Please let the Supergo stories, remembrances, vignettes and anecdotes begin

On 2015-12-31 06:10, AMuzi wrote:
On 12/30/2015 7:18 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2015-12-30 17:00, wrote:
Today I pulled my old original and correct Supergo Access
MTB from 1987 out of the back room. Biopace chainrings!
I'll tell the world!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/m69mvkutso...ccess.jpg?dl=0



Cool. That pump would probably get you stopped a lot by the
authorities these days. Looks like some mean weapon.

Why on earth did they place the rear brake behind the BB?
WRT mud, dirt, dung, water and all that this is one of the
worst places to have a rim brake caliper.

I still have my old Rockpoint MTB from the late 90's. Glad
to have left the era of rim brakes behind me but I kept it
for biz trips and such. Or when the main MTB is in the sick
bay. But I do miss the old 7-speed system. Cheap yet much
more robust that the highfalutin 10-speed Deore XT on the
new MTB. Even after a smattering of decomposed granite
scrunched through there it always works.


In my role as historian here, it's always true that 'nothing changes
fashion faster than fashion'.

Popular mid-1980s MTB designs with rear cantilevers suffered from seat
stay flex so the under-chainstays U-brake was developed by Charlie
Cunningham. Later popularized by Shimano, Campagnolo and
DiaCompe-Suntour with various small permutations. Besides being mounted
on the more substantial chainstay, the brazed mounts are larger diameter
as well.

and then - wait for it - yes! fashion changed and they all but
disappeared from offroad bikes in a few short years.

That brake design remains current on 20" freestyle bikes.


For freestylers it's probably a good idea. The brake is out of the way
and thus offers less chance to get hurt if a stunt goes wrong. But MTB?
This is the location that gets the most dirty on my MTB. Often to the
point where there is a pound or two of mud-gravel dough packed up so
tight that the rear wheel won't turn anymore. The miles before that
point would ruin the rim thoroughly with such a brake.

Luckily good MTB nowadays have disc brakes. Yesterday those came in
handy. A buddy and I rode fat bikes on snow, ice, slush and dirt for the
first time. We had a blast. Some of the downhill sections were white
knuckle rides with rear-brake controlled deliberate slides into snow
banks that I wouldn't have dared with rim brakes.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

On 1/1/2016 8:01 AM, Joerg wrote:

Luckily good MTB nowadays have disc brakes. Yesterday those came in
handy. A buddy and I rode fat bikes on snow, ice, slush and dirt for the
first time. We had a blast. Some of the downhill sections were white
knuckle rides with rear-brake controlled deliberate slides into snow
banks that I wouldn't have dared with rim brakes.

Disc brakes have worked their way down to all but the crappiest
department store mountain bikes. Most any mountain bike with a street
price of $250 or more will have disc brakes, though between street
prices of $250-$400 they will likely be mechanical, not hydraulic.

I.e., you can buy an entry level 29er mountain bike from Nashbar, with
mechanical discs, for $225. Is it "good?" Probably not for you, but for
the way most people ride mountain bikes it's adequate.

On 2016-01-01 09:17, sms wrote:
On 1/1/2016 8:01 AM, Joerg wrote:

Luckily good MTB nowadays have disc brakes. Yesterday those came in
handy. A buddy and I rode fat bikes on snow, ice, slush and dirt for the
first time. We had a blast. Some of the downhill sections were white
knuckle rides with rear-brake controlled deliberate slides into snow
banks that I wouldn't have dared with rim brakes.

Disc brakes have worked their way down to all but the crappiest
department store mountain bikes. Most any mountain bike with a street
price of $250 or more will have disc brakes, though between street
prices of $250-$400 they will likely be mechanical, not hydraulic.

I.e., you can buy an entry level 29er mountain bike from Nashbar, with
mechanical discs, for $225. Is it "good?" Probably not for you, but for
the way most people ride mountain bikes it's adequate.


Got to try it out first. When I rode the Mongoose Deception a friend had
bought from Walmart the mechanical disc brakes were lousy. No adequate
stopping power. Even after lots of hard stop-and-go cycles nothing at
all improved.

Although I prefer hydraulics I have seen some adequate mechanical disc
brakes that were ok. But rim brakes, no way. They are just no good on an
MTB that is used for all-weather riding. Whenever my road bike gives up,
if it ever does before my earthly body does, I'd replace it with a
cyclocross titanium bike with disc brakes.

Of course, since my ride yesterday I also want a fat bike :-)

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

a quiet scraping or squeaking sound when rolling a bike is abnormal.

....not to pile on but the low investment costs of off the wall ideas brings out the wurst in people.

ah yes that's a MONGOOSE DECEPTION

had me fooled for a moment .....


http://forums.roadbikereview.com/gen...rst-23249.html

On 1/1/2016 1:16 PM, wrote:
ah yes that's a MONGOOSE DECEPTION

had me fooled for a moment .....


http://forums.roadbikereview.com/gen...rst-23249.html


They missed the best tire brand name ever; Dae Yung

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On Friday, January 1, 2016 at 2:23:16 PM UTC-5, AMuzi wrote:
On 1/1/2016 1:16 PM, wrote:
ah yes that's a MONGOOSE DECEPTION

had me fooled for a moment .....


http://forums.roadbikereview.com/gen...rst-23249.html


They missed the best tire brand name ever; Dae Yung

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Ken Da 3 rib

On 2015-12-31 12:04, AMuzi wrote:
On 12/31/2015 1:03 PM, wrote:
I forgot to mention that back in '87 Bikecology billed the Access as
the first affordable high-quality MTB; indeed, a veritable Model T of
a bike. That's why I bought one. Like the original buyers of the Model
T, I couldn't afford a more expensive MTB at the time.


Maybe. Or possibly a Diamond Back Axis with Supergo graphics:

http://www.mtb-news.de/forum/attachm...-1-jpg.412460/


or a rebadged Diamond Back Apex:
http://fcdn.mtbr.com/attachments/vin...l-gedc1027.jpg


or any of a few dozen similar machines.


Back then most of them had these loud colors. Here is my old MTB from
the late 90's:

http://www.analogconsultants.com/ng/bike/Oldmtb2.JPG

Still have it, to take along on biz trips or on rides where bike theft
is a concern. Those Maxxis 1040N tires are better than most of the
newfangled 29" tires, much more sturdy and way better sidewalls. But the
rim brakes are horrid.

The new MTB is white. Beats me why they chose that color. It always
looks dirty. Then again maybe MTBs are supposed to look mud-splattered.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

On 1/1/2016 3:15 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2015-12-31 12:04, AMuzi wrote:
On 12/31/2015 1:03 PM, wrote:
I forgot to mention that back in '87 Bikecology billed
the Access as
the first affordable high-quality MTB; indeed, a
veritable Model T of
a bike. That's why I bought one. Like the original buyers
of the Model
T, I couldn't afford a more expensive MTB at the time.


Maybe. Or possibly a Diamond Back Axis with Supergo graphics:

http://www.mtb-news.de/forum/attachm...-1-jpg.412460/



or a rebadged Diamond Back Apex:
http://fcdn.mtbr.com/attachments/vin...l-gedc1027.jpg



or any of a few dozen similar machines.


Back then most of them had these loud colors. Here is my old
MTB from the late 90's:

http://www.analogconsultants.com/ng/bike/Oldmtb2.JPG

Still have it, to take along on biz trips or on rides where
bike theft is a concern. Those Maxxis 1040N tires are better
than most of the newfangled 29" tires, much more sturdy and
way better sidewalls. But the rim brakes are horrid.

The new MTB is white. Beats me why they chose that color. It
always looks dirty. Then again maybe MTBs are supposed to
look mud-splattered.


I think that purple bike is newer, after U-Brakes, about
1992~94 yes?

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On 2016-01-01 13:29, AMuzi wrote:
On 1/1/2016 3:15 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2015-12-31 12:04, AMuzi wrote:
On 12/31/2015 1:03 PM, wrote:
I forgot to mention that back in '87 Bikecology billed
the Access as
the first affordable high-quality MTB; indeed, a
veritable Model T of
a bike. That's why I bought one. Like the original buyers
of the Model
T, I couldn't afford a more expensive MTB at the time.


Maybe. Or possibly a Diamond Back Axis with Supergo graphics:

http://www.mtb-news.de/forum/attachm...-1-jpg.412460/




or a rebadged Diamond Back Apex:
http://fcdn.mtbr.com/attachments/vin...l-gedc1027.jpg




or any of a few dozen similar machines.


Back then most of them had these loud colors. Here is my old
MTB from the late 90's:

http://www.analogconsultants.com/ng/bike/Oldmtb2.JPG

Still have it, to take along on biz trips or on rides where
bike theft is a concern. Those Maxxis 1040N tires are better
than most of the newfangled 29" tires, much more sturdy and
way better sidewalls. But the rim brakes are horrid.

The new MTB is white. Beats me why they chose that color. It
always looks dirty. Then again maybe MTBs are supposed to
look mud-splattered.


I think that purple bike is newer, after U-Brakes, about 1992~94 yes?


I bought it either in 1997 or 1998 but it is possible that they were
sold for several years before that. Good old steel frame. To me the only
rim brakes worth a dime are those where the cable comes in sideways and
then crosses above to the other side, usually with some bellows
protecting it from mud splatters in the middle. Not sure what they are
called. But nothing beats hydraulic disc brakes.

This is my current ride in its average state of cleanliness:

http://www.analogconsultants.com/ng/bike/Muddy3.JPG

Sometimes the brake calipers are so caked in mud that they can't even be
seen yet they do their job as if that was nothing.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/