Muddy Fox Courier Comp: '80s vintage mountain bike history lesson
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- Inspired by a brilliant film about the history of mountain biking in Britain (link below), I got my hands on this iconic retrobike and gave it a bit of TLC.
The original Muddy Fox Courier was nothing short of a turning point in history, hammering the sport of mountain biking firmly into the public consciousness. You could argue that everything that's happened in the UK MTB scene since the 80s can be traced back to this bike.
This late '80s model is the Comp version, with some lovely upgraded touches such as crackle-finish paintwork and Muddy Fox's own brand stem, handlebar and headset. The low-to-mid range Shimano Exage components have stood the test of time and very little of it required much restoration. Testament to its quality.
The Untold British Story of Mountain Biking: • Mountain Biking The un...
Got the exact same bike in my garage always thought about cleaning it up. Loved cruising on it in the 90's 😊
I’ve still got my Muddy Fox Explorer from the mid/late 80’s in immaculate condition, was stolen and got it back several months later, sadly not got the rear wheel disk I once had but bike is still as good today as it was when I was 14.
Glad to hear you got it back, that bike will outlive us all! Heartbreaking to have lost the wheel disc though, those were one of the coolest accessories money could buy back then - and they're so rare today.
Loved Muddy Fox back in the day… couldn’t afford one so a couple of years ago I found a mint sorcerer mega… looking to shift this now since moving - just don’t have the space… shame as they’re a work of art and bring back great memories!
I used to love looking at pictures of that generation of Muddy Fox, in the ads in MBUK. The dropped top tube at the seat tube junction is so distinctive. A work of art indeed.
I immediately subscribed when this video appeard on my searched for "muddy fox"
Thanks! There are other Muddy Foxes on this channel, and I'm sure there'll be more to come...
Had one of these in the 80s. Absolutely loved it. Was the dogs bollocks at the time. Magma Crackle paint work. It was stolen from my workplace. I was gutted. Love this video.
I think my previous reply to this comment was deleted because I dared to express an opinion on the person that took your bike. I think you and I both know what my wishes are towards that person. Anyway, if you had one of these in the 80s then you were the don.
@@red_dread 👍👍👍 Yeah absolutely loved it
I built up a Muddy Fox for my girlfriend but it's a Japanese model, made by Araya who already had the Muddy Fox trademark before you Brits borrowed it. ;)
Muddy Fox are still going strong in Japan, like most Japanese manufacturers they appear to be doing the "retro" thing and re-releasing old products or circling back to older styles similar to Dia Compe, Nitto, MKS, etc.
I remember the Araya Muddy Foxes, they're still spoken of in reverent tones over here. Any Japanese cycling brand is automatically assumed to be top quality! I didn't know the original MF brand was still active over there, that's a big surprise. Over here the name now apparently belongs to some budget supermarket that's churning out ultra cheap Bicycle Shaped Objects with "Muddyfox" stickers on them. Great to hear there's still some respect for the heritage elsewhere in the world.
Back in the day Muddy Fox Courier Comp was my fantasy bike, along with a Kirk Revolution. Great restore, thank you for sharing!
I'd love to do a Kirk. I know a guy who has a really rough road frame, might make him an offer...
I have an Kirk precision road bike for its beauty but I never liked the look of the dirt bike frame .
They are indeed beautiful - I hear they're not exactly lightweights though! Massive respect to the designer for trying something different and unique - it's a piece of engineering that still gets people talking to this day.
I had the green one which i sold in 93. The only thing I have left of it is a photo of it sitting outside in the back yard. I used to belt around London on that thing in the early 90's, great fun.
I replaced it with a Marin Nail Trail which promptly got stolen, then I bought a Marin Palisades Trail which I still own to this day.
Riding an original Muddy Fox round London in the early 90s makes you pretty much one of the coolest people in the world. Hope you went big on the dayglo.
@@red_dread Oh man it was so much fun. (early 20s and fit) I even had a dayglo pink saddle bag for extra visibility and a compressed air horn ziptied to my handle bars to scare the crap of of any drivers who got too near me. I'll upload my photo of it and post the link here so you can see it 😄😄
Hi Mr Dread!
Came upon your channel recently, loving all your you tube clips.
I was also an 11 year old in 1988 and my bedroom wall was filled with posters of my dream bikes.
I bought an 88? Olive green Kona cinder cone from a school friend, full suntour which unfortunately the. Swapped out for Shimano.
Bought 94 cinder cone new when I then worked in cycle shop and saved hard for my Rock shox Judy Xc forks
Always been into my bikes, managed to pick up 89 mf pathfinder for £15!
Needed complete restoration, as New to retro resto I decided to have powder coated, but it does have turbo saddle and Bear trap peddles!
My favourite has to be your Dynatech Ti.
Keep the uploads coming,
Cheers,
Paul 🤟😎👊
Thanks for the kind words and welcome to the channel. I tend to agree with you about the Dyna Tech - there's something about it I cherish, even though it's far from my highest-spec or most exotic build. Is your MF restoration online anywhere? I'd love to see it.
i just bought this exactly bike from a pawn shop here in Brazil for a very low price. the paintjob is a little old but overall an amazing bike, very fun to ride in light trails and dirtroads
nice content mate
Good result, and exciting to hear these bikes made it so far across the world!
Really nice rebuild, i love the old MTB.
I got a old Muddy FOX courier comp too. But i got only the frame, i think it was a Modell of 1986 in a white metallic colour.
Best Wishes and support from germany. 🤘😀👍
Those white frames from the earlier 80s are stunning. So far ahead of most of the MTBs available at the time.
@@red_dread I will try to build it up with original parts in foreseeable future. I think i even have the right cantis, but unfortunately these are the only parts, but I'm not under time pressure. I think it's great that I'm not the only one Who likes early mountain bikes. Best regards from germany
Just want to say you deserve far more subscribers than you have, love your videos and i also saw the same documentary a while back which is very good. Bit late to this video but it convinced me to get my own Muddyfox courier comp and preserve some British history. Very excited to go and get it, tinker and give it a ride. Thanks for the motivation, keep on riding
Thanks for your kind words - I'm sure I'd have more subscribers if I made videos less sporadically but alas I have a busy life. Will definitely keep going though - I have at least three more projects waiting in the wings. Delighted to hear you're preserving a classic of your own, these things deserve to live a long life.
Awesome videos keep them going! Definitely a nice bike!
Loved your video. Amazing bikes. I have a Alu team which is still going strong
Muddy Fox were a class act back in the day.
Great vid as always! Good info about the cantilever yoke height and the bit with the bar ends was new for me, cheers 👍👍🙏
The story about the mack daddy at my school was true! A lad a couple of years above us had a Lava Dome and had his yoke set so it was barely clearing the hairs on the tyres, we thought he was the coolest man alive. As for the bar end plugs, that's the law over here - you can't enter a UCI or British Cycling official event without them, due to injuries from people getting impaled. I've never seen it happen myself, but it sounds gross.
red_dread wow law!! Never knew that. I wish I had a lava dome as a kid... or even now haha 😭😭😭
Thanks for sharing awesome stuff! Nice new turbo too 😍
Great bike and conditions the grips give a good combination
I love to colour-match grips wherever I can. It's such a cheap and cool finishing touch. These ones are Lizard Skins but I usually use ODI, Onza or Oury on vintage builds.
Fascinating insights, again 👍
Strictly for the heads.
You’ve put me in the mood to dig out my MF Seeker Mega to see if I could do a gravel conversion. Haven’t used it much in the last 8 years.
I think the Seeker lends itself extremely well to that sort of usage - you'll find it's super versatile and will last a lifetime.
Muddy Fox now Sports Direct owned now I think as you most probably know. Not the same as it used to be! Plus Aspall Cyder/vinegar is made about 5 miles from here. Test out the Cyder, it's ace 😀
I can neither confirm nor deny that I know the identity of the "dreadful supermarket" that now owns the brand. But yes, barely a shadow of what it used to be.
We had several of these at Fleetfoot Messenger Service in Seattle, and I ended up buying one of the frames for about fifty bucks in 1994 or so. Ours all had extra gussets between the head tube and top tube, and head tube and down tube. It may have also had some extra gussets on the chainstay where it meets the bottom bracket shell. I can't be sure that the gussets I am describing were not repairs because I got it after heavy use, and ours were all painted blue. I gave it to my Dad, who actually (because he's who he is) raced a few road bike races and triathlons on it! Lol. When I found out, I built him a nice triathlon bike, but I had the bike until he dies and then donated it to a local thrift shop. Someone got a rare classic bike, and will at some point be appreciated again. It never fit me quite right and I didn't like the weight of it, but was indestructible.
Great video! I never knew Ridgeback and Muddy Fox were both British companies. I always assumed they were American at the time. Quite interesting how they started importing Taiwanese made welded frames all of a sudden under the noses of the existing British industry who were all brazing with lugs.
It is interesting isn't it, especially when Raleigh held out and stuck to the latter manufacturing techniques throughout that period. In retrospect, the British legends of that era really were Muddy Fox and Raleigh, with the likes of Saracen at the slightly more specialist end. Ridgeback for some reason was never so credible or desirable, despite making fantastic bikes. I only got mine because it was £50 cheaper than the Raleigh Ozark, Specialized Rockhopper, Muddy Fox Courier etc. But I loved it infinitely and still do.
@@red_dread I guess Raleigh had a big factory set up making lugged frames and they weren't going to sack everyone and move to Taiwan overnight. Also Reynolds 531, the flagship tubing, wasn't weldable. I was bizarrely retrogrouchy (considering I was only about 15) about the new MTBs when they first came out. I think I viewed them the same way I still do SUVs now. But after trying one I was sold. Astonishing off-road capability compared to a road bike and put some semi-slick tyres on and they make excellent go-anywhere bikes.
Awesome!
Love it, Ive just picked up a 91 Courier Mega with 400LX groupset, to add to my collection of Retro mountain bikes.
My first bike was a 91 Kona Lava Dome, which was purchased at a cost of £499! with saved up money from my first job.
So will be doing a light resto on it, as you did with this bike.
Keep up the good work.
Just picked one of these up, the Explorer, from the town dump.
Oh my god! That is insane! Where I live there's no way they'd let you take a bike away from the dump, they guard the piles of rubbish like the Crown Jewels. I am very jealous - where was this magical dump and what sort of condition is your bike in? Hope you're going to be sharing it online somewhere...
@@red_dread I was very honest, I asked, and the chap said “aye, away ya go pal take whatever ya fancy.” (A little locale clue in there). The bikes goto a shop for restoration but hadn’t collected in months, and some delightful folks had been robbing the centre over the weekends for any treasures. Condition, looks complete but the tires off the rim and it’s seen some harsh weather, but no too bad....and Im awake at 3am thinking about it. Sad
@@red_dread ua-cam.com/video/t93YjTTpYuo/v-deo.html take a look, have a think. It’s had a very hard life. Can it be restored? All parts are original (gear levers?), back wheel has a bad ding in it and buckled (replacement spoke fitted?)
Remember one like this for sale in John Lewis in Peterborough..very nice
Lovely old bike, it certainly brought back some memories, thanks for sharing the resto 👍🏼 I do however think you're being slightly optimistic comparing Tange MTB to Reynolds 531, it's probably closer to 501 in the lineup.
I agree it can’t equal the legendary 531 for quality, but it came in at the same price point. The models below were either 501 (like my orange Raleigh) or Tange 5 (like my Ridgeback) at around the £300 price point. And that wasn’t cheap back then! I’m also lucky enough to have a top end Tange (Prestige) and Reynolds (653) bike, each from the early 90s, and I couldn’t possibly pick a favourite. Such classic quality. My later steel bikes such as 853 feel somehow over engineered in comparison. Glad this one brought back memories, maybe I should hunt for more steel projects to tackle next.
Hi there... Absolutely love what you have done to this courier comp.. I have recently purchased a pretty original pink Alu pro... Would you be interested in sprucing it up.. Many thanks
Sounds interesting - I'm always open to suggestions! Why not send me some pictures - oliver.chesher@yahoo.co.uk
The moast brightish chain, SPORTS DIERECKT sells fucky foax now.
Loved 80s&90s muddy fox when I was after my first mtb I went to a shop and picked up a brochure (something people used to look at before buying something pre Internet lol) I lusted after them wild colours and the paw print.
I think I liked one called path finder?
I saw a Pathfinder on eBay not long ago and was very tempted. They didn’t make a bad bike in those days. The paw print logo is iconic.
@@red_dread they unfortunately went for cheap mass production
Great video I’ve just picked up a 1989 muddy fox courier 21 inch can you recommend a nickel chain please ? Cheers
An excellent choice. You can get unbranded chains with a silver finish off Amazon (obviously just make sure it’s compatible with the number of gears), but I tend to specify the KMC brand. Never had any problems.
I have a 1980s bigfoot with the same rear fork setup and a rather large angle frame piece larger diameter than the rest if the tubing on the bike Australian made.
I haven't heard of the Bigfoot before, but I do remember thinking those wishbone stays were the coolest thing ever.
@@red_dread 1980s bike i can not af a picture for some reason
If you are literate at all on mountain biking you GOT TO KNOW Muddy Fox
Had the exact same bike, plus a matching one for my wife, in the early 90's.......till some b*at*rd stole them from my garage! Cracking and under rated bikes.
They were right up there with the Ford Escort Cosworth as a magnet for thieves. A real shame.
why you cut the original handgrip? In Indonesia we need it... not available Sir. Nice Bike, and good job.
Sorry to hear there's a shortage where you are. I don't like letting parts go to waste but I must admit I like to put new grips on most of my builds because it's a personal touch. I tend to keep old rubber though, because it's useful for making into seals, grommets, pads, protectors etc. Please be assured very little of my projects goes in the bin!
I used to work out of Goodge St on one, mine was white, heavy as Hell
I hope you had "The London Look": dayglo wheel disc, neon splatter casquette and lycra, messenger bag, massive Oakleys...?
@@red_dread Guardian orange bag and a cheap lock. About 100 miles a day
Great video just managed to get my hands on a muddyfox Courier Comp speckle red, 80s great condition for its age, it's missing it's seatpost (could anyone help I just need to know size and diameter of a replacement Post).
I'm afraid the only way to be sure is to measure the internal diameter of the seat tube - you don't need a Vernier gauge/caliper, you can use any ruler or tape measure, as long as you're as precise as you can be because they're sized in increments of 0.1mm! If in doubt, go down by one point because the clamp is quite forgiving. As for length, that's down to your height. I always need minimum 300mm because I'm very tall, but many people can get away with shorter.
@@red_dread Thank you for the info, will certainly try my best, with the measurements.
I read somewhere that they were on the heavier side of things? Roughly 7 lbs/3.1 kg for a size large frame?
You're not mistaken - these things aren't lightweights. But they were never meant to be, Muddy Fox originated in an era when MTBs were intended to be adventure bikes, not racing bikes. The racy trend for lightweight XC rigs didn't really kick in until a couple of years later.
What frame size would suit a 5.11 -6ft rider on a courier comp?
I'd say the ideal would be 18 or 19 inch (centre of BB axle to top of seat tube)
Thanks for the advice and a great channel mate. 👍
Fun bike. I'm only familiar with muddy fox from communicating online with British bikers. I wonder what the ride is comparable to for something available in the States.
Lance Hatch well I do know that this one was very similar in spec, and exactly the same price as the Rockhopper and the Marin Eldridge. But I’ve not actually ridden either of those!
Sorry, I meant Marin Palisades! They looked quite similar...
My friend has a muddy fox titanium Pro for sale, any idea of the years these were made?
Very informative. I didn't realise "apple corer injuries" were a thing on mountain bikes? So does any vinegar work for de rusting, or does it have to be white wine vinegar?
Any handlebar can punch a hole in you if you don't plug it! Hence the UCI / BC rules that you can't enter any race without plugs. As for vinegar, I'm told it has to be white. You can see in the video I'm using Aspall because I happen to have temporarily run out of my usual vintage Domaine Leflaive Batard Montrachet.
White vinegar for cleaning apple cider vinegar for fish & chips .
🤔👍👍👍👍👍👍
Had that exact model. Loved it until some **** stoke it from my flat in Brighton🤣
Well there's no certainty around where this one has been in the last 20 or 30 years...
@@red_dread ha ha ... Well ... What a longshot that would be! Good to see you restoring these bikes👍😁
the rear looks the same like the early 90s Mongoose IBOC
I can't remember where I first saw it - maybe on the Orange Clockwork - but I thought it looked so cool. Also speaking from experience of riding a steel frame with noodle-thin seatstays that flexed so badly the brakes felt awful, I would have loved the extra stiffness of a wishbone.
Good job Mr C - but rear tyre valve not at 90 degrees...
If it was my bike I wouldn’t have done such a shoddy job.
Get it sorted 😉
i have an old mondraker that i have no clue about, i cant find any information on how old the bike is or anything else. how do you find out so much information about the bikes you have (i know alot of it is from experience)
Mondraker started in 2001 so it will be from an entirely different century to this video! But they’re great bikes and worth investigating - best bet is to google your nearest dealer and get it in for an inspection. In my case, I was obsessed with bikes for my whole childhood and consumed bike mags endlessly, then worked as a bike mechanic in some bike shops in my early 20s. Cycling has always been my passion and I’ve kept up the technical and maintenance side, sometimes more than the actual riding.
Another nice resto👌 where do you get your nickel chains from?
Thanks. I use KMC chains on most of my builds. You can get them in half silver (outer plates only) or full silver (nickel plated) finish. I have gold ones on my road bikes, those look amazing!
Thanks for the info, I’m liking the nickel plated chains👍
Just picked one up for 10 bucks
No matter what condition, you got yourself a bargain there.
hi, i just got given an old bike like this but it just says courier, without the comp. its got 21 speed sun tour accushift gears. cycloid front sprockets. any way to determine the year?
That does sound familiar. Impossible for me to tell you without seeing it, but there is a full resource of catalogues and spec sheets on Retrobike.co.uk, and there will be regulars in the forum that will be able to tell you straight away. It sounds like 80s or early 90s to me, and if you're considering getting rid of it then I might be interested!
@@red_dread thanks for the info. probably won't sell it, it seems like a decent bike for summer. i used to have a ridgeback bullit which was great. this feels very similar IE big frame with very high top gear. i had vaguely heard of muddy fox but i didn't realise it was this iconic a bike. guess i got lucky 😀
@@red_dread i made a short video with the bike - ua-cam.com/video/CVJ7ozghN3I/v-deo.html
Do you think it would be possible to run 700c wheels on this with caliper brakes?
It's plausible - certainly the frame and fork already have the drillings to mount caliper brakes - but the only limiting factor would be clearance, ie the length of the stays and fork legs. Visually it looks possible but the only way to be sure would be to measure. You'd also need to remember that road and MTB hubs have different spacings (Over-Locknut Distances) so your 700c wheel might need to be laced on an MTB hub to fit that way.
@@red_dread I'm going to look at this exact bike tomorrow :). It'll be a little project so I guess I'll see how it all goes. Thanks for your help
You are still cool if you have biopace
Damn straight. I have loads.
"...my shadowy cartel of reclusive millionaire gentlemen collectors..." ❤️
There are some bad guys in this syndicate, believe me!
😂😂
I want in but obviously because I need to ask I cancel myself out as not worthy .
That's a very nice bike. My daughter actually has a "new" Muddy Fox. I could repair it as soon as it came out of the box ;) You could look into using a compound to polish the frame. I've made a video about it in the past: ua-cam.com/video/TDznex10jXc/v-deo.html
Thanks, love your channel. I’ve used different variations of your techniques for restoring paint, to varying degrees of success. Managed to bring the black Saracen and the wrecked Dawes up gleaming, but the red Saracen is too faded to restore. None of the Muddy Foxes I’ve done have required so much paint restoration, this one came up beautifully. Hope your daughter’s “muddyfox” (as they call them now) gives her plenty of fun and keeps you busy with the repairs!
Strange question but there’s a point to it... do you have insta? Or somewhere I can message you?
Yes, I'm oliver.chesher on Insta or you can email me at oliver.chesher@yahoo.co.uk
red_dread messaged you on insta 👍
Why didnt you put on some new Kool Stop bracke pads? Surly the collector would appreciate being able to stop using some brake pads which arent a solid peace.
There's nothing wrong with the original Shimano ones! Even though they're pre M System, they're barely used and they already have more than enough stopping power. Of course it would be easy to make improvements all over this bike with some "restomod" upgrades, but the idea in this case was to keep it as faithful to the original spec as possible.
www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=14167&sid=3bf707522a6385362fdf347fe6c227d1
Look at the fantastic original seat!
You and I need to have a discussion about that seat. I reckon there’s a reason why so few have survived!
Lovely video. But stop biting your nails, FFS, you're a grown man!