Think I might win this thread….

Coming off the back of my DH bike (a sublime 05 Demo 8, still one of the best bikes I’ve ridden) getting knicked I thought about scaling back my level of gnar, and get more into all day riding, so got an 08 SX trail II, with the idea being that it would have similar geo to the demo, but be lighterer. It was neither of those things. Geo of an xc bike and 90% of the weight of a DH bike, despite being the top model, (air fork, XO kit, carbon stuff, reasonably light wheels)

That lasted just over a year, think I rode it 4 or 5 times in anger.

I replaced it with this….

A bike that GT actually marketed as being able to be ridden up hills, before smashing down them. It weighed 48 (yep, forty eight) pounds! It has a hub gear mounted in the frame that was direct drive to the rear wheel (similar set up to a zerode, but much less well executed).

Was incredible to ride, proper monster truck style, and cornered as if on rails, but the weight, and the drag from the drive train (plus the £90 a litre oil to service it…) meant it was sold after a couple of years (to flange of this parish, not sure where it went after him)

I then yearned for something lighter, but still able to take bigger hits, so got an 08 intense slope style, with a couple of forks, a u turn lyrik, that covered me for 110-160mm travel, then a 200mm boxxer for big Alps trips (was amazing to ride!!) and fitted a triple chainset (which became a double and bash after to many instances of having to pull the big ring out of my calf… Still wasn’t light, think that even in its lightest incarnation with full XTR (inc some Yumeya bits), single ply tyres and all the carbons it was 36lbs, much to my disappointment.

I’ve got a 2006 Norco six, it’s still completely stock apart from replacing the criminally bad Hayes sole brakes with cheap shimanos. Basic Fox Van R coil on FSR, so pedal bob isn’t the word. Pogo stick cheap OEM Marz up front and rapid rise 9spd. It hovers around 17kg depending on what tyres are on. It was my only full sus until getting a cheap Jekyll from Paul’s a few months ago, suffice to say I spent a lot of time on my hardtail before then 😆

My dad can still be seen trundling around Sutton Park on it from time to time, full sus helps his back.

I think to qualify for full madness it’s got to have a coil, forks longer than suggested etc. some fairly normal trail bikes in there 🙂
[url=https://flic.kr/p/gYNWM]Does this invalidate my warrenty?[/url] by Mike Smith, on Flickr
(Despite this it still rode well 🙂 )

[url=https://flic.kr/p/3iZcHK]Me jumping out of the tunnel[/url] by Mike Smith, on Flickr
Heckler, Marz Jnr T’s (zero real adjustment just some springs in oil), DHX5, 685mm Super wide bars, original ProII’s 36h just for extra strength – just forgot 1×9 11-32 on a 36t front 🙂 Dropped the Jnr T’s back to 150mm 36’s fir UK duties which were probably as long as the Jnr T’s….

2005 Trek Liquid 65. Trail bike travel with downhill bike weight. To be fair it did descend well and would winch up most stuff but just seemed caught in no man’s land. Mate’s Specialised Sx was a far more capable machine in every area.

Patriot 66,1st gen Fox 36’s,one of the first DHX Air’s in the uk.DT Swiss 5.1’s on Bulbs.
Was 34/35lb iirc and a ran it was run as slack as was possible…circa 64 degree ha and sub 300mm bb.On a 180mm travel single pivot!!
I seeming never clipped pedals after learning to deal with that!

I had a 66 too. Tried to merge my DH bike and hard tail into one….it sucked. I hated that bike with a passion.

Here’s my SX, which was sold on in 2013. I loved this bike so much, it was genuinely ahead of its time.

I remember how fast the Enduro of the same age as down the Dirt 1:01 track; it was so close to full on DH bikes.

Apparently this was my idea of the ideal DH and Cannock Chase bike…

Muddy bikes by James Robinson, on Flickr

Bullit on Ben Aigan by James Robinson, on Flickr

Easy to laugh at it now, but I explored a whole load of the UK on that bike and I seem to remember having a lot of fun at the time. No way I’d go back to that sort of setup though!