[Closed] Bikes that you instantly hated.

mk 1 blur - so wrong in every way

Kinesis Maxlight

dunno I just felt to high up, like I was perched on top of the bike rather than in it.

had one ride on a mates Kona manomano, felt 'orrible.finished the ride on a MkI spesh enduro expert, more pleasurable by far.

Specialized FSR comp ,heavy and slow whitted.......the bike ,not me LOL 🙂

anything over 30lbs

Full carbon Scott Genius. Too tall and the supension on the rear just felt plain weird, it was the shop owners own bike so was setup right too
Oh and had those dual control levers...

Orange ST4... I know its been getting really good reviews but I just didn't like it at all.

Really wanted to becasue I have other Orange bikes but it just didn't work for me.

older superlght

whyte 46

Roberts genesis custom I had built. Was months late and rode like cack. And the head tube flared like butter.

Looked gorgeous, mind.

I have never tried one, but I know the owners rave about them, but to me the look like they have been welded from girders.

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Now the P7 on the other hand looks spot on 😉

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Giant Anthem X.1

Horrible.

Full carbon Scott Genius. Too tall and the supension on the rear just felt plain weird, it was the shop owners own bike so was setup right too
Oh and had those dual control levers...

I had a few demos on these back when I worked with bikes. They never felt good. I set up the suspension myself from the manual, then talked it through with my contact at Scott, and on a separate bike let the workshop set it up. They always felt too bouncy when climbing and just plain boring downhill.

One of the early Whites was terrible as well, can't remember the model.

I instantly hate the majority of demo bikes i try, they always seem to be badly set-up with the staff 'following guidelines' for frame/fork setup meaning its far too stiff/soft and not at all ballenced. After pottering around dissapointed 5 mins twiddling dials and sorting springs/pressure usually has them feeling much better.

Yeti 575 - felt very similar to the Mongoose Teocali I was looking to replace except much taller - I was sat on top of it, not riding it.

Scott Genius - didn't hold traction on the climbs, couldn't steer it going down hill. I'm willing to believe it was shock setup and/or tyres but I didn't like it one bit.

Whyte 46 - I didn't hate it as such but thought it was an odd/interesting ride. I quite enjoyed it but even after a 3day test I still noticed the odd ride. There was something about it I don't think I'd ever have got used to (And my main FS bike at the time was a Whyte JW4)

Not really tried a 29er I like. They feel ponderous, slow, it's difficult to pick the front end up and I ride with flats so always end up hitting my foot on the wheel. I did have a quick go on a Jones which felt really nice, but your more everyday ones were horrible.

Pretty much any aluminium hardtail I've ever tried. I think I'm just too soft.

Giant Trance X1. The long stem didn't help matters, but the whole thing just felt so wrong 🙁

I bought a second hand Balfa BB7, it was ragged and needed some work to get it going which put a downer on it before I even rode it. Then rode it and it just felt so wrong. Alu front end and steel back made it feel unbalanced and on a couple of times I felt like I was going to flip off the back as the rear end dropped so much quicker than the front.

Replaced it with a Turner DHR - Now that was NICEEEEE!!

When I was buying my current bike, I demo'd a big bunch of bikes one after the other and the only one that I instantly didn't like was the Orange Five - I know that's close to heresy on STW, but it's sadly true.....

carrera, boardman, genesis... anything bought from a catalogue by a chain/distro and branded by themselves really.

First gen Blur LT - felt wallowy and too tall.

Spesh Enduro, my missus tried a Spesh Saphire and found the same thing, just dull to ride really.

Lapierre Froggy - although it only weighted 36lb I'll be buggered if I could get that thing up to speed, it always felt like it wanted to coast to a stop rather than pick up speed. Doesn't say a lot for a Freeride bike when I was only impressed by how well it climbed (it really did climb well mind!)

Specialized Stumpjumper FSR - dull, soft and reluctant.

Genesis Altitude 853 tubed one. Not a nice ride to me. Too stiff and harsh for a 853 tubed steel frame. People rave about them, but I just sold mine after a few month or so. To change it up a little, the best bike I owned was a specilized hardrock. The one that looked like a poor mans Cove Stifee. Was one of the chapest bikes too I have had! But such a good comfy frame.

GT hard tails, but it has been a while. I'm the wrong shape for them, they just feel a bit wrong.

First Whyte 46, wanted to like it, mags loved it, rode one for three days, but way too tall and I could not get it to use its travel. Had a GF Cake, ok on the demo, but could not live with it. Tried hard with a Patriot 66 for a year but never sorted it.

always felt like it wanted to coast to a stop rather than pick up speed

DH tyres perchance?

It's easy to dismiss bikes that are slack, or heavy, or little, when you're not getting full potential out of them. I don;t particularly love my BMX, which I reckon is because I never really rode one until I was 30. And I didn't like a Big Hit that I owned for a short amount of time, I suspect because they are ace for blatting downhill, whereas I am not.

My dad's road bike. Such sharp geometry that if you take your hands off the bars for a second you end up crashing your face off.

Oh, and my mate's old DH bike that had some old Marzocchis that were so horrendously flexy they caused me to crash the one and only time I did a run on it.

Kona Lavadome. Too long.

Also anything with late nineties Rock Shox on. Bleurgh!

Controversially, I didn't much like the Cotic Soul I test rode.
I felt like all my weight was over the front and the steering felt caster-wheel-like. It felt great climbing, but all wrong pointing downhill.
I'm sure the position could have been altered to suit me better and/or I could grow to like it over time, but some bikes just feel "right" when you sit on them and this didn't to me.

Antony, they were only 2.4 Rubber Queens so not excessive (800g ish)

I have no experience of Rubber Queens. 🙂

carrera, boardman, genesis... anything bought from a catalogue by a chain/distro and branded by themselves really

That's just being an eliteist snob, IMO.

Giant Reign,

I've ridden a friends and rented one. Felt like riding an old sofa. Admitedly I think all full suss's feel wierd and these probably weren't set up properly for me but it wallowed and sucked all the life out of my pedaling.

Have liked other full suss's though.

I hated my 456. I didn't get on with the Mary bars, but couldn't justify new bars so rode it for a while, but really didnt get on. Bought some Outland risers and things didnt get much better. Got a Kona Scrap with had much higher risers (for the GF) and my hands felt in a much better position when I took it out and it rapidly became my favoured bike, while the 456 gathered dust. Eventually I got round to new high risers on the 456 after going out with the GF and wanting to ride her bike and we are finally getting along (me and the 456). On reflection I would have been pretty gutted if I had sold it, but we close to parting ways (again the 456 - still with the GF)

test rode a Cannondale Raven - odd and wrong. indeed, did any body ever buy one?

Kona Jake - too slow on the road and not beefy enough for me off it. Great commuter though - apparently!
{dons flame proof suit and runs}

My first full sus - Coyote FR1. Funny thing is that after my first ride I was really down and miserable as it felt slow and unresponsive. But after a year of riding it I loved it, and its now one of my all-time favourite bikes!

Kirk revolution. (going back a bit)

22lb Giant XTC build on the "frame only" option ....

low bb , steep head angle .. .speced by a mate against all my advice with 80mm sids and really really harsh rear end !

im also anti boardman ... they are mutton dressed as lamb .. good componants hung on a shite frame (ive had the misfortune to ride a few correcting the local halfords really bad mechanic work) and they use really cheap hidden bits , headsets and bbs etc to keep to the price point.

hmm, always managed to enjoy any bike - maybe I've just not ridden enough of the things!

Closest to hate was for a Scott hardtail I hired in Rotorua - shocky mech discs, clunky top out forks - basically as cheap as pos - still had a bloody good ride on it though, even including some pretty decent sized drops and steep stuff.

on one - after all the hype i was expecting something special
demo8 - yet to ride one that feels nice, i reckon sam/brendons might be a bit different.

OK, not hated, but don't get on with my 456. Just don't get on with the geometry. Keep meaning to bung it on the classifieds.

Sat on a mates whyte 46 once - awful. Felt better after he got the 'alpine link' (exciting name for something that puts right a crap design)

Spesh Epic - Just felt like a big, fat, heavy hardtail. I don't think the tyres helped though

Another Spesh Epic hater here. I ended up throwing it down more trails than I rode and just before it got lobbed off the Forth Road Bridge, I gave it to Mrs Rickmeister who now uses it to commute 9 miles to work.... I still hate even doing maintanence on the thing.... grrrrrrrr...

Oddly, after a few years of riding Orange Sub5s, I shifted to a turner 5spot. A year later, we test rode some bikes with a friend who was looking for something new. The new 5 was in there, and I hated it. Twitchy, scrabbled for traction under power on climbs, and spat out the rear wheel at times of peak output (something I disliked about the ones I owned anyway) too light in the rough stuff to hold a line properly.

YUK.

I acknowledge this may have had something to do with the 5spot as my regular ride.

I usually find something to like about the bikes, but I can think of 2 that I hated riding:
Charge Duster - felt dead and heavy, looked great though.
Giant Reign (mk 1) - worst climbing bike ever, sucked energy like a sponge. Not bad going downwards though.

a dave hinde custom built road bike. was just wrong!!

Orange Patriot 7+ felt really high and I didnt feel confident on it at all. It jumped pretty well though

higgo - Member
Yeti 575 - felt very similar to the Mongoose Teocali I was looking to replace except much taller - I was sat on top of it, not riding it.

Liked all the Orange 5's I've tried though and I really want to try a Trek Remedy though

Spesh Epic - Just felt like a big, fat, heavy hardtail.

Yep. Sluggish and awkward, I found it. I hated the way the back end suddenly gives, I know it's designed to do that, but it just felt wrong. And they are a real PITA to set up propply.

My Spesh P3, I din't get on with. Just not my sort of thing.

Santa Cruz Chameleon; dead, heavy frame, just felt like a cheapo heavy bike. No give whatsoever. I woon't want to ride that to the pub, let alone for any real distance, and certainly not off road.

Basically, anything heavy. I want to ride a bike somewhere, pootle about, look at the view. I don't want something that I have to schlep about with, and slog away trying to get the thing moving.

I would like to throw the Whyte PRST 1 into the ring.

I never rode one but they just look wrong on so very many levels.

As for bike I have actually riddne and hated instantly.

Saracen Estay steel thing from 1990 ish in white with Maguras and orange forks. All wrong.

1990 ish Specialized Stumpjumper Team - it really was a gate.

An early Trek Liquid - just did not work for me.

Test rode a Trance X - really disappointed as I love my old skool Trance.

To be honest though I think it may have been something to do with the super-long stem - urgh -felt like it needed a shopping basket on the front.

All Oranges and Whytes. far too much metal

all oranges,whytes and marins anything with tires wider than 2.4 and 6inch travel plus and anything heavier than 24lbs.
mind you thats just my opinion.
Bruce

I think all bikes are mega!

GT hardtails... we've got a GT Zaskar '96/7 down stairs and an old steel GT summit-a-ruvva - just the frame though. both belong to a mate.

the Zaskar is harsh as **** - yeah, i know it's a 'race' bike but, he doesn't race. can't ride it down a set of steps or over drops without the chain ring almost scraping.

and the thing that i really don not understand with GT HT's is why do that stupid extra triangle? i remember reading in their blurb that it sends the vibrations from the rear onto the top-tube and not the seat tube and up to the saddle. load of twaddle.

also some norco thingymajig. heavy and dead feeling. ok, it was built up beefy but when my bike was kaputt and i only had the option of that i declined to par-take in any riding activity.

Hate's a bit strong but I disliked my Roadrat from the minute I slung my leg over it. So much so that I stripped it down and sold the frame and wheels (which I'd built specially) in pretty short order. That sort of decisive action is very unusual for me, usually things end up in the loft in case I decide to give them another try in a couple of years!

@ johnners....i think there are a lot of us who should be a little more like you making decisions to rid ourselves of bits. would certainly free up some space in this house...

GT hardtails is a good call- something wierd about the geometry I coud never get.

Perhaps the worst specific bike I've ridden was a Giant NRS- the suspension was disastrous and when you ride an Anthem you can see just how far Giant have come recently.

Without doubt though, as a genre, 29ers are an awful idea. Slow handling, slow acceleration, very dead feeling and substandard performance in every technical situation you can imagine. Not bad in flowy singletrack though.

Stoner's 29" gate with the rolhof and daft fork. I did not enjoy that at all. Niche yes, nice no!

Specialized s-works endouro sl carbon - pig of a bike which rode like a camel -it was one bike i was glad to give back.

This one . . .

[img] http://images.fotopic.net/?iid=yusij8&=1&nostamp=1&quality=70 [/img]

Cost me an arm and a leg and looked the absolute bomb. First ride out and wow, how fast!!! The day after, I took it to FOD with a friend . . . one run down the Sallow Valets track, my feet came flying off the pedals and I was cr@p . . . it was all over 😕

"@ johnners....i think there are a lot of us who should be a little more like you making decisions to rid ourselves of bits. would certainly free up some space in this house..."

I wish I was like that more often, but it's about the only time I've ever done it!

Cotic Soul, tried a mate's, felt like it was trying to spit me off the front. Borrowed a Explosif, wanted so much to like it, but it was only just average, no feeling it just felt dead, so disappointed.

Giant Trance and Scott Genius both felt horrible. Slow, uninspiring, made me feel I'd rather walk.

Then I got on a Spesh Epic and it felt like it had an engine. Fantastic. Fast and feels so surefooted. So I bought one 🙂

Cove Hustler

Just didnt get it, felt to big and it hurt me.

04 575, just didnt like it from day 1, spent a long time trying to like it. If I married it I would have been divorced/marriage of convenience.

It has to be the early Orange mr o, that bike was really poor! A lot of DH bikes back then were cr@p in hindsight.

orange O2 special edition, harsh ride and i hated it

Santa Cruz superlight for me, everyone raved about them but I hated every minute of riding it.

Also Litespeed Vortex road frame, I had wanted one forever, finally managed to find the cash for one and it was awful, really bad ride, wouldn't go in a straight line to save it's life.

Lots of people slating the Scott Genius, odd, it's one of the best bikes I've ever owned. Just goes to show it's horses for courses.

Whyte 46, was expecting great things but it felt tall, slow and soggy, and generally dull.

FSR Spesh's.

Marin Riftzone (2005)...great reviews, good kit but, when ridden, just felt awful IMHO

Mr Agreeable's Cove. Forks too short, bars to narrow, shocking brakes and as for that colour...

'08 & '09 Commencal Meta 55's they just feel like you're actually sat in the frame, bloody awful IMHO, nowt like marketing hype though 😉

Anything that my riding buddies Stu or Bill buy.

Stu's Orange Aluminium O had the weirdest handling of any bike ever, or so I thought until I rode his Norco (can't remember the name Spec FSR mk1 clone). It was just plain wrong.

Bill always buys bike that are way too big anyone. He's 5'6" and would regularly turn up on something designed for Arnold Schwarzennegger, like a 19" Giant Coldrock, the Marin B15 in XL size, or the piece de resistance: the 21" Cannondale Super V, complete with 170mm stem that could be flipped between somewhere just above the front tyre and a position almost but not quite in the stratosphere.

Norco A-line (tried to kill me)
Cotic Soda - Noodle
Turner 5 spot - creaky horst linked wallowing swamp pig (loved the look - still do, was ready to purchase, then took the shop owners personal bike on a demo - not good)
Marin Wolf Ridge - no Alpine link could ever save that piece of shit
Airborne/Van Nicholas Zion - Noodle