Origins of Mountain Bike Geometry and more with Will Clauson and the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame

[MattiThundrrr]

I'm guessing that the climate in Phoenix lends itself to that kind of thing. The bike I'm scoping is next to a heavily salted roadway, and I'm guessing that dirt bike chrome is not made with Canadian winters in mind. Maybe I'll take a closer look, grab some pics, next time I'm in the area

 

[Couch tater]

85% of the battle in using vintage motorcycle bars is finding a set that aren't bent beyond using. There are a few reasonably priced repops. This past winter I scored 2 NOS pairs of MSR Dominator high bend ATV bars for $20 each delivered. They are perfect for me as far as reach and bend; I'm using one set on my U-Haul. Early Yamaha DT & MX bars have some of the best configurations for use on a bike build IMHO.

 

[OddJob]

@Couch tater , yep, that's why I typically spend a couple hours scouting the graveyard. We used to be able to go in with wrenches, etc and remove what we wanted, then dicker on a price at the counter. Now they want you to get one of the yard guys to do the removal (although I inevitably end up helping out) so I usually only harvest a couple bars per visit. Never paid more than $15 for one of these hand-picked bars. Plus, you get to hang out in the desert sun among a few acres of rusty metal!

 

[horsefarmer]

Hey guys, this is a really cool thread! I have been riding / racing / adventuring on mountain bikes since 1987. Big fan of Gary Fisher, since I rode his CR7 for 5 years, and sold his bikes from '89 - present day (many of Gary's ideas are featured on current Trek mountain bike models, or have derived from them).

As many of you remember, I re-built a Fisher CR7 to how I rode it in the early '90s in a past RRB build off, #13 if I recall.

Another build I have done since my joining this forum, is my Desert Sky klunker build. Initially it was a single speed, but a couple of years ago I added a geared rear wheel, an adapter to put a disc brake in the rear, and a three-piece crankset in the front (which actually came from an early '90s mtb). The bike started out as a early '50s Hiawatha cruiser with fenders et al.
I have to say, the geometry on this bike is amazing for off-road klunking! I take it on easy trails here in the desert, and it handles well, accelerates well, goes downhill well, and climbs pretty decently too (probably it's weakest trait). I have often thought of having a custom frame build of lighter weight steel tubing, with this identical geometry of Desert Sky. It rides that good!

Here are a few photos to show the build(s). Again, this is a cool thread, thanks to @whitecoyote for getting it started!

The day I picked up the bike:

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Pretty solid condition. And only a 20 min drive from my house in Minnesota. I had a dream to match the blue sky in AZ, hence the name, so I stripped the frame and found it was a brazed frame! Really smooth welds, and well done.

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Rode it in this single speed config for a couple years. The seatpost is a 'Chad post' from chopshopkustomz , one of our forum members. That allowed me to 'get back' in a better position. The bars are '78 Yamaha moto-x bars found in a motocycle graveyard in Phoenix. Wheels are original as well as the crank in the photo above ^.

The next config involved a 6 speed rear freewheel hub, an old Shimano Eagle der, a disc brake adapter and Avid BB7 cable disc rotor and lever, and a three-piece conversion BB. I mounted a Shimano crank from late '80s very early '90s and the vintage Rock Ring bash guard.

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The modern aluminum double walled wheels make this bike ride lighter and more responsive. It really is one of my favorite rides!

I picked this up a couple years ago, seems pretty similar.