You probably just think they're cool because you're a youngster who thinks dressing like in seinfeld is new and hip and undiscovered. You don't know *why* they're cool, it's just an exotification of a time period you never experienced.

>>1993029
not many things

>>1993030
get a load of this dork. a cautionary tale. don't be a cynical faggot.

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90s road bike

>>1993029
Me banging your mom

>>1993029
Your pic doesn't showcase MTB's coolness, it shows how 90's PEUGEOT bikes were based.

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Rigid steel 29ers.

>>1993066
>almost 2000 quid for 4130 cromo
ruddy hell

>>1993029
Yes, gravel bikes. Lighter, nimbler, faster.

>>1993089
Grabel bikes are the hybrids of the 2010s and 20s - combine the worst aspects of mtb and road bikes with upsides that don't matter for casual riders.

90s mountain bikes with road tyres

>>1993095
Actually they are better 90s MTBs. They got the upsides that matter to casual riders, i.e. they are light and you can go fast over "rough" terrain.

>>1993066
yessir. for me it's 2020's ATB

>>1993030
needing to know WHY something is cool is peak UNCOOL brotha

>>1993144
I already know why it's "cool" though. Also I am way too old to impress gen alphas and their big wide pants legs and high pleated waists.

>>1993089
sovless

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We used to say 90s mtb is peak versatile.
Rigid 90s mtb is fun to ride hard on gentle trails. More fun than a 'better' bike and potentially faster. But it's a hyper specific niche of exotic bikes that have been overhauled.

Riding trails you quickly get to the point where you want suspension & discs. Really anything where you ride down any big hills. I like climbing more than descending from being traumatized over the years by shitty old bikes. If only i could just ride up the hill is something i often think.
A 7 speed XT mech goes bananas slapping the chainstay over roots.
I've never had one but i imagine a dropper is a gamechanger.
I want something like pic rel.

A retro mtb is like people who buy a hybrid and then try to get into road cycling. The bike is fun, approachable and can be fast for what is is, but it's categorically outclassed by a serious bike, and the serious bike doesn't have to be an insane price.

Genuinely good condition nice 26 rim wheelsets are at this point hens teeth so a nice build is several hundo on custom wheels. I'm not a fan of the cookie cutter 'ok' hardrock tier cromo frames with cheap-ish 1x v brake builds, or most midschool.

Tire selection for 700c has exploded. 30-35 tires can be had cheaply as ~45 is more trendy.
Those road and gravel tires are the highest spec most modern thing being sold today. 26 doesn't compare. Half the 'good' 26 tires even are like dragging through mud. Tires are the single most important component on a bike.

Other than that its utility just lies at the poverty end, with perfectly doesn't not work old shitters but to anyone enthusiastic who is investing their interest going for poverty base projects is a huge mistake and any bike that is actually in good condition will ride better. As for would most normies lives be improved by a rigid 90s mtb to haul shopping or take instead of an uber, it would immensely.

You're also with classic mtbs, classic bikes generally, looking at solving the problems of poor braking and narrow gearing.
It's doable but when you look at many of these extremely expensive old bikes which people are going on and on about how good they are, they don't even try.

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I like all the bikes, the modern bikes, the old bikes, the weird bikes.
I like the principles of what a 90’s mountain bike is today, economical, simple, reliable, understandable. But I also like external bottom brackets, 1x10, disc brakes, etc.

I don’t think any are inherently better than others.
Any bike is better than a pickup truck.

>>1993146
ok boomer

>>1993209
>extremely expensive old bikes
not my problem
>t. sub 100usd bargain hunter

>>1993072
Branded steels are mostly a marketing gimmick. Higher quality steel is stronger, which means you can use less of it resulting in a lighter frame. It won't ride any better than the most basic cromo, assuming the builder knew what he was doing.
Stainless is a separate topic.

>>1993265
Nta but tell me about stainless, how would that ride, exactly and why is it so rare when you see ti everywhere now

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>>1993271
Not the anon you asked but stainless is kind of a really shit material. Sure it has a corrosion resistence in exchange for extremely brittle metal. The lowest grades of stainless steel has lower strength than higher grade aluminum alloys. What's the point of stainless steel when it's heavier, weaker, and less corrosion resistant than aluminum? If you want a premium metal, then it's titanium or exotic alloy.

>>1993291
It's cheaper and more plentiful. Also way stronger, not sure what you're looking at to make you think otherwise.

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>>1993208
What do you consider a 'good tire' that isn't available in 26?
Really the only downside is they aren't as wide as 650b but you run into clearance issues on old frames anyway.

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>>1993208
race king protections come in 26 inches

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>>1993298
holy moly that's some hot ass tire. Bless continental.

>>1993302
what an amazing tire that is. I have a set going 7000km of gravel now and the front could do another.

>>1993208
total bullshit about the tires. Schwalbe has excellent 26er offering, so does Continental. Vittoria has Mezcals which are amazing. I ride the exact same tires with my 29er as with my 26ers. They are cheaper too, I just bought a set of 29er Race Kings for 110 euros, for 26er it was 70 euros.

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>>1993298
needs a fork upgrade

put drop bars on a decent 90 mtb and you instantly mog the grabbel-tards

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>>1993351

>>1993352
just your average cleft palate grabbel rider with melty spokes

>>1993367
or is that actual 90s photography lol

>>1993368
1986

>>1993298
What the fuck is that stem, it's like half hist top tube.

>>1993374
>he doesn't know
it's a 90's mtb thing.
Pretty awesome if you want a riser stem for your road bike too.

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>>1993374

>>1993066
29ers are for lanky asses and are impractical modern garbage
if i was a racerfag or really tall i would tho

>>1993351
drops just look cool flats with bar ends mogs in actual riding

>>1993422
Grant tier cope.

>>1993368
no?

>>1993374
old bikes had spicy geometry
too spicy for gravelfags or modern mtbfags

>>1993426
kys i had a 29er i hated it
i had a 27.5 too it was meh
26 for life and im sick of disk brakes too
at least we can agree suspension is over rated

>>1993431
Well yeah they're for fully developed adults. If you're child-sized, you'll probably feel better on a child-sized bike.
Also nobody hates dick breaks unless they only rode a supermarket BSO with cable discs.

90s MTB geometry is shit.
Shit on mountains
Shit on roads
Shit for touring

Yeah. Okay have fun on eBay and Instagram you hipsters

>>1993429
>spicy geometry
You mean shit geometry. Like we need to ride in the Superman position with the longest slug mode chain stays on earth grabbing on to a straight piece of tube 5" below saddle height on a 140mm stem. Yeah GREAT GEOMETRY uncomfortable AND slow. Wow SO SPIC

>>1993265
>mostly a marketing gimmick
>well, the only advantage is they're lighter
yeah, that's why they're better. that's not a "marketing gimmick", that's genuinely better.

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>>1993307
what tires would you (or any anon) suggest for this bike. it came with Miyata branded tires (I'm assuming panaracer?) and they're still rideable but I want something that will squeeze as much offroad performance out of a rigid machine. it's not doing any roads or for gravel/hardpack, it's for dedicated off-road as gnarly as it can handle without sus.

>>1993433
cable disks are the better disk brakes unironically
ive had 5 bikes with disks now and im sick of them desu
yes they have advantages no they arent worth it
theres nothing wrong with vbrakes or cantis
>child sized
you again ugh

>>1993435
>>1993437
its based
compact
nimble
good uphill
fun
>wwaaaaahh but muh ownhill waahhh

>>1993442
now this person should in fact be riding a 29er

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>>1993297
Anon was asking about stainless steel. Regular steel is good but stainless is the opposite of everything you just said, it's kind of a garbage tier metal. Stainless steel is weaker, less corrosion resistant, and more expensive than aluminum. On top of that, it sucks to work with because it gums up machine work and brittles at the welds, not to mention it's already a brittle weak metal. Then to top it off, it has the density of steel without the benefits of exotic carbon steel alloys. Stainless is shit. Stainless steel only wins against aluminum in high heat applications where aluminum softens.

>>1993442
Classics are maxxis dhf's. Older and cheaper and kenda nevegals.
IMO just look for chunky 26in tires with big knobs.
Wider spaced knobs that are tall are better for the mud. Closer spaced knobs that are a little shorter are better for rocks, hardpack, sand, etc.
Measure, but I bet you can only get 2.25 or 2.3in tires as your max size.

>>1993442
looks like tyre clearence could be an issue how wide are the current tyres?
i quite like cheap shwalbe / impac or continental tyres
go for 1.95s and what kind of knobs or tread pattern to go for depends on what sort of offroad you mean
if you mean mud grass and wet stuff go for big spaced out knobs
if its dryer terrain get smaller closer packed knobs
cant tell if youve got a quick release seat clamp but if not get one
get some kind of metal bashguard for the chainrings or replace the biggest cog with one
if you ever find yourself pushing the bike uphill then you should look into drivetrain upgrades like a bigger cassette or smaller chainrings
thats about as much as you can do on a basic ol rigid bike before things start getting silly and expensive like dropper posts replacing forks stems bars cranksets and stuff
your cantis need some work btw they dont look right to me

>>1993095
i'm nocar and gravel bikes are the best if you are serious about only using bikes for travel. Rigid MTB a close second but drops are better than flats for long distances.

>>1993422
i'm a manlet and 26 feels toylike to me

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based? based on what?

>>1993511
>mavic equipped
/rare/
well, besides rims.
Wished they didn't fail like the did.
>based on what?
just is.
>>1993422
As a KOM(5'11) I love all tire sizes.

>>1993448
>Not making bike frames out of 17-4 stainless
who let the poors use 4chan

>>1993445
>I'm sick of maintenance-free superior braking power
>I prefer a solution objectively worse by every possible metric for reasons I won't get into right now because there are none
Just say you're poor and can't afford anything other than a 30 year old beater.

>>1993453
haha manlet hahahahha just take your pills cutie hahhaaa
i had to mount my big black 29er hardtail like a horse
was pretty nice feeling tall when i was on it tho i could see into the suvs to see who was on their phone and see over the roofs of the "crossovers"
getting it in a car or house or bus or train or parking it was just frustrating though
and it was heavy
the wheelbase was really long too on top of the wagon wheels
and the suspension fork that thing was heavy too
yes it was fast but it wasnt worth it
it was hard to manuever at low speeds on techy terrain too
chromoly 26er shitbox i can just throw around wheevrerver i want and it just werks
>>1993511
based on sex i would like to have sex with ur bicycle sir
unless its another reddit picture
bread on seat pls
i love gts tho ive almost bought an old gt like that so many times
what are those brakes?
some hydraulic rim brake thingys?
>>1993570
ive owned alot of bikes in my life lol
ive tried prettymuch every wheel size at this point
not wheel witdths though still no fatbike or road bike
>>1993570
nothing is maintenance free
name the exact reasons why its worse and if you say muh braking power i will gouge my eyses out
there are correct answers to exactly when and why disk brakes are actually better btw
but honestly theres nothing wrong with vbrakes they work fine and work forever
i rly like cantis too
bb7 with a speed dial lever is the only good disk brake btw
its cheap and it werks and it doesnt have the shimano curse

>>1993373
So we had htis before?
Is gravel...reinventing the wheel?

>>1993029
90s MTBs are the worst of everything

shit cramped geometry with no stability or comfort that is shit for MTBing and shit for riding around on
shit small wheels that are uncomfortable and have limited tire selection
shit brakes
shit gearing
90% is shit hard as a rock thick walled Tange tubing

they have cool paint jobs sometimes
thats about it

>>1993574
yes
>>1993575
>limited tyre selection
what?

>>1993574
wait until u find out bikepacking was a term coined in the 70s

>>1993029
the state of this board every thread about old bikes gets filled with gravelshills seething

>>1993574
Gravel bikes existed for ages as monstercross before the industry rebranded them.

>>1993589
interdesting

>>1993589
"Monstercross" co-insided with gravel bikes, both were mainstream market demographic by 2012-2013

Monstercross came about by people putting bigger tires on CX bikes for US CX racing since you're allowed to use wider tires than typical rules for European CX which has a 33mm limit and the bigger tires help a lot.

CX had a lot of hype 2009-2014 ish then died
Now not many brands even still make CX bikes

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>>1993575
>90% is shit hard as a rock thick walled Tange tubing
good thing mine's not lol

>>1993575
>worst of everything
no, those are BSO's
>cramped geo
huh? most have tall top tubes and short head tube/seat tubes. So just get a riser stem.
Tons of 120-140mm stems out there.
Threadless 1in is fine too
>small wheel that are uncomfortable
pressure+skill issue
>limited tire selection
marketing. There are still decent tires out there, it's not fucking 650c or 27in.
>shit brakes
skill issue
>gearing
lmao, it's the most versatile normal gearing you can get. Super easy gears for hills, decent gears for flats. If you want more flat speed they made 48th and larger chainrings for the 110 bcd. I even have tandem spec 56+rings.
>90% hard as a rock tange tubing
2.0 tires solve that issue. Also just get a nicer one.
Just go tange prestige, ritchey logic, etc.
>>1993602
miyata STB was known to be thicker then most normal double butted tubing, but if you are the big boi with the tall frame you want thicker tubing anyways.

>>1993604
>thicker
ok, but then what was the point of triple butting if it was going to be thicker than double butt anyway.
but yes, I'm the tall boi bike up thread

>>1993606
I meant mostly thicker on the ends where it needs to be stronger, and still reasonably thin in the center.
This makes a stiffer frame that can cope with more.
At least this is what I have heard from the miyata posters on other forums.
Remember, the bigger the rider and frame the stiffer you want the frame to be, up to a point for mild trail riding/road.

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>>1993029
Nope

>>1993575
wut
i have never ridden a more stable/comfortable bike than a lwb rigid mtb with drop bars

>>1993351
Kek ok poorlet.
Have fun with your short toptube, 26inch kids wheels made from fucking steel or aluminium. Also old groupsets suck mayor balls.
Any modern beginner gravel bike mogs all, even roadbikes from the 80s-90s-00s.

>>1993619
Looks cool but how fucking smol are you? Looks like youre under 150cm

>>1993645
who cares, no SOVL in those new bikes

>>1993646
Nah, bout 156cm m8, bike is comfy. Top tube about the same as my 56cm crux

>>1993662
based lil lad

>>1993619
how's the chainline

>>1993619
What made us such pussies that we don't paint bikes like this anymore.

>>1993573
lurk moar

>>1993645
it sounds like you've never had a 90s mtb and are getting your opinions from other people on the internet.
what non bso mtb ever came with steel wheels? I got a low end Raleigh Tactic in like 1990 and it had alu rims. every bike in the shop did.

>>1993662
that bike is flavor. that metallic purple and green fade is one of my all-time favorite paint jobs

>>1993693
It's expensive, part of the reason crust Rivendell etc are expensive (maybe not enough to justify the price) is they have nice paint

>>1993693
I don't know what frame of reference you mean by "anymore" but if you mean like the last few years I think you might just be out of touch or not paying attention, we've gone through metallic iridescent fades already and now it's 90s style spatter paint

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Nobody said you get to only have one bike.
I have old bikes and new bikes. They are all fun to ride.

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>>1993737
The melon Marin went out for several hours and many miles of sand today, it does well. Would I be more comfortable downhill with 3” tires and 780mm bars? Yes
Would I climb better with a 1x10 and more upright riding position to stand pedal? Yes
Would disc brakes help me actually stop when flying downhill on the way back on paved roads in the dunes? Absolutely god damn yes I was terrified

But the fun is enjoying the flaws. I never quite rip shit up exactly the way I do on this thing. The front end just does not want to be on the ground, it wants to hop all over shit and wheelie everywhere. The far reach, low down riding position downhill makes everything feel dangerous and fast and it gives me an adrenaline boner.
Everybody likes this bike, complete strangers comment on this thing because they enjoy its vibe. I enjoy its vibe.
I still take a very different bike to the bike park because if I’m gonna send it through rough stuff I want a modern bike, but this is super cool for what it does

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peak bike

>>1993095
Gravel bikes are just road bikes with more tire clearance, better brakes and more reliable derailleurs. What exactly is so terrible about them? They eliminate most of the limitations of road bikes and do it without any major cost on performance. They're less finicky, more reliable and perform almost identically on paved roads if you use narrower tires on them. Sounds like you're itching to stand out with your flaming hot contrarian opinions

>>1993756
Nta but I think the problem with gravel bikes is their audience is using them for the wrong things. It gives this impression of a mountain and road hybrid bike. So they buy a gravel bike thinking it’ll be good for both mountain bike stuff, and road bike stuff, except it’s not great at either of those things. It’s good enough, but the specialized tool for each job would do way better.
Gravel bikes are good for gravel bike stuff, really good for it, they’re the ideal tool for their ideal circumstance. It’s just not everyone uses them for that. I see people taking them on distance rides on greenways and then I see people crawling over technical stuff in bike parks on them, they’re just not good for that.

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>>1993619
nice paint job

>>1993619
Kek. shorten that mf chain zoomie

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>>1993619
> How to explode your $80 paper tire

Go things you'll be going 10mph

>>1993589
>>1993591
>>1993599

2010s hipsters went crazy for cx races where they dressed all goofy. Then came bikepacking and they switched to that

>>1993788
they're honestly not as fragile as people seem to portray them to be

but what the fuck is that lol
it's kind of a reddit meme machine though, so i wouldn't expect much. i wouldn't surprised if this was taken from some subreddit, honestly.

>>1993788
>the absolute state of /n/ posting
Brake pads move in an arc anon

>>1993790
no, they went into 90s MTB 'altbikes' IE all the faggots in this thread

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>>1993767
nice bike

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>>1993245
I was with you all the way until you had to bring up pickup truck?

>>1993862
both happened. but I was seeing CX bikes where I am before I saw MTBs with drop bars or swept bars, by many years

>>1993876
whoa! are you my doppleganger? did you build that rear wheel with the same white industries eccentric hub as i did? i got the flip flop one. i've had mine since new and decided to turn it to a single speed once the 7spd drivetrain totally wore out and getting good 7spd parts became more of an asspain than i wanted to deal with. the handlebar i got was a mistake. thinking of getting a riser mtb bar or maybe some cyclocross style drops with a shorter stem.

>>1993029
Yes a used bikes that fits your specific need from like 3 or 4 years ago bringing 20 years of bike tech advancements.

>>1993948
yes, white industries eno flip flop rear hub, chris king front, each laced to bontrager mustang wheels. I bought the bike new in 1995 also. I built as is in 2007-08. Bar is an early surly torsion bar, when surly was still calling themselves 1x1 and nitto was making the bars. It's one of my favorite bikes.

>>1993788
>peak autism

See, just ride your bike anon

>>1993981
spooky. if you tell me you live in coastal Maine i'm gonna lose it.

>>1993953
>bike tech advancements
That's a good one.

timeline of goober biking trends:

00s: Fixies
late 00s early 10s: CX
early 10s: "Adventure bikes," Monstercross
mid 10s: early gravel bikes (endurance bike geo with wider tires)
late 10s: bike packing
20s: race geo gravel bikes, people paying 1500 for some shitty 90s MTB frame and decking it out with Paul Components, White Industries

>>1994256
mid 20s: big big wheels

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>>1994256
So basically since fixies it has just been different words for the same thing. Sure, the tech has gotten better and nobody would be caught dead riding cable dicks anymore but otherwise ??? same shit right? inb4 muh wheelbase, these things are all over the map when you go from size to size, people who ride "L" frames might as well be in a totally different category of bikes from "XS"

>>1993029
is it the platonic form of bikes?

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yes. 90s hybrid bikes are FAR superior. 90s mtb have a shitty geometry, they have ALL a super short stack.
in fact making gravel from 90s mtb is the most stupid idea. making gravel from 90s hybrid is basically what modern gravel bikes are....

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>>1993619
This is what a normal size people have to do to fit on a 90s mtb.
My 970 was already small when i was 14.

>>1994257
The Krampus is like 10 years old, and fatbikes even older. Or do you mean 36ers or some such?

>>1993029
80s atbs
90s hybrids

Geometry is a gay buzzword that doesn't matter, sorry

>>1994980
late 80s to mid-late 90s touring bikes

>>1994980
>>1995081
if you're lucky enough to find one. meanwhile, 90s mtbs are fucking everywhere

>>1994982
geometry always matters in a bike, geometry is the soul of a bike, the numbers behind its mechanical form.

>>1993029
>Is there anything more based than 90s mountain bikes?
80's jap touring bikes.

>>1993511
It's just beyond me to pour so much money onto a bike and then put those piece of shit tires on it. I'd rather ride the stock setup with with something decent on. Black gravelkings and a black Flite and this could be a gorgeous thing.

>>1995081
there's this novel from houellebcq where he laments the disappereance of those bikes that came with drops, triple cranks. fenders and racks. can't remember which one though.

>>1993440
Sure, you can pay twice as much for a frame that will ride the same but weighs half a water bottle less, it's a free country.

>>1995415
>you can pay twice as much
sure, new, I suppose. most people buying steel are getting used bikes, where full bikes with double (or triple) butted fancy cromo steel are usually sub $200. and its only midway through where you specify you're comparing to "basic cromo." but your initial statement about fancy steel is a marketing gimmick is less true when the other steel is a Schwinn varsity in gaspipe.
I'm also skeptical of the half water bottle claim comparing with plain cromo, particularly in bikes my size, 63 or 65 if I can find it. but I'm not going to hunt down all the research so maybe you have a point there, I don't know.

>>1995390
>houellebecq is a retrogrouch
Huge if true

>>1995374
Yeah I like punctures and taint-ache too

>>1995537
he's not wrong though. would have been sick with the stock xtr setup if that's what it came with. though i'd just get rh tires if i wanted slicks. gk's on sale are a good compromise though.

>>1995374
yeah I've ridden this for a couple of weeks now and the cheapo schwalbes have got to go, they're as heavy as a 700c marathon, feel completely dead, pick up dogshit like nothing else and the front one has a bad hop

Gravelkings or Rene Herse are on the wishlist pronto

>>1995599
Who would have thought that pumptrack tires suck for riding lol

>>1995613
Why should they?

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>>1995599
fair enough. The folding version might be OK. I wouldn't go Rene Herse if you can't run them tubeless. It's a puncture fest. GKSK, Race King, Mezcal, Rocket Ron, Racing Ralph etc. are all have good puncture protection. And always pay extra for the better compound. 26 inch is very much alive.

>>1995626
Your pic gives away your fashion based perspective.
smoke/dart (and fire xc pros) are sluggish compared to nice DJ tires like billy bonkers or DTH.
They only make sense on terrain where classic mtbs themselves don't make sense. They're too aggressive.
I simply wouldn't buy Billy Bonkers because the text on the sidewalls is hideous and i suspect you only dislike them because of reddit builds.

XC tires are great though, and so are 26 gravelkangz and other panaracer meme variants.

>>1995626
>It's a puncture fest
ime they puncture less often than non sk gravelkings.

>>1995672
I've had them back in corona times and my opinion is purely based on that, they sit crooked, "tanwalls" are uneven, sluggish and I punctured them twice too many for how long they were in use. Just overall shit tire when you can have perfection aka Race King Protection.

>>1995714
They are probably the best tire if you manage to set them up tubeless. I've read a few bad reviews on that though. And yes the slick GKs are very thin, just like RH.

>>1995750
>"tanwalls" are uneven
that's normal dude, charming, and bespoke looking even

>muh steel drum conti autism
yawn

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trek internet defence force out in full strength in this thread
>>1993030
We need an age limit on this site as well
>>1993307
>>1995626
luv me mezcal, simple as

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>>1993029
>Is there anything more based than 90s mountain bikes?
honestly, modern MTBs
the marketing tries to upsell you on a bunch of bullshit but they are genuinely much more capable offroad machines, dropper posts especially are a gamechanger. I think they've basically reached the point of 80s/90s dirt bikes where functionally there's very little left to dramatically improve on short of adding motors and thus getting into "dirtbike but worse" territory

>>1996508
That's what makes modern MTBs onions and not based. They've gone too hard into off road or just became "descending" machines. Modern MTBs are even into eBike territory. Based boys will say they only use "assist" mode on the uphills but you know damn well they don't even pedal anymore.

>>1996665
>They've gone too hard into off road or just became "descending" machines
but then, that's what they're good at in the first place - doing things you wouldn't be able to (or want to) on a road bike. if you're skilled, you can ride anything you'd have fun riding a 90s rigid MTB on with a skinny tire 80s or 90s road bike - but a modern MTB will actually let you go fast places you wouldn't want to on any rigid bike

>>1996665
Just buy an XC full suspension bike if you want more geometry designed for normal bike trails. Or go.... 5+ years back. Great bikes from the 2008 and on that have steeper head angles.

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>>1993029
>more based than 90s mountain bikes?
70s "mountain" bikes

The top 2 are the best bikes simply because they are decent in pretty much every kind of situation a cyclist will find himself in.
Capable off road, comfortable and adequate on the road, good for commuting, touring, bike packing, cruising and any other kind of cycling, except track or downhill competition.

Also light enough, durable as hell, reliable, flexible and adaptable, small changes to set up, for example tyres or handlebars, turn them into completely different bikes.

The last few on that list are great at one thing and one thing only, but utter shite at everything else.

80s atb/90s mtb is peak bike.

>>1993886
Nah he's right. Fuck pickups. A van would do your pic better and be more useful day to day. Shit, you could go car camping with a frigging Corolla.

>>1997649
this
pickups are based in the niche of literally working on a farm but there are 100 times as many dickheads as should shitting up cities with them

>>1997650
The amount of insecure urban chuds driving pickups is absolutely absurd. It's like trying to use a sledgehammer to drive a screw. There's so much downside to driving a friggin land yacht in a dense urban environment, especially one where the average speed is 12mph, there's only one lane for each direction, and public street parking comes at a premium. You have to be the absolute most retarded insecure piece of shit to drive a type of vehicle where half the narrow roads become inaccessible and performing simple maneuvers like turns become not difficult but literally impossible.

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>>1996508
What has happened to dirtbikes since the 90's? Just curious since I wonder what might happen with mountainbikes.

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>>1997742
aluminum frames mostly

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>>1993029
mountain bikes are not public transportation are for montaine riders not city.
mountain bikes are the worse bikes for easy ride

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What are some good modern bikes which are basically 90s rigid MTBs?

>>1993742
>>1993737
That is a fantastic bike. I love 90s Marin.

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>>1998480
Any flat bar gravel bike.

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>>1998482
>alushit
No.
>>1998480
>alu fork
FUCK no.

>>1998482
bru, that's a hardtail style downtube with rigid fork, that's more like a hybrid than a flat-bar gravel bike

>>1998507
Saracen are calling it a gravel bike. It's not like it's a real genre.
https://www.saracen.co.uk/products/levarg

>>1998512
Remember when rigid hybrids were called flat bar road bikes? Good times.

>>1993208
>Genuinely good condition nice 26 rim wheelsets are at this point hens teeth so a nice build is several hundo on custom wheels.
This is the part that really sucks about retro MTB.
Where are you all getting decent staight wheels for under $150? It's just not a good deal anymore

>>1998498
Based

>>1998709
DT Swiss mavic halo hope sun Ryde kinlin all still make 26 inch rims

>>1998719
Okay. now where can I buy a straight 26 wheelset for $150 or less?

>>1998719
>so a nice build is several hundo on custom wheels

>just learn to build wheels
fuck off, again, ultra niche

>>1998709
https://velomine.com/collections/26in-mtb-1?filter.v.availability=1&filter.v.price.gte=0&filter.v.price.lte=160&page=2&sort_by=best-selling

for a set, looks like these mach1 s come in cassette
https://velomine.com/products/whl-pr-26x1-5-559x19-mach1-er10-bk-msw-36-aly-fw-5-6-7sp-qr-bk-135mm-ss2-0bk?_pos=45&_fid=455542735&_ss=c
and there are several for freewheel. there's a ton of individual front and rear you could probably get the best set that way

>>1998774
>Velomine

Go fuck yourself idiot. Velomine ships totally out-of-true wheels and then tells you "3mm wobble is within spec, no refund"

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>>1998795
you asked a question, anon answered it. you wanted under 150, I answered it. you want a solution for truing wheels, you already answered it, but are unwilling to do it.
have a nice life, loser

>>1993435
>spend thousands on a brand new full sus mtb
>ride it only once (on pavement) during the summer (all I had time for, too busy drinking craft beer after a hard day at the office)
>it fucking breaks because it's a piece of shit
>get super assmad at all the cool dudes I see having fun on their old bikes
>post dumb shit on 4chan

>>1998806
Keith?

>>1998874
I mean, even if I was, I would say no anyway.
it's going to be funny next time you see him trying to figure out if he's on 4chan

>>1998875
kek, I just want to see if anyone gets the reference.
On topic, but I find decent used 26in wheels out there. Mostly they come with a bike for cheap.

>>1998882
>decent
probably don't even own cone spanners

>>1998905
>baiting me to take pictures
are you the "they ALL HAVE BAD CUPS/CONES" guy?
AKA buy new hubs guy?

>>1998905
you should see the ditches in the cones i ride on, baby. ain't no thang.

>>1998909
no i think the correct strategy is just to acquire dozens of wheels / bikes but the truth is most will be fucked

The 27.5 period are the best mountain bikes imo.

>>1998946
Guess I am lucky.
>>1999047
Hopefully they don't get phased out and we end up with 29 and 32in wheels or something

I liked my 90s MTB for the few weeks it worked but I paid $75 for it and the expected happen, it broke. is there any way to economically replace an entire groupset?

>>1999053
what broke? Unless it's like the frame or wheel breaking, you can always just replace the broken part. If it's the frame that broke, then find a bare frame that's compatible with all your parts.

>>1999053
give us a QRD on the issue, beyond that cheap groupsets are found at bike kitchens/co-ops, broken bikes, or aliexpress.
For a while shimano was blowing out mtb groupsets on ebay.

>>1993437
Started riding in 1986. First gen geometry made it feel like you were sitting on the handlebars on downhills. Front end washouts were common. Watch some vintage racing films and note how the riders are struggling to control the bikes even on flats. They were terrible bikes.

>>1999053
>I liked my 90s MTB for the few weeks it worked but I paid $75 for it and the expected happen, it broke. is there any way to economically replace an entire groupset?

not with new stuff that you just bolt over like legos, it exists, but you'll spend more than you want to and get a bike that is ugly and relatively low quality.
you can probably just get a new cassette, bottom bracket, chain, cables, and properly clean everything. Shouldn't run you more than $100 on parts.

I would try to service the wheels first and if those and the chainrings are shot then consider if the frame is even worth it.

If you're lazy and not interested in learning or ever doing this again, then just forget it.

>>1999047
Easily the best wheel size for MTB, the overall wheel size is between 700c road and 26 fat tire without being as unwieldly for manlets as 29er.

>>1999063
>>1999056
>>1999055
the bottom gear of the crankset is badly bent and will cause the chain to slip off (also the groupset is just really shitty, old and unpleasant to use and constantly fails to get into gear).

>>1999108
If you mean the easy gear you could take it off, stick in a vice, and pull.
Beyond that a new cheapo square taper 3x crank is dirt cheap. Sram s600 and shimano makes one.
keep the old rings.

Could try adjusting and cleaning the groupset. tri-flow, 3 in 1 oil, diy mineral spirits atf, or whatever penetrant/lube you like can help.

Cable adjustment can help.

If you don't want to do any of that look on ebay for groupsets,or whatever you need.

>>1999116
this bitch out here givin' good ass advice

>>1999117
btw metal has "memory" and depending on the bend, a lot fo times you can lay the chainring on a flat surface and smack it with a rubber mallet or deadblow, or piece of wood and a hammer, and it'll snap back

>>1993435
It's astounding that the f22 raptor was designed in 91 and completed in 97 while bikes were absolute trash.

>>1996508
>dropper posts especially are a gamechanger
They really aren't. You just stop and change your seat height manually it's no different. The real game changers are tubeless tires that give you fuck off hero grip and geometry that lets you just stand on the bike and it ploughs everything in it's path. Dropper posts don't make a bike perform any different.

>>1997742
Black people have started doing wheelies on them

>>1998758
Probably some cheapo DTs out there second hand that could be rebuilt to fit a retro and would make it perform 10 times better than shitters.

>>1999116
I guess I could just bend it back but i'll probably replace it, and yeah a whole clean is what I'd have to do, I have no idea about cable adjustment I'd have to research it. I should probably just get a new hybrid at decathlon and give this to some enthusiast though

>>1999125
>cheapo DTs out there second hand that could be rebuilt

Just further process the point that 26er is a dead end meme standard that sucks ass, and every good deal is gone now. I'll just get a rigid 700c hybrid and enjoy life

>>1999307
There are so many sets of good wheels sitting in garages right now. I've got some 26 DTs that are in great condition. No I'm not selling them they go on my old trail bike that I adore. But there are people who will be happy to get rid of them.

>>1999316
I have seen mavic crossmax wheels go for 100 bucks... with a high spec 90's mtb with them.
Personally I have multiple xt/mavic rimmed wheels from when I was racing, 2 dt swiss xr 1450's, and an american classic all mountain 26 wheelset (remember that term? all mountain).

I hope people buy new stuff instead so I can get deals when I need to.

Funniest wheelset is my dad's phil wood hubs that are setup for racing wheelchairs or..... a bike trailer. They are 26 but attach to an offset spindle.
Freaking weird.

>>1993245
>>1997649
>>1997650
>>1997652
Hello Rabbi.

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Y/N?

>>2000689
meh. Look like a rockshox fork(decent), does come with a fancy stem(I think), and maybe a shimano xt RD. From that era I would rather get a hardtail or rigid. Prefer mid 2000's or later FS 26'ers.

fuck off

>>2000821
R

>>1993511
I have ridden the tread off Billy bonkers and confirm they are the nicest street tyre I have ridden as well as they sound satisfying

>>1993029
A non 90s mountain bike ...

>>2000706
Looks like a 90s rockshox Indy elastomer fork. They score 9/10 on nostalgia value and 1/10 on actual suspensioning.

>>2000981
I agree. My mom's old bontrager has one and it's..... kinda sad.
I was lucky my dad got our bontrager with a marzocchi z2 bomber which tbqh is almost as good as my newer air forks.

>>2000981
>>2000989
welll.... the elastomer will have completely disintegrated so it's not exactly a fair comparison, and all suspension requires semi regular servicing / rebuilds.

>>2000989
I upgraded my Indy S to a Judy at some point in the late 90s (on a new bike) and I remember I was staggered by the difference, but it still wouldn't hold up to any half decent modern fork.

I wanted a Marzocchi but they were well out of my price range and rarely came specced on new bikes. My dad had a Manitou Spyder fork and it was kinda ehh..

>>2000990
Even with a new elastomer it wouldn't be great, you'd be getting about 3" of travel max. They weren't exactly light either, although tbf they definitely endured abuse pretty well.

>>2000990
my marzocchi actually was doing okay with it's......... metallic flake engine oil looking oil in there. It's better now that I serviced it but it was coping quite well with the abuse and I have no idea how many times it's been serviced. I know I did 1-2 race seasons on it, and then whatever it was used for before that.

>>2000993
true but still

>>1996709
It’s amazing what you can get done with 120mm of travel with modern suspension. Don’t even need full suspension but the valving has made them so efficient under pedal it’s barely noticeable, and they’re light too, surprised I haven’t seen one eating up Freds on a local gravel race yet since all the cool kids are running 1x setups now anyways. If you need further convincing just look at the mandatory gaps on UCI XC courses, and they’re running the technical sections on almost slicks.

Tell a youngin who's never ever seen one of these IRL what makes them better than 80's MTBs. I can't really tell the difference.

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>>2002749
CHROME MOLYBDENUM

Just put together a road tire wheelset for my '99 Gary Fisher before I saw this thread lol

>>1993374
roadies mang

>>1993374
130+mm stems are based
Even better at a 45 degree angle

>>2002764
What were 80s MTBs made out of? Hi-ten?

>>2002966
Mine's repainted.
IMO 80's mtbs are damn close to 90's mtbs so I just lump them together.

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>>2002749
80s mtbs have more relaxed, upright and slack geometry, having evolved from 3 speed cruisers and touring bikes.

90s mtbs, high end ones, are longer and lower and usually specced for roadies to ride fast on gravel.

The iconic classic shimano groupsets came in the late 80s. Those gave modern indexed shifting and decent braking.

By the mid 90s you had STI shifters, suspension forks, bonded forks, aluminium frames and v-brakes, and this technology is more prone to wear out due to age than thumb/downtube shifters, rigid steel forks and steel frames. And if you want v-brakes you want disc brakes. This late 90s mid-school stuff has been largely made redundant by the modern bikes that superseded it, whereas older early 90s / late 80s stuff has a more valid vintage niche because the gear is more durable and it's less race oriented.

It's not 80s vs 90s though, it's more like 86-95 vs 95-03

>>1999122
>You just stop and change your seat height manually it's no different
Yeah, and doing that over and over again is a pain in the ass. Being able to adjust the saddle while still moving just makes the experience of riding a hell of a lot more enjoyable.

>>2002749
There was pre-stumpjumper and post-stumpjumper, not 80’s and 90’s

Anyone know if trek bikes from that come with 26 wheels support larger tires, like 28?

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>>1993447
if not straight out 36...

>>2003576
>double disc brakes on fork
As if the absolute rim mog wasn't enough

>>2003582
I mean it's pretty smart if you are dealing with over 300lb riders. A 203/8in rotor with a dh brake would work good too.

>>2003583
I get why they do it, it just looks so odd. But in a cool way.

>>2003584
Just reminds me of motorcycles. What's crazy to me is that dude fits his bike perfectly. Good amount of seatpost showing, long reach to the bars
36in wheels are really it for tall brahs.

>>2003588
kids get bikes tailored to their size (with height from 1m to 1.5m, they have bike sizes 12 to 24); adults get one size fits all (from 1.5 to +2m nowadays pretty much there's only 29 available)? makes zero sense.

>>2003583
I'd say those are 203

>>2003582
Probably still not enough stopping power

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Still going 34 years later, shifting is crisp, braking is good enough for my commute, comfy and capable steel all rounder.

>>2003734
what pedals?

>>2003734
>>2003753
I was just about to ask the same thing. DMR V8s?

>>2003734
Nice looking bike. What fenders are those?

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I built up a specialized crossroads last year for my sister. I don't have a pic on my phone but it's this frame color with celeste cable tubing and bar grips plus a front and rear rack. I'm keeping an eye out for a Trek 990 but I think it might be my white whale. I'm 5'-11" so I think I'll need the 21" frame.

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>>2003797
I am same height and fit a 18 and 19, and of course 21 or bigger(long inseam).
Most of them have a 56cm top tube and they might(or might not) scale up depending on bike. The idea for the low top tube was mostly when you are off road and your feet are lower then the bike you don't want ball-impact, and of course smol frames are stronger.
Luckily trek has the vintage-trek website so you can see what would fit.
my fit on a 19in frame, gary fisher.

I too am a (king of manlets) 5'11

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>>2003799
Nice, I'll have to keep an eye out for a smaller one as well then.

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>>1993029
Huh. I actually have that same bike, it looks like pic related but with different tires. I was on the trolley and a dude came up to me and was like, "Wow, you have a really nice bike. Mind if I take a photo?" He was telling me all about how it's made of real steel, and they don't make them like they used to, and that it was probably made in the 80s or something. He told me I could probably get a pretty penny for it too if I wanted to sell it.

>>2003816
that's really nice looking. i hope your sis rides the shit out of it

>>2003816
good work with the Chrysler desert turquoise

>>2003753
>>2003769
DMR V8s
>>2003770
SKS Bluemels basic 26'' 60mm

>>2003959
love the rollercams, got some on this project

>>2004213
just ordered.
fyi there's a scamazon US seller who's got them in black for $19 and free shipping, less than half regular price

>>2004223
What's that? Since that encounter on the trolley, I've been curious to learn more.

>>2004249
he's talking about the brakes on the bike in your pic. they're supposed to brake really well but they never caught on, I think they're difficult to set up.
I was going to mention it but you said it wasn't your bike.

>>2004256
I have the same model bike, breaks color and all. It's just the tires that are different.

>>2004257
I mean, maybe you do and maybe you don't. cantilevers and V brakes look similar, and you spelled it "breaks", so it's hard to take your word seriously. but maybe that model came stock with them, who knows

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>>2004259
Forgive me for any confusion. This is the one I actually own.

>>2004223
>>2004249
>>2004256
They have superior stopping power, the only drawback is down to the way they pivot, wear on the brake shoes eventually pushes them towards the tyre.

If you keep an eye on them and change the shoes before that happens you have nothing to worry about, but yeah, lazy tards who don't pay attention to or maintain their bikes would occasionally have blowouts.

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Another little discussed element of the 80s/90s mtb is the variety, everyone assumes they're all rigid steel framed 7 speed with slight variation in geometry. Not so.

Rigid, hardtail, full suspension, 26'', 650b, 26/24 mullets, 6 speed, 7 speed, 8 speed, 9 speed, steel, aluminium, carbon, titanium, magnesium, combinations of those, slack geometry, progressive geometry - the list goes on.

>>2004852
Not to mention braking systems, hub brakes, canti brakes, u-brakes, rollercam brakes, disk brakes, v-brakes

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>>2004852
>>2004853
Or frame design, standard double triangle, triple triangle, elevated stays, slingshot, softride beam etc

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Disc brake tabs and brace on my old GT

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>>2005567
The fork

>>2005567
>>2005577
it's cool, but won't the braking force fold the stays and blade? disc frames are all reinforced in those places

>>2005616
I see the rear reinforcement now. it kind of blends in with the rotor and the expectation of seeing cogs in that area usually

>>2005577
>>2005567
I just worry about the lack of heat treat on aluminum frames once you weld onto them.
Hopefully it works out for you.

>>2005616
>>2005617
yeah I've seen the pictures and heard the horror stories but fuck it. I might not entirely know what I'm doing but I know what I'm getting into.
The fork will take the heavy breaking loads though. It might not be evident by the picture but at least it's on the meatier end of things, for an old steel frame.

>>2005618
All steel baybaayy

I'm fairly new in the bike space, how do I quickly identify a '90s mountain/road bike and also what kind of Brands would instantly tell me that it's that

>>2004852
A 26/24 mullet sounds wack lmao, was whe strength the main factor in the choice of 26inch?

>>2004855
Is there anything inherent in this design that is better than a modern suspension seatpost?

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>>2005753
26" wheels, 3x chainrings, tubing more robust than a road bike of the same age, selle flite saddles, long stems, rad paintjobs.

Trek, Specialized, GT, Kona are some good ones, but too many to list. Many of the popular makes from back then are still big players.

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>>2005761
maybe?

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Shroud I buy this? The paint looks in great condition!

>>2005779
It's a fairly high spec bike, but the midschool stuff with rim brake and suspension isn't vintage cool, good for trail riding nor particularly useful. An older stumpy is WAY more desirable.

The wheels are quite nice, XT hubs, mavic rims. Still, parted out, it's not even necessarily worth the asking price (which seems a great deal on face value).

I'd get it if you enjoy the riding that fits the use case, which is, messing around. It's a sick beater. But if you wanted a mtb for mtbing or you only had space for one or two bikes, I'd leave it.

And yeah the orange colour is kind of cool but hardly molteni and the world champ and kenda graphics are cringey.

>>2005763
that is a department store piece of shit.
would have been extremely cheap when new and is now worth zero moneys.

The tells are the claw derailer hanger, riveted chainrings, steel seatpost, nutted wheels, plastic brake levers and stamped steel dropouts.
As opposed to a derailer that threads into the frame, chainrings that attach with allen bolts, aluminium seatpost, quick release wheels, metal brake levers and forged dropouts.

You can tell these things visually but you can also read off the models of the parts and look them up to determine where they fit in the hierachy. There are only a handful of common models of shimano parts and they fit into quite straightforward levels. A nice steel frame is also usually going to have a tubing sticker on the seattube stating what metal it's built out of which can pretty easily tell you whether you have a nice bike or not.

>>2005822
Yeah, well it’s only $50 so it’s priced accordingly I guess, didn’t know if I found a deal or not

>>2005882
That's not a good deal at all

$10 or $20 would be fair and free would be a good deal.

>>2005753
department store crap are called Bicycle Shaped Objects. BSO brands are huffy, murray, magna, ... I'm drawing a blank but there's a lot more, and outside the US each country has their own. mongoose started with high-end bmx, then they also made good MTBs for a few years in the early 90s but then they got bought and everything since is bsos. if it says mongoose, don't buy until you know how to spot that good era with nice components.
the bike shop brands are what you want. they may be low end but acceptable on up to high end.

there's a million of them, and good stuff from smaller boutique brands may not be made anymore but are on the used market.
look around your local Walmart equivalent and avoid those names. look irl or online at bike shops and go for those names.
one reliable identifier for decent steel bikes was they were made of decent chrome molybdenum "cro-moly" or "cro-mo" steel alloy which is advertised with a decal usually under the top tube on the seat tube or sometimes on the down tube near the head tube. if it says double or triple butted, even better. department store bikes never had this (although a few tried to make fake-out decals for a while, look them up on your phone if it looks weird)
there may be decals for aluminum but it's not as codified but you can always look it up. carbon is carbon, you just have to trust the mfr.
I would suggest using the bike buy general for good advice

>>2005930
maybe someone could help me find a bike in my area https://scranton.craigslist.org/

>>2005934
post the link in the buy thread

>>1993029
vibrations in my arms fucking hurt
I have an old cannondale without any dampening

>>2005960
Sounds like you need a girvin flexstem

>>2005960
if your bar is greater than shoulder width, that could be a factor?
maybe try ergon-style grips?

>>2005960
From just road riding or are we talking real mtb stuff?

>>2005937
I did already

>>2006014
already just from road riding lol

>>2006080
Reduce your tire pressure

>>1993861

That brake pad looks like it was set up by a blind man