I am at over 30 90s mountain bikes and counting. I even have a workshop setup in the basement of my restaurant with a pegboard wall of Park Tools. In a good way, I blame the start of it on stumbling upon an Old Shovel video. Then I found Spindatt.
They also make a great touring bike with slick tires. The gear range and sturdy steel construction makes welding brackets on easy. Yes, traditional panniers still work!
80's mountain bikes with horizontal top tubes are the best. The cockpits aren't so stretched out so you can sneak some drop bars and a tall stem, or some kind of alt-bar. They also give you loads of space for water bottles and racks, and were often made to take them. 26" tyres of the widest variety you can fit, and some super cool retro cantilevers lie a Dia Compe 980, add some mudguards and you've got something that can handle some pretty tough journeys.
90s MTBs are the perfect entry level bike in general, great for urban, commutes, carrying stuff, trail riding, cruising, gravel grinding, you name it. They are also pretty easy to work on and maintain and can teach you a lot about bikes without you having to be too worried about breaking or damaging something since most of the bike is pretty robust. I have mine set up for getting groceries and delivering mail as well as just ride whenever, wherever. When you want to take a certain aspect of biking to a higher level then you can get a more specific bike ( suspension mtb for mtb, a road bike for road ect.) but 90s mtb has a nice gateway to all of cyclings little niches. IMO
I rode those bikes back in the 90s, And they were amazing back then. The difference today would be if your friends are riding modern bikes and you are constantly getting smoked. That would put a real damper on a newbies experience. I think buying a 90s mountain bike is something better suited for the season veteran to ride with their newbie friend and level the playing field. More fun all around
yup can see that. its perfect for my trails where its just kinda hilly and stuff but youll quickly have a hard time staying cought up with the smaller tires. its still fun.
Thanks for pointing out what these 90's MTB are made for - nowadays this counts for gravel and light single trails. Honestly, that's what most people do, and nothing more. So, with a few upgrades, they are more than capable for most.
My hair is grey and kids need to stay off my lawn. What you were doing in this video is as extreme as I can get anymore. I love my late 90s all steel rigid Trek, and I'm gonna rock it til time takes me off the trails for good.
i ride my mid 90s MTB on some pretty technical stuff i only ever see people with modern bikes ride not only is it an introduction to mountain biking, but a 90s bike can easily be your main bike, provided you stick to cross country riding and not redbull-style enduro downhill stuff i came to the realization a few days back that when you're under-biking, things you achieve on the trail are 100% you and not the bike, there was no suspension to increase traction, no modern geometry to make you more confident on the descent, no 29 inch wheels to just allow you to roll over every obstacle smaller than a chair, just you adapting to your situation
Corollary is that modern MTB's are terrible for just pedaling around town and mellow unpaved stuff. Many of us, especially those of us around when 90's MTB's were still new, are not necessarily looking to bomb down A-line. I've been a "wheels on the ground" MTB rider my whole life, and also really don't like the "road cycling" scene either. So modern rigid MTB's, and revived 90's MTB's are well aligned with my ambitions. I took my rigid 29x3 cargo bike on an epic week long dirt road biking trip last week, and today I'll take my rigid carbon XC bike on a local hilly group ride. I get funny looks from the roadies, but so what? Being way over or under biked just sucks, but there is plenty of terrain for these old school bikes to shine on, often with less traveling and expensive maintenance.
As someone that started out with a 90s MTB in the 90s , They worked for me then and still do now. Doesn't mean I don't have other bikes in my stable now. For those of you that know what I mean i think of them as the vintage erector set we had as a kid. Basically a box of beams, nuts bolts motors etc with an instruction book. You could put together to make various projects. Take it apart and build something different the next time. Find a basic budget one, get it rolling to start and learn from it change it into what suits your fancy. Get out an ride it, while you look for your next bike. They don't come with an instruction booklet but that is what youtube, the internet, LBS and mail order parts are for.
I didn't expect this to be a perfect summation of how I feel about 90s MTBs. They are super cool, but I liken them to classic cars. Definitely cool to own/drive/ride, but a modern car is better in every measurable way.
In regards to drivetrains... Clutches are great, but they do have an impact on shifting performance. 10 speed drivetrains are okay, but I've found 11 and particularly 12 speed to be a bit clunky. Shimano's current 7 speed chains are the fastest wearing chains I've used, 6 months of light commuting and mine was past the 1.0 mark on the chain wear indicator. KMC on the other hand offer more than one option for 6/7/8 speed, their "expensive" 8 speed chains (compatible with 6/7/8) are excellent quality. Those old 90's drivetrains really aren't all that bad.Shimano STX was probably a low point for Shimano and should be avoided, but early 90's Deore DX was brilliant and actually made too well. XT throughout the 90's was also excellent. Yes the chain will flop around a bit over rough terrain, but a 3x7 or 3x8 setup is still really versatile for light off road, gravel, touring, etc. It's nice having a bigger top gear on those little wheels, but still being able to climb the steeper stuff too.
You get what you pay. Those ultra-cheap Shimano chains are only good for flip-bikes, that you want to sell. They are not coated, not hardened, only a bit of nickel on the surface. I still have some MTBs from the mid 90's and my Stumpy is still perfect. 100% XT and a small mod to 3x9 worked flawless. Of course it bumps around in the back without a clutch, but using it as a gravel bike is fully o.k. Today's MTBs are simply overkill and overweight. 15kg is the norm now, an aluminum fully at 17kg is not rare. They weigh more than my trekking bike with racks. Not funny!
@@DilbertMuc The thing is though, when it comes to anything less than 10 speed, you don't get a choice on chain quality from Shimano. It's why I have brand loyalty to KMC, who still offer at least a poverty option and a fancier option for even the lowest of sprocket counts.
Some old school roadie drivetrains are quite nice. I had 7spd Suntour with dontube shifters an old commuter and it worked amazing. Only downside is you can’t rip down the gears punching up a hill (obv), and changing gear on a descent above 60k an hour is... well, terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.
I remember back in the 80s and 90s, doing the downhill on Blackcomb mountain. Our traffic stops were black bear crossings. RockShox had only just come out and were the new Red Ryder BB gun of the bike world, meant for those with deep pockets. Or the truly cutting edge hardcore rider who was fine renting hostels with a diet of mainly Ramen. And warm powdered Tang. These spine breaking bikes were the only thing available. We went to sleep at night with echo dreams of fatigued wrists and loose chattering teeth. Of course, we were used to this, being brought up during the 80s BMX craze. Indeed we are spoiled now and like to tell the "yungins", the eye rolling phrase of how-good-you-have-it-these-days. However, every once in a while, we get a small smile on our face seeing a new bike build using an old chrome Schwinn or TripleT GT frame, and quietly mutter the predictable geezer phrase of "they don't make 'em like they used to"...
I did.....My first proper MTB was a rigid Kona Fire Mountain bought in '93....Shimano SLX 3x7, cantilever brakes, scarily narrow bars and a P2 fork.....If I had one now it'd be like yourself, I'd use a modern 1x11 with a 780mm wider riser bar and leave it with a rigid fork.....Here, in my part of eastern England, it's flat bridleways/ byways, good singletrack and gravel/ farm tracks, which really suit my gravel bike and would suit a rigid 26er.....Alas, I have no more room for any more bikes though as I have 6 !!! Nice hat at 4:50 as well
Yesterday I purchased an 80s Shogun touring bike from a guy who has owned it for decades. It has 3 rings in the front and he said it’s for a method used back in the day. What you do is put your chain in the center of your cassette and not use the rear derailleur. All shifting is done by the front derailleur giving you three gears. You get a gear for speed. A middle of the road gear, and a climbing gear.
Aka.... Modern big tire clearance 650b, 1x equipped, Gravel bike instead of finding an old frame to buildup for a newbie. Poseidon Redwood. State All-Road. Marin Nicasio+. Kona Dew Plus. Some even available in Flat-bar.
A 90s MTB WAS my introduction to mountain bike. Once, on an " event" ride my friend told me I should break it into pieces and leave it in the trail But when I got my first modern MTB the 90s bike was given to one of my kids to play with
Makes sense! I have no mtb skills but bought a 90s mtb last december as a winter beater bike. Since I have it, I can also use it to enjoy green mtb trails that I can normally ride with a dop-bar gravel bike. I am contemplating testing it out on some blue trails as well.
@RollinRat Sure enough, I underbike regularly but there are limits. I'm not gonna take my surly cross-check, with it's straight top-tube, and which is currently running 38mm gravelkings and a fully swept back rivendell tosco bar on anything more than single track. That is underbiking enough for me.
I love 90's mountain bikes and had a pretty fun and successful restomod build of a 94 Stumpjumper. However, for the price of most actual 90's mountain bikes, you can find a hardtail from around 2005 or 2010 that, out of the box, will serve you better. You'll probably still want to swap in wider bars and a shorter stem, but these bikes come with longer travel forks and disc brakes. Hell, I once found a 2010 hardtail with hydraulic disc brakes and an air fork for $40 at a thrift store. That runs circles around any vintage MTB. Not as cool, for sure, but way better performance.
I think the cross chaining that occurs in a one by drive train is what kills chains. That paired with aluminum chainrings wearing faster then the chain, in turn prematurely wearing the chain and the cassette. Planned obsolescence at its best.
I have two 80's mountain bikes and find them a nice change of pace from my narrow tire single speed and vintage road bikes. I ride them on gravel and dirt paths, not single tracks nothing technical or jumps, as well as city streets. Great when the conditions are wet or slushy. Really just another street bike that is slow with wider tires. Including the initial cost of the two mountain bikes the total investment is about $500, but I kept the old drive trains. Pretty cheap for two bikes that satisfy my 'itch'.
One of my bikes is a 94 lava dome. 3x7, thumbies, 42cm bars, rigid P2’s, flite, xt shark fin etc. i have swapped to v’s but that’s it. I love it to bits. I ride a lot of natural trails as that’s what’s around me. My modern hardtail 29er is a bit boring as it just rolls over everything. I love them both but the lava dome is more fun.
Spot on about riding 1990s MTB on cross country trails and not too rocky/rooted singletrack and doubletrack. If we go back and look at early mountain bike races (some are on here) the courses were essentially cross country or what we would call gravel riding today. Bar ends are key too as they give you another hand position so less fatigue on longer rides. I run slightly wider tires on my 1995 Mongoose Alta, but other than that and the bar ends the bike is stock. Great tip too about not spending a lot on one of the more popular 1990s MTBs-the STX group set that came on mid-level bikes back then holds up very well over time and is smooth if well maintained.
You forgot the part about old Deore and XTR shifters feeling so awesome. Theres no shifter feel like that anymore with any product on the market. I'm a big fan of those, and they can still be used with a few modern clutched derailleurs.
I rip my '95 Schwinn Moab around the local trails all the time and have a blast! Your Rock Hopper build has been an inspiration and the gravelkings are incredible! Slowly upgrading things as I go!
Deore XT with thumb shifters - Diamondback Apex, c. 1993, chromally steel. Had no problem with that bike at the time. Price was around $700, as opposed to the $5000 I paid recently for a nice Transition Sentinel. Shock absorption was a thing in the future, and these kinds of bikes were sort of free and fun updated versions of old cruisers from the 60s and 70s. They were great alternatives back then to road bikes. At the time, the mech on those bikes was just fine, complementary to the friction shifting and early index shifting of road bikes.
Fun fact…everyone who started mountain biking in the ‘90’s…wait for it…rode a ‘90’s mountain bike! (And enough people thought it was enough fun to lead to the popularity of mtn. biking today!)
Thank you! I have friends that are always stumped when I take a 90s bike out when I have modern bikes but yeah, I love the skills challenge. To be honest, I find people get a bit too caught up in the gear than the skill.
Cleaned up an ‘00 Gary Fisher “hardtail” last season as a winter commuter. Friend convinced me to hit the trails and was immediately hooked. No way could I keep up all summer because climbing was brutal and available 26x2.1 tires provided limited traction on corners. Big downhills were moderately terrifying from rattling and twitchy handling, even with 750mm bars. V-brakes on tru wheels handled all 250 lbs of me. Fun and good to learn on? Yes. Time to upgrade to modern hardtail? Most definitely.
I've been learning to jump on a full rigid Trek from about 1996 lol. All original, 3x7, grip shifters, aluminum quill and bars. It's fun, but going to go look at an early 2000s Trek this weekend. That will be the bike I modernize a bunch and ride hard.
Green trails on a late 80's Giant Hurricane ATB are insanely good fun. It has been said that the progression of MTB lead to the development of Gravel bikes.
Yesterday me n the wife did a nice long ride however I saw a enduro bike. Now I’m telling my wife I don’t own one. But I made sure I showed her a bike as well now she wants one. Plan well done.
A 90s Steel mtb from Fuji got me hooked on mountain bikes. I spent a year riding it on my local cross country trails before I got newer fuji hardtail. Now I am on a full suspension. all the upgrades were for upping my game and comfort since I have issues with my wrists. I gave up the 90s bike wish I still had it. Of course I agree about bar width it was awful to ride some stuff with those bars. If I still had the bike I would upgrade those. I still regret giving it up.
Hopefully others will learn from your path not taken. Do whatever you can to hold on to an old MTB, Steel is real. Hopefully keep it rideable or at least hold on to the frame and fork. I believe that bikes like to be in the company of other bikes. New, Old, Mountain Road and everything in between.
I just got a 90s bike from Goodwill. Mostly just to do some light riding and to tinker with. I also don't know shit about bikes, so it's good to know I haven't completely wasted my money.
A beginner can benefit from a simple '90s bike, up until the point where their newfound skill has them looking after a modern bike. At that point, they'll benefit from the modern bike's capabilities -- particularly that of letting the rider comfortably ease into increasingly more technical riding. Finally, when the rider feels advanced enough, they can actually come back full circle and pick up the vintage bike again as a benchmark for their improved skill. (After all, it seems the most advanced riders can totally shred on just about any bike.) Easy does it, in the beginning; move up to a modern bike, so as to spread your wings further; finally, put your newfound experience to the test and see if you can't make a vintage bike do some of what you've learned on a modern one. At least, this is what I think makes sense. To familiarize yourself with both basic bikes and advanced bikes is valuable, as mastering the former makes you all the better at riding the latter.
To me, people simply have lost the art of shifting. Thats why they dumb then down to 1x drivetrains. To many advantages to triple chainrings to mention.
Ok, old timer here, and I must say, lose the dork disk for hats. Chin straps are only to be worn when conditions demand it. ie after you've caught it 2 times flying from your noggin. 😉
Slightly off topic but still within the scope of things… Does simply adding drop bars to a 90s mtb make it a gravel bike? I ask because I am seeing more and more people (not Spindatt) doing this and saying it’s a gravel bike. Doesn’t a gravel bike need gravel tires and different gearing? When I think of a gravel bike, I think of a road bike with off-road capabilities. That would mean a larger crank ring like a 38t or larger for speed matched with a wide range cassette to reach a climbing gear. It would also need tires built for speed with just enough grip to not slow you down, but also give you grip like a set of Gravel Kings. I mean and ask this in the nicest way possible.
Outside of mountain and trail riding, 90s mountain bikes are GREAT city bikes. Thieves don’t want them, they have great tire clearance for wide tires that sail through potholes, and they almost always have braze ons to mount racks and fenders.
Old mtn bikes rock when you work downtown and want to ride after work. Losing my 40$ bianchi ocelot over my 1,000 dollar poseidon redwood is a no brainer.
I started on a 90s MTB in the 90s. I agree that older tech works better for older trails. I also think fatbikes on older trails is a nice compromise between then and now as trail riding a fatty embraces a lot of what was with a nice sprinkling of what is.
Old Skool drive train only suck if your using indexed shifting, using friction shifter is like driving a manual transmission car. A plus is that you can run any freewheel or cassette on the rear with as many cogs as you want & as few rings from the triple crank as you like. PS old specialized from when Sinard was still a hippy & not a predatory capitalist are what you want.
Been riding since 88, you can't go very fast on the old bikes, but it sure feels like you are going dangerously fast, if you learn on one though, then go to a modern hardtail with disc brake and front suspension, for myself it literally felt like cheating, so much easier. Basically our bikes were gravel bikes with flat bars.
They are definitely worth consideration, but the sport and technology has evolved so much. In the 1990's what was considered a downhill bike wouldn't even come close to passing muster for a cross country bike. But that doesn't mean they aren't a blast in their own right.
A 90’s bike can be great for a beginner. It can also be great for someone like me who has been riding for 30 years. It depends on how you ride and what you ride. I just shake my head at all the people I see riding $5000 dual suspension bikes on my local trails (which are pretty easy/flowy). Can you say “overbiked”?
I restore my bike that was with me since grade 4.good quality bike but through years past parts slowly getting broken so I replacing them.My first bike was really special to me son I repair it than buying new one
Thank you for sharing, been total agreement with my level of mountain biking I use old Gary Fisher chromoly bikes with no shock, updating the drive train I never thought of that do you have a video on that for old mountain bikes it's something I would really consider doing
One can, and I did, use a 90s mountain bike as an introduction to mountain biking! The only real trouble spots I've seen so far are lots of rocks and roots. Had my first fall yesterday. But I'm having a blast learning, on very little money. Plus I was able to fix up (and add some modern touches) and get a bike running that may have languished in a garage for another 30 years had I not found it. Thanks for the 90s mtn bike love! th-cam.com/video/Ho66eWYPdAI/w-d-xo.html
How wide a bar are we talking here? I put an old 710mm bar I had laying around on my old Stumpjumper, but it was just too much. I ended up cutting it down to around 660-670, and it still might be a tad wide for me.
I just recently got a 1994 GT. It’s cool-looking with the triple triangle. The bike is in very nice shape and all-original. $80. I will eventually upgrade it to a 1x10, but not right off. I am going to ride it a bit as-is. Think of it as proof of concept that bikes DON’T have to be swanky and expensive to be fun. OK, I did order some $25 pedals from Amazon to replace the horrible pedals it came with, but other than that and some adjustment to the rear brake, it’ll go out as it was in 1994.
Old Gt hardtails are the coolest looking. They had some really incredible paint jobs. Coolest looking bike Ive owned was an 92 Avalanche in Daktari white. White with black tiger stripes. So cool looking.
Does the clutch really make a difference? I was going to upgrade the freewheel on my early 90’s 700c dropbar hybrid from 28 to 32 teeth. I was just going to add a hanger extension, but you got me wondering if I should consider a new derailleur instead. Sticking with 3x7 because crank+shifters+rear wheel+chainring+derailleur=😜 $$$.
I have one bike with a clutch and about 20 bikes without them, and I don’t see much of a difference. I just make sure to take out a 2-3 more links of chain than recommended so that there is almost no play to keep it tight. Also stay away from long cage derailleurs and stay with the short cage. I also try to find 8 speed hubs so that I can upgrade. There are cassettes that have a wide range within 8 speeds so there is no need to invest in 9-12 speed drivetrains. Most of those gears were shift through and don’t use. I feel we really only need 3 gears at most.
Once your bike starts limiting you, convert it to a gravel grinder. Problem solved! If your problem becomes having too many bikes, you don’t have a problem!
This is crazy, instead of appreciating the actually ergonomic and functional handle bar on the 90s bike he puts on a new wide one that os just longer because biggerer is betterer... I've been at stores when they told me 'yeah 65 cm is just perfect" and now they are up to 84cm. And people look absolutely awkward riding them.
And I had to cut those 65 cm bars by 8cm. Any in town riding is absolutely hazardous, as is single tracks with trees. 80cm+ bars are just dumb. Maybe some will realize it when they go for 90cm bars just because biggerer.
It's kinda unnecessary to put on wider handlebars for 'more control' if you're not using the bike on terrain that actually requires 'more control'. The kind of singletrack shown in this video is definitely not a reason good enough to put on wider handlebars. I personally don't like very wide handlebars.
"Old school drivetrain suck" I am on that one too. In my opinion , for DH, All mountain and trails 1x is king no doubt. For road, gravel and xc marathons (depends on track ofc) 2x gives better gear range or tighter gear spacing (for road). Today, there isn't any reason except for money to go 3x. It is complicated for beginners, harder to adjust than 2x and with 9s to 11s casettes the gear ratios overlap. However I disagree with short longevity of modern chains. I've found this article and their results: zerofrictioncycling.com.au/chaintesting/ zerofrictioncycling.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Chain-Longevity-Testing-Full-test-brief.pdf
If a 3x is complicated for beginners, they can always use the middle front chainring only at first and forget about the other 2 until they get used to it. Then start using the other 2 gradually. Harder to adjust? LOL not at all, if you know what you're doing while adjusting a 1x, you will also know with a 3x. Takes a little bit longer true, but from my personal experience adjust things perfectly once and from then onwards fine adjustments are very rarely needed, almost never. Given that the bike is taken good care of like keeping it clean and drivetrain well lubed. I love my 3x7, it shifts quickly and flawlessly and is quiet and smooth.
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I agree that updating 90s mountain bikes makes the a lot more fun to ride.
I am at over 30 90s mountain bikes and counting. I even have a workshop setup in the basement of my restaurant with a pegboard wall of Park Tools. In a good way, I blame the start of it on stumbling upon an Old Shovel video. Then I found Spindatt.
90's mountain bikes are the perfect urban commuter bike.
..yes..straight cross-bar ...sloping crossbars are womens bikes . . . .😅
I have a old gt mountain bike zaskar and I love it I ride it to college every day and it was my first good mountain bike
They also make a great touring bike with slick tires. The gear range and sturdy steel construction makes welding brackets on easy. Yes, traditional panniers still work!
80's mountain bikes with horizontal top tubes are the best. The cockpits aren't so stretched out so you can sneak some drop bars and a tall stem, or some kind of alt-bar. They also give you loads of space for water bottles and racks, and were often made to take them. 26" tyres of the widest variety you can fit, and some super cool retro cantilevers lie a Dia Compe 980, add some mudguards and you've got something that can handle some pretty tough journeys.
90s MTBs are the perfect entry level bike in general, great for urban, commutes, carrying stuff, trail riding, cruising, gravel grinding, you name it. They are also pretty easy to work on and maintain and can teach you a lot about bikes without you having to be too worried about breaking or damaging something since most of the bike is pretty robust. I have mine set up for getting groceries and delivering mail as well as just ride whenever, wherever. When you want to take a certain aspect of biking to a higher level then you can get a more specific bike ( suspension mtb for mtb, a road bike for road ect.) but 90s mtb has a nice gateway to all of cyclings little niches. IMO
90s MTBs, for me, are an antidote to the increasingly niche configurations of modern bikes. Also, I LIKE narrow bars.
In 1972 we road anything anywhere and had fun well until the rose bush.
A 90`s MTB was my introduction to Mountain Biking back in the 90`s and it was freaking awesome .
I rode those bikes back in the 90s, And they were amazing back then. The difference today would be if your friends are riding modern bikes and you are constantly getting smoked. That would put a real damper on a newbies experience. I think buying a 90s mountain bike is something better suited for the season veteran to ride with their newbie friend and level the playing field. More fun all around
Mine gets me to work just great as well, love the contrast from my modern, full suspension 29er.
yup can see that. its perfect for my trails where its just kinda hilly and stuff but youll quickly have a hard time staying cought up with the smaller tires. its still fun.
Still think 90's mountain bikes look cooler. Love the colour of your Rockhopper.
Thanks for pointing out what these 90's MTB are made for - nowadays this counts for gravel and light single trails. Honestly, that's what most people do, and nothing more. So, with a few upgrades, they are more than capable for most.
My hair is grey and kids need to stay off my lawn. What you were doing in this video is as extreme as I can get anymore. I love my late 90s all steel rigid Trek, and I'm gonna rock it til time takes me off the trails for good.
you LOVE 😍 that Rockhopper.... its love
i ride my mid 90s MTB on some pretty technical stuff i only ever see people with modern bikes ride
not only is it an introduction to mountain biking, but a 90s bike can easily be your main bike, provided you stick to cross country riding and not redbull-style enduro downhill stuff
i came to the realization a few days back that when you're under-biking, things you achieve on the trail are 100% you and not the bike, there was no suspension to increase traction, no modern geometry to make you more confident on the descent, no 29 inch wheels to just allow you to roll over every obstacle smaller than a chair, just you adapting to your situation
Corollary is that modern MTB's are terrible for just pedaling around town and mellow unpaved stuff.
Many of us, especially those of us around when 90's MTB's were still new, are not necessarily looking to bomb down A-line. I've been a "wheels on the ground" MTB rider my whole life, and also really don't like the "road cycling" scene either. So modern rigid MTB's, and revived 90's MTB's are well aligned with my ambitions. I took my rigid 29x3 cargo bike on an epic week long dirt road biking trip last week, and today I'll take my rigid carbon XC bike on a local hilly group ride. I get funny looks from the roadies, but so what? Being way over or under biked just sucks, but there is plenty of terrain for these old school bikes to shine on, often with less traveling and expensive maintenance.
Amen.
As someone that started out with a 90s MTB in the 90s , They worked for me then and still do now. Doesn't mean I don't have other bikes in my stable now. For those of you that know what I mean i think of them as the vintage erector set we had as a kid. Basically a box of beams, nuts bolts motors etc with an instruction book. You could put together to make various projects. Take it apart and build something different the next time. Find a basic budget one, get it rolling to start and learn from it change it into what suits your fancy. Get out an ride it, while you look for your next bike. They don't come with an instruction booklet but that is what youtube, the internet, LBS and mail order parts are for.
I didn't expect this to be a perfect summation of how I feel about 90s MTBs. They are super cool, but I liken them to classic cars. Definitely cool to own/drive/ride, but a modern car is better in every measurable way.
My 90s zaskar updated to 1x11 and 800mm handle bars is one of my favorite bikes
In regards to drivetrains...
Clutches are great, but they do have an impact on shifting performance. 10 speed drivetrains are okay, but I've found 11 and particularly 12 speed to be a bit clunky.
Shimano's current 7 speed chains are the fastest wearing chains I've used, 6 months of light commuting and mine was past the 1.0 mark on the chain wear indicator. KMC on the other hand offer more than one option for 6/7/8 speed, their "expensive" 8 speed chains (compatible with 6/7/8) are excellent quality.
Those old 90's drivetrains really aren't all that bad.Shimano STX was probably a low point for Shimano and should be avoided, but early 90's Deore DX was brilliant and actually made too well. XT throughout the 90's was also excellent. Yes the chain will flop around a bit over rough terrain, but a 3x7 or 3x8 setup is still really versatile for light off road, gravel, touring, etc. It's nice having a bigger top gear on those little wheels, but still being able to climb the steeper stuff too.
Most sensible, honest comment Ive heard/read for years. 3x8,9or10 is perfect for me.
You get what you pay. Those ultra-cheap Shimano chains are only good for flip-bikes, that you want to sell. They are not coated, not hardened, only a bit of nickel on the surface.
I still have some MTBs from the mid 90's and my Stumpy is still perfect. 100% XT and a small mod to 3x9 worked flawless. Of course it bumps around in the back without a clutch, but using it as a gravel bike is fully o.k.
Today's MTBs are simply overkill and overweight. 15kg is the norm now, an aluminum fully at 17kg is not rare. They weigh more than my trekking bike with racks. Not funny!
@@DilbertMuc The thing is though, when it comes to anything less than 10 speed, you don't get a choice on chain quality from Shimano. It's why I have brand loyalty to KMC, who still offer at least a poverty option and a fancier option for even the lowest of sprocket counts.
Nice bikes 🤙🏼
Some old school roadie drivetrains are quite nice. I had 7spd Suntour with dontube shifters an old commuter and it worked amazing.
Only downside is you can’t rip down the gears punching up a hill (obv), and changing gear on a descent above 60k an hour is... well, terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.
Dude! There’s a old Bridgestone for sale on 26’s for sale, and I’m so tempted! I think you hit the tail on the donkey with this topic!
I remember back in the 80s and 90s, doing the downhill on Blackcomb mountain. Our traffic stops were black bear crossings. RockShox had only just come out and were the new Red Ryder BB gun of the bike world, meant for those with deep pockets. Or the truly cutting edge hardcore rider who was fine renting hostels with a diet of mainly Ramen. And warm powdered Tang. These spine breaking bikes were the only thing available. We went to sleep at night with echo dreams of fatigued wrists and loose chattering teeth. Of course, we were used to this, being brought up during the 80s BMX craze. Indeed we are spoiled now and like to tell the "yungins", the eye rolling phrase of how-good-you-have-it-these-days. However, every once in a while, we get a small smile on our face seeing a new bike build using an old chrome Schwinn or TripleT GT frame, and quietly mutter the predictable geezer phrase of "they don't make 'em like they used to"...
I did.....My first proper MTB was a rigid Kona Fire Mountain bought in '93....Shimano SLX 3x7, cantilever brakes, scarily narrow bars and a P2 fork.....If I had one now it'd be like yourself, I'd use a modern 1x11 with a 780mm wider riser bar and leave it with a rigid fork.....Here, in my part of eastern England, it's flat bridleways/ byways, good singletrack and gravel/ farm tracks, which really suit my gravel bike and would suit a rigid 26er.....Alas, I have no more room for any more bikes though as I have 6 !!!
Nice hat at 4:50 as well
Yesterday I purchased an 80s Shogun touring bike from a guy who has owned it for decades. It has 3 rings in the front and he said it’s for a method used back in the day. What you do is put your chain in the center of your cassette and not use the rear derailleur. All shifting is done by the front derailleur giving you three gears. You get a gear for speed. A middle of the road gear, and a climbing gear.
This channel has given me the gift of tinkering with vintage and old school bikes.
My question is….is that a hairpiece?!!
Aka.... Modern big tire clearance 650b, 1x equipped, Gravel bike instead of finding an old frame to buildup for a newbie. Poseidon Redwood. State All-Road. Marin Nicasio+. Kona Dew Plus. Some even available in Flat-bar.
A 90s MTB WAS my introduction to mountain bike. Once, on an " event" ride my friend told me I should break it into pieces and leave it in the trail
But when I got my first modern MTB the 90s bike was given to one of my kids to play with
Nice Rockhopper
Makes sense! I have no mtb skills but bought a 90s mtb last december as a winter beater bike. Since I have it, I can also use it to enjoy green mtb trails that I can normally ride with a dop-bar gravel bike. I am contemplating testing it out on some blue trails as well.
@RollinRat Sure enough, I underbike regularly but there are limits. I'm not gonna take my surly cross-check, with it's straight top-tube, and which is currently running 38mm gravelkings and a fully swept back rivendell tosco bar on anything more than single track. That is underbiking enough for me.
The hat, and the book = old west preacher. Please keep doing that.
I love 90's mountain bikes and had a pretty fun and successful restomod build of a 94 Stumpjumper. However, for the price of most actual 90's mountain bikes, you can find a hardtail from around 2005 or 2010 that, out of the box, will serve you better. You'll probably still want to swap in wider bars and a shorter stem, but these bikes come with longer travel forks and disc brakes. Hell, I once found a 2010 hardtail with hydraulic disc brakes and an air fork for $40 at a thrift store. That runs circles around any vintage MTB. Not as cool, for sure, but way better performance.
I think the cross chaining that occurs in a one by drive train is what kills chains. That paired with aluminum chainrings wearing faster then the chain, in turn prematurely wearing the chain and the cassette. Planned obsolescence at its best.
I started in 2014 with a 1997 Giant ATX840 for $70, that was great fun.
I have two 80's mountain bikes and find them a nice change of pace from my narrow tire single speed and vintage road bikes. I ride them on gravel and dirt paths, not single tracks nothing technical or jumps, as well as city streets. Great when the conditions are wet or slushy. Really just another street bike that is slow with wider tires. Including the initial cost of the two mountain bikes the total investment is about $500, but I kept the old drive trains. Pretty cheap for two bikes that satisfy my 'itch'.
One of my bikes is a 94 lava dome. 3x7, thumbies, 42cm bars, rigid P2’s, flite, xt shark fin etc. i have swapped to v’s but that’s it. I love it to bits. I ride a lot of natural trails as that’s what’s around me. My modern hardtail 29er is a bit boring as it just rolls over everything.
I love them both but the lava dome is more fun.
Spot on about riding 1990s MTB on cross country trails and not too rocky/rooted singletrack and doubletrack. If we go back and look at early mountain bike races (some are on here) the courses were essentially cross country or what we would call gravel riding today. Bar ends are key too as they give you another hand position so less fatigue on longer rides. I run slightly wider tires on my 1995 Mongoose Alta, but other than that and the bar ends the bike is stock. Great tip too about not spending a lot on one of the more popular 1990s MTBs-the STX group set that came on mid-level bikes back then holds up very well over time and is smooth if well maintained.
Dude. You are so relatable. Love your work.
You forgot the part about old Deore and XTR shifters feeling so awesome. Theres no shifter feel like that anymore with any product on the market. I'm a big fan of those, and they can still be used with a few modern clutched derailleurs.
I rip my '95 Schwinn Moab around the local trails all the time and have a blast! Your Rock Hopper build has been an inspiration and the gravelkings are incredible! Slowly upgrading things as I go!
Deore XT with thumb shifters - Diamondback Apex, c. 1993, chromally steel. Had no problem with that bike at the time. Price was around $700, as opposed to the $5000 I paid recently for a nice Transition Sentinel. Shock absorption was a thing in the future, and these kinds of bikes were sort of free and fun updated versions of old cruisers from the 60s and 70s. They were great alternatives back then to road bikes. At the time, the mech on those bikes was just fine, complementary to the friction shifting and early index shifting of road bikes.
Fun fact…everyone who started mountain biking in the ‘90’s…wait for it…rode a ‘90’s mountain bike! (And enough people thought it was enough fun to lead to the popularity of mtn. biking today!)
Well, a 90's mtb was my introduction into mountain biking. But, that was also in the 90's.
Can you or anyone in comments recommend a modern drivetrain for a 90s MTB? Is there a guide to sizes and installation?
These are always funny questions becasue yes of course you can. That was literally the only option in, we'll, the 90s
Thank you! I have friends that are always stumped when I take a 90s bike out when I have modern bikes but yeah, I love the skills challenge. To be honest, I find people get a bit too caught up in the gear than the skill.
Cleaned up an ‘00 Gary Fisher “hardtail” last season as a winter commuter. Friend convinced me to hit the trails and was immediately hooked. No way could I keep up all summer because climbing was brutal and available 26x2.1 tires provided limited traction on corners. Big downhills were moderately terrifying from rattling and twitchy handling, even with 750mm bars. V-brakes on tru wheels handled all 250 lbs of me. Fun and good to learn on? Yes. Time to upgrade to modern hardtail? Most definitely.
I've been learning to jump on a full rigid Trek from about 1996 lol. All original, 3x7, grip shifters, aluminum quill and bars. It's fun, but going to go look at an early 2000s Trek this weekend. That will be the bike I modernize a bunch and ride hard.
I ripped my Schwinn Paramount down steamboat mountain and everywhere else in the 90s as a young teenager. We were just built different back then.
Green trails on a late 80's Giant Hurricane ATB are insanely good fun. It has been said that the progression of MTB lead to the development of Gravel bikes.
Yesterday me n the wife did a nice long ride however I saw a enduro bike. Now I’m telling my wife I don’t own one. But I made sure I showed her a bike as well now she wants one. Plan well done.
A 90s Steel mtb from Fuji got me hooked on mountain bikes. I spent a year riding it on my local cross country trails before I got newer fuji hardtail. Now I am on a full suspension. all the upgrades were for upping my game and comfort since I have issues with my wrists. I gave up the 90s bike wish I still had it. Of course I agree about bar width it was awful to ride some stuff with those bars. If I still had the bike I would upgrade those. I still regret giving it up.
Hopefully others will learn from your path not taken. Do whatever you can to hold on to an old MTB, Steel is real. Hopefully keep it rideable or at least hold on to the frame and fork. I believe that bikes like to be in the company of other bikes. New, Old, Mountain Road and everything in between.
That saddle to bar drop is… intense! More than my gravel bike!
I just got a 90s bike from Goodwill. Mostly just to do some light riding and to tinker with.
I also don't know shit about bikes, so it's good to know I haven't completely wasted my money.
A beginner can benefit from a simple '90s bike, up until the point where their newfound skill has them looking after a modern bike. At that point, they'll benefit from the modern bike's capabilities -- particularly that of letting the rider comfortably ease into increasingly more technical riding. Finally, when the rider feels advanced enough, they can actually come back full circle and pick up the vintage bike again as a benchmark for their improved skill. (After all, it seems the most advanced riders can totally shred on just about any bike.) Easy does it, in the beginning; move up to a modern bike, so as to spread your wings further; finally, put your newfound experience to the test and see if you can't make a vintage bike do some of what you've learned on a modern one. At least, this is what I think makes sense. To familiarize yourself with both basic bikes and advanced bikes is valuable, as mastering the former makes you all the better at riding the latter.
To me, people simply have lost the art of shifting. Thats why they dumb then down to 1x drivetrains. To many advantages to triple chainrings to mention.
Ok, old timer here, and I must say, lose the dork disk for hats. Chin straps are only to be worn when conditions demand it. ie after you've caught it 2 times flying from your noggin. 😉
Slightly off topic but still within the scope of things… Does simply adding drop bars to a 90s mtb make it a gravel bike? I ask because I am seeing more and more people (not Spindatt) doing this and saying it’s a gravel bike. Doesn’t a gravel bike need gravel tires and different gearing? When I think of a gravel bike, I think of a road bike with off-road capabilities. That would mean a larger crank ring like a 38t or larger for speed matched with a wide range cassette to reach a climbing gear. It would also need tires built for speed with just enough grip to not slow you down, but also give you grip like a set of Gravel Kings. I mean and ask this in the nicest way possible.
Outside of mountain and trail riding, 90s mountain bikes are GREAT city bikes. Thieves don’t want them, they have great tire clearance for wide tires that sail through potholes, and they almost always have braze ons to mount racks and fenders.
Old mtn bikes rock when you work downtown and want to ride after work. Losing my 40$ bianchi ocelot over my 1,000 dollar poseidon redwood is a no brainer.
I started on a 90s MTB in the 90s. I agree that older tech works better for older trails. I also think fatbikes on older trails is a nice compromise between then and now as trail riding a fatty embraces a lot of what was with a nice sprinkling of what is.
i remeber riding my trek 970 in my local woods and i think it efinatly made me a more skilled rider
cool hat
Old Skool drive train only suck if your using indexed shifting, using friction shifter is like driving a manual transmission car. A plus is that you can run any freewheel or cassette on the rear with as many cogs as you want & as few rings from the triple crank as you like.
PS old specialized from when Sinard was still a hippy & not a predatory capitalist are what you want.
What years of Specialized would that be? I have one that is at leeast 20 years old. Aluminum frame, no suspension.
What kind of quill stem adapter do you recommend?
Been riding since 88, you can't go very fast on the old bikes, but it sure feels like you are going dangerously fast, if you learn on one though, then go to a modern hardtail with disc brake and front suspension, for myself it literally felt like cheating, so much easier. Basically our bikes were gravel bikes with flat bars.
They are definitely worth consideration, but the sport and technology has evolved so much. In the 1990's what was considered a downhill bike wouldn't even come close to passing muster for a cross country bike. But that doesn't mean they aren't a blast in their own right.
It was for me... But that was the 90's, so go figure
which tires and wheels are there?
How tall are you and what size 90s mtb do you usually gravitate towards?
Great video!! Saludos desde Argentina.
I mean… it was.
Yes, it was, but you know that he means now, like with all the new stuff, I guess.....
A 90’s bike can be great for a beginner. It can also be great for someone like me who has been riding for 30 years. It depends on how you ride and what you ride. I just shake my head at all the people I see riding $5000 dual suspension bikes on my local trails (which are pretty easy/flowy). Can you say “overbiked”?
I restore my bike that was with me since grade 4.good quality bike but through years past parts slowly getting broken so I replacing them.My first bike was really special to me son I repair it than buying new one
Thank you for sharing, been total agreement with my level of mountain biking I use old Gary Fisher chromoly bikes with no shock, updating the drive train I never thought of that do you have a video on that for old mountain bikes it's something I would really consider doing
Nice hat.
One can, and I did, use a 90s mountain bike as an introduction to mountain biking! The only real trouble spots I've seen so far are lots of rocks and roots. Had my first fall yesterday. But I'm having a blast learning, on very little money. Plus I was able to fix up (and add some modern touches) and get a bike running that may have languished in a garage for another 30 years had I not found it. Thanks for the 90s mtn bike love!
th-cam.com/video/Ho66eWYPdAI/w-d-xo.html
How wide a bar are we talking here? I put an old 710mm bar I had laying around on my old Stumpjumper, but it was just too much. I ended up cutting it down to around 660-670, and it still might be a tad wide for me.
I found that to be my sweet spot after 30+ years of mtbing. Anything much wider I start clipping trees on my trails and that usually doesnt end well😅
@@johndef5075 I'm thinking 650mm on old steel hardtails is probably about the max that works well.
I just recently got a 1994 GT. It’s cool-looking with the triple triangle. The bike is in very nice shape and all-original. $80.
I will eventually upgrade it to a 1x10, but not right off. I am going to ride it a bit as-is. Think of it as proof of concept that bikes DON’T have to be swanky and expensive to be fun. OK, I did order some $25 pedals from Amazon to replace the horrible pedals it came with, but other than that and some adjustment to the rear brake, it’ll go out as it was in 1994.
1x is NOT an upgrade in my opinion!
Old Gt hardtails are the coolest looking. They had some really incredible paint jobs. Coolest looking bike Ive owned was an 92 Avalanche in Daktari white. White with black tiger stripes. So cool looking.
I have an old GT thats probably that old. It looks good, but something about it isn't right for me.
This is personal taste, of course. If a GT isn’t your speed, try something else.
@@Wobbz9413 Of course it's not! But the media convinced them otherwsie 😅
Does the clutch really make a difference? I was going to upgrade the freewheel on my early 90’s 700c dropbar hybrid from 28 to 32 teeth. I was just going to add a hanger extension, but you got me wondering if I should consider a new derailleur instead. Sticking with 3x7 because crank+shifters+rear wheel+chainring+derailleur=😜 $$$.
I have one bike with a clutch and about 20 bikes without them, and I don’t see much of a difference. I just make sure to take out a 2-3 more links of chain than recommended so that there is almost no play to keep it tight. Also stay away from long cage derailleurs and stay with the short cage. I also try to find 8 speed hubs so that I can upgrade. There are cassettes that have a wide range within 8 speeds so there is no need to invest in 9-12 speed drivetrains. Most of those gears were shift through and don’t use. I feel we really only need 3 gears at most.
@@jeremyabbott2829 thanks for the tips!
Once your bike starts limiting you, convert it to a gravel grinder. Problem solved! If your problem becomes having too many bikes, you don’t have a problem!
nice hat
I mean my 90s mtb got me into gravel biking if that counts lol
Brown saddle on datt
"All bikes are mountain bikes." -- Said someone at some time.
modern bikes are so much nicer though. but youll still have a blast no matter what.
I call it “deer in the woods”
Its like saying a gravel bike. A wide range of biking.
This is crazy, instead of appreciating the actually ergonomic and functional handle bar on the 90s bike he puts on a new wide one that os just longer because biggerer is betterer...
I've been at stores when they told me 'yeah 65 cm is just perfect" and now they are up to 84cm. And people look absolutely awkward riding them.
And I had to cut those 65 cm bars by 8cm. Any in town riding is absolutely hazardous, as is single tracks with trees.
80cm+ bars are just dumb. Maybe some will realize it when they go for 90cm bars just because biggerer.
Those Easton’s are 760. I like their width
Is that a Tilley hat?
This guy's so old. He was born around 92.
Thanks MTB Jamiroquai
Yes. But the frames I had in the 90s were stiff. Rattles my old kidneys now!😅
It's kinda unnecessary to put on wider handlebars for 'more control' if you're not using the bike on terrain that actually requires 'more control'. The kind of singletrack shown in this video is definitely not a reason good enough to put on wider handlebars. I personally don't like very wide handlebars.
Todays mtbs are too focus on descending anyway
They're brilliant for proper mountain biking, not that bike park shite
Just don't demo a modern one first!
taliking too much bla bla bla bla bla
"Old school drivetrain suck" I am on that one too. In my opinion , for DH, All mountain and trails 1x is king no doubt. For road, gravel and xc marathons (depends on track ofc) 2x gives better gear range or tighter gear spacing (for road). Today, there isn't any reason except for money to go 3x. It is complicated for beginners, harder to adjust than 2x and with 9s to 11s casettes the gear ratios overlap.
However I disagree with short longevity of modern chains. I've found this article and their results:
zerofrictioncycling.com.au/chaintesting/
zerofrictioncycling.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Chain-Longevity-Testing-Full-test-brief.pdf
If a 3x is complicated for beginners, they can always use the middle front chainring only at first and forget about the other 2 until they get used to it. Then start using the other 2 gradually. Harder to adjust? LOL not at all, if you know what you're doing while adjusting a 1x, you will also know with a 3x. Takes a little bit longer true, but from my personal experience adjust things perfectly once and from then onwards fine adjustments are very rarely needed, almost never. Given that the bike is taken good care of like keeping it clean and drivetrain well lubed. I love my 3x7, it shifts quickly and flawlessly and is quiet and smooth.