Are These The Most Important Mountain Bikes In History?

[@gmbn]

What is the most iconic mountain bike created in your opinion? Let us know in the comments below!

[@64Spokes]

Kona Stinky!

[@Jayneflakes]

I fell in love with the Trimble Inverted Four, way back in the 90s. It was iconic, made from fibreglass and aluminium and looked wild. Sadly I never owned one, but a girl can dream.

[@darrenthompson7764]

90’s Yeti’s! Looked awesome, won everything…still want one! For an individual bike, I’d say Tomac’s Ti Raleigh with drop bars & Tioga disc drive. 😮

[@BarryDakar]

Pace RC100 and RC200, especially with Madura hydraulic brakes. Blew my mind when I saw it in the early 90s - it looked like something from the future. Then, of course, the Mountain Cycles San Andreas landed…

[@gmbn]

@@64Spokes Such an iconic bike! Which year/colour was your favourite?

[@cup_and_cone]

I won't judge "most important", but I will say the most exciting period of MTB design was without a doubt the mid-to-late 90's when we got wildly new and different designs, and innovation seemed full throttle. That period truly was the kid in a candy store moment for MTBers.

[@Shawn-in-da-Canyon]

The founder of Mountain Cycle, Robert Reisinger, a friend of mine, just passed away last week, from a motocross accident. RIP Robert! You will be greatly missed.

[@johndef5075]

Sorry to hear that.

[@samj1185]

sad news. 64 yrs old and still racing MX. I'll bet he was a heck of a guy!

[@keirfarnum6811]

My condolences. Sad to hear.

[@garethhughes5745]

I so wanted a Mountain Cycle San Andreas, absolute iconic bike of its time. I ended up custom building a ProFlex 955, and a bit later, I custom built a replica of Rob Warners Giant ATX with Hope Biggun MkI Disc brakes..., And it took many many years before I finally got an Intense (Tracer), another bike I dreamed of having. Fantastic bikes.

[@gmbn]

The custom ATX sounds cool! Was the Tracer worth the wait?

[@garethhughes5745]

@@gmbn Thanks!, the Tracer is outstanding, the suspension is so smooth you can ride over most things without even feeling it. I use it also on long distance and climbing, and its very comfy for that, and doesnt seem to excessively sap energy through bobbing, you can ride all day on that. I did try a Banshee Spitfire at the time too, and was very impressed with that, a total XC weapon that is, and felt very lively, but the tracer could take downhills smoother. I sold the ATX to a friend, he still has it to this day :D

[@almartin1087]

Same here, loved that bike.

[@heywood165]

The first MTB magazine I ever bought had a Mountain Cycle San Andreas on the cover, I was instantly blown away by the design after growing up riding rigid mtbs with cable brakes. Everything about the San Andreas was futuristic and special.

[@chrisbrown2273]

@@heywood165 Was the magazine MBUK? The rider had a pony tail, Paul Smith I think

[@ZFit11]

I loved my Lawwill Leader fork once Risse Racing was able to tune it. Absolutely plush and never had to worry about the wheelbase changing when hitting bumps, obstacles, etc… at one point I removed the paint, polished the legs, and painted the shock body and links red. 😎👍 The Specialized tires on that San Andreas were some of the stickiest tires I rode back in the day. They were like a gummy compound, and wore so quick! Great video, Anna! 🙌

[@billderas3420]

Wow! Good job Anna. I have been to the Marin Museum of Bicycling multiple times; but, had not paid enough attention to the many details you exposed. If I had to pick one bike that you described, it would be one of Charlie Cunningham's beautiful aluminum race bikes (pre-suspension) because it was simply the best during my mtb cross-country racing years.

[@tecdesigns8183]

San Andreas was the absolute poster bike it was stunning and revolutionary. I still want one....

[@MS-pw8yu]

The Mantis Flying V needs to find it's way to me as THE bike I lusted after when Mountainbike Action magazine featured it. And I aaaaalmost bought a Trek Y bike from Steel Vintage Bikes in Berlin 5 years ago. Still punching myself as it was in almost perfect condition.

[@Geeeezmo]

The Hakkapeliitta tyres you're talking about were made by Nokian Tyres, which branched off the Nokia conglomerate in 1988. So, technically, it was no longer Nokia that made the tyres.

[@chrisridesbicycles]

And the mobile phone branch was called Mobira before it was acquired by Nokia.

[@Geeeezmo]

@@chrisridesbicycles irrelevant but OK 😅

[@01FozzyS]

Thanks for featuring our awesome museum in The Bay,Anna! Always great to visit there from time to time. Would love to own a San Andreas but at least I have the next best to it, a Moho CXS.

[@dustykatt]

The 4 bar linkage on that Gary Fisher bike was invented by a guy names Mert Lawill. Not only known for his amazing engineering skills, but also as the AMA dirt track motorcycle champion of 1969. he was also the star of the movie "On Any Sunday" which followed him around in 1970 as he tried to repeat as champion. Showing him working on the bike.

[@CT37BN]

Am biased towards the Mountain Cycle San Andreas since I have one which I still use to this day every now and then. The paint is so much of it's timeline, grass green bodywork with red Judy DH forks. Attracts a lot of attention when I ride it here in Oz. I entered and used it on a number of long distance events and works fine, have re-purposed it, updated new parts and eventually try to restore it to it's original form.

[@alex_mcclay]

5:37 that's a huge cassette for back then. I guess that must have been custom made? 36 or 38 tooth maybe 5:54 also look at the state of that front rim lol, this bike was ridden hard

[@misterj2875]

I remember back in the day I had a real love for the Pace mountain bike with the square tubes. Sadly it was never meant to be.

[@phfay7]

Oh man, the mountain cycle, the conejo, the sling shot, and the litespeed ocoee fs, the manitou!

[@shafiqjan1474]

The Fisher RS-1 was a Lawill rear end because the rear dropout was a link with pivots on bottom and top, just like the fork but with longer stays. Just sayin because I worked on more than a few back in the day. Jackie ruled on her Cunnigham and I loved every minute of it. Roller-cam brakes FTW! ❤😂🤘🏻

[@The-Jokes-on-You]

So many iconic bikes in the 90's. John Tomac's Raleigh Ti/carbon with tioga disc. Slingshot, Retrotec, Manitou hardtail, Mantis flying-V, Foes, Outlander VPP, etc...

[@astronomenov99]

John Tomac's Yeti C-26 was the original!

[@dirkvanevercooren2164]

Such a pity you didn't feature the Ibis Bow Ti in full, it is shown briefly at 3:55, but such out of the box engineering deserves more coverage imo!

[@AnnaOnTheBike]

I think i could have done four or five versions of this video from that place! 😄

[@jmjponeill]

For me it would have to be the San Andreas, I was in my early teens when I first saw it and it was so far removed from anything I had seen at the time, that even all these years later it is still a dream bike. Brilliant video Anna, keep up the great work.

[@luggnutz]

The Mountain Cycles and the Mantis that was in the background were two that I always wanted back in the day. I'd still like to add a Mountain Cycles to my collection. It was an amazing time back in the late 80's and early 90's seeing all the innovation. I was watching a race when one of the riders had a suspension fork, well before they were common place, and it was a project by someone that worked at Shimano, I heard the guy discuss it with a couple people, was probably 90 or 91.

[@samj1185]

I have one that is on my project list. Looks like it could be a fun project.

[@eugenekim87]

Excited for the footage from the Camp Tamarancho trail down the street from that museum!

[@budddy1]

I believe the most influential one being the mountain cycle san andreas is very important. The founder Robert Reisinger recently passed away. Great to see the brand being honored in the museum.

[@clarklowe5632]

I remember Niner started a whole company around the idea of 29" wheels in 2005. I thought they were crazy and it was just a fad.... Hope you are riding some good trails out here while you are visiting.

[@Bonky-wonky]

Early-mid 00s bikes deserve a mention as well. Intense M1, Iron Horse Sunday, Trek Session..

[@vr4042]

I saw the 97 Y Bike back there that Doddy rode a couple of years back.

[@GHinWI]

@5:35…notice the early derailleur clutch there.

[@Greyarcher1]

For me it was the Intense M1 that was the Dream,altough never had one but loved my Stinky dee Lux in Rasta color -99 was at the world DH Cup in Åre Sweden, also had the GT STS with that Carbone Frame looked like a' King Cobra,got me a' CannonDale Jekyll with a' Lefty fork weing only 12kg it was like a' Ballerina in the Forest compared to my Stinky, what great times i had 😁

[@stevenelliott155]

Have to agree. The Intense M1 was my favourite.

[@lcc8394]

maybe the spesh stumpjumper.. the bike that even none bike people have heard of

[@sickofthestupid1067]

The ski area I worked at used to rent out rock hoppers and stump jumpers back in the early 90s the rock hoppers where fine for taking up the chairlift and ridding down the trails but if you wanted to ride up the mountain the stump jumper was the only way to go

[@5pz3r0]

Had a Mountain Cycle San Andreas BITD it was amazing and took so much abuse, I was fortunate to work in a Bike shop and then a distributors so had some cool parts for cheap as well as some prototypes if only I had them still now.

[@wilyamiyooo]

Damn, while Anna nailed this video - imagine Doddy presenting this with possibly personal accounts himself. We miss you doddy, good job stil Anna!

[@AnnaOnTheBike]

Yes, he would have been in his element here! Thank you ☺

[@wilyamiyooo]

@@AnnaOnTheBike You did a wonderful job, Doddy left GCN tech in capable hands. :)

[@ykcinasak]

Now I know that I am old because I remember all of these

[@gmbn]

🤣

[@jim-bob-outdoors]

I worked for Marin in the late 90's. I think one of the most important bikes of the time was the Marin B17. It brought downhill bikes to the masses, due to its price.

[@AaronCesar-ne6rt]

Cannondale should definitely be on this list

[@AliasHSW]

6:08 it’s at least there in the background

[@robertmcfadyen9156]

A friend had the Giant ATX one downhill edition , but in silver as a downhill team rider in 1996 .

[@johnnydoe66]

I bought a Giant Cadex hardtail in 1993 and six months later a GT RTS 2. The GT full suspension would later go with me to Moab, Utah in 1994 and ride Slick Rock, Gemini Bridges, Half Enchilada, and my favorite....the Portal. The GT RTS 2 may have been a short travel full suspension, but it worked fine. I had also upgraded the fork to a Rockshox Mag 21, which at the time was probably the best during that period.

[@umbrellacorporation3206]

Great Work. I love Tom Ritchey WCS Steel frame. ❤Love from Germany

[@Carambal81]

I used to have a Mountain Cycle San Andreas, with a 5th Element coil shock in the rear. The suspension was great, but the handling not so, the bottom bracket is located way too high for anything other than riding down. Still love the bike, it still looks great! Wish I didn't sell it years ago...

[@gmbn]

Do you know where it is now? Maybe you can try and buy it back 🤔

[@Carambal81]

@@gmbn unfortunately I have no clue, I sold it more than 10 years ago.

[@georgekrpan3181]

I had a San Andreas. It was a thing of beauty.

[@jonamira8334]

What about John Tomac and Missy Giove, Tinker Juarez, Julie Futardo. Thank you so much for such an awesome clip down memory lane.

[@seankerslake8103]

Re: Gary Fisher RS1, aren't they Hopes first mechanical discs with the sq section 2 start thread? I had some of the really early ones which were cast I think?

[@BlindingSun_]

Gt Rts 1. Giant Atx 1. Specialized Stumpjumper. Gt Zaskar. Mountain Cycle San Andreas. Kirk Revolution. Iron Horse Dh

[@astronomenov99]

Disc braked Lawwill Leader! I want one! I got rid of my Lawwill Leader 3 to switch to disc brakes back in about 2002. Paired with an original Mk1 GT LTS it was awesome! I miss it! I had a Look Fournales fork afterwards as well but ditched that to go to 29er.

[@theflow5269]

The cunningham was (possibly) the first aluminium mountain bike, yes. Aluminium road bikes appeared in France in the 1930s!!

[@AnnaOnTheBike]

The road cycling section of this museum was a real eye-opener. It's a shame I could only share the best of MTB!

[@Spin_stagrams]

I’m lucky to have an ATX DH (with signed Warner and Rockwell jerseys) and a San Andreas. The rarest one I have is a Muddy Fox Intereactive if you’re interested!

[@mikeleiby6737]

You should have followed up the Rockwell story with the Cannondale Fulcrum.. Miles went to C-Dale and they scorched the field with the 4000dh…. 🔥

[@stevenwilliams7845]

Awesome good job

[@gmbn]

Thanks!

[@darrenthompson7764]

The HAKKAPELIITTA was made by Nokian, Finnish tyre company, NOT Nokia the phone company!!! 😂 Used to run the massive Nokian 3” tyre on my 90’s downhill bike…game changer!

[@jmjponeill]

Nokian was a part of Nokia from 1967 to 1990.

[@agg25gga]

Sorry, you've been out geeked

[@tonyjofenig6833]

Nokian Gazzaloddi 3.0. I think mine was a 2.7, the 3.0 wouldn't fit into the rear of my hardtail, it was like having a little suspension. A lot of my friends used them as well back in the 90's/early 2000's, but they were hard as a rock and useless on wet wood, so not great for Vancouver riding back then, when everything was wood stunts.

[@okamisan3642]

I spent countless hours dreaming of owning a San Andreas.

[@Watsupwiya]

Who ever owns that collection would def want my 2 mountain Cycles "The Twins" Red & Grey, Mint, Loaded with Blue "HOPE", Even custom 225 Discs on blue spiders

[@FATKEVMTB]

Anyone who visits this museum should do the legendary Repack trail, riding distance from the museum.

[@brucelaird7076]

My 14yr old son has a San Andreas frame built up with a frankenstein mixture of parts. His mother found for $100CDN. LOL

[@gmbn]

Nice! Even the frame alone has got to be worth a bit to the right buyer! Worth holding on to

[@lcc8394]

Don't they have Jason McRoy's S-Works there?.......hands down the most important bike for any one from the uk

[@gmbn]

It was at the Malverns Classic last year, but it might have just been a VERY good replica? - Dan

[@lcc8394]

@@gmbn nope about 9 or 8 years ago neil and doddy went to Marin and Neil did a bike check video on Jason bike and then a retro vs modern dh video kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWisqZyslr6ErZI Jason McRoy's Specialized S-Works FSR - Find Out About A Mountain Biking Legend

[@AnnaOnTheBike]

@@lcc8394 I don't remember seeing it there. I think they change their stock round a lot, as most of the bikes are actually on loan to the museum.

[@junka1975]

Very cool. 😎 👍

[@nicholasbergeron8660]

I would love to hear more about the dual bottom bracket Cannondale.

[@gmbn]

Check out this video Jonesy made, it's full of really cool bikes. You can find the Cannondale Fulcrum in part 1, but here's also the part 2 as it's worth a watch! Part 1: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHWXeaaenJxmd8k Part 2: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oIvEqZ2Em7ChjK8

[@GuamBombs]

It’s funny to think that no matter how advanced and cool we think bikes, (or anything for that matter) are currently, it’s just a matter of time before another video will be made about the bikes we are currently in awe of and we’ll think, wow I can’t believe that used to be high tech, lol.

[@Tony.795]

I think the geometry, brakes and suspension are pretty much figured out to be honest. We'll never see those huge changes like in the latter half of the 2010s again. Maybe the drive train will be different sometime but the chassis won't change much.

[@maxritter7868]

Nokia, the phone company, has never manufactured tires. No mtb tires and no car tires. The Nokian Tyres brand is from the same town (Nokia) but otherwise unrelated.

[@markw4377]

Mongoose Amplifer 1993 and the Mongoose IBOC Comp SX 1995 and 1996. Mongoose IBOC Comp SX 1995 and 1996 I still have at home, because I like Retro mountainbike stuff from the Old days 🙂

[@joet2463]

Mongoose AMP, GT RTS1, Trek V

[@madtownangler]

I always wanted a Yeti but couldnt afford one when i was younger

[@gmbn]

Did you get one now that you're older?

[@madtownangler]

@@gmbn no can't ride bikes right now plus I'd feel kinda dumb riding a Yeti on paved bike paths and roads. I just imagine my exercise bike being a real bike.

[@Velo1010]

All I know is I look at these MTB’s and say to myself, “what were they thinking!” 😂 I’m sure a decade or two from now I’ll say the same about the mountain bikes today.

[@georgeszaslavsky]

The 2001 Trek Fuel 100 one of the highest performance full suspended bike ever made by Trek in ZR9000 alloy, 1999 Trek 6700SLR, a hard to beat light aluminium and proven hardtail upgraded with the right components , it is a winner and the wishbone in the back adds to its nervosity. 1995 Giant Bronco made of Alcoa CU92 (6013 aluminium) it was the predecessor of the ATX series, I have one from 1995, it is fast , light and very durable. 1995 Gary Fisher Hookoo made of Platinum Optibutted (OXP Comp III customized for Gary Fisher), I have mine build and upgraded with XTR 980/XT 780, Rock Shox Sid, Mavic X3.1 and Mavic hubs customs build wheels a very nervy and comfy steel frame . 1998 Kona Kilaeua in Reynolds 631, a legendary steel frame that drives agressively fast but which is comfy too, upgraded it back then 9 years ago with XT 780T transmission, mavic XM 819 tubeless rims laced to dt240 hubs , tires put on it were conti mountain king.

[@paulmurden7621]

God I yearned for one of those San Andreas Mountain Cycles!

[@gmbn]

We still do a bit!

[@damonreliga3129]

I like how mountain bike took on dirtbike suspension and brakes but why are they almost same price as dirtbike parts,, less engineering, and less material but yet almost same price?

[@yodapig]

Economy of scale (there are far fewer MTB components made compared to motorcycle OEM supply) and the fact that technology has to be scaled down to fit the size and weight of a bicycle, while still providing proper braking and suspension performance for increasingly high speeds over rough terrain.

[@divisionbreak]

1995 GT TEAM LTS (FOX Alps 4 Rear Shock).

[@Rose_Butterfly98]

Btw you can still get Nokia tires. They split off and are now called Nokian tires

[@RoryPowell-e8n]

I bought a Gary-Fisher Big Sir, then added a bafang mid-drive. I'm sure that bike would go downhill now at 50mph. If I could hang on, it is a 750-watt motor 😂

[@gmbn]

Sounds dangerous 😬 You could have the fastest Big Sir in the world!

[@steveprice9737]

Some of the "iconic" bikes weren't very good, it was the test bedding of new tech and experimental playing around that created modern bikes. I still race a 94ish Saracen with Pace forks , seriously fast and great handling. Ive seen vids other retro bike owners have made with more exotic old bikes and they've struggled to stay upright 😂 .. 29" wheels are the biggest innovation, we can live with less travel suspension, v brakes or even cantis , dropper posts and electronic gears but being able to roll over boulders and roots has tamed the trails. I raced the Saracen last weekend and it was even with, or faster than the modern bikes except through the rooty sections. Its not just innovation in complete bikes or frames, Rockshock Judys , triple chainsets fitted to mtbs, v brakes shouldn't be overlooked.

[@gurkpojken]

Dont forget the 3.0 nokian tires for dh..gazzaloddi

[@gaddobronx6740]

Im just amazed at the fact that Nokia made tires. Imagine if 29ers caught on in the 90's, then probably WTB wound be like Maxxis is now for 29ers.

[@lukeenduro8285]

It wasn't Nokia. It was Nokian. Different brand.

[@MarcoEscalante-iq9vk]

Mountain Cycle with all the early models was ahead of everyone else. Now all the bikes looks the same

[@jamesconroy7030]

Steel is an alloy. Any regular metal that has any other substances mixed with it is an alloy.

[@rikulaiho6942]

PERKELE!! SUOMI MAINITTU!!!

[@Watsupwiya]

But the trouble is, they aren't for sale, need them for DYFI soon, lol

[@supervortex8363]

was no v breaks until 1997..........

[@keirfarnum6811]

What are you talking about?! V-brakes came out about 92-93. 94 at the latest.

[@franksilva2600]

Marin is an American company, specifically from California. Marin is properly pronounced ma-rin.

[@Larry93215]

You forgot Proflex bikes I have a couple of them

[@hydorah]

If you say 'Hence' you don't also need to say 'why'. Hence means 'therefore'... Hence, it does he whole job, by itself 🙂

[@DroppinBeat]

Proflex?

[@dennisseldon9001]

Nokia, or Nokian? Different companies if I remember correctly

[@ektrolleyboy]

“Ma-rin”… Get it right.

[@brianrainey2739]

Nokian.

[@piast99]

Exactly. No relation to Nokia apart from the base town name.

[@brianrainey2739]

BTW, was Doddy there? It looks like the kind of place where he would hang out! 😆

[@hjellmarhjelle5716]

Well done.. But Its time to come up with some new ideas. Feels like you guys makes the same video many times. Everything was better back in the days i guess.. understand it's not easy in a industry in crisis..

[@bk83082]

The Hakkapelitta tire was made by Nokian, which was formerly a part of the Nokia corporation but split off in 1988, so not the mobile phone company. And Mert Lawill was an AMA champion motorcycle racer, not a member of the Repack crew as far as I know. Kind of lazy gmbn.

[@timmcdowell3097]

Muddy fox courier pro

[@keirfarnum6811]

😂. Muddy Fox were corporate made, cheap bikes for the masses. I sold them at a sporting goods store in the early 90s.

[@amc_sounds]

Mah-rin not Ma-rin!

[@guslaw9389]

👌

[@jamesconroy7030]

Of course you couldn't put V brakes on a 1991 bike since V brakes didn't exist till 96.

[@keirfarnum6811]

They existed earlier than that. 94 at least.

[@jamesconroy7030]

@@keirfarnum6811 The Shimano trademark "V Brakes" were introduced in 1996. There are earlier linear pull calipers from smaller companies before that, but they didn't have many brake levers that worked properly with them yet.

[@chadbarbaro]

yeti was the coolest, now not at all

[@nobodyisname]

I couldn't hear a thing she said behind those khaki shorts hiding her beautiful 😺

[@lansdorf]

Or they could have just copied motor cross bikes in the first place. Pleased i never wasted my money on any of those bikes. In fact i was building better bikes in 1974