Boardman’s new prototype gravel bike is basically a ’90s mountain bike, but is that a bad thing?

Author block

Suvi Loponen's picture

Suvi Loponen

Staff Writer

Suvi enjoys cycling in all of its forms, especially over long distances. What started as a hobby has now grown to be her lifestyle and a job, in which she can also utilise her MSc degree in investigative journalism. Although, most of her current investigations revolve around the mystery of sourdough bread baking and finding decent (amounts of) coffee on bike rides.

7 comments

1 month 1 week ago

My 90s Kili is super fast and around 22lbs with the Pace forks..... use it as the spare in cross racing, great bike.

1 month 1 week ago

RoubaixCube wrote:

 

I think they've been keeping an eye on Francis Cade. He had a video where he bought a 90s mountain bike off ebay for a small handfull of cash then either upgraded or restored it with some modern tech to make it a fun little gravel bike. 

I'll have to check out the video again.

 

It's actually quite a popular thing to do. I do it all the time, and  whole lot of other people do too. Search for 'mtb rebuilds' or 'monstercross' and you'll find big community of people doing just that.

I ride my '94 Raleigh Dyna-Tech titanium mtb, now with faster tires, a 1x drivetrain and a dirt drop bar as a gravelbike, and it's awesome. Cheap, simple, easy to maintain, and superfun to ride. 

1 month 1 week ago

Secret_squirrel wrote:

 

And why have a hard tail 90's MTB with stupidly short travel when for a probably a bit less you can have a much more versatile XC 120+mm machine?

 

Because 'more capable' doesn't mean more fun. It's overkill for the trails they intended this for. It's like riding over a twig with a tank… where's the fun in that?
Look up 'underbiking', that's the concept (and it's awesome).

1 month 1 week ago

I think they've been keeping an eye on Francis Cade. He had a video where he bought a 90s mountain bike off ebay for a small handfull of cash then either upgraded or restored it with some modern tech to make it a fun little gravel bike. 

I'll have to check out the video again.

1 month 1 week ago

I'm actually a bit of a fan of this bike.. it's not 'pretending' to be something that we don't need.. instead it appears to be a bike made for the UK market, and I'd hesitate for a lot of the UK probably better suited than most non extreme mtb weekly rides. I bet it'll be good value and I bet with a nice set of wide flared drop bars it'll look the business.

1 month 1 week ago

And why have a hard tail 90's MTB with stupidly short travel when for a probably a bit less you can have a much more versatile XC 120+mm machine?

1 month 1 week ago

I'm gonna say it... Drop handlebars is a requirement to be defined as a gravel bike. Just is. Those are the rules (that I've just made up).

 

If it's got flat bars, it's a hybrid if it doesn't have suspension, and a hardtail mountain bike if it does.

 

Hence, this looks like a 90"s mountain bike because it is a 90's mountain bike.

 

Sorry, just the way it is. I don't make the rules, apart from when I do, but when I do, I'm just right... You all know it.