This is my daily driver, a 1992 Trek 820 in electric blue with black spatter. I got it for free from my brother about a year ago, and have since put ~4K miles on it. I have another 820, and I love these bikes. They make great city bikes. They’re dirt cheap, geared well for the hills in my area, and they just work. It’s nice to have something in your life that you don’t ever have to even think about. I’ve made some upgrades for my use, including the racks, basket (I have a second I attach to the front rack for Costco runs), fenders, street tires, and high rise handlebars.

  • OwOarchist@pawb.socialEnglish
    51·
    8 hours ago

    My daily driver is a 90’s bike, so I understand.

    But … while this is a very good 90’s bike, I really don’t think it’s a “MTB”, not even by 90’s standards. A 90’s MTB would have much more aggressive tires and probably front suspension. Honestly, this looks more like a ‘gravel bike’ to me (sans your cargo upgrades). If ‘gravel bikes’ were even a thing in the 90’s. (That said, if you’re taking it on trails like the one pictured and want to call it a MTB … then it’s a MTB. IMO, bike classifications should ultimately be determined by how you actually use it. You could have today’s best and most aggressive downhill MTB, but if you only ever ride it on suburban streets and sidewalks, then that makes it a cruiser, not a MTB.)

    And … yeah. For cruiser/street/commuting bikes, I think 90’s bikes are fine. That’s why I use one. But actual mountain bikes have come a long way since the 90s. My mountain bike is a much more modern bike with 29’s, full suspension, and disk brakes … and those upgrades make a world of difference, even at the cheap end of the spectrum, which mine very much is, at $200 brand new. Not just more comfortable, but also a lot safer (mainly due to much better brakes) and able to make it through more difficult obstacles without dismounting.