The ten most important mountainbikes

[Dr S]

The only one I would offer for consideration would be the RC100, simply because many of its design features were so far ahead of the game.

Unlikely to get as much support from those on the other side of the pond as it has done so far in this thread. As in the terms of MTB'ing in the UK it was a early bike, but on the global stage it was positivly mid school. That and no one in the US has seen one upclose to appreciate the features

I did consider it for my personal list. In UK terms it was a big revelation but made no impact worldwide (small English company thing). I dearly love them but it was a evolution rather than a revolution. It gave us the ahead system before Tioga, true and the brakes were a unusual feature but had already been around since 1986 so no great leap forward. For those reasons it stayed off my list.

I pondered long and hard about my list and if there was to be a British wildcard entry it would have been the Cleland Highpath. The only brit bike that made my list was the Evans for the reason above.

 

[ededwards]

Great thread with replies essentially falling into two camps based on whether importance is interpreted 'personal' or 'historic'. I can read an historic list in lots of places but for me ther personal lists and rationale are much more interesting (note: this is not so I can produce my own ego-centric list. Well, not entirely).

A list of mountainbikes important to me would include:

- Marin Palisades. My first mountainbike. My first new bike. Fluro forks and Mountain LX. I thought I was so cool and arguably, for 25 minutes, was so.

- Klein Attitude in green/white/magenta fade - the first bike I saw live that looked so different to everything else. Cannondale's had the fat tubes but it was the Klein fork and Mission Control bar/stem that really blew me away. Way, way cool.

- Fat Chance Yo Eddy in Grello. That retina burning paint. The graphics. The fork. The cost for a steel frame.

- Pace RC100. Saw one first in the freewheel catalogue and, like the Klein, it made my head spin. The tubes. The Bullseyes. The brakes. The stem. The Klein looked gorgeous with it's candy colours, like a made up Keira Knightley, but the Pace looked so functional, so Rachel Weicz.

- Stumpjumper Team. My first proper mountainbike. Saw me through the first Polaris. Sold. Resprayed. Bought back. So many memories.

- Klein Pinnacle. The bike I sold the Stumpjumper for. Built up with XC Pro and RC30s as the frame was so compliant I needed a stiff front end. Gorgeous almost liquid finish, like a supermodels nails.

- Roberts White Spider. Fabulous detail and lead me down the furrow I still plough today of convincing myself to buy bikes that are clearly too small just because they are lovely.

- Orange P7. Always wanted one. Got one off eBay to turn into an ss. Looking for parts lead me to Retrobike. This frame has a lot to answer for.

So only a Top 8, and in no particular order, but all have resonance whether it is evoking memories, fuelling the fire or just making me feel a bit wistful.

As a footnote, for those on the historic tip, and I know they aren't mountainbikes, but where do the bikes ridden by the Velo Cross Club in France and the Rough Stuff Fellowship fit in?

 

[sancho]

These are not in any particular order:

1. Specialized Stumpjumper - mountain bike for the people
2. Ritchey - lesson in steel bike building
3. Klein Attitude - aluminum for the rich, super innovative
4. Cannondale M series - quality aluminum for the masses
5. Cannondale Super V - space age design
6. AMP B2 - first fs that really worked
7. Trek OCLV bikes - carbon for the people
8. Raleigh JT Replica - no need for reasons
9. Merlin Titanium - first proper titanium bikes
10. GT Zaskar - do-it-all hardtail

Hard to argue with this list. It covers some of the most influential bikes in terms of design, materials, and marketing. You can trace many of the biggest trends in the sport to the popularity of these bikes.

 

[Mike]

Mine would include:

Muddy Fox Courier - seemed to sum up the whole late 80s MTB vibe
Pace RC100 - pure design brilliance
Klein Attitude - oversize tubing excellence

 

[suburbanreuben]

The Amp B2, the design that inspired a lot of other companies, and Boulder Bikes (Gazelle, Defiant and Intrepid) a mono-shock design that still looks contemporary.

About time someone mentioned this! Proper suspension that worked , and not only the small makers copied it, but Specialized, and others, too!
By the same token , the Trek whY bike should be mentioned, as an example of how not to do it!

 

[dorsetbikeloving]

1.Mine
2.Mine
3.Mine
4.Mine
5.Mine
6.Mine
7.Mine
8.Mine
9.Mine
10.Mine

 

[Blackadder]

the Trek whY bike should be mentioned, as an example of how not to do it!

"OUCH"

Not nice.......The Y bike for me is a great machine I have had no problem with it and can stay in the saddle all day. OK I know its not perfect but as the museum of mountain bike art and technology say about the Y bikes.."The Trek Y series bikes were a pretty popular full suspension bike when they first arrived. OK not perfect and it did suffer in the suspension side of things in the early days but....... All in all, one of the more memorable designs of the mid-1990's".

 

[suburbanreuben]

the Trek whY bike should be mentioned, as an example of how not to do it!

"OUCH"

Not nice.......The Y bike for me is a great machine I have had no problem with it and can stay in the saddle all day. OK I know its not perfect but as the museum of mountain bike art and technology say about the Y bikes.."The Trek Y series bikes were a pretty popular full suspension bike when they first arrived. OK not perfect and it did suffer in the suspension side of things in the early days but....... All in all, one of the more memorable designs of the mid-1990's".

With all due respect They were bloody rubbish!

 

[GrahamJohnWallace]

Dr S wrote: "The most important must be the Pre-war Schwinn. Its ground zero, year dot, Independance day, first chicken from the egg. Without it there would be nothing".

Since Geoff Apps' Cleland designs were inspired by trials motorbikes, and were designed without any knowledge of Schwinns, clunkers or American mountainbikes, there existance has no connection to the existance of the Schwinns, whatsoever. The 1979 production date of the first Cleland even predates the Raleigh Bomber of 1981.

In 1982, Geoff read about the Ritchey mountain bike and made contact with those at the MountainBike Company in California. Knowledge and ideas were exchanged and 700c and 650b Finish made snow tyres were sent to California for evaluation.

Here, Gary Fisher, speaking about the growing popularity of 29ers, gives his perspective:
“We got some tyres from Geoff Apps really early on and we [Fisher and Kelly] said
‘Holy Toledo!’” But the poor supply situation of the larger diameter tyres meant the
fledging MTB industry stuck with the smaller wheel size."

The same year 1982, Geoff Started manufacturing his Cleland designs.
Would he have started Cleland Cycles Ltd without knowing about the Ritchey designed bikes?

Would he have been more successful in selling his Clelands, without the competition from the US mountain bikes?

 

[peteteamtig]

My opinion .

1 ) Any vintage bike that can be "Klunkerised" The begining .
2 ) Breezer no1 The first "fit for purpose" mtb
3 ) Mountainbikes (Ritchey) Three great minds think alike .
4 ) Early Rockhopper , mass production .
5 ) Klein / Cannondale , massed produced aluminium .
6 ) Kestral / Koga exotic materials .
7 ) Kona , frame design for the modern age .
8 ) Pace RC100 British show the Yanks how its done .
9 ) AMP , suspenders that work , becomes the industry standard(for a while.)
10 Whyte PRST 1 , truly innovative and works .

And one I dont think has been mentioned , the guy who was one of the rough riders fellows who designed his own bikes , he would be joint 2nd ( Geoff Apps )