[CharlesC]

The first pic is me with the all steel rigid Fisher I bought new in 1987. 2nd pic is my brother with his new aluminum Gary Fisher. I'm 66 and he's 62. We've just started active riding again after a long absence on single track desert mountain trails and are having a ball. We have also found that the years have taken away a bit of our endurance. We got badly blown away by a little 18 year old girl on a trail around A Mountain a few weeks ago. Embarassing.
The 3rd pic is of a section of a Dona Ana trail near the end of the route. If you look close you can see a trail going from upper left to lower right across a red shale rock outcropping. Bounce off the trail there and you're in serious doodoo.

 

[Maida7]

Thats a vintage bike. I had a fisher paragon like that in the early 90's Same color but mine had the 1-1/4" forks that fisher invented.

Yours has some real retro stuff like the biopace crank, the U-brake under the chainstay and the very cool hight-right spring on the seatpost. cool pics have fun guys

 

[CharlesC]

And until recently I had a set of original 1987 vintage Specialized Ground Control 1.95 tires mounted on it. They're still in good shape but a third younger brother thought I was going to have a blowout and kill myself so he bought me a nice set of WTB VelociRaptor 2.1 tires. I have to admit they hook up much better in loose gravely dirt than the old Ground Controls do. A lot of times when I was in my lowest gear I would have the rear tire spin out on steep climbs. The VelociRaptors don't do that.
I use the Hite Rite spring on every steep downhill; loosen the seat quick release and down goes the seat. Release the QR while off the seat and it springs back up. Makes for a safer downhill ride. Do they still make those?
You can't see it in the picture but it has an original, still working, 4 function Avocet 20 speedometer, trip odometer, etc.
The u-brake under the chainstays is a dumb idea but works OK so long as I don't ride in sticky gumbo mud.
I find that this old bike performs as well as modern ones. I think it's the rider that makes the difference, not the bike.

 

[AusMTB Orienteer]

I must confess I still have and occasionally ride my 91 fisher hookooekoo steel rigid. I swore by that bike for 14 years before deciding that I couldn't hack being shaken to bits on the trail and updating to... the hookooekoo 06, before it was stolen.

 

[rg32]

Good to see others from my generation still out there.

I bought my first mountain bike on an impulse one day on the way to camp in the mid 80’s it was a Univega Alpina Uno ?
After all these years I’m still going to camp in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, but on #3 after wearing the other two out.

Looks like rugged country, nothing like that up here in Vermont.


Keep it up guys!

 

[NuMexJoe]

Creosote bush as far as the eye can see! I miss the smell of the 'Cruces desert after a rain - nothing like it! Props to both of you for getting out there and riding. I intend to be doing the same when I'm your age, so thanks for setting an awesome example.
- Joe

 

[CharlesC]

I must confess I still have and occasionally ride my 91 fisher hookooekoo steel rigid. I swore by that bike for 14 years before deciding that I couldn't hack being shaken to bits on the trail and updating to... the hookooekoo 06, before it was stolen.

I have two solutions for riding a rigid bike. First I run my tires very soft. I don't measure tire pressure. I just pump in enough air to get the amount of squish I want. Typically I like to see the sides of the front and rear tires bulge out 1/4" on each side on a smooth surface. With low pressure you need to be careful to not get the inner tube pinched. I felt my front rim hit a big rock thru the tire on this morning's ride. No damage was done. Four ounces of Slime in each tire helps avoid flats.
Second, I stand on the pedals thru rough sections and let the bike rattle along beneath me. I've been riding standing thru rough sections for so long that I do it without thinking.

 

[AusMTB Orienteer]

thanks for the advice charlesc. I will try that on the rigid and see how it runs.