bikes that defined the all mountain category?
bluechair84
Posts: 4,352
I keep seeing this tag on certain bikes - 'defined the all mountain category'. The Nomad in this weeks mountain bike bargains article on here for instance. But what bikes set up the genre for Specialized's Enduro and Trek's Remedy to follow? Who was the original?
A rough definition; lighter than DH, heavier than XC, close to 6inches of travel and exotic materials. Full suss of course.
My top trump, the Schwinn Straight 6!
Could be adapted to have 6 or 8inches on the rear. Cabon fibre rear swing arm. Regularly seen built up with triple clamps for DH and Judys for XC. Was a winner on the DH circuit under the Yeti brand.
A rough definition; lighter than DH, heavier than XC, close to 6inches of travel and exotic materials. Full suss of course.
My top trump, the Schwinn Straight 6!
Could be adapted to have 6 or 8inches on the rear. Cabon fibre rear swing arm. Regularly seen built up with triple clamps for DH and Judys for XC. Was a winner on the DH circuit under the Yeti brand.
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Comments
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Spesh first used the term - it was their vision of a 6 inch front and rear bike that weighed less than 30lbs.
Most manufacturers have their own take, but is generally an 'all rounder' - something that can take quite punishing riding, but still agile and light enough as to handle XC stuff ok.0 -
so what do you think was the first bike that successfully filled the boots of the catagory?0
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Well, throw money at most 6 imch travel frames and you'll get under 30lbs, but the Scott Genius and Enduro SL spring to mind as common, mass produced ones.0
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What I'm really interested in is the bike that did it all first. Scotts Ransom was surprising to most people because of it's carbon frame, but the Straight8 was using carbon in a long travel light weight, big hit machine years earlier. Was there a bike that would fit this category before the Schwinn? Which bike really set the bar for the all mountain category. Cos it certainly wasn't the Nomad.0
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The Straight Eight though was always DH oriented in angles and usage, and was more than 30lbs in all guises as far as I remember.
I'd still go with Scott and Spesh who really started this off.0 -
badly_dubbed wrote:5 8)
No carbon version :P0 -
Not 6inches, but worth mentioning were the GT LTS DS bikes of 1998. They tried to have longish travel, more relaxed geo and a very slack seat angle that would put the saddle forward when down. DS stood for 'dual sport' for this reason.0
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The neighbour who got me into biking when I was younger rode an LTS
I was very jealous. Loved it. 0 -
AYe, I always wanted one! Back when GT were leading the way with technology...0
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My first bike was nearly a second hand GT RTS, but no-one told me a bike that cost £200 with triple clamp forks, full suspension and disc brakes, going by the name of Saracen Raw2, was going to be a crap bike.
But that was before I became a snob and I proabably had more fun back then because I didn't know what a crap bike was.0 -
This is the one I wanted:
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that's what I'm talking about An original lust after all mountain machine. Do it all and reasonably well.
Please GT... drop the I-drive...0 -
Haha, well, if it wasn't Spesh patenting the Horst link in 1998 we might have still seen it ;-)
I like the STS even more:
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Never mind the bike, that's one funky carpet. Major shagpile action...Giant Trance X 2010
Specialized Tricross Sport
My Dad's old racer
Trek Marlin 29er 20120 -
i would say ennduro was one of the first if not the first, as was the White 46, infact, i would say that it was the white that really brought the idea of light but long and tough AM to the forefront of minds, and really progressed the genre, the Enduro did something similar, esp those awsome 140 (or maybe 160mm?) beast versions with the 5th element shock. i also think the ransom has brought the genre forward in big ways, although its more recent, the genius has done something similar but in the slightly shorter travel lighter trail/ligher AM class. I think things like the GT Rukus did alot, as did the, mountain cycle whatever it was called. Although it may be a bit of a odd one, the White PRST-4 was also a bit of a reveloution, as it gave the idea of a shorter travel, and light but still tough do it all bike, my mat e rode his in everythin g from enduro's, right to black runs in the alps, it pushed boundaries, and opened minds...I like bikes and stuff0
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oh yeah I just remembers, these frames were all adjustable as well!
What was the difference between the STS and LTS? Aside from the awesome seat tube junction?0 -
STS was 'single tube system' - a one piece thermoplastic top/seat/downtube, hence the joining struts. Advanced for its time, did fail a lot lthough lol.
LTS is 'linkage tuned suspension', a 4 bar Horst variant with lots of anti squat in the start of the travel. Flexy ;-). Both bikes had LTS rear ends.
RTS: rocker tuned suspension.0 -
I think the Preston was just a standard trail bike but the line between a trail bike and an all mountain bike is probably more to do with marketing than any real benefit. But yeah, the Whtye 46 was a big benefactor of the long-travel-dual-crown-light-weight-do-everything-thing-between-your-legs.
What surprises me is that these still seem all fairly recent. The LTS must be one of the oldest all purpose designs, I thought there might be something sneaking in at the neon age.0 -
Schwinn 4 banger too0
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Ooh the thermo plastic. Didn't they have a Thermoplastic LOBO too?
And that LTS back there, might have to be banned from the allmountain thread because of it's slick tyres. Wouldn't do Glentress on those buggers unless I had to cycle in from Pebbles first.0 -
Yep, a thermo LOBO: Peaty prefered the alu though.0
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haha Sonic... your anorak is one thick coat. Love it
A thermo Lobo. not an allmountain bike, but certainly meets the exotic materials criteria! 0 -
Best looking bike of all time.
Yeah it is a bit sad I know all this stuff!0 -
The Lobo?
I always loved the LTS, and the STS even more. But it was always the Straight 8 that I wanted. I nearly bought one last year to fulfil a childhood dream. Then I got the Prophet... which is being chucked. Should of got the Straight 8
One of lifes hard lessons. 0 -
I'll second the Heckler.0
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supersonic wrote:This is the one I wanted:
I lust after that bike, i want its children...0 -
RichMTB wrote:Get a room...
I'll go with the Enduro, other notable bikes, probably the Heckler and the Giant VT
I'm genuinly surprised to think of the Enduro as the bike the set the standard for all mountain bikes.
What about this?
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