Eli Tomac MTB

9/26/2020 6:03am Edited Date/Time 10/15/2020 1:40pm
Popped in to my local bike shop this morning and in there I saw something I’d never seen before.
A Tomac MTB. I wasn’t aware they even existed and then I noticed the model name was ‘Eli’.

The Guy who owns it is aware who John & Eli are, but not much else, he’s not in the MX game. Bare in mind this is in the UK, so not something known to many over here unless you’re involved in the sport.

The thing is a 2001 model and it’s immaculate.



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Question
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9/26/2020 6:20am
In this condition that must be a pretty cool collector for MXers I guess. I never saw a mx rider with his complete name on a MTB series.
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jtmaster
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9/26/2020 7:08am
His dad John Tomac had a line of bikes back in the 90s- 2000s. He named a model after his son, Eli. They stopped making Tomac bikes a few years ago.
280driver
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9/26/2020 8:18am
What was the condition of the clutch? 😬
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crowe660
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9/26/2020 8:21am
This thread needs more Tioga Disk drive
9

The Shop

xrmark
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9/26/2020 8:45am
Tomac made a decent dh bike for a little
ayearinmx
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9/26/2020 8:52am
i take this for a spin, every now and again....

BMc914
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9/26/2020 8:56am
My brothers friend has this hanging in his garage.



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feelnjstfine
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9/26/2020 10:09am
crowe660 wrote:
This thread needs more Tioga Disk drive
Way to "Kamikaze" this thread, haha!
6
9/26/2020 12:22pm
ayearinmx wrote:
i take this for a spin, every now and again.... [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/09/26/451415/s1200_ltnjpqrmQsn8oykmET1Dw1cBl0o_SXFcLOO5k0WjDYk_2048x1536.jpg[/img]
i take this for a spin, every now and again....

Ah, BPW, was due to go there in the next month or two for the first time, but ‘Rona has scuppered that for now.
I take it you ride in Friston forest too as you’re from my neck of the woods?
hamncheeze
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9/26/2020 7:28pm
crowe660 wrote:
This thread needs more Tioga Disk drive
This is probably lost on 98% of the people reading this thread!
ayearinmx
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9/26/2020 10:59pm
Ah, BPW, was due to go there in the next month or two for the first time, but ‘Rona has scuppered that for now. I take...
Ah, BPW, was due to go there in the next month or two for the first time, but ‘Rona has scuppered that for now.
I take it you ride in Friston forest too as you’re from my neck of the woods?
yea that's my main stomping ground when i'm in England. Great place.

And yes, BPW situation is a bit of a mess. Hate to see it because they've done an excellent job since they opened, keep improving the trails and the infrastructure, hope this doesn't affect them longterm
CG118
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9/27/2020 7:00pm
280driver wrote:
What was the condition of the clutch? 😬
That is funny.
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YZ-MTB
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9/27/2020 7:27pm
crowe660 wrote:
This thread needs more Tioga Disk drive
hamncheeze wrote:
This is probably lost on 98% of the people reading this thread!
That whirring sound was it going over their heads.
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Forty
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9/28/2020 5:21am
Popped in to my local bike shop this morning and in there I saw something I’d never seen before. [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/09/26/451396/s1200_FDB5518C_7BFF_4E35_B4C5_7163275D4CF8.jpg[/img] A Tomac MTB. I wasn’t aware...
Popped in to my local bike shop this morning and in there I saw something I’d never seen before.
A Tomac MTB. I wasn’t aware they even existed and then I noticed the model name was ‘Eli’.

The Guy who owns it is aware who John & Eli are, but not much else, he’s not in the MX game. Bare in mind this is in the UK, so not something known to many over here unless you’re involved in the sport.

The thing is a 2001 model and it’s immaculate.



That bike is so cool but what a mess by today’s standards.
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deluxeman
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9/28/2020 8:26am
If I remember correctly they were designed and built by the guy that built Manitou suspension forks and frames. A local dealer carried them for a while. Cool bikes but they were $$$.
BigBoreFan58
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9/28/2020 8:39am
Tioga Disk? Maybe a Shimano chain-wheel set?

Wasn't there a Farmer John Tioga tire?
3
Skerby
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9/28/2020 9:38am Edited Date/Time 9/28/2020 9:39am


Got this thing pretty early on in my DH days, still it was way behind the times at that point. Think I paid 200$ and the fork broke as soon as I tried to dissasemble. The fork pictured is actually a mash up of a 2004 and 2011 888. i had one good day riding it in all, then sold it for 400$ a couple years ago.

This is a Tomac MOAH
ACBraap
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9/28/2020 1:28pm
deluxeman wrote:
If I remember correctly they were designed and built by the guy that built Manitou suspension forks and frames. A local dealer carried them for a...
If I remember correctly they were designed and built by the guy that built Manitou suspension forks and frames. A local dealer carried them for a while. Cool bikes but they were $$$.
I didn't recall Doug Bradbury of Manitou being involved with Tomac bikes. I thought he had retired by that point, but just going by recollection.

The other moto connection with Tomac bikes is that Joel Smith, who ran the brand for a while (owned it, while licensing the name from JT I think), is Malcolm Smith's son.
GuyB
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Question wrote:
In this condition that must be a pretty cool collector for MXers I guess. I never saw a mx rider with his complete name on a...
In this condition that must be a pretty cool collector for MXers I guess. I never saw a mx rider with his complete name on a MTB series.
Look at the date the bike is from, and how old Eli is now. He was a kid when this one was introduced. Smile
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GuyB
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9/28/2020 1:57pm
Tioga Disk? Maybe a Shimano chain-wheel set?

Wasn't there a Farmer John Tioga tire?
Yep.
GuyB
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9/28/2020 1:59pm
hamncheeze wrote:
This is probably lost on 98% of the people reading this thread!
Ha...funny. I think I did a photo shoot for Tioga with Johnny back in the day.
1
Top End
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9/28/2020 2:02pm
crowe660 wrote:
This thread needs more Tioga Disk drive
hamncheeze wrote:
This is probably lost on 98% of the people reading this thread!
4
GuyB
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9/28/2020 2:03pm
Top End wrote:
[img]https://coresites-cdn-adm.imgix.net/dirt_new/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Tioga-Disc-Drive.jpg[/img]
Is that the one he raced at the Durango Worlds in the downhill class?
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Crossup
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9/28/2020 4:30pm
I was at the World Cup in Houffalize Belgium in 1994 and watched Johnny T racing the Raleigh with the Tioga Disc. I can't begin to tell you how loud that disc was. You could hear him cranking it a half a mountain away. He crushed the Pro class at that race.



4
9/28/2020 5:15pm
Man, bikes have changed so much. John Tomac seems like such a good dude. Cool bike!
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crowe660
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9/29/2020 3:11am
Crossup wrote:
I was at the World Cup in Houffalize Belgium in 1994 and watched Johnny T racing the Raleigh with the Tioga Disc. I can't begin to...
I was at the World Cup in Houffalize Belgium in 1994 and watched Johnny T racing the Raleigh with the Tioga Disc. I can't begin to tell you how loud that disc was. You could hear him cranking it a half a mountain away. He crushed the Pro class at that race.



Such a great time in MTB. I had a Raleigh Technium for a couple years back in the day. I had so many magazine pages of Tomac on that bike taped to my bedroom wall.
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Bramlett321
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9/29/2020 6:21am
Does the Tomac brand still exist today ? I had no idea he had his own bike brand.
ACBraap
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9/30/2020 2:24pm
Does the Tomac brand still exist today ? I had no idea he had his own bike brand.
It's been out of production for awhile. It was around, then went away, then came back for a short bit when Joel Smith took it on, and then faded away again. John Tomac was riding Specialized the last I saw, and Joel Smith is now with Alchemy. Note that in all those old pics, John Tomac was in bell and oakley, just like Eli is today.
feelnjstfine
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10/15/2020 10:00am
I still remember the procession of his frame sponsors after all of these years, haha! Mongoose>Yeti>Raleigh>Giant>Tomac. What a legend he is!!! I think the fandom started in about '88 when I was 10 because 1. He was the best, 2. He rode for Mongoose, and 3. He was from Michigan like my family and I. Ahh, memories of a time gone bye.
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