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Feature Bike Fat Chance Yo Eddy

In the early 1980s, Chris Chance, an American frame-builder who specialized in TT and criterium bikes, formed Fat City Cycles in Somerville, Massachusetts, and began building mountain bikes. He had an intuitive and prodigious talent, and over the course of the decade was building the best handling off-road bikes in the world, including the Fat Chance with a relaxed, upright position and the more responsive Wicked Fat Chance with quicker-handling geometry. For the 1990 model year, Fat City...

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Feature Bike Tushingham B-52 - Orange Mountain Bikes pre-history

UK MTB scene stalwarts Orange Mountain Bikes can trace their ancestry back to wind surfing company Tushingham. Orange's Lester Noble worked for Tushingham back in the 80s and there the Tushingham mountain bike range was designed. The lucky owner of this Tushingham B-52 which is being offered for sale on ebay picked it up without realising the bike's significance and is now selling it. The B-52s apparently came from the same factory as the Muddy Fox Courier, hence numerous similarities...

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Feature Bike Steve Peat’s 1993 Kona Hei Hei

Sheffield born Steve Peat is without a doubt the UK's most successful downhill racer. In the course of a career almost unmatched in length Peaty has taken numerous World Cup wins and British National Championships, along with the 2009 World Champs in Australia which is surely the highlight. At the start of Steve Peat's career back in the early 90s he raced both Cross Country and Downhill when rider's did that sort of thing for local shop Langsett Cycles. His success led to a ride with Kona...

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Feature Bike 1994 Pinarello Espada and Big Mig

The early 90s were a halcyon time for road bike development. The steel era was (sadly) drawing to a close and the use of many materials now considered common place was being pioneered. This innovation was also unhindered by over zealous governing bodies. One bike which still stands out from this era is the Pinarello Espada, four of which were custom made from carbon fibre for one Mr Miguel Indurain, former Hour Record holder and five times Tour de France winner. The bikes were designed in...

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Feature Bike Keith Bontrager Experimental

The words rare and unique are used all too freely in the world of retro - few bikes deserve to be described as such and this is truly one of them. This Bontrager Experimental was built around 1995 at Bontrager's Santa Cruz frame shop and currently resides with a well regarded collector here in the UK. This particular Bontrager Experimental and the other six or seven completed around the same time were built out of a debate as to which frame material was best. Keith Bontrager's take was that...

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Feature Bike Jason McRoy's Specialized S-Works from Dirt

Back in 1995 the iconic UK MTB video Dirt was filmed in and around the grounds of Pete Tomkins’ house in Yorkshire. Tragically one of the stars would never see the finished cut - UK MTB legend Jason McRoy's life was cut short in August 1995. The McRoy family have owned the bike Jason rode since then but have now decided to place it up for sale, click here to see JMC's Specialized S-Works from Dirt auction on ebay and click here to discuss in the forum. The bike has been cherished ever...

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Feature Bike John Tomac Raleigh Signature Edition in Titanium and Carbon

UK based online retailer Kinetic Rush have dug out their John Tomac Raleigh for display in their Leamington shop, John Atkins Cycles. What this means for us is they've done a whole load of great pictures of this iconic machine, enjoy the images :D This Tomac Raleigh was purchased direct from Raleigh UK by the store owner back in the 90s and is believed to be a Merlin built model. Check the Kinetic Rush blog for a full set of images and details.

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Feature Bike Chris King's 1993 Yeti ARC

Privateer magazine are currently in Portland visiting Chris King and others. Lucky them. Whilst with King they toured his factory (check the magazine for the full story I'm sure) and also managed to get some great pictures of King's personal bike, a 1993 Yeti ARC soft tail. The bike has some great detail like loads of King trickery including a prototype adjustable bottom bracket. King apparently used this as his main ride up until '08 - chapeau! Anyhow check the post in the forum for more...

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Feature Bike Paul Brodie's Brodie Rodie story

Seeing there is a lot of interest (and appreciation) on retrobike for Brodies the man himself kindly emailed over the story of how his own personal Brodie Rodie has evolved. Check the forum out for the full Brodie Rodie story.

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Feature Bike doctorbond's 1989 Team Peugeot / Roberts White Spider

May 2011 sees a welcome return for the Feature Bike series. First up is doctorbond's 1989 Team Peugeot / Roberts White Spider (click for original build thread). Enjoy! I’ve always had a soft spot for old Peugeots. In fact, one of my earliest off road memories was as a kid, bouncing along a dirt track in the back of an ancient 404 estate. And when Peugeot turned their hand to producing off road bicycles during the MTB boom years of the 1980’s, it was a similar no nonsense sturdiness that...

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Feature Bike Feature Bike July 2009 - Felixdelrio’s 1991 Funk Pro Comp

Another month another outstanding bike. This 1991 Funk Pro Comp belongs to Felixdelrio aka Andreas, the site's #1 purveyor of leftfield brands! Felixdelrio & 1991 Funk Pro Comp As you all might know I am the e-stay maniac. This is my fav ecs bike the 1991 Funk Pro Comp with the quite rare Black/Magenta/Fluo-Green paint scheme and matching Big Fork. I bought this bike back in 2005 from a Berlin based collector. At this time the bike was unridden, a true virgin. During the last years I...

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Feature Bike Feature Bike June 2009 - retroking#1's Ritchey Team Comp

A class build from one of retrobike's #1 builders. Over to retroking#1 for a brief write up on his Ritchey Team Comp Retroking#1's Ritchey Team Comp Like a lot of you when you find retrobike you start reading threads on bikes and parts you knew nothing about. As a result I got interested in building a early bike and when I met velomaniac at Cannock, riding the McSchwinn, and knowing al was advertising a Ritchey frame and fork I was hooked. A few PMs to al and I had got myself what turned...

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Feature Bike Feature Bike May 2009 - Pete McC's Doug Bradbury Manitou Full Suspension

Pete McC's Doug Bradbury Manitou Full Suspension In the now standard start to a Retrobike.co.uk story I want you to wind the clock back 17 years - it's 1992, Carter USM are riding high in the charts and playing on my 'auto-reverse' walkman, my Calvin Kleins are visible for all to see above the waistband of my baggy jeans and the MBUK Summer Special has just landed in WHSmiths. This years Summer Special really lived up to it's name as nestled amongst the pages of vital holiday reading was an...

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Feature Bike Feature Bike Apr 2009 Archangel’s 1993 Klein Adroit 'Tinker Juarez Replica'

Archangel’s 1993 Klein Adroit 'Tinker Juarez Replica' Ever since I saw a Sachs chain add featuring Tinker Juarez on his Klein Adroit EX in Team Storm paintjob on the pages of Mountain Bike Action magazine in 1993, I have lusted after a similar Klein. I remember drawing pics of Team Storm Adroit on my Physics exercise book during high school lessons. At the time, it was more exciting for a young man than learning about gravity! Fast forward 12 years. After graduating from the University...

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Feature Bike Feature Bike Mar 2009 sinnett177's Team Raleigh Dyna-Tech 1993 (ex-Adrian Timmis)

It all started back in ‘Ebay and Market Watch’ thread (October 2008) Gravymonster had spotted it on Ebay and posted it up for fellow retro bikers to see. There seemed to be lots of interest but not a lot of bids, seemed like an opportunity not to be missed so I quickly sold off lots of bits in the ’For Sale’ thread to finance a bid. I was thinking it would go for well in excess of £700, but to my surprise when it came to bid with a few seconds remaining it was at just £252. The auction...

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Feature Bike Feature Bike Feb 2009 is Elev12K's Zieleman Type Special

Welcome to the first in the retrobike 'feature bike' series. Each month (or so) the retrobike team will pick a different bike we feel deserves a place on the front page. The Feb 2009 Feature Bike is Elev12K's exquisite Zieleman Type Special -> More details on this build can be found here in the forum.

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Feature Bike 1984 Cunningham Racer - Big Red

It's not often we feature someones bike on the home page unless they have won a BOTM vote, however I think for this piece of history we can make an exception!! Bushpig's Cunnigham is quite a machine and an interesting story behind it, read more at Readers Bikes.....

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