What was your first "real" MTB?

[TheHare]

I started out on a General "Mount Blanc", with plastic brake levers!!! It was Red and Black and about two sizes too big. 18 speeds and cantilever brakes. The stem had a little pulley built in where the cable ran through. That was kind of common back then, 1987.

[off piste]

My 1984 Alpina Uno "original Stumpjumper" clone. Don't ask me about the Kryptonite lock and the Mountain Rack -- seemed like good ideas at the time.

http://home.comcast.net/%7Ewb1hjs/Alpina.jpg

[Jisch]

I had two "first" mountain bikes. The first one I still have. I'll have to pull it down from the rafters and take some pictures. Its a late '80's rigid (of course) Zebra. I have never seen one before or since (besides in the bike shop I bought it). Its steel and weighs about 50 lbs. I say I had two, because that first bike was kind of a shared bike between my wife and I. Probably the most distinguishing thing about this bike is the brakes, I'm not sure what you'd call them. There's a metal triangle that goes between two pulleys attached to the brake arms. Weird.

The first real MTB I got specifically for me was a late 80's GT Timberline. I rode that thing to its death. I put Powerstraps on it and a Girvin Flexstem (OTB guaranteed with that thing!).

John

[C.P.]

I had two "first" mountain bikes....*snip*
There's a metal triangle that goes between two pulleys attached to the brake arms.

John

Jisch...those were roller-cam (http://www.firstflightbikes.com/_borders/AnnapurnaFork.JPG) brakes...they were terrible (both in function and to work on)

Started a thread like this (http://www.nemba.org/forums/showthread.php?t=15456) a while back...

[Aging Wannabee]

92 Diamond Back Ascent EX.
Purple
Steel
7spd
thumb shifters
Bulletproof

[Jisch]

Jisch...those were roller-cam (http://www.firstflightbikes.com/_borders/AnnapurnaFork.JPG) brakes...they were terrible (both in function and to work on)...

Yep - that's the ones. I actually thought they were a step up in function and maintenance perspective from the cantilevers (at least the ones that were on my GT and mounted under the chainstay).

[noreaster]

Specialized Hardrock Rigid Cro-Mo. Green-to-Blue metallic fade. Circa 1990?

[MTBME]

Diamond Back Ascent EX ~1985
White paint job
No Suspension
Farmer Johns tires front and rear
Exarge grupo

After a few years I installed the original Black (with pink lettering) Rock Shox up front.

[C.P.]

*snip*.... cantilevers (at least the ones that were on my GT and mounted under the chainstay).

Yup, I know the ones, they were also called U-Brakes...

[bikerdom]

'88 Stump with bio-pace rings.

[Slider]

My first bike, a Nashbar, felt real to me, but the Bridgestone MB1 that came two frames later was realer.

Slider

[bikdav]

My first "real" mountain bike was a 1986 Sears Dynasty that I got from a co-worker back in 1988.

[lobolator]

Trek 850 "Anteloupe"? I think. Well, it was an 850 and a Trek. It lives in Chicago now, after recently moving from California, with my college roommate, becuase he's had it for the last 10+yrs.
It came with some of the first indexed trigger shifters, you know the ones that can break, and did break, freakin fingers(ok, not broken but really jammed)!

[strangeland2]

My parents bought me a murray. It was more of a road bike with mtb handlebars on it. They couldnt understand why i pretty much had it destroyed in a week. They bought me a 20 in columbia and it was destroyed almost as fast and they said theyd never buy me another bike.

So the first real mtb I bought myself was a rigid univega around 1995. Years later my father tried riding trails with me. An hour or so later he got home completely beat and said I ll never do that again.. No wonder he spends so much on those things. Ever since they re the first ones to explain to people why I spent the money I have on bikes.

[YakFish]

My first was a 1985 (I think) Stumpjumper. Blue, rigid, with kind of oval shape platform pedals. I still have it at my in-laws so that I will always have a bike to ride when I am there.

[leebo]

I found a ridgid green huffy in the trash , about 7 years ago. Replaced some tires and a brake cable and had a "working " bike. Weighed about 34 lbs and had a 1 piece crank/bottom bracket. 3x7 gearing. Rode it for 6 months until I bought a rockhopper on closeout.

[MtnBkr]

My First REAL mountain bike was a Specialized Hardrock Sport. I somewhat regret buying this bike. All my friends gave me s**** for buying it and still do, but i like it. Im doing singlespeed on it and its going to be crzy.

[joethepro]

It was my fathers Fuji from the early 80s reflectors and all. He made the mistake of giving me permission to use it. I went into a ravine broke the frame and my head, of course no helmet back then.

[Graphics]

i'm still waiting to buy my first real one. right now i have a pathetic sports authority type of "mountain bike". and i'm certain that now that i'm riding much more...it's not gonna hold up much longer. :(

[heckler]

Bridgesotne MB2. I can't even remember when that was. Well used when I got it. '90?

[tozovr]

Oct, 1993...'89 Nishiki MTB, farmer John Tires and Zoom Stem

http://www.ridemonkey.com/mountain-bike-photos/data/500/14391nishy.jpg

[bdee]

'91 Giant Iguana. Served me well for many years then was my commuter in Greensboro. Sadly it was stolen in DC while on loan to a buddy. It's big upgrade was the T bone stem. I think it was about a mile and a half long but man did it make the bike look cooler.

[Aging Wannabee]

I added a longer stem to my diamond back I mentioned earlier. It made the already-too-big 18" frame even more innapropriate by today's standards (I'm 5, 8). I also added some new-in-box Rock shox Quadras about 5 years afterthey came out. I still regret throwing away the old rigid forks.

The bike lives in Jamaica Plain MA now, I think. After reviving it to get me back into MTB in 2001, and having a visiting Kiwi ride it for a week in 2002 or 2003 I gave it to a guy who doesn't drive. he gave it to someone else because it was too heavy!

I loved that bike.

Of course trail riding started on my old Kent that I inherited from my sister at age 5 or 6 and didn't stop when I moved up to Schwinn 5 and then 12 speed road bikes. Even some no-name frame witha 5 foot sissy bar was trail worthy in my mind. I grew up in the sticks and ols carriage and loging roads were all around. Maybe that's why my rims were always warped and spokes were missing. I'd still rather be in the woods than on the road.

[mcstumpy]

Mine was a Giant Boulder with a mt rack on the back... the rack was used for towing a "two wheel dolly" that doubled as a trailer (picture this with milk crates on the top). In the trailer I would tow my fishing pole and tackle box to the lake or river. Only one major crash that resulted in the loss of a rear rim and derailleur.
I wish I had pictures of this. People used to honk and wave or just point at me and laugh.
When I think back :har:

-matt

[DanKMTB]

An old, blue, hardtail Diamond Back from the early 90's. I traded a canoe for it around 95, and rode it for a while. Can't recall the model, unfortunately.

[bullitfreerider]

1988 Cannodale "Beast of the East" full ridged with 26" front and 24" rear tire.
Started racing on it in 1991 and went full suspension in 1993 after too much XC punishment at the 1992 Mt Snow Nationals.

[bikdav]

Don't feel deprived. You started off much better than I did. Did I mention my 1986 Sears Dynasty? You should have seen the 1980s mountain bikes (even the good ones back then). They were nothing like (as in, much worse than) what we have now.

[PutAwayWet]

First mountain bike was a Cignal Shenango, circa 1990. First real mountain bike, which I still have, was a 1995 Marin Bear Valley SE with 80 mm of elastomer Judy XC goodness. The reason I upgraded was because I kept bending the rigid fork on the Cignal. Ironically, 13 years and 3 bikes later, I've gone back to riding almost exclusively rigid. :)

[C.P.]

Specialized has "re" released the stumpjumper calling it the "Stumjumper Classic (http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=22271)" in celebration of 25 years of making the stumpie...

http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCEquipPopup.jsp?equipimage=/OA_MEDIA/2007/bikes/sj_remix.jpg&equipmodel=Stumpjumper%20Classic

[SteveC]

1988 Panasonic Mountain Cat, white pearl. Actually the first was a Panasonic something in PeeWee Herman Red, with rack, flashing lights, kickstand, that got stolen from the Braintree T station.....that I had before that--both bought at Farina's in Watertown.
The red one I mainly rode to the T, but prided myself in riding in all weather, with wing-tips.....One day, I rode Wompy fire roads, and tried rolling on a trail...
The white one came stock with 'knobbies', and was 'real' off-road machine!
That one I rode the off-road TT at Wompy.....then I knew I was hooked!
Both bikes were 23" frames--as recommended by the shop--traditional road-sizing.
By then all my friends were riding Fat Chances and telling me I needed a smaller frame.......
the rest, as they say...........
( I still have the white one,and will submit a pic--it's pretty much stock....)

[SteveC]

I remember eyeing the Diamond Back Ascent EX in Mountain Bike Action......
I wound up with a Fisher MountainBikes HKII, another pearly-white bike, but the right size (18")frame.......

[radair]

1986 Schwinn Sierra. My girlfriend at the time, now my wife, went to the shop with me and we came home with two of them. We got our money's worth out of both of them.

[bullitfreerider]

1986 Schwinn Sierra. My girlfriend at the time, now my wife, went to the shop with me and we came home with two of them. We got our money's worth out of both of them.

Interesting................in 1986 my girlfriend at the time, now my wife, went to the shop with me and we came home with two Schwinn Sierras. I had passed on the "High Sierra", but mine was red a Sierra. I don't consider that to be my first "real" mountain bike but it was a good enough until I got my Connondale "Beast of the East" in '88. As for my wife, she never knew the difference until she got on my Connondale and later ended up with a Connondale super small "Killer V" rigid bike....that she rides to this day.

[radair]

Interesting................in 1986 my girlfriend at the time, now my wife, went to the shop with me and we came home with two Schwinn Sierras. I had passed on the "High Sierra", but mine was red a Sierra...

Karl, that is too funny. I also ended up with a red one, she got the dark gray model (both too big for us by today's standards). We're sporting them here on top of Cadillac Mtn in 1987 (yes, I know this is off-limits now, we didn't know then); my buddy on the right had one of the C-dales with the 24" rear wheel. He was the envy of us all.