New or old? My story, your views

[Ollytron]

A friend of mine has just joined a mtb club who go off on xc rides on a Sunday, He has asked if id like to go which i would.
But i don't have a xc bike so what do i do?
Back in the 90's i was big in to my mtb and had a LTS which i loved and even raced a few times, then after watching Chain spotting we all got in to mtb trials and did that for a while before going in to BMX and selling all my mtb stuff.
Two years back i found a pick of my trials bike and have re built that as a retro build which I'm happy about but what do i do for a xc bike?
Do i go for another retro build and try to live in the past or buy a bike just for function? A new bike for the same money would perform better and be lighter and stronger but could i love it as much?
Whats your views?[/img]

 

[NAILTRAIL96]

I looked into this recently and at the price of new bikes and came to the conclusion I can live without an extra 3" of travel and a few lbs in weight to have something that I genuinely lusted after when I was younger.
There's very little new that I want sufficiently to justify the money so I went retro.
The club local to me seem to make a point of poking fun at new members until they buy a FS and "learn" the correct way of doing things :roll: .

 

[Drencrom]

A new bike for the same money would perform better and be lighter and stronger

Depends on your budget. Retrobikes can be a cost effective and easy way back into mountain biking, using technology you're comfortable with until you're back up to speed with the latest kit.

 

[velomaniac]

Dont get the better, lighter, stronger inference for modern bikes :?

 

[Tazio]

Dont get the better, lighter, stronger inference for modern bikes :?

My ex recently bought a new Specialized Hardrock, not a bad bike for the price but is around 32lb. Back in the day that was seriously heavy for a XC bike. And that's an aluminium frame as well.

 

[Charlieboy28]

Dont get the better, lighter, stronger inference for modern bikes :?

totally agree here, for £200-300 you can really push the retrobike boat out and get a very very capable xt/xtr equipped bike

 

[NAILTRAIL96]

My xpx was £170, FS, magura brakes and full XT is 27lb and thats the factory spec.
I'm just not sure what I'd do with more travel and gears.

I was told for serious off road you'd be looking at £750 for a decent hard tail and over £1500 for a good FS and that was by a mate who has raced and riden for year, a bike shop would probably say more.

 

[t-stoff]

Well, I have the same story with my girl, she bought a Scott Contessa lower end, with great looks for her (was designed by a woman), nice clean fork, disk brakes, but its terribly heavy. I guess tech is available for low price but with no attention to the weight.
At the moment i dont have the money for spending on a bike i would consider good in terms of looks and gear, so going retro keeps the cool, suits the purpose and specially the hobby that is finding parts for maintaining my 14 year old bike. Its not all about buying the latest as all the yuppies are doing, its about reviving an era.
Apart from 3 or 4 bike brands who kept their image on some models, the rest are dull and have no distinct identity. All black, matte and with barely recognizable shimano groups and forks.

The only thing Im considering in the medium long term is a "new" fork, to lets say 2001. Im having trouble finding a fork in good condition for riding at a cheap price. For now, crippled judy will do the work.

 

[johnnypie13]

old v new

Retro;
be an individual anyone can walk into a bike shop and buy a new bike that looks like all the other ones Retro stands out from the crowd.
Hone your skills on a rigid or 1" suspension machine then nothing is a problem.
Hours of tinker time great way to spend Sunday evenings.
Hours of fun hunting for trick old parts on Retrobike or Flea bay
My modern bike is heaver than most of my retrobikes and cost way more.
Modern bikes are more likely to get nicked by chavs.

Modern;
Huge travel and suspension that really works (wheres the fun in that).
Disc brakes (have to admit there good )
Cant think of anymore

 

[jax13]

orange are a prime example of the new vs retro trade off.

a base level alivio / deore mix G series currently runs at about £700.

have a gander on the for sale section here and you could find a late 90's, possibly early 00's clockwork / c16 / prestige / p7 type frame, hope wheelset, xt / xtr group, a decent set of forks and some quality finishing kit & finish off by grabbing a cable set off ebay or CRC then have the pleasure of building it yourself.

The lower running costs of being able to service it yourself AND the saved money compared to a modern G series which spec for spec will be nowhere close to what you have built yourself should be enough for anyone to seal the deal!

What you will have is a bike that is a 10 / 12 year old version of a £1500+ bike bought today that will do exactly the same job. The downsides are the lack of any warranties, the time to build it vs the time to order and collect a new bike, a potential weight penalty however you would probably come in lighter on an older frameset, brakes might not be quite as good running V's as if you were on big discs (but thats another argument) and you may sacrifice some suspension travel but if you need more than 100 or 120mm then maybe you should be looking newer anyway.