It Came From the Basement!! Oddities from the parts stash

Dirt Rag has been around a long time—22 years and counting, all in the same office. As you can imagine, we have acquired quite a collection of Stuff. Since 1989, we’ve been writing about some of the best and not-so-best mountain bike products ever brought to the market.

During some recent cleaning we came across a box of wonders tucked away in the basement. Some of the items pictured here we can’t even identify. Recognize any of this stuff? Let us know in the comments below! 

Headgear has made quite an improvement over the years. The Goodhead straps were used to adjust your helmet fit before modern retention systems were developed.

Regular bash guard not enough? Why not mount an extra tube to your frame? What are those strange devices strapped to the rider’s feet in the photo on the label? 

Unused products to keep your derailleurs clean and your feet aligned. Guess ours were ok, since these are in their original packages.

A Gridlock cable seal, which is surprisingly similar to modern sealed cables.

There were far fewer trails and the bikes ridden on them were far less capable than what we have today, so there was a lot more hike-a-bike. Shoulder straps like these were useful when carrying the bike.

This chain retention device was created with a film canister, a zip tie and an X-acto knife; a pretty ingenious and affordable solution. Trouble is, where in the world would find a film canister these days? 

That’s it for now, but there is a lot more where that came from. Stay tuned for another edition of…

IT CAME FROM THE BASEMENT!!