In contrast to the other thread.
For me, my Dialled PA and Iron Horse 6 point, 1 ride and they felt perfect.
Giant NRS. I rode one of the team bikes way back when, can't remember the riders name, though. Just felt right to me, coming from a rigid riding background, as the frame responded exactly as I wanted a frame to respond.
I like my Cove Stiffee a lot. As soon as it got some proper length forks on it, it just felt ace.
Oh and this is never going to be as popular as the "hate" thread, you know. 😉
My SC Heckler... with Fox 36s..
It just feels "right".
Just wish I could do it Justice. 😳
Kona A'ha. I vividly remember walking into the second-hand shop in Bristol (the name of which I've forgotten - at the top of the steps near the BRI) and seeing the thing standing in a ray of sunlight with dust motes floating in it, literalling glowing. It wasn't even a case of [i]deciding[/i] that I had to have it, I [i]knew[/i] I had to. I panic-sold everything I could lay my hands on to raise the £270 or whateveritwas, and bought it within a week. Of course, it was a pretty ghastly thing to ride, and a silly bike all round, so it got sold when I ran out of money 12 months later. I regretted that enormously, and as soon as I felt flush again I statrted looking out for one on ebay. When I found one I paid over the odds for it, and got scammed out of about £200 on shipping costs, but it was worth it.
🙂
Dialled PA for me as well, and then more so when I upgraded to the Morning Glory.
Not wanting to sound like a total DB fanboy I also felt perfectly at home on my Love/Hate too.
I guess Mike@DialledBikes makes bikes that are just right for me 🙂
my Blur 4X - immediately gave me the confidence to bomb straight off things - woo!
Konas Kilauea; On-One 456; Orange Patriot (although now thinking of getting something a bit nimbler).
My S/light and Sanderson felt right from the first ride. Now the S/light feels wrong, but I've not worked out why 🙁 I still just love riding the Sanderson 🙂
My Spesh enduro expert '03, oh yeah baby! Still my main ride, not the fastest bike in the world, but rides well, climbs reasonably if you're smooth and downhill great fun. Love it to bits!
Cant see anything similar i'd rather have even now.
From way back - white Muddy Fox Courier (mid-80s), '89 Marin Bear Valley (black with gold graphics), Fisher's from the 80's and early 90's.
Modern stuff - loads but I have got to say my entry level Commie, haven't I?!
My Orange Five, was demoing at CwmCarn and used the uplift but to ride the XC back down from the freeride park. Rode the freeride park the first time and already decided it was going to be mine. Spent the rest of the day agonising over colour and trying not to crash from over exuberance. Ironically, once mine was delivered I did in fact crash it, quite badly, on the first ride, at cwmcarn, all down to over exuberance... typical!
Before that, I had one of the higher end Schwinn Gold label Moab's before it all went to sh*t for them. That was realy fast and leggy from the off!
oh forgot to mention my 1999 kona munimula. My route back into biking after a 7 year period in the wilderness.
The last bike I'd ridden was a '91 Orange Clockwork with narrow bars, manitou 2s and basically setup to be as light and noodly as possible. The kona was a total revelation and felt like it would jump over buildings in comparison.
Still waiting 🙁
Nearest would be my ancient Coyote Ultralight which I always come back to and is currently being stripped back top bare metal to be re-incarnated as a light street s/s
Still makes me smile 🙂
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Turner Burner.
Rides, well like a Turner.
SC Chameleon. Instant hooligan.
My Mythic Rune felt great from the word go, and has just got better and better, even though i haven't, lol.
Oh, and my Trek 1000 roadie felt great from the start, mainly because the shop took my measurements and set it up for me.
Cove Stiffee, Handjob, Hustler and Shocker. Each one was supurb for the moment I threw a leg over them.
I 'fell' for the Shocker most. Just awesome, rode so 'lightly'.
Popped the cherry of my Genesis Alpitude last night and it was perfect. I was in it, not on it if you get me.
My new marin quad 140 attack trail for me, the geometry is about as close to my sunday as I can get on an xc bike and it feels fantastic.
My dialled PA is kind of another, I fell for it madly in it's second incarnation with some 36's on the front, wasn't that into until then.
Turner 5 Spot - found one s/h for a mate, built it up for him, then just had to get one myself - still brings a smile 5 years on 😉
My old Trek Hardtail and my Bianchi 928.
commencal supreme DH.
borrowed a mates for a weekend and bought one the following week.
fatmuthahubbard's PA which he rode twice and then sold as he 'didn't get on with it.' that was fun on a stick!
also:
-kinesis maxlight xc pro (i notice someone else hated it on the other thread)
-456 summer season
-rivette h4
-my scott genius but only when i put pikes at 140mm on it; much more fun as a play bike than a marathon/race one
the best funnest bike ever was a foes xct5 from a bike demo day about 3 years ago. I have honestly never equalled (err, on a bike that is) the fun i had ragging that round a bone-dry newnham park. Wish i could afford one.
oh CFH, I am reviving (ie bearings/shock) an 01/02 vintage NRS team (with the daft sponsors list on the top tube and everything) i bought the other day. I was going to go 100mm up front. Any tips?
Original mid-Nineties GT Zaskar in either ball burnished or frost blue ano.
My 2006 ano silver Turner Flux. It looks fast and rides even faster. I tried to sell it and am so glad that no one bought it now!
pompino - ace, was such a step up from the £30 fixed conversion raleigh i had previously.
my inbred. especially once i realised it was more fun with the forks wound out to 130mm 🙂
Ditto heckler and 36s
5 spot and 456 both different sizes but and both feel great 😉
Loweys Turner 5 spot, even tho it was a large and I'd need a small it just felt as if I could do anything on it..............can't see me affording one anytime soon tho
Ragley Ti - I sat on it and rode iot for about 100yds - instantly fely a perfect fit
Cove Handjob -instantly realised what steel was all about when done right
Yeti 575 -just had to have one
Rivette (can't remember the model) - great geometry, georgeous detailing and super light
Cannondale Taurine -doesn't carbon climb well!
Scott Ransom -like a big comfy sofa
RM Instinct -first full sus, fab bike
Iron Horse MKIII -just made me want to plough through stuff. Good climber too
2003 specialized sx felt good from the off. Pretty short, nice low bb and quite slack.
My old war horse.
Can't fault it. Can't kill it.
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My first, my last, my everything:
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Raleigh Lion trike, like this one
Mine was red with sky blue mudguards 😀
Whenever I've bought a whole new bike, I've test ridden a few, and bought the one I liked the most. My Cannondale F600 CAAD4 felt so much better than the Trek, Kona, Spesh etc that I'd also tried. But the most surprising bike I've ever had is my Rock Lobster 853. Built up with mid-range bits, but after just one or two rides, I knew I'd fallen in love. The 'Dale is a faster and more efficient cross-country machine, but the Lobster is more fun on bobbly bits. I'm also a little more confident jumping it off stuff, as if I do bend it, it can be fixed. The 'Dale is like a fast sports car, but the RL is more of a cruiser. Both are great.
My Planet-X Compo!
Still miss it. What happened to the ti Compo? I still want it…
kona explosif- 1989 a true revelation
stumpjumper- 1990 ish felt nice
orange clockwork- not bad at all
cotic soul - best so far
many horrid alu hardtails. my mag burner was a good friend!
Merlin xlm - fast, direct, feels like cheating.. On-One Inbred SS - it is is just so... sometimes makes me wonder why I have any others or if I should get an Indy Fab version as my only bike, but part of the fun is I just don't worry about it. My Cotic Soul - oh so good, just 'between' them at the mo. Borrowed a Blur 4x so good I thought everyone should have one.
Has to be the new SC Superlight 😉
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My 1997 Team Marin: Lighter, faster and more comfortable than anything I'd ever ridden before. It felt like a quantum leap from my '92 Kili Flyer, and the awesome stopping power of M600 V-brakes was a revelation.
My 2007 Anthem: Another revelation, a killer combination of speed, stiffness, great suspension, more speed, fun, light weight and a bit more speed.
My other bikes have generally taken a bit of tweaking or adapting of my riding style to get right.
Another vote for the Heckler with 36s, it's impossible not to have fun.
Mind you the Chameleon with 140mm floats is a whole pile of fun too.
They both hit the spot as soon as I swung a leg over them.
My Cotic Soda! Having tried on Ti hardtail (Setavento, Rohloffed) that just didn't excite me, it was a bit of a gamble to buy a Soda with no test ride. But it just works and is chuffing great!
The first Konas I rode back in about 1990
2005 Turner Fivespot. Just seemed "right" as soon as I set off for the first time.
Oooold FSR I got on the ebay for £200 some years ago.
456 Summer Edition.
Saracen Havoc 😀 [b]really[/b]!
GT STS aka the plastic pig unitl I snapped the headtube!
Parkpre Ti frmaed xc bike
Cannondale r200 (darkside 😉
I love my Sanderson.
I get excited like a big kid each time I get my bike gear ready. I am going back to all my old routes and they feel so much more fun on it compared to my old HT.
Kona Hoss - felt instantly comfortable and really allowed me to push my technical riding. Not too heavy, looked great and was a bargain too.
Giant Trance - bought the frame and stripped the Hoss. All the fun of the Kona but 20% quicker through roots and rocks. SMASHING! Loved it so much I bought another recently.
My Soul. The Soda I got later never felt as good, then I broke it anyway so I'm back at home on the Soul.
Oh yeah, got to add the mark 1 Heckler. Couldn't afford one at the time.
Raleigh Chopper
Giant XTC Carbon 18 lb XC build,
THE best bike i have ever ridden.
Merida team carbon ,
comfy as a sofa but can tackle the rough stuff, so damn well.
Kestrel 500EMS
So fast and so easy to ride mile after mile after mile.
looks strange too which is cool.
Haro DB44 ltd edition race BMX
just mental fun and great value for money
Santa Cruz Chameleon. So much fun from the first ride. Just felt right.
Nicolai .... i really wanted one .... so i bought one 😆
Evil Sovereign
My mate's Heckler is something else too.
My current inbred and i loved the reign zero -going both up and down
I've got to say my Pitch is wonderful. The first time I pointed it downhill, all hell broke loose. I was riding lines I'd never considered before. And the price was the icing on the cake.
Another SC Chameleon here. Absolutely knew it was "right" the first time I rode it.
3x
the fisher hookooekoo that i bought in 90'ish after my tushingham b52 was nicked. after the flexy tush the fisher was a revelation.
the only bike i've ever demoed, a marin full suss (east peak i think) in 1999 because i'd never ridden any suss, let alone full, nor discs, and was curious. was not fussed whilst climbing up onto the moors, but the fist time i pointed it down hill - wow! ended up getting a mount vision a month later.
my intense 5.5, everything i ever read about this bike is true, and more.
instant love - that is a challenge because i usually need to fiddle with bikes to get them as i want them. so it will have to be something i have built myself.
Cove Stiffee - just wonderful especially with 140mm Pikes. - now sold.
Turner 5 Spot - really good at most stuff and ultra reliable.
SC Superlight - it just works really, ideal for my current riding and i can't stop taking it out riding.
I also really liked my early 90's Kona Explosif and Orange Pretige. All the others I have not been sorry to get rid of.
my sanchez was amazing, I only rode it for 2 weeks before i sold it to pay for my nicolai, which again i instantly loved. I also fell in love with my friends chameleon, whereas my other bikes, like my handjob and stiffee and Gspot I had to learn to love. All are great bikes, but the first three stood out.
This
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That's why I'm grinning like a loon.
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Loved the 2004 Gemini 2000, made me into a riding GOD...
I'm lucky the enduro's work really well for me. I've had a few bikes and the first ride feeling definately works on a certain test track that has everything for me, incluing drop offs of 3' and a lot of twisty singletrack/ off camber roots. I have learnt that if I dont 'feel' it first or second time then the bike wont work. There's too many bikes out there, but at the moment an S-works enduro SL is a keeper it makes me a lot faster. As fast as my 06 S-works enduro with the weight of an 04 S-works enduro.
My C16R was great.
But my 5 Spot just fitted me like a glove. Felt perfect from the 1st moment I threw my leg over it.
A Kona Hei Hei. Loved it from the first pedal stroke. It got stolen a couple of years later and even though the insurance paid for an exact replica, somehow it just wasn't the same
Agree about Turners fitting like gloves!
I think that my large 5 spot was the fist bike that really fitted me properly.
Had always tried to squeeze into 18" bikes as 20" ones just looked to fugly!
Upgraded to a 2008 RFX for the Alps but will get a Horst 5 spot and Pikes to swop the kit over to in July.
Rented a Norco Fuse in 2004. Instantly fell in love with the ride, just felt 'right'. Mind it is the ugliest bike you will ever lay eyes on.
Alpinestars Al Mega DX 1990 ish with elevated chainstays...still reckon it climbed better than anything else on really steep stuff.
Fuquay built to my spec, 1991 with Columbus max tubing...Graftons, Nukeproof, Ringle, 231 ceramics, Syncros, blinged up! still love it, basically it was a Serrota T max copy due its 3rd respray soon...sadly spends most of its life towing a tagalong but still gets the odd summer singletrack blast
Demoed a Yeti 575 at Landegla last week....tempting
My Pitch Pro.
I had been riding a halfords special. A GT Aggressor which was slightly too big for me.
To then blast around in all its full-suss specialized glory was like going from a mini to a ferrari.
And im still loving it.
My Inbred 853...bought for the wife but kept for myself after the first test ride 😳
(She didn't mind as she preferred my old Klein Attitude)
only found one last year... the kona five - 0 from 2008 is the perfect bike for me.
Oh how did I forget my Ritchey p22...fantastic but a bit noodly!
I test rode Cy's personal 953 Cotic Soul a while ago on a big all-dayer in the Peak District. Was ever so kind of him to lend it to me especially as it was a one-off from Reynolds to show what they could do with 953. It felt incredible, really firm tracking from the Magura forks but with the back end just springing and bouncing along, begging to be jumped off stuff. SO nice to ride, really light and flickable but with a sure footed style (if that makes any sense). I still really want one but they're not being made. 🙁
Ironically I test rode a Cotic Hemlock out in the Pyrenees and hated it... Then realised that due to a slight "logistical error" I'd got a M instead of a L and suddenly it all made sense.
Cotic Soul - the large feels like it was made for me.
I feel very 'at home' on my pompino too but I do ride it almost every day.
My Heckler felt right but it was too much bike for my (lack of) skillz.
My '06 Enduro which I'm handing over to it's new owner tomorrow. Just hope the S-Works Enduro SL I'm building is as good.
Shonky 2nd hand marin B17 frame from about 2004/5 built up with comedy freeride kit on it. So far it's seen off a Mt Vision, a Dialled PA (richc's now I believe?), a Norco 6 and an my old orange singlespeed. All bases covered, I reckon.
With the current set up it's been compared to riding a cow, admittedly...
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demo9
orange five demo bike was so so so good I bought one!!
My 5 Spot 8)
Orange 224 & 5 - oddly my Patriots never felt that great.
Marin Quake 7.2
Rocky Mountain thin air