Pinkbike Listed: 7 Freeride Trends We Don't Miss

Mar 21, 2014
by Mike Kazimer  
Mountain biking is a constantly evolving sport - components, apparel, even riding styles continue to change from season to season. What was once a must-have accessory (anyone need some anodized purple bar ends?) becomes a piece of history, something we can chuckle at when telling stories about how it was 'back in the day.' What follows are seven freeride trends that have earned their place in the history books, for better or worse.



1. Skinnies

The initial reasoning behind the advent of woodwork onto mountain bike trails was sound – bridges helped raise the trails above the mud and water found on Vancouver's North Shore, allowing them to be rideable year round. But then something happened. Instead of being a tool to allow trails to navigate through wet and marshy areas, the wooden features turned into “stunts,” getting higher and skinnier every season. Before long you had to have the skills of a circus freak / tight rope walker to navigate the contraptions scattered throughout the woods. It was a slow speed game, where precision and impeccable balance were required to survive a ride without ripping off a rear derailleur or spraining your ankles after jumping down to the forest floor from some ridiculous height. And don't forget the teeter totters, those rickety, never-quite-dialed features that should probably have been left on the playground instead of being brought into the woods. Luckily, as the seasons passed, riders began to realize that slightly wider features allowed for more speed and flow, and skinnies returned to where they came, the toothpick thin cedar planks slowly decaying into the forest floor.

Riley successfully scaring himself on old school skinny stuff in Smithers.

2. Hucks to Flat

Closely related to the popularity of skinnies, there was a time when pancake flat landings were commonplace, and the wheelie drop was a mandatory skill to survive a ride with all your teeth. Why weren't there any transitions? It's a bit of a mystery, but some of the blame may lie with Dangerous Dan, the North Shore builder whose trails were famous for their small, postage stamp size, sniper landings (Dansitions). There was a bit of machismo going on, an attitude that steep landings were somehow less hardcore than plummeting to a pile of dirt with the same pitch as a mall parking lot. Luckily, the allure of slipped discs and sore ankles has faded, and properly shaped landings have become more and more common, even on the North Shore. There's still the occasional drop to flat on certain trails for old time's sake, but overall those whiplash inducing landings are a thing of the past.

Stairs photo www.wolisphoto.com

3. Stair Gaps / Urban 'Jibbing'

As freeride bikes grew in popularity, so did launching flights of stairs and riding off of loading docks. With 8” of travel and a Monster T up front, what could go wrong? As it turns out, aluminum frames aren't impervious to breaking after weeks of dropping 10' to concrete, and more than one shop had customers come back distraught that their supposedly apocalypse-proof frame cracked when they were 'just riding along.' The urban hucking trend persisted until straight airs began to lose popularity, and the antics of BMX riders proved that suspension (or even brakes) wasn't necessary, and that it was actually possible to ride street with a bit of style. The big bikes slowly returned to the woods they emerged from, and nowadays the only stair hucking you'll see is likely part of an urban downhill race, where the addition of wild dogs and screaming fans makes stair hucking a semi-legitimate thing to do on a downhill bike.


4. 50 Pound Bikes

'When I was your age, downhill bikes weighed 50 pounds and had 26” wheels....' For a time, concerns about bike weight took a backseat as the race for more and more travel raged on. Bikes pushed past the 8” travel barrier, and then Marzocchi pulled out their ace in the hole with the Super Monster, a behemoth of a fork whose 11.8 pound fighting weight matched its 11.8 inches of travel. Strap one of those onto a Karpiel Armageddon with a set of Sun Ringle Double Wide rims and you've got a Josh Bender approved huck machine. Luckily, a lot has changed in the last 10 years, and anything over 40 pounds is now considered heavy for a DH sled. And freeride bikes? Those overbuilt 7” steeds equipped with single crown forks, two chain rings, a bashguard and a chainguide in the front, well, they've shed some weight, had their travel reduced by an inch or so, and now they're called all-mountain or enduro bikes. They're just as capable, and a hell of a lot more pedal friendly than their predecessors.

photo

5. 3.0" Tires

For a time, especially on the east coast of the United States, the downhill worthiness of your bike was directly related to the width of its tires. The fatter the better, and the Nokian Gazzalodi was the cream of the fat tire crop. Available in 2.6” and 3.0” widths, this bulbous beast showed the world how much of a badass you were. Bonus points if it was mounted onto a 24” rear wheel. When riders decided that cornering performance might be a nice option to have, the 3.0" tire's popularity waned, although the fat bike contingent seems to have picked up where this trend left off.

6. Giant Fenders / Fork Stanchion Guards

Big tires require big fenders, and for a few seasons wheels disappeared underneath full size fenders that looked like they were stolen from a dirt bike. Eventually, someone realized that the plastic accoutrements were overkill, and fenders have since slimmed down to a less visually jarring size. Also related to the trend of strapping extra plastic to your bike were the fork stanchion guards that crafty Canadians started making out of PVC pipe cut in half and attached to the lowers of a non-inverted fork, protecting the stanchions from scratches. There's no clear answer as to why everyone suddenly felt the need to protect their stanchions – maybe the rocks were particularly sharp that season? There were even a couple of commercially available versions – Core Rat, best known for their nearly indestructible Cordura clothing line, was one of the first to capitalize on this odd trend.
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7. Full Body Armor

Nothing complements a 50 pound bike better than 10 pounds of body armor strapped to your back for the push to the top. The Dainese Pressure Suit was ubiquitous for a solid chunk of time during the heyday of the freeride era, a plastic and mesh signal to the world that you were about to get 'extreme.' The football player suit of armor trend has since faded, as the introduction of viscoelastic pads like D3O allow for more form fitting, less bulky protections options. The only full suits of armor you'll see these days are usually rental items doled out by bike parks in an attempt to keep new riders' extremities intact so they can enjoy more than one day of downhilling before visiting the ER.


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mikekazimer avatar

Member since Feb 1, 2009
1,716 articles

350 Comments
  • 288 56
 I miss skinnies........ Frown
  • 27 25
 me too!
  • 44 5
 They seem to be alive and well on the North Shore. Of course, I consider anything less than 2' wide to be a "skinny"... haha.
  • 85 23
 I dont really understand why their disliked.... I like the challenge
  • 70 9
 I miss the skinnies too. I see more and more perfectly manicured jumps and landing, which is fun in it's own way, but there was something about cutting your teeth on the Circus. Uphill pedal skinnies, ride out to drop off skinnies. I miss them all. www.pinkbike.com/photo/10196
  • 12 3
 I've been around long enough to remember the videos the PB guys used to post in the early days. I remember radek you ripped! Nothing beat the feeling of finally completing a crux skinny after many attempts. I did break more derailleurs back then.
  • 34 9
 I mostly miss hucks to flat...
  • 5 2
 ten years from now remember all of us crying laughing .... for when we gave name in all mountain bikes the name enduro specific bike for when suddenly from 200 mm forks we invent 130-140-150-160-170 specific forks
  • 6 1
 i mean who does transition landings?
  • 78 0
 It's all about hucking to uphill now
  • 20 1
 Still got plenty of skinnies and hucks to flat in New Mexico. my bike aint so light either
  • 83 34
 skinnies suck donky balls
  • 28 9
 I'm glad somebody said it!
  • 51 15
 Pinkbike you really seem to stir the shit-pot quite often now. Bridges are clearly still popular all over the world.. And how could you seriously say bodyarmour is a thing of the past, when was the last time you visited whistler? The only difference between urban riding of the past compared to now, is that now we have courses taped off with world cup riders flying down past huge crowds at insane speeds. Seems to me it hasnt disappeared and is still a part of the sport people enjoy.
  • 32 0
 Remember the hampster wheel from NWD 1 i think it was
  • 45 9
 Skinnies are probably the thing I've least enjoyed doing on a mountain bike.
  • 22 3
 Negative - skinnies are where I cut my MTB teeth in the Esher North Shore Park which was just down from my house - literally didn't ride singletrack for the first two years of my MTB existence - I love singletrack - but skinnies, ladder drops, broken tables, and all that timber art is just incredible - and I wish there was more, our riding is too manicured now
  • 17 3
 Old-school is not dead! Lets fight for road gaps, back-country slopes, steep technical trails and outlaw roof gaps (www.pinkbike.com/video/335522)!
  • 14 1
 I miss commitment.
  • 54 7
 if you don't like skinnies you haven't ridden enough of them. and we wonder why riders have zero technical skill now and want everything groomed...
  • 19 3
 rejean- That would be NWD 3 Sam Brown (RIP brodda). You can find most of the NWD movies uploaded to youtube now if you wanna watch.

I have a feeling that the ones who hate skinnies or tricky elevations were the ones who sucked too bad to ride them Wink

Instead of full body armor, they should have put down those 661 knee/shin pads that always slipped down and became shoe/lower shin pads. We can all easily agree those won't be missed. May they burn in hell.
  • 20 0
 Bring back Wade Simmons!
  • 12 0
 It's all part of progression. Without all the kooky shit we wouldn't appreciate the buttery shit.
  • 5 0
 I miss all this stuff. Haha.
  • 65 2
 Bunch of slack jawed f*****s around here. Riding those skinnys and hucking it to flat will make you a goddamn sexual tyrannosaur. Just. Like. Me.
  • 13 1
 I credit skinnies and bridges to what has made me a half decent rider.
  • 4 0
 I can appreciate a nice skinny in the woods every so often Big Grin
  • 4 2
 Haters gonna hate. I love skinnies and wish I had that option of riding where I'm at. I like the variety not to mention skills you develop riding that stuff.
  • 2 0
 @thelumberjack - I am not coming out for or against skinnies, but how are they not "manicured"? Wood structures on the trails are just as manicured as any dirt transition, berm or man-made rock garden
  • 3 1
 16:00 sums up almost all of these. www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOkEtaPMVVk
  • 3 0
 Does anybody remember the trail in Kaslo B.C. called "Mr.Skinny"? It had low level stuff but was super fun, It was right after you rode "The Monster" which was an epic trail in it's own time. Another Skinny trail in Squamish called "High and Dry". Basically a trail made out of logging deadfall that ended with a crazy high, super long teeter totter. It always scared me because when you finally reached the fulcrum point of the teeter totter, the thing would slam down fast, and would shoot you off.
  • 3 1
 High n dry was sweet! The teeter totter put you about 15 feet off the ground. Never had the balls to do that. Lets face it either you luv skinnies or you hate them. Read first comment. The one with all the positive reps.
  • 1 1
 I think he means manicured in a way of being smooth or flowy in some way.
  • 2 1
 @bcfuggles - rode "Mr. Skinny" this past summer, after riding the monster. Well, I should say, tried to ride it. Some of the stunts are pretty rotten, to the point that a couple of them broke. RIght up there with Cunning Stunts on the Coast for skinny-ness!
  • 3 1
 A nice skinny wafting in the wind is nice.
  • 5 1
 Broken derailleurs is certainly my beef with skinnies. I did them out of obligation to be more rounded but I don't really enjoy them.
  • 3 1
 Still think skinnies are a nice challenge, still like stair gaps, still think full body armour is sometimes needed. I guess I am old fashion.
  • 2 1
 I don't really get why any of these are on this list. I enjoy stair gaps a lot. Just never been a fan of skinnies but they are certainly not gone by any means.
  • 8 2
 People who bitch about skinnies are the ones who could never quite figure them out (more practice?). To me there is nothing more engaging while on a bike than a super-tech skinny line. I like it all- jumps, drops, skinnies, skate parks, urban, xc, DH, etc. BUT I moved to the PNW to chase the gnarliest freeride lines I could find. Thanks "god" I'm not alone!!
  • 9 2
 Yeah I didn't even bother reading it. The title is just offensive. WE WHO? I know everyone I know loves all that stuff. Seriously, enduro crap, the wheel size debate, how many tail whips qualifies as impressive, and which direction. I'd rather go back in time and ride my bike In NWD/KRANKED land.
  • 4 1
 Skinnies only break mechs if you let your rear slide off them. The key is wheelie drop off the side if you lose the line or your balance wanes. Control the outcome. IMO, you aren't a well rounded rider if you can't ride a skinny.
  • 3 10
flag SithBike (Mar 22, 2014 at 12:41) (Below Threshold)
 I think I seen a clip on PB where even Wade Simmons said he hates skinnies. Somebody should go tell him it's because he's not good enough. And Mike Kinrade was even going on about how ridiculous the skinni wood work has been built in the past and maybe only 10 people in the whole world can ride them. That's kinda how the building of new skinnies calmed down. Sure you can put all that effort into making a dangerous skinnies trail even the best don't ride that often or a funner wider and faster trail that will get ridden regularly and by more people to keep it sustainable.
  • 12 1
 I'm gonna defend the skinny hating here.... I can ride them, as I'm sure lots of people who hate them can. I've done my time 8 foot in the air on something not much bigger than my tire. And yes I did feel a sense of achievement when I conquered a mad one.... I just didn't enjoy doing it.
  • 3 0
 That's exactly my feeling about it. Did them, still do because they haven't really disappeared. But to me they are an obstacle to get through to get the next fun section of the ride. To each their own.
  • 3 1
 I really enjoyed riding skinnies, both here in the UK and on the north shore trails in Vancouver. Real challenge of technical ability and control of nerves

Most scary skinny I rode was 'skyline' which had a section 100 feet long, 4" wide and ranging from 10'-14' high with three angle changes / turns across its length. You don't want to fall off something that high!!
  • 4 1
 Full body armor... Cause I ain't got time to bleed.
  • 1 1
 dont forget 24" rear tires.....see bearclaw in NWD 4
  • 11 12
 "We"? Speak for yourself. Sounds to me like someone dislikes some things just because they suck & could never figure out how to do them. Riding skinnies is a good way for mediocre riders to get an appreciation for how hard trials riding is while making a better rider in the process. Drops to flat aren't all that fun, but now you know the difference between the best riders & the rest of us. You think all the slope guys find everything they do out there fun, just 'cuz they tell you it's fun? They're only doing a lot of it because they have to push it to stay out of offices & factories. How many 1080's or double flips do you think get thrown without cameras on them if they're not for training? Why don't you ask Zink how many 40' x 40' stepdown flips he does, just for the fun of it? Some people actually want to be better at it & unfortunately getting there, or even being there isn't always fun. The better rider you are the more things you can ride & to me that = more fun. I'm not sure how many stair gaps you think you've seen on BMX but I've seen 2 or 3 & they were very small. Too hard to hold on with a kids bike. Those "stylish" BMX riders do plenty of drops to flat though. Still, they're often more interesting than watching some dopey destructive grind down a rail with some peg bolted to the bike specifically for doing that. Eric Porter doing pedal grinds with no pegs beats a double peg on BMX any day. Or any grind on a kids bike IMO for that matter. The thing that makes our bikes so great, greater than any other kind of bike, is their versatility. We do it because we can. Instead of BMX 360s to flat over 10 sets I'd like to see 360 stair gaps from 10 set to 10 set. I'm surprised no one ever did that shit. We took it all to the forest, the mountain, the dirt, but no one does stair gap trucks yet? Seems to me we're still missing something. 40 pound DH bikes? Up until two years ago I rode a 45 pound hardtail. "What comes around is all around".
  • 3 0
 the only things that should really be on this list is the 50 pound bikes and body armor other than that I still love the other things
  • 5 0
 www.ridemonkey.com/forums/f19/oh-rich-266585

"6 out 7, (we'll call that 85.7%) of that list EXISTS largely BECAUSE of pinkbike and their stupid 'shore tested brah' bullshlt that pretty much defined that website in the first 10 years of its existence."
  • 4 0
 I still rock a 50 pound giant faith... it might be time to upgrade
  • 14 0
 This article was written by buzz killington
  • 3 3
 Best article ever. It's not easy to ride a old, warped, wet, slimy and slippery skinny ten feet over bushes that could spear a branch threw your heart if you fell on them. Or rocks sharp enough to be able to cut a limb in half if landed upon awkwardly. If you can clear these old behemoths without falling thew the rotting planks, your a BOSS. But if you say it's you, it's likely B.S. There would be video footage. Because that's why they were built and the reason some have not been touched since. There is also a world of difference about skinnies that are made on a flat grade compared to ones in the mountains that can take you on a roller coaster where brake modulation is at a whole new level.
  • 4 0
 @sithbike

As you rightly point, skinnies in a bike park and skinnies on the mountains were different beasts

First I rode the proper north shore trails above Vancouver the thing that freaked me out was the 'exposure' with jagged sh*t everywhere waiting to put a hole in you if you slipped and fell. Some rocks here, some sharp branches there, on a steep gradient you could hardly walk/climb down!
  • 4 0
 Ride at rays for a weekend and then tell me you still think skinniest suck .
  • 3 0
 I love rocking a 3" tire at mammoth, that place is like riding on the moon.
  • 5 0
 Yeah, why is that on the list? Skinnies are alive and well on North Shore. www.pinkbike.com/video/348600. An all round free rider should be able to do all. The steeps, jumps, skinnies, etc
  • 2 1
 We are talking about different kinds of skinnies. Upper Oil can is a user friendly trail and you will probably be alright if you fell. They still make skinnies like that everywhere.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmbJrhcP0A8
These are the types of extreme skinnies that tend not to be built year after year in popular places like they were 10 years ago. Maybe it was a filming fad? Or Danger Dan just needed his fix.
  • 2 0
 I agree, if skinnies are so popular, why is there not more pics and vids of new* trails with skinnies? A lot of people are defending the skinny but less and less trails are being built with them.
  • 2 3
 rockyflow- No one ever claimed they were still popular... 1. Trails are moving more towards flowy trails, leaving no spot for a skinny unless it's build as a side hit, which affects the overall flow of the trail. 2. Building and more importantly maintaining elevations/skinnies takes a lot more effort than say a jump on the trail. 3. One of the reasons elevations were/are so popular on the NS (aside from what was pointed out in the article) is because of the uniqueness of the availability and quality of the wood in that area. 4. Most MTBers out there today have probably never ridden a trail with a feature like that so they couldn't care less if they're built or not and as pointed out in the comments, even among those who have ridden them, a portion of them don't find them enjoyable.

Simply put, in a majority of areas, building elevations would require material that isn't readily available and the features themselves wouldn't be seen as cost effective... which applies to individuals building their own trails as well. But really though, that's a big leap in logic you made there.
  • 4 0
 all i was saying was there are a lot of riders (replying to this article) saying they still like riding skinnies, but nobody seems to be bothered to build them. I use to build a lot of trails with skinnies, but have evolved i guess, and I do realize why, but thanks for the lengthy history lesson.
  • 1 2
 If you understand then why ask? Wink

I just think the logic of, well if you enjoy skinnies, then why aren't you building them, is very flawed.
  • 3 0
 Pinkbike makes a statement like "skinnies are a trend we don't miss" and so many people rise up and say we miss them. All im saying is go build them then. If I still liked skinnies, thats what I would build, wasn't that hard to build them back 10 years ago, shouldn't be hard to build them now.
  • 2 0
 I too miss skinnies, and everytime I built them some noob tries to make them wider or lower to the ground....PIA! Most bike parks on the east coast, if they build bridges, build them wide enough to have a kegger with twenty people and a band on (I understand the insurance issues as well as trying to get as much $ from a wide array of riders). Most skinnies please!
  • 2 0
 All this talk of skinnies made me want to watch old drop in episodes and videos from the shore
  • 1 0
 ^ Or the NSX vids.... ah so good.
  • 5 3
 ONE OF THE DUMMEST ARTICLES IN A WHILE, SIMPLY NONSENSE!!!!! SORRY; JUST AN OPINION
  • 4 0
 The good thing about this article is it made me want to go out and build some new skinnies. Tomorrow im going to go out and start planning some new trail building projects
  • 4 0
 Bring back the skinnies!!!
  • 1 0
 Call me an idiot but I like a good huck to flat! A good test of strength on the bike!
  • 2 0
 I can claim I have had or did all of those except #7 I never went full body! Friend found an old picture of a 16ft totter over a 70's F-100 that I built back in 1999 about. Check out the link

www.pinkbike.com/photo/10743226
  • 1 0
 I don't even know what to say to some of this stuff... I don't know if it's worth it TO say anything...
  • 2 0
 I've never been afraid of heights. I am afraid of widths. After all whose afraid to stand on a tennis court 1 mile in the sky? But a sideways 2x4 10 feet in the air. Eff that!

The challenge of the skinny is fun, but why jack it up 10 feet? I'm trying to build skill, not kill brain fairies.

We have lots of skinnies in our area, but not the death defying ones from Drop In.
  • 1 0
 Now all there is for that is curbs. Luckily bikes don't need to be apocalypse proof...only Nukeproof! Ohhhhhhhhhhh
  • 4 0
 I don't miss the 2x4s 10 feet in the air, but I do miss 2x4 and 8 inch wide bridges that were 3 or 4 feet off the ground. I always loved the challenge.
  • 2 0
 @Burnbern - I agree. That's the stuff we build around here. Fun challenge and you don't risk your life if you fall or bail incorrectly.
  • 4 0
 @burnbern

agree. the death defying skinnies way up in the air were not "fun" to ride, because the exposure / risk was too severe.

Just like those huge hucks and rampage-style quarry drops that you might send a few times before never sending again because you managed to clean them without crashing. I rode many of these stunts because they progressed my riding but I will not lie that my knees were knocking together and my mouth was dry on the walk-up to the run in!

ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb342965/p4pb342965.jpg

when we had our bike park in Esher, Surrey (UK) the 2nd version of the bike park was built with technically challenging but "safe" skinnies to ride. People could spent hours trying to clean them with no more risk than bending a rotor or their rear derailleur

we had this guy come visit, Mr Wade Simmons

ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb437121/p4pb437121.jpg

I got to session the park with him for a good few hours, we just rode the skinnies forwards and backwards for the technical challenge. There were more aggressive stunts in the park, including ladder drops, teeters, booters and dirt jumps but he seemed happy sessioning the skinnies.
  • 2 0
 This article describes my buddies 54.7lb bike perfectly...
24"x3" wide tire and all
www.pinkbike.com/photo/5874293
  • 1 0
 That bike is still sick haha
  • 2 0
 if your not pushing uphill an over 40' rig then yur an AM Biker period. the really want to add to this list 26' tires and full face helmets..
  • 3 0
 That's pretty cool hampsteadbandit
  • 4 0
 @burnbern

Wade brought Gully on the trip, he was more into sessioning the bigger stunts in the park, he brought a tonne of style and moves that day!

ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb437127/p4pb437127.jpg


Wade taught me some cool stuff like front wheel pops off the ladders, I'd see him do these moves in NSX videos and it was rad to see in person Smile

ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb437122/p4pb437122.jpg

he then encouraged me to try them switch!

ep1.pinkbike.org/p4pb437123/p4pb437123.jpg
  • 88 5
 History always finds a way of repeating itself. I am going to save this article and come back to it in 10 years.
In 10 years we will lament "ridiculously low bottom brackets" - remember when we would bottom out on the lip of take offs? What were we thinking!?
$10,000 carbon race frames for people who don't race? What were we thinking!?
Remember how stupid the 650b wheel craze was!? What were we thinking!?
Remember when we use to use derailleur!?? Haha what the heck were we thinking!?
Thank god it's 2024 and bucking to flat, 3.0 wide tires and stair drops are in vogue!
  • 36 74
flag Axxe (Mar 21, 2014 at 23:18) (Below Threshold)
 There will be nothing but 650b size in 10 years.
  • 22 62
flag z-man (Mar 21, 2014 at 23:31) (Below Threshold)
 Axxe is right
  • 18 1
 History does have a way of repeating itself. Look at fashion trends. I mean, did we really want the '80's to reappear?
  • 43 8
 I hope you're wrong, Axxe.. Those would look pretty silly on my car...
  • 4 1
 See skateboarding. Every 2 years the sport flip flops on every board or wheel dimension, clothes style and trick preference.
  • 3 3
 "What's all around comes around". Razz
  • 2 0
 Pinkbike can not handle the truth.
  • 5 0
 You're right about every trend coming back. That's why I still have my 70's Bell-bottom jeans, 80's hair-spray and 90's lumberjack vest... some day.
  • 5 0
 Not every trend comes back, but I think urban freeriding on downhill bikes has its place.
For someone like me at 24 years old, I came into mountain biking after 13 years of BMX so completely missed the urban hucking phase. And now on my full suspension bike I look at the old BMX inspired stair drops and things and gravitate towards it.

As we get older and younger lads start hopping on full suspension bikes (who completely missed the urban huck phase and aren't influenced by the jaded older guys who hate urban hucking because they have been taught that it isn't cool anymore), I can see them start to transition back to riding street on a downhill bike.

BMXs may be best suited to the job, but people ride street on 26" DJ bikes and nobody bats an eye.
  • 2 0
 in ten years time rock gardens, DH trails you can't ride up, and drops you can't roll out will be on the list...
  • 2 0
 You are right, as these bikes came out of the 70's. they had banana seats , crude front and rear suspension and were primarily ridden on BMX courses. I think they were made by Yamaha and were called engineless motorcycles?
  • 73 5
 I'd rather wear body armor than be out for weeks on end with another broken collar bone and I can also say, looking at the scars on my legs, that my shin guards have still paid for themselves multiple times over. Just saying...
  • 12 14
 Body armour won't stop your collar bone breaking! That bone has evolved to break,saving more important bones in the process. Body armour pretty much just stops cuts and bruises. I guess a spine protector is better than nothing but to be honest I only think a full face helmet gloves and knee pads are most important. Each to their own though.
  • 20 3
 Of course body armor can help prevent a breakage. If you put a stick between two pieces or hard plastic you are less likely to bend it to snap, Also if you add a harder shell or any form of impact absorption it will take more force from a hit to break the bone. Will it guarantee you wont break it, no but it will help.
  • 3 10
flag mikelee (Mar 22, 2014 at 4:49) (Below Threshold)
 Bone breaks are not normally from impacts but more when your arm,leg etc gets stuck or caught while the rest of the body weight is moving in another direction. So say you have full shin guard with plastic shell,all that will happen is your knee will twist,tear etc instead of snapping the lower leg. I don't know which is worse but those kinds of injuries are pretty much gonna happen regardless. I still feel armour just stops impacts,maybe fractures. Probably better to learn to crash,it can be done.
  • 4 0
 Collarbones usually break when you fall on outstretched hands (FOOSH) and the force of the impact travels through the arm, so no, body armor won't help it. I broke my left one twice, both times with a pressure suit on, didn't help one bit. I still ride with the suit though.
  • 10 0
 I can honestly say I would of had 2 seriously damaged knees and broken my right elbow 2 to 3 times if it wasn't for wearing good quality pads, also get a good helmet, mine saved me from a guaranteed fractured skull. its amazing how many people I see not wearing a helmet while riding red and black graded trails, then again if you have'nt got any brains worth saving why wear a helmet
  • 15 0
 I always see people make the argument against body armor by saying hit it doesn't stop breaks and serious injuries, and only stops cuts and bruises. They may be right but last I checked cuts and bruises are not much fun either. Why wouldn't people want to protect themselves from that as well.
  • 1 0
 Well when you use all your dirt building the jump then you have no choice.
  • 11 1
 I still wear my 3/4 Dainese body armor, why wouldn't I? It didn't save me from every possible injury, no doubt, but it spared me from A LOT of them. I find it hilarious all those kids wearing leath braces but no back plate or nothing. What are the odds of breaking your neck versus any other type of injury? People just don't want to invest on their protection once they have a brand new bike and tld kit. It may have to do with what bike shops have in stock, people just don't know what's going on and buy whatever they see. 'If I have my leath brace, I did what I could to be safe from injury.' Whooo!
  • 15 0
 I'm happy to wear my Dainese upper body armor. It has been the difference between a trip to the hospital or me dusting myself off and continuing to enjoy my day. The deep gouges in my plastic elbow and shoulder armor is better than deep gouges in my flesh. I have seen countless people cut their bike trips short due to injuries that could have easily been prevented with armor. Yep, it's a bit warm and bulky...but I also have to go to work on Monday.
  • 23 5
 PB putting body armor on this list is stupid and irresponsible. People don't wear enough protection. This is like if people stopped wearing helmets and PB said "thank god those wossie lids are gone." The reality is that armor is still bulky and doesn't look cool so since PB is just about whats cool. So it makes sense they'd bash gear that clearly is required at the FR and DH level of the sport.

Your argument boils down to "better be rich enough to afford expensive slimming elasto5000 tech or you're a loser." Up yours Mike Kazimer for advocating that we be less safe (and inevitably ride less) so we can look cool.
  • 3 0
 I loved the Dainese bib shorts. They stayed up no matter the crash. Unfortunately, they could have used a little more protection for the side of the knee. I have not found any knee guards (with or without shin guards) that won't move in a crash. Maybe my quads are just too massive (roll eyes). Anyway, for me knee protection has gone backwards in the last decade.
  • 1 0
 I once wore the full suit in france for 2 weels in the sun and it was great but for the uk its not the best. I have the seperates but the top is Too restrictive. I have started wearing the lowers again though as now i've lost weight my kyle straight knees keep slipping down. My dainese gear is ten years old and going strong
  • 3 7
flag mikekazimer FL Editor (Mar 22, 2014 at 17:57) (Below Threshold)
 @freestyleAM - Easy there, buddy. If you read more than just the heading you'll see that I wrote "The football player suit of armor trend has since faded, as the introduction of viscoelastic pads like D3O allow for more form fitting, less bulky protections options." I'm not against body armor, I'm just glad that there are better options on the market now. I'm not sure how you inferred that you should ride less based on what I wrote - if anything, everyone should be out riding instead of taking offense at anything on this tongue-in-cheek list
  • 3 0
 RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS RIBS oh and SHINS
  • 3 0
 My plastic and mesh top doesn't look cool compared to the pros and kids in just a t-shirt but when I land on rocks on first day of expensive holiday I am glad to be wearing it. Still see loads of older (ie care more about safety than looks) riders wearing it. Having said that, I will at some point stop repairing it and try to find something slimmer that does the same job.
  • 1 0
 I dont understand why people get so bent out of shape about this armour talk. If you go to a bike park most riders wear knee and elbow pads. Pinkbike is not saying anything more than the trend that is seen in mtbing.
  • 3 0
 @guigui333 - Scrolling through and I saw your comment, didn't read anything around it. All I saw was RIBS.


Made me think of the RIBS I enjoyed last week. Pork back ribs slow cooked in a delightful natural honey glaze BBQ sauce. Awesome. Thanks for reminding me.

RIBS.

Oh, its about armor. I'm glad pigs don't have armor.
  • 78 17
 "Urban freeride" looks obscenely lame when you see a helmetless bmxer destroy the same terrain with 5x the style. ..

This article hits a huge frickin home run... well done pinkbike... weird how our sport has "evolved" by going back to its roots.. hauling ass and having fun on trails.... as a side note skidding should never, ever be on this list
  • 37 9
 ...and promptly smashes their head to bits
  • 6 0
 yea thats true. but in my opinion the urban freeride should still be there but for the really big stuff. and plus. the bmx riders have a 20lb advantage with their 25-30lb bikes as opposed to the old time 50lb dh bikes. you gotta have some really good body mass/strength to bunny hop those rigs.

and when i mean the bigger stuff, i mean like this old ass video our FR/DH forefathers made.

skip to 2:40

www.pinkbike.com/video/59606

on the first set. im sure a bmx rider can clear that set with ease. but on that second one... yea.. no. i would have a dh bike for that. try to imagine a 20" bmx bike go through that. hah. granted they would probably just hop the first set and grind the second rails all the way down.. but what fun is that when you cant hear the chain slapping your chainstay when you land on the second set of stairs.. to me thats mountain bike eargasm.
  • 5 11
flag Extremmist (Mar 22, 2014 at 7:49) (Below Threshold)
 I always hated the street riding. If something's called "mountain" bike, it belongs to mountains, that style lacked everything that I like about mountain biking.
  • 3 7
flag maxwellington (Mar 22, 2014 at 10:53) (Below Threshold)
 Hate to burst your bubble but there are bmx riders who would do that gap with no issue...and a barspin thrown in. I ride both kinds of bikes and I did used to huck stair gaps on my DH bike, but once I picked up a bmx I realized how goofy that was and resolved to keep my 26" wheels in the woods exclusively.
  • 5 1
 Skidding is great fun; you got that right, curbhuck. It never looses its novelty. Getting 'er going fully lit and then grabbing a mitt-full of back brake, blasting sh!t everywhere, is a simple joy, albeit a somewhat hard act to condone given the cost of a sticky Minion (ultimately, frig it though, right?). Skidding is likely one of the first stunt'esque things we've all done on our bikes when we were little rodents.javascript:;
  • 1 1
 Skip to 5:25 One of the craziest crashes
  • 5 3
 @Extremmist: you're just being narrow-minded now. These bikes don't belong to the mountains at all. They have specific parts, specific geometries etc etc that don't even make them good for in the mountains. Have fun riding a 24" rigid single speed with slick tyres, no brakes and super extreme and unstable geometry in the mountains. The reason they are called mountainbikes is their roots: where they came from. So in your opinion freestyle fixed gear riders should go back to their roots and stick to the velodromes? And streetBMX rider (Bicycle Moto-X) should go back to the racetracks made out of dirt? Then what kind of bikes are there left to ride street on?
And maybe you are lucky to live near mountains or hills. Have you considered that other passionate cyclists might not? And they still want to do a type of freeriding so they grab a bike in their cities and shred as hard as they can over there?
Stop being an a*shole hater and respect other riders.


@Maxwellington: so in your opinion a full on 26" street machine (like the NS Capital) is goofy too? If anything is goofy in my opinion, it's grown men riding a bike that is smaller than their 3 years old daughter's bike. Only because more people ride one type of bike (in this case BMX), doesn't mean that that type of bike is more or less goofy on something. The reason more people ride BMX is not because it's less goofy, but because it's easier. But if that's all someone cares about, why not ride a scooter? Even easier and goofier.
  • 1 0
 @Mattin I wasn't talking about 24" hardtails, they aren't mountain bikes and thus they arent't freeride bikes. I was talking about people who bought a Kona Stinky (or something similar) and were riding it in the city.
And btw I live nowhere near mountains, I live in Dublin, the closest forest with trails is 40 km from my home.
  • 55 2
 Hucks to flat will always be awesome.
  • 3 1
 AMEN!!
  • 6 2
 #GASTOFLAT
  • 2 1
 What is a "huck to flat" the text didn't really help nor did the photo of the stairs.
  • 1 0
 Big jump to a flat landing.
  • 2 0
 Absolutely - hucks to flat are classic and the classics endure….
  • 1 0
 They've angered the huck wizard for sure
  • 43 3
 Great article, but skinnies and urban freeride kicks ass in my mind.
  • 36 5
 This is a very closed minded article, sure 50 bikes needed to go and full body armor was a little over kill for 95% of the riders out there. Skinnies were great and showed full control of the bike and body. Urban riding was all that some people had, not everyone lives on the side of a mountain or even has a decent riding spot within a 5 hour drive. Why should they have to ride a BMX because of their geography?
Lastly, I loved stair gaps. Man made, natural, it didn't matter. There was a thrill that came from launching off the top, clearing the flat, and putting the bike down on the last few steps that couldn't be matched. Coming up short or over shooting always had bad consequences.
If you don't like these things thats fine and dandy, to each their own, but keep in mind purple ano parts made a come back with the hipster fixie crowd. You are going to look pretty funny in your skinny jeans on your light weight 29r while all the cool kids are riding 50 pound monsters while wearing full body armor and baggies while railing skinnies and launching stair sets.
By the time that happens you will be old like me and wont care how you look or what you ride, you will just do what you like and say the heck with the current trend:p
  • 4 15
flag SithBike (Mar 22, 2014 at 0:55) (Below Threshold)
 OK. So what exactly are you saying?
  • 13 1
 He is saying that it is a close minded article, I agree.
  • 7 2
 Totally agree. Everything in this article is still hella rad.
  • 4 0
 Written by someone who has easy access to miles of varied technical and manicured trail, no doubt. Where I live, trails are pretty tame and are pretty much XC across the board. Go urban and skinny or you don't progress much.
  • 2 0
 Its just an article to get people reading and replying, 210 times thus far. I enjoy that pinkbike actually has an opinion, and shares it from time to time.
  • 28 1
 Some of the PB articles lately are just half arsed trolling. Why oh why do we still bite Smile Some arguments one way or another that come to some kind of conclusion having considered all the different views would be better IMO

Skinnies- Awesome, a lost skill with wider more flowy trails that tend to be a round now. Sh1t scary too!

Hucks to flat- Another lost skill, pampered by transitions that last for ages and massive travel bikes nowadays. All or nothing...you'd better hope you get it spot on!

Stair gaps/ jibbing- Damn fun and awesome to watch. How can you possibly not love making the most of the urban environment?!

50 lb bike- Yeah, they can die Smile Just not necessary with the technology now.

3 inch tyres- Not practical for most riding but they have there place. Not too different to the 2.5's most people seem convinced they "need" for some ganrcore enduro they ride Wink

Stanchion guards- Don't look cool but when the guy running an uplift has co-ordination like forest gump then it becomes sensible. Also, good protection riding skinnies. See "skinnie=awesome" Smile

Full body armour- I don't know about you but I don't bounce especially well and my skin is not impervious to rocks. How can you possibly criticise these suits? Especially given the massive progression in riding and racing and lack of back protection on the market. Some of the top guys do seem to be getting more neck and back injuries than we used to see in the early 2000's and before...
  • 8 0
 Isn't it normal to wear a bike park jacket? I always wear one. I fall off all the time and I'm glad I wear it. :/
  • 2 0
 beardlessmarin rider, you nailed it right there,
  • 2 1
 I'd say bmx'rs take the most out of urban environment and make big bikes look useless in concrete jungles. The lines and creativity bmx's allow is stunning. Furthermore, 2.5" tires seem to be max people are willing to use these days and most are happy with a tire a tad over 2" wide. That's quite a difference to 3".
  • 3 1
 The occasional downhill skinny or log ride is cool as but, death to up hill skinnys and less than three inches with out an option. I think the 24 inch rear wheel craze was an attempt to lower the bottom bracket height and slacken the head angle which is being done in other ways now. I'd like to see that come back as a way to reduce chainstay length but I think that is wishful thinking. Three inch tyres are out 'cause of shorter chainstays and the theory that wider rims are better for cornering. Full suits are out cause new pads stay in place better and you can get better cooling with out covering your body in sweaty nylon mesh. 7 inch bikes will come back in enduro form with the increases in pedalling efficiency look at YT. Lighter frames are why urban downhill is dying they can't hack it and are too expensive to risk. Hucks to flat aren't as fun as hucks to steep landings as they reduce flow. I used to have a commute that had 22 stair gaps in it. Wore out my bearings in 3 months thats why I stopped.
  • 31 7
 Is this a PB stab at satire? I will keep launching stairs and riding with body armor because I don't live in BC, so I (we) ride what and where we can, and are too pumped about riding to worry about what's in vogue. If any of the above mentioned activities completely lacked appeal we'd all eventually be riding road bikes only, and rocking spandex body suits.
  • 14 4
 I bet disco is still alive and well there too.... kiiiiiiiiiiding!
  • 2 2
 And bell bottoms.
  • 1 4
 Well you got so many gangSTARS coming out of the A-Town it would be nice if any one of them had enough lack of BS to go jump a decent sized double. Rhyming b*tches.
  • 3 0
 Georgia has tons of downhill, freeride and dirtjumping,

www.singletracks.com/mountain-bike/best_trails.php?state=10
  • 3 0
 You may be surprised but not many people live in BC. I live in Ireland which totally sucks when it comes to mountain biking (there are two trails within 50 km from my home) but I' m still convinced that stairs (or anything that's made of concrete/metal/wood/...) can't even compare to a natural trail.
  • 22 0
 Hey! I'm still rockin the Monster T's with 24" double wide rims with 3" wide tires mounted!
  • 3 0
 HELL YEAH!!!!
  • 3 0
 You sir deserve a medal!
  • 3 0
 www.pinkbike.com/photo/8529469

There's my rig! The Stab, runnin stronger than ever!
  • 18 0
 orrrrr, we can just all ride what makes us happy / gets us stoked and stop shit bagging people who dare do something different or god forbid a riding style from a few years ago. Don't like skinnies? ride the B line! I ride along gutters on the way to the bush / to check out the surf to help my balance (and because I'm a big kid) and trust me it makes a big difference to my general balance / riding skills.
  • 3 0
 thank god im not the only one that does this; if i get bored on a road ride, i just try and ride a whole block along the edge of the gutter
  • 7 0
 I agree why hate on what other people like to ride? If skinnies and drops to flat turn your crank then f*cking ride them all day long!
  • 20 0
 i get all giddy when i find a skinny on the trail. nostalgia
  • 14 0
 I'd like to see more pro DH riders rocking full body armor.
If you spend enough time at any lift access bike park this summer you will see people EVERY week head to the ER for stitches and casts. And not just the tourists, the "regulars" who are to cool for pads.
Body Armor is a MUST, gear up and live to ride another day.
Anyone who says pads don't protect form brakes/fractures etc either has garbage pads or no experience in the medical field.
I have a huge bag of old gear in my truck and have given away pads to "Joeys" who are becoming regulars, they couldn't be more thankful. Pass it on, share your old gear & advice with the "Joeys", gear up and ride-on.

Otherwise the article is pretty funny. Although I still love to take laps on 50lb sleds from time to time. They are the Hummers of MTB!
  • 1 4
 Eeewwwh sweaty old pads.
  • 20 6
 Wow, either a terribly elitist article, or a terrible attempt at satire.

I'm perfectly fine on my 7", 35 lb, 26"- wheeled, 2011 outdated bike. Boo-hoo, guess I'm not one of the cool kids.

Everything is on a continuum. In a matter of years, "enduro" bikes won't be cool either and sites like this will be trying to tell us what we need next.
  • 14 0
 This really bothered me too. Like I saved for a LONG TIME to get my Norco Truax, and a year later all the bike media is telling me it's outdated and "not cool anymore." Heh? If I tried to ride the stuff I do on my Norco instead on my Enduro bike, it would snap in half.

There is a massive difference between 180mm of heavy duty coil suspension (Totems) on a heavy duty rig like my Norco, to 160mm of air suspension on a light bike like my Spec Enduro.

Also, when a product is "outdated" faster than computer hardware is outdated, something is amiss. I will ride my Norco for the next 5 years, and by then it will be "cool" again.
  • 2 0
 You got it- nail on the head.
  • 15 0
 Y'all got soft on me!!!!
  • 11 0
 Skinnies r good , help with the balance and focus, they should still be an option on most trails, and yes I agree they r still very popular in b.c. !!!! Ride hard, ride focused!!
  • 15 4
 Now do the same article and use metric system. So the rest of the world would comment on the article.
  • 7 8
 Maybe the 'rest of the world' can get their own website. You don't see us crying about the euro articles in metrics.
  • 9 1
 Why make an article talking smack on the roots of our sport? I personally love the history of mountain biking and the evolution of how it came to be, and I also enjoy going out and riding oldschool sometimes. I think this article is stupid.
  • 10 0
 I'm old school or maybe just old, but freerider for life! Skinnies and huckn to flat is what got me into mt. Biking in the late 90s!
  • 2 0
 HECK YEAH MAN!!! Thin little ribbons of 2x4 or 2x6 ON THEIR SIDES, bolted 5' in the air over a creek bed, with no other options! THAT IS LIVING!!!
  • 11 0
 What about those amazing HUGE seats. They were cool
  • 4 0
 The Azonic Lounge seat and the Love seat. Tioga made a big one also
  • 2 0
 I love my love seat on the long alpine descents, lets an ol man sit down n give his knees a rest...
  • 7 0
 First 3 are still awesome, hucking to flat and urban esp stairs are wikid, the new gen will never know what they missed, esp the skinnies, ya needed man balls to ride those and they required skills no straight line cowboys! Def don't miss the last 4, rarely used any of those!
  • 1 0
 AMEN!!!
  • 8 0
 How about a list of all the things I won't miss about today's trends: press fit BB's, wheel size war, gratuitous Enduro, overly manicured super wide flow trails with no skinnies.....
  • 1 0
 theres a lot of stuff we'll look back and laugh about but crazy fast smooth flow trails with lots of jumps and berms are the best thing to happen to mountain biking in the past few years Smile
  • 8 1
 Riding skinnies and wheelie dropping to flat are two critical mountain bike skills. Yeah, some of those 25 foot tall, 3 inch wide skinnies are kind of crazy, same with 15 feet to flat, but you I think anyone that considers themselves a core mountain bike bro should be able to handle a wheelie drop or a log ride. The entire world does not have to be "flow" trails!
  • 1 0
 AMEN!!!
  • 6 1
 If there was a modern equivalent (e.g. like the TLD pressure suits) of the full-body, which allowed a neck brace I'd totally wear it.
Even getting 10% less banged up and not having knee guards slide would be awesome.

And shit, what's wrong with protecting stanchions? But yeah, everything else can get shafted. Stairhucks, heavy steep FR bikes and skinnies are cooked (mint in early kranked/NDW though).
  • 2 0
 Yeah, I don't understand the dislike for full body armor (I kinda gave in and have not worn mine in two years).
  • 5 0
 Funny article, if your worried about trends then your riding for all the wrong reasons. Everybody likes new chit but don't try and cram this crap about 27.5 bikes down our throat. Sick of hearing about it

Btw, if you don't smoke Tarrytons then f**k you!
  • 9 0
 cr-mo handlebars with crossbar
  • 7 0
 Would rather have wider higher volume tire on a wider 26 inch rim run at lower pressure for way better traction (and more fun) than a 650b narrow rim with a 2.5 inch tire.
  • 1 0
 amen brother! But the weight factor has decided that it is better to have a 650b x2.35 setup rather than a 26x3.0 (overall diameter being the same).
  • 1 1
 As an XC/AM guy I've never tried'em, so I'm genuinely wondering what author's getting at there with the "cornering performance" criticism of 3.0" tires? My experience (up to 26 x 2.4") is always more width = more traction. I understand that wider and bigger diameter rims and narrower tires provide similar volume with less weight (and so among other things, are more nimble and flickable)... but if you're trying to max out the volume and grip, can a wider tire actually have negative effects?
  • 1 0
 Aside from weight (which then affects acceleration) and rolling resistance wider tires don't really have a negative. I've always preferred running wider tires and rims. Allows you to run lower pressure and have more grip for the ups and downs. I run 32mm rims on my XC bike with 2.2 tires and 35mm rims on my DH bike with 2.35, 2.5, 2.8 tires (depending on the terrain). I have found that running a 3.0x2.6 front tire on the front did cause some chatter due to the extreme grip level. But I do love the fact I can bash into anything at high speed and no worry at all!
  • 9 1
 I have done all 7 of these "old trends" huck stairs with a smile
  • 4 0
 Skinnies weren't for everyone, but for some can be entertaining. The rest i don't miss except the body armor. I know its cool to only wear knee pads and a neck brace now but when your in the hospital your gonna re think hopping on the band wagon. As long as they fit good they aren't much of a nuisance.... ahh the good ol days of spandex over the dainese body armor!
  • 6 0
 I'm with kingeriii .....I miss skinnies too......oh wait I still know where some new school ones live on and people are too scared to ride them! CM!
  • 3 0
 I Love Skinnies!!! those are a large part of what got me started into freeriding in the 90's. skinnies with double or triple teeters on them, as they swerve through and around the trees. I like the current wide tracks and bridges also, but a lot of them are way less challenging to ride, and hold your balance on, than the old narrow ones. I love most all of the new trails, but I definantly miss the technical skinnies being everywhere!
  • 6 0
 Remember when you didn't have to spend $5000 to get a decent bike? And you didn't have to change your fork oil after every ride?
  • 4 0
 "When riders decided that cornering performance might be a nice option to have, the 3.0" tire's popularity waned"
I fail to see how a 3.0 tire has poorer cornering performance?
1.They give you more grip so you can break later and ride in loose terrain with more confidence,
2. Increase your wheel diameter (a 26x3.0 is about the same diameter as a 650bx2.35) so rolls over stuff better
3. The added tire height gives you more cushion so you can plow over stuff with less fear of pinchflats and damaging you rims.

The only downside (and it is a big one) is the added weight which makes accelerating them harder :
26x3.0 Nokian weighed 1800g and the Duro 26x3.0 (which you still can buy) weighs ~1600g.
Of course, if there was a modern supergravity version I'm sure you could get them down to 1400-1500g ;P
  • 7 0
 I really need to get hip.... I still wear that pressure suit.
  • 3 0
 Me too, that exact one. And the same knee/shin gaurds!
  • 2 0
 me also, its still lighter than these new d3o ones too...
  • 2 0
 Yep, me too and I know others who still use them as well. Mine's the same as in the picture.
  • 3 0
 Nico Vouilloz has ripped the World Cup circuit harder than anyone while wearing his dianese......do you not wear gloves cause it helps with your arm pump bawd. Jk. And the compression suit is nice when trees get in your way going 35 through snow summits moon dust.
  • 4 0
 Stair gaps and hucks to flat........Urban downhill anyone.. They wont die plus its always good fun to hit a massive stair gap.
Just don't do this. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od231q6nbS8
  • 3 0
 My old 42lb free ride bike blows the doors off my new all-mountain bike downhill. If your going to push the limits, need a bike that will last and can still pedal (slowly) to the top they work great. I do downhill trails on it that would eat my "all-mountain".
  • 1 0
 My big ol 43 pounder 4130 darkcycles still rips these new race bikes with an old man on board sitting down letting the bike work...
  • 1 0
 Would agree. My all mountain bike spends much of the year collecting dust. Come ride Cypress or the "other area" out here and see how many all mountain bikes there are. Still love the skinnies. Get the same rush as rolling a big slab but it lasts 10x as long.
  • 3 0
 Typical PB crap. We used to wheelie drop to flat because no one had a excavator to build a carefully manicured landing transition that everyone is used to at bike parks. If you wanted a freeride trail you had to build wherever you could. The closest anyone could get to those transitions were staircases, hence the urban riding. Bikes weighed 50lbs because we wanted travel and a frame that would last, technology had only gone so far back then. Anyone over the age of 14 understands why body armour is useful.
  • 4 0
 Yeah, no more full body armour because it's not 'cool'... Fuck that shit, better be safe than sorry! Fuck those guys who think they are the better riders just because they look more 'pro' without protection!
  • 3 0
 Trying new things make this sport, OK heavy bike are hard work but still fun for downhill Mountain biking is about self expression not just doing that everyone else is doing It takes more balls out skill to huck to flat than land on trannies so what is wrong with it, Other than blowing up your suspension or frames etc. If you want test frames to destruction hucking to flat is the way to do it
  • 3 0
 First real dh rig was a 2003 bighit 24" rear with a 3.0 Gazzi. The idea was the 24" made a stronger wheel and the 3.0 made it the same diameter as a 26".
But some how the 3.0 front was still 26"? Bike was 50lbs with a Shiver up front and rode like a monster truck but it got me started.
Then the Demo 9 was close to 48lbs out of the box and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get it lower then 44lbs with 2.7 Nevegal front and a skinny 2.5 Nevegal in the rear.
  • 1 0
 I thought they put on the 24" rear so you could get more travel
  • 2 0
 No the idea was it was a stronger wheel because of shorter spokes.
8" is 8" no matter the size wheel.
But 24 tends to get hung up in the rough stuff. It was good for those hucks to flat. That was about it.
The first bighits 2002 did not have an offset rear wheel so people would get the previous gen FSR DH rear and bolt it up so you could have a 26" rear wheel.
  • 3 0
 It's not as if we chose 50lb bikes. Given where riding was and the technology available those are the bikes that survived. It wasn't like we had options; it's not like we opted out of the durable 38lb version. Do you want the bike to survive or not?? And then once you have a bike like that your view of what you can/cannot ride changes with it. It all goes hand in hand. Sometimes riding progresses the bikes, sometimes the bikes progress the riding. And then it cycles through again.

People who didn't live through that era shouldn't smirk. It was fun when it was happening. Eventually you'll be looking back on today's stuff the same way. Technology then was superior to what came before, and technology now is better than back then. And in 5 years who knows where we'll be, looking back on the wheel debate, $10k carbon debate, "enduro", riding the bike park in no armour, using derailleurs, etc.
In the present we do the best with what we have. And right now that's a lot!
  • 3 0
 I have to agree with @freerideIAM in his "up yours" to Mike that wrote this article for throwing body armor into this group of no trendy stuff. All the items but this one are trends. Armor is personal safety that is very functional and used to this day by moto gp riders around the world. For the guy that said that it doesn't prevent collar bone breaks, if you have a plate of plastic and foam helping to dissipate the force to your clavicle, yea, that can't possibly help, right?! Dum ass. If breaking collar bones was no big deal, then I guess that dainese and every other moto gp rider wearing the new airbag shoulder suits are just wasting their time. Right?!?!

The stupid trend in safety now is, its not cool to wear gloves. Last week me and my son were buying some new fox gloves and elbow pads, cuz we're "enduro" like that and this guy at the shop asks how we are doing. He introduced himself as a Special Bikes product manager doing research on retail customers to get feedback. After a 30 minute conversation I went to shake his hand and say good talk, he says, "I can't shake your hand, let's do a lite fist bump instead" his palm was all chewed up and wrist was swollen from the day before. Said he doesn't like to wear gloves cuz he "can't stand feeling of little folds of fabric between his fingers". If he does, he just can't ride!! Hahaha swelling will be gone in couple of days, chewed up wrist won't. Haha no riding for him for a while.

Soooo many people would walk away from so many crashed if they just wore some pads in the right places. All those Leath dudes with nothing else on, no gloves in skinny jeans. Lame!
  • 2 0
 All of the things being vilified in this article are part of the tapestry of mountain biking... real mountain bikers realize it is ALL good. What may not be so good is how hell-bent the bike industry and media is on predicting (anyone else tired of polls?) and telling us what is worthwhile for our sport.
  • 3 0
 Can't forget about the Azonic love seat. Those rounded off the 50 pound bikes, I was just waiting for a company to release a bike with motocross seat maybe with some cutouts for superman seat grabs! LOL
  • 2 0
 All the old school stuff made riding a lot more challenging and I did like skinnies in trails.. Now we have 34lb 8" travel DH rigs that people only ride on smooth flow trails with all the roots and rocks removed from them. Less weight is better done correctly
3" tires and heavy body armor maybe not. but bridges always add something to trails that would become bland without.

Of course PB if you are riding 29ers then yes I am sure you probably would not like to see skinnies or tech drops make a comeback. More endure please, it is sooo exiting------ not!!!!!!!
  • 2 0
 'When I was your age, downhill bikes weighed 50 pounds and had 26” wheels....'
Huh? Who you talking too? They still have 26" wheels!
When I was "your age" I was riding a 20" bike with a banana seat, doing all the shit people are doing now.
  • 2 0
 To be honest with you guys I miss seeing and reading about all those things ... The skinnies, the hucks to flat, the most outrageous bike, the old style of riding... Watching JIB and JIB 2, NWD's is still something special!
Nowadays MTB feels more surgical and dialed ... Progression you would call.
29",27.5",26",24", 20",freeride, DH, enduro, we didnt care about it, we just wanted to ride ...
I miss when everything was new (to me) and the old trends and the old style have this magical aura to it ...
I dont know ... The craziness of those days is still in my memory!
PS - i'm a street rider with 2 brakes and gears, so you know I'm that commited to old school way!
PS 2 - Pinkbike: one of the best articles I have seen in here because it brought back my memories Salute
  • 4 2
 Skinnies, no. Huck to flat, yes Stair gap, hell yes 50lbs bike, mid 40's 3.0, 2.5 Fenders, Marsh Guard Full body armor, yeah because I'm not 16 anymore and don't bounce off jagged rocks. Plus I hate hospitals and stitches. But I do like mixing the little pills they give you with lots of alcohol.
  • 2 0
 They are all quite sarcastic, which is ok if you know they are only a joke, but the part about DH bikes jibbing and not having any style is wrong, sir. I'd watch Danny Swan or Super T rip stairs any day over some chicken leg emo with no helmet and a bmx apparently have style.
  • 2 0
 I still rock my pressure suit.. the full suit is still lighter than some of the new jacket only ones.. new d3o is heavy.... When your mates are cut to pieces after a weeks shuttling and the only damage you have is from fallin off the barstool its well worth it....
  • 4 1
 Love this article. Just brought me back 15 years. I did/had all those things and it was some of the best times I've had on a bike. Don't miss them at all though. Wonder what our sport will be like in another 15?
  • 2 0
 1. I do miss skinnies. I think the main reason they died is because the geometry changes in DH bikes. DH bikes nowadays would be a hell do ride over skinnies.
2. Street riders still huck to flat. I agree that in freeride it makes no sense tho.
3. Stairgaps: I really miss those! Unlike most Canadians, many people (like me) live in flat countries, where the biggest height difference we can possibly find is a stair to the elevated little park of company premises (mostly due to parking spots being underneath them). Stairgaps are the closest we can get to freeriding in our country, so everyone who loved freeride hucked them all the time. It was so much fun!
4. I agree, I really don't miss my old bike, that weighed twice as much as my current bike and had many many problems, unlike my current bike.
5. Those super fat tyres came up quite handy for the stairgaps: they made the stairs smoother and lowered the chances of getting pinch flats. Now the 3" wide tyre trend has faded away, and we got a new trend to replace it: 4" wide tyred fatbikes. Even wider than the old ones.
6. Ugh, those fenders were so ugly, I couldn't agree more!
7. If you crash on a stairgap, those stormtrooper outfits do come handy. Overkill for DH: yes. Overkill for stairgaps: not so sure about that.


Even tho this is a very personal article, that is all about the opinion of the writer (who puts his words into all of our mouths), I really enjoyed reading this and it brought back some really good memories. Cheers for that! Beer
  • 2 0
 Last fall we had mtb tourist from idaho (who was riding alone) broke his neck and died while attempting that dumb ass teeter totter on Pipline trail here on the north shore(fromme)
Not sure what is dumber riding tech trail by himself or stupid features.
I prefer more natural trail features with less wood work. This in fact is the direction the shore is headed. Less woodwork better designed trails..
Woodwork has 10 yr lifespan here at best. A well designed trail can last much longer and cheaper.
There are lots of skinnies still here btw but only the ground level ones are being maintained now.(by the district and approved trail builders groups)
  • 2 0
 I disagree that less woodwork means better designed trails. Teeter totters are awesome! And while it's sad the man died, I would prefer more skinnies, drop to flats and man made wooden stunts on Fromme. Flowing trails are everywhere and the North Shore was unique because of those insane yet awesome skinnies. I don't care what wheel size you prefer but I am outraged and will be a dick about the banishment of skinnies.
  • 1 0
 I didn't say less woodwork means better designed trails i said less woodwork AND better designed trails. This is the mandate by the district. It is cheaper in the long run to maintain. A good friend of mine is friend with The guy that overseas building in the area.At least on district park land..
  • 1 0
 I'm still baffled how he could have killed himself on that teeter. I hit that many times on my 4" travel XC bike (over 10 years ago now) and even back then didn't think it was very "Xtreme". It was nice and wide, level going in, and yes, it came down a little hard, but still...
  • 1 0
 I believe it has a little sideways movement when drops? A good friend of mine was fire chief at Lynn Valley Hall (just retired)and was first responder that day. He said it was broken neck and and that his helmet had significant damage.
Could have been a freak accident who knows really what happened that day.
I personal am not a fan woodwork from an aesthetic point view. I prefer more natural looking trails and features which incidently also imo makes slightly safer experience possibly in some situation.
It was sad thing to be sure but riding alone is risky add the element of unfamiliarity and excitement about riding a "BC style trail and is the risk elevated imo.
I ride 80% alone so I make sure I am prepared for problems as best I can.
I have first kits,a light, gps cel etc food tools etc.
BUt I always tell my wife which trail in what order and how long I'm should be gone for.
I txt her if anything changes and she can track my progress through my iPhone using an app.
More than that I ride easier stuff those days. More xc like. I dont do pipeline or floppy bunny etc unless Im with buddies.
I just want to get some exercise, see some trees and breath some fresh air.
  • 2 0
 Did anyone else notice the "stair gap" from back in the day is actually a newer photo of jaws doing a stair gap? If your going to say it's in the past at least pick an older picture!
  • 1 0
 Yeah bmx ers defo have style but freeriders have more id rather see a big old freeride bike urban freeride watchin the suspension move and do its thing as for body armour on the whole its goin to help and does in more ways than one lets face it there's no right or wrong crash but i love it when you see someone who's got it about them mid crash to style it
  • 1 0
 Skinnies aren't totally dead, at least I hope not. Maybe the good ol Ewok Villages Dangerous Dan built are a thing of the past. Todays trail building should incorporate the new groomed prefect flow lines with skinnies and logs, and yes an occasional teeter totter!
  • 1 0
 as a vancouver island rider we experience the most rain. those old wood ramps and skinnies are the bomb and what built freeriding today...and lets not forget those 15 foot to flat drops that none of these kids today would ever dare try...they think catching a bunch air off a perfect jump onto a huge landing ramp is skill... try huckin a hard tail off a 15 ft drop to flat and not break anything lol
  • 1 0
 I might not be cool, but I still use mine 661 Pressure suit for shuttle days. I can't see the difference between wearing spine protector, elbow pads and arm protectors separate or suit which has all together. I find it much more useful than the ridiculous trend of neck braces, which I think gonna take a part in the next issue of 7 trends we don't miss...
  • 1 0
 We all have to admit the amour of pleasure we receive from doing a stair case gap, makes you feel like a kid again, nothing better.
I'm sick of people riding for other people, you are probably never going to make it as a profeccional rider, so get on your $500, 2006 kona stinky and have the time of your life, for yourself.
  • 1 0
 Lol, totally me, but I think I paid $450 for my stinky... :p
  • 1 0
 Honestly I haven't seen any worse article than this. Who does not miss? There are people who spend all of their free time to search for oldschool bike parts, ride oldschool way and watch oldschool videos. It's like saying we don't miss classic cars. Who does not miss them? This article makes me want to take a long time off pinkbike.
  • 1 0
 The old kranked videos are still awesome!
  • 1 0
 This article could well be the worst ever on pinkbike.i still most things on this list here in the uk most weekends so things of the past is not true....now dinosaurs and ww2 is the past lol.

Skinnies are at every uk trial center still.and used.

I see people in wharncliff woods most weeks in body armour.

Pinkbike do you even visit riding spots before you make statements?
  • 1 0
 I see a lot of cheap shots about skinnies, I laugh. People who disrespect skinnies do so because they are afraid and lack the basic balance skills, I have seen this countless times. In 16 years, the only parts I've damaged on skinnies have been 1 rear dereilluer and one rotor. I've helped many people learn to ride skinnies, log rides, skinnies to tetter-totter and skinnies to drop.

I've been riding bikes for 16 years and every time I ride, whether it's local trails, Whistler, Costa Rica, one basic line always comes to my mind by a North Shore legend:

-Look where you want to go-
Bruce Spicer
  • 1 0
 i think it was berrecloth that said "freeriding is doing whatever you want on a bike, whatever makes you happy." some people, including myself, still enjoy riding skinnies, riding urban assault, etc. some people just don't have access to trails and have to work with what they have; if that means riding at your local college campus and doing some stair gaps and finding other unique lines, there's nothing wrong with it. if anyone here remembers the early seasons of drop in, they did a lot of urban assault, stair gaps, skinnies, etc. and that was when i was first introduced to the whole freeride scene and i believe it's still a vital foundation to the evolution of riding even today.
  • 1 0
 Well, if you can't huck to flat, go f*uck your hat...

Yeah, I was there for all of that and 50lb. bikes were just as ridiculous then as they are now. Blame companies that made that shit, like a stem you could hand a V-8 from. While some things simply have to go over time, we wouldn't be where we are without all that stuff. I can tell you that today, nobody needs ceramic bearings on a bicycle, ever.
  • 1 0
 Nothing wrong with a well built skinny but at reasonable height. And can do without Huck to flats.. And the new bike/component designs are so dialed now. I loved my bikes back then but put them side by side against my bikes now. No comparison. Wonder what will be said 10 years from now regarding the wheel sizes and all the hype on Enduro. Will it be said, remember the 26" wheel? Lol. Progression is great, my new 6" travel 27.5" wheel Xprezo Adhoc climbs like a goat and rips down any dh trail with ease and is both light and strong. Oh and the invention of the dropper post, best invention since suspension. :-). Really just have to say my new bike is so dialed I can't imagine it getting any better.
  • 1 0
 All i can se is a person that obviously never liked any of the oldschool stuf. Talking it down as it was just poorly created and made for fools. I do have the newest. And i have kept most of my freeride stuff from 10+ years back. I loved hucking, stairgaping etc. I do love taking some of my oldschool bikes out for a spin once in a while. To feel the difference. Exception on some modernisation on them that is. Reminds me of the good old days. And when did wearing a full body armor a bad thing? I would rather go down and brush the dust of, then get f*cked up from a small fall. As i see the hipsters today only wearing a fullface and nothing else. I guess protection is not cool enough for the kids today. Where would we be without the good old days? And who says it was bad. I had a blast.
  • 2 0
 #6 was a direct result of #1. If you're riding skinnies, you're gonna dump your bike... Better protect those stanchions.

Most of those are directly related to each other actually...
  • 5 0
 I dont mind the low skinnies, lol.
  • 1 0
 I still have an almost new 2.4 and 2.2 Gazzalodi. I have a Finnish heritage, so the Finnish flag on the tire was a bonus. I didn't like that 2.4 front tire because the shape of the carcass was square. Even hanging on my tire rack with no air, the center of the tread is sunk down in the middle. If you didn't add extra air to make it rounder, you fought to go in anything but a straight line. You knew when you transitioned to the side knobs with that thing. Worked ok on the rear. That was my first pair of expensive tires, not my best purchase.
  • 1 0
 This article makes me sad, I recently bought a downhill bike again because I missed doing all this urban stuff, and this article somehow portrays it as being all wrong... Used to love going down huge stair sets to kickers, never loved anything to flats though.
  • 1 0
 Haha thats a close picture of my eliminator..just put an inverted white brothers fork on it !!!
I still love my 24x3inch "Cost a lotties"
24 inch for life.
I guess i really show my age from the early days of freeride.
I still have fun on my bike tho!
  • 1 0
 Skinny is my middle name..
never did 3.0's..2.7" wss the largest for..
never did anything 50lbs but I was close (45)...
Yes...fork boots were counter intuitive cause they actually held the dirt in...thats called sheep marketing
  • 2 0
 Oh dear... I so did all of this... 3.0 Gazzas were the shit on our rocky fireroads, but the full onesy body armour sure sucked in summer... Smile
  • 3 0
 Nonsense ! Probably the author doesn't miss skinnies because he sucks on them .
  • 1 0
 OH ya you guys are right. Everyone still riding skinnies in full armor and these bikes are just not having any fun anymore.....because people are not living with the current trends doesn't mean it needs to be discredited.
  • 1 0
 How about some trends we DO miss. The kranked and nwd series were awesome, DH/FR riding being #1 instead of xc/am/enduro, I feel like building was more popular back then... What else
  • 1 0
 Pinkbike must be trolling here! To dismiss were the sport has come from is childish - This is the first pinkbike story that has actually pissed me off. Cheers pinkbike .idiots!
  • 1 0
 i miss the 3.0 tires they were great tires gnarly for D/H didn't have to worry as much about flats with them and skinnies dont miss them not fun at all really cant go fast on them so i don't miss them at all
  • 4 0
 HUCK IT TO FLAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • 3 0
 Stair gaps, stair scrubbing and riding down the stairs inside your dorm are all you got in college
  • 3 0
 how about fitting innertube into another tube for extra snake protection? nobody remembers this Wink ?
  • 1 0
 I still do this sometimes lol
  • 6 2
 come on pb.i'd hope you're better than this troll nonsense
  • 4 0
 I miss it all! Where's the keys to that delorean!
  • 4 0
 100% guilty of every freeride trend!!!
  • 3 0
 Skinnies are one of the best confidence building tools in mtbing, skills gain there can be used in other situations as well.
  • 1 0
 Mike there are plenty of flowy golden sand trails void of sketchy stunts. Made just for you. So I can enjoy my old school trails with out listening to your lack of enthusiasm for something out of the ordinary.
  • 1 1
 I agree that this article is a home run. All of that cooky shit is what kept me away from mountain bikes for so long. The trends in this article identify well with the mid nineties crusty demons of dirt BS which many of us can't identify with. Skinnies (and trials) are certainly difficult, but always have looked lame. "urban assault" give me a break...bunch of rich white kids having a pop and chips party in the big city...I am very happy with the direction MTB is headed....more style, more flow, more fun.
  • 1 0
 I still ride skinnies, drop to flat and huck off stair gaps, all winter. guess Im old school. Ill dig this thread up in three years and we can list enduro as one of those fads we dont miss.
  • 1 0
 In addition to still enjoying the occasional, low consequence skinny, I still like FAT tires. Okay, 3.0 might be a stretch, but I'm Intense Intruder 2.7 is still my favorite front tire.
  • 2 1
 Body armor is a great idea if you are riding your 50lb bike off stairs and shit, blowing up 3.0 tires, and still sucking at skinnies.
  • 1 0
 still cant replace a full suspension rig for stair flat stair. ive seen some balsey bmx guys try and land on stairs. the results are less than consistent.
  • 3 0
 Chatel bike park has skinnies; just saying.
  • 2 0
 Yeah we do though there aren't that many people that use them nowadays...this new generation is all about jumping and groomed trails.
  • 3 0
 What about the 26" and 24" wheel combo!
  • 1 0
 what about it? Still rock that setup on certain terrain!
  • 2 0
 I love sketchy teeter totters and big bikes- but I like my 33 pound 5 inch Norco Empire better!
  • 1 2
 If you are going to whip, remember it's not "edit" worthy if you do not bring it back and stomp the landing.
Lets put an end to the freeride flick. I am pretty sure if you take off that neck brace you will be able to carve a turn.
Now go ride, it looks to be a nice day.
  • 4 0
 I still LOVE skinnies!!!
  • 2 0
 I feel as though Dangerous Dan ought to write a rebuttal to this unwarranted attack piece.
  • 1 0
 I was there at the start when Dan and Digger started building the first stunts. Still remember my first ride with Dan on his new trail Walk in the Clouds. That early riding scarred me more consistently than any of the other sketchy sports I have done since then.
  • 1 0
 Walk in the Clouds was a magical experience...
  • 1 0
 The reason for the stanchion protector was because the fender made it impossible, to see when you where falling off the skinny!
  • 1 0
 Newest bike is a 2009 Flatline weighing in at roughly 45lbs. Awesome bike and favourite frame to date so far... plus the weird fender on the down tube acts like a wing Wink
  • 1 0
 I miss skinniest big time. Was so sad when Esher Shore nr London closed its doors. I kicked ass on them in Whistler and never understood why people were so against them.
  • 2 0
 I miss the skinnies as well.
so we made this: www.pinkbike.com/video/349901
  • 6 4
 Well played PB...article was funny and brought back the ol skool simultaneously... Well played...
  • 1 0
 hucking to flat is how I learnt to jump a few weeks ago loads of pb'ers were saying how cool the new carbon station gaurds looked on the DVO emerald fork,
  • 3 0
 I wouldn't miss this article if it were to disappear.
  • 1 0
 I still love skinnies though my mid forties cerebellum is not as good as my mid twenties one was, and damn nice derailleurs are expensive to replace!
  • 1 0
 I think i speak for a lot of folks, but we still do a lot of that shit. and learning how to ride skinnies is something every "mountain biker" should do
  • 1 0
 I miss most of those things. But I guess that I am reliving some of it now that I ride a B.M.W. Well written article, by the way.
  • 2 0
 That dainese full body armour saved my arms, ribs and back more than a few times. Never ride FR without it.
  • 1 0
 What's wrong with stair gaps? I can't do em on a skateboard so I do em on a bike. We all need to remember our roots and where we've come from.
  • 1 0
 I so want Simmons and Tippie to pull their ol RM7's out of the garage, throw on some full armour and make a vid that absolutely destroys everything said in this article.
  • 1 0
 This article was absolutely awesome. I laughed my ass off. Then cried because at one point every one of these pertained to my riding career.
  • 2 0
 Feeling embarrassed and reminiscent all at once. Thanks Pinkbike.
  • 2 0
 I huck to flat on my trail bike, and this is awesome!
  • 2 0
 A rare, but much appreciated, well written article.
  • 2 0
 50 pond bikes ftw Big Grin And josh Bender is a king ;D
  • 1 0
 All that will come back in to style one day. Like all fashion, mtb fashion repeat's itself every decade or so.
  • 1 0
 Its not very responsible of you guys to be implying that wearing body armour isn't cool.
  • 1 0
 Man in 2002 my Banshee Scream weighed in at 52 pounds with a 888. Times have changed and I love it.
  • 1 0
 Yeah the same 888's that came out in 2004.
  • 1 0
 Damn I'm old, my frame was definitely a 2002 though
  • 1 0
 Everything still exists, just you the rider thats changed, i love dropping to flat and riding skinnies on my new AM bike Smile
  • 1 0
 Nothing complements a 50 pound bike better than 10 pounds of body armor strapped to your back for the push to the top! LOL
  • 1 0
 I can walk today cause of my dianese spine protector . Do I wear it now no not at all Smile
  • 1 0
 alright.. everybody stop arguing and lets all go send hucks to flat around our local libraries etc
  • 1 0
 The shear number of comments on this article shows how diverse mountain biking really is.
  • 2 0
 i miss how the 50. pound bikes look like ,but not how they feel like Razz
  • 1 3
 Pretty much everything described made the teen BMXer I was want to vomit. As soon as there were bikes that could be pedalled and ridden somewhat like a BMX, with some authority without being to heavy or delicate and flexy, MTBing became pretty fun.
  • 3 0
 you make me want to vomit
  • 1 0
 I still ride skinnies, and I love a good urban... other than that it was a good list.
  • 2 1
 Nothing complements a 50 pound bike better than 10 pounds of body armor strapped to your back...
  • 2 0
 Hucks to flat?? Pinkbike lost respect today.
  • 2 0
 I still have my full body armor at the mountain and i do urban dh a lot Smile
  • 1 0
 I meant to say "Specialized" Bikes product manager, not special bikes. Haha
  • 2 0
 So have all mountain bikers gone soft or just pinkbike?
  • 1 0
 this will probably get downvoted to hell but ithk urban freeride/ downhill is so sick
  • 1 0
 I still wear full body armor... i have a job and already broke an ankle twice trying to keep my shit in one piece.
  • 2 0
 50 pounds!!
  • 2 1
 Heaviest I ever had was 53!
  • 1 0
 Me too! I just sold it last year :/
  • 2 0
 47 lb Banshee. Did the Cherry Top Challenge 2 times on it and the Seven Summits several times. Lots of Fromme laps too up to GMG.
  • 4 2
 LOL great read !!!
  • 2 0
 i still huck to flat...
  • 2 0
 I miss all that!
  • 1 0
 if we are remembering.....

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrE8sT-zMEE
  • 1 0
 i want that body Armour haha
  • 1 0
 Come to castlegar and ride awakener if you like skinnys.
  • 1 0
 I love skinnies, stairs, and hucks to flat on my old Bullit
  • 2 0
 I miss freeriding!
  • 1 0
 I still enjoy a good huck to flat from time to time !!
  • 1 0
 But I have 24inch wheels with a 3" tyre on the back :p
  • 2 0
 I love hucking to flat!
  • 1 0
 I don't mind me a skinny or huck to flat every now and then
  • 1 0
 haha my first dh bike had nokians in 2010, how wrong i was.
  • 1 0
 or highwall, brick-like 6 chamber rims? Razz
  • 1 0
 All this shit is no good anymore please send it to me for disposal.
  • 2 0
 Amen! Love this list!
  • 1 0
 skinnies are lame. live fast and WIDE open!!
  • 1 0
 6 on 7!(2,5" tires...)
  • 1 2
 Hucks to flat are the absolute worst...used to do that wayyyy too much. Can't decide if they hurt me or my bike more.
  • 1 0
 Me too
  • 1 0
 NOUSER
  • 2 1
 gotta hate skinnies.
  • 2 1
 Excellent article
  • 1 0
 What no fork boot slam?
  • 1 0
 I miss skinnies Digger
  • 1 1
 Yo clown shoes!
  • 1 3
 we call it , badminton shoe ! ha ha ha ha ha
  • 3 0
 The trail in whistler?
  • 1 0
 They changed that drop years ago. Too bad, I loved it.
  • 3 3
 Ha ha , funny Smile
  • 2 2
 very rad article...
  • 3 5
 I definitely have to agree with this! Times change and I'm glad these trends are no longer being carried out
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