Pinkbike Poll: Would You Rather...?

 Nailed it.

 Cam Zink's 2010 Rampage winning Corsair Dominion.

www.vitalmtb.com/photos/features/Cameron-Zinks-Prototype-Corsair-Dominion,1658/Cam-Zinks-Prototype-Corsair-Dominion,11846/sspomer,2

 Shhh! Don't let the bicycle industry know you are on to them

 The only reason for this article to exist is for you to make that comment.

 1985 geometry with 2020 parts, including disc brakes, front shock (aftermarket slackening of course), and dropper post. 26" please. www.pinkbike.com/photo/18893193

 Yep, I owned that 2010/11 Enduro.The thing was great.

 @headshot: Yup! I had a 2010. That bike was truly ahead of it's time. could be why that frame design lasted so long!

 Yes Sir, exactly. And my 2010 Trek Scratch is still dialed and tons of fun in the park each summer.

 Ellsworth still makes bikes?

 @znarf: Allegedly.

 @znarf: Moment of Truth right there. An Epiphany, really.

 Surly? (and I ride a Krampus)

 @padrefan1982:

I see what you did there.

 @znarf: Ellsworth hate is possibly the most universal truth in the mtb community

 @znarf: they make decals. probably also in Chyna

 @Fix-the-Spade:

Lets not be talkin' about no ostrich f*cking in here.

 @chrod: I benefice Ellsworth hate is exactly what we need to unite the country in 2020. It bridges all socioeconomic and racial divides.

 Believe*

 @znarf: haha!!

 @JoshMatta: wasn't it a sick ostrich? That's also a 2 man job there Darrey

 @mildsauce91: I have a Surly Instigator, and Loving it.

 @chrod: ...just because they spent all their R&D money on paint...

 perfect!!!

 @surfer150: Well, I'm not saying it's a bad thing......

 My 2008 SX Trail is still one of my favourite bikes ever. I’d happily ride that again

 

 Totally... when I got back into riding again in 2017, I hopped back on my old 2007 Brodie Hoodlum (with some upgraded 2008 parts (brakes/suspension... that Domain Coil was awesome!)) and rocked that bike for a bunch of rides at the end of that year. Had so much fun I bought a new bike Jan of 2018. The difference was pretty big... but not crazy... still had tons of fun.

I think you could take a 2010 bike and still have crazy amounts of fun on it. But a bike with 2000's geometry? Uhh, nope. I started mountain bike racing on a 1992 Rocky Mountain Fusion... I was only like 13 or 14 so my body didn't mind going OTB every ride... I don't think my body would be very happy now.

What I did mind was replacing parts every two weeks... most under warranty thankfully (thanks for the four flexstems Girvin!). Sending it and bending rigid forks was not warranty-able though. At least with better parts, you'd have more fun for the few minutes you get to ride before ending up in the hospital.

2010 it is.

 All you need is two wheels to go fast.

 In the world of small sized frames not that much changed. My 2011 Spec SJ Evo was just fine.

 @vp27: I still love my 09 Norco Six One. I ride it often. But I have an 07DHR that is a beast to pedal uphill even with an Avalanche tuned rear shock. Beautiful welds on that aluminum frame TBH.

 I would say old bikes would be terrible for me toride now not so much for geo as in angles and such, more a case of bikes were so small then, I'm 6'3" and didn't get a bike that was close to fitting me til not long ago.

 I dunno, the parts in the 2000s weren't terrible (all things considered) my my OG shiver and purple Hayes from back in the day were among the most reliable parts I've ever had.

 2000 parts would just be heavy but plenty durable.. Modern geometry, a marzocchi bomber fork, any coil shock, Shimano XTR 21 spd. drive train, Hayes brakes and mavic rims laced to Chris Kings for the win

 @slickwilly1: 100% agreed!!!

 @vp27: I rode a 2009 SX Trail w/ a dropper post up until last year. Could barely climb but that thing was a blast on the downhills. Once I got on a newer bike tho it was eye opening haha

 @vp27: absolutely... They really made a great bike with the SX Trail.

 Pretty silly choices tbh. In 2010 there was the summum which pretty much had a rideable Geo back then. Suspension was good as long as you kept it coil and fiddled a bit with the damping. Shimano Saint is still a good brake. For dh you might be pretty much sorted.

 @vp27: Agree - and actually mine is still going strong. It was so much fun that I could never bear to part with it! I kept it in the family and gave it to my nephew :-) He is loving it.

 @vp27: love that bike

 The Rocky Mountain Slayer which was introduced and went on sale in 2010 has fantastic geometry and good parts.

 Year 2000 parts on 2020 geo would ride like an absolute boat. It would be a downhill only affair.

 @me2menow: Thats really what I'm referring to.

 @bigburd: Xc hardtails used to be the worst!!! I remember when the seat tube was the only thing that changed across frame sizes and would have to run a ridiculous seat post height and stem length.

 I rode a 2010 Specialized Enduro until 2 years ago. The new bike is better, but there really aren’t any trails the new bike can do that the 2010 Enduro can’t. In fact, the Enduro still holds a few Strava PRs, especially on certain downhill trails.

But my 2002 Stumpy? Forget it.

 @n1ck: dunno about that, some other structural bits and pieces to connect the two and hold onto also help

 @vp27: yah top tubes a bit short but ha was 66.5 and cornering was insane

 @slickwilly1: coil van shocks constantly blowing up, hayes brakes sucked bag. Forks broke all the time. Cranks and bbs broke all the time. Bikes are better now.

 A good downhill bike from 2010 would be fine. And the better long travel trail bikes weren’t bad either, SC Nomad anyone?

www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/bike/nomad/2

 @Altron5000: until two years ago I was riding a 2008 Intense 6.6 with parts to match, only exception being 1x10 transmission and offset shock bushings. Fun as hell. It stil is, I often think it would suit my local trails better than my Process 153.

 @vp27: Right? One of the best bikes The Big S ever made IMO!!

 @bigburd: I hear you, I'm 6'1" and a large frame is fine until I add a dual crown fork then knee room becomes an issue...

 @vp27: I had a 2009 SX Trail and kinda regret selling it now. It was terrible at climbing trails due to the pedal bob, weight, etc but it was a super fun bike at the bike park. The geo was decent, even for 2009.

 Year 2000 me just snapped your octo-link XTR bottom bracket, ripping a 6" gash on his inner ankle, and is requesting a 2010 geo/parts bike under warranty.

 @mammal: lol. Someone's just disappointed they didn't see "Raceface Turbine LP"
In 2000 you got a choice:
- Octalink: Shimano fragments in ankle
- ISIS: new RaceFace BB every weekend

 @mammal: were Profile BMX cranks around in 2000? If so, that would solve the problem.

 @skylerd: yes profile cranks were around. Same basic 3 piece design as today

 Was anyone making a 800mm wide handlebar back in 2000? Because that would be a requirement.

 @PHeller: could you just run a piece of steel pipe or would that be cheating.

 I was still with you when you chose a good frame, good fork, good wheels but then Hayes instead of Magura Gustav like you want to not stop. 660 Handlebars but the worst offender is those tires. You don't like riding in the wet. or turn in any conditions

 @hmstuna: no mx bars that would fit a 2000 stem?

 @PHeller: the Tourque bar from Roox was 750mm decently short stems too for the dark ages

 The pitch was ahead of its time, its a shame spesh didnt continue with it. they went to short reach numbers with the enduro after that also

 Yep still running my Pitch Pro. I think the fork and seatpost are all that’s left of the original. That upgrade itch is getting pretty serious. 10 years seems like a reasonable span.

 @zyoungson: It's a shame what spesh does with the pitch name today

 Loved my old 2011 Pitch, rode well on uphills and could really take a beating. Just sold it 2 years ago.

 Awesome build!

 @smuggly: Thank you!

 Great frame, and great colour scheme too! Nowt wrong with the old 32mm Boxxers though, they had the living sh*t beaten out of them by many people back in the day and seemed to hold up ok! Mine saw many Alps trips and Scottish race weekends (although I'm no heavyweight!) and finally cracked after about 10 years of use - only a tiny crack at the very top of the stanchion, still thinking about sealing it up and riding them again as a trail build! Now running a '09 WC, last of the skinny stanchions - sublime feeling fork.

 @bmbracing: If it’s cracked, that means the metal has fatigued enough to start breaking. Not a safe plan if you value your face!

 Did you drill mod your DHR? It was quite popular back in the day to drill the frame and get better geo. Would result in Modern geo.

 @spaced: I know a lot did it but what they don't know about geometry and how they are affecting the function and design with that small change could fill large container. It isn't so simple as it seems.

 @bmbracing: Thanks! I can't really bash the old Boxxer's. They just looked so thin back in the early 2000's. I'm sure there amazing. Everyone was winning on them back them.

 @spaced: Nope. It was never drilled. The new owner could do it if he chooses. I just didn't want to mess up the frame when I got it. It was dent free and in perfect shape. It was just a project and ended up being eye candy in my garage till it found a new owner.

 I was still riding my 2008 commencal DH still in 2010 so kinda missed out on what bikes felt like in that year, but I think I would be nervous/unable to push as hard on my old Commencal as I do my current bike, larely due sizing more than geo in regards to angles etc , bikes were waaay to small for tall guys back then.

 @bigburd: Agree on that, mtb has now finally opened up to tall people. In 2010 you didnt have a lot of options if you were over 5'10".

 that saddle?! big enough to sleep on.

 nothing nice DC fork wouldn´t fix lol.

 @Mondbiker: I don't think it matters what the fork is, that head tube is coming off.

 You said it!

 Cant believe I had to scroll this for for that comment. Folks are sleeping today.

 Heads I win, tails you lose.

 My daughter loves hers, bought NOS frame last year, recoated and built it up with mostly old and a few modern components. Coolest bike in the shed. OG sid and 1x11 shimano.

 Yeah, I had one of those too, unfortunately with mostly 2005-era parts so it was pretty terrible! But with a decent (and longer!) fork and shock and wide bars it could have been a cracker. Moved on to a 2008 S-Works Enduro which as many have already said was ahead of its time and is just way faster. I do miss the old Dale though - more soul, and those beautiful welds and bare alu tubes...

I do think that many old-school frames 2005-onwards with the right parts can be almost as much fun and far more affordable than a new bike. Finding a decent non-tapered fork is getting hard though!

 I dunno, bike geometry sucked back then (with the exception of the M1 and 222), but if you had say XT 4-pot brakes (aka Grimeca System 12s I think?), a Marzocchi Super T/Monster T or Shiver, Fox Vanilla RC shock and either XTR or RaceFace North Shore cranks along with some Mavic 521 (121?) or 321 rims you were doing ok and really not vastly worse off than current stuff other than it all being quite a bit heavier. I could be off by a year or two but all that stuff definitely worked ok by 2002. The main issues at that time that didn't have any available workaround were the extremely narrow bars (685mm max?) and lack of dropper post.

DH bikes by 2010 were not much different to what is available from DH bikes now. Banshee's and Mondraker's geometry were both excellent and comparable to current bikes, the Fox 40/RC4 (or CCDB) of the time was able to be tuned to be about as good as anything we currently have, we had M810 Saint by then so reliable drivetrains and powerful (though a bit inconsistent) brakes were completely sorted. It's really the pedalable long travel bikes (enduro/trail/all mountain/whatever lame term you wanna give it) that have come along hugely in the past 10 years.

 @Socket: Yes, having long travel bikes that are efficient to pedal all day was game changing.

 This was exactly my thinking. Some of the old coil sprung, open bath forks felt amazing, and the coil shocks weren’t bad either, as long as you weren’t climbing.

 I agree 2010, def not older than 2005 jmho.

 I wouldn't say unreadable, but no doubt with steep STA's it puts the seat right in the way if your don't have a dropper to move it out of your way!!

 Damn, that thing sexy as hell! I didn’t even know it existed.

 Scalp was a killer bike, a bit heavy tho. As soon as i saw the pictures from eurobike, i knew i had to get one.

 Absolutely! And that first DH or trail run on a properly tuned bike or most that come close will leave the rider with a priceless memory. Hopefully not one of agony but life happens. Older bikes for the most part are steps in evolution and it's up the the specific rider to decide which he wants at the time. Without bringdown the house I would like to suggest a frame with tapered headtube as the straight 1 1/8th" are rapidly disappearing on the used market. But older bikes still make quite an impression to most.

 That was my actual bike! Haha! My picture. So funny

 M900 was 8 speed.

 @nozes: Ol’ brain ain’t what it used to be. Thanks for the fact check.

 I wasn't wanting to cut to the quick but yeah, anything pre 2005 is going to be 99% rider.

 Same thing happened to me, but beginning of ride. The dropper is such a game changer and without it, modern geometry isn't very useful. 2000 bike, 2020 parts every time.

 Ya I thought I was taking crazy pills, it just offers the same combination of old parts/modern geometry both times.

 That's what I was thinking, that Monster/Junior T on today's super slack head tube angles would die a painful death...

 @stiingya: not even close, those old Monster Ts were originally designed for 150 lb trials moto bikes and weighed like 10 lbs....WAY stronger than anything we have today...

 @RadBartTaylor: Maybe?, but they were not designed for a 62.5 head tube angle. Have you seen the way the lyrik flexes on the Grim Donut? Same issue here, fork was just not intended for that angle and even if the tubes are strong as hell the slidy bits are being asked to do things that were unintended and it's gonna wear out and die...

OR at least that's my guess...?

 @stiingya: I see your point, I guess I just think that those old Monsters were way overbuilt for pedal bikes