mkozaczek":7fsv92n5 said:
Obviously this comment will be taken out of context given I have a competing entry in this month's competition. But, what exactly did the Pace pioneer in terms of MTB technology that wasn't done previously??
That is indeed a very good question.
I think there are two aspects, one: a new philosophy in bike design, and two: a number of specific innovations seen together on a bike for the first time.
Firstly, the shift in philosophy. The RC100 was, I believe, the first MTB (and possibly any cycle) that took a genuinely engineering led approach to design. Up until then, bike design seemed to be largely based on experience and artisan craftsmanship. MTBs looked like they did, because that's how road bikes looked. Pace went back to first principles and engineered a bike (based on the technology reasonably available to them) that solved specific mountain biking problems. It took a while for the wider industry to catch up (possibly F1 suspension engineers working with Marin in the mid-late 90s was the next step), but today, pretty much any bike from a respected manufacturer will have been properly
engineered.
Secondly, some specific (though probably not all) innovations that we still see today. The integrated BB axle; the quill-less headset, box section and asymmetric rear triangle, building a stiff frame to maximise the effect of suspension, hydraulic brakes (rime brakes, admittedly), motor cross inspired bars. There are probably more. And there was just some nice engineering -- like cutting the BB threads only after the frame had been welded. Now I'm not saying that Pace invented any or all of these things, but like Apple did with the iPod, Pace brought a number of inventions together and innovated to create the RC100.
That is why I think the RC100 was a nexus point for the modern MTB.
Oh, and I do like Kleins too!