The worst bike I have ever ridden.

This was yesterdays bootsale bargain, £20 a few self tappers & some ally strips fixed the seatpost to usable & I got to ride the most alarmingly bad bike ever.

With an RRP of about £800 how do they sell these things?

it looks like a transformer mid change (to a zimmer frame 😉

saw you coming a mile off

there’s a bloke pootles past my house on one most days.

he’s not not going fast but it doesn’t look like he’s fighting for control.

It was worth it for the niche points I thought…. then I rode it.

edit, he is pootling because he is in fear for his life!!

It’s still possible to take that basic design and make it worse –

http://www.a-bike.co.uk/%5B/url%5D

I know Mel, who reviewed one for the LCC. Been riding bikes since a child, racer, mtber. Fell off repeatedly

At least its not £800 RRP…

congratulations
great ebay fodder – I broke one for parts last year and made £200.

The stems crack so these alone are sold for £40+

Good info, I have found an unsuspecting new owner though, I am giving it to my brother, I never did like him..

I am trying to source a new seatpost thing, any idea how much I am looking at for one of those?

If you think that is bad, have you tried a 29er yet?

They’re hideous, really awful – the “best” bit is that for taller people the seat gets closer to the handlebars…

…but I did just buy this 😉

Good info, I have found an unsuspecting new owner though, I am giving it to my brother, I never did like him..

In which case, take out a life insurance policy on him prior?

Not seen the A-bike before. I’m lost for words

but I did just buy this

I do sometimes wonder if they’ll be seen as prescient in 20 years time.

Just a case of launched into the wrong market at the wrong time.

I could see fleets of them doing sterling service at CentreParcs today 🙂

Ha ha, I would like a go in the Sinclair… not sure I need to own one though!!

I always fancied one of those 🙁

My brother used to own one of the early magnesium framed Kirk mountain bikes. There was that much flex in the frame that I couldn’t ride it on the flat, let alone stamp on the pedals. It felt like the top and down tubes were made of jelly. It eventually died, snapped just behind the headset.

I had one of them too 😉

[/url]
Kirk Magnesium[/url] by Ben Cooper[/url], on Flickr

Bought it for £200, sold it for £500!

I was going to suggest you were quite twisted Bencooper but then I saw the profit… Was Kirk who made the road bike frames as well?

Is the Sinclair a passing fancy to earn on too?

I quite respect that, its what I thought the Strida would be, but they dont make much whole on eBay, I guess I could have broken it as suggested, but I will be happier watching my brother crash the thing.

Kirk made a road version too – similar, but without the elevated chainstays.

The C5 is because people who know nothing about recumbents know about the C5, so I can use it to show people how rubbish the C5 was. Though I’m now tempted to fit a powerful motor and battery.

Ah, yeah I forgot you work in the trade with high end recumbants.. Or have I got that wrong?

Is it that rubbish? Uprating must be dead easy these days.

Yup, I do recumbents, folding bikes, weird stuff in general.

The C5 was rubbish even when it was new – as usual Sinclair took a good idea and made it as cheaply as possible. So the frame is folded and spot-welded mild steel, it’s a simple 12v lead-acid battery, no speed controller, driving a cheap motor. Single-speed pedal drive, no leg length adjustment, cheap balloon tyres. And all made by Hoover!

I know someone who fitted a rocket engine to one, though…

mmm, in its defense, cars are folded spot swelded mild steel, it can be made to work & I dont think there was anything other than lead acid then.

Sorting the motor & batteries & a controller must be dead easy now, the rest will have to be put down as character!

I still want a go in it. 🙂

I can’t even tell how that first bike works. Take a picture of yourself on it please.

You can have a go, I will take a picture of you.

Check this out, just fast forward all the drivel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3-kfnKmDVc