Photo Epic: Iconic Retro Bikes at The Malverns Classic Retro Show & Shine

Aug 29, 2022
by Nick Bentley  

The winning bike. This amazing Pace one of a kind trials bike has an amazing history behind it - watch out for our bike check coming on this
Photo Epic
Muc-Off Show and Shine Retro Bikes
from The Malverns Classic
Words & Photography by Nick Bentley(Man Down Media)

The Muc-Off Show and Shine returned once again to scratch your yearly itch of retro mountain bike goodness. Every year this show seems to get better and better. With more and more hidden gems coming out of the woodwork, it really is amazing to see the dedication that these owners put into preserving our mountain bike history. You see everything from proper exquisite show ponies to bikes being used as daily drivers still, and everything in between. It is really impossible to know just what's going to be in The Malverns Classic Muc-Off Show and Shine line up from one year to the next. Unfortunately, we couldn't show you every single bike so we took the top 10 judged bikes out for you to have a closer look at.

This Cannondale took second place overall
This Cannondale took second place overall

This Yeti was a beauty and it s great to see some of the period-correct riding gear to go along with the bikes
This Yeti was a beauty and it's great to see some of the period-correct riding gear to go along with the bikes

This is when the mountain bike community is at it s best Sally Hibberd Reid won a National Title at the Malverns Classic on the very type of bike she is holding up here but this Zinn Centaur had been pieced together by the Retro bike community as Sally had always regretted selling it. It was correct down to the smallest detail and it s amazing to see the cycling community make peoples dreams come true
This is when the mountain bike community is at its best Sally Hibberd (Reid) won a National Title at the Malverns Classic on the very type of bike she is holding up here, but this Zinn Centaur had been pieced together by the Retro bike community as Sally had always regretted selling it. It was correct down to the smallest detail and it's amazing to see the cycling community make people's dreams come true

The moment you realize you ve just won
The moment you realize you've just won

Dan Chambers Fisher RS-1 1991 Mert Lawwill suspension
Dan Chambers' Fisher RS-1 1991 Mert Lawwill suspension

photo

The beer tent was rammed full of these amazing bikes
The beer tent was rammed full of these amazing bikes

Every bike had a story to tell and the owners were on hand to share them
Every bike had a story to tell and the owners were on hand to share them

The judging panel had plenty of time to contemplate their high scorers with the top-10 being awarded rosettes there was plenty to deliberate
The judging panel had plenty of time to contemplate their high scorers; with the top-10 being awarded rosettes, there was plenty to deliberate

The judges got up close and personal to check out every last detail
The judges got up close and personal to check out every last detail

Some things haven t really changed
Some things haven't really changed

The Muc-Off Show and Shine took place in the beer tent - what a combination beautiful bikes and beer on tap
The Muc-Off Show and Shine took place in the beer tent - what a combination: beautiful bikes and beer on tap

Tom Lynch s 1998 Cannondale ambulance bike launched in London in 2000
Tom Lynch's 1998 Cannondale ambulance bike was launched in London in 2000

This bike is important for so many reasons. was responsible for helping London Ambulance Service set up this programme where they would use mountain bikes on the streets of London to help Paramedics beat the congestion of London traffic to help save peoples lives. This bike alone is responsible for helping London s paramedics save thousands of lives throughout it s use in which they think they could have gone to the moon and bike atleast with the mileage this bike has done
This bike is important for so many reasons. Tom Lynch was responsible for helping London Ambulance Service set up this programme where they would use mountain bikes on the streets of London to help Paramedics beat the congestion of London traffic to help save people's lives. This bike alone is responsible for helping London's paramedics save thousands of lives throughout its use in which they think they could have gone to the moon and bike at least with the mileage this bike has done

photo

Patrick James Cannondale SM700 1986
Patrick James' Cannondale SM700 1986

photo

photo

Patrick James Muddy Fox Rambler 1985
Patrick James' Muddy Fox ‘Rambler’ 1985

Scott Cord s 1989 Pace T RC 100 trials prototype
Scott Cord's 1989 Pace T RC 100 trials prototype which took the win look out for our full bike check on this gem later on

Everybody loves a big cheque. After winning Scott plans on using his 1000 for taking first prize to cover his race entries for next year - sounds like a great investment to me
Everybody loves a big cheque. After winning Scott plans on using his £1000 for taking first prize to cover his race entries for next year - sounds like a great investment to me! Please excuse the wheelie bin, I'm not quite sure why presentations happened in front of it, but that's real life

Sally Hibberd s Zinn Centaur 531 replica of her race bike
Sally Hibberd's Zinn Centaur 531 replica of her race bike

photo

The Muc-Off Show and Shine really was a treasure trove of some unique bikes
The Muc-Off Show and Shine really was a treasure trove of some unique bikes

Like we said bike companies don t paint them like they used to. The Klein paint jobs were next level
Like we said, bike companies don't paint them like they used to. The Klein paint jobs were next level

This Roberts is just an elegant beauty
This Roberts is just an elegant beauty

Who doesn t love a Specialized Big Hit
Who doesn't love a Specialized Big Hit

This Manitou is a real beauty
This Manitou is a real beauty

It s great to see the story and the detail behind these pieces of our history
It's great to see the story and the detail behind these pieces of our history

Hans Ray was on the judging panel once again
Hans Rey was on the judging panel once again

Bike brands just don t paint bikes like they used to
Bike brands just don't paint bikes like they used to

Being the GTs 50th Anniversary it only appropriate to pick out a beautiful chrome GT
Being the GTs 50th Anniversary it is only appropriate to pick out a beautiful chrome GT

Colin William s Fat Chance Yo Eddy MBUK super bike tribute
Colin William's Fat Chance Yo Eddy MBUK super bike tribute

photo

Chris Beadle s Pace RC100S 1991 was a mever ridden barn find
Chris Beadle's Pace RC100S 1991 was a never ridden barn find

photo

Alex Duberley s Martyn Ashton Beast of the East replica
Alex Duberley's Martyn Ashton Beast of the East replica

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Justin Rixon s Juli Furtado RTS tribute. The bike came from an ex GT employee in the USA with stamped Juli in the frame
Justin Rixon's Juli Furtado RTS tribute. The bike came from an ex-GT employee in the USA with stamped Juli in the frame

photo

Lee Porter s Zinn classic
Lee Porter's Zinn classic

photo


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112 Comments
  • 49 1
 Thank you so much,awesome coverage. 90s bikes were a handful to ride but they looked fantastic. As a once owner of a Pace,my vote goes to the fabulous RC100.
  • 10 2
 I don't if they were a handful at the time as its all we knew.

People did little mods that are standard now and they were brilliant. Obviously todays are better in comparison but they didnt stop anything back then.

Remember having a GT Tequesta mid to late 90s and putting 'wide' bars on (Club Roost) short stem, running a single ring (albeit with only 8 speed!) and doing everything from jumps , street trials to all day epics.

I never for one minute though 'eww this bike is a handful '
  • 1 0
 Cool looking bike - did it ride as stiff as it looks!?
  • 3 0
 @BentonFraser: Ignorance was bliss!
  • 4 0
 @RadBartTaylor: The Pace was brilliant,loved riding that bike and all the history behind it.
Basically Pace founders were enduro motorbike racers and wanted to build their own MTB for training,but didn't know much about mountain bikes so they developed their first bikes with what they knew,motorcycle frame square tubing,and building many parts um house,like forks,headsets bottom brackets and more.
  • 3 0
 Anyone see the retro ride with all the cables routed through the stem into the frame…… no because even back then no one was that f*cking stupid
  • 30 0
 No ”chrome”, but ball burnished on GT's, please!
  • 30 5
 I lived through that age of biking & in a lot of ways biking was better then than now. Sure the bikes were harder to ride but that made it fun. Plus you had to be really physically fit to ride these bikes in the dirt. Not like the candy ass posers that do E-bikes now.
  • 10 0
 Ha! Definitely.
All MTB riders should really try out a blue trail on one of these steeds. Talk about entitlement; kids these days have no idea what riders in the 80s & 90s went through.
  • 4 0
 @Chonky13:
I rode the DH course on my Yeti Ultimate (also on display in the retro show in some of the pics above along with my son’s Attitude) in Saturday at the Malverns…and fell off. Felt like I was flying down but the video shows I was epically slow
  • 2 0
 @Chonky13: we’ve done a few mates retro-enduro days to celebrate birthdays, a bit of DH, Trials, XC, hill climbs and DS on the oldest MTB you can find. Was great fun but I did miss my modern bike by the end. Lol
  • 2 0
 I miss that era sometimes. It was very humbling and rewarding at the same time.
  • 15 0
 That pink cannondale was a mullet before mullet even existed as a bike term
  • 7 0
 and it has a "dropper" post
  • 6 0
 Surprised there was no mention of the 26/24 setup in the article!
  • 4 0
 Yep!
I had a 26/24 Cycle Tech mullet in 1988.
  • 2 0
 @salespunk: He's too young!
  • 12 0
 My age is showing. I owned a number of the oldest bikes shown at various points in my riding career. The best looking was my Klien, but man was that an evil handling bike. Insanely stiff and ready to spit you off at any moment. Rob Roskoppf and I bought them at the same time (before he started Santa Cruz) and pretty much hated them. The best handling bike at the time was my Fat Chance Wicked due to it’s super slack 70 degree head angle. That Hite-Rite dropper was a game changer. Bikes are so good these days.
  • 6 0
 I remember the first time on got on a Fat Chance. It was shocking how well that bike rode. Also some of the best paint jobs out there and on par with Klein IMO.
  • 3 0
 I had an Attitude in 94 like that one in the picture above but in 'night storm' . Sold it like 4 mounths later for that reason, fast but so unforgiving. Switched to Bontrager of which I still own one of. It's really hard to ride that bike after riding anything from the past 10 years. Crazy how much changed.
  • 3 0
 I still have my Fat Chance Wicked that I bought in 1991.......XT thumbshifters , etc.
It was my intro to really nice high end bikes. At the time I couldn't believe how much I was spending on a bike! (how times have changed lol)
Still gets ridden a little bit around the Cape every summer.
  • 11 0
 I wanted to come to Malverns with some retro bikes (mostly Marin's), but it will be for next year.

We had also our smaller retro event here in Belgium 2 weeks ago:

www.vintagemtb.org/photos2022

Got dressed as Tom Ritchey for the 50 years anniversary...
  • 6 0
 I had a roommate years ago that paid someone $300 for a Cannondale SM700 Identical to the one in the article. Had the roller cam brakes and everything. It was around 2010 and he was trying to get into MTB and that was the bike he chose. I remember checking it out and loving it for the retro groove, but not thinking it was a particularly good choice for a first bike especially considering how good bikes had gotten by 2010. Those brakes were pretty terrible by 1996 standards and in 2010 were essentially ineffective.
He decided mtb wasn’t for him and tried to sell the bike to me, you know, since I’m a MTBer, I offered him $75 because it’s what I figured it was worth to me to hang it in my garage as a conversation piece. I’m still not convinced it was an unfair offer.
  • 4 0
 He could repaint it in pink and win!
  • 5 0
 @zoobab2: it was pink. Literally identical to the bike shown.
  • 3 0
 I have seen so many retro bikes rolling around San Francisco. A lot of them are fully original down to the tires.

The riders have no idea what they are on 99% of the time as well. To them they are just cheap/crap bikes.
  • 2 0
 @salespunk: We have a guy by us that commutes on an old Fat Chance, not sure if he knows what it is, but it's in prime commuter shape.
  • 3 0
 @salespunk: i have to go back to SF to ride the Eldridge Grade trail with my Marin 95 of the same name. Last time in 2017 i could not go on the trails with the Napa fires.
  • 6 0
 Retro mountain bikes are kind of like mid-80s punk bands. A couple were actually pretty good and had talent. The rest were just awful, but we were just blind to it in our youth.
  • 8 0
 Some incredible background specimens in this article. Quality.
  • 6 0
 Can someone just post the phone number of Klein’s painter
Even in 90s neon gaudy AF these bikes are still timelessly gorgeous.

Incredible eye for aesthetics there
  • 9 0
 As dope as they were, I do believe they were insanely toxic to produce and seem to remember Klein during late nineties were charged in Washington state at one point(?) Over direct soil/river contamination
  • 4 0
 @MKYSHRP: I love my Klein road bike with it's linear fade of 4 colors. But yes they got caught and fined. After the paint jobs got simplier and they move to Wisconson at the Trek factory. I cant remember the details but it was related to how they cleaned out the spray equipment and disposed of leftovers and solvents. Source ..I had a friend who worked for them in the 90's.
  • 4 0
 I spoke to the owner, it was repainted by Jon Rock @ www.kleinspainted.com :-) it was amazing in the sunshine.
  • 2 0
 @MKYSHRP: I read the same thing somewhere and tried to get more information but to no avail.
  • 2 0
 @topherisking: This pic from kleinspainted is the exact bike I lusted over in the nineties, absolutely stunning, then and now!!

I expect those bike would have sold just on looks alone, even if they were complete garbage.

www.kleinspainted.com/uploads/7/4/7/8/7478091/img-3842-001.jpg
  • 4 0
 Some amazing NOS stuff, some equally amazing resto's, and surprisingly, despite being around this stuff from the early nineties on, a couple brands I can't say I remember (Zinn for one).
The Klein dual colour fade paint jobs were the ultimate, I remember looking at them in LBS's, amazing!!

Also surprised that not a single Mountain Cycle to be seen, they were pretty Kool bikes, never seen one in person, but they got more than their fair share of ink back in the day.

That FUNK, sure looks a lot like an Alpine Star??
  • 1 0
 There was a mountain cycle at the event, not sure if it was entered to the show and shine though.
  • 4 0
 Agreed on the Funk, looks like an AStar to me. They really should have shot the Klein from the front and rear. Front view it was completely green and the rear view it was completely blue.
  • 2 0
 I was there. its a funk, not an alpinestar
  • 1 0
 @tomhoward379: You sure it wasn't the Crosstrac? Didn't see A Mountain Cycle.
  • 1 0
 It's a Funk. The tubes are fatter!
  • 1 0
 @Arfy66: yeah, definitely a red Mountain Cycle, as I say though, may have not entered, might’ve just been at the retrobike tent
  • 5 0
 I used to have one of those yellow helmets. Just closed cell foam and a bit of plastic. My dad used to make me wear it when literally no one wore helmets.
I got bullied by the kids in my village. SeriouslySmile
  • 4 0
 I'm surprised there weren't any geometry and size explorations going on during that era. My old Spooky Metalhead didn't even't stray from the stupid steep head angles. It was just a beefy version of normal for the day.
  • 3 0
 Thank you for this coverage, it made me feel like a kid again, most of the bikes I drooled over back in 1985/86 when I started riding cross country in Corvallis Oregon on my "Montagna" ~ bought from Corvallis Cyclery (still in business over 30 yrs later). My brother has a pristine 1996 Atlanta Olympics Cannondale & I'm sad I sold my Klein Rascal with the gold XC500 Marzocchi ~ Lordy I'm old.
  • 6 0
 the sachs gripshift on the beat of the east. bad/good memories of that!
  • 2 0
 I put the earlier Sach grip shift on my Peugeot in about 95. It had lockout switches. I don't know why.
  • 4 0
 Am I the only one viewing this who is now planning to spend a day cleaning out their garage or shed? "There's gold in them thar cardboard boxes!"
  • 4 0
 "Chris Beadle's Pace RC100S 1991 was a never ridden barn find"
What the .... ?!?!?
I'd love to hear the story behind this....!
  • 3 0
 Imagine a MTB channel dedicated to that,like The Late Brake Show is to cars...I'd be all over that.
  • 1 0
 @nozes: that would be really great nerdy entertainment. Smile
  • 1 0
 Boy...does this article take me back to when I started riding in 1988. I bought the RTS-1 when it first came out. Thing creaked like a screen door in the wind after a couple months! We've come a long way in MB technology for sure!
  • 3 0
 I also had an RTS-1, I must have broken four Noleen rear shocks during one summer.
  • 3 0
 @mcharza: A KHS with that same Noleen shock rolled into the shop just this morning for a spoke change. This one still looks pretty good!
  • 2 0
 the color scheme (i refuse to say colorway. damnit there I go again) on that zinn classic may have just inspired my next build. wow.
  • 4 0
 Klein's had the best paint jobs ever
  • 1 0
 Yep!
And one of the worst FS-bikes ever. (Mantra)
  • 3 0
 The overall finish on these bikes shames current models. Those welds, and paint finish... got me drooling...
  • 1 0
 look at current boutique-frames. Its not really fair to compare mass-market stuff with the high-end niche.
The "cheap" bikes then were way worse in build/weld quality as the stuff most people buy today.
  • 3 0
 Can we all agree bike tire companies need to bring back the natural rubber color?
  • 1 0
 Wish I still had by root beer colored Bighit. I had that frame for half a year before I could afford to build it up. Wonderful feeling hucking to flat on asphalt with that one.
  • 3 0
 If you find yourself in Utah, the Go-Ride bike shops (SLC and Draper) have excellent collections of vintage MTBs.
  • 3 0
 Thr RTS or the Yeti get my vote.
  • 3 0
 I love that beast of the east
  • 2 0
 Great article, Manitou made beautiful horrible suspension. Otherwise love this kind of stuff.
  • 1 0
 Is Martin Ashton's Cannondale an M900? I've got one of those frames sitting in my shed. It doesn't look quite as good as that one though.
  • 2 0
 You wash your mouth out. The BOTE is a timeless beauty!
  • 2 0
 @gibbon-on-an-orange: To be fair BOTE is a moniker seen on quite a few different Cannondale frames. There's an M600 and an M1000, not to mention several m800s all currently listed on eBay. There are also 27.5 2017 frames called BOTE.

sydneymountainbikerescue.wordpress.com/2018/04/27/1994-cannondale-m800-beast-of-the-east

By the way, my 22" M900 is up for grabs, PM me anyone who's interested. ;-)
  • 3 0
 That Fat is a beauty! Wish I kept my YoEddy!
  • 4 0
 Oh look! Gravelbikes Smile
  • 1 0
 Should be like an Eroica race for these machines, owners have to go pedal straight up some ski slope and then fire-road down.
  • 2 0
 They had one in 2017. Former Alpinestars pro Tim Davies won on his A stars TiMega. In his original kit and Giro Hammerhead lid!
  • 2 0
 The front wheel's on backwards on the ambulance bike (based on tire tread and hub logo).
  • 1 0
 Cool old rigs. Reminds me of my 1990 GT Richter 8.0. It was the first year they released front suspension. It was a pretty sweet MTB for it's time period!
  • 1 0
 Huh...I have an 87 Ritchey ultra running xt 7spd, all original, unrestored....be interesting to see what it's worth.
  • 1 0
 Time to make sure the flooding didn't get to it.
  • 1 0
 @Velocipedestrian: it's in a safe place
  • 1 0
 Surprised there are still Ringle Zooka stems around, I went through two face plates on mine and switched to X Lite.
  • 1 0
 X-Lite, made in UK! Very good components avail in different colors!
  • 1 0
 Like the Red cannondale superV4000 in the background wird the Moto in the front
  • 2 1
 Some amazing retro bikes in there. The Kleins were and still are things of beauty.
  • 1 0
 Maybe having the event in the beer garden want such a good idea..the judges were clearly intoxicated.
  • 1 0
 Looks like a lot more time spent in the ice cream and beer tent than riding. Smile
  • 2 1
 Reminds me of when I started riding...Lots of Made in USA products. Now it's 2022 and we can't get shit. Disgusting.
  • 3 0
 They are out there ... REEB, Lenz, Moots, Guerilla Gravity, Lynskey, Alchemy, Ibis (one model), Dean, Envy (one bike), etc. Other who build bikes in US but outscource the frames .. Framed, Fezzari, Revel, etc. I know I missed a lot but you get the idea. Some are really expensive (envy, moots) but REEB and GG are example of competive pricing to main stream.
  • 2 0
 @ExShopRat: Even with the ones not mentioned ,that's slim pickings compared to 30 years ago.
  • 3 0
 @johnd2: Sadly true. I remember selling Treks in the 90's over Giants because I could say they where US made.

Pretty sure I'm going to get a GG or Alchemy as my next trail bike, plan is build with as many US parts as possible. So i9 wheels, stem, MRP or Cane creek shocks that kind of thing. Goal is to put on as many US made parts as I can find and afford.
  • 1 0
 Credit to a lot of ex-aerospace engineers and CNC fabricators driving interest in what was then quite a new industry. Aside from the big-3 nobody was really doing mass production to meet market demands.
  • 1 0
 The orange Raleigh made from Reynolds 853 steel is gorgeous…back when Raleigh made proper bikes.
  • 1 0
 I miss my Beast of the East...some awesome rigs here. I raced NORBA slalom on mine a couple decades and a half ago.
  • 1 0
 Anybody notice Doddy(Andrew Dodd) from gmbn in the Scott Cord holding the winning cheque?
  • 1 0
 He was on the judging panel, so makes sense…
  • 2 0
 This needs to come to the states... Specifically mine please.
  • 1 0
 Most look like fat tire, flat bar, gravel bikes
  • 1 0
 What fork of the Scott Cord's 1989?
  • 1 0
 Pace prototype, they have the same dropouts as their Mk1 RC30 fork.
  • 1 0
 Can't stop looking at all the comfy seats
  • 1 0
 Love it. Syncros, Ringlé and Control Tech everywhere!
  • 1 0
 Complete with a white Halo 24" wheel with Gazzaloddi 3.0. loooord
  • 1 0
 Should have kept my RTS-1!!!
  • 1 0
 Hipsters everywhere are frothing from the beard hole right now.
  • 1 0
 This is so much better than anything on Pinkbike's home page.
  • 1 0
 Cool to see some red DX brakes in use, I should dig mine out.
  • 1 0
 Cordy takes the win , nice one mate
  • 2 0
 u know it lad gotta win at something ey
  • 1 0
 Superb!
  • 1 0
 Sexy.
  • 1 0
 Actual Pink Bike
  • 1 0
 that rts-1 is gorgeous
  • 1 1
 Looks like a session







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