Sea Otter gallery, pt 7: Retro mountain bikes

Sea Otter gallery, pt 7: Retro mountain bikes

Classics on display from Breezer, Litespeed, Mountain Cycle and more

It's not just the latest bikes and components that show up at Sea Otter

Josh Patterson / Immediate Media

Josh Patterson

It's not just the latest bikes and components that show up at Sea Otter - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
Each year Haro does several signature BMX models to commemorate past favorites. This 84 Dominguez Sport is already sold out - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
The market for vintage BMX components is hot, so Haro has to mark all the components to ensure they're not sold as collector's items - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
Mike Dominguez was an early freestyle BMX legend who helped pioneer BMX vert riding long before the X-Games existed - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
Not comfortable, but very period correct - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
No carbon here: these Skyway rims are constructed from a Nylon composite - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
Joe Breeze is back in the game with modern mountain bikes. This Breezer Series 1 was built in 1978 - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
This particular Breezer was built for fellow mountain bike pioneer Charlie Kelly. It's on loan from the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
Litespeed had this vintage Tellico on display at its booth - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
The Tellico has a titanium stem and a narrow Titec handlebar. What's up with those shifters? - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
A Grip Shifter operates the front derailleur... - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
...and a Suntour XC Expert thumb lever shifts through the 8-speed cassette - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
An XTR crankset on the front of the Litespeed Tellico (Look at all those chainrings!) - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
8-speed XTR: the gold standard in shifting performance for retro-grouches - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
That's not Kashima. Most RockShox SIDs with the gold titanium nitride coating on the stanchions quickly lost their luster. This owner kept his in excellent condition by frequently replacing the wiper seals - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
The Litespeed Tellico is constructed from 6/4 Ti tubing. The 6/4 Ti alloy is harder than the more common 3/2.5 blend used for most titanium frames. It's also much harder to work with - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
That's a funny looking RS-1... Actually, this is Marzocchi's RAC fork. Developed in the year 2000, the RAC was the first inverted mountain bike fork with carbon fiber uppers - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
This Mountain Cycle San Andreas was on display at the 6D booth. (6D co-founder Robert Reisinger also founded Mountain Cycle) - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
Hayes Mag brakes were THE disc brake back in the day - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
A Manitou Nixon on the front of the San Andreas - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media
Rear suspension on the San Andreas comes in the form of a Manitou Swinger shock - Josh Patterson / Immediate Media

The Sea Otter Classic is generally a time for the bike companies to show-off their latest creations, but this year there were a fair number of vintage models on display as well. In such a technology-driven sport, it's amazing to take a look in the rearview mirror to see just how far we've come in a few short decades.

Rigid bikes, non-dropping seatposts and 26in wheels were the norm once upon a time. As were narrow handlebars and skinny tires.There's plenty of innovation to reflect on, too. Ideas that didn't make it very far — sometimes because they were really, really bad— and others that were just a bit too far ahead of the times. Take a walk down memory lane in this retro mountain bike gallery.

This particular breezer was built for fellow mountain bike pioneer charlie kelly. it's on loan from the mountain bike hall of fame

Classic mountain bikes stood out from the crowd of the latest carbon wünderbikes

Josh Patterson

Contributor

Josh Patterson is a BikeRadar contributor and former technical editor. He has spent most of his career working in the cycling industry as an athlete, mechanic and journalist. He holds a master's degree in journalism and has more than 20 years of experience as a cyclist and 12 years of experience riding and writing for BikeRadar, Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Dirt Rag, RoadBikeReview and Outside Magazine. A native of the Flint Hills of Kansas, Josh was a pioneer in the gravel cycling movement, having raced the first Unbound 200 and many other gravel events around the globe. He considers himself a cycling generalist and enjoys road, gravel and mountain biking in equal measure. When not traveling for work, he can be found exploring the singletrack and lonely gravel roads that surround his home in Fort Collins, Colorado. In addition to his love of cycling, Josh is an enthusiastic supporter of brunch, voting rights and the right to repair movement.
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