[Closed] Bikes you bought and ended up hating.....

Schweiz - you sure it isn't a faulty shock? I have an XL Sultan and it pedals superbly, barely a hint of bob

Giant XTC full suss - I thought it was great until I test rode some decent full-sussers, then couldn't wait to get rid of it. The shock setup was never right for me, and it made the Sub-5 that replaced it feel like the best bike ever...

There is something about the looks of Lapierre bikes which I don't like. I owned an Orange 5 which thankfully got stolen.

Don't have any as i've liked every bike i've ever owned.

Out of my current bikes i have...

Hated my 456 summer season. Hated it. Really really hated it.

I like mine.

Stumpjumper Evo 26" worst

I really, really like mine.

1997 Pro-Flex Animal.

That reminds me. A 1996 Proflex Xp-X. Elastomer sprung front and rear suspension, with a Girvin Vector fork that wouldn't move unless launching off a cliff, plus Magura hydraulic rim brakes that were considerably less powerful than ordinary cantilevers, oh, and you had to buy an upgrade for them so you could take the wheel out without deflating the tyre. I upgraded the rear shock with a coil spring - the suspension then worked but pogoed over every tiny ripple. The only good thing about it was the Z3 Bombers I fitted.

Orange 5.I really tried to like it for a year but admitted defeat and sold it.

On One Whippet - stiff in the wrong places (kicks you up the arse), flexy in the wrong places (noodles a fair bit).

I love my rigid SS Whippet! It has a Ti seatpost which seems to work better than the one supplied.

For me it would have to be my very first "proper" MTB. A Claud Butler Cape Wrath. Spent £500 on it which was a lot of money to me at the time. Bought it from a bike shop who happily sold me a frame 3 sizes too big for me. Spec was brilliant for the cost though. Full Deore transmission, Hayes hydraulic brakes and branded finishing kit.

Spent a load of money on it for new brakes, wheels, and a few bits and bobs in an effort to get it to run better. Eventually realised I was polishing a turd and moved it on. Not a bad sell at £150 after nearly 6 years of ownership!

Guy who bought it was using it as a donor bike for his son.

2005 Kona Coiler - Just never felt right and had the worst Hayes 9 brakes ever made, also it was next to useless uphill.

So, the current top most hated bike are...
[IMG] [/IMG]

(the next have only got 1 or 2 votes)

2007 orange P7 was ace. Sold frame to buy the latest/last reincarnation of the P7, probably the 2010 model. Swapped all the bits over and it was the slowest, heaviest pile of garbage I've owned

Interesting to see the comments on horizontal drop outs. It seems you can't buy a hardtail these days without either these or some awful looking adjustable drop out just to keep a minority of beardy single speeders happy.

I had a 2008 Meta 5 which I loved and found it was made for me. The inevitable happened and it was replaced by a 2010 frame. The bike was never the same after. 🙁

Interesting thread this. Some very popular bikes - Soul, 456ti, Five, etc are getting mentions. Would love to know what people have loved compared to what they hated.

I sold an old 853 Voodoo Bizango frame to someone in Brighton who didn't like his Soul - but loved the Bizango.

I bought it for £80 but never built it up so sold it for the same.

PePPeR - Member
Dialled bikes Prince Albert, just no life in it whatsoever, I'd sold a wonderfully lively Saracen Zen which although cheap had been a fun thing to ride in the same mould.

The one I truly hated was a Pompetamine with the 8speed Alfine and midge bars - just never got on with the ergonomics off-road and the weight on-road made it a joyless piece of scrap.

Had a sliding drop-out inbred too which I shipped on mainly because of the weight and dull ride characteristics.

mikewsmith - Member
Never hated, demo'd bikes that I walked away from being glad I had done the demo to find out...
Orange 5/Alpine - Just don't get it, especially for the money
Original Kona Dawg - just so dull
mikewsmith - Member
Never hated, demo'd bikes that I walked away from being glad I had done the demo to find out...
Orange 5/Alpine - Just don't get it, especially for the money
Original Kona Dawg - just so dull

A Kona Dawg Primo 😆

Tested bikes from Orange, Rocky Mountain, Spec, Trek and Cove Hustler. On the day I chose the Kona I also rode the Hustler and an ETSX for the 3rd time but this time on my home trail. Kona was head and shoulders better than the other two. The guys I was riding with couldn't believe how much faster I was on the Kona which as you rightly say was receiving poor reviews at the time 🙄 Bought in 2005 and still riding it. Bontrager replaced by. A Blue Pig. Kona about to be supplemented, not replaced, by a RM Altitude 😆

there hasn't been a bike that i have absolutely hated,BUT i just never gelled with my 2006 stumpy fsr comp.

just felt like work riding it on the flat and uphill (if that makes any sense?)

Another vote for the 456ss. I hated it.So I spent more £'s upgrading the components, thinking that would help. But you cant buy love. And I so wanted to love it.

But I do still love my inbred 29er, singlespeed, light wheels, a cracking bike, its done the PDS and South downs. I'll keep her forever.

Only one I can think of was my old 2008 Giant XTC. Too short forks for the head angle, twitchy as anything even for XC racing, and stiff as a board. Broke ribs and collar bone on it. Gave the frame away after stripping it down a year later to replace it with a Scott Scale - wonderful bike.

Not an Inbred hater - loved my two (still have one 26inch SS in Ireland at folks house)

I thought this was going to be great when I was building it up

[img] [/img]

but for me it was terrible to ride, on the downs it felt like it was trying to throw me off at any moment.

Hating is a strong word but I couldn't get on with the Dialled Alpine, really cramped cockpit which I tried to open up with a moderately long stem and a layback post(still never worked ). It was good fun in some situations but not what I wanted it for, long forks and tight wheelbase had me struggling a bit.

[url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8434/7803777196_c7d6abf01c_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8434/7803777196_c7d6abf01c_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/cTAp5G ]Dialled1 012[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/28886706@N05/ ]Bigbroondug[/url], on Flickr

Not many better illustrations of how geometry has evolved than that Cove above.

I wanted a G-Spot so much back int he day too. Loved the machined rocker.

[img] [/img]

It broke.

So, the current top most hated bike are...

You need to specify the Stumpjumper being. 26". The 29" is about as good as it gets.

My fugly vote so far goes to this

[img] [/img]

Here's my 101 bike

Lenz Behemoth

Custom made frame for me - arrived the wrong size after practically 6 months waiting and costing a freaking fortune

Rear single pivot suspension was totally crap - was meant to be a 5" travel bike

[img] [/img]

bonesetter - Member

My fugly vote so far goes to this

It's aerospace-grade!

Hate is a bit strong but I never got on with my Santacruz V10 (mk1 made from scaffolding and RSJs)

My first fling with vpp or anything other than single pivot in fact and never really liked it - though we did have an understanding - point it at stuff and hold on, felt as capable as a monster truck but had zero finesse.

Any full susser I ever bought. Oh and a Pashley PDQ recumbent with overseat steering, there are no words. no words.

But to top it all, there was the absolute abject horror/terror of a Daewoo Shuttle.

[IMG] [/IMG]

It's no good...I've tried squinting or turning my monitor sideways but I simply cannot improve this:
[img] [/img]

You need to specify the Stumpjumper being. 26". The 29" is about as good as it gets.

Sorry but if look at the data it clearly says...

[img] [/img]

Which means yours is the worstest/most hated bike.

It should actually say 6 now as i've changed my mind and hate mine too. It's practically a landslide.

A bloke I used to see out and about (come to think of it I haven't seen him since) had a Focus Superbud that I'd always lusted after. When I heard he was selling it I jumped at the chance and after a quick bounce around the car park on it cash was exchanged and it was mine.

As much as I'd never admit at the time I just couldn't get it set up right for me no matter what I did. Also, it had 4 nylon bushes in the shock link that would wear out about every 3 months and didn't seem to be available off the shelf anywhere meaning I had to get them made at £30 a go. After about a year it snapped a seat stay on the final verderers descent at FoD. They very kindly (as I wasn't the original owner) replaced the frame for me but we parted company shortly after.

Interestingly, both the bike I replaced it with and my current HT (Kona Dawg and a 456, both of which I love) have appeared on this thread.

My 456 was crap. It felt like an xc bike with long forks so it was high up and unstable. Which is strange as I have had that build on 2 other frames that are the two best bike I have ridden.

It's funny how some people hate bikes that others love. I love my BFe and Stumpjumper FSR and think they are two of the best bikes I have ever ridden, but some people hate them. Likewise with me hating my 456 but others thinking they are ace. Obviously it is a case of horses for courses and different riding styles mean we like some bikes and not others.

I've never owned a bike I truly hated.

I bought a new shape Cove G-Spot second hand in 2006-2007. It was pretty good, but completely inappropriate for the predominantly trail centre riding that I was doing at that time. It was really heavy too. I sold it a month later and kept my hardtail going, which I've continually updated over the years.

I really want one of those Whyte new full sussers with the dropper posts - they just look right. One thing this thread has taught me is you really need to sling your leg over a bike first, and even then it's an educated guess.

Specialized Enduro 2003/4? The one with the "Brain" shock. Utter, utter pile of marketing crap. 4 rear shocks replaced under warranty and it ate through bearings at an incredible rate due to appalling frame alignment. Rode like crap too.

Back in 1998/9 I spent a massive grand and a bit on a spesh stump jumper fsr. 5 star bike in the reviews of the day.
Hated almost every moment on it. Worst bike I have ever owned. Worst bike I have ever ridden was a 2003ish spesh enduro I hired for weekend in ft William. Waste of £60.

One thing this thread has taught me is you really need to sling your leg over a bike first

A test ride isnt enough to time to get to dislike subtle aspects of a bike (or to learn to ride around them), and how many demo rides are set up to your tastes anyway (stem length, bar width, suspension spring and damping etc)? I initially liked my Nomad, but grew to hate it the more I rode it in the granny.

real reviews by real customers who ride them, great reading this thread

Euro - but there are thousands of Stumpjumpers out there of all vintages, so bound to feature highly in any list (good or bad). Not so many Whyte 46s made, but they really were shit despite all the rave press reviews back in the day!

Your list needs to be normalised against production numbers to be of any value.

Not my list moshi, i just reposted it to wind up JCL 😀

If this thread has a point, it's that we all look for something different from a bike. Some just need it to have wheels and not be broken while others want some sort of skill transformer that makes mountain biking as easy and as comfortable as possible. Oh, and that JCL is wrong about the 26 Stumpy Evo - it's the best bike ever made and only a fool would disagree.

1996 Cannondale V800. First full sus bike. I'm a big chap, even at my sveltest I was +100kg. This, combined with a stem so long that it flexed, did the headshock no favours. I probably had 20mm of travel if I was lucky. The rear however had the rebound force of a jack hammer. It tried to buck me over the bars riding over a pebble.

On One 456 Summer Season. On paper it should have been my perfect bike. I liked the standard 456, but thought the slacker SS would be perfect. Deadist dead thing I've ever ridden. It's only positive was that it looked the business in the raw finish. Even the stupidly expensive components I threw at couldn't save it.

I replaced the 456 with a Orange P7. I'd wanted one for years and it didn't disappoint. Well until I ripped both rear dropouts out of the frame off a foot high drop off. Orange ignored me with regards to any warranty. It had been used outside of its intended use they said. 6 months of very light trail centre mincing does not make for abuse. Hang your head in shame Orange.

Love/Hate relationship with my 2010 Anthem X. Loved the ride and the speed, hated the way it chewed through pivot bearings depsite OCD levels of cleaning & maintenance. 3 sets in the 18 months I owned it, got shot after that and back to HT.

moshimonster - Member

Euro - but there are thousands of Stumpjumpers out there of all vintages, so bound to feature highly in any list (good or bad). Not so many Whyte 46s made, but they really were shit despite all the rave press reviews back in the day!

Meanwhile only one Northwind's Ellsworth and it's got about 5 people hating it who've never even ridden it.

What a great thread 🙂

Only one bike I've ever realy not been able to enjoy... at all:

[url= https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3258/2588499552_a9ae0c2fa2.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3258/2588499552_a9ae0c2fa2.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/4WJJJC ]Pipedream[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/92747687@N00/ ]Jonathan Bateman[/url], on Flickr

It's was a proto frame and I should have guessed it wasn't quite "right" as I got given it for free from a mate, and it had been through another mate already. But I really needed a decent geared hardtail and it looked so nice in the flesh...

Horrible, high BB. Turned in like a 70ft narrow boat. And harsh. Not just a bit stiff but comepletely unflexing, immovably harsh. Sat down was hard, but it was still like riding something made of reinforced concrete standing up. Tried it with forks and stems of all sorts of lengths. I did eventually get it to turn in OK, but the high BB and and incredible stiffness meant it just always felt 'unpleasant' once in the turn.

Obviously as it was free I did make money on it (with the donor's approval). Frame pictures looked great on eBay too. I sincerely hope the buyer enjoyed it more than me :-/

I've only properly not got on with/hated one bike.

Orange E3 - 1995 - First bike saved for with my pay. A lot of money and a very very unforgiving back end. My previous Clockwork beat it hands down at everything and was resurrected once this got shifted onto a second hand dealer. The Royce BB creaked the Middleburn cranks were ace though. Snapped in 2004 in Berlin at SSWC on the next bike. The forks were shit.
[url= https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3507/3731911434_6cf62b97d9.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3507/3731911434_6cf62b97d9.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/6FM2fA ]Orange E3[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/84784025@N00/ ]tomlevell[/url], on Flickr

On One INbred EBB - 2002 - Loved it and hated it. Too often it felt waaaay toooo long and impossibly unsafe to get down some stuff. Did lots with it including SSUK SSWC fixed etc so it's a nostalgic like and a not so good to ride.

[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/20/73616406_4bbc3692e9.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/20/73616406_4bbc3692e9.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/7viAo ]Sleddale[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/84784025@N00/ ]tomlevell[/url], on Flickr

Ellsworth ID - 2002 - Just plain odd. Again not hated but some stuff it was good at some stuff it was a handful. Very light for the age and travel and ran various forks including Junior Ts. Best description I heard was the factory made the rocker wrong for the Truth so they just stuck them on anyway and hey presto a new bike.

[url= https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3505/3731913492_684c471121.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3505/3731913492_684c471121.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/6FM2S5 ]Ellsworth ID[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/84784025@N00/ ]tomlevell[/url], on Flickr

Kelly Knobby X - Too heavy really. Too much fork flutter on the road under braking so just realised I'd never use it so got rid. Road fine offroad but the weight meant I may as well ride the MTB.

[url= https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1400/561823593_70bfb9e081.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1400/561823593_70bfb9e081.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/RDuzF ]Rivers[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/84784025@N00/ ]tomlevell[/url], on Flickr

while others want some sort of skill transformer that makes mountain biking as easy and as comfortable as possible

That's me. I need as much advantage as I can get!