Have a look through this thread, maybe get some inspiration:

https://forums.mtbr.com/vintage-retro-classic/would-you-buy-new-vintage-style-mtb-1065294.html

Also don't sweat the wheels size, I love my 26ers, but also have 27.5 and 29, I'll take the 29er over the 27.5... its more the complete package rather than the wheel size.

 

Go to a few local bike shops and start trying some bikes. Enjoy the process and buy the bike you like the most from the shop you like the best. You won't find the best bike for you from other peoples' opinions.

 

So, PizzaRider, are you still a good kid? Doesn't much matter, but those kinds of memories are sweet. Don't let the old bike go away without taking a memento of some kind.

mountainbiker24 has sound advice here. You can trust your test ride the same way you trust trying on shoes...if it's not a good fit it doesn't matter how nice anything looks or what kind of "deal" you get. The best shops don't make you excited about buying a bike, they get you excited to ride a bike.

The only other thing I might offer is to not look past the 29ers if you're looking for another rigid or hard tail bike.

And steel is, after all these years, still real.

 

If you want a real retro looking bike - and there IS something to it - for sure look at steel frames. There aren't many running around out there, but you can find them. That look I'm talking about is evident in bikes like the Soma Juice, which I reference because I have one. I'm not specifically recommending it - just using it as a visual example - for instance:



Compare that picture of the Juice to this picture of my nephew with his new Specialized Chisel:



While both bikes are hardtails with suspension forks, the steel tubes have an undeniably classic line. The chisel is a good looking bike, but there's something evocative and nostalgic about the steel frame, just in the way it looks.

Some notes about the Juice - it's a good riding frame. I've liked it, and would love to be able to give it a solid recommendation, but I just can't right now. There have been too many complaints about the dropouts breaking, something I basically wrote off until my dropouts cracked. So while it's a perfect visual example of what I'm talking about, structurally if you buy one, I'm not sure you'll get the same 25 year lifetime out of it, and frankly, that's what I've come to expect of a steel frame bike, hence, this is disappointing.

I wish you the best of luck in your search - remember it's about having fun. As a side note - I keep all of my old broken frames. They're hanging up in my garage, each one is a story, each one part of my life, a friend from series of epic rides, great memories and painful lessons.

 

Not to hijack this thread but Considering the Juice has the same dropout as my B side I must ask........I thought yours breaking was an old design issue like on one of the first gen ones? Did you have a more modern frame break? My B side is a V3 model and I always worried about it so I have my dropouts towards the front. Same as my Wolverine.

 

Try perusing the following site for classic/retro/modern ideas:

https://theradavist.com/

 

I wouldn't discount the used market. There are plenty of good used bikes available with disc brakes and more modern gearing. Also, the difference between 26" and 29" wheels is not that drastic. Older 29'ers with more of an XC geometry will feel more familiar to you after many years on your old bike.

The challenge for you may be finding a rigid bike since the majority of bikes come with a suspension fork. You can find some decent forks to convert a hardtail to a rigid bike, if you still want rigid. I've had a nice carbon rigid fork from Niner and steel rigid forks from Vassago and Surly.

Surly bikes, whether new or used, would be good to consider. They have kind of a retro-modern look.

I rode dozens of 26ers between 1985 and 2007, but now I'm riding older XC 29ers exclusively. My current favorite is a 2008 Jamis Dragon 29 that I run both as a hardtail and rigid. I picked it up inexpensively in the used market a year and a half ago.

Rigid:

Hardtail:

 

A Surly Karate monkey might be a good bike to look at

https://surlybikes.com/bikes/karate_monkey

 

Some Juice, & Karate monkey looks too modern for my taste and lack that 90s charm. But, the Surly Bridge Club looks closer to what I am looking for, but it doesn't look simple. How does the Bridge Club compare to the Ogre, and my 90s Specialized. Looked at Vassago and it doesn't look like what I am looking for. Really I just want my 90s mtb with modern gearing and brake setup. I am open to 29in tires as people seem to like them here. I went to a bike shop in town and it was all hardtails and full suspension, not retro modern. I also have no qualms going used pending it meets my needs. Thanks

 

Sounds like you may be better off buying a used bike. May be difficult to find a '90s bike that will accept modern disc brakes, though someone can probably make some suggestions. I'm not sure what would be all that different between a '90s and a '00s besides already having a more modern drivetrain and disc brake options, you may want to look more in that decade. But in the '00s most of the decent bikes were coming with suspension forks so you may have to swap that out.

What exactly is the "90s charm" that you like? Maybe the steal frame? That would still be possible in a slightly newer bike.

What exactly happened to your '94?

 

Sounds like you may be better off buying a used bike. May be difficult to find a '90s bike that will accept modern disc brakes, though someone can probably make some suggestions. I'm not sure what would be all that different between a '90s and a '00s besides already having a more modern drivetrain and disc brake options, you may want to look more in that decade. But in the '00s most of the decent bikes were coming with suspension forks so you may have to swap that out.

What exactly is the "90s charm" that you like? Maybe the steal frame? That would still be possible in a slightly newer bike.

What exactly happened to your '98?

A "steal frame"? REALLY

I think the Surly Bridge Club looks like a fine bike. There are elements of modern geometry and suspension that you shouldn't discredit, depending on how or where you want to ride. Take that with a grain of salt, my primary bike for trail riding is a 2002 Monocog. No derailleurs, no suspension, not even modern geo, but I have fun. Maybe you're like me, you don't care how fast you're going or even if you can clear every section, you just want to keep going at your own pace. In that case, the simpler the better.

What I'm getting at is that you know what kind of riding you like to do. If you really dug that no suspension, steel frame vibe, there are plenty of options, even those that fit you stylistic desires.

 

How about the Kona Unit X?

I agree if going rigid, steel all the way.

Maybe a Krampus?

 

If you're right about the 1994 model year your Specialized probably had cantilever brakes. Of course the discs will be better, but the direct pull brakes (v-brake) are night and day better than cantilever brakes, especially if you aren't riding in nasty conditions.

There are plenty of good bikes from the late 90's/ early 2000's in great condition if you look hard enough. ( how about a Cannondale Super V for $25 this past summer ). I run through my local Craigslist ads with a $125 dollar filter 2 or 3 times a week to see what's out there. A brandy new bike might be the solution, but you could find a good vintage bike if that's what you really want.

best K.


edit...FWIW, there are mounting kits to add disc brakes to non-disc frames and forks, but I would never recommend that for anything more aggressive than 'round town cruising. I can look up the maker if you want. During the ratrod bikes summer build off there was a disc build onto a 1964 Columbia Firebolt. Anything could be done...not everything SHOULD be done.

 

Steel is reel.

 

if you really want retro look up retrotech ,pricey but nice.

 

jcd46 beet me to it with the Kona.

 

You could always try tracking down a2nd hand mid 2000's HT, something liek a Rocky mountain Blizzard, or Yeti ARC, still old school geo, you can mount disc brakes, they go well with rigid forks, then you can throw on any drivertrain you want, old drawback would be no through axles, which may/maynot be an issue.

 

Not really familiar with through axles. What year ARC & Blizzard should I be looking at, as the new ones aren't for me and the older models don't look to offer disc brakes. I take these will be 26in tires, probably max at 2in wide probably? I take there isn't a version that can take 27.5 without going new style?

Edit: the Yeti looks to come only in a suspension fork, was hoping to keep it rigid and simple as I like how my bike ride overall.

 

2000-2008ish...frome memory they both came as frame only, so you put whatever for you want on there, buying second hand, if a bike, you then put whatever fork you want on it. I had a rigid fork on my 2004 ARC and it was a lot of fun.

If you want something actually new, then as people have mention there are bikes out there, just not many, you can always go a custom frame, depends on how much you want to spend.

 

Around how much did you get your frame for if you don't mind me asking? How do you like your Moots? Did you or the frame builder know where to put the disc tab? What is the biggest rotors you are able to run? Is the frame strong enough to handle discs? What fork do you have & what are the specs? Have you looked to see what size 27.5 tires can you ride? Thanks

Soma Juice caught my eye when I started googling, but I think that's a 26in tire ride and it's hard to find. Same with the Salsa Ala Cart disc, but this looks to be 27.5in tire bike.

Seriously tempted by your setup, maybe even with a low maintenance and simple fork that let's me run 27.5 tires. Was hoping 2.4in like I was suggested to look a but 2.0in would be simple upgrade from 26in I am use to.

 

I paid $300 for the Jamis as a complete bike. The Surly Ogre fork I use on the Jamis when I ride it rigid was $100.

I have two Moots. I have over 15,000 miles on the 1997 26'er that had the disc tabs added. I liked it well enough to pick up a 2008 29'er version of the same bike. The framebuilder had a jig to correctly place the rear disc tab when he added it. At 165lbs, never needed to run anything larger than a 160mm rotor on the back, so I never tried anything larger. I had the Ogre fork on the old Moots for a while and it would have easily cleared a 203mm rotor if I had wanted one. 160mm front and rear was plenty for that bike, even when descending steep trails while fully loaded with 65lb of bikepacking gear.

The old Moots frame was plenty strong enough for the disc brakes, even without the additional support that some framebuilders weld between the seat stay and chainstay. It has been going strong for several years since the addition of disc brakes.

The fork I was using on the old Moots was a Surly Ogre fork. The specs should be on their website. I know that fork will fit a 29x2.5 tire, so a 27.5x5 should also fit. Since it is a 26" bike, that Moots doesn't have a lot of rear tire clearance. I could fit a 26x2.2 or a 700x32c. Even my 29'er Moots only fits a 29x2.3. If I go any wider, the rear end flex while climbing makes the side knobs rub the chainstays.

Aside from a 1 week rental overseas, I have never ridden 27.5. I went straight from 26 to 29.

 

I get that you are not overly enthused about it, but my Kona Unit is an incredibly awesome bike. I am so happy with it. And yeah - steel IS real. Love the beautifully glassy smooth ride quality in every steel Kona I own. Good luck. I hope you find something that carries the good vibe forward.

 

Was on Surly's sight and discovered the midnight special. It can handle 27.5 x 60mm, which is 2.3in(maybe 2.4 can fit?) tires. Not sure if this would be similar geo to what I am looking for, but looks wise geo seems a bit closer to what I want vs the Bridge Club, Soma Juice, and Vassago. Hmm

 

I have a rigid Kona Unit and in the year that I've owned it, I've never messed with the sliding dropouts. If you're running gears, even less reason to do so.

Jamis and Kona made lots of nice steel bikes during the 2000s that will take discs and modern drivetrains. I have two Jamis steel frames, though they are 26ers and I have suspension forks on them.

 

Soy much missspeeling in these thred.
=sParty

 

Depending on how easy the color is to match, you could get an old bike with v brakes and then replace the fork with a rigid, disc compatible modern fork. The majority of your stopping power comes from the front, so you're getting most of the benefits with a front disc if you can't find a modern bike you like.

 

I prefer two disc brakes, but one is better than none. Can anyone here comment on the Surly Midnight Special? It has that geo look I want, I think.

 

I mean, it looks like a nice bike for what it is, but you're essentially saying that you want a gravel bike. That head tube angle is noticeably steeper than even 90s mountain bikes. The good news is that they are a hot category now. Find the one that you like the looks of and can fit big tires (as the midnight special can) and enjoy!

 

Maybe an older Unit? They come up for sale every now and then.

Paid $200 for a mint 2012 frame.

 

NICE score. That is one sweet looking Unit. Well done.

 

I test road a bridge club and it was close in terms of feel. I also tried a ECR and that's no. The shop recommended I look into the All-City Gorilla Monsoon as they called it a old school mtb style with drop bars. It can take 27.5in x 2.4in tires, and can be run with flat bars, cause I want flat bar style I am use to, not drops. It has my interest. Sadly they didn't have one to let me test ride, but might in two weeks. I searched around a bit and discovered there is also a Crust Evasion, which is similar to the Monsoon. Anyone one want to comment on these models? How do they compare to the Bridge Club, or 90s mountain bike I am familiar with? I'm not sure if these two are more similar to retro mountain bikes or to road bikes. I'm hoping mtb.

 

Great deal on the Dragon and on the Unit!