Inspired by the album of the decade thread, what has been the best bike of the decade?

Any MTB discipline.

Starter for 10 – Santacruz Heckler

All the bikes i have owned in the last 10 years!!

??? Is there one.?

Best bike unchanged for a decade
The orange 5 (or the patriot, or the 224)? One of the few bikes to have had no major changes, just subtle tweaks, to the design in 10 years?

Most influential on our riding
The old 5" spesh enduro? Probably the first bike to realy nail the "do anything 5" travel full susser" category?

Most coppied?
The DMR Switchback, without it there would be no 456/PA/Soul, arguably the first british deigned, tiwanese built, 5" travel steel hardtail.

I will throw my hat in the ring with four nominations:

Cove Stiffee, Turner 5 Spot, Santa Cruz Superlight / Heckler, Cotic Soul.

Agree about the 5, but surely the original Jekyll was the first 'do it all' bike, although it didn't quite have 5" of travel, (only 115mm at rear if I remember).

Surely the P7, deserves a mention too.

Only been back into biking for a couple of years but from what I read I think you've nailed it already with either Orange 5 or Spesh Enduro.

Not that I have owned either…

I'd have to say, for the amount sold, for simplicity, for accessibility, for fun, for value, for versatility and for general affection held for it and the brand generally, The On-One inbred would have to feature in the bike of the decade running.

I thought of the P7, but its nothing like it used to be (rigid, 60mm, 80mm, 100mm, 140mm) the one you can buy now bares pretty much no resemblance to the one form 10 years back.

The muddy fox courrier was a do it all bike too……………..
I was thinking more allong the lines of (nearly) everyone now rides 5" bikes, and it was the first to realy sell that kind of bike and riding to the mass market. Arguably a lot of manufacturers would give their left testicle to be able to build that bike even today?

TINAS the Switchback really? Its ok but far from the best bike of the decade. And if it was so great and copied why did DMR drop it?

After the Inbred I'd say the Chameleon. Spawned a whole wealth of long travel, hard as nails 'fun' bikes. Also easily used as a geared or singlespeed.

Yeah.. it's got to be the Enduro or Sub/5 for the UK; they stepped up mountain biking.

The main reason people bought on-one's was the price/performance, otherwise there is nothing that great about them

Yep. Spesh Enduro.

thisisnotaspoon – Member
Most coppied?
The DMR Switchback, without it there would be no 456/PA/Soul, arguably the first british deigned, tiwanese built, 5" travel steel hardtail.

Prince Albert was based on the Morning Glory frame, which I believe was out at least a year before the DMR Switchback. And as far as I'm aware, 456s/PAs/Souls have never had a habit of the head tubes snapping off.

Back on topic – if I only have one vote, I'll vote for the Specialized SX Trail.

Ibis Mojo, One of the nicest bikes I've had the pleasure of owning.

flamejob – Member

Yeah.. it's got to be the Enduro or Sub/5 for the UK; they stepped up mountain biking.

The main reason people bought on-one's was the price/performance, otherwise there is nothing that great about them

Not sure what else I look for in a bike other than great performance and value. Am I missing something?

Orange Five, other bikes have been around in the same way but I don't think any have quite stayed so on top like the Five…

Was riding with a chap on a Sub-Five recently and was amazed at how much stiffer and lighter they've made the five over the years despite it gaining a bit of travel in that time as well… (When you look at the two side by side you can see the ancestry but they're a mile apart to ride!)

I'd go for the Five, and I'm not even much of a fan.

My 09 Giant Anthem X1.

Il have to go with the 5 bit like what Gary Lake says
you put any of them side by side and you see why the changes
have been made and all improvements, even changed again for 2009.

Think the next change will be a chain device if they can find one
the fits and then it will have the 225 option on the rear shock.
So more a pure Classic

As a down and outright fun 'mountain bike' the Five gets my vote too.

Although the Slingshot and Klein Mantra are close behind… 😀

@Grantway

I believe that the new Gamut double mounts on an external BB…

@jimbobrighton

I'll qualify that; the On-One Price:Performance ratio is good. A bit like a standard Ford Focus; it's a good car, but nothing special.

I'd say this one just because of the column inches and speculation:

"why did DMR drop it"

They made the trailstar LT in a 18" version (which is pretty much a switchback, only slightly heavier)

And the kinesis decade thingy looks awfully familiar doesn't it, you might even think they could be made by the same company………….

You could argue that the switchback came from the trailstar LT, which came from the trailstar, which realy does make it old (were back in the late 90's now!).

My oppinion on the snapping, they were bought by people looking for lightweight jump bikes (maybe they should have sold it as kinesis rather than DMR?), also the later versions without the ISCG mounts were subtly different to strengthen the headtube welds.

I'm not knocking the morning glory or prince albert, but I think the trailstar came first, and the switchback was an evolution of that
(like the MG and PA, sub5 and 5).

Heckler was my first thought as well. Orange 5 too, for exactly the same reasons (very similar bikes really).

RM6 end of thread.
You can look at one and still say WOW.

flamejob – Member

@jimbobrighton

I'll qualify that; the On-One Price:Performance ratio is good. A bit like a standard Ford Focus; it's a good car, but nothing special.

@flamejob Aye, fair point. I'd still say the inbred probably one of the classic bikes of the past 10 years, especially with features like the 5 piece seat stay design which did make it stand out from other hardtails. That, along with the quirky, anarchic(ish) branding and to be fair, brant richards marketing which did give the brand a distinct personality.

I'd agree though that the orange five probably does deserve it – I can't think of any other suspension frame that has changed so little in the past ten years, versus the competition that re-invents the wheel almost every year.

Planet X Jack flash as many many bikes were spawned from that design.

Are we talking UK sales, International sales? what's the criteria?

how odd the stw massive seeming to agree that a single pivot full bouncer is best because its design has remained unchanged in 10 years?

well id say the kona stinky freeride and bombproof

and same design still going strong

The Kona stinky maybe bombproof but how well does it go up the hill? Only reason I am asking is most I have seen get pushed up the hill.

how well does it go up the hill?

Well engough. I have seen people riding/carrying it up to the
tour de larche (total ascent 2400m 600m of which is bike carriage)
tour du mont viso (total ascent 2600m 800m of which is bike carriage)
And through several transvesubienne.

My oppinion on the snapping, they were bought by people looking for lightweight jump bikes (maybe they should have sold it as kinesis rather than DMR?), also the later versions without the ISCG mounts were subtly different to strengthen the headtube welds.

That's what I thought the reason might be for the snapping. But I'm glad that I have the non iscg version. And they do look very similar to the versa the geometry is very close too.

hi5's fellow switchback owning buddy!

The geometry is getting a bit old now (IMO) though, droping the BB an inch(to 12"), adding an inch to the TT (upto 23and a bit), lobing 2deg off the HA (reducing to 68.5) and raising the head tube slightly would be my improvements.

I like that its (now) slightly oldskool geometry though. 90mm stem's and steeper angels rock at trail centers, just gets a bit hairy in propper mountains.

Bontrager Race, obviously.

Edit: even though it belongs to the 90s. 😳

The Kona stinky maybe bombproof but how well does it go up the hill? Only reason I am asking is most I have seen get pushed up the hill.

Kimbers, good news! it's not you…it's the bike!

Enduro sprang to mind first. I had one in 2005 and ever since (and before) its the one bike I keep coming back to. I think they've over egged the 2010 version – too much travel on it. So the noughties Enduro will remain a legacy.

how odd the stw massive seeming to agree that a single pivot full bouncer is best because its design has remained unchanged in 10 years?

I don't think people are saying what they think is the best bike of the decade, more the most iconic or significant one.

The 2005/2006 Enduro