i owned one of these in the '90s. I loved that bike. At about 8:40 Seth talks about how good it rides over small bumps, so true. I always said "this bike shines on washboarded roads". Mine had a folding frame. You took off the wheels, seat and pedals and folded the frame and put it in the extra cost soft sided luggage.I traveled with it many times. Back then the airlines let you travel with 2 checked suitcases, no charge.They always asked me "Is there a bike in the case". I always answered honestly,"yes". They always charged me $35 for the bike. After a few trips I got tired of the extra charge just because the "suitcases" contents (the bike). So I had another trip coming up and took a S Sharpie and wrote "EXERCISE MACHINE" on the outside of the suitcase. They never asked again what was in the case. I never got charged again and I slept very well.

@mpodolsky11

Жыл бұрын

@@soarstarI still don't know why I sold mine. I didn't realize Slingshot was still in business. I've recently thought a Slingshot 29er would be a winner. I might have to take another look at them. What is the weight of your Ti bike?

@mpodolsky11

Жыл бұрын

@@soarstar Thanks, on certain rides(Slick Rock, Moab) I often think, do I need the weight of rear suspension? I think not. I often thought of a hardtail 29er. The Slingshot frame makes it more interesting

@dreadcoil

Жыл бұрын

Big W

@Cj-yw8cs

Жыл бұрын

One does not exercise on a bike! One ENJOYS ....on a bike👍

@petejackson3687

Жыл бұрын

I rode one of these I worked at freewheeler Bike Shop Grand Rapids Michigan where these originally came from and they could get into a tank slapper in the blink of an eye

PLEASE make this historical review of mountain bikes (including riding) a recurring series. I used to drool over the crazy designs of early suspension bikes as a kid. They were so far out of my budget, they might as well have been an exotic car.

@eclassfb9335

11 ай бұрын

Haha, same!!

Maybe I'm getting old, but I like this era for not being standardized. So many interesting and weird designs floating around back then!

@senorspiegel

Жыл бұрын

You are old

@MikeR65

Жыл бұрын

@@senorspiegel your never going to make old age with that attitude.

@markpeterson8978

Жыл бұрын

Agreed

@svmango

Жыл бұрын

I ride a 1997 (I bought it in 97) Cannondale Super V on the regular. 👍

@BaldyTheOnlyOne

Жыл бұрын

@@svmango you're 4 years ahead of me; I ride a crack n' fail jekyll 600 lefty from 2001. Still going strong!

I actually raced both a Slingshot road bike and mountain bike for years (up till about 2006). The later 2000 slingshots were easy to take apart and pack in a small case for race travel. My car was eventually stolen when the bike was in the trunk. And that - for me - was the end of slingshot. But it was a great race bike. I also raced the Proflex - another early FS bike. Glad to be on the new modern Ellsworth Truth now. But they were fun days.

@zakidickinson7376

Жыл бұрын

I've got a old blue pro flex sat in my cellar right now, needs getting out amd riding 👍🏼

@phonetech1109

Жыл бұрын

Was the stolen bike red with mismatched tires by any chance?

@MS-pw8yu

Жыл бұрын

@@zakidickinson7376 Do it! I got sent a 656 that I stripped down and fully restored. I always loved the aesthetics of Proflex bikes (but was too poor to buy one new) and I love the looks I get when I ride up into town for a coffee. Big-ass shiny fork legs for the win!

@johncopple6479

Жыл бұрын

I thought they made a rode bike.! Thx for confirming. Also Bob Roll raced on a Proflex MTB as a pro. Back in his mutton chop side burns Harley Davidson riding years !

@deusexaethera

Жыл бұрын

I had a blue/silver ProFlex 756 from 1998 to 2018. Around 2008 I sent the rear swingarm to a guy to have disc brake tabs welded onto it. Eventually I sold the frame and took the upgraded parts I'd accumulated over the years and installed them on a red/black ProFlex 857, which I gave to my dad as sort of an indefinite loaner bike. Currently I have a 2011 Christini AWD and a 2016 GT Zaskar 100 with a _very_ strange set of parts on it.

These were designed and built in my hometown, Grand Rapids Michigan. Started in 1982. Thanks for the video Seth!

@laineridley2143

Жыл бұрын

That’s awesome. I didn’t know that. I’m from South Haven so that’s pretty close to home for me.

@themeatpopsicle

Жыл бұрын

The guys that started Slingshot really have a vendetta against downtubes. Check out Alter Cycles

@aaronpyre

Жыл бұрын

Also the parts are still available to replace

@Modrunnermusic

Жыл бұрын

Hi from michigan too! Love our local brands

@aaronpyre

Жыл бұрын

Crazy to think that Slingshot & Nukeproof started down the street from each other in GR

90s bike designers were something else back then

@hard2600

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, nowadays, the bikes just long and boring

@bobsturgis4674

Жыл бұрын

I don!t ride hard like you guys do.But my Klein attitude comp hard tail is great for me.I would not Sell it at all.

@username8171

Жыл бұрын

For sure ! I still have my Cannondale Super V Raven from 1998. A buddy still has his " two wheel drive " bike he bought used back around 2004.

@jeroen81

Жыл бұрын

I wished I still have my 1997 Santos MTB. My first proper "expensive" mountainbike. I was one of the first to buy a Santos after I spotted them on a bike fair in 1997. I mentioned Santos to my bike shop and they said they were going to be a dealer after they saw them on that same fair. It had everything XT, bright blue with a bright yellow Indy SL fork. Man, was I proud of that bike.

@danmanthe9335

Жыл бұрын

I still rock a Specialized Stumpjumper for a commuter!

If you have a rigid fork for them, they make a great conversion for an ATB for off-road touring as they're very comfortable to ride. There was a version of the frame that had a steel leaf spring reinforcing the flex board to eliminate the side to side movement. The stem is post 2010s going from the colors and labeling, 2000s era Easton CNT parts were yellow/white for the most part on their labels/colors. As to the life of old carbon parts, if it was made by a company intelligent enough to use an epoxy that didn't weaken in UV light (aka riding in sunlight) and it wasn't overloaded then it's lifespan could easily be measured in decades. Klein's Stratum 99 flat bar was once fatigue tested for a "are bars too lightweight" article in bicycle magazine and of the three sample bars they had, one went past a MILLION cycles on the machine when the operator simply switched it off.

@TheJohnreeves

Жыл бұрын

"it's lifespan could easily be measured in decades" It has been decades, I'd be a little concerned about it too.

@DeeEight

Жыл бұрын

@@TheJohnreeves The frame has been decades... but that stem and bar have not.

@anthonylarson7919

Жыл бұрын

I have rigid on my 91 Sling Shot....no need for shox....it glides over sooo smoothly. I get tons of people sliding by to check it out,,,, best bike ever

@JurisKankalis

Жыл бұрын

@@TheJohnreeves Uhm.... yeah - but as someone who often works outside on engineering networks - the most robust and long-lived parts - are usually made of plastic. Both steel and AL and wood rot and decay - plastic just goes and goes and goes.

@deusexaethera

Жыл бұрын

The only thing rigid forks are good for is bruising your wrists if you hit a bump wrong. There is no reason to bother with them. You can tune a suspension fork to be as stiff as you want over small bumps while still saving you from injury on large bumps; if you don't know how to do that, that's user error.

I mountain biked in the 80's on a Specialized Stumpjumper with no suspension or disc brakes and it was great. Triple crank and in those days paid around 900 dollars for the bike which was considered very expensive for a bike. Rode everything imaginable because there were no bike parks or designated mountain bike trails. Now own a Specialized full suspension, carbon fiber Specialized stumpjumper that I paid 4500 for and that isn't even considered extravagant these days. 68 years old, two artificial hips and still mountain biking. Thanks for the videos.

@johndef5075

Жыл бұрын

I started in 1990. Its amazing how fast we went on those rigid and hardtails back then.

@gregghershberger7968

Жыл бұрын

@@johndef5075 Miss those days of being too young and stupid to know better. No fear, now I ride a lot more conservative. Don't heal as fast.

@christopheroliver148

Жыл бұрын

I wish I could find one in good shape for cold weather commuting. I've an 1980 Trek 510 I've set up as a townie, but the rear brake bridge isn't going to let me put anything much bigger than a 28mm tire, and those stink over rutted ice.

@gregghershberger7968

Жыл бұрын

@@christopheroliver148 Yea I regret selling mine.

@guylord3837

9 ай бұрын

I started riding in 1987. I have yet to ride an fs that really impresses me. Now I mostly ride my fully rigid plus bike. And, of course, it’s a steel frame.

Dude, that quick release in the frame is because it's a "folding frame" version. Take it out, and fold it in half for easy transport. As I recall, that was a later production option. These things were everywhere in Michigan in the early 90's when I was racing there. They really did work well. They had some promotional material back in the day with back to back tests showing their design was faster than traditional bikes by over a minute on a ~5 mile loop or something like that.

@VaughnRhinehart

11 ай бұрын

How does that work with the whole epoxy thing? Was the epoxy not added from the factory?

@carlhansen9512

11 ай бұрын

@@VaughnRhinehart it pivots on the seat tube.

So impressed with your 'service of others' mindset. For ex, selling the bike for less that you paid for it (not to mention the public bike park). It makes me proud to watch your videos. Those little things add up to a successful channel. Love your commitment, thanks man!

I rode one back in the late 90’s in southern Utah. It was amazing back then. I loved how it could be folded and fit in a smaller bike box. Thanks for bringing back a fond memory.

5:30 I love the machining on that front sprocket. How the light hits the curves and causes a gentle flow from light to dark and then has a well-placed ridge to cause a harsh line. Reminds me of how fantasy swords are in some Final Fantasy games and such. But IRL with real photonic ray tracing. haha

@JurisKankalis

Жыл бұрын

That's classic XTR for you. The bike really is top end as Seth says - judging by the equipment level. Mostly everything is XTR on it. People on ebay are crazy about those three letters.

@deusexaethera

Жыл бұрын

Well, Shimano parts are made in Japan, so the shared aesthetic makes sense.

I’m actually building up the 00s-10s version of the slingshot where it has two top tubes and is only disc brake compatible, but so glad to see what the potential of my bike will be. These are such weird bikes and I love them for it

@Eduardo_Espinoza

Жыл бұрын

Cool, i see, it's like the crazy BMW bike, where the front suspension is 2 arms with a coil over inside. :)

@anthonylarson7919

Жыл бұрын

91 Sling Shot owner here, don't put Shox on it.... the "sling shot" is from being shot out of turns. Hit the berms, collapse the frame and it "shoots" you out of corners. It is epic. I'll never get rid of mine. Best mt bike ever. You really get a "feel" of the terrain. Other bikes just seem weird and heavy...

Can we just all take a little moment to appreciate the effort Seth puts into these videos, we really appreciate your time and effort, thanks for entertaining us as well as always learning us something new! Keep it up.

@deusexaethera

Жыл бұрын

*teaching* us something new.

@suspicioustumbleweed4760

Жыл бұрын

I take a moment to thank my parents and Jesus I’m not thanking dumbass Seth. He’s having fun and making money doing this he doesn’t need his balls washed

My first MTB was a Slingshot. I still have it, but I only ride on the road. Your description of the back triangle is correct. It can move from side to side.

What an example of the ingenuity that companies had to have to try something new. I started racing mountain bikes in 1994 and this was an awesome bike back then! Loved my Quad 21 fork from back in the day...if you can remember how big a step up the Judy was, you are a MTB OG!

@cartuner11

Жыл бұрын

Big improvement over the Mag 21 😂

My uncle was friends with the owner so I actually got to go to the their shop back in the 90’s when I was a kid. One of the team riders was there and he a trails bike set up and was jumping up on one of the old cars in the parking lot. Which at that time was something I had never seen before. So even though I’ve never got to ride one these bikes. I’ve always had appreciation for them just because of that experience.

I love vintage MTB! Don't get me wrong, I think modern MTB awesome and are light years ahead but there is a lot of nostalgia for me because of my age. From the age of 16 I was seriously into MTB. For 3 decades I rode hard and became deeply involved in the MTB scene which was, at the time, a new sport. I am 52 and I have permanent nerve damage, that handicaps me literally. But when I ride now I ride in a way where I am savoring every little aspect. From that feeling of the friction shifter to the way the cranks feel as they rotate I register and revel in these tiny details. I recently purchased a 1997 Pro-Flex 857 Expert Series in mint condition. and I love it. Thank you for covering vintage mountain biking in addition to all the other Rad content you're cranking out! You Rock Brother! - M

Whoooo boy. Remember seeing those in magazines and being curious as to how they rode. Feeling super old right now Seth. Also, Seth's point about modern gravel bikes being more capable off road than 90's mtb's is completely correct. I feel less sketchy riding funky stuff on my gravel bike today than I did in the 90's on my mtb.

love the old school bike content, seth. keep it up!

I think what a lot of people are amazed at is how you go up that stair set on that bridge, I mean I had to re-watch that like five times cuz that was just so smooth

@CumminsTurbo4

Жыл бұрын

Same. Wish I could do that!

@TheHerrMan

Жыл бұрын

I was like bruh he just went up 4 steps in one shot

I rode the Indy C version of that Rock Shox fork up until 2015. 60-some mm of elastomer suspension, no rebound control. It honestly worked on all trails unless you were jumping. I have a much more modern, capable setup now. But I still had a blast on the old rig.

@chadthomasriggs

Жыл бұрын

God... I rode a Judy TT until 2015. Spring on spring on.. Well.... Nothing.

Raced my 1990 Mongoose Hilltopper fully rigid in local amateur races from DH to XC in the 90s- at the time many of the races didn’t even have a category- it was just a mtb race and word of mouth would let you know whether it was more singletrack or DH oriented. It was a great era because come race day you’d see all sorts of weird suspension get ups- some home made and some from some company. I remember the first RockShox suspension fork I saw and thinking two things- wow that’s amazing and dude must rich. Lol. But man do today’s bike’s kick butt. Back then I had to still have my 20” bmx Mongoose Californian for jumps and fun, as a 90s mtb was a death trap for stuff like that. Now, I take my Bronson everywhere and it does it all. This vid was a great trip down memory lane. Thanks Seth. 🤙

Thank you for this. I have always wanted a slingshot and seeing one ride in full glory made my morning.

Love 90's bikes and the many variety of out of this world design, different use of metals/carbon and suspension ideas. Definitely a high era of mtbs'. Many years back I bought a 90's Mountain Cycle San Andreas for a $AU150 = $US100+. Seller told me it was his former room mate's bike and he knows nothing about bike stuff. I used it for many years and even took it to a lot of amateur bike events with a few of my friends. It sure attracts a lot of attention because of the design and very green color/red Judy DH fork. Don't use it as often since getting a new bike, but am going to restore and re-purpose it somehow when I get enough money.

I swear 90s bikes are cooler

@eris-cs

Жыл бұрын

and weirder

@dheeraj13283

Жыл бұрын

Ok Boomer 😂

@late221

Жыл бұрын

Every thing from 90s is better

@Mikesonbikes

Жыл бұрын

1890's?

@eg4760

Жыл бұрын

We have 3D printed Ti and Steel bikes, gearboxes, carbon linkage forks, and many more out there cool tech. But yeah if you only look at Spé, Trek, Giant and any other main players bikes, then those are rad but keep in mind this bike should be compared to Pole, Atherton, Terra, Ministry, Acto5, Trinity and so on, not boring mainstream bikes.

Makes my 2003 Klein Palomino look cutting edge! I started MTB in '86 and pouring through the magazines with a new way to tackle suspension every other month was so much fun and such an amazing time of creative innovation

Wow this makes me feel so old right now, it really takes me back I remember when the slingshots first came out I was in my late teens and was into Mtn biking and BMX hardcore. I also remember drooling over it when my local bike shop got one in as a display. Those were the days when I was riding a sick ass splatter paint Dyno Detour with a Laid Back seat post, gyro and mag wheels. Wish I still had my Dyno 😔

Seth I don't know how you keep finding interesting mtb stuff to make videos of! 🤘🏼🤙🏼🙏🏼

I love this video. I am a bit of quirky technology from the 90s myself. You should look for a bike that has Cunningham style roller cam rim brakes. I had a 85 Univega Alpina Ultima that had the roller cam brakes with custom-made covers. The rear brake was mounted underneath the chain stays by the bottom bracket because it was stronger and had less flex under hard braking. I paired it with a hite Rite dropper, shoulder carry, and big bar ends. I think this would be a really interesting series, reviewing some of the old technology through the years.

My friend was a slingshot sponsored XC racer in the early 90's. When she rode into my front yard with it I thought it was the coolest bike I had ever seen.

I had the fortune of riding one of these when they first came out. Was on a local bike trail and the guy was awesome to let me ride this piece of history. Definitely a unique experience. It really did dampen the fast shattering. Thanks for sharing this!

There was a Sling-shot BMX frame too. It was for fast starts at races. The idea was the your body and back wheel could start moving before your front wheel moved, and before the gate fell. You'd be inches ahead of the pack as the gate fell, giving you an unfair advantage of a hole-shot. Your wheel had to be touching the gate and the ground before the gate started moving. If you pulled away from the gate early or tried to go over the gate, it was called "jumping the gate", and I think they gave you a last place finish. When I started racing BMX, jumping the gate was legal. My back wheel would be hitting the gate as it fell. They banned it because people would start a foot behind the gate and get a running start.

@chadthomasriggs

Жыл бұрын

That's awesome! I can imagine this lead to some pretty killer face plants as well!

@Anderson_999

Жыл бұрын

We used to do this. One time the gate didn't fall during practice and my buddy flipped over the gate and his arm was under it when it did fall a second later, severe break.

I had a Pro Flex in the early 90's and I thought that was weird! I've never heard of this bike. What an interesting concept..

Back in 2016 I did a ride in Boulder CO when I moved here from FTL. It was a vintage MTB ride. Had to be early 90's and older. It was also a ride for Fat Chance bikes. A guy had a Slingshot and man what a hit that was! I bought a $150 rigid 1991 Specialized Rockhopper, added new tires and sent it as is! I got to ride the Slingshot and it was crazy! Riding behind it coming down through Betasso Reserve the guy was sending it hard! It came out of corners like nothing I have seen before! Probably the most fun I have had on a bike! Thanks for stirring up that memory!

More weird bikes on the channel! This was awesome!!!🤘🏼

I had that exact Nashbar handlebar - purchased in 2010. It's carbon wrapped aluminum. Might pull off one of the grips and take a peek - it's safer than you think. 👍

Now I want to see a video of Doddy from GMBN geeking out over this bike and its mouthwatering high end parts. You both should do a video together one day, maybe at Whistler or Berm Peak :)

@islandlightphotodotcom7162

Жыл бұрын

Im pretty sure gmbn did a vid about this like 3 yrs ago, just do a 'mtb slingshot' search you'll see it

Your genuine interest in bike history, and open minded reviews of them are awesome. Keep up the good work!

You need to do an episode on the Schwinn 4 banger. Man, that bike was special. Everything about it from the paint to the unique suspension design and it rode like a dream. One of the best FS bikes ever made!

Now that's a high pivot bike! Way ahead of its time 😉

more bike history from you would be amazing , loved this video Seth

I owned a sling shot. I raced it in cross country and dual slalom races and even won a DS competition on it. I have very fond memories of that bike. Thanks for the video!!

Awesome seeing something of those weird niche dead end technologies that never went anywhere. Though I am crying softly a little at all the digs at 3x9 unclutched derailleur drivetrains since that's what I'm currently still riding

@JurisKankalis

Жыл бұрын

Nothing wrong with them. Have myself abt. 10 bikes - both ready and in parts - that still have 3x9. The biggest improvement that I've felt when transitioning over to 29 (have also 5 of those more modern ones) - is literally that - the bigger wheel size that rolls faster and easier. As to the drivetrain - I think the modern 36 or 38 SINGLE sprocket in the front - is rather a downgrade than an improvement, sadly, on many modern 29ers you cannot fit three sprockets in front - due to the frame design. Which is annoying as hell.

I remember those, never saw one in person but I always had the latest Mountain Bike Action magazine back then

As some others say in the comments... We would to see more videos of older bikes. Your reviews are solid gold!!

I finally get it, thank you. I’ve never seen one in person, I thought the flex plate was a hinge, I didn’t understand how these didn’t fold up when jumped, I do now! Excellent video

The 90's were awesome. Couldn't wait for the latest mountain bike magazines to come out to see the crazy new suspension ideas. Unfortunately that lead to the "Downhill Era" where bigger was better and a lot of folks bought bikes they soon regretted.

@deusexaethera

Жыл бұрын

The "Downhill Era" never ended. Look at how people (on KZread, at least) ride bikes nowadays. It's all jumps and whoops and crap like that. If you don't pedal uphill, you don't deserve to coast downhill.

90s were awesome for bike suspension evolution. I had a Proflex Animal that was a single pivot rear with Girvin fork upfront and elastomer suspension. Great when it worked, total nightmare when it didn't. Also had a Boulder Starship (Seth you should seek one of these out) that I still have though retired. This had the rear shock as an integral part of the top tube. My particular bike was in a MBR magazine in 2011 (I think) as one of the sexiest mountain bikes of all time 😁

@deusexaethera

Жыл бұрын

The best thing I ever did for my ProFlex 756 was replace the rear elastomer shock with a Noleen NR-4 coilover, and replace the entire Girvin fork with a normal telescoping fork. The concept of the "J-path" front suspension design completely fails to take into account the consequences of shortening the bike's wheelbase and moving the balance point of the front wheel sideways when you hit a bump while cornering. It's hellishly unstable unless you only hit bumps while going perfectly straight.

@Roaming50

Жыл бұрын

@@deusexaethera yep that Girvin was funky to say the least.

As a rider that got his start in 1991 trust me when I say we are in the golden age of mtn bikes!! Im old enough to see those bikes sold in the stores lol. I cant believe people still choose to ride hardtails in this day and age of mountain bikes. the days of carrying a headset wrench with you on Porcupine rim in the 90s because your bike would rattle apart half way down and you would have to stop and retighten the bike back up and continue ha ha. Enjoying modern day bikes thanks for the throwback Seth.

Great video. Brought back some good memories of MTB Racing in the early 90’s. Would love to see all the racers now race on full rigid 26” wheeled mountain bikes. You were smoked at the end of a race.

Love your channel

The flex pad is basically an older ISOSPEED on Trek Procalibers and most road/gravel bikes

I still ride a cyclocross Slingshot I purchased in 2003 to soften the cobblestone roads I was riding to/from work each day while stationed in Germany. It has a triple chainring XTR setup that I custom ordered from Slingshot…a great buying experience. I don’t know about the MTB riding experience but can say with certainty that my cyclocross bike soaks up chatter and such like nobody’s business. Thanks for the video, Seth!

Really cool - always been curious about these! Thanks for the fun video.

Hello Seth! Love your videos! Also do you know when will berm park be reopened? Thank you!

I almost bought one of these back around 09, i was then and still am now fascinated by the design. I wanted to use it as a functional wall hanger in my place... then I got married and apparently the living room isn't where "spare " bikes go 🙄

@MikeR65

Жыл бұрын

😂

I got to work on (and test ride) a few of those back in the late '90s. Not terrible. Definitely easier to maintain than a Proflex. Build quality was very good. Also, I had a Rock Shox Indy C on my bike with the Englund air spring kit. Worked like a champ for over a decade.

This is a great video dude! Thank you for making it!!

Dang it would've been really interesting to see what this frame could do with modern components!

@scottyh72

Жыл бұрын

The geo is still terrible, no matter what grupo you put on it. These bikes were crap. Now that people have nice bikes, they remember this old stuff better than it really was.

@antman5474

Жыл бұрын

@@scottyh72 old style rigid steel 26ers make good daily commuters on a pair of slicks.

really want to see a modernised version of this. I bet it'd be incredibly competitive.

@golfshores97

Жыл бұрын

yes! I'm sure with advancements in chemical engineering that they could find a way to make a better flexplate

@dobsok84

6 ай бұрын

Diverge str

I had a pair of Profile Carbon bars back in the early 90's. They were a ultra thin wall aluminum bar wrapped in carbon with just the ends being normal thickness to allow you to put on bar-ends. I crashed several times w/o failure and one was bad enough to bend the end, crushing the thin part. I remember seeing one of these Slingshots in yellow while riding my 93 GT RTS. I later got a 98 Barracuda XC URT frame that I but up and rode for nearly 20 yrs and I still have the frame hanging in my garage. I have plans to build it out as a sorta softtail gravel bike. 90's tech was pretty amazing in my opinion and if it wasn't for manufacturers and custom builders pushing the envelope, we wouldn't be where we are now.

I've been mountain biking since the late 1980's and that Slingshot is the biggest WTF design I've ever seen in all those years. Thanks for an up-close look and explanation.

Before you sell it, it would be interesting to swap in a modern drive train, handle bars, fork, front disc brake, and good tyres and see how it goes. Make for a good build video. Obviously you'd put it back for the purity but as long as they were all bolt in upgrades that would be easy enough. Really interesting video!

Rim brakes have plenty of stopping power. If you slam on the front brakes, they'll lock up the front wheel and you'll go over the bars.

I had a few of these. Team spec, Sachs new success, Conti tires, syncros bits. Midwest single track slayer. Climbed like a billy goat.

I remember these! I'd completely forgotten about them. Those were cool and looked so strange. Very cool!

I wonder if the name comes from what happen to the rider if the cable snaps 😅

Please prepare it like a 2022 mtb.

My first two mtbs had canti brakes. V brakes were a massive upgrade! The novelty of being able to stop was quite a thing!

Thanks for the blast from the past!

This was a terrible bike I owned one in 1996 there’s a reason why this design died pretty quick and nobody won a UCI World Cup riding one

@abatall

Ай бұрын

why what happened

Awesome! I've seen these bikes in several videos, but it's the first time I see someone actually ride one, and of course it had to be Seth :D

Great video! Good editing and the info is great too!

Cool, I remember my old Raleigh Lizard from when I was a kid. Weighed a ton compared to bikes these days, but was a fairly mid to high end bike when it was released in the 80's with 18!!! gears!!. They have come such a long way!

It's great to recall about the old ideas from those pioneering days - thank you, sir! How about testing the recumbent and soft-tail concepts?

Wow. That's amazing. Thanks for sharing this

YES! I brought Slingshot up in the comments last month! Slingshot also had a road bike. It wasn't just for suspension, they argued that each time you pedaled you could take some of your forward/back motion and it would transfer that into power in the pedals.

In the early 90s, I went to junior high with a metal shop teacher that was a big cycling enthusiast that built a fully functioning bike repair shop within the metal shop. We had an active cycling club that did many cycling outings and maintenance events. He had a Slingshot bike that was always a head turner wherever he went!

Very cool video! Love learning the history!

I was a courier in Seattle in the 90s and most of the crew raced some and a few even went on to be sponsored but I have never seen one of those!! I love it!! That size too. I will take one please. I would love to slap a bafang motor onto one and I guess a rack battery. What a superb idea and would love to see a reboot.

I currently have 2 of these...a 29'r and a cyclocross ....I owned them in the 90's and was feeling nostalgic so I found them on ebay. I've had them for about 3 years now and they are fun bikes...I've done a few cross races and some 50 mile mtb races on them.

I appreciate this video, it brings back lots a memories

I remember giving one of those a test ride way back then. It was hideously expensive (for my budget anyway). It did feel kind of weird the way it flexed. I had forgotten all about these until I saw your video, it is amazing what was cutting edge back then.

The trail looks fun! Also what a blast from the past. Crazy how far bikes have come. I would have loved a bike like this back then, but it was well out of my toys r us price range lol.

The typical frame angles in the 90’s were 71 head, and 73 seat, so down hill runs meant shifting your weight way back off the tail of the seat. I still have two custom Curtlo steel frame hard tails that are full XTR with King hubs etc. They are fun to ride once in a while, but can’t really match anything today. Thanks for sharing your experience on the slingshot. Happy Holidays!

YASSSS! I had a chance to buy a used Slingshot MTB... But, I'm 6'4", 240lbs with backpack, and love to go wild on the trails, which seemed like it wouldn't end well. Thanks for showing off this Golden Nugget

The last bit was too funny! Old vintage piece just thrown in the back of the ridge line

Great video. Some side info the Rock Shox Indys were the low cost Rock Shoxs without any damping. The one you got in the video is probably from 1997 and it succeded the Rock Shox Quattro and featured steel springs and elastomere instead of only elastomere, while the Judys of 1997 and up had steel springs and an oil cartridge for damping (until 96 they only had elastomere and a oil cartridge). It was the time also Marzocchi blew away the market with their open oil bath system and really challenged Rock Shox. All the best, a daily GT Zaskar LE 1997 rider with almost 70.000 miles on it.

Love the content Seth. I would love to see some reviews on the suspension BMX bikes from the late 70's early 80's. Definitely fadish, but ahead of their time as well when you think about where mountain bikes are now. Aloha from Hawaii 🤙🏼

rode one of these in the 90s. the twisting phenomena where the front and rear wheels go out of plane with each other made it feel really sketchy. A few years later there were some high end 'soft tails' that moved the flex point down to the chainstay (Merlin Softtail and a couple others) and that seemed to eliminate that problem, but they were much more traditional looking frames with a normal downtube the guy who owned the slingshot I rode explained the purpose was to make a folding frame travel bike that was still a full size mtb when put together. I didnt realize that the compliance was intended to actually act as suspension. looks like a nice example, and definitely a cool bit of history. I would say that the riser bars may not be period correct - almost everyone was riding flats with barends back then. Also, the Indy fork looks a little out of place, that was more of a budget fork, a full XTR bike would typically have had a RS Judy or Manitou SX in that era.

@anthonylarson7919

Жыл бұрын

I still ride mine and the twist is epic, it give a real "feel" to the terrain. Mine doesn't fold. The frame is designed to "sling shot" you out of corners, and it does. You collapse the frame on berms and it "throws" you out ... no better mt bike IMHO.

Love the 90s Drumsound kickin in at 6:15 :) Thank you

Love the 90s stuff. I had a early 90s Trek 9200, a mid 90s Trek Y-22 and many other hard tails. Great time to be alive.

Thank you for this video. I am an aspiring inventor who grew up riding mountain bikes and snowboarding. I have been spending the past two years developing electric mountain boards with suspension. I started with grand ambitions incorporating some radical suspension design and have been disappointed by many iterations of prototypes. The latest variant uses a simple compliant mechanism as the principle behind the suspension. This video encourages me to keep developing the board, in hopes many years from now more talented engineers might bring my original vision to fruition.

@houseofsolomon2440

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Best of luck 🌿

I wish I still had my Slingshot. That bike put more smiles on my face than any others I’ve owned.

@mpodolsky11

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Could not agree more. I have bought and sold a Lotta mountain bikes over many years, I still think about my slingshot.

I had a friend who lived near Mark in Wyoming, Michigan. Mark was one of the owners of Slingshot bikes back in the mid 90s. Great guy, he would let me ride his bikes. I wondered what ever happened to the brand.

I love these sorta wierd bicycle tech videos from you! It would be great to see you ride a bike with either some linkage fork or Lauf Grit.

Love 90s early 2000s bikes. Please keep doing more retro bikes.

@scottyh72

Жыл бұрын

Until you ride one again.

Hella Rad! I totally had the idea to do this to a frame's downtube, but without the springs, just a cable, several months ago and forgot about it. Thought it'd be a good way to save weight.

I have a 90s SuperCalibur that I’ve bud up as my commute bike and the geometry on it is so perfect to stand up and pedal and that’s about it