What goes around, comes around…What was old is new again…there are a few ways to say it, but retro styling holds a certain appeal for those who recall when that particular trend or aesthetic first became popular. Both Mongoose and Rocky Mountain had some awesome retro-inspired bikes on display at Crankwork Whistler this year, which our more experienced readers may recall from roughly 20 years ago.
Mongoose has decided to produce a small number of near-replicas of their original ATB mountain bike. Nearly every component aside from its modern wheelset looks period-accurate, and the chrome treatment simply screams the 80’s. On the other hand, Rocky Mountain has taken a modern bike and given it an old-school paint job. As a 20th anniversary gift to Wade Simmons, the carbon Maiden seen above was hand-painted to match one of Simmons’ early bikes, and it even includes some phoney logos that’ll surely cause a few double-takes. Check out more pics of each below…
Mongoose ATB
This all-chrome retro machine is based on Mongoose’s original ATB mountain bikes from the mid-late 80’s. At this point only a handful of the new versions have been produced, and a few of them are to be given away through a Facebook contest (check out Mongoose’s FB page for details). However, the old-school bike is already generating a lot of buzz on social media- Mongoose wouldn’t rule out the idea of making a production run in the future so if enough of ye ask, ye may indeed receive…
The ATB features mostly retro parts like the integrated handlebar/stem, thumb shifters, foam grips, cantilever brakes and massive-looking 3x drivetrain, but one part has been brought up to date- The new ATB is rolling on 27.5” wheels with 2.8” skinwall tires.
One of the reissued ATB’s is to be ridden by Chris Akrigg in an upcoming web edit. I was told he really went to the nines for this one (even more than usual, that is), so keep your eyes peeled for this video!
Wade Simmon’s 20th Anniversary Rocky Mountain
Sending it for 20 years is definitely deserving of celebration, let alone doing it while staying faithful to one bike sponsor all along. To honor his 20th anniversary with the company Rocky Mountain thanked Fro-rider Wade Simmons with this awesome retro-painted Maiden, and brought it to show off at Crankwork Whistler.
The Maiden is built up with top-shelf modern components, but its paint scheme is based on Rocky Mountain’s Wade Simmons edition RM7 from 2003. The new bike bears the same silver fleck front fading into green flames over a black rear end, but it also features some unique touches. For starters, all the lettering and logos aren’t stickers- they’re part of the immaculate paint job, which was done by Painthouse Customs.
Near the top tube and seat mast junction a maple-leaf silhouetted 20 marks the milestone anniversary, and phoney Diabolus logos adorn the carbon Race Face SixC bar and crank. Some components like the Saint brakes and Fox suspension were left alone, giving this DH machine a killer ‘resto-rod’ look.
