I really needed this video. I've been diving deep into bike restoration over the past few months, driven by the fact that I have four boys and know firsthand how much freedom and mobility a bike offers to a 10-year-old or teenager. Unfortunately, the Trek Store in our neighborhood is just too expensive-it's hard to imagine how anyone can justify paying what amounts to 10% of the average annual salary here for a bike. That's why I decided to start restoring old '90s ATBs and offering tune-ups at a fair price. I believe I can fill a real gap in the community by providing well-restored bikes for around $400. No more finicky clicky shifter-we're going back to reliable friction gears. My goal is to ensure that anyone who's mechanically curious can not only ride these bikes but also maintain and repair them. And if something goes wrong, they can at least get it running well enough to make it back to me for help. I truly believe that efforts like this can push the bike industry to rethink their pricing, as they’re shutting out the next generation of riders with their current model.
I have a bike from a short-lived US brand called Barracuda. It was a 1994 model that was originally a hard tail but I made some changes to it. I gave it a rigid steel fork, wider flat bars, new v-brakes, converted it to 1x, and put some nice wide 26x2.2 chunky tires on it. I actually use it for gravel and single track. I’m really just getting into mountain biking and honestly I limit the bike way more than the bike limits me at this point. It’s really easy for me to get fixated on getting the best/most expensive gear, but I’m so glad I took the time in to restoring this bike. I love the bike, and I learned so much about building, maintaining, and fixing bikes. I figured out how to set up the derailleur, dial in the brakes, built the wheels wheels, and got familiar with all the various bike standards for handlebars, bottom brackets, axels, etc in the process. You just can’t buy that sort of knowledge/experience from a bike store
Another pro to 26ers is that they are generally pretty light and climb really well. I have a modern disc 27.5 rigid atb as well as an early 90s 26er. The 26er is soooo much lighter and it climbs so much easier. I think they might even be preferable to gravel bikes if you're going to be climbing all day
Thanks for watching and commenting. Yes I found this with an old 26” bike I had and when I went to a 29” it was very difficult to get up technical ascents.
You're absolutely right, the 90's was an awesome time for MTB. The magazines, the bike shops, no sanctioned trails anywhere, just making it up as we went along! Love that 90's ATB and the Kona looks like it would shred just as well today as back in the day. I've recently built up an old steel 1990 Apollo MTB for touring, this has inspired me to take it on some single track. Thanks for the video!
At 6'2" 29" wheels were a game changer for me. Just felt so natural. I ride 26" on my 2001 Klein Attitude set up as an urban cruiser, but I couldn't go back to 26" on MTB trails.
Makes complete sense - I’m 5ft10 so the 26” works well for me. When I did have a 29” bike it numbed the trail a bit too much for me . Ooo Klein bikes were the dream when I was younger! Lucky you! Thank you for watching 👍
@cOnsciOusness..I agree. Back in 2009 I had a yeti arc hardtail 26er. Love that bike! The frame developed cracked and I got upgraded to a 29er. This changed everything. At 5'10 220 pounds I didnt feel like I was going to go over the bars on every downhill ride. I also became more confident all around. Although the 26 was more fun! I could never go back. The bigger wheels make a such huge difference in getting the most out of trail riding.
I'm the other way round! At 5'5" I recently sold by 2021 Cube Analog and used the money to build up a 26" MTB hardtail (albeit with a modern air-shock, hydraulic disc-brakes and a 1x10 'Cues' conversion). Lots of 26" bargains to be had: I got a pair of Mavic 221 rims with Shimano XTR hubs for £20!
@@jpm408 thanks for sharing your thoughts and watching the video. I think you’ve summed your experience up really well and I think the decision for wheel size isn’t black and white 👍
I have a few bikes froom the 90's and I find the cockpit to be cramped on all of them. I can add that they are so much fun to ride on the trails with the narrow bars.. My modern bikes make the local trails feel extremely tame, where the 90's bikes are so twitchy there is a bit of fear mixed with enjoyment.
Finding quality 26' tires has become harder and harder every year.. I am glad Schwalbe will makes 26's tires available, even though they can still be hard to find in stock anywhere.
Great video guys. Really making me think about digging out my late 90’s mountain bike that’s still in my parents shed. I can remember the excitement of seeing it on offer in a bike magazine ad and my parents kindly calling up to order it for me then waiting for it to arrive. I recently built up a gravel bike and it’s rekindled that feeling of freedom a go anywhere classic MTB gave from my childhood, I’m sure that’s one of the reasons they’re so popular now. I have a pair of your lovely Gravel wheels due next week, super excited. 😝
I got 2 a gt timberline with a bmx piston stem and just fitted surly sunrise bars instead of bmx cruiser bars And a skip find emmelle pacific that I fitted a road bike stem and Dutch style cruiser bars to Both are converted to single speed . I feel they are the modern version of the us klunkers and uk tracker bikes cheap easy to find and convert .
Hello Paul & Sarah, Good video, you have made me think about getting my old ATB working again. On the brakes front, I'm so old I avoid using the brakes at it take forever to build up my speed - lol. See you on the next one. Take care. Paul,,
I have the same bike. I frequently compare it to my all city gorilla monsoon. The all city is a faster bike that eats rocky descents for breakfast but the 26er climbs so much better and is wayyy lighter
Just built up a 1995 Kona Kilauea with XT / XTR kit, V brakes, 100mm RockShox, 26 pounds of Tange Prestige goodness. I prefer it to my 27.5” steel hardtail (Charge Cooker 3 2015 which I converted from a 29er). Steel is real! Plus got a Fat Chance Yo Eddy (1990) to build up too. One of the first ones built. It’s gert lush innit.
Enjoyed that one. I have a 92 Raleigh Ogre Dyna-Tech. Titanium bonded tubing, its light, bear trap pedals, Shimano deore hubs, and cantilever brakes. Still ridden. Bikes from this era are great fun if used within their limits. Not sure I would launch it over any jumps though LOL. PS I have a Brompton as well😁👍
Thanks for watching and commenting. Your bike would have been built by Raleigh’s special division who made their finest bikes back in the day so nice to hear it’s still being ridden 👍 p.s Bromptons are the best!
They’re great but the 26” wheels I just can’t get on board with… maybe its my height but anything road related feels so slow. Apart from that, awesome bikes. Ive got a MuddyFox Courier & Diamondback Apex but 29” is just right, I actually converted one to 650b which helped
It's all fun and games until someone hits a tree. With those brakes and tyres and riding position, the probability of something going wrong seems MUCH greater and for me, your top Pro - price - makes no sense. In this case, nostalgia comes a price I can't afford. I do wish you safe and fun riding, Paul and Sarah. S
Thanks for watching! At any point if anyone hits a tree on any bike it’s complete rider error 😂 because the rider should be able to change their riding style to that of the bike and trail. Regards to the price point even though it’s a lot of money in terms of the price of bikes it’s a relatively cheap and good option for people 👍
@@veloworks9266 Yes - you are correct Paul. Older bikes require an appropriate style of riding commensurate to the abilities of the bike - and rider. A cheap bike ridden well will perform very nicely thanks very much. I am sorry for doubting your take on this.
I really needed this video. I've been diving deep into bike restoration over the past few months, driven by the fact that I have four boys and know firsthand how much freedom and mobility a bike offers to a 10-year-old or teenager. Unfortunately, the Trek Store in our neighborhood is just too expensive-it's hard to imagine how anyone can justify paying what amounts to 10% of the average annual salary here for a bike.
That's why I decided to start restoring old '90s ATBs and offering tune-ups at a fair price. I believe I can fill a real gap in the community by providing well-restored bikes for around $400. No more finicky clicky shifter-we're going back to reliable friction gears.
My goal is to ensure that anyone who's mechanically curious can not only ride these bikes but also maintain and repair them. And if something goes wrong, they can at least get it running well enough to make it back to me for help. I truly believe that efforts like this can push the bike industry to rethink their pricing, as they’re shutting out the next generation of riders with their current model.
@@micpowe2 hi thanks for watching. Sounds great what you are doing - we wish you all the best.
You are a beautiful human
I have a bike from a short-lived US brand called Barracuda. It was a 1994 model that was originally a hard tail but I made some changes to it. I gave it a rigid steel fork, wider flat bars, new v-brakes, converted it to 1x, and put some nice wide 26x2.2 chunky tires on it. I actually use it for gravel and single track. I’m really just getting into mountain biking and honestly I limit the bike way more than the bike limits me at this point. It’s really easy for me to get fixated on getting the best/most expensive gear, but I’m so glad I took the time in to restoring this bike. I love the bike, and I learned so much about building, maintaining, and fixing bikes. I figured out how to set up the derailleur, dial in the brakes, built the wheels wheels, and got familiar with all the various bike standards for handlebars, bottom brackets, axels, etc in the process. You just can’t buy that sort of knowledge/experience from a bike store
Hi, thanks for sharing your journey. Sounds like a great project 👍👍
Another pro to 26ers is that they are generally pretty light and climb really well. I have a modern disc 27.5 rigid atb as well as an early 90s 26er. The 26er is soooo much lighter and it climbs so much easier. I think they might even be preferable to gravel bikes if you're going to be climbing all day
Thanks for watching and commenting. Yes I found this with an old 26” bike I had and when I went to a 29” it was very difficult to get up technical ascents.
My latest 90's acquisition is a '98 K2 Proflex 3000.. Full squish with Noleens components..
You're absolutely right, the 90's was an awesome time for MTB. The magazines, the bike shops, no sanctioned trails anywhere, just making it up as we went along! Love that 90's ATB and the Kona looks like it would shred just as well today as back in the day. I've recently built up an old steel 1990 Apollo MTB for touring, this has inspired me to take it on some single track. Thanks for the video!
At 6'2" 29" wheels were a game changer for me. Just felt so natural. I ride 26" on my 2001 Klein Attitude set up as an urban cruiser, but I couldn't go back to 26" on MTB trails.
Makes complete sense - I’m 5ft10 so the 26” works well for me. When I did have a 29” bike it numbed the trail a bit too much for me . Ooo Klein bikes were the dream when I was younger! Lucky you! Thank you for watching 👍
@cOnsciOusness..I agree. Back in 2009 I had a yeti arc hardtail 26er. Love that bike! The frame developed cracked and I got upgraded to a 29er. This changed everything. At 5'10 220 pounds I didnt feel like I was going to go over the bars on every downhill ride. I also became more confident all around. Although the 26 was more fun! I could never go back. The bigger wheels make a such huge difference in getting the most out of trail riding.
I'm the other way round! At 5'5" I recently sold by 2021 Cube Analog and used the money to build up a 26" MTB hardtail (albeit with a modern air-shock, hydraulic disc-brakes and a 1x10 'Cues' conversion). Lots of 26" bargains to be had: I got a pair of Mavic 221 rims with Shimano XTR hubs for £20!
@@jpm408 thanks for sharing your thoughts and watching the video. I think you’ve summed your experience up really well and I think the decision for wheel size isn’t black and white 👍
@@mattcameron9349 sounds great!
I have a few bikes froom the 90's and I find the cockpit to be cramped on all of them. I can add that they are so much fun to ride on the trails with the narrow bars.. My modern bikes make the local trails feel extremely tame, where the 90's bikes are so twitchy there is a bit of fear mixed with enjoyment.
Finding quality 26' tires has become harder and harder every year.. I am glad Schwalbe will makes 26's tires available, even though they can still be hard to find in stock anywhere.
I have two of them and plan on getting more
Sounds like a great plan!
I have a motor on mine I have a Fuji I think is a 1995 -97. The 90s was my high school days I like how the 90s bike handles
@@vinnybruce2874 agreed !
Great video guys. Really making me think about digging out my late 90’s mountain bike that’s still in my parents shed. I can remember the excitement of seeing it on offer in a bike magazine ad and my parents kindly calling up to order it for me then waiting for it to arrive.
I recently built up a gravel bike and it’s rekindled that feeling of freedom a go anywhere classic MTB gave from my childhood, I’m sure that’s one of the reasons they’re so popular now.
I have a pair of your lovely Gravel wheels due next week, super excited. 😝
Thanks for sharing! You should definitely dig out the bike! And looking forward to building your wheels 👍
I got 2 a gt timberline with a bmx piston stem and just fitted surly sunrise bars instead of bmx cruiser bars
And a skip find emmelle pacific that I fitted a road bike stem and Dutch style cruiser bars to
Both are converted to single speed .
I feel they are the modern version of the us klunkers and uk tracker bikes cheap easy to find and convert .
Sounds great! Bet they are fun to ride!
Thanks Paul , hello 👍🕊️
👍👋🏻
Hello Paul & Sarah,
Good video, you have made me think about getting my old ATB working again. On the brakes front, I'm so old I avoid using the brakes at it take forever to build up my speed - lol. See you on the next one.
Take care.
Paul,,
Hi Paul, oh you absolutely should dig it out and get it riding! So much fun! And you made me laugh 😂 Sarah
I would think another 'pro' is the weight, or lack of it. I have a 1991 Stump Jumper Comp.
Good point the better made ones were light !
I have the same bike. I frequently compare it to my all city gorilla monsoon. The all city is a faster bike that eats rocky descents for breakfast but the 26er climbs so much better and is wayyy lighter
Just built up a 1995 Kona Kilauea with XT / XTR kit, V brakes, 100mm RockShox, 26 pounds of Tange Prestige goodness. I prefer it to my 27.5” steel hardtail (Charge Cooker 3 2015 which I converted from a 29er). Steel is real! Plus got a Fat Chance Yo Eddy (1990) to build up too. One of the first ones built. It’s gert lush innit.
The Kona sounds great!
Enjoyed that one. I have a 92 Raleigh Ogre Dyna-Tech. Titanium bonded tubing, its light, bear trap pedals, Shimano deore hubs, and cantilever brakes. Still ridden. Bikes from this era are great fun if used within their limits. Not sure I would launch it over any jumps though LOL. PS I have a Brompton as well😁👍
Thanks for watching and commenting. Your bike would have been built by Raleigh’s special division who made their finest bikes back in the day so nice to hear it’s still being ridden 👍 p.s Bromptons are the best!
They’re great but the 26” wheels I just can’t get on board with… maybe its my height but anything road related feels so slow. Apart from that, awesome bikes. Ive got a MuddyFox Courier & Diamondback Apex but 29” is just right, I actually converted one to 650b which helped
Thanks for watching! Yes agree the 26” aren’t for everyone but for me they are a joy to ride! Lovely bikes - happy cycling!
It's all fun and games until someone hits a tree. With those brakes and tyres and riding position, the probability of something going wrong seems MUCH greater and for me, your top Pro - price - makes no sense. In this case, nostalgia comes a price I can't afford. I do wish you safe and fun riding, Paul and Sarah. S
Thanks for watching! At any point if anyone hits a tree on any bike it’s complete rider error 😂 because the rider should be able to change their riding style to that of the bike and trail. Regards to the price point even though it’s a lot of money in terms of the price of bikes it’s a relatively cheap and good option for people 👍
@@veloworks9266 Yes - you are correct Paul. Older bikes require an appropriate style of riding commensurate to the abilities of the bike - and rider. A cheap bike ridden well will perform very nicely thanks very much. I am sorry for doubting your take on this.