When did it lose it for you.....

[Y282]

Ahead, suspension, non horizontal dropouts.

To me, horizontal dropouts are like the RWD configuration of the car world.

 

[Freeman]

I never cared for fashion, I always thought it was shallow, I went by how the bikes worked off-road. Personally I think the bikes with the 8-speed rear cassettes were the high-point of MTB technology. The Shimano rapid-fire shifters worked great, 24-speeds was enough for anyone, the v-brakes worked great and were easy to work on and reliable, and the 26" tires were a standard that went back to the 1930s. Also at that time, in the late 1990s, all the little independent parts manufacturers were in full swing, before being forced out of business or being bought up by some large corporation. At one time or another I had the Coda "magic" cranks on my bike, a Paul's front derailleur, "zokes" coil and oil forks, an xtr Ti cassette and rear derailluer, some nice Mavic rims with xtr 950 hubs, some obscure Ti skewers. It was all there to be had, and then it seemed to vanish overnight at the end of the 90s. The 9-speed stuff came out with the short-lived rapid-rise Shimano equipment, and from there it just kept changing seemingly not for any good reason but just for marketing and profiteering purposes and something was absolutely lost.

This is why I still ride the Marin I bought new in '97, it works. For a very short time I had a wonderful '97 Santa-Cruz Heckler, but it was quickly stolen. My Marin will probably never wear out, will always be repairable, and it will always be a better bike than I am a rider. I am sad that younger people have decided to collect 90s MTBs because all it has done is drive the price of good used parts up for me if I need something or want something for my bike. I hope they do not quit making 26" MTB tires ! It was funny to watch them go to 29" tires, then shortly to what, 27.5"??? Why? I can't figure it out and am not going to spend any time trying to anymore. I will continue to be happy with what I have had since the 90s, and would be happy with any old steel bike from before 2000, they were all good back then and could get the job done.

 

[hamster]

I lost it at full sus. OF COURSE they are more capable over the big stuff, and I might well feel differently if I lived and rode in the Peak District. But it's overkill where I ride - and I hate the whole bike park / trail centre thing. From the late 90s they all got too niche and over-specialised in my view. The Swiss Army Knife sort of allrounder bike gradually vanished.

So I'm happy bimbling around on a rigid singlespeed and using my geared mid-90s P7 for touring and wild camping.