Pro without the fancy bits, aka XC Comp.

Worked, nicest clunk in a gear change that is lacking from newer groupsets.

Even with a tooth missing from the MD. APII top cog and no way to ever get the cassette off.
Not a thumbie fan myself but they where OK and usable, just did the job for gentle riding.
All while looking nice.

Lovely stuff, which is probably why I have a box full of XC Pro/Comp part now

And if it wasn't for Suntour MD (still my favourite of them all) , what would our rings sizes look like now?

 

[Tsundere]

Also agree about Suntour. Lovely stuff. Their friction shifters alone hold a unique place in cycling legend, still highly sought after, even the best of Shimano doesn't quite come close enough.

 

[doctor-bond]

Suntour derailleurs showed the way - still some of the best ever cycling engineering; and their ratchet friction shifters are a joy to use and mechanic.
But the real step change happened when shimano focused on cassettes. My first bike (198 had uniglide, which now languishes in the vestigial-quirk bucket of history; hyperglide followed and was a game changer. I still rely on hyperglide freewheels (effectively retro engineered from cassettes by shimano), and every other cog out there now uses something like it.

Also, xt m730 cranks are the be all and end all, and they’ll bury me with an m730 cup and ball bottom bracket …

 

[DesertRyder]

I've always liked SunTour better. Some SunTour love.

 

[al-onestare]

- The aforementioned gen 1 and 2 Bombers
- XTR M950 shifters and mechs
- Selle Italia Flite
- Chris King headsets
- Smoke and Dart
- RaceFace turbines

 

[Tootyred]

Never had turbines...but always fancied a set. Just exotic enough without all the topline etc snappy snappy......well......i always thought so!

 

[Vesatoro]

PD-M747, what else is needed from clipless pedals.

 

[benjabbi]

I have some early forged Turbine LPs, they're very nice cranks, feel solid, and nice looking.