Litespeed

Litespeed is out of Tennessee and go way back in the history of titanium mountain bikes. Back in the day, probably 80% of the titanium frames out there were either made by Litespeed or Merlin - what it took to build one was pretty different from steel and aluminum, so only a couple companies could make them. Of course now, their much more common, but Litespeeds are still some of the best.



Obed - Litespeed has tried so many different rear suspension designs it would make your head spin. And none of them has really been good. Going with the AMP strut-style rear end seemed like a good idea, but it's so out of fashion now...




Ocoee - This is indeed a bizarre machine. The fork is weird enough on it's own, but then there's blue chainrings, and those cranks, I have no idea what they are. Or what they used to be before somebody with a drill-press got to them.



Unicoi - You can put Panaracers on anything and I'll like it... Seriously though, this Unicoi is outstanding, Marzocchi, Dean stem and I think Rhino cranks - very nice.


Tellico - As is having a CX bike isn't cool enough, imagine having a Litespeed CX bike. Top marks for the unusual set-up - XT brake/shifter pods instead of road STI levers. The road levers are damn expensive, plus the XT's are V-brake compatible. Serfas grips are a good choice too. [edit] after all these years, i see the truth; this is goofy. lose the WTB dirt drops and get some proper STI levers please.


Tanasi - Another Litespeed hardtail from their bewildering array of names. Whatever they're called, they're amazing bikes.

Lenz

I think Lenz (the man) is European, but I really don't know - their operation is centered in Colorado though. Starting with a DH bike, they've now grown to cover the full spectrum of "extreme" bikes - DH, freeride, and dual slalom. Lenz seems to favour the bottom bracket centered lower pivot, which has been problematic for other companies out there.



Pro Descender - The Lenz is one of the most moto-looking bikes out there. The swingarm really reminds me of a 250cc MX bike. And it's great to see somebody bringing back the late-80's practice of putting a sticker on every part on the bike...

Kona pt. 2

Explosif - Kona Explosif, steel since 1988 or so, but now it's a Scandium race bike. This one is beautiful - great forks, Avid brakes, lots of stickers. Top marks.


Chute - This was the first model of Kona's first "Shore" hardtail. A pretty risky move at the time - a hardtail with an overbuilt frame and a dual crown fork. You wouldn't be expected to ride this up hills. This one has Formula discs - good choice.


Blast - The Blast is sort of a budget Shore bike - it has really beefy frame construction, but a cheap fork and pretty weak cable-operated disc brakes. You can get one for free if you buy a Ford Focus - but only in the States. In Canada, Ford sponsors DeVinci. This bike is available here as the Stuff.


SexOne - I thought the Sex (Suspension Experience) bike were all linkage bike just like the Jamis Dakar, but I guess I was wrong. Anyway, I'm not a huge fan of those forks, but this looks like a pretty decent bike.


Stab - Kona's Stab is one of the better complete DH bikes you can buy. I like the 2000 bike better because they got rid of the bent down tube. Take a second to look at that fork... Imagine it on your bike...

Kona

Kona's been making bikes for quite a while, and they have the enviable position of being a fairly big company, but being seen as a small company. I think. They're also the company most likely to be mistaken for a Canadian company. Because they're headquarters is in Washington, and I think one of the founders was Canadian. [edit] after all these years, in my posts, kona will be under-represented. why? because they've made 8 million different bikes over the years. and since i quit doing this so long ago, i don't anything on the newer ones. so the kona posts are definitely a look into the past...

Roast - The Roast is Kona's 2000 model 'Shore' bike. A beastly heavy, and strong, hardtail for extreme ridin'. Because we all want to be just like Shaun, right? Anyway, note the beefy frame tubes, Marzocchi Z.1, and flat, BMX pedals, all sure signs of a Shore wannabe.

Lava Dome - I can't tell you how excited I am about this pic. A 1990 or so Kona Lava Dome. Right before they went to a graphics style that really hasn't changed - just evolved since 1991. This one has a full SunTour group - that's right, SunTour. Go to a bike shop and find somebody that looks old and ask them about SunTour - you'll be amazed.


Kula - Kona Kula hardtail. An excellent raceable bike from 1994 or so. Updated with some V-brakes and a Manitou SX-R. It looks funny though, maybe it's just big...


Hot - This is a pretty sexy, custom painted Hot I must admit. Time to get a new fork though. I know you probably really like your old Mach 5, and it is - was - a good fork, but trust me, the new SX-R's are in a completely different league.


Hei Hei - Can you say money? Titanium frame, Mavic CrossMax UST wheels, RaceFace Next cranks... I guess the rider had nothing left for the brakes though...

Klein pt. 3

** onecow favorite **

Mantra - I'll give you one guess as to why I put this pic here...

Actually, it's a nicely finished bike too.

Adept - Klein's version of the "corporate" FS bike. Short travel and very light and stiff frame make this an outstanding choice for racing.

Klein pt. 2

Pinnacle - A pretty nice pre-Trek Klein. I wonder if the rider knows that the stem has to be inserted into the steerer tube to a pre-determined depth? Because that does not look safe. And I wonder who makes those wheels...


Pinnacle - I love pictures of original, old bikes. This Klein has all the old skool parts - no suspension, one-piece bar/stem combo, cantilever brakes, and standard size chainrings.


Adroit - Was this photo taken with a black-light? I know Kleins are loud, but this is really something else. And those green Michelins are definitely the hot ticket for making your bike look stupid.



Adroit - A nice, pre-Trek bike with a few modern touches like XTR V-brakes. And check the old-skool chain tensioner attached to the derailleur. Made by Bullet Bros. I believe. [edit] had to post this just for that derailleur tensioner - i think one of the cooler inventions that never caught on so much.


Mantra - This is a really well finished Klein with Magura hydraulics and Race Face cranks that match the frame. But I wonder how the 3 inch Marzocchi fork matches with the claimed 7 inches of travel at the rear wheel?

Klein

Time to get back at it - we last saw our hero at KHS, which means Klein is next...

Gary Klein was one of the first guys to really make aluminum work as a mountain bike frame. He was famous for big tubes and smoothed welds, a lot like Cannondale. Klein is now part of the Trek empire, and luckily his bikes haven't really suffered because of it. He still uses some outrageous colors, and big fat aluminum tubes.


Attitude - And this here is the ultimate classic Klein. Notable for it's 1989 paint job, and also for it's one-piece handlebar / stem combo, and it's 1.6 inch sealed bearing headset. How did you adjust it? You didn't, it was loctited in place.


Attitude - Not only does this bike have the pain of zero suspension and stiff aluminum, but it's only got 2 chainrings in the front - ultra punishment!


Rascal - More loud colors on a Klein - but then what would you expect? This bike looks like fun, but I'm not really sure why...



Pulse - Even the Pulse, which is lower down on the Klein totem pole, is worth putting XTR parts on, as this bike shows.


Pinnacle - I don't know if this is actually a Pinnacle or not, but it's a cool old bike, and you know I love those.

Mystery ebay find

Here's a unmarked aluminum bike I noticed on ebay recently;



Of course, I need to figure out what it is. Some companies have easily indentifiable characteristics. GT's Triple Triangle, Cannondale's fat tubes and filed joints, Rocky Mountains' pre-93 wishbone. But this one doesn't show anything really. It's pretty generic; plain dropouts, top mounted cables, and the cable stop on the seatstays make it (roughly) before 1997.



That seatpost bolt is not very common though. That might help ID it.

And then there's this;

What is going on under that BB? Is it an eccentric? Doesn't seem likely on a bike this old. Some sort of press in BB that is held in by those bolts? I think Fisher and Klein both used them, but the rest of the bike doesn't seem to match up with those companies.

I want to say it's an American, but I'll have to research it some more....

Marin Bikes

I need someone to explain these bikes to me.



This is the Wolf Ridge. Looks like it should be spindly as hell, and just ride like crap. There's no way that it does, because no bike company can afford to make something that rides like crap anymore. And that is because I think buyers are too smart, and there are too many good choices out there. Also, there's no reason to make something that doesn't work - not when you can just copy something else that's already out there (see my previous post).

I can't see the entire linkage, so there must be something else going on there. The entire swingarm can't possibly ride only on the tiny pivot in front of the down tube. It looks like there may be something behind the seat tube - but that would mean that the swingarm would have to be two pieces bolted together - and that sounds like a recipe for flex to me. Flex, or possibly some kind of new Thai Bubble Chai Pudding Latte Tea Coffee. That tastes like pumpkin pie...



This right here is the Quake 7.3. I remember Quake 2 - where did the rest of them go? I must have blacked out or something.

What I see here is a swingarm that can't really do anything but go front-to-back. As opposed to up-and-down like most. I imagine the wheel still moves up and down, but it seems like the lower pivot would seriously limit that.

This one i really don't understand.

But - it simply must work, because like I said earlier, no company can afford to waste a season on a crap design. That happened back in the day when everybody was still trying to figure it out, but enough companies did figure it out, so you better do that too or you're in trouble.

Re-re-inventioning the BikeGuide Blog

Hey there!

I had this lightbulb go off in my head tonight. And when I got home from the hospital, I started to work on the idea I had.

I'm going to rework this blog in the style of some of my fav web sites; Autoblog, Jalopnik, and WWTDD.com. Only I'll do it for bikes.

Sounds good?

Too bad - I'm doing it anyway.

A great man once said; "Let's get to it, shall we?"

New Chumba XCL

The CHUMBA XCL continues to bring in world-wide praise on its unparalleled durability and performance.

Well, I wouldn't doubt those claims for a second - that bike looks great! About a million times better than the last bike I saw from them, the EVO.



The EVO - which is probably a really good bike too - looks like it was pieced together from whatever frame bits were lying aroung the shop that day. I've always thought that a good bike just looks like a good bike. That's a bit of a Madden-esque comment I know, but in all seriousness, when you first saw sloping top tube Rockies and Konas, you just knew in your heart that those bikes worked.

Anwyay, the point of this - it really bugs when some new bike comes along that is really just a rehash of some other design, maybe with better pivots and more advanced and stiffer suspension bits, and it's hailed as the best thing since sliced bread. Because really, what's different about the Chumba XCL, from the Jamis Dakar?


Or the Psycle Works Wild Hare?


Again - not saying that the Chumba is crap (though I can't think of a worse thing to name your company after than a British anarcho-punk band), but don't try to tell me that this bike is revolutionary. Not when the design was made to work ten years ago.