Have you ever bought a bike, either through personal preference or followed the hype, and regretted it? If so, what was it and what did you do about it?

Should have gone to “Speshsavers” 😛

What have you bought?!

Bought a pair of over-hyped motorbike boots. Managed to get a full refund; so at least the company were good to deal with!

Ha Ha No I’m not hinting at a personal purchase regret, Its a question that crossed my mind tonight while doing a bit of online window shopping.

Yes. Bought a nomad. Not as versatile as the reviews would have you believe. Sold it on within a few months.

Ask Hora….

Ibis Mojo.

Had a Nomad too, pretty versatile, but overkill for a complete mincer like me,

I’ve bought a lot of bikes I haven’t kept very long, and some that didnt really do it for me, but no regrets. I guess I would have regretted them more if I’d bought them new and lost a lot of money.

The latest orange 5 (tapered head tube etc.); I bought one having owned an original sub-5 & a 2006 5, both of which were fantastic. It seemed to have lost the edge that I enjoyed; it was no longer the lively fun bike I loved but a sanitised boring sledge. I think my main issue was that for most riding it was too slack, coupled with a particularly crap shock (RP23) that cavitated twice and got replaced eventually.

456 Summer Season, wooden and rode like it was drunk even with 100s on it. Not a fan of slack, long travel hardtails but thought I’d get one anyway. Still own it mind, keep thinking about replacing with a regular 456 or an inbred, but I really wanted a Lemon Meringue coloured one! 😳

Really wanted a BFe or a Soul but didn’t have the funds at the time.

Lynskey Ridgeline LT

Lynskey got the published geometry wrong – tricky things to use, rulers. Medium was too small so got sent back. Big wait. Lots of emails and nonsense from yanks. Then large frame arrived and was a massive gate and didn’t handle. Sold on with a loss of £400. Thanks Lynskey, never again 8)

Giant XTC Advanced. If you change the seatpost the warranty is invalidated.

ROFL @ konastoner

cynic-al – Member

Ibis Mojo.

oh dont say that, I haven’t even finished building it

overkill for a complete mincer like me

phew! thankfully, I am a nutcase 😛

Sold my GF hifi as the reviews weren’t all that favourable to buy a pace rc405 which was hyped. Didn’t keep the pace long, and missed my old hifi 😕

Konastoner – Member

Should have gone to “Speshsavers”

Funny 😆 How long have you been waiting for an opportunity to say that !

D’oh double post 🙁

Spent a while on a friend’s Pace 405 and it genuinely the worst bike I’ve ever ridden, and I’m including my old Raleigh Tomahawk in that…

Rachel

Normal 456, I just didn’t get on with it. Ended up selling my road bike so I could buy my Enduro frame.

Sold my GF hifi as the reviews weren’t all that favourable to buy a pace rc405 which was hyped.

So you sold something you liked, because someone else said it was crap?

And for me 2006 Enduro, just too much bike for 99% of my riding.

Nomad, is there a trend here?

pjm84 – Member

Giant XTC Advanced. If you change the seatpost the warranty is invalidated.

this does not affect your statutory rights.

Yep, live and learn ‘eh 🙄

Bit of dillema recently…Swift / Pace RC129 or a Niner SIR9…
The Niner won, & its lovely. Big outlay for me & (daft as it seems) a few restless moments weighing them all up. Still wonder if I did the right thing, but the Niner is really ticking every box I set out.

Bought a Giant NRS many years ago & it was truly, truly awful.

Wish I had bought or at least tried a Cotic soul before buying my C456. Love the 456 but was part blinkered by carbon, weight, swapouts and tapered fork and thought the soul was short in the TT like a cove. Now I have realised I am hankering to try a soul. (16″/small)

Mondraker Summum.

Even the large was too small.

Don’t know if I’ve regretted buying a bike or frame yet, but definetly have issues with most. (My own fault, shame of shames, haven’t test ridden anything bar one or two car park pedals .. )

Stuff like:
assuming Id never progress to the point 3″ saddle drop would become an issue, brain shock limitations [spesh SJer FSR]
slack HA, long eff.TT [Pinnacle Camino]
too slack head/seat angles for what I had in mind [sanderson life]
long chainstays, too easy to bottom out shock (@ 20% sag) [titus el guapo]

“Pace 405 and it genuinely the worst bike I’ve ever ridden”
really? sort of good to hear, I spent a while thinking what if after buying my SJer FSR not long before the rc405 came out/got rave reviews

got an inbred last year for a cheap ss build err shouldn’t have bothered last 2 weeks then got a charge duster frame swapped everything over last 3 weeks thought this it never gonna find a nice ss frame built up an old merlin steel frame (the one with ritchey drop outs) perfect! road really really well, light responsive everything the modern ss frames missed lasted til i needed funds 6 months later and regret selling it

Ow and the iron horse bootleg3 BAG OF F*(£ING BOLTS only way to describe it what a crap frame to build up round

For those with regrets – did you voice those on any public forums while you still had the bike in question?

Scott Spark, seemed OK when I tried one and the light weight and big discount was attractive. However, the more I rode it the more I grew to hate it and the more it seemed to self destruct. I was happy to see the back of it.

Mojo +1 just never clicked with it don’t know why no issues with it and my mate who tried it loved it but I never felt at home on it…….I think I never pushed it enough for it to come alive! Ie I’m a chicken!

meta 5. just never rode well. sold it bought a 456.

Not really, mine haven’t all been good buys but I’ve always learned something from the bad ones. (or sold them on for more than I paid 😉 )

I’m slightly regretting not just parting out the cross bike, unridden, it was worth a heck of a lot more in parts than it cost me. But what the hell, it’s nice to have.

Oh Lordy, I forgot the Devinci Hectic… Worst piece of crap I’ve ever had. None of the measurements matched up with their published numbers. About a 77 degree seat angle, 65 degree head angle & a bottom bracket that was in orbit. It was just wrong. I can’t actually believe they’re all this bad but mine was awful.

Sugdenr it was the proper one – I.e. in steel

My second comment was re. Nomad. When it came out it was heralded as the best do it all bike ever, I imagine many were bought by folk who didn’t justify their gnarl.

Pompino. Didn’t help that I got taken out by a geared bike with rigid panniers who couldn’t deal with me over taking him and then clipped me with said panniers as he cut me up. Transferred to a Cross Check and never looked back.

Not really, mine haven’t all been good buys but I’ve always learned something from the bad ones. (or sold them on for more than I paid )

Maybe not been quite so lucky all in, but a similar story all told. I’ve had a number of bikes over the years that have not been particularly suitable for me, for one reason or another, and have learnt well from those experiences. The 2 Mountain Bikes I have now suit my needs perfectly, and there is pretty much nothing I’d change on them both (save giving them a full service, new bearings all round and a good clean). But many bikes from my past have dictated why the 2 I have now suit so well, and I have learnt a lot about my own quite specific requirements towards geometry and feel from a bike. And some of the bikes that didn’t suit me are particularly well loved models almost universally, so it just gos to show that there are indeed horses for courses.

Bikes are like partners some long term ,some one night stands.
Some hot,racy and far too costly.
Some cheap and nasty leaving you sore in the most sensitive of places
Some too laid back and far too slack but fun in a naughty way
But with age and experience you eventually settle down with one that just feels right most of the time and it’s a bonus if they really enjoy having their **** ***** ****** **.
Do I get a ban now?

Another Nomad disappointment. Lusted after them since first seeing one, managed to get a MK1 in fave colour (white). None of the reviews mentioned it climbed like a dog with a broken leg. In granny ring the lower link compressed with every pedal stroke, effectively shortening the chainstay 3/4inch. Most disappointing and possibly worst bike I’ve owned. Luckily bought used so no noticeable financial loss when I sold it on.

Replaced with an ugly recycled filing cabinet with an archaic single pivot, which is a joy to climb on by comparison and just as capable at covering up lack of skill on the descents.

Still not sure about my CAAD8. Not decided whether it’s the bike or just being bored of road riding.

I bought a Marin once.

It was very efficient. That is the nicest thing i can say about it.
Basically it was dull as [insert expletive here].

Bought a Dialled PA which I loved.

Wasn’t sure about my Ragley Blue Pig when i got it initially but love it now!
Sometimes you have to give things a few rides to click.