Is a 90's MTB the New Peugeot UO-8?
For a number of years, the UO-8 was the ubiquitous fixer upper we'd get calls and emails about regarding compatibility, modifications, etc....But as of the past little while, we haven't heard a peep from this bike which was sold by the millions.
We were working on new ideas and projects here at VO HQ and one idea/thought that came up in our discussions was "is a 90's mtb this generation's Peugeot UO-8?" We say this with the thought that one can go and buy a used 90's mtb from Craigslist or what ever purchase portal you want and in the course of a week or two, spruce it up with Klunker Bars, new pedals, change out some ratty parts, and now you have a useful bike that you can use around the city, as a touring bike, or even (shudder) on a trail as a mountain bike. If you'd like to see a great video we did about sprucing up a 90's bike, check out our video below.
I think for a lot of our customer base, late 80's/90's mtb's were the bikes they had has kids/teen/twenty somethings. Certainly, I've owned several mtb's from the late 80's/early 90's. Those bikes had a superior level of toughness compared to a touring bike of the time and more versatility in the range of roads one could take them on. One could call it bikepacking, but certainly the "roads" I've taken a mtb on back in the day were a bit rough for a touring bike with 32-35 mm wide tires of the era. We loaded the mtb's of that era with racks and gear and toured on 1.7 - 2 inch wide tires, something that today would be called a gravel bike probably. No issues and loads of fun.
The trend towards 90's mtb also plays out in the media that I/we consume. Every Friday on The Radavist and Bikepacking.com, they feature a riders rig. In a lot of cases, these are mid 90's bikes that folks have built up with more upright bars, baskets and such for useful riding. Which is, bringing it back to the Peugeot, was what the UO-8 was for a lot of folks - a solid, dependable bike that could be converted/modified into a bike that you could use 40 years after it was made for everyday things a bike should be used. All without any worries of having a bike that was too precious to use.
I think it all comes down to the idea of taking a great base of a frame like a 90's mtb - solid, well built and with normal standards - so you can fix it up/repurpose it to become an everyday bike. As times change, the platform changes, but the thought behind it stays the same. Is anyone else out there repurposing 90's mtb's?
I’ve got a 1984 Miyata Ridgerunner that I rebuilt during covid I ride it everyday and ❤️ it
The Surly Cross Check is the “new Peugeot UO-8” I ride my Cross Check EVERYWHERE
Everyone who isn’t “into bikes” needs bikes like these. To have an exceptional amount of comfort with this level of functionality is the kind of thing that will get more people riding. Most comfy bikes are low quality heavy frames, and most quality bikes are absurdly “performance” driven making them uncomfortable for the uninitiated. All the bikes in my fleet are 26" wheeled ATB’s with at least 2.15 DTH tires if not 2.3. I’ve always been able to make the 60mm fenders work for the 2.15 tires, but would be so stoked to get a set of hammered fenders in that size (hint hint).
VO, along with a handful of other fantastic outfits, have done a great job keeping parts available that fit these bikes. You guys keep a lot of stuff on the road, and everyone appreciates it.
There are plenty of folks like me who are fully dedicated to the 26" life. We’ll always be there for all the compatible racks and tid bits you offer (not that you’re lacking, just don’t forget about us!)
To answer your question – yes! I found myself restoring an old 80’s mtb from a garage sale recently. My motivation was @Mull3tmechanic challenging folks to see what they could build for $140 or less. But in the end, I needed a solid, affordable bike to ride around town. Awesome ride and now I’m looking at your klunker bars to finish the project. Cheers!
All of a sudden I”m flipping them as fast as I can post them! In the last month I’ve sold 2 Rockhoppers, a Nishiki Backroads, and a sweet eggplant purple Trek 970 that I would have kept if it wasn’t too big for me. I buy cheap, strip them completely, and rebuild from scratch with upright bars and color matched pedals/housing/grips.
And I’ve got a Fisher, a Peugeot (80s Orient Express), a Schwinn Mirada, a Kona, a Giant, and a Bridgestone in the queue.
My own personal bikes include an 89 Rockhopper with Seine bars that I mounted bar ends mid bar ala Crazy bars. I call them In-Seine bars 😉. And a 1990 Diamondback Apex with crazy factory original spatter paint. It’s got a Jack Rack and swept back bars.
BUT I Still think some of the best used bikes available are the early to mid 90s steel hybrids. All the features of the 90s MTBs with 700c wheels. If you can find a cheap Trek 750, Schwinn Crosscut, Specialized Crossroads, Bianchi Boardwalk, or Univega Via Carisma, you can make an awesome 700c ATB.
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