I vote for the Schwinn Homegrown, bass boat blue, made at the Yeti factory in Co. I think it also came in green, dark red.
I suppose other classic HT's would be Specialized Stumpy, of course, Yeti ARC, Ells Sub 22.
Last edited by mtnbkrdr98; 11-05-2007 at 06:30 PM.
Sound of Tires on Dirt - Sole Music. With good Comrades - Soul Music.
I vote for the Schwinn Homegrown, bass boat blue, made at the Yeti factory in Co. I think it also came in green, dark red.
I suppose other classic HT's would be Specialized Stumpy, of course, Yeti ARC, Ells Sub 22.
no offense...but there's nothing "classic" about aluminum. Ugly welds!
steel is real, and the steel hardtail is the classic hardtail. and the ibis mojo is tough to beat.
I don't profess knowing much about classic hardtails other than the eggplant-colored Mojo I owned in the early 90's. Truth be known, the TT was a bit too short for me and the bb felt a bit tall, but I enjoyed it enough so I named my dog "Ibis."
Other than that, I'd say the Stumpjumper is a classic.
I had a Chinese kid pass me on a Bridgestone MB1 (or maybe it was the 0) with racks on a hillclimb TT in downtown San Fran up Nob Hill. He had the slippery trolley tracks figured out, and annihilated me. I believe he was deliverying his next order of lo mein by the time I puked my lung up.
The Klein Attitude (pre Trek of course) and preferably in one of the Fade paint jobs.
Big pipes, oversized headset, sloped top tube, extended seat tube, big stays - so many features that would become standard for a lot of hardtails to follow.
I'd lean toward steel too. I'm a bit biased toward the NorCal builders - Bontrager, Ritchey, Potts, and Mountain Goat are all on my short list of favorites.
It's hard to beat the old Mountain Goat team paint though:
Each bicycle owned exponentially increases the probability that none is working correctly.
Having owned a bevy of steel hardtails myself over the last few years (and current owner of two steel hardtails), I'd put a vote in for the trusty Gunnar Rockhound. Long TT, short stays, Ritchey drops, very stable, great climber, fantastic trail feel. Five flaming turds.
Damn Geoff...how many bikes have you owned/currently own??????
I had a mid-90s Stumpy and have always loved the looks of 'em.
I also liked those hardtail Ionic's that you use to see around town a while back (whatever happened to Ionic anyways....Dean bought 'em out or sumpin'?).
Damn Geoff...how many bikes have you owned/currently own??????
Um, good question. I think at last count I have owned around 11 or 12 steel hardtail frames since about '96. I love the sleek, sexy, sinewy lines of a nice steel hardtail. *drool*
I would guess Laffeaux probably has more than 11 or 12 steel frames currently in his stable, as does flip.
Bikes are cool. Here are a few of my favorites - although in general I prefer not having a suspension fork up front, technically making them not hardtails.
Bontragers are a blast to ride.
Or if you prefer they come in Ti.
Or with only a single gear.
Steve made fine frames.
Even when he built them with a little help form his friends.
And Tom build them pretty well too.
And he was building them long before more anyone else.
And even some guys on the east coast built bikes.
And if you like drop bars in the dirt...
or even pink forks.
Yeah. Bikes are cool.
Each bicycle owned exponentially increases the probability that none is working correctly.
Bikes are cool. Here are a few of my favorites - although in general I prefer not having a suspension fork up front, technically making them not hardtails.
Bontragers are a blast to ride. ...
Yeah. Bikes are cool.
Wow! Are those bikes you own, bikes you once owned or bikes you like?
I agree with you about leaning towards the NorCal builders, even though I lived on the East Coast for a few years. To me,"Classic" generally means made in the US, as well. I had an early Ritchey Ascent (his first Chinese bikes), and while it rode well, it never had the cool factor of my wealthier friends' fillet brazed ones.
My wife still has her 1987 Fisher Procaliber. Now THAT'S a classic bike!
In general I agree with you about steel, but Charlie Cunningham's bikes might be an exception. I also put the Fisher Prometheus (Ti) up there on the classics list. I never liked the way my friend's Merlin handled, but I loved my Fisher! May resurrect it as a SS this winter.
I bet those Bontragers (especially pre-Trek ones) are killer! I'm envious!
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Originally Posted by mtnbkrdr98
