Some of my (mountain)bikes

[ChaOs]

@Pondo said a while ago that I should post pictures of my old mountain bikes and I still haven't delivered.

I'll make up for it here now.

I stumble across bikes from time to time, online or offline, and then see what I want to do with them. Some I keep, others I sell after I've made them fit again. If I'm lucky, I'll have something left over to work on a new project.

Let's start with the oldest frame I run as an MTB/Klunker, my old HWE Rex from the 50's.
That's how I bought it:

and now:

The second oldest MTB I have right now and also my second latest aquisition is this Campus ATB from 1987, built not to far away from where I live. Nice lugged Ishiwata frame with lugged Tange fork.
That's how I got it (found in the trash):

and now:

I could reuse all the parts except for the tires, tubes, cables and brake pads.
I think I keep it for some touring as it is super comfy to ride.

Another bike I got for free was this 1994 GT Karakoram.

I rebuilt it into a sunny day commuter/transporter and I love it!! It can handle almost everything I want.

I'm gonna post the rest of the pack soon if you still want and are not bored already

 

[ChaOs]

I really like GT bikes. My first one was this 1996 Bravado.

I've since sold it as I rarely rode it but when I did it was always great fun.

 

[ChaOs]

Another bike that rides pretty well but was rarely ridden by me was my 1994 Marin Pine Mountain.

I bought the frameset very cheap at some point and then rebuilt it with parts from a 1999 Marin Palisades Trail that had a broken frame.

When a friend was looking for a vintage SSP MTB, this was just the thing. So I rebuilt it and it went on to him.

He loves Marin bikes. And wants to do his next tour on it so he changed the drivetrain again.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Let's start with the oldest frame I run as an MTB/Klunker, my old HWE Rex from the 50's.

Even the Duck nods in respect to that one.

Hail to the King

 

[ChaOs]

Even the Duck nods in respect to that one.
View attachment 290048
Hail to the King

Thanks a lot mate!

 

[ChaOs]

Another bike that I bought very cheaply and repaired is this 1994 Giant Chaos.
A wonderful bike from an often underrated brand. Sometimes I think I should have kept it...

It went to a dude who now tours all over Germany on it and wants to learn various trades.

I hope it serves him well.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Another bike that I bought very cheaply and repaired is this 1994 Giant Chaos.

Your namesake? I absolutely love the fork

 

[ChaOs]

Your namesake? I absolutely love the fork

Yes exactly. When I saw it I had to buy it

 

[ChaOs]

One of the first retro MTBs I bought was this 1996 Checker Pig CPX 7000. Really light, super stiff and therefore not my cup of tea so it went on to a colleague.

A short while later I found this slightly used Univega Alpina S7.7 from the same year and it feels super comfortable compared to the Checker Pig.

With some smaller modifications it's an awesome tourer for light offroad trips.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

I've always felt that Univega was one of the most underrated retro mtb brands. Really nice work with the Girvin shock too, fits on there perfectly. Is that STX front and rear derailleurs?

 

[ChaOs]

I've always felt that Univega was one of the most underrated retro mtb brands. Really nice work with the Girvin shock too, fits on there perfectly. Is that STX front and rear derailleurs?

I completely agree with you. Univegas have great details and ride really well. I'm always impressed by the chainstays on this one. However, the frame is noticeably more flexible than the GTs, for example, and you have to like that. I find it very comfortable.
The fork is another highlight - super simple technology that is easy to maintain and works. What's more, it doesn't dip when pedaling. Only the strap of my frame bag just barely fits. But I'll find another solution.

Oh and yes, it has STX front and rear derailieurs and also shifters. I upgraded the V brakes to XT M739 and maybe I'll swap the Altus crankset for an XT one. But it works so I think this is something for later.

 

[ChaOs]

Two other bikes in the collection are these two Centurion. I stumbled across both of the framesets in classified ads.

For one thing, I couldn't resist the colors and secondly I've always wanted to try an ECS bike.
Also, Centurion is a local brand and builds bikes less than 50km from here so I just had to try them out.

The Stratos is from 1990,

the Elevator from 1991.

Both have the Futura powder coating with zinc phosphate primer and a 20-year guarantee against rusting through.
They have kept their word and also the colors really pop!