We asked Lee Lau, who wrote the foreword to the Locals' Guide to North Shore Rides, to dig through his archive of old photos and come up with some incriminating favourites. Some of you may be old enough to remember the "good old days", or some of you might just laugh and point at the crude gear and funny clothes, but hopefully you will find this quick glimpse of North Vancouver mountain bike history entertaining. All of the photos below are from his albums, taken roughly between 1997 and 1998 - not that long ago, but it looks like a far away time and place.
 | This photo of Wade Simmons, shot by Ian Hylands, was for one of the first guidebooks of North Vancouver's trails (unfortunately out of print). Derek Westerlund and Bjorn Enga were doing that old guidebook and needed a shot, so they dragged Wade out of the Cove bike shop where he was working as a wrench. Wade dropped the "Crater" on Mt Fromme on a borrowed Gary Fisher Joshua - he always delivers - and went on to become a professional freerider who was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. Check out the sweet pant clip that he's using to keep his sweat pants out fo the triple ring crankset. |
| This shot is of Sharon Bader, the co-author of the Locals' Guide trail book. She hadn't ridden on the Shore for a while, but I had some old armour retrieved from a local shop dumpster dive for her to wear. Those were different times! Sharon is on the Bark Bridge section of Ladies' Only, on her hand built Brodie Expresso steel hardtail, complete with styling Judy XC front suspension and rocking a full xc lycra kit. Good thing she rides like a girl! Sharon went on to become the President of the NSMBA, helps to organize mountain bike events and authors guide books. |
| Long before Harookz ever held a camera he knew how to perform for the lens. Here he is on a rigid steel hardtail launching off of a drop to flat on Pink Starfish. This is at the site of the old cabin that's now collapsed. Harookz is now a successful professional photographer. Is that a top tube pad on his bike? |
| On a dark, wet day Noel Buckley navigates some cedar wood skinnies on Bookwus, Mt Fromme. Noel went on to found Knolly, a manufacturer of high end mountain bikes. On the front of Noel's bike you can see Marzocchi's first edition of their Z1, a four inch travel fork that changed how suspension was perceived. No, it wasn't light, but it's open bath design and smooth stroke blew minds at the time. |
| This is a shot of myself, taken the day before racing the Canada Cup XC up at Whistler. I had the number plate on for the next day's race already (talk about keen!) and didn't have the sense to rest before the race. This was on River Runs Through It, and I'm riding a beautiful lime green Norco Torrent with a whopping 80mm travel Marzocchi up front. The municipality didn't have risk-managers go through the trails and put up rope railings to keep us safe back in those days, so I ride it clipped in with fully lycra. |
Want to create some of your own North Shore memories? Check out ''
Locals' Guide to North Shore Rides'' to find your way around the 'Shore
Did you enjoy the quick trip down memory lane? Want to see more vintage photography? We'd love to hear your early mountain bike memories - put them down below!
Member since Oct 18, 2009
I'm sure these were built sturdier though. I cracked a walmart full suspension in a week, only at the skatepark when I was like 11. They let me return it though
It's awesome how quickly these mountain bikes got way beefier, sexier and lighter in only a few years. Glad to see the sport progressing so fast. I hope I never stop biking
I agree that $5000 is a ton to spend on a DH bike, and the companies are making money off of it. But it's a business, not a charity. And if you break down every little thing that goes into building a top of the line DH bike, then it helps justify it a little, IMO.
If a simple steel fame from back in the day was the best choice for the progression that has happened today, why isn't everyone and their brother on one? Why aren't all the pro's on steel frames with elastomer rear shocks directly in line with the chainstays? The pioneers of the sport started on these bikes...as they progressed so did their bikes, because they couldn't meet the demand of where the sport was going. This being said, I would love to see Simmons huck the monster truck gap on a soft tail, but that may have been sketchy, even when Disorder 3 was released...
MASSIVE skid at the end lol
Not sure which is the most impressive, Peaty ripping on a rigid Kona, or Collins Boy's hair!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X2i9S4r_yQ&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
or search "Steve Peat- Worlds Number 1 Downhiller in the 1993 7UP BMBF DH Final, Eastridge Forest "
Still got my 92 stumpy and my 96 alpinestars! I remember when I "upgraded" to V brakes! Haha. Don't know about the Peaty search, but look up Rob Warner on YouTube. Those boys (and others) were slaying on these super sketch bikes.
So sick to see it just start out...ride on
BAck then, l thought it was actually a pretty nice ride. My, we have come a long way.
Also had a Crack-N-Fail V700 which used a similar design like the Gary Fisher -- the C-dale had that janky headshock which sucked balls. We did 24 Hours Of Canaan with it and it sucked every bit of energy outta ya going up the wall (last climb before getting to the top, then heading back down). Those brake leverage adapter things C-dale came up were dreadful. (good idea but reality, they sucked). Then the one piece Coda cranks -- classic WTF were they thinking concept. For those in the didn't know --- it was a 3 ring crank milled from one block of aluminum.
I can remember thinking those Manitou forks where the shits, with their interchangeable elastomer bumpers: red was firm, blue was medium and l think yellow or purple was soft. you could mix match them for different stiffness.
One side unscrewed on me during a race popped out of the fork --- that was the end of my race right then and there.
Sold it about 7 years ago, sometimes I wish that i hadn't.
Woo! Long top-tube with a short stem. Cantilevers, just before them fancy v-brakes hit the scene. Two-inch travel fork on a steel hard-tail (Brodie Xpresso for this fellow). Onza Porcupine tires. Sketchy and fun, absolutely. I remember a time when I was shown the trail Pink Starfish, and partway down the trail, if recalls serves me well, we took a detour into a trail called The Crippler, where after a short walk the trail began with no discernible entrance. It was a secret, so I felt privileged. At the time, that trail handed my as5 to me, most likely because I used clips and didn't drop my post -- "Drop my seat-post? What for?" -- but also because it was beyond anything I was used to riding. I got spanked -- what an eye-opener. "Wake up, buddy! This is the business." I value having had the education.
Cheers, chettjames!
www.vitalmtb.com/forums/The-Hub,2/History-Lesson-Rare-footage-of-Jason-McRoy-MTB-superstar-RIP-1994,6151
www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/evening-chronicle-news/2011/04/12/dad-of-washington-biker-jason-mcroy-speaks-about-his-son-72703-28504899