a month ago in Colorado I got to borrow a piece of history for a few days of riding around Gold Hill. in this video I go over the salsa brand a little, and slurp up the build on this ATB original. Music Kallisti by Floor
Thats was my bike. For the record I was NOT on acid when I painted it. Glad you enjoyed the ride. I did for over 30 years. I think I need to talk to Nick about taking it for another spin.
Super similar build to a lot of the old Mountain Goats we have around here from the same time period. Seems like they all had those shoulder straps, which probably came is real handy for some of the lengthy rock gardens and hiking trails around here before bikes had shocks. Awesome vid!
I bought a Bruce Gordon Rock n Road at his shop when Salsa was still next door. Salsa made the stems at the time for BG. I wish I still had a few of my old bikes. I had several Ritchey mtb’s, and a Ritchey rando 650b bike back in the day. The house and garage came along long after I had to part with those old friends…
I too still ride a bunch of old metal bikes, yet yearn again for the ones I broke, I sold or let go. The vast majority of my old bikes haven't worn out yet and still exist to be ridden hard. There's a reason metal bikes are heavier compared to plastic! I'm looking for another vintage Bontrager. One of my newest bikes is a 2004 Rock Lobster. If you still yearn for an old school 26" bike, plenty are out there for killer deals or even free. You just gotta get creative and look hard. I just aquired an old Eisentraut road frame for free!
I do not feel ashamed using Ergons especially since I exceeded the age of 40. The old machines are awesome but the contactpoints of that bikes are often pretty shitty. New saddle, new grips, new pedals and it can be a perfect bike. I know its not original and some will dislike my comment but I do not care. The old tires, 🙇♀oh boy! When the body and the Discus intervertebralises are no longer as soft and flexible as in the time when nothing ruined the body, it is time to ride more ergo not aero. Liebe Grüße🙋♀ and I hope I translated everything propper. That was pure entertainment. Thank you for beeing creative in so many ways! I🫀love it!😊👍
Pure vintage atb, like a fine wine. Nice to see a spacious rear cog and a triple up front. Cantis look way cooler than V brakes. I need to retro fit some on the mighty Eagle. I used to have a carry strap cut from a old rucksack for when the angle gets too due up.
You should have started singing 'Rocky Mountain High'! I loved John Denver until pop radio killed his music in the '70s. We're also planning retirement and a move to the Denver area near our daughter. Gotta love Colorado!! I rocked a Salsa Moto t-shirt until it became a rag. Such a cool bike. My builder, Paul at Rock Lobster did a bit of business with Ross Schafer years ago. Also Bruce Gordon. Lots of these old school builders are inter related and still passing the torch and sharing their art.
Pretty neat old stuff! I don't remember those grips back in the day. I had their original Factory Pilot shades though. Greg Lemond wore 'em. Due to ski injuries, breaking or spraining my wrists, I really dig Ergon grips for the all day ride comfort. I don't give a shit what my bike 'looks like' if I can ride it from dawn to dusk, visa versa or in between.
The backpack strap is exquisite. What's going on with the bass-mouth tube? Applied to the seat tube or is that somehow the top tube passing through the seat tube inter-dimensionally? ✨✌
Aside from freewheels, bent axles, and questionable gearing choices, 1980's mountain bikes are the best. (In the case of this bike, the gearing and choice of hubs alleviates these issues.)
really the functionality of any bike lies in the tires and saddles and handlebars --- albeit this bike has an inflated price due to the historical relevance --- so they want things to be as original as possible. some nice tires and a comfy saddle woulda gone a long way here though!
Its the RIDER, not the freakin bike! Its just a tool. The RIDER is the operator. The bike goes nowhere without the rider aboard, save for a bike toss. Modern bikes are lighter. They don't last as long. So the light weight makes it easier to throw them in the shit can! Its funny how lots of these old metal bikes still exist and serve their function as a tool, to get from point A to point B. They were never designed to ride at light speed nor huck off 20 foot cliffs. But they sure are reliable transportation! That's what the majority of cyclists NEED and what the majority of the bike industry fails at.
ive done some pretty big routes in the pnw on a few different 80's mtb's and havent had any real problems. i do run tubeless though. i have had to fix other peoples new bikes for them a few times. just gotta have finesse and keep your machine tuned up. modern bikes are just way more forgiving for poor riding. as for breaking chains, ive never once broken a 6-9 speed chain. gotta watch those super narrow 1x things though.
@@anthonidanowski9404 I raced MTBs starting in 1991. Had a Fat Chance Yo Eddy as my race bike, pretty great bike at the time, and lovely to look at. HOWEVER, with the triple chainrings the bike was prone to chain suck whenever it wasn't bone dry, which kinked the chain so it would break pretty soon after. Brakes basically didn't work in the rain (and we raced in the rain). The primitive geometry meant we had to run 120-130 stems which put our body weight way way forward, and with the tiny 26" wheels we went over the bars all the time. The forks need rebuilding frequently because of the forces applied to the skinny legs and small bushings. It's fine to romanticize bikes from that era and they definitely occupy a nostalgic part of my heart, but modern MTBs make me so happy with how fun they made trail riding.
'Image cultivation'.... Haha, what a freakin concept! But it just sounds sorta vane to me. Time might be better spent cultivating something you might eat or smoke! Here's to creating new fashion trends! Let your freak flag fly!
