first mountain bike ? (Where does this dirt road go?)

StrandLeper

StrandLeper

Well-Known Member
What was your first mountain bike? Mine was a Supergo Access. I went to a race at Mt. waterman in either the late 80s or early 90s. Couldn't believe what I saw. My friend was doing the DH. Hans Rey (in retrospect, it had to be him) was doing trials, jumping over a VW or some such thing. OMG!!! I did the drive to Santa Monica the next week right after work (2 hours) because I wanted to ride on the next weekend. Barely rolled in as the doors were locked and walked out $499 poorer, with a full XT Access and a massive smile. Unfortunately I was also at the very bottom rung of a very tall ladder professionally and did not have a moment to ride until 1999 when I moved to Yorba Linda and all of my neighbors rode. I always wanted to know the answer to the question "where does that sketchy dirt road go?" The folks on this forum answer that question in ways I never imagined.
 
My first mt. bike was called a Santa Fe (1989). It had DX level components, Ritchey Z-Max tires and a bitchin' white splatter over black paint job. I think I bought a florescent green frame pump to give it that cool 80s look - and probably an equally hideous seat bag. It didn't take long for me to realize that mt. biking could be as fun as skiing - first singletrack in the woods had me hooked. I probably only rode that bike for a year or so before I upgraded to my Alpinestars Al-Mega DX. I entered a few XC races in 1992, but I was horrible.

I've posted this pic before, but it's all I've got:
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Funny, my first mountain bike was also a Supergo Access. I built it up from the frame and rode it for a couple of years. I ended up buying a Psycle Werks Wild Hare frame and swapping over the components to that. I don't have any pics of the Access, but here is the Psycle Werks.

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My first real mountain bike was back in 1990 0r 1991 Stumpjumper comp living as a ski bum in South Lake Tahoe. Just fell in love with shifting through the gears chasing after my buddies through the pine trees. I was hooked. It's funny Herzalot, we have very similar pasts.

I was so stupid to let that bike go. After about 10 years or so I fell out of riding for a bit and it was in bad shape so I just gave it away to a friend at work. So dumb. I had replaced it with a 2000 Gary Fisher Mt. Tam with a 80 mm shock. and I still have that one hanging on the wall.

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My first bike was 1994 Giant Iguana....don't really remember much about it, except it was black with purple splash paint, and it was too big for me. Also the cantilever brakes sucked while riding up in Mammoth. Only had it about 6 months before it was stolen.

My first real bike was a '96 GT Avalanche LE, upgraded to a Judy SL. LX/XT, first year for XT V-Brakes.....cost me $1400....I was hooked from then on.
 
My first MTB was a 1990 Raleigh Technium Chill with DX level components and cantilever brakes. I paid $800 for it! I put several thousand miles on it the first year on fire roads and pavement then got busy road racing motorcycles and working two jobs. It hung in the rafters for five or six years before I brought it back to life. Once I decided I was going to keep riding I bought a 1998 Raleigh M800 and sold the Chill for $100 to a friend. Wish I would have kept it. It would have made a great SS.
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This is exactly what mine looked like.
 
I bought my first MTB in '94... graduation present to myself! It was a Bridgestone MB2. Purchased at Beverly Hills Bike Shop (great shop!). It was a close out, as B'Stone was leaving the NA market and blowing out their stock on hand. A size too small, but that's what they had! Lugged steel with a Mag 21 fork. That bike climbed like nothing else! Got out of riding trails for a while, then got the 29er bug. Ended up selling it for about what I paid, but still miss it!
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A red steel 1996 GT Outpost. Soon put a 1997 Judy XC on it along with XT shifters and v-brakes, and eventually replaced everything on it except for the front derailleur. I still have it hanging in the garage, and it's ready to ride as is. I'm giving it to my son in a couple days for him to commute to work on down in RSM.

I also have a 1991 GT Backwoods that a co-worker gave me a while back when he bought a new bike. It has that cool splatter paint job that was the in thing back then. Weighs a ton, but makes a fine casual paseo-pounder when I feel like going retro.
 
Black 20" rigid Huffy 5 speed (sorry no photo). One time I sprayed the tires with WD-40, lit them on fire, and got about 50' before they blew and I ate Sh!t. Then was a 24" Huffy Dr. Shock 18-speed with a spring loaded fork!
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I thought I was the coolest kid on the block! Those bikes were used only to chase after the ice cream man. I didn't ride trails until 1997 on my 45-lb. 26" Next steel hard tail with a 4" double crown fork and sloping top tube.
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I still have the plastic bottle cage from that rig.
 
In 1992 I bought a 1992 Metallic Green Stumpjumper Comp. In the exact colors below... BUT! With the latest in technology! A Manitou elastomer front fork. Yeah, I was a bad azz. Mine had indexed shifting. I actually still have it up in the rafters of my shop...
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Sorry for the double tap...
But to answer the 2nd part of that question, I can't help but think that all core mountain bikers driving down "any road" USA can't help themselves when they see a piece of dirt road or trail off in the distance, and NOT fantasize about what adventure it could lead them to...

Cathy and I do that all the time still....:)
 
I had a circa 1990 Haro... don't recall the model. Pearlescent White... gorgeous paint.

In 1992, my roommate in El Segundo left the garage door open one day when she was home for lunch... my Haro found a new owner. :(

I owned a late 90's Trek 8000... it was completely upgraded over the course of a year to full XT.

My first FS was a RM ETSX... I broke it, then later broke the warranty replacement.
 
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Mikie said:
Sorry for the double tap...
But to answer the 2nd part of that question, I can't help but think that all core mountain bikers driving down "any road" USA can't help themselves when they see a piece of dirt road or trail off in the distance, and NOT fantasize about what adventure it could lead them to...

Cathy and I do that all the time still....:)
Click to expand...
My kids laugh at me bc I'm always scouting trails when I drive then fantasizing about them....
 
When I was a kid I was more of an urban assault rider. We played tag on bikes at the local high schools. Huffy, Montgomery Wards bannana seat stingray with super trick suspension sissy bar. In 85 bought an OG Cycle hybrid type bike that I rode for about 6 years . First trip to Mammoth in 91 rented a bike and was on the trails for 6 hours. Hooked baby! came back and rode the OG in Marshall cnyn crashed and went out anf bought A Mongoose with rock shock 3 in. travel elastomer fork Rode that till I sold it3 years later. Thats my story and am sticking to it!
 
My first MTB was a Fuji. I bought it in 1992 as a graduation present to myself.
At the time I knew that I will not be a pro triathlete, and I wanted to have more fun on a bike.
I can remember the model of that steel beast, but it had Girvin Flex stem:
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I took it up to the pacific northwest with me , and discovered MTBing on the windless days at the Colombia River Gorge.
 
Mikie said:
In 1992 I bought a 1992 Metallic Green Stumpjumper Comp. In the exact colors below... BUT! With the latest in technology! A Manitou elastomer front fork. Yeah, I was a bad azz. Mine had indexed shifting. I actually still have it up in the rafters of my shop...
View attachment 11537

View attachment 11539
Click to expand...

Oh my that pic brings back nightmares. I machined tons of those billet fork crowns and lower dropouts in the early 90's.
 
I gotta say, my first Mountain bike wasn't a Mountain bike at all. I was 12 and it was a sweet, chrome and gold Webco BMX bike.
Growing up in Glendora I spent many days exploring the surrounding hills and mountains on that bike. I even rode that bike from Glendora to Crystal Lake up Hwy 39. Granted I hitched a ride for the last 5 miles to the top but I still road most of the way up and all the way back home. That has to be the longest ride that I have ever done, still to this day. Back in 1979, Mountain biking was still in it's infancy and I had never heard of a mountain bike but I remember longing for a bike that was like a BMX bike with gears. Unfortunately, having been pioneered by roadies, mountain bikes back then with their stupidly long stems, hipster narrow bars and stupid ass XC geometry, they were more like road bikes made for the dirt. It wasn't till the late 90's early 2000's that mountain bikes finally started to be more of what I envisioned a MTB should be.
 
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My first was a Marin of some sort in '88. Casually rode that until '93. Next up was a 1993 GT All Terra Timberline. Thing must have weighed 100 lbs but it was fun.
 
I still have the saddle from my first mountbike:
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First bike, GT RTS Team w/mag21 fork. Killer 2 inches of travel and even room for a bottle cage! (and same saddle). Still don't know what the susp is classified as, very high single pivot? Standover wasn't too confidence inspiring....
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This is my second mountain bike -- 1992 C'dale M700. I had a used Cannondale SM500 or something shortly before I bought this bike and cracked the frame. So C'Dale gave me a frame credit and I ended up with this. At some point I put a Manitou 2 front fork on it, but switched back to the original fork a couple of years ago. The Nuke Proof ti wheelset is still rolling and I'm sure I have a box full of Onza pedals and spare parts too. I may take this out on the next Reseda to the Sea ride.

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pperrelle said:
Funny, my first mountain bike was also a Supergo Access. I built it up from the frame and rode it for a couple of years. I ended up buying a Psycle Werks Wild Hare frame and swapping over the components to that. I don't have any pics of the Access, but here is the Psycle Werks.

View attachment 11432
Click to expand...
Psycle Werks Wild Hare was a Turner fore runner.
pperrelle said:
Funny, my first mountain bike was also a Supergo Access. I built it up from the frame and rode it for a couple of years. I ended up buying a Psycle Werks Wild Hare frame and swapping over the components to that. I don't have any pics of the Access, but here is the Psycle Werks.

View attachment 11432
Click to expand...
A Pre-Turner!
 
Mikie said:
Sorry for the double tap...
But to answer the 2nd part of that question, I can't help but think that all core mountain bikers driving down "any road" USA can't help themselves when they see a piece of dirt road or trail off in the distance, and NOT fantasize about what adventure it could lead them to...

Cathy and I do that all the time still....:)
Click to expand...

I think that is a clear sign. Just recently I started to catch myself looking at hills for trails, like hidden treasures among the tall grass.
 
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