With the passage of time...

[Grant McLean]

It's funny how some bike ideas seem crazy, and then some time passes,
and then those ideas don't seem so strange. I came across a Bontrager
Road Lite photo on Flickr.com. Back in the 90's I remember thinking what a
totally wacky looking bike it was, and I even owned a Race Lite mountain
bike at the time. Now it's almost cute how conventional looking it is!

-g

[Pete Serotta]

Looks proportional and main stream today..........

[Fixed]

maybe his wheels aren't so bad
cheers imho

[saab2000]

Put a steel fork on there and you've got a bike. I like the grammo stem. I have one and it seems pretty nice.

[Grant McLean]

Another bike that was ahead of it's time was the specialized s-works ultimate.

Ti lugs and carbon tubes in 1992.

some neat bikes here:
http://www.firstflightbikes.com/frames/museum.htm


-g

[caleb]

very nice bike, but it'd be even sweeter with a level top tube.

[dirtdigger88]

Another bike that was ahead of it's time was the specialized s-works ultimate.

Ti lugs and carbon tubes in 1992.

some neat bikes here:
http://www.firstflightbikes.com/frames/museum.htm


-g

Grant- I had a Trek MTB that was aluminum and carbon from about the same time- 8900??? maybe???

it had Suntour MicroDrive on it too :p

Jason

[Kevan]

also be a compact?

I suppose all things are relative.

[swoop]

It's funny how some bike ideas seem crazy, and then some time passes,
and then those ideas don't seem so strange. I came across a Bontrager
Road Lite photo on Flickr.com. Back in the 90's I remember thinking what a
totally wacky looking bike it was, and I even owned a Race Lite mountain
bike at the time. Now it's almost cute how conventional looking it is!

-g


20lbs of fun.

[Fixed]

and biopace

for biospaced

[dirtdigger88]

and biopace

for biospaced

Fixed- I sure you remember the first biopace- they were almost egg shaped

http://mostlymusclebikes.com/roadbike/img/r1.jpg

Jason

[stevep]

Another bike that was ahead of it's time was the specialized s-works ultimate.

Ti lugs and carbon tubes in 1992.

some neat bikes here:
http://www.firstflightbikes.com/frames/museum.htm


-g

i worked with merlin when these bikes were the schnazz.
basicly merlin ( cambridge variety ) built a frame and then cut out everything and sent the remaining "lugs" to specialized who bonded in the carbon tubes.
it was kinda heavy but early in the development of this stuff was pretty innovative.

[Fixed]

my knees do bro
cheers off to the pub

[Grant McLean]

i worked with merlin when these bikes were the schnazz.
basicly merlin ( cambridge variety ) built a frame and then cut out everything and sent the remaining "lugs" to specialized who bonded in the carbon tubes.
it was kinda heavy but early in the development of this stuff was pretty innovative.

that's why it cost like 2 frames!

-g

[Grant McLean]

Fixed- I sure you remember the first biopace- they were almost egg shaped

http://mostlymusclebikes.com/roadbike/img/r1.jpg

Jason


ya, biopace not aging so well...

-g

[stevep]

that's why it cost like 2 frames!

-g


right. it was 2 frames.
i used to know how many there were...not too many.

[Grant McLean]

right. it was 2 frames.


like carpet over hardwood.
:)

g

[Dude]

That picture isn't that old. If the fork is correct, that bike is 1998 at the earliest. I think Bontrager stopped making bikes a few years before that but Giant was doing the compact frame (TCR) in 1999 so yeah it looks old, but it really isn't.

WHat is amazing is if you look at the Moutnain bikes from 1999. Everything is so weird looking. DH bikes came with fenders on them, 7" of travel was rare in the mass market.

If we go 5 years into the future and look at our bikes now, they will look funny. Bikes will have 1.5" steerer tubes and be made of tubing so large in diameter. Hubs will somehow be integrated into frames ("lefty" rear triangles) and 11 speed electronic shifting with 135 spaced road frames (for those that aren't lefty's).

[Grant McLean]

That picture isn't that old. If the fork is correct, that bike is 1998 at the earliest. I think Bontrager stopped making bikes a few years before that but Giant was doing the compact frame (TCR) in 1999 so yeah it looks old, but it really isn't.


The Bontrager Road lite came out 14 years ago, i'd say that's quite a lot
of time to have passed since coming out. The point I was trying to make is
at the time, it was very unconventional, even though it was a simple change
from the other steel bikes of the time. 99% of roadies looked at it and turned
up their nose.

My point is that today, it doesn't look old or odd..it looks just like a '08 Fierte.

-g

[taz-t]

Put a steel fork on there and you've got a bike. I like the grammo stem. I have one and it seems pretty nice.

Did someone ask for a steel fork?

Take a lookhere (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showpost.php?p=162615&postcount=148) or here (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showpost.php?p=162471&postcount=131).

- taz

[Fixed]

The Bontrager Road lite came out 14 years ago, i'd say that's pretty old.

My point is that it doesn't look old...it looks just like a '08 Fierte.

-g
exactly dr watson
cheers i thought the same thing but i always have trouble spelling firete
see
cheers :beer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_bMFVDu9yo