Ultimate 80's- Nominations please.

[Dr S]

So here we are. Ten minutes to midnight on the 31st of December 1989. The rocket ship to a new galaxy awaits and we have to pick the best mountain bike to take and show new civilizations. So what is it to be? You decide!
Put forward your nominations and at the weekend I will run a poll. Remember it could be any bike available at that time- not neccesary one you own/owned, so please let's not have a hundred threads on 'my mates Rockhopper because it got me into bikes'. Let's look at innovation, desirability, craftsmanship, the real icons of the era etc. It has to be the bike to wow other worlds. That said it could be the humble 81 Stumpjumper- the bike that brought mountain biking to the masses despite it's many flaws.

If this proves popular then we can go on to do the 90's and maybe jump back to the 70's (although the options are far more limited yet no less exciting!).

Over to you guys. Make your nomination and let me know why.

6 minutes to lift off......

 

[legrandefromage]

The Overbury's Pioneer

An English bike for the English countryside or The 1990's before they new what the 1990's would bring

The Cleland Aventura

An English bike for the English countryside or ''nuts to what the USA came up with, here's one we made earlier''

 

[mrkawasaki]

The MBA/Yeti Ultimate WAS the future in 1989 - everyone who was anyone thought about/copied/bought into it (without bothering with piffle like R&D).

The future, such as it was/is, always takes the other, less visible fork in the road...

Mr K

 

[drystonepaul]

I think I'd like to nominate another flawed 'masterpiece', that is the 1984/1985 F.W.Evans/Bluemels/Saracen Conquest.

Here's a picture borrowed from LGF:

An iconic UK bike...?

 

[Pickle]

The 1980's Specialized Stumpjumper.

Still as good today as it was then............

 

[Dr S]

Mmm, some interesting entries so far.

I would like to nominate the Cunningham Racer.

Although from the very beginning of the decade it was light years ahead of anything that followed over the next ten years. In fact it still looks contempory today. A real landmark bike.

 

[mikee]

yeti ultimate for me too

 

[one-eyed_jim]

I was about to suggest the Cunningham:

but as Dr S has already done so, I'll nominate the Pace RC100:

From differrent ends of the decade, they both set out to innovate without reference to pre-existing notions of how things should be done. In both cases the result was a very inventive, cohesive, individual design that redefined the state of the art.

 

[orange71]

+1 RC100

 

[toons]

+2 RC100