BITD - Back In The Day

veefour
Profile picture for user veefour
Posts
855
Joined
7/31/2016
Location
Cinderford GB
veefour 1/22/2025 8:49am
1/22/2025 8:49am Edited Date/Time 1/22/2025 8:50am
Big Bird wrote:
I just remembered a good one... Nowadays with disk brakes we have plenty of braking power for one finger braking. Back on my fully rigid with...

I just remembered a good one... Nowadays with disk brakes we have plenty of braking power for one finger braking. Back on my fully rigid with cantilever brakes in front and a u-brake near the BB in the back, I would hold onto the bars with my thumb and pointer finger and use the middle, ring and pinky fingers to three finger brake.

djyosh wrote:
I think the LX levers were 3 finger and XT 2 finger… never had DX in between (I think that was a thing but, yes, I’m...

I think the LX levers were 3 finger and XT 2 finger… never had DX in between (I think that was a thing but, yes, I’m old and my memory ain’t great). Either way, it’s nice to keep more of the hand on the grips nowadays!

My Trek had the Mountain LX groupset, SLR levers which were 4 finger and it wasn't guaranteed you'd stop even using all 4 fingers. 🤣

3
pinkrobe
Profile picture for user pinkrobe
Posts
270
Joined
5/16/2015
Location
Revelstoke, BC CA
pinkrobe 1/22/2025 1:37pm
1/22/2025 1:37pm
Big Bird wrote:
I just remembered a good one... Nowadays with disk brakes we have plenty of braking power for one finger braking. Back on my fully rigid with...

I just remembered a good one... Nowadays with disk brakes we have plenty of braking power for one finger braking. Back on my fully rigid with cantilever brakes in front and a u-brake near the BB in the back, I would hold onto the bars with my thumb and pointer finger and use the middle, ring and pinky fingers to three finger brake.

djyosh wrote:
I think the LX levers were 3 finger and XT 2 finger… never had DX in between (I think that was a thing but, yes, I’m...

I think the LX levers were 3 finger and XT 2 finger… never had DX in between (I think that was a thing but, yes, I’m old and my memory ain’t great). Either way, it’s nice to keep more of the hand on the grips nowadays!

veefour wrote:

My Trek had the Mountain LX groupset, SLR levers which were 4 finger and it wasn't guaranteed you'd stop even using all 4 fingers. 🤣

4-finger 4 real! Before I got in to Stumpys, I had a Tech Crossroads with an Exage[?] u-brake. Packed up with mud if you looked at it funny. It was actually worse than the Nishiki Rockhound [all Chiang-Star components] I had prior.

2
Ride2day
Profile picture for user Ride2day
Posts
10
Joined
9/3/2014
Location
Birmingham, AL US
Ride2day 1/22/2025 5:09pm
1/22/2025 5:09pm

First MTB was a 1987 Bridgestone MB3.  Second was a 1990 fully rigid Stumpjumper with Deore above bar shifters.  I sold that Stumpy in 2000 for $100 to a friend.  He recently gave it back to me because it was gathering dust in his garage.  I lusted mightily over a hand made frame from Independent Fabrications but never had the $$$ to pull that off back then.

3
mfoga
Profile picture for user mfoga
Posts
762
Joined
9/21/2015
Location
Moreno Valley, CA US
Fantasy
209th
mfoga 1/23/2025 2:52am
1/23/2025 2:52am

What about power straps for pedals?   
First real Mtb was 93ish stumpjumper, lx components, rigid fork.  I remember getting a hire rite.  It is funny I ride some of the same trails today as back in the 90s and started riding them on gravel bike recently thinking this bike is still more capable than what I rode back in the 90s 😂

1
Simcik
Profile picture for user Simcik
Posts
452
Joined
8/1/2009
Location
Loma, CO US
Simcik 1/23/2025 8:34am
1/23/2025 8:34am
mfoga wrote:
What about power straps for pedals?   First real Mtb was 93ish stumpjumper, lx components, rigid fork.  I remember getting a hire rite.  It is funny I...

What about power straps for pedals?   
First real Mtb was 93ish stumpjumper, lx components, rigid fork.  I remember getting a hire rite.  It is funny I ride some of the same trails today as back in the 90s and started riding them on gravel bike recently thinking this bike is still more capable than what I rode back in the 90s 😂

Your brain would spin if you knew how many sets of those still sell these days. 

pinkrobe
Profile picture for user pinkrobe
Posts
270
Joined
5/16/2015
Location
Revelstoke, BC CA
pinkrobe 1/23/2025 8:41am
1/23/2025 8:41am
mfoga wrote:
What about power straps for pedals?   First real Mtb was 93ish stumpjumper, lx components, rigid fork.  I remember getting a hire rite.  It is funny I...

What about power straps for pedals?   
First real Mtb was 93ish stumpjumper, lx components, rigid fork.  I remember getting a hire rite.  It is funny I ride some of the same trails today as back in the 90s and started riding them on gravel bike recently thinking this bike is still more capable than what I rode back in the 90s 😂

Simcik wrote:

Your brain would spin if you knew how many sets of those still sell these days. 

I have always wanted a set of Powerstraps, but I just couldn't ever get past the price. What are they, $70 or something?

Ride2day
Profile picture for user Ride2day
Posts
10
Joined
9/3/2014
Location
Birmingham, AL US
Ride2day 1/23/2025 8:47am
1/23/2025 8:47am
mfoga wrote:
What about power straps for pedals?   First real Mtb was 93ish stumpjumper, lx components, rigid fork.  I remember getting a hire rite.  It is funny I...

What about power straps for pedals?   
First real Mtb was 93ish stumpjumper, lx components, rigid fork.  I remember getting a hire rite.  It is funny I ride some of the same trails today as back in the 90s and started riding them on gravel bike recently thinking this bike is still more capable than what I rode back in the 90s 😂

Hite Rite!  Ha.  I had one but I don't remember being overly impressed with the performance.

1
djyosh
Profile picture for user djyosh
Posts
49
Joined
10/18/2019
Location
Vancouver CA
Fantasy
261st
djyosh 1/23/2025 9:48am
1/23/2025 9:48am
Ride2day wrote:

Hite Rite!  Ha.  I had one but I don't remember being overly impressed with the performance.

I had to get one for my Klunker

https://www.vitalmtb.com/community/djyosh/2015-transition-klunker

Pretty sure this is a longer travel model than the original 80s version - which is a welcome change. It does the trick although it's also a bit pointless trying to climb on that bike 😆

w4s
Profile picture for user w4s
Posts
275
Joined
9/2/2009
Location
Verdi, NV US
w4s 1/23/2025 9:51am
1/23/2025 9:51am
mfoga wrote:
What about power straps for pedals?   First real Mtb was 93ish stumpjumper, lx components, rigid fork.  I remember getting a hire rite.  It is funny I...

What about power straps for pedals?   
First real Mtb was 93ish stumpjumper, lx components, rigid fork.  I remember getting a hire rite.  It is funny I ride some of the same trails today as back in the 90s and started riding them on gravel bike recently thinking this bike is still more capable than what I rode back in the 90s 😂

Simcik wrote:

Your brain would spin if you knew how many sets of those still sell these days. 

I know a dude who swears by them, craziest thing.

1
mfoga
Profile picture for user mfoga
Posts
762
Joined
9/21/2015
Location
Moreno Valley, CA US
Fantasy
209th
mfoga 1/25/2025 3:33am
1/25/2025 3:33am
mfoga wrote:
What about power straps for pedals?   First real Mtb was 93ish stumpjumper, lx components, rigid fork.  I remember getting a hire rite.  It is funny I...

What about power straps for pedals?   
First real Mtb was 93ish stumpjumper, lx components, rigid fork.  I remember getting a hire rite.  It is funny I ride some of the same trails today as back in the 90s and started riding them on gravel bike recently thinking this bike is still more capable than what I rode back in the 90s 😂

Simcik wrote:

Your brain would spin if you knew how many sets of those still sell these days. 

WTF? Really? 

Stiksandstones 1/25/2025 1:31pm
1/25/2025 1:31pm
Big Bird wrote:
Am I the only one here who has ever ridden toe clips? I feel old. I am old I guess. I used to ride my toe...

Am I the only one here who has ever ridden toe clips? I feel old. I am old I guess. I used to ride my toe clip pedals in soccer cleats with rubber spikes for better foot retention. Nice and tight in the chunder on my fully rigid bike but soft enough to be able to rip them out when in need.

I's like to think that I inspired this thread with this post from the Tech Roumors thread. 

My first was a Schwinn Sidewinder which was like a factory klunker with two brakes and five gears. Then a Dorado Sherpa which was a company that sold factory seconds from Specialized. Then GT hardtails with a first year Judy complete with the plastic cartridges that blew on the first ride. First full suspension was a Santa Cruz Heckler with an OG Bomber. and a Formula disk brake. Then a first year Super 8. I can't remember the progression from there, but it includes 7x7 Turner as a trail bike long before Enduro was a thing and a Giant Team DH that I bought from Jeff Lenosky. Before I had to quit riding due to MS I had started building my own frames including two dirt jump/ street trials hardtails, A slopestyle bike based on an OG Bullit swingarm and a 240mm Dh bike based on a second gen Bullit.

Toe Clip and Alfredo Binda strap guy here, on my MTB and my track bikes and road bikes, we wont get into the years because it will just sound archaic...Sold a ton of them at the shop I grew up at as well. Metal cages on road and track and then we got into the double plastic style on MTB. What an era of shit tech back then!

1
Stiksandstones 1/25/2025 1:33pm
1/25/2025 1:33pm Edited Date/Time 1/25/2025 1:35pm

Screen Shot 2025-01-25 at 2.32.39 PM 0

Speaking of toe straps....a full page scan from Mountain Bike Action, when I was a action crew tester, I think this was 1990. The big "BC" logo on my jersey I snuck on last minute was the shop I worked at (Bicycle Center in Redondo Beach, Ca) and they always supported all of my MTB racing. 

4

Post a reply to: BITD - Back In The Day