R.I.P. - List your old bikes here! What did you start on? What bikes do you miss?

[L8 APEKS]

Hey gang,

After seeing this in my sig, Devoid169 recommended we make a thread devoted to your our past bicycles!

List the bikes that got you to where you are today! Who's got the longest history???

I'll start off...

I started racing BMX when I was 6, went til I was 15 in Single A Pro...

-ELF
-Hutch
-Revcore
-GT
-CW
-Auburn

Then in high school I started riding MTB, and I never went back! I found you could jump MTB's just as easily as BMX bikes and I felt more comfortable because I was getting too big for a 20"!

-Univega S7.7 (carbon/kevlar HT)
-Univega M7.3 (ditto)
-Boulder Defiant (CrMo F/S)
-Manitou HT (Alum HT...this was my favorite hardtail of all time, but it was WAY too fragile! Snapped it in half at the BB/chainstay! Complete rig was 22 lbs and it felt like a large BMX bike!)
-Fisher Supercaliber (Alum HT...my LEAST fave bike, I hated this thing! Genesis Geometry just means "top tube is way too long to pull the front end up". lol.)
-Specialized Stumpjumper Pro M2 (Alum HT...should be called an Extra-Hard Tail! Stiff!)
-KHS Softtail (Alum front, CrMo rear...I like this bike!)

...somewhere in there was a Raleigh, Cannondale, and an AMP B4, but I can't recall the order!

How about you guys...what are some brands from your past that you remember riding on?

[dubjay]

My first multispeed bike was a 10 speed my dad found in a dumpster somewhere.

First purchased multispeed bike was a Benotto or something - I don't clearly remember. It got stolen at college.

I ended up getting a Cannondale F300 a few years after college (1996), wanting to get back into riding.

Shortly after that, I realized how cool full suspension was, and picked up a Proflex 756. I ended up riding that for a few years.

Then I saw how cool non-elastomer suspension was, and bought a Marin Wolf Ridge in 1999. I believe I got it from Switchback when they were right next to Peter's Canyon.

After that, riding buddies started getting married and having kids, and I kinda got out of riding and started getting fat, etc.

After a few years of being overweight, I decided to get back into it and picked up a Specialized Enduro in 2004. That's when the mountain biking bug really bit hard.

Not long after that, I picked up a Surly 1x1 (pink!) and fell into the darkside of singlespeeding.

From there, it seemed like I was getting a new bike every few months (maybe I was?).

Chumba EVO
Voodoo Aizan
Chumba XCL

I still have the Specialized, Voodoo and the 2 Chumba's in my garage. I do miss the Surly though. Pinkie has since found a new home via eBay. She had a special personality that probably can't be replaced

[mechmann]

started MTB back in high school (early 90s)

first bike Haro Extreme (Aluminum frame with the elevated chainstays), i still have it and no it hasn't broken YET. that thing flexes like MAD!

i quit for a long time after being door jammed by a car.

got back into it a couple years ago because i needed exercise in a bad way (240lbs)

Specialized Enduro Expert (now allison's AM bike)
Niner SIR9 (still my AM bike)
*roadie alert* Felt Z25 full carbon road bike (still my commute and training bike)
Intense Socom (still my DH race bike)

i guess i can't miss any of them as i still have them all.

my biggest problem is that i break stuff. i have broken the Enduro and the Socom, and too many other parts to list. i could have bought more bikes if i didn't have to replace so many parts.

[bjammin]

Well lets see.
I started riding in '92 due to the fact that I wrecked my moms brand new car and had to sell mine to give her the balance that ins. wouldn't cover.
1st bike was a 250$ giant that I used for commuting.
Once the bug really hit I bought an alm. Giant Cadex, complete with Suntor microdrive drivetrain.(those cranks are still in use on my SS)
C-dale F700
Voodoo Bizang0- still have this frame. Was using it as my SS until I cracked it.(boohoo)
Spec-ed Big Hit My first "DH" bike that earned me a 3rd place in my first DH race at Mt Snow Norba nationals!
IronHorse SGS DH pro- biggest POS I ever owned. Clapped this bike out after one DH season.
Intense 5.5
Intense Uzzi Vpx
Zion 650 EBB SS
Felt F1x 'cross bike
Bianchi Pista ultrahipsterfixie.

Various Bmx bikes growing up. The ones I remember the most are:
PK Ripper
Redline RL 20
Haro Sport
Super "Goose" with heavy as @#!$ mags.

[OMR]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]I was there when bikes were first invented… but that’s another story… Got into mountain biking in the early 80’s with a Specialized Stump Jumper.. weighed a ton and had cool bull moose handle bars and was indestructible… later handed off to wife while I purchased a shiny red Diamondback Apex (wow, 6 speeds!). That lasted 2 years and passed off to wife when I ordered a custom Salsa from Pacific Coast Cycles in Carlsbad. I gave this to myself at Christmas that year. My wife was very surprised. That’s when I discovered that she would never notice a new bike in the garage and I could always cover by saying that it was a “loaner” I was just trying out. I managed to squeeze a pink Klein into the garage. Next came a custom built 1991 American Classic all aluminum frame that I raced on for many years complete with a cool Monolith suspension fork. Discovering suspension, I then had Richard Cunningham make me a custom Mantis Pro Floater with an ActionTec fork in 1993. That’s when I started adding the cool looking purple components (Grafton/Ringle). Next came the Santa Cruz Blur after passing the Mantis off again to my wife. I loved the VPP technology so much I had to have an Intense 5.5 with a Pike for my full cush bike… the garage was starting to get crowded and my wife was starting to notice. The last one has been the Curtlo 29 with an Action Tec 2” fork set up as a single speed… bought in 2006 and way too much fun. Nancy has finally put her foot down and said no more bikes until you start selling the ones you don’t ride! Now, what to do? What to do?[/SIZE][/FONT]

[bjammin]

Originally Posted by OMR

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]I was there when bikes were first invented… but that’s another story… Got into mountain biking in the early 80’s with a Specialized Stump Jumper.. weighed a ton and had cool bull moose handle bars and was indestructible… later handed off to wife while I purchased a shiny red Diamondback Apex (wow, 6 speeds!). That lasted 2 years and passed off to wife when I ordered a custom Salsa from Pacific Coast Cycles in Carlsbad. I gave this to myself at Christmas that year. My wife was very surprised. That’s when I discovered that she would never notice a new bike in the garage and I could always cover by saying that it was a “loaner” I was just trying out. I managed to squeeze a pink Klein into the garage. Next came a custom built 1991 American Classic all aluminum frame that I raced on for many years complete with a cool Monolith suspension fork. Discovering suspension, I then had Richard Cunningham make me a custom Mantis Pro Floater with an ActionTec fork in 1993. That’s when I started adding the cool looking purple components (Grafton/Ringle). Next came the Santa Cruz Blur after passing the Mantis off again to my wife. I loved the VPP technology so much I had to have an Intense 5.5 with a Pike for my full cush bike… the garage was starting to get crowed and my wife was starting to notice. The last one has been the Curtlo 29 with an Action Tec 2” fork set up as a single speed… bought in 2006 and way too much fun. Nancy has finally put her foot down and said no more bikes until you start selling the ones you don’t ride! Now, what to do? What to do?[/SIZE][/FONT]

I'll take the Mantis!

[Schecky]

Originally Posted by OMR

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3] Now, what to do? What to do?[/SIZE][/FONT]

Buy a shed.

[SSinGA]

Fist bike I remember was a Free Spirit moto-X bike. Dad worked for Sears. Some time around 1975 or so.
Next was a Free Spirit 10 speed
Takara BMX
Kuahara BMX
Then a long dry spell
Schwinn High sierra in 1988
another Schwinn - forget model
Cannondale M400
Giant ATX-760
Giant ATX - 770
Cannondale M700 - beast of the east
Giant Cadex - carbon tubes!
GT - forgot model - my first suspension fork
K2 - turner stinger copy
GT STS 1000
2000 Bullit
Azonic Evolution DS bike
2002 Joker
2004 Moment
2005 6 Pack - many frankenbike variations
2007 5.5 Spot

[LBmtb]

Holy crap, you people have tons of bikes. My list is short -

Yeti 575
Trek 3700 (still have it)

[PacMan]

Started with some Huffy POS when I was 4 or 5 and rode it forever. I outgrew it about the same time we moved to a house on a really busy street and I was the only kid in the neighborhood. Didn't have another bike until high school.

My Junior year in '92, I saved my money and bought a rigid Trek 820. I rode it home from the bike shop with a ride planned the next day. On the ride to the trailhead the next morning, a lady in a Mazda Miata (thank God it wasn't something bigger) ran a stop sign and hit me, bending the frame in the process.

Her insurance paid for a new bike and I got a Specialized Hardrock. I had that for about 6 months until it got stolen.

Flash forward to August of 2001 and I was in the worst shape of my life. Pushing 290 lbs I decided to buy another bike and start riding again. I bought an '01 Trek 4500 HT and rode it mainly on paved paths until February '02 when my house burned down in the Gavilan Fire and the bike went up in smoke with everything else.

As soon as we got our insurance settlement, I bought an '02 Trek 4500 HT. My dad bought a bike around the same time and we started riding together and exploring the Santa Margarita River Trails in Fallbrook.

I fell in love with mountain biking and decided I wanted a FS bike. I saved some $$ and bought an '04 Specialized Enduro Expert in May '04 and proceeded to upgrade everything but the suspension over the next year.

In March '05 I bought an Intense Tracer frame and built it up. I liked it but it flexed a lot so I sold it and used the $$ to buy a Haro X7.

I saw a '92 Trek 820 frame with fork identical to the one I had in high school on Ebay and bought it for $30 and call it my nostalgia build.

I saw the WheelWorld deal on '05 Giant Reign frames in September last year and picked one of those up.

I bought an '04 Jamis Dakar frame for $70 at Jenson's parking lot sale last year. It was alright but I wasn't a huge fan so I sold it on Ebay 6 months later for $200

In February this year, I saw the screamin' deal on my Yeti 575 frame and jumped at the chance. It soon made my Enduro obsolete, so I sold the Enduro's frame and kept the parts.

After losing 50+ pounds and getting in much better shape, I decided to give SS'ing a try and built up my Fetish Fixation SS.

That was kind of long winded. Sorry about that.

R.I.P:
Huffy POS
'92 Trek 820--hit by car
'92 Specialized Hardrock--stolen
'01 Trek 4500--burned/destroyed in fire
'03 Intense Tracer--sold
'04 Specialized Enduro--sold
'04 Jamis Dakar--sold

Current (all custom builds, no stock parts):
'06 Yeti 575--main ride
'05 Giant Reign--back up bike
'06 Haro X7--an awesome bike that never gets ridden
'07 fetish Fixation SS--my newest obsession. I cheat on the Yeti with her quite frequently
'92 Trek 820 rigid--nostalgia build
'02 Trek 4500--I fell in love with MTB'ing on this bike. Because of that I will NEVER get rid of it. It's in the HOF. The build/parts spec is ridiculous considering the frame it all sits on.

[Red Ryder]

I was looking forward to OMR's list of early bikes. He had to be riding years before me. I guess he doesn't want to talk about the early days.

Anyhow, my first bike was a red Sears bike I got for Christmas in 1960. I had to ride dirt trails and roads to school, I thought I was cool. In 1963 I tried to use a driveway as a ramp for a jump, with my brother on the back of the bike. We got air, but I hit the curb face first and busted out my front teeth. I had some other big crashes with that bike, but we both survived. Some time before high school it got stolen. Actually, it got stolen a couple of times but it always came back. Not this time.

My next bike was a Forelli road bike. That was 1969 and for the time is was fast and light. This one I really missed when it was stolen.

After that, I went from bike to bike, its all a blur. But that was the hippie days.

Then in 1992, my sister talked me into going mtbing down Lower Rock Creek. I never had so much fun! I rode her GT hardtail and she ended up giving it to me.

Now I had a garage half full of bikes, the one I ride most often is the Stumpjumper.

[J_Sims]

It al started with the Good old fashion Huffy POS for me as well

Moved up to Chrome Mongoose BMX which eventually got stolen

Worked mty a$$ of to buy Red Mongoose BMX and started racing BMX

From here I graduated to a Powerlite BMX with an extra set of Skyway Tuff Wheels for jumping

Ended up with a Chrome and Blue Anno 24" Powerlite cruiser complete with Phil Wood hubs This was the cat's A$$ at the time

Circa 1984 Got a car.... Bike? what Bike??

1989 - DUI in car Oh where's that bike????

1989 GT Tequesta steel rigid, added RockShox Black ones with purple logo... Very early in the suspension world

Taco'd the ft wheel and stuffed the down tube into the head tube coming down Skyline So moved what I could to the Brand New GT-RTS2 with a first generation Magnesium Rock Shox ft shock and a couple inches of rear travel look out

Baught a TREK (Close your eyes if you are easily disturbed by road Bikes)5200 OCLV with Ultegra

Blew up my knee on Glendora Mtn Road Time trials
years of theorapy later Sold bikes cannot ride too much pain

Bought used Klein Quantom base model with down tube shifters ( I know some of you have no idea what these are, but think 8 Track tapes) started building up the riding again

Upgraded to Full Dura Ace STI Klein Quantm PRO with spinergy wheels. This was probably th e most beautiful machne I have ever owned... I know it's a roadie but damn she was pretty... This frame was pre-trek days so it was a real Klein

Pop goes the knee again on the AIDs Ride California.. From frisco to LA

Theorapy/faled had to sell bke

(roadie Alet) too much Tour de France on TV so I bought a Specialized Alez Comp (ultegra) Went to the Spinergy carbons to soften it up a little and a couple Six months later pop goes the knee Do you see a pattern here....

March 2007 Got the MTB bug so I have always wanted a YETI accdentally demo a RIP and many other 29ers at The Path None built up in stock in size HUGE and I NEED IT NOW so I go buy a Yeti 575 at BB in SD.

Start riding again and find a redicuous deal on the RIP Frame so home it comes and off to The Path for a ton of parts so the RIP9 is born and the 575 is left in it's dust and is eventually sold

stop by The Path to buy a rear tire for the RIP and come out with the ONE9 frame 2 weeks and 1 trip to back to the place I love to hate the ONE9 is born

Starting to ride a bit more aggressively need a bigger susher and I like the quality of theYeti I had as well as th small company feel of the brand so the Yeti ASX is born

And then I was at the Path the other day and...


So o all the bikes ht I have loved and lostI salute you.

For all the fun new rides headed my way

[guero]

cycle pro bmx, back in 83' i believe
schwinn 5-speed 24" mt. bike in 87'
diamond back bmx for my 11th bday
gt interceptor for my 13th birthday
gt outpost 26" for 8th grade graduation, 89'
free agent limo bmx in 90'
schwinn high sierra rigid mtb, 94'
haro v2 h/t mtb, 02'
jamis dakar f/s, 03'
specialized enduro, 04'
santa cruz huckler, 05'
gary fisher rig s/s, 06'
kona coiler dlx, 07'
kona dawg primo, 07' (current and only bike)

[Edog]

[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman][/FONT][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Raleigh Chopper, I begged my parents for this bike![/FONT][/SIZE]


[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Mountain bike in High School (Early 80’s) had the one piece triangle bars with down shifters on the handle bars[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]I had another mountain bike in College which lasted 4 hours before it was stolen[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]So I moved to the US from the UK in 1999 & that when I really got the biking bug, left behind some bad habits & started riding all the time. I lived on the East Coast for a couple of years & mainly rode bike paths. I didn’t get the mountain bike bug until I moved to the OC. I did Maple Springs as my first ride on my fully rigid Hard Rock. The next day I bought my Specialized Rock Hopper as it had a front shock, with the option for disc brakes. That bike was awesome I rode thousands of miles on that thing all over the US. I upgraded everything so that pretty much the frame was all that was left of the original bike. I still have the bike & it is on loan to my brother in law.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]I just went back to a hard tail as my everyday ride after a 4 year absence, man I just love it.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]My road bike also rocks I got full Ultegra & Shimano wheel set, for under$900, I ridden thousands of miles on this bike in the last 5 years. Never even had to true the wheels! I think apart from bar tape, tires, & chains this bike has been maintenance free.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Various kiddies’ bikes[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Raleigh Chopper [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]2 no name mountain bikes[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman]Dawes Road bike, New in 82, chopped in 84[/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Specialized Hard Rock (sold)[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Specialized Rock Hopper (still have)[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Specialized Allez Road Bike (I sold this bike twice?!!?)[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Weyless SP [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Giant VT with a Pike up front (Sold)[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Raleigh Team Comp Road Bike (Still going Strong)[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Trek Fuel (Sold)[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Giant Reign (Deceased)[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Leader 510 (My daily Ride)[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Versus Blitz 2 (Just Built)[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]A 29er is on the cards, FS I think, but I really want to build up a Soma Juice![/SIZE][/FONT]

[2wheel_lee]

I'll keep this short, but I'm sure I'll have to edit this a few times as I remember some of the bikes I had. Most of the bikes evolved with many different components, such as Redline Flight cranks, Skyway Graphites, Phil Wood hubs, Bullseye hubs,, etc. I know there were more, but they were relatively insignificant or short-lived. These aren't in order:

- 1973 Scwhinn Sting-Ray, later turned into a BMX bike
- Webco, first race bike
- Powerlite, race bike (one of the first mild steel frames)
- CW, race bike, broke frame, damn it!, one of the "team only" brass-plated models (no, I wasn't on the team
- CW #2, race bike
- Torker, play bike (also used to jump into pools, rivers, etc.)
- KIA road bike (converted to a singlespeed with mini aluminum BMX handlebars - in 1982!)
- Unknown side hack
- Schwinn Tempo (road bike)
- Diamond Back
- VDC Chimp, 16" pit bike racer - yes, they had pit bike races (with Skyway Tuff Wheels)
- GT BMX
- Free Agent, race bike (freakin' 75-degree head angle!) The Shoup family that started Free Agent lived nearby.
- Free Agent 24", race bike (serial number #13)
- CW Freestyle bike
- Mongoose (original type) commuter bike to high school with limited availability magnesium moto mags
- GHP, race bike (I had the second generation graphics before Greg Hill!)
- Mongoose Pro Class, race bike
- Mongoose Pro Class 24", race bike
- Blue Max, practice bike (same as the Mongoose Pro Class but marketed under another name)

More modern...
- Haro Group 1 (BMX -with Campy Record track hubs!)
- GT Pro Series 24" (still have)
- GT RTS Team
- GT STS broke frame
- GT LTS-Team
- GT RTS 3 (chick bike)
- GT LTS DH
- GT LOBO DH
- GT Avalanche
- GT ZR1000, road bike (still have, for sale)
- GT XCR3000
- GT DHi Team
- GT XCR1000
- Azonic Evolution (still have)

Fast forward to even more recent...
- Surly 1x1
- Intense UZZI SLX (still have as gf's bike)
- Intense 5.5 (still have)
- Intense 6.6 (still have)
- Intense UZZI VPX (still have)
- Intense M3 (still have)

Road and other...
- Specialized Roubaix S-Works (still have)
- Specialized Ruby Expert (still have as gf's bike)
- Specialized Tricross Comp, CX bike (still have)
- Commuter bike (bought in Japan, and still have it there), has a bell, basket, kick stand, wheel lock, head light - one of my favorites. Seriously.
...and that goofy penny farthing bike I brought to the last STR gathering

I bolded some of my old favorites.
I highlighted the ones that I crashed on and went to the hospital on in red.
Broken frames in blue.
I enjoyed coming up with this list. I haven't thought about all of the bikes, let alone written them all down, ever.

[Waldo]

I do miss my old Trek road bike, even though it would be horribly outdated and rusted to the point of component seizure by now. Gotta get another roadie one of these days.

I've only own