My old Muddy Fox bike, perfect

[CazPaul]

Muddy Fox, bought in 1984, not used now for 9 years, been stored outside in an open fronted shelter alongside 2 modern Giant bikes.
The 2 Giant bikes have rust everywhere, look in a sorry state.
The old Muddy Fox is still pristine, not a bit of rust, I pumped the tyres up yesterday, took it for a ride, everything works perfect, all year changes really smooth, derailleur perfect, you can keep your 2 grand E bikes, I have 2 legs and can pedal
No doubt they don't make em like that anymore, they probably have gone bust or something, not checked so don't know.
it's now in the M H garage, lovely.

 

[scotjimland]

MFox sold out years ago and been through many hands, currently brand owned by Sports Direct .. say no more.

also a cycling fan, on and off road.. but mostly road cycling .. wife fell off recently and broke her wrist so out of action for a few weeks

we had two Kalkhoff e-bikes and sold them..

keep on pedalling .. keeps you fit and healthy.

 

[bigtree]

My first mountain bike was a Muddy Fox Courier,bought it second hand around 1986/7. Got me hooked on mountain biking and have had various bikes since then,currently riding a GT Xizang 29r. Titanium doesn’t rust.

 

[scotjimland]

How about a photo.. @CazPaul

 

[dalspa]

Bought a Muddy Fox cycling top (unworn) in a charity shop a few days ago, £2.99. Lovely top, very pleased. Have seen Muddy Fox in Sports Direct shops.
I started out biking on mountain bikes, have still got an Orange P7 up in the roof, not ridden for at least ten years. When away with MH I ride a Specialized Sirrus, preferring 700 wheels with narrower tyres to 26” wheels with fat nobly tyres - most of our riding is on tarmac/solid surfaces. At home I mostly ride my old Giant OCR road bike, usually a couple of 30 mile rides a week (hard non stop rides). Love getting out on bike - I do nearly as many bike miles in a year as in my car! Great out on bike at the moment as so easy to put on minimum of gear - unlike in the winter when umpteen layers are needed! Ride on.

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[CazPaul]

MFox sold out years ago and been through many hands, currently brand owned by Sports Direct .. say no more.

also a cycling fan, on and off road.. but mostly road cycling .. wife fell off recently and broke her wrist so out of action for a few weeks

we had two Kalkhoff e-bikes and sold them..

keep on pedalling .. keeps you fit and healthy.

yes agree Jim, funny enough I just bought Ca, a sedone hand Kalkhoff e bike

How about a photo.. @CazPaul

Yes no probs Jim, its in the MH garage as I said and I,m just off to work, I know its an awful word on here.

At the weekend I will post a photo, my next question was has anybody got a used dog trailer for the back or can recommend a decent new one.

 

[CazPaul]

View attachment 240488 My first mountain bike was a Muddy Fox Courier,bought it second hand around 1986/7. Got me hooked on mountain biking and have had various bikes since then,currently riding a GT Xizang 29r. Titanium doesn’t rust.

Mine is a Courier competition, I bought it new for £200, the place where I worked in 1984 were selling muddy fox and this didn't sell because it was more expensive than the standard ones they sold, they reduced this to half price so I bought it, it was up for sale at just under £400. A lot of money back then for a bike.

 

[funflair]

I bought a Specialised Rock Hopper in Edinburgh about 1985 when it was about the only place you could buy them, next door but one was a Muddy Fox shop and yes it about £400 (the Rockhopper not the shop) some of these old bikes are quite collectable now but mine wasn't standard enough.

Multicolour paint job, no suspension, no disk brakes, toe clips,

the early days of Mountain bike racing in the North East.

Martin

 

[Blue Knight]

That brings back fond memories. I had one in the early 90's and loved it.

 

[bigtree]

I bought a Specialised Rock Hopper in Edinburgh about 1985 when it was about the only place you could buy them, next door but one was a Muddy Fox shop and yes it about £400 (the Rockhopper not the shop) some of these old bikes are quite collectable now but mine wasn't standard enough.

View attachment 240494

Multicolour paint job, no suspension, no disk brakes, toe clips,

the early days of Mountain bike racing in the North East.

Martin

I just sold my 1990 Dave Yates Diabolo for decent money,hadn’t used it for years. The old bikes had horrible angles compared to the new bikes which handle so much better.

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[funflair]

I just sold my 1990 Dave Yates Diabolo for decent money,hadn’t used it for years. The old bikes had horrible angles compared to the new bikes which handle so much better.

We have a Dave Yates Tandem and have had for the past 30 years,

Martin

 

[bigtree]

We have a Dave Yates Tandem and have had for the past 30 years,

View attachment 240507

Martin

The business closed recently,although the boy I sold my bike to contacted him to get it refurbished.

 

[funflair]

The business closed recently,although the boy I sold my bike to contacted him to get it refurbished.

I know Dave was living out in Lincolnshire or someplace similar, living off the land and doing the odd frame building course, I remember about 30 years ago I built a carbon mountain bike frame and showed it to Dave at York rally, he was most derogatory about "plastic bikes" and said they would never catch on

Martin

 

[bigtree]

It had a Flite Ti saddle and Ti seatpost before it got nicked out of my wife’s work (police headquarters in Glasgow),after passing through several hands a guy turned up at the mountain bike club with it. Took him down to the cop shop and I eventually bought it back from the insurance company.

 

[Guigsy]

When away with MH I ride a Specialized Sirrus, preferring 700 wheels with narrower tyres to 26” wheels with fat nobly tyres - most of our riding is on tarmac/solid surfaces.

(Proper) mountain bikes have change A LOT in the past few years. 26" wheels have disappeared to be replaced by 27.5" and 29". Tyres have got bigger and more aggressive, but tubeless means they roll far easier than even the skinny stuff from years ago. And the geometry is really odd now. Really short stems, stupid wide bard and really long and slack head angles. I've recently got back into it and they are SOOOO much faster and more capable than before, it's scary.

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[CazPaul]

How about a photo.. @CazPaul

Bike still in MH garage Jim, we are setting off for Germany 7am Friday so will take some photos whilst over there, planning on getting plenty of cycling done. Will post when we return in 2 weeks, usually have 2 weeks off from the computer whilst away, a complete break.

 

[CazPaul]

Here is me @scotjimland on the old muddy fox with the bike trailer and the hounds.

 

[scotjimland]

Here is me @scotjimland on the old muddy fox with the bike trailer and the hounds.

me in the south of France.. with one of the hounds .. hard work these dog trailers..

since sold the bike and the trailer..

 

[CazPaul]

me in the south of France.. with one of the hounds .. hard work these dog trailers..

since sold the bike and the trailer..

View attachment 244895

Do you not take the dogs with you now then when out cycling?

 

[Popeye]

It takes a special kind of guy to wear Pink and get away with it Martin........

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[scotjimland]

Do you not take the dogs with you now then when out cycling?

no, cycling at home they generally stay in the garden ..

we sold the motorhome and now use a caravan without taking bikes

 

[Lenny HB]

The boss's Muddy Fox in the shed bought in the early 80's tipped my one after I damaged it. Also in the shed a couple of Specialized Rock Hoppers 10 years old not ridden for 3 years since we bought the Scot e-bikes did do the London to Brighton on them a few years ago.

 

[CazPaul]

The boss's Muddy Fox in the shed bought in the early 80's tipped my one after I damaged it. Also in the shed a couple of Specialized Rock Hoppers 10 years old not ridden for 3 years since we bought the Scot e-bikes did do the London to Brighton on them a few years ago.

They don't make em like that anymore so get it repaired and get out in it

 

[funflair]

It takes a special kind of guy to wear Pink and get away with it Martin........

Still got it but it's faded a bit

so has the shirt

Martin

 

[Lenny HB]

They don't make em like that anymore so get it repaired and get out in it

They are all working.

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[CazPaul]

Still got it, rides so smooth after all these years, lovely bicycle. Tange frame whatever that meant.

 

[Lenny HB]

The boss's Muddy Fix about the same vintage is still in the shed along with his & hers Specialized those are a lot newer I think 2006 they are still nice to ride.

 

[Guigsy]

Still got it, rides so smooth after all these years, lovely bicycle. Tange frame whatever that meant.


View attachment 985884View attachment 985885View attachment 985886View attachment 985887View attachment 985888

Tange is quality chromoly steel. Cantilever brakes with a stem pulley is definitely of its time. And biopace chainrings are one of Shimano's most stupid ideas (they got the angles completely wrong). If it had elevated chainstays, you'd have the most fashionable bike of '89.

 

[CazPaul]

Tange is quality chromoly steel. Cantilever brakes with a stem pulley is definitely of its time. And biopace chainrings are one of Shimano's most stupid ideas (they got the angles completely wrong). If it had elevated chainstays, you'd have the most fashionable bike of '89.

Regardless it still runs beautiful never had a spanner or service

 

[Guigsy]

My Saracen Sahara Elite with a Tange double butted frame (black with fluorescent pink decals) was pretty similar. After years of abuse, I got a new bike and it was relegated to beater status. It was my daily runabout in Brum about 15 years ago when it got nicked from the flat's bike rack. Then it reappeared a few years later with new wheels (it was definitely mine, it had the same incorrect thumb shifters, Fred Salmon bar ends and titanium Flite "butt wedge" saddle). I assume someone else had bought it, I was happy it was still being used.

I've still got my wife's 90s Specialized Rock Hopper. She got it before we started dating. I'm pretty sure she bought it just so she could go "cycling" in the woods with me. The bike was barely ridden...

It's currently a thing to turn late 90s and early 2000s steel mountain bikes into gravel bikes. The geometry is pretty similar and the Tange/Ritchey/Reynolds chromo steel they used rides really nice.

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