35 Years Ago in Mountain Bike Action

Back in 1990, the most exciting technology development in mountain bikes was the introduction of elevated chainstays. If you look at the photo, you can see that the lower part of the back of the frame is several inches above the top of the chain. The design change was a huge craze for about a year, until people started realizing that the design change didn’t offer many or any benefits after all. Suddenly, the craze ended, and the bike designers went back to the way things were before the change. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of new changes in technology, but there is something to be said for “the test of time.” If a new development is widely accepted and sticks around for a long time, that’s a good sign that the change is worthwhile.