[Closed] Bike that just doesn’t do it !

Usually just setup IMO.

Yeah, is it too long? Short?
Tyre pressures dialed in?
There's a million factors that could make it feel wrong.

Trek Stache - Didn’t like puncture prone plus tyres and bike just felt a bit naff.

Cotic Roadrat - Just didn’t like it, no real reason. Yet I liked the Escapade.

Trek Fuel EX9 29er - Like riding a dead sofa. Bland and utterly uninspiring bike.

Other than those I’ve liked every bike I’ve had.

Trek Fuel 69er - always wanted one and yet, once I had it, I just couldn’t get on with it, for some reason.
My wife liked it much more than I did - in retrospect, I should have just kept it for her to ride.

I've never had a bike I couldn't make work for me.

Salsa El Mariachi. Just felt dead. No joy in riding it. Wheels, forks etc all ended up on another (Ti) frame with identical geometry that was a huge improvement.

So much so, probably doing cwmcarn on Sunday and probably won’t be taking the orange Four (which is what it is designed for) in favour of the Cotic !

One that sticks out for me is my Commencal Meta AM hardtail (2016 model). It was bone shaking stiff, tall and short. Felt slow and crap, but on edge all at the same time.

I had mixed feeling with my mk1.5 Bird Aeris. Felt good down hill, was ok climbing, but felt very sluggish on anything flat or pedally.

Nothing divides opinion like an Orange! I'd love to try a few as I've never ridden any 🙂

I’ve never had a bike I couldn’t make work for me.

I’ll swap whatever you’re riding now for an Apollo. It’ll be okay, you can make it work for you.

Transition Smuggler. It wasn’t a bad bike. In fact most people seem to love it. But for some reason I never really felt the love for mine. Not sure why, but life’s too short to worry about that so I moved it on to someone who hopefully appreciated it more.

08 Specialized sx trail. Pitched as the DH bike you could ride all day.

In reality it was a bike of dh weight with XC angles.

I’ll swap whatever you’re riding now for an Apollo. It’ll be okay, you can make it work for you.

My first grownup sized bike was an Emmelle road bike. I stripped all the crap off it, fettled it, painted it and rode it all over the countryside. If I could only afford an Apollo, I'd make it work for me 🙂

Mojo SL flexy as ****, couldn't stand it.

what tyres are on both?

Salsa El Mariachi

Mine is the best bike I've ever had by miles. The best place I have ever had to sit and pedal all day - or stand cos it's so stiff. So comfortable and the handling is incredible. Razor sharp and perfectly balanced front and rear so it slides like a beauty. If I could only have one bike it would be that one 🙂

08 Specialized sx trail. Pitched as the DH bike you could ride all day.

I wanted one of those (white with the sunset coloured graphics) more than life itself back in the day. I already had an 06 Enduro which weighed the same but was steeper and had less travel ha ha I LOVED it!

Hans Dampf front Ardent rear, on both.
Have had that set up on a few bikes and works for me and the riding I do.

Pinnacle Arkose for me. Sold a too small road bike and got one, but didn’t gel with it. Everyone else loves them, but off road I wanted a rigid MTB and on the road I’d ache as I felt was too short for mid-long rides. Well made bike and like the brand, had a few good years on an iroko which is a great bike.

Now have a genesis equilibrium disc that I’m much happier with, and I take the MTBs out on bridelways.

Santacruz Hightower! I spent a fortune trying to make it work for me, given how good everyone else in the world seemed to rate it. I couldn’t stand that bike. Felt dull to ride, slow, clumsy and heavy. Blew my brains financially on that bike, when I finally said enough was enough. New owner absolutely loves it!

Oh well live and you learn.

paulh110

Member
Hans Dampf front Ardent rear, on both.
Have had that set up on a few bikes and works for me and the riding I do.

least that rules out my tyre theory! 😆

Lapierre Spicy 516. 2011.

Was meant to be a hardcore Enduro bike, slacker and longer than the year before.

The mags gushed over it, best thing since sliced bread. It was expensive too at £3300 which was a lot of money in the pre-carbon (mostly) pre-dropper age.

What it actually was, was a more expensive, lessor specced version of the previous years, it was a little slacker but it came with absolutely appalling OE Conti tyres, wheels better suited to XC and a set of OE Fox 36s with a short-lived, completely useless openbath damper which combined to make for a very twitchy bike that just happened to have 6” travel (the rear being handled by RP2 shock that got all upset on long descents).

In fairness of the Mags the pics that went with the reviews showed a 516 wearing the top spec off-the-shelf Kashima forks and BlackChilli tyres, so either Lapierrw knew it wasn’t the best or it got down specced between pre-production and sale.

Think I just prefer steel hardtails, have had a few, including a Cotic soul(best bike I have ridden) going to probably move on the four and invest in the latest soul.

Trek fuel ex9, first year with the DRCV forks as well as shock.

Holy crap it was scary! Could not get it set up to give a consistent ride.

The final straw was a lap of FOD, round a berm and the fork hit the weird 'shelf' in the damping, dived through the travel and spat me out the front door.
On eBay the very next day......

I wanted one of those (white with the sunset coloured graphics) more than life itself back in the day. I already had an 06 Enduro which weighed the same but was steeper and had less travel ha ha I LOVED it!

Tbf, my previous bike was a demo 8, essentially I wanted that but lighter, so was always on a hiding to nothing

Jones Spaceframe.
Loved the weird looks, but just didn’t get on with the short wheelbase geometry. Felt like the builder had got the seat tube and head tube angles mixed up.
Room up front for a 29x3 but only 29x2.4 on the back.

At least the niche factor meant it held its value pretty well.

I assume Ton is still writing his 12 page reply to this thread.

I was wondering where Ton was 🤣

Geometron. After years of feeling bikes in my size were way too short...and consequently sizing up...the geometron sounded like the answer. Unfortunately they overcompensated...like driving a lorry. Heavy, wouldn't go round corners and didnt want to get airborne. Now got a medium mondraker dune and it's a much better fit.

Think I just prefer steel hardtails, have had a few, including a Cotic soul(best bike I have ridden) going to probably move on the four and invest in the latest soul.

Try a Flare? You sound like me tbh. 99% of the bikes I’ve loved have been steel hardtails. I just thought it was time to give full suspension a proper go and the Flare feels like a steel hardtail with a bit of extra give.

Cannondale Jekyll that was a STW PSA a year or so ago from Pauls Cycles.
Crap 2xSram drivetrain that I binned straightaway, crap Dyad shock that spikes on small fast stuff, crap geometry that needs a pair of offset bushes to get somewhere near but then cocks up the seat tube angle and to top it off it cracked at Antur Stiniog.
Took its warranty replacement to Morzine as I couldn't afford anything better and it was utterly crap, I still haven't built it back up after returning. Good luck Ratboy - you'll need it.

On One 456C.
Just couldn't get it to a stage where I enjoyed riding it.

Pinnacle Arkose as well - glad I am not the only one superstu.

I am sure the ST massive cannot be wrong and I keeping persevering but 3 replacement front calipers (still squealing like banshee), new back wheel, vague shifting, unidentified creaking, multiple failed tubeless attempts etc etc

I thought it must be me expecting too much from my first brand new bike in years, however bought a new Vagabond in October and couldn't be happier with her.

The Arkose is now relegated to commuting duties until the love returns.

FlareMax, ran it on plus tyres, I bought it coming back from two injured wrists and in fairness it was ok whilst getting my strength and fitness back. Once I was fit again I soon got fed up with wrestling it round switchbacks and humping it over gates etc, too long and heavy for my riding, couldn’t wait to get rid.

I also had a Orange Four that didn’t do it for me, just found it uninspiring and a bit dead to be honest. Sold the frame on and built up a Clockwork hardtail instead.

Surely not enough difference in the soul vs bfe just justify both?

What don’t you like about the 4? Other than it’s a short travel bike with a high single pivot and so has all the characteristics that go along with that. Have you tried any other trail bikes to compare and see if you like those? Try a few demos and if you like one just do a frame swap. Something like a Kona Process 134 / Transition Scout / Bird Aeris 120 etc. All mid travel trail bikes with modern geo without going silly long / slack.

I love my new hardtail (Alu / trail geo) and haven’t used my fs much since I got it, but haven’t been anywhere for a big day out in that time. When I go to CWmcarn / proper uplift days / big circuits like Brechfa black and red combined I’d always take the fs bike. Really ups the fun!

OG Flare, small. I bought it new and punted it on about 6 months later- I went back having fun again (and being able to carry a water bottle) on a small BFe. Tried a medium Rocket 650B as well; too long, too baggy, punted it on and went back to the BFe. I really should learn the lesson...

Whyte PRST1. Seemed to want to kill me. Kept it only 3 months.

Orange 5 - I've had two, and couldn't get on with them (should have nearned after the fist one)

Cotic Soul - I just didn't like it - felt wooden to me (I later had a Soda, basically same frame in Ti, and that was probably the best one I've had)

Turner 5 Spot - bit like the 5, just didn't get on with it

Canyon grand canyon..hardtail 10kg carbon 29er race bike..

Nasty..sucked the joy out of riding. Felt as harsh as a cx bike off road with none of the benefits associated with a bike designed to be taken down anything remotely technical.

Sold it after about 2 months and went back to a full suss.

Santacruz Hightower! I spent a fortune trying to make it work for me, given how good everyone else in the world seemed to rate it. I couldn’t stand that bike. Felt dull to ride, slow, clumsy and heavy.

Really? I got one late last year and it feels so bloody light, quick and agile to me. Everyone who has a go on it remarks how "light if feels" when pedaling, even thought its 29lbs which isnt really that light.

Orange 5 2017 model - longer, lower, slacker...ruined it!

Cannondale Prophet.

It's my first and only FS bike, and is a good enough bike (certainly more capable than me!). But I just don't 'love' it ... 💔

It feels too tall, seat angle too shallow (so tech climbs are quite hard work), quite short, and just feels like a lot of effort to pedal, especially locally.

The lack of love is largely offset by the fact that it only cost me tuppence to buy, and as I don't have the money to buy anything else, it will do for the time being. But it is rarely the bike I choose to take out and ride ...

I had a O-O 456 in "That Blue" after great magazine reviews etc.
It was nearly a grand which was a lot on my meager wages, and I loved the way it looked, the colour etc, but I couldn't get on with the ride. The BB7's vibrated the whole bike. I couldnt afford anything else so stuck with it and kept it for ages. Eventually upgraded the brakes which stopped the vibration, and the ride was transformed when I got rid of the Mary Bars, but by then my head had been turned by various other bikes and I eventually sold it for not a lot.

I have since had Mary's on commuting bikes and loved them, but off road they are definitely not for me.

Specialized 2008 SX Trail with Totems on the front, was a nasty, understeery, nervous, tall, piece of shit.