The idea behind my first book Save The Rat Bike was born as I started crossing paths with people who, like me, don’t just ride bikes but dive deeper into the world of two wheels. They love studying the history, understanding the mechanics, hunting down old frames, bringing them back to life with care and creativity, and testing them out. It’s a practice that’s not only fun but also deeply rewarding and full of learning.
I thought it could be interesting to talk with some of these passionate enthusiasts, everyday people who build, restore, and explore, to understand how their love for bicycles began and to share their stories, hoping they might inspire others to start their own journey.
Today we’re chatting with Charles, diving into his passion for old-school mountain bikes. Hey my friend, here we are, would you like to tell us a little about yourself?
Hi Emanuele! I’m Charles from France and I am 50. I live in the west of the country in a region called Bretagne. I am originally from Paris. I am an early retired musician.
When and how did your passion for 26-inch MTBs start? Was there a specific bike or moment that lit the spark?
It all started with an interview of John Tomac in some French all sports Saturday magazine. It was when he had the first Manitou fork, the carbon Raleigh, the Troy Lee feathers. That must have been in 1991 or 1992. I was 17 and I was doing triathlon at that time but slowly I moved to MTB. Then I discovered the American magazine Mountain Bike Action which I could somehow buy at a nearby bookshop. I just loved it. It was the beginning of suspension forks and then the full suspension bikes. I first had a Proflex 550 or something like that. But then I got into music and stopped MTB and bike for many years. Later I came back to both MTB and triathlon and got a Kona Bear for a while. And then again got taken by music and had a child and then came back to it about 5 years ago ! Bike is something that really insists on me ! And somehow it is again the 26 inch that got me. I started by buying an old Scott Montana, and then a Cannondale SM700 and I decided that was the kind of bike I was going to ride even though it could as well one day be different.
“I just like the old stuff, it’s true!”
Tell us about your favorite bike.
Ah it’s difficult to choose one ! My favorite one is quite often the last one that has been mounted. It is rare to be both satisfied with the way a bike looks and the way it feels when riding it. That is very important to me with a bike, that they are those two aspects. Sometimes they don’t go together that well. It happens that I build a bike that I like to look at but which is not nice to ride, because of the position or the proportions. Or the opposite is possible too.
So, at the moment I am feeling really satisfied with a yellow alloy Specialized Hard Rock from 1991 or 1992. I am using it mostly on trails but also on the road. The Ultradynamico Mars tires are really good at that appart from the fact that they look great. It’s also got a Vélo Orange Cygne stem and some dirt drop Nitto bars with Microshift shifters at the barends and MKS pedals. The rest is some classic already used Shimano stuff, Deore XT mostly, with double chainrings, 8 speed cassette. It’s got nice but not so lightweight (but do I care about weight that much ?) NOS blue Vuelta rims ! Et voilà !
How did you build it?
Before I got to this actual “gravel” version there has been at least 3 or 4 different bikes built with this Specialized Hard Rock frameset. I first bought the bike second hand for pretty cheap. It was in a good state and still with some of the original Shimano entry level components. Of course I did change or swap many of them. Bars, tires, grips, headset and saddle are new. The rest are used parts.
“It is rare to be both satisfied with the way a bike looks and the way it feels when riding it.”
How do you use your 26er? Is it a city commuter or your adventure buddy?
I use a bicycle to move around in the small town I live in. I do not own a car anymore so I do all I can by bike. Otherwise I take the bus, for the bigger shopping. I fell off last year on some ice cold road because my basket was too full ! I hurt my thumb and man… I have realized since then how much I use my thumb all the time. Anyway.
Appart from urban riding, I like going around the countryside both on road and trails. I do some short or medium rides, from 30 to 80 kilometers. Mostly around 40. I prefer riding more often than riding long. I prefer a good mix with 70% trails and 30% road. The region I live in has a lot of trails and on the small countryside roads it is really safe to ride.
Have you ever had a memorable trip or special adventure with your bike?
Some memorable adventure is when I was about 17 or so and living in Paris’s east suburbs. We were told, me and a friend rider, that there was a long downhill in the west of Paris where it was possible to go really fast and we decided to go and try it out. It was a long ride to get there from where we lived. Probably a good 70 kilometers way back. Somehow to get to the place – there was no phone nor GPS or whatever of course back in 1991 or 92 – we made a mistake and ended up on some kind of motorway. We had to climb a really steep hill for about maybe one or two kilometers before being able to get out of that motorway. Cars were complaining because it was a pretty narrow two lines road only with nearly no side line. Finally we made it to the woods where the downhill was. I remember going down at about 80 kilometers per hour or so on the Proflex. It was really intense for me at that time.
What does riding a 26er mean to you today?
It means being able to buy a second hand bike and restore it in order to use it. As I am not so crazy at all with modern bikes, sentimentally being into 26er, that works well for me. Plus I like bike mechanics so it is a very good deal. But if I was given a Crust or Rune or you know… a Rivendell, I would ride it ! I am open and flexible !
Why do you think these bikes still hold such a special value, despite modern technological advancements?
I don’t know really. Is it a “trend” thing ? An Instagram thing even ? Some kinda of niche. I have no idea. Why having 3 or 4 “vintage” bikes I build and rebuild all the time rather than a newer one, maybe with all the better components ? It’s just a question of choice. I’m not sure there is even anything slightly political in there like you know “use the older stuff rather than buying new ones”. I am not a radical or a fanatic. Again I wouldn’t mind riding a newer bike with disc brakes even but somehow I like the old stuff, its true ! I don’t know what it is. Sentimentalism ? Is it that ? What is it even ?
How do you see the 26er community on Instagram or elsewhere?
Ah ! Where I live I do not know anyone who is into 26 inch bike in particular. The people I see on bikes in the woods have modern bikes. On the road as well.
On Instagram, well, it is difficult to talk about Instagram. Because it is a mix of “real” and “business”. Instagram is used by brands to sell their products and even to create trends. And it is easy to get taken in there. I think Instagram is dangerous somehow, especially for the younger people. It is so addictive. But I’m taken too in a way even though I don’t post that much. I try not to spend so much time there. What feels insane is saying I ride 26 inch because maybe it avoids putting new bikes in circulation, maybe ecologically wise it is a good decision and at the same time being “pushed” to buy so many new stuff that sometimes I don’t probably really need. It is biased, as many things are today. I feel confused about all this.
