Throwback Thursday: Hans Rey's 1995 GT vs. His Current Ride in 'We've Come a Long Way' Video

Mar 18, 2020 at 10:52
by Stans NoTubes  


Not many professional athletes have the opportunity to grow with their sport the way that Hans Rey has. Having spent over 25 as a professional mountain biker, Hans has been around for nearly every major technological advancement our sport has seen. We thought that it would be fun to compare Hans' bike from 1995 to his current setup. Enjoy!


Hans Rey s Bikes




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99 Comments

  • 91 2
 NO WAY REY!
Man, we really have come a long way! Not only are bikes so much better these days, but you can actually pick what you want depending on your personal preference.
20 years ago you were happy if the bike didn´t break
10 years ago you were happy if it (more or less) did what it was supposed to do
today I can have a snappy, fun, trail bike that pedals well but also is fun on the downs - or a burly downhill machine that is still pedal-able

and still people complain Smile
  • 6 6
 Want this one of the bikes he had nicked last year?
  • 38 0
 Well, we did not reach this point because 20 years ago people did not complain about their bikes not breaking or that we settled for mediocrity 10 years ago. Pushing things forward one complaint at a time. Wink
  • 2 2
 In 10 years we'll be wondering how we survived riding today's bikes!
  • 30 2
 @Karpiel073: "ten years ago people had bikes without motors and they actually had to pedal. can you imagine?!"
  • 6 0
 To the plebs who downvoted me, I didn't steal his bikes, it was a total tragedy and I'm ashamed it happened on my home soil!

www.pinkbike.com/news/hans-rey-has-at-least-8-bikes-stolen-from-his-garage-and-camper-van-in-east-midlands-england.html
  • 3 0
 @Karpiel073: Bikes are at a point today where they actually work. I cant imagine massive changes in the next 10 years just gradually being refined
  • 4 2
 @cuban-b: Last Friday in a full on downpour rain, I saw Hans Rey and he was riding a GT bicyclE with a motor. And you actually have to pedal the ones with motors too in case you haven't tried one yet. Full disclaimer, I have an E-bike too but I was out on my hardtail in the rain due to my hatred of maintenance.
  • 5 1
 @tsn73: i dig e bikes. was just being cheeky
  • 4 2
 @cuban-b: A lot of the best riders in the world, passed and present are out having a blast on pedal assist bike.
Most of negative nellies have never tried one.
Maybe it's the principal or your just an old roadie / dirt roadie that can't get your head around it.
  • 1 0
 @tsn73: 50 watts alibi pedaling is so so hard, poor motorists. Regulations must be changed to enable throttle on bikelanes, that's the solution
  • 2 1
 @Yaan: have people never heard of sarcasm? i dig e bikes. in fact, i've argued on your side with e bike haters. have you forgotten already?! Wink
  • 1 0
 “You want to complain? Look at these 5.10's. I’ve only had ’em three weeks and the heels are worn right through”
  • 1 1
 @cuban-b: sometimes sarcasm does not convey well. I just found it interesting to see this story as I'd never met or seen this longtime legend of our sport before last week, and he and his buddy were both on E's. The E-haters will eventually realize that what they hate is the lack of etiquette of some of those newer to our sport on E-bikes, not the bikes themselves. Cheers.
  • 1 0
 @cuban-b: yeh my bad didn't pick up the e-sarc.
good memory just doesn't last long.
  • 1 0
 I always wonder why it took 20+ years to get to a point of really well engineered mountain bikes with full suspension...and wider bars. At least when I fork over my $6k for a bike now....I feel like it is worth it. When I think about the Lightspeed Ocoee I had back in the 90s, it just seems like I paid a lot for a stiff, uncomfortable bike, with marginal front suspension. Bikes are so much better these days!
  • 1 0
 @landscapeben: ur english all wrong
  • 1 0
 @blackthorne: yeah that was just a typo on my phone saying want instead of wasn't, but it was still fairly obvious from the context. Unfortunately the mobile version doesn't give me the ability to edit after I've posted like I can on a computer.
  • 50 0
 Zaskar LE in raw aluminum was the dream man!

(and Ti Xizang was the wet dream)
  • 4 0
 Loved the cherry red version, too.
  • 5 0
 I had the chance to feel an Easton tubes Zaskar complete with XTR M950 series in the late 90s. Yummy. Agree that titanium Xizang is a wet dream.
  • 1 0
 @bishopsmike THIS!!
  • 9 0
 i had a Zaskar LE in ball burnished (did they make a raw one?) and you could polish it with brasso so it was like a mirror. i had it set up 'slalom' with an azonic cockpit, z1 bombers and maguras. to this day it remains one of my favourite bikes.
  • 3 0
 @bishopsmike

Still have mine.-
  • 2 0
 @DutchmanPhotos: Oh man, that's sweet! I had that terrible-but-beautiful Ringle bottle holder, but you even have those old Marzocchi forks! Super nice.
  • 1 0
 I had a super rare black '93 one. Loved it.
  • 1 0
 @DutchmanPhotos: if they re-released the disk drive I’d buy one just for nostalgia. Imagine amaury hacking it down les gets with a 29er disk drive, making that crazy noise they made!
  • 2 0
 @tobiusmaximum: Oh man I remember using Brasso on my RTS-1 lol..ahh good times..
  • 1 0
 @tobiusmaximum: Ball burnished GT's are so hot! And that Ti Xizang.
  • 1 0
 Yes!! I had the same year in ball-burnished. It was so trick in the day with my Manitou 2 fork!!! The brakes totally sucked compared to today - they were even pre-Vee brakes!! The frame was bullet proof though - wish I still had it like Hans!
  • 1 0
 I had a Karakoram, I wanted the raw Zaskar soooo bad!!
  • 1 0
 Had my first Xizang in 1991, did win a title on it. I actually broke that frame in a training crash and got a replacement xizang frame which developed a crack at the bottom bracket / seat tube junction. This frame got replaced with a 1993 one which i still own and which i "retired" last year. It is still perfect, just wanted something modern and built a Lynskey Hardtail. My Dad owns one of the first Zaskar frames, it was in fact the first Zaskar in Europe when he got it.
  • 1 0
 I had a lovely 6061 ball burnished Zaskar but, I sold it. Pretty much the only thing I regret doing in my whole life.
  • 1 0
 @bishopsmike:

Haha! You took a look in my profile.. Thanks!!
  • 1 0
 @tobiusmaximum: I’m seeing it happen in the future.. :-)
  • 2 0
 @MikeW75: me too! wish i never sold it! but i had all the colours from 93 to 95 as i collected them in the mid 2000s. the aqua blue, ink blue and black one were my favourites. the ball burnished one treated with some love and nevr dull was like a mirror!
  • 1 0
 was my first real MTB!- along with the yellow Judy SL. Upgraded from a $300 Giant Rincon, so I was stoked!
  • 1 0
 @hal9k: before my zaskar I had a bright red pantera and my friend had a Karakoram in black with the paint flicks. Both really cool bikes. With the u-brake at the back!
  • 1 0
 @tobiusmaximum: ah! the u-brake!!! I completely forgot about that thing. How did we not die riding those beasts!?
  • 38 1
 just saying this guy is 53 and still a fucking machine. true OG
  • 6 1
 Only 53! I thought he was older, apologies..
  • 6 1
 @jjhobbs: He might have the face of someone that's spent a life outdoors and had a few too many bike crashes; but he's got the body and fitness of someone who has spent their life outdoors riding bikes. I know what I want in 2 decades time
  • 7 0
 @AyJayDoubleyou: hans reys body?
  • 8 2
 I can see how good he is at riding bikes, but I wonder how close you know him to publicly say that he is a fucking machine...
  • 8 1
 @AyJayDoubleyou: can’t believe I’m typing this but if Hans Rey’s current physical appearance is your dream bod then your standards for your ideal 53-yr old future self are way too low.
  • 1 0
 @mi-bike: True. Comparing him to my Dad ant the same age, I know which I'd rather have though.
  • 16 0
 Went to one of his talks last year with the misses, one of the nicest and most interesting guys I have met (not just the riding or the sponsorship deals he talked about but charity work as well). 90’s mountain biking legend.
  • 4 0
 Yeah totally agree. I went to one of his talks and came away impressed with his outlook on life. Doesn't get the recognition he deserves, so influential in our young sport.
  • 9 0
 In my mind we rode just as fast on our old bikes in the 90's but whenever I get back on an old bike like that it scares me to death and feel like I am on the edge of death. Did we just ride fast because we didn't know better? Or did we just think we were going fast? I am sure part of it was that it felt like we were going much faster than we actually were.
  • 9 0
 Just listening to Hans laugh and giggle having fun on his bikes (old or new) made me laugh and giggle.

Ride on!
  • 9 0
 Hans is largely responsible for myself & friends getting into bikes full stop
  • 8 0
 Title is wrong. Should be: Hans Ray rides a flat bar gravel bike.
  • 5 0
 Tomac with drop bars on his Yeti HT was way ahead of his time...
  • 1 0
 @ReformedRoadie: So true! haha
  • 5 0
 Hans Rey you made my day!
  • 4 0
 Erm, I don't see A LUK logo. I don't think I'm going to be okay with this...
  • 1 0
 Last May I took my family to Australia and couldn't bring my bike. Our host let me borrow his old Scott hardtail. It was a high quality bike in its time but it was sure a challenge to ride. Narrow bars, weak brakes, too smooth tires and slippery pedals. It made me really appreciate my Altitude. Still I was just happy to be out on the trails on another continent...
  • 1 0
 Man this brings back memories! I still have the VHS tapes trials riding videos that Hans did back in the 90s. Remember watching him, Libor Karas and Ot Pi doing things that we thought were impossible on a bike. If you guys don't know those other two, check them out so you know your trials history. Trials rules! Back then, and now with MacAskill and Wibmer just carrying the flag and setting new standards. Thanks for this.
  • 1 0
 In 1995 you had the LTS and V brakes. Big improvement over the Zaskar and cantilever brakes. It was still as fun, just slower and required more skill. Young riders don't realize how easy it is to ride long travel 29ers over rough terrain.
  • 1 0
 I kinda miss my LTS, kinda Smile
  • 1 0
 I like my modern bikes, but I often ride my vintage bikes. The main difference is the brakes, although if you take care of rim brakes (clean the rim, sand the pads, adjust properly) they are just as effective.

For the tech stuff the old bikes are often more fun. With the new bike you can easily ride bigger features but sometimes is kind of boring because you can just roll on everything if you have to. If I have to go on a long ride, 4-8hrs, I would def take a modern bike.
  • 1 0
 Bikes have come a long way even from 5-6 years ago in both geometry and technology. I just watch a video Intense Cycles releasing the Tracer T275. Chris Kovarik is riding in the video, and the Tracer he is riding looks super small for him. Geometry is definitely much different.
  • 3 0
 25 year old cantilever pads aren't going to work at all. You have to replace your pads every few years as they dry out and stop working even if they aren't worn out.
  • 1 0
 i doubt its his 1995 zaskar! i think its his 93 or 94 version as he has the quadra and cantilever brakes and spin wheels on it. in 95 he mostly rode the ink blue zaskar with the yellow judy sl and early v-brakes with mavic sup ceramic rims. in 95 he also had a 25 degree kore stem and a flatish bar not a zero degree stem and hi riser bar like on this pictured aqua blue one.
  • 1 0
 He says in the video that he rode that bike in 1993.
  • 1 0
 It didn't have decent brakes or stable handling by current standards, but those Zaskars were tough as nails. A buddy of mine bought a well-used one and abused it for years without any issues. With the triple triangle frame design, it had a jackhammer ride. I had a used Xizang frame that I built up with a Z2 Bomber; the top tube snapped just behind the head tube, but I rode it out strapped together with zip ties. GT sent me a new frame within a few days. Good times.
  • 1 1
 Did I miss the bit where Hans did all the trick stuff on the 2020 bike? Wink
Versatility victory goes to the 1995 zaskar (most peoples dream from that era), it just wasn't as fast down the hill but it made it down.

Bikes have come so far since 1995.
  • 3 0
 It's been a while since Hans put that 1995 jersey on... it seems to have shrunk a little Wink
  • 4 0
 I had a sick Al Terra with Mag21st. XT. Great bike.
  • 3 0
 That pic of him on a Zaskar riding up a graffitied wall is the sole reason I got into Mtb
  • 2 0
 The Zaskar is sweet...

So is that sweet Navy Blue, hanging out back there with a piece of paper over the Porsche logo. 1962-ish 356? Probably an S?

Damn Hans!
  • 2 0
 That's what I immediatly focused on !
  • 2 0
 I want to see the Porsche too!
  • 1 0
 Nothing has changed . It's all about having fun on a bike. Hans Rey proves it's the rider that makes the bike dance. This talk about new bikes being better. Who cares just ride your bike .
  • 2 0
 One of my idols when I started riding, I fanboyed so hard when I met him at a 24hrs of Adrenaline race in the 90s. He's still a better rider than I will ever be.
  • 1 0
 If I ever run into Hans on the trail, I hope we are wearing matching jerseys... Love the old blue/yellow gt team colors, had to snag one of those jerseys at a swap a few years back. Even wearing it in my profile pic Smile
  • 4 0
 Total Legend!
  • 3 0
 precious as piece of the berlin wall.... we got lucky here today
  • 3 0
 legend and uber nice guy, still rips!
  • 3 0
 Hans face after the 95 shred says it all, grin factor 10.
  • 2 0
 the GT triple triangle design looks great on the "95 bike. not so cool on the new model.
  • 1 0
 Agree... I loved the Zaskar when it first came out.

I saw the newer frame last year and bought it new from a bike meet for $50. $500 later....
www.pinkbike.com/photo/17256523
www.pinkbike.com/photo/17256521

Primarily for my daughter's middle school MTB team.
  • 1 0
 Any PB thoughts on the newer GT Force? Seems like a nice capable bike. The price is amazing for the Pro version (component wise).
  • 1 0
 It's really striking how tiny the older bike looks in comparison. I know bikes have gotten bigger, but he dwarfs that older one.
  • 1 0
 Are we sure that's Hans? Germ accent - check, GT bike - check, but where's the half-dozen Swatch watches on his wrists? Hmmm...
  • 1 0
 I had the original GT LTS. It was my favorite bike ever. I realize todays bikes are better in every way but that bike never failed me and always put a smile on my face.
  • 1 0
 I had a set of those Spin wheels on an Iron Horse Team Issue hardtail forever ago!! Cool video!
  • 1 0
 i rode my coaches bike he had built himself when he was in college (in the 90s). boy, are mountain bikes different now!
  • 1 0
 Yes! The 3 spoke Spin wheels! I had a set of those on a ti Kona Hei Hei with a Gervin linkage fork. Good memories!
  • 1 0
 Fat Chance Yo Eddy would take some beating, then and today.
  • 1 0
 3:40 in the video. What in the world is his front wheel doing?!
  • 1 0
 Ahh I still love and want that bike ha
  • 1 0
 yo ! Ray
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