[Dirtjumper999]

As some of you know i've been trying to keep my friend from trying to race a rocky mountain, while looking around for bikes to suit him my mind began to wonder what bike started it all? Which one was the one that inspired all others and had the most influence on the racing world? This is really a pole.

 

[zmtber]

As some of you know i've been trying to keep my friend from trying to race a rocky mountain, while looking around for bikes to suit him my mind began to wonder what bike started it all? Which one was the one that inspired all others and had the most influence on the racing world? This is really a pole.

there was something about this on the last bike mag, if i find it i will post it up here

 

[kidwoo]

Mountain Cycle San Andreas.

 

[Dirtjumper999]

I know that the old mountain cycle san andreas had a big impact where i grew up.

 

[Jabuttri]

i dont know about racing but for freeriding the stinky really brought it to the masses

 

[Dirtjumper999]

i should've specified all gravity disciplines

 

[maxyedor]

Mountai Cycle San Andres. First production full sus. bike. First inverted fork. First hydro discs.
Then later the Foes slammer. But more importantly Brent Foes was one of the most influential guys in DH and XC ever. He was the first guy that figured out a bike with 6+ inches of travel wasn't an impossibility.

 

[stinsonblvd]

I think it was a YETI

 

[caputo1989]

I've heard it was some Trek back in the early 90's.

 

[Zutroy]

Foes LTS, cause it showed everyone...other builders included you could run more than a couple inches of travel and still ride it.

Intense M1 started the must have war, before then nobody thought they lost cause there bike was slower...palmer showed up on that thing...and all the estblished guys thought it had to be the bike.

 

[Dirtjumper999]

the m1 is definitly one of the best dh racing machines ever.

 

[RhinofromWA]

The Intense flagship Dhr....

Not sure if they called it the M1. It had the shock built into the seat stays.....Massive frame.....it was "the" bike to have.

Of course GT was DHing on 1.9" travel RTS models at one time also.

But Intense sticks in my mind....a small company with a prodect people wanted for DH. FOes was right in there, but Intense was the top of the heap at least for wannabee's And oh how I wanted-to-be.

Ended up with the RTS

 

[RhinofromWA]

UNless the first Intense bike was the M1 all the rest are 2 or more generations of Dh bikes from the companies.

Young kids these days....they just don't understand. lol

 

[BMXman]

pole....hahaha

 

[Zark]

M1... So many generations, so much evolution, so many victories under different companies stickers

I still ride an '02 M1. The thought of retiring it and getting something new crosses my mind from time to time......Then I remember how well it rides.

 

[Transcend]

The M1sl. The m1 wasn't mega special until they added the swing link. Intense as a company was easily the most influential DH related company in the industry, and still going strong with the VPP comeback phase.

 

[Spunger]

M1... So many generations, so much evolution, so many victories under different companies stickers

I remember seeing pics of all different racers and their bikes, and loved how they'd just plaster a big Maxxis or Global etc...sticker on the side and that was the team bike. They didn't just sell because it was an Intense, but everyone and their mothers were riding them. It's sorta like the v10/DHR phase of now. Everyone has them, which isn't a bad thing as it tells you the product was ment to last and built well.

Intense's problems with the headtubes and such I don't think came from strictly racing rather than miss-use. I'm much bigger than Intense's average rider and I am not smooth at all, yet I don't feel any issues or problems with the frame. If I was to go jump off a cliff I might think twice about it.

Yeti always had some old full suspension bikes floating around but MTN Cycle has been around as long as I can remember. LOL Pro-flex and some of those other oldies come to mind as well (around the Judy DH fork time).

 

[Zutroy]

The M1sl. The m1 wasn't mega special until they added the swing link. Intense as a company was easily the most influential DH related company in the industry, and still going strong with the VPP comeback phase.

sl was nice...the end of the snapping stays and bow shapped frames.

 

[vitox]

sl was nice...the end of the snapping stays and bow shapped frames.

you go way back huh?

 

[Transcend]

sl was nice...the end of the snapping stays and bow shapped frames.

Actually, I remember quite a few first and 2nd year Sl bikes snapping both upper stays directly in the center. Comedy for awhile.

 

[mackster23]

I have to agree with all you guys who say the M1, i love the pics of the maxxis team poster of john kirkcaldie on his grey M1 hucking that drop on some race course.

As far as production DH bikes go, i think i really noticed the giant dh, as a dh bike that could be raced at amature level, along with those other bikes in that MTBA review.

 

[scottishmark]

No mention of ATX990s so far? Long travel plates (5.5 inches), Z1 BAMs and XTR V-brakes


And i hope by Giant DH its actually the ATX1 in question?

 

[bikenweed]

M1 has had the greatest influence, but I think the Mountain Cycle started it. Didn't Karpiel have a 5" travel bike in 1995? The GT Lobo was a pretty sick bike back in the day. The Santa Cruz Super8 came around in what, like '98?

 

[Muuqi]

Yeah I'd have to say the San Andreas. It just looked soo futuristic. . .and it's technology was before it's time w/o a doubt. The GT Lobo was soo dang good looking tho. . .especially w/ Nico on it when he still weighed a buck 50.

 

[amateur]

The GT Lobo was soo dang good looking tho. . .especially w/ Nico on it when he still weighed a buck 50.

I loved that bike, however I think Intense started it all.

 

[vitox]

werlicchi / iron horse ?

 

[manhattanprjkt83]

it has to be the m1 no doubt, think how many pro's were riding rebaged m1's back in the day...

 

[Bikerpunk241]

I said other because I think that the first longer travel bikes would probably have been either the GT Lobo or LTS series.

 

[Jeremy R]

It is tough to say which DH bike started it all,
but when I really started to see the sport of DH develop,
it was when Myles Rockwell showed up and smoked everybody on
that Super V DH. The one that had like 6 inches of rear travel,
and a double crown fork with 4 1/2.
Before that everybody was racing on 3 inch travel trail bikes with
3 inch travel Judy forks.
It was cool to see how quick the industry went from that Cannondale
to the M1 and all the other DH bikes that are like it today.

 

[hooples3]

no doubt about it.. the M1!!

other companies had their riders on M1's painted in their own companies colors for the longest time

 

[bikenweed]

Anyone else remember the Cannondale Fulcrum? Wasn't it a gear box bike? It weighed something ridiculous, but it was red and yellow, and was definitely ahead of its time.

 

[SuspectDevice]

Mutha ****in Mongoose Koz Kruiser!

I'd have to say the Yeti Arc FS was the first succesfull FS DH bike. That 2.5" of travel was all over the podium! Things really started accelerating from there, and those first M1 SL's became ubiquitous in '97.

 

[mplpl]

Turner or Foes -

 

[scottishmark]

Anyone else remember the Cannondale Fulcrum? Wasn't it a gear box bike? It weighed something ridiculous, but it was red and yellow, and was definitely ahead of its time.

Nah it was virtual pivot, usually seen in blue, stupidly expensive and not even very succesful

 

[MOTODH]

voted for the old spec fsr, i loved that bike, still have the poster

 

[ChrisRobin]

Anyone else remember the Cannondale Fulcrum? Wasn't it a gear box bike? It weighed something ridiculous, but it was red and yellow, and was definitely ahead of its time.

It was a jackshaft bike. They could of made it lighter...look at the BMW Racelinks. I don't think it was a virtual pivot bike though.

edit. I remember looking at covers of MBA issues with a racer flying down a mountain with xtr v-brakes. Crazy.

 

[ChrisRobin]

What about the really long travel forks??? Hanebrink is the one that comes to mind as one of the first to make a 6" or 8" travel fork. Mr.Dirt as well.

 

[RhinofromWA]

It was a jackshaft bike. They could of made it lighter...look at the BMW Racelinks. I don't think it was a virtual pivot bike though.

edit. I remember looking at covers of MBA issues with a racer flying down a mountain with xtr v-brakes. Crazy.

I have canti-bos mounts for the Boxxer still. I ran V's on my old GT STS 1500DS (replaced the Judy XL with a 6" Boxxer) Mated with the Boxxer NON-disk 20mm through axle hub and Sun Mammoth rims

Ah those were the days.

 

[RhinofromWA]

What about the really long travel forks??? Hanebrink is the one that comes to mind as one of the first to make a 6" or 8" travel fork. Mr.Dirt as well.

The Hanebrink/Zzyyxx(sp?) conventional fork was teh DH for k for the masses it seams.

I remember when the RST Mozo Hi-5 (the Double triple clamp 5" air damped spring/MCU fork) came out. My roomate in college picked one up and conqured every curb he could back in 96ish. LOL

 

[ChrisRobin]

I have canti-bos mounts for the Boxxer still. I ran V's on my old GT STS 1500DS (replaced the Judy XL with a 6" Boxxer) Mated with the Boxxer NON-disk 20mm through axle hub and Sun Mammoth rims

Ah those were the days.

If you weren't running shimano v-brakes, you were running Magura hydro ones.