Mountain bikes might look fairly similar these days – but in the earlier years when things were developing ultra fast, there were some wild and freaky designs out there!
    In this video Doddy checks out the 72lb BMW Rubber Ducky; a Slingshot that had a cable instead of a downtube – and even a bike with a weird leaf spring and no damping!
    There’s also some incredible tech in here from Mondraker bikes; Balfa and UK brand Tora cycles; and a few more obscure things too! Get involved!

    31 Comments

    1. My top 3 bikes from any era:

      1. Mountain Cycle San Andreas. I lusted after this thing when I was a kid and would still love to own one!
      2. DMR Trailstar. The original hardcore hardtail? I had one of these and got into all sorts of mischief with it. Have you seen the anniversary Ti version?
      3. 2018 Specialized Demo 8. Just a beautiful DH bike.

    2. I (still) have a Klein Mantra. I bought it intending to fit a Rohloff, because obviously with the URT the chain length doesn't change under suspension movement, and it wouldn't have needed an idler. But although I found it went uphill better than any other full suspension bike I've ever ridden, it had absolutely terrifying brake dive, definitely needed an anti-dive front fork. Adding both a Rohloff and a Use SUB put it out of my budget, to I never got it into what I'd consider a usable configuration and I never raced it. But I do still have it, and I do still think it's a classic (and interesting) design.

    3. 2015 Voodoo 2×10 Bizango (lime green). 2018 GT Sensor Alloy Comp 29er 1×11. Two of the most brilliant bikes ever produced – relatively cheap, reliable, brilliant rides, infinitely upgradeable, easy to maintain, underrated. Regularly performs as well as the competition on the trails and at the bike park. You should see what I've managed to do to mine.
      Ps. Finn helped me with my GT upgrades – sound bloke.

    4. Those Brooklyn Machine Works bikes were and still are my dream bike. I was lucky enough to see one with an Marzocchi Monster fork and Avalanche rear shock waiting at the chairlift at Highland Bike park. It even had the old shin burger pedals and Gazzaloddi tires.

    5. We had a set of the original Bomber Z1s in the bike shop where I worked ca 1997. I remember that model featured disc brake mounts on both legs in anticipation that dual front discs were about to take off. Of course they never did and that feature was quickly dropped.

    6. Pro-Flex had some real horrors I thinking cannodale had a few too but to be fair most of the big bike brands have few scary skeletons to look back on

    7. I just picked up a bicycle that I’ve always wanted it’s a 1996 Klein Pulse 2 in black it was just a frame so I went all out with period correct XTR group set I also put a Girvin vector smart fork on it.

    8. I had a URT bike as my first full suspension, a 1999 Gary Fisher Joshua and you described the feeling of riding it very well. It was almost a hardtail when standing up, but not in a good way, I didn't like that I had to sit down to really take advantage of the extra weight of the full suspension bike. And speaking of weight, it was a pretty significant thing, my modern aluminum Trek Slash with 170/160mm of travel and 29×2.5 tires probably weighs less than that 26" bike with 100/100mm of travel.

    9. i am from a time where elevated chainstay were a thing

      my dreambike was a Rock Mountain Experience. in my teens i never could afford such a thing, but it was just looking awesome

      sad also that modern bikes mostly looking stealth and nobody use colours anymore like Klein did.
      not only was Klein's paintjobs awesome, they also at time welded the biggest alu tubes together. for today standards they may seem thin, but at the time their diameter were almost twice the size of every other bike tube

    Leave A Reply