Can We Find Vintage Mountain Bikes in the Birthplace of MTBs?

[@otissmith6603]

I still ride a 1993 WTB Phoenix. Roughly less than 600 were hand made here in Mill Valley by Mark Slate, Steve Potts, and Charlie Cunningham. Rare to see out on the trail but still a rad and very capable steel hardtail.

[@noahfranks984]

Now i have something to listen to while i spend all day scroll through marketplace

[@stockton350]

I'll be making more of these scroll along videos so stay tuned and good luck finding treasures on Marketplace

[@tlister67]

I did a search in Bend OR recently as I am flying out there soon. Was not as much available as I was hoping. XL frames for old Mt bikes are hard to find and I try to snag them. Those funky brakes in the back was a thing briefly 80s, my MTB-3 has one and a hard rock I worked on recently did to. Those old videos are a hoot, wish I was hip to that stuff back then.

[@stockton350]

That's interesting. I wondered if these bikes were popular in the Pacific Northwest. Maybe they've just gotten scooped up. I was surprised how many nice bikes were available on the Bay area and also how cheap many of them were.

[@bigmikeshooter]

Very interesting, and here is difficult to find an old MTB in good condition. Cheers from Greece.

[@stockton350]

Thanks for watching!

[@theowheelers1685]

One thing I noticed on some of these bikes is they could be set up single speed without a tensioner. I saw at least two with true horizontal drop outs. Might not be as popular in Marin County, but in Pittsburgh the rail trails are perfect for single speed. It makes these so simple.

[@stockton350]

Good eye. I didn't notice that. Another reason these are so versatile. The blue mystery mtb I recently picked up has horizontal drop outs now that I think of it. How's the riding in Pittsburgh? Is it hilly there?

[@theowheelers1685]

@@stockton350 Good rails to trails. Can go to Washington DC or Erie, not much elevation change

[@stockton350]

@@theowheelers1685 nice. That's my kind of riding. I'll have to check it out one day.

[@brickinboy]

i live in marin, and interestingly enough, hoo koo e koo is the name of one of the native tribes that used to live here before colonization. Not only that, but the park service named a mountain bike trail after them, which i myself have hiked. I had no idea there was a mountain bike brand named after them. Makes me wonder which is named after the other, the trail or the bike.

[@brickinboy]

its also possible that theres no correlation between the two lol

[@stockton350]

Very cool. Is mountain biking still huge there?

[@brickinboy]

@@stockton350 sure is! i know a lot of people who bike and there are loads of trails and bike shops around here

[@ekims_echoes]

I was going to jump in and say something similar. I've always assumed that the Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo, was named after the trail on Mt. Tamalpais. It makes the most sense to me.

[@John-tf2we]

Shimano or Dia Compe U-brakes will work on roller cam bosses and are very good brakes from a stopping power perspective.

[@stockton350]

Good point. I was looking at some old Specialized catalogs where u brakes were featured on their highest racing MTBs in fact.

[@davidwhocares3293]

I live in the San Francisco Bay area and bicycles are so plentiful here, there are literally thousands of them on Marketplace on Craigslist, the flea markets and the garage sales are filled with them

[@stockton350]

I browsed a little at listings in SF and was blown away. I figured these old bikes would get snapped up by hipsters and bike lovers who wanted to build them up. Is there just not a ton of demand?

[@davidwhocares3293]

There used to be huge demand for them, but I think during covid everybody bought bikes so they are almost impossible to sell now you almost have to give them away, it's pretty sad sad for the used bike dealers

[@stockton350]

@@davidwhocares3293 that makes a lot of sense. I remember demand exploding when new bikes weren't available. Now we're seeing the aftermath. So interesting.

[@davidwhocares3293]

@@stockton350 but I am a bicycle addict, I cannot stop bringing them home, I went garage selling this morning at 7:00 in the morning and brought home THREE MORE , just what I needed ! AAARG

[@johns3106]

That “camo” Diamondback Apex was a very high end, desirable bike in the late ‘80’s!