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Pictures of old and obscure suspension bikes

Repack

Turbo Monkey
Nov 29, 2001
1,889
0
Boston Area
Hmm, I guess that since my trail bike was built around a 1997 front end it qualifies as old, and b/c of the much newer custom-mounted rear end it qualifies as obscure. Doesn't stop it from being a kick-ass rig though!
 

RhinofromWA

Brevity R Us
Aug 16, 2001
4,622
0
Lynnwood, WA
ohio said:
Yup, still remember my first ride on v-brakes. Went straight over the bars on my first parking lot stop. They blew my mind.
*grab my cane and whack a young kids bike tires* Kids don't know how good they got it. Why, I remember...........

lol

Thank goodness for V brakes....I actually had time to study and not try and keep the cantis working well. :D

Rhino"I remember when hot pink was cool"fromWA
 

RhinofromWA

Brevity R Us
Aug 16, 2001
4,622
0
Lynnwood, WA
ohio said:
I still have my 1500DS in my basement, and I was STILL RIDING IT last summer. Main pivot finally gave out, and I don't have plans to track down parts to fix it... but it's so damn pretty I can't throw it out. When I bought the thing in 98, it completely changed my opinion of full suspension... awesome bike.
I am too fat for it but it sure was something to lust over.....damn sexy. Even non-MTB people would just stare at it....definate eye candy.

I have some "blue" anti squeek suspension bushings left over from the STS....don't know why.....now there is an expensive part. No one shold ever complain about bearings ever again. :)
 

RhinofromWA

Brevity R Us
Aug 16, 2001
4,622
0
Lynnwood, WA
Repack said:
Hmm, I guess that since my trail bike was built around a 1997 front end it qualifies as old, and b/c of the much newer custom-mounted rear end it qualifies as obscure. Doesn't stop it from being a kick-ass rig though!
)Ohhh memories....

Roomate in college had the Neon Green one. And he put a 6 inch Trixxy (the really bad one!) and a MS 6 inch travel upgrade....I think there was even a stratos rear shock. What a tall bike that was! :D He even put an aftermarket swingarm on there...:think:....Szember(was that the name?) He even tried the BETD travel link also.

Specialized FS bikes....paving the way for aftermarket companies and newbies breaking into DH. :)
 

Transcend

My Nuts Are Flat
Apr 18, 2002
18,040
3
Towing the party line.
RhinofromWA said:
No one has mentioned the V brakes on the Boxxer....or the non disk 20mm ringle/Boxxer hub. I guess most riders were still in diapers when that stuff was around. ;)
I still have a rhyno light wheelset built on one of those hubs.
 

RhinofromWA

Brevity R Us
Aug 16, 2001
4,622
0
Lynnwood, WA
Repack said:
A good friend of mine has what I think are Machine Tech levers. The end of the cable sat in a round indexed wheel. You could alter the position of the wheel to affect the feel of the brake. Kind of the same premiss behind the El Camino's. Pretty cool vintage stuff. I still have my first 2 DH forks- a Judy DH with 2 aluminum carts and a Girvin Chubby thats in pieces. The Judy still work well and is on a commuter bike. Its pretty cool to have been around the development of a sport. This will be my 11th or 12th consecutive year racing Mt Snow. I've gone from a Mongoose Hilltopper w/ a Mag 10 to an M1. My how things change!
Yikes you old timer. ;)

The servo wave were pretty nice actaully. The initial cable pull was low leverage/more cable and then about 1/3-1/2 of the way thru the lever throw a slot allowed the cable stop to slide down towards the lever pivot. That increased the leverage and slowed the cable pulled. When adjusted right you cuold have the pads away from the rim to adjust for wheel wobble....then quickly make up that distance until reaching the rim and then increasing the leverage to really crush the rim giving you a chance to stop. :D I really like those levers....pure genious.

Now combine that with the lever action that actuated the reat canti's on the RTS....old RTS owners know what i am talking about......and you have yourself about 4-6 different factors to setting up a rear brake if you really wanted to dwelve into it. As a bored college student who like the idea of being able to stop.....I monkeyed with the brakes A LOT!

Oh Viva la Mag 21 and Quadra 10 :o:
 

RhinofromWA

Brevity R Us
Aug 16, 2001
4,622
0
Lynnwood, WA
Transcend said:
I still have a rhyno light wheelset built on one of those hubs.
The one good thing I have to say about it is that the lack of disk mount allows a wide flange and a zero dish wheel. The way all wheels should be......

Would make a good DJr wheel when they only run rear brakes.

Mine is still laced up to a Mammoth rim. :D
 

FCLinder

Turbo Monkey
Mar 6, 2002
4,402
0
Greenville, South Carolina
xy9ine said:
random stuff...
Do you have any better pics of that Carbon Bike? I remember riding that thing at Mt Snow in 2002. The bike weight was like 30 lbs, plus it was the best feeling suspension I have ever felt too. Just think if you put a Boxxer on it and tubless. You could get under 28 lbs. I would like to see if this guy is still building them.
 

FCLinder

Turbo Monkey
Mar 6, 2002
4,402
0
Greenville, South Carolina
xy9ine said:
i think lahar is currently defunkt.
Yah, I was look it up on Google. It looks like a different bike than the one I was talking about. The one I was talking about was built by a guy in the US. Last I heard he had made a few more frames for racers. The bike used two shocks, one air for rebound control and one coil over for compression. It was a sweet bike. I think fame and shocks weight was 5.5 lbs.

Here is the bike I was talking about.
 

Ian F

Turbo Monkey
Sep 8, 2001
1,016
0
Philadelphia area
Great thread... read all 18 pages... :p

I'll try to dig up some vintage mags and scan some pics to add over the next few days.

I'm still riding an old '98 Yeti Lawwill DH-6 w/ a 7" Boxxer, XTR drivetrain, Hayes discs, UST wheels. My do-everything F/S bike. XC & DH... just like it used to be... As rusty as I am these days, it was still fun to blow by guys on the latest rigs at Diablo a couple of months ago. :D
 

RhinofromWA

Brevity R Us
Aug 16, 2001
4,622
0
Lynnwood, WA
FCLinder said:
Yah, I was look it up on Google. It looks like a different bike than the one I was talking about. The one I was talking about was built by a guy in the US. Last I heard he had made a few more frames for racers. The bike used two shocks, one air for rebound control and one coil over for compression. It was a sweet bike. I think fame and shocks weight was 5.5 lbs.

Here is the bike I was talking about.
BCD on this board is the builder you are thinking of.....

I think he used a Shiver with one side gutted for a while.
 

ÆX

Turbo Monkey
Sep 8, 2001
4,920
18
NM
FCLinder said:
Yah, I was look it up on Google. It looks like a different bike than the one I was talking about. The one I was talking about was built by a guy in the US. Last I heard he had made a few more frames for racers. The bike used two shocks, one air for rebound control and one coil over for compression. It was a sweet bike. I think fame and shocks weight was 5.5 lbs.

Here is the bike I was talking about.
it was more like 12lbs. i only made two
mine and a guy in the UK named phil.


this is my alltime fav pic of me. thanks shawn spoomer!





first proto 2x4

 

frznnomad

Turbo Monkey
Jun 20, 2005
2,226
0
a-town biatches
wow its amazing how much time we have on our hands. hmm makes you wonder what else we do besides cruze ride monkey and look for the most random pics.
 

patineto

The RM Mad Scientist
Feb 19, 2002
935
0
berkeley, ca
bcd said:
it was more like 12lbs. i only made two
mine and a guy in the UK named phil.


this is my alltime fav pic of me. thanks shawn spoomer!





first proto 2x4


Wow Alex congratulation on your design acomplisment, your suspension and frame design make a lot of sense and your "Pennytech" aproach to the construction of the prototype frames is also very impresive...specially the more evolve version with all the povit points running on the bottom bracket shell, very clean for just a Working "test mule"

do you have any more pictures of more current atemps..or even of the older frame and how you made it...?

were are you going with this...?
Hopefully to the moon if not farder

congratulations again..

ricardo
 

ÆX

Turbo Monkey
Sep 8, 2001
4,920
18
NM
patineto said:
Wow Alex congratulation on your design acomplisment, your suspension and frame design make a lot of sense and your "Pennytech" aproach to the construction of the prototype frames is also very impresive...specially the more evolve version with all the povit points running on the bottom bracket shell, very clean for just a Working "test mule"

do you have any more pictures of more current atemps..or even of the older frame and how you made it...?

were are you going with this...?
Hopefully to the moon if not farder

congratulations again..

ricardo
thanks, it is good to hear words of encouragement.

check my bcdracing.com site there are some older frames i did on there.

i just won a CNC mill on ebay and that will get me started so i can make new
molds for my cogbox bike.

alex
 

FCLinder

Turbo Monkey
Mar 6, 2002
4,402
0
Greenville, South Carolina
bcd said:
it was more like 12lbs. i only made two
mine and a guy in the UK named phil.

Yah, that's it. I remember that thing felt so plush and light. I think it was 2002 at Mt. Snow Finials when you let me ride it. That was the year I was riding for Santa Cruz and had a Yellow Super 8. I won the expert class that year. Have you ever though about building a new one?
 

ÆX

Turbo Monkey
Sep 8, 2001
4,920
18
NM
FCLinder said:
bcd said:
it was more like 12lbs. i only made two
mine and a guy in the UK named phil.

Yah, that's it. I remember that thing felt so plush and light. I think it was 2002 at Mt. Snow Finials when you let me ride it. That was the year I was riding for Santa Cruz and had a Yellow Super 8. I won the expert class that year. Have you ever though about building a new one?

i might someday
it was a great feel
 

patineto

The RM Mad Scientist
Feb 19, 2002
935
0
berkeley, ca
bcd said:
thanks, it is good to hear words of encouragement.

check my bcdracing.com site there are some older frames i did on there.

i just won a CNC mill on ebay and that will get me started so i can make new
molds for my cogbox bike.

alex
actually I did,,,last night i spend a long time looking around and reading about stuff from thor's pictures to your shop, I really wish you well you have tons of potencial and great ideas...

Note: I was a Industrial designer teacher for a few years in sur america and i work on design (some how mecanical engeniering) most of the time, so i can recognize a good solid aproach when i see it.

congratulations none the less, your bikes and really avangard in many respects..
 

RhinofromWA

Brevity R Us
Aug 16, 2001
4,622
0
Lynnwood, WA
oly said:
Holy hell, what is this?????

Hahaha

In all Fairness the Mantis FS were pretty hot back in the day. College roomate kept spouting off about the Mantis Flying V. :) Meh, what do I know....I went out and bought a GT RTS. Still one of my favorite bikes I have ever owned.

Maybe the two large tubes jetting out the back are for ballast(sp?)? Or maybe some inertia dampers? :D I would gladly park that bike in my living room!
 

Vrock

Linkage Design Blog
Aug 13, 2005
276
59
Spain
This is not a very old design but It's very weird, at first sight it looks like "another VPP clon" but the first linkage rotates counter-clockwise :confused:
 

Attachments

dw

Wiffle Ball ninja
Sep 10, 2001
2,943
0
MV
zedro said:
it's like an inverted VPP or something, lower link rotates downward?....havent seen anything like it
This is exactly what the first Giant Maestro prototypes from circa late July last year looked like. Almost identical.
 

Vrock

Linkage Design Blog
Aug 13, 2005
276
59
Spain
dw said:
This is exactly what the first Giant Maestro prototypes from circa late July last year looked like. Almost identical.

So, it infringes the VPP patent, right? Anyway, Lapierre sells most of their bikes in France.
 

Attachments

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,744
1,255
NORCAL is the hizzle
zedro said:
it's like an inverted VPP or something, lower link rotates downward?....havent seen anything like it
Um is it me or is the suspension compressed in the first pic? Otherwise I don't understand how it works, but that wouldn't be the first time.