Bit bored of my bikes ending up very similar

[d8mok]

I like 96-98 hardtail bikes as those were the days when I used to read every page of MBUK and the manufacturer’s catalogues before i entered the dirt jump/trials bike era.

So obviously a lot of the bikes I own are from this period but I’m ending up in a situation where they are very similar builds.

I seem to end up every bike with M950/2 , Mavic X517 , CK headset , Smoke/dart and a Flite.

What other options are period for group sets without going down in spec?

Chainsets are easy but mechs, brakes and shifters is always Shimano as let’s be honest nothing compared back then.

Cnc Paul’s and proshift are nice but don’t interest me so much at current prices.

I have got one with Avid supremes/ ultimates and Crossmax but same issue with mechs and shifters.

 

[carlhcyc]

SRAM esp 7.0 or 9.0 shifters and mechs with magura raceline d - what I raced on in 97 and loved it

 

[Magpiegifts]

Sachs do some ok mechs, quartz,plasma, Centura lower in the range. Gripshift and front mechs.
Mavic do great rear mechs and butterfly shifters

 

[markoc]

Singlespeed takes away a lot of those conundrums...

Preaching to the converted, but the trouble was that Shimano stuff was good back then and properly functional and serviceable, with a range for each market. Was the Sachs stuff dead by 96? Not sure it was ever as good and I always thought of it as the groupset equivalent of buying a Saab - you'd have to really want it, and were making a statement through your purchase. I remember "New Success" but not sure where it pitched in the Shimano hierarchy. Suntour is probs a bit early for the period.

Loads of people were CNC'ing boutique trick bits - but the shimano stuff just worked.

 

[d8mok]

Sachs do some ok mechs, quartz,plasma, Centura lower in the range. Gripshift and front mechs.
Mavic do great rear mechs and butterfly shifters

Never been a fan of Sachs stuff at all and loath gripshift

Mavic mechs were earlier than 96-98 I think weren’t they?

 

[Magpiegifts]

Never been a fan of Sachs stuff at all and loath gripshift

Mavic mechs were earlier than 96-98 I think weren’t they?

I really don't know dom, I'm far from an expert tbh

 

[d8mok]

Singlespeed takes away a lot of those conundrums...

Preaching to the converted, but the trouble was that Shimano stuff was good back then and properly functional and serviceable, with a range for each market. Was the Sachs stuff dead by 96? Not sure it was ever as good and I always thought of it as the groupset equivalent of buying a Saab - you'd have to really want it, and were making a statement through your purchase. I remember "New Success" but not sure where it pitched in the Shimano hierarchy. Suntour is probs a bit early for the period.

Loads of people were CNC'ing boutique trick bits - but the shimano stuff just worked.

Singlespeed is definitely something I’ll build at some point but wouldn’t suit these builds at all.

This period really was the Shimano period I feel.

 

[Magpiegifts]

Never been a fan of Sachs stuff at all and loath gripshift

Mavic mechs were earlier than 96-98 I think weren’t they?

The Quarz rear mech is fantastic bit of kit.id highly recommend it

 

[d8mok]

I really don't know dom, I'm far from an expert tbh

I saw some White industries bits somewhere recently on here and that looked nice but very rare.

If I flick through the online brochures every bike is Shimano

 

[d8mok]

The Quarz rear mech is fantastic bit of kit.id highly recommend it

I had a woody 9.0’mech a bit ago and it was cool.