Time Capsule: 2001 - Pinkbike's 20th Anniversary

May 19, 2018
by Mike Kazimer  
Pinkbike is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, which means a few trips down memory lane are in order. For this installment, we're turning the time machine dial to 2001, the golden age of freeride, the era when the Marzocchi Monster T was king, Bender was trying to land the Jah Drop, skinnies were still en vogue, and a kid named Sam Hill took bronze in the Junior DH World Champs.

John Gibson Photo
John Gibson photo

State of the Sport

The freeride movement was continuing to pick up steam as word spread about what those crazy Canadians were up to deep in the woods of British Columbia. Articles had started appearing in print magazines in the late '90s, and as the 21st century began riders around the world were trying to hammer together rickety North Shore-style features of their own. Mountain bike and component manufacturers were responding as well, with burly, overbuilt machines designed for abusive riding showing up in catalogs alongside more conventional cross-country bikes.

Lift served bike parks were still a relatively new concept, but even though the Whistler Bike Park had only been open for three years the word was spreading quickly. The big news in 2001 was the opening of A-Line, the machine built jump line that would soon become one of the most popular trails in the world.

Freeride was pushed even further into the limelight with the introduction of the Red Bull Rampage, which took for the first time in October of 2001 with a lineup of 22 riders. Wade Simmons took home the win, ahead of Greg Smith and Robbie Bourdon. Kyle Strait also made his Rampage debut, at only 14-years-old.

photo
Kyle Strait at his first ever Red Bull Rampage




Racing

The massive sponsorship deals that were common in the mid-'90s may have dried up, but there was still plenty of exciting World Cup racing in 2001. There were eight stops on the DH and dual slalom circuit, plus World Champs. The list of venues wasn't nearly as Euro-centric as it is this year, either; there was a stop in Japan, plus four North American stops: Grouse Mountain and Mont-Saint-Anne in Canada, along with Durango and Vail in the United States.

Who were the big names in the gravity scene back in 2001? For the men, it was a battle between Steve Peat, Greg Minnaar, Nico Vouilloz, and Mickael Pascal, with Greg Minnaar taking the overall World Cup title. After placing 8th in 2000, Nico Vouilloz regained his title as world champion for the ninth time. Sam Hill also entered the international racing this year at the age of 16, and took home a bronze medal from the World Champs in Vail for his efforts. Dual slalom was also still a UCI event, and it was Brian Lopes who took the overall title and World Champs win.

On the women's side, Anne Caroline-Chausson's dominance continued, as she won six out of the eight World Cup rounds, and then took home her ninth world champion title in a row. On top of that, she was also the dual slalom world champion. Other podium contenders in this era included Missy Giove, Sabrina Jonnier, Fionne Griffiths, and Leigh Donovan.

In cross-country world, Canadian Roland Green was still a few years from disappearing from the sport, and he had an outstanding season, winning the NORBA national series, the overall World Cup title, as well as World Champs. Barbara Blatter won the women's overall World Cup XC title, and American Alison Dunlap took home the win at World Champs.


Views: 54,648    Faves: 368    Comments: 15




Videos

Now that smartphones can film in 4k, it's easy to take the seemingly endless number of mountain bike videos out there for granted – even 12-year-old groms can crank out a semi-decent edit in an afternoon. But that wasn't always the case, and back in 2001 the release of a new full-length mountain bike film was a much bigger deal. That year saw some absolute classics hit the screen, including Ride to the Hills, considered by many (myself included) to be one of the best freeride movies of all time. Kranked 4, Sprung 5, North Shore Extreme 5, and New World Disorder II also debuted this year.

To put things into perspective, in 2001 DVD players were still relatively new, which meant that many movies were released on both VHS and DVD formats, or solely on VHS. I'm sure there are still a few well-worn VHS compilations floating around out there, artifacts from a pre-digital era.



Old School
Rocky Mountain RM7
Old School
Santa Cruz Super 8

Old school
Kona Stinky Dee-lux

Old school
Specialized Big Hit


The Bikes

Pinkbike was all about big bikes with big forks back in 2001, and if you wanted to prove that you took your hucking seriously you'd install a Marzocchi Monster T, no matter if you had rear suspension or not. Durability took priority over just about everything else, and it wasn't uncommon for freeride bikes to weigh somewhere in the neighborhood of 40-45 pounds. But that extra weight didn't necessarily mean that the bike were bombproof - there were plenty of photos floating around of snapped frames and forks, casualties of one too many stair gaps or hucks to flat.

Canadian brands like Norco, Rocky Mountain, and Balfa were regularly featured on the Pinkbike home page, and Santa Cruz also had a loyal band of followers thanks to the Bullit and the Super 8. And don't forget about Kona - they were right there in the freeride fray with the Rasta-colored Stinky Dee-lux.

The terms all-mountain and enduro still hadn't entered the lingo yet, but a shift was gradually starting to occur as longer travel bikes that didn't quite fall into the freeride category began to emerge. Of course, dropper posts still didn't exist (the Hite Rite doesn't count), the front derailleur was still a necessity, and long stems were commonplace, but all the same, many of the lessons learned from this era helped lead to the creation of lighter and stronger bikes, bikes that didn't require calves the size of tree trunks to pedal to the top of a hill.

photo
Dave Watson, captured by Sterling Lorence during shooting for what would become one of 2001's best mountain bike films.


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Member since Feb 1, 2009
1,716 articles

182 Comments
  • 77 3
 Those bikes still look sick now, the Super 8 was the holy grail for me back then , followed closely by a big hit running 24” wheels front and rear with 3”Gazzalodies on paired with a Shiver dual crown, BWARRRRP
  • 12 1
 Yep, I had one of those. Such good memories on that thing on the shore here www.pinkbike.com/photo/list/?date=all&country=35&prov=2&city=7&textfield=1&text=Circus%202001
  • 5 0
 The kona stinky! My first duallie that rewlly got me addicted to mtb. I had an 05 model. Still hunting for a large frame to do as a build up project.
  • 2 0
 Look at this Super 8, and the price!!!! I would buy it if it was my size.
  • 2 0
 mmmm all that sounds so sexy. When I was 15-16 I was riding a DMR Sidekick with 24" and 3" Gazzaloddis in the bikeparks. Good times.
  • 5 0
 so sick. Im still using a 2003 Santa Cruz Chamaleon HT for XC (RS Duke and V Brakes), it still gets to beat a lot of people on fancy rigs!!
  • 6 0
 @radek: Shout out to Radek and the Calgary crew for the launch of this website! Glad to have been a part of it from the beginning. Crazy to thing where the bikes and industry are now.
  • 3 1
 I had a super 8. It was a tank. It seems crazy that people rode that when you compare it to a modern bike lol
  • 3 1
 the super 8 was older than 2000 though...
  • 4 0
 This BigHit, I owned this with a Shiver sc. Now my eyes are bleeding just looking at the gap between crank and rear wheel
  • 2 1
 The good old days when bike shops actually made money. I have every Marzocchi ever except the SID and the monster t bag.
  • 11 0
 Karpiel Disco Volante. Monster T. Profile cranks. That is all.
  • 2 1
 @dmob319: That's one hell of a hucking bike
  • 1 0
 @dmob319: hell yeah. About then the Haro DHR, Profile Racing DH bike and Cortinas were about. Also, Cliff Cat, Elan. Mmmmmmmm Elan, they were the carbon Unno of yesteryear.

All I can say is; bring back polished frames and lowers, they look sick & are lighter than paint!
  • 1 0
 @fartymarty: Just texted this to Joe. It was much appreciated!
  • 9 0
 Balfa BB7 was the shit
  • 2 1
 @sarah-maude: agreed , I loved my BB7
  • 1 0
 @fracasnoxteam: loved my Big Hit. It was ace. Mine was an 03 with Shivers which was brill but weighed about 9lbs.
  • 1 0
 @mindmap3: it was awesome
  • 2 2
 Hell yeah. Good times. I had a VPS with Gazzalodies and Hayes Mags. Complete with a cowskin SDG Smile
  • 2 0
 Oh yeah I had a RM7 , put some white brothers upside down triple clamps on her, soooo sick ! Friends had the SC Bullets ! We were hucking to flat everything we could find (especially Urban rides)

Good hazey memories Smile Wink
  • 1 0
 Devinci 8Flat8 for me, I loved that tank!
  • 2 0
 I was just thinking that they still look awesome. I remember when my mate got a pair of shivers in the early 2000's and I'd never coveted anything more. I believe he fitted them to a hardtail Saracen jump bike that he'd bought from Halfords. The forks were worth about 10 X what the bike was worth. Good times.
  • 41 0
 Pinkbike needs a full retro makeover for the website for a whole day to properly celebrate their 20th anniversary !
  • 4 1
 That would be cool. Great stuff @Pinkbike more of this and thank you for taking us back!
  • 28 0
 The Dave Watson power-wheelie-drift-scrub-turn at 2:15 in Ride To The Hills is still the best moment of mountain bike cinematography.

Change my mind.
  • 7 0
 Nope, you are 100% correct. Best corner ever made on a bike.
  • 1 0
 Idk the two things I remember from back then are the dude riding the tandem with the blow-up doll on the back and Bender hitting and crashing on that big drop over and over
  • 7 1
 Dunno... bearclaws 360, Wade’s stupid drop in NWD, basically any line dangerous Dan rode and of course Cedric Garcia just being Cedric.
  • 3 0
 @debaser102 are you me? I watched that so many times.
  • 2 2
 @preach: Cedric’s part in NWD 5 might be the GOAT.
  • 1 0
 Yup.
  • 2 1
 @SangamonTaylor: auto correct hates “Gracia” I guess :-)
  • 3 0
 Totally agree. I don't even have to watch to know which corner you're talking about. Also the intro to RTTH still gets me fired up, Shandro mean mugging the camera lol.
  • 2 1
 Agreed. Tried to emulate it myself for years. Dave Watson had style like no other!
  • 3 0
 @brianpark: Possibly... If your second favourite moment in MTB film is the trails road trip segment(s) in Sprung 4 then I think we have a match.
  • 1 1
 @preach: Cedric was the MAN back in the day
  • 1 1
 Hands down that the best. I've had that discussion with a LOT of riders over the years. It's never been much of an argument.
  • 14 0
 Think back to what you were doing in 2001. That seems like so long ago. Now realize that Greg Minaar has been in contention as the best of the best THAT WHOLE TIME!
  • 6 0
 He has been the best longer than I have been alive
  • 9 0
 I was in rehab, hardly a bike to my name. Totally inspired by all the mags. Couldn’t wait to get my hands any one of them trail slayers. In the meantime I was huckin everything in sight on my schwinn Moab with an 80mm fork … my dark days
  • 2 1
 I put a 110mm Total Air kit in the Judy on my Schwinn Moab, added some riser bars, and though I had quite the freeride hardtail...
  • 2 1
 @hankthespacecowboy: yeah man I was right there with ya. I eventually got that Moab a 110 or 120 fork, the shortest stem and widest bars I could find … Truvativ holzefeler combo
  • 8 0
 can we get a moments silence for the Marin B17 please? the privateer huckster's weapon of choice- certainly if you were in the UK (if you were on a budget) christ i loved that bike.
  • 4 0
 Mine took a super beating! Forgot about that thing! :-)

Pearl white with a blue swing arm! It got it third hand and sold it on after that. DMR three piece cranks, MRP chainguide, hope rear disc, XT front vee brake, Manitou X Vert DC’s, Azonic finishing kit and grip shift 7 speed! Lol!!!
  • 1 0
 They're still around. There's a 2018 model. Needless to say they have evolved, maybe not for the best. But at least they're still around!!!!
  • 9 0
 40-45lbs... yeah the frames weighed that much, a complete is more like 50-60lbs
  • 2 1
 ^and up.
  • 2 0
 Yea my Nicolai Lambda on my profile page weighed 49lbs. Managed to shave it down to 42 lbs the next year but that took some effort.
  • 2 1
 My Balfa BB7 was 40lbs, running a carbon post, road seat, Mavic 721's, etc
  • 1 1
 I'd hope so, my current downhill bike weighs 40.
  • 6 0
 These were times where no landings and flow was needed. Just pure hc and fun also! Smile Also it is amazing that just 3 weeks ago I've seen Greg Minaar stil racing hard on World Cup circuit in Losinj!
  • 10 2
 Hate to be that guy, but I'm pretty sure Alison Syder was Canadian.
  • 4 0
 Was hoping someone caught it! ???????? ???? en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alison_Sydor
  • 1 1
 Those ???.. were supposed to be emojis :/
  • 2 1
 @damo, you’re right. I had one last name in my head and somehow typed the other. American Alison Dunlap took the win at World Champs, and Canadian Alison Sydor took silver.
  • 4 0
 Still have my raw foes weasel with upgraded rear swing arm with a whole 6 inches of squish and a monster t. My wife.still has her super 8 with a white brothers dh2. Bikes are garage wall art the i can't bring myself to sell. Considered putting 1x10 on my foes and riding a 50 lb trail bike with gazzolodi. Can't weigh any less than a fat bike
  • 2 1
 Wish I still had both pieces of mine Frown
  • 4 0
 I worked in a bike shop back then, and that yellow RM7 was my demo ride for the year. I swapped out those lightweight Marzocchi forks for a set of gold colored upside down 8” travel Stratos forks. I had Double rings and a bash guard and rode that thing everywhere! XC, DH, it didn’t matter. Loved that bike. We didn’t think anything of the weight, and it wasn’t ever an excuse, we just rode everywhere! I remember riding the whole Slickrock Trail and either cleaning the whole thing or damn close! I have to remind myself when I’m struggling up in my Wreckoning, that I’ve ridden worse, and don’t be such a pussy! Of course I was young, (31) dumb, and full of...stuff back then too.

I still have my 2004 Foes The Fly that I put a Boxxer WC with Charger damper and Zee brakes on 3 years ago. Spent $2k in upgrades and rode it once! It is too short now. I don’t know what to do with it. I guess it’s a buddy bike. Still in perfect condition. The frame and suspension still work great. I have double rings for that too, although it currently has a single ring/guide setup now. I even put a dropper on it thinking I could be a ripper Enduro Bro. Too damn short by today’s standards. Now it fits more like what a medium would be.
  • 5 0
 NWD 2 had one the best mtb film openings ever. How can you beat a head-on, slo-mo shot of Bender eating shit on the Jah Drop to set the tone for the whole film. What a classic.
  • 2 1
 Yes that shit changed me nw2, I have three of those films on vhs, but my vcr tends to eat tapes. Thanks been wanting to watch ride to the hills for like 10 years
  • 4 0
 I had a super 8 with shivers, still have my specialized fsr enduro, and still have an old set of durados kicking around! Those were the best times for riding! Huge bikes, for mediocre hucks......to flat!!
  • 3 0
 Man how times have changed, I remember creating my account in 2003 and hoping that one day I'd have a decent freeride bike... That and for a brief time, I was one of the user with the most messages in the forum and would love to troll everyone...
  • 4 0
 I loved search for the holy trail, I still have an autographed copy that Tippie gave me when he came to my house as a kid. I watched that damn movie so many times.
  • 3 0
 The Stinky Dee-lux was my first badass DH rig. I was 23 when I bought it using money I made from painting houses in the summer. Should have gone towards tuition. Few things in my life have brought the joy that bike did.
  • 5 0
 Love the 26" 24" wheels combo on spesh and santa
  • 8 2
 Walmart 2019 range leak!
  • 2 1
 Nah, there's 15 Hyper prototype DH bikes they're getting ready to market for 2019.
  • 2 0
 Naw, Walmart wouldn't make bikes this nice. Razz Seriously though, this needs to be higher.
  • 3 2
 When i started to ride on local trails and hills, damn i am getting old. The community and bikes and the feel of the whole riding back then was the golden age. New products meant something and everything evolved in a much more understandable fashion, riding and bikes both. I miss the mid 2000's so much...
  • 3 0
 in 2001 we built our first jumps and started our community. It exists right now, but MTB is generally dying out here due to high prices and crappy propaganda
  • 2 1
 I remember seeing a picture of a large yellow monstrosity called the rubber ducky. A brooklyn machine works dual chain driven steel fs frame with like 10 inches of travel and a mx fork.and rear shock. And a floating rear brake. All weighing in at almost 80 pounds. And I also remember reading the story on how the owner used to ride across the brooklyn bridge back and forth between the shop and his apartment with it. Craziest part about it was that I wanted a bike just like that but had no skills or need for it lol.
  • 3 0
 After watching Kranked 4 again, yeah, well, that crew ruled it then, and now. That stuff is all totally legit 17 years later.
  • 2 1
 I was working in a bike shop and you could not get a stem shorter than 70mm for love nor money and everyone laughed at my ridiculously wide 720mm bars. I had an Orange Patriot by then though, having snapped my Kona Hot with Girvin forks. Good times, Christ, I crashed EVERY weekend and thought nothing of it.
  • 5 0
 I used to swap between a 140mm stem for XC racing and a 120mm stem for technical trail riding.
  • 2 1
 I was racing a Mountain Cycle Shockwave with a Risse Champ fork and Pro Stop brakes. Kujos, Squales, White Tigers. No pro pedal. Compared to current bikes, it cost a bomb, was terrible, and parts bent and broke nearly every race. You can get a better, lighter, stronger bike off the shelf now for about 25% of what I paid back then, ignoring inflation.
  • 3 0
 24 LeToy that weighed 39lbs. And I raced DH on it and took it to St Anne. Probably made me a faster rider as line choice was key.... Lol.
  • 2 1
 New World Disorder is SO RAD! Honestly, those bikes, with the possible exception of the Kona, are pretty ugly, and yes, I was riding at the time, albeit with some long travel Judys on an RMB Blizzard, which I thought was pretty rad at the time.
  • 2 0
 I always loved the Super 8, spacialy paired with a old 175mm Monster T. Great Bike. I loved krank 4 for these bikes. But Ride to the hills will always be my favorite MTB movie.
  • 2 1
 Look at those bikes, all with hayes brakes... not too many options back then. To own a Kona Stinky was my dream, never to come true... i remember waching RTTH at least once a day at some point Smile
  • 3 1
 At that time I was studying in Poland and ANY Kona was an unrealistic dream. My keyboard didn’t even have backspace button
  • 3 1
 I actually got a Kona that exact year in Poland. A basic, steel Hahanna with a Project 2 rigid fork. My first real mtb. Still have the frame and fork lying around somewhere.
  • 2 1
 Hayes were finicky but they were so far ahead of everything else. Even today the performance would not be completely awful.
  • 2 1
 @BryceBorlick: mhm, at that time you had Grimecas and 4pot XTs. They may not have been easily available but were giving Hayes run for it's money.
  • 2 1
 @WAKIdesigns: I run grimeca sys 1 at about that time for a few years, did couple of seasons of „nokia dh cup” raceing during studying on them, sys 8 was on another level, and the mentioned XT’s were something too, but the hayes MAG was a benchmark, a Magura Gustav M was on par, all three ridiculusly expensive for a regular univeristy student’s budget though...
  • 2 0
 @WAKIdesigns: Grimeca and a set of RST Alfalfa’s! Those were glory back then.

A Guy at the local forest had a DDG 8” bike with Monster T’s and a set of Gustav M’s. those are real brakes!
  • 2 1
 @WAKIdesigns: or to be honest, Grimecas and Shimecas. Shimano licensed the 4-pot design from the Italians.
  • 2 1
 @BryceBorlick: have about 10 sets of old Hayes brakes. Keep them around so I can run hydros on my buddy/community bike. Dead simple and enough bite to stop something heavy...at least with big rotors.
  • 1 1
 @southoftheborder: or copy from them?
  • 1 1
 @kitobike: nope. Plain old license.
  • 2 1
 Great piece...I'd moved to Whistler that year, was just getting into riding, everything was so fresh and exciting. It was a fun time to be working in a bike shop at the base of the park.
  • 2 1
 AAAAHHHHHHH 2001...the year I started racing DH AND drove cross country from N.H. out to vail for vacation to see the DH WC there !!!!!!! .I was riding a cannondale super V with a MOTO fork.. LOLOLOLOLOL...
  • 2 1
 Wow ....those bike gave me some flashbacks... especially that RM7 I had Super T's same color and year also that Big S BigHit with that 24in tire had one Murdered Out with newer Marz on it That's was a Kool Read Cheers ...
  • 3 1
 damn i started riding "seriously" in 2001! What a great time! I fell in love with bikes and Ride till this day! Its the best! Go out and shred! f*ck yeah
  • 2 0
 I still regularly ride my 2001 Stinky. I bought it new when I was supposed to be saving for college. It was not my last irresponsible act with that bike.
  • 2 1
 i broke mine so bought the closest thiungs they had in 2009... the stinky six. not really a dream bike but i love it still
  • 2 1
 I loaned my old RM 7 to my road riding buddy for his first North Shore ride last weekend and he nailed it, didn't have to wait ten minutes at bottom for him. 2002 with with tall crown early Boxxers.
  • 2 0
 Bootlegged RTH using my high school's AV setup and saved it to a .mov that I still have. Fun fact, my first post on Pinkbike was in 1999 Sheep
  • 3 0
 Saturday Morning time warp...Movie madness, Gosh, I was single and free to ride what ever I want.....Oh the stinky!
  • 2 1
 I was riding a f*cked DMR sidekick with a judy in the front that I paid £180 for full build, magura on the rear- the shit I did on that bike was insane
  • 2 1
 Yeha, memories! I started biking because of the opening scene in Ride to the Hills (that power wheelie out of the "berm"..!) and I still have a super 8 standing in my parents basement Smile

Good times, good times..
  • 2 1
 I started lurking on Pinkbike in 2001. My 2 FR/DH bikes are 2001 and 2002, and yes, both still weigh in the 50 pound range. I seem to recall Radek riding a Bullit around COP in Calgary around that time too?
  • 2 1
 2001! Brodie Hellion on the North Shore......one of those snapped forks you were talking about......good thing I had my 661 pads and Roach pants(which I still wear!) Those were the days....keeping it sketchy
  • 2 1
 Oh yeah... Super 8 running Avalanche rear, front Shiver... First race rig. Grass roots sponsorship with Marz. Upgraded to a V-10 and rode that thing till it’s was a hand me down to my younger brother. Fun days for sure!!
  • 2 0
 And then there was the crazy tilted back seat angle! How was that for a “dropper” ha!!
  • 2 1
 Bummed I sold my Roach pants on eBay years ago.
  • 2 1
 The era that inspired me to begin getting on a MTB at 11. Still loving it although i've sadly moved away from my Kona Stinky Deluxe with the Z1 forks!
  • 3 0
 Monster T, Punk music and RM9: recipe for a good noughties video
  • 2 1
 The good ol' days. I started riding in 2003. Just missed the tail end of this special time. Mountain Bike culture is different now
  • 2 1
 Well now I feel old - I still have a few of these films on VHS. Junior T on a 24 cycles Le Toy III, profile BMX cranks and a 6" avid mechanical up front. Hucktail.
  • 2 1
 What a trip down memory lane, I remember my riding buddies suggested I check out this site called "pinkbike" It was alot different back then.
  • 1 0
 Bender on a bike for me, is like the Tony Alva, or Jay Adams, of skate boarding to my brother. Their influence is like a tattoo on our soles!
  • 2 0
 Turner RFX. One of the best bikes I ever had. Soon after I got one of the first Knolly T-Tachs.
  • 2 1
 Ohh man.. soo many childhood memories just emerged.. NWD films were watched daily! And I totally remember the bomber dual crown on a hard tail days like it was yesterday!
  • 1 0
 I had a tricked out Big Hit with a boxer & 24" wheels on both end with 3.0 tires... loved that bike you could jump off anything.
  • 2 1
 I've got a sweet spot for Kranked 5 and NWD 4. Went out an bought a P1 the day after watching NWD4. I miss the full length productions. The edits just aren't the same for me.
  • 2 1
 These were exciting times - so many boundaries were pushed back then, new tricks, new styles of riding and bikes developing at a mental rate.
  • 2 0
 Can we take a moment to appreciate Mic Hanna being in that DH vid? The guy's still out there rockin' it alongside the GOAT.
  • 2 1
 NS Extreme. Was that first constructed bridge on Ladies Only?? Classic Shit!!! Classic era!!
  • 2 1
 those are some of my favorite memories, endless days hucking off everything... so so good..
  • 2 0
 Made my day, Thanks for the throwback.
  • 2 0
 Before "roost" was a thing. Just "huck it" and "drop in". Good times
  • 2 1
 Those were the days, broken frames, forks and bones !! Yeahhhhh and still loving it !!
  • 2 1
 I had the Big Hit, just watched some old school Pranked series this morning. ????
  • 1 0
 Thank you for posting this some of the most memorable years of my early mountain biking. i studied those videos!
  • 1 0
 i remember that bike at some races,what a machine.
  • 2 1
 Cody…”it’s all about the Palms.” Amazing memories, amazing friends and an amazing time.
  • 2 1
 @radek I've still got some Woodlot pics somewhere and Neds shots. Will have to scan them in
  • 2 0
 Crazy now to think of a 14 yr old competing at rampage.
  • 3 1
 That poor vw bus....that thing is worth some serious coin.
  • 2 1
 New World Disorder 2 was the single most important piece of video content to emerge in my lifetime.
  • 2 1
 I was only 1 and a half in 2001, but those bikes are awesome! I had an 08 model Big Hit.
  • 2 2
 the Lost Decade. man those bikes are depressing compared to todays stuff.

in contrast a 1975 KX 250 or Honda Elsinore still looks the business. These? not so much.
  • 2 1
 75 kx still looks the business? Couldn’t disagree more. Air cooled, everything is cables except maybe brakes, dual rear shock on the outside of what at least was a slightly more modern swing arm, and the exit location for the exhaust was terrible. I find that old kawi, or the old Hondas I rode to be very similar to the bikes above. Still tons of fun to be had, but a long way from where we are now...
  • 2 1
 At 15:25 of the search for the holy trail the very best video clip all-time starts...
  • 2 1
 If you do a retro re-run of the site, can you bring back the "I love 8 inches in the rear" shirts? Asking for a friend......
  • 1 0
 Ahh the days of huck bikes, hard tails with tripple clamps and dirty stair gaps, gotta love it.
  • 2 1
 Is kona bikes out of the bissines?
  • 2 1
 Www.konaworld.com
  • 2 1
 I have a 2016 kona process love it. Still in business and going strong.
  • 2 1
 @Carloso: No. They just call them Trek Sessions now. Ha. Ha. Ha.
  • 2 1
 @m1dg3t: nah... my buddies 2017 Session pedals way better than my 2017 Operator does.
  • 1 0
 Favourite bike of old is the foes dhs mono with monster t’s on it
  • 1 0
 Still waiting for a Ride To The Hills re-release.
  • 1 0
 Yeah me too!!
  • 1 0
 I was far too busy doing drugs and partying back then lol
  • 1 0
 I always preferred the MK1 Santacruz Super 8 over the MK2 shown here.
  • 1 0
 My step son has the Stinky Dee-Lux in the pics and it still looks sweet!!!
  • 2 1
 Don't forget about the Banshee Scream! That bike was everywhere back then.
  • 1 0
 I still want a super 8 really badly!
  • 1 0
 RMX's and RM7's still rule....
  • 1 0
 How about the 01 Norco A-Line. With the Monster T up front i!I!I!I!
  • 1 0
 I was rocking a Cheetah DH!
  • 1 0
 I broke my collarbone and got a concussion just from looking at that Kona.
  • 1 0
 Man, i miss my Kawasaki-green RM6 - with THE fender, of course.
  • 2 1
 Good memories, crazy bikes, and wild pioneers.
  • 2 1
 Kona Stinky Dee: still relevant.
  • 1 0
 The good old days, I raced DH on a big hit back then...
  • 2 1
 Bottle cages for the rocky and kona.
  • 2 0
 Old school gnarcore
  • 2 1
 Those old freeride videos make an ol' lad feel nostalgic.
  • 1 0
 Raw lines, classic bikes, rad sountracks. So good.
  • 1 1
 Friend of mine would sell a big hit if anyone is drastic romantic with the old days... Private message me
  • 1 0
 My current DH bike is an M1 with a 5th element shock
  • 1 0
 I was rocking on a 98 Schwinn Homegrown 4banger with a 120mm Z1 Bomber!
  • 1 0
 Was the Super 8 the one you could keep a coke can in he frame?
  • 1 0
 Well, I feel old as F*$% now.
  • 1 0
 Good times!
  • 1 0
 Amen!
  • 1 0
 Rocky Mountain RM7 GOD
  • 1 1
 Pics of the 'big' bikes and no Rotec?
  • 1 2
 Who was being protected from what by the front 4" of those mudguards? That looks ridiculous. What were you people thinking??
  • 2 2
 Alison Sydor is Canadian, not American.
  • 3 3
 Someone (non pinkbike staff) better check if it actually is their 20th anniversary as well. Checking details is not their strong point.

Nice pictures though. They are good with pictures.
  • 1 0
 Love stuff like this
  • 1 0
 then>now
  • 2 4
 The Best so much better than this 650bullshit and disgusting 29 toilets these days...
  • 1 0
 @janci666: Also, notice how none of these bikes look similar.







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