Bit like you can do with some people...
My Soul is ace, always feels great, my summer road bike, ditto.
My winter road bike, I'm always fiddling with the position but it's lovely to ride.
The commuter I bought in February I've just never been comfortable on - feels ponderous and isn't much fun to ride... I rode in on my winter bike today instead and the ride was so much more enjoyable...
I've decided the commuter has to go - prob going to replace it with a singlespeed for simplicity...
Yep, a Spesh Tricross - weighed a ton (literally, 1000kg) and the geometry was ridiculous, head tube was 3 miles long. Also never liked my 2001 S-Works FSR as much as I'd planned. It was flexy and bobbed lots, just never felt right.
Never clicked with my 456summerseason... It's just a bit shit.
many many times..... 😆
3 x fisher 29ers
1 x tricross
1 x nicolai freeride thing
2 x cove stiffees
1 x revolution tourer
and there are more.
Had a Spesh FSR XC...Couldnt get on with it at all
Trek Top Fuel 69er - I always wanted one, bought a s/h one off here.
A nice bike, I've spent a fair bit on it too, but every time I get out on it I always end up wishing I'd taken something else.
I can't explain why but it just doesn't do it for me - it's my first (and only F/S) and maybe I just prefer hardtails/rigid.
Yeah a Trek Y5, fugly, wobbly, flexy POS, it was one of those bikes I thought I needed, thought it would help me ride longer and harder, simple fact of truth it made me ride less and shorter 😈
Ragley Piglet. Geometry just didn't work for me. My thoughts on it were that the angles probably worked well on the 16", but not on the 20", where the head angle was so slack that it felt like a chopper and just wandered all over the trail.
The bloke I sold it to reckoned it was the best bike he'd ever had.
I have to say that I've never owned a bike that felt as 'right' as my present (22" Kona Unit 29er HT). I'm in no rush to get rid of it.
I tried an On One summer season but it just felt dead, and very heavy! I've also got a Kaffenback that I just can't seem to get quite right.
I've had Scandals in 26" + 29er and both were great.
Any of the 3 Konas I've ridden. Just seemed too short and upright to me, obviously didn't fit with my size and build.
meta 5.5. seat angle was too slack.
It was built fairly heavy but it just didn't seem to climb well at all - unless it was stupidly steep where it would dig in a find traction when others were struggling.
head tube was 3 miles long.
some road bikes are ridiculous bars can't go below the seat height 😯
Orange Clockwork reissue from a few years back. It looked brilliant but was stupidly heavy, unwieldy and was only a joy to ride once. Could probably have set it up better but couldn't get past the weight issue so sold it on.
Spesh SX trail, I think it was a bit big for me for the style of riding I was using it for. Sold it after 14 months, the shortest time I've kept a bike.
Sunn revolt gt was great fun but couldnt stay the right way up on it im sure i crashed every day on it.
06 S-Works Enduro, although I reckon it was under-sized (large, but small based upon my current large frame) for me.
And where is Hora when we need him, although probably still assembling his list. 🙂
Kona Expolsiv
Wanted very much to like it, wasn't the bike I thought it was
B r nah, it's a short list.
'all of them, except the blur 4x'
Bought a 2001 FSR when I didn't really know what I wanted/needed. It felt good to me at the time and was fine for a while.
But the more technical riding I did the more I struggled with it. Always felt a bit too 'weight forward' and the rear shock always felt on a knife edge between being too hard and 'kicking back' or too soft and ploughing through it's travel.
Used to spend a lot of my time going over the bars on that bike!
My first FS bike, a year 2000 Intense Tracer. I blew loads of cash on it, kept it pretty light and it looked brilliant. But I always felt that I was perched on top of it, the suspension (or rather, my setup of the suspension) wasn't up to much and I had more silly, low speed offs riding that bike than any other. If I had it all over again I would have run more sag and fitted a shorter stem and more forgiving forks (80mm travel was a big deal then). I was glad to see the back of it.
Never really like my inbred, it just feels lifeless so has been demoted to rack and pannier shopping duties.
passtherizla - Member
Never clicked with my 456[s]summerseason[/s]... It's just a bit shit.
Fixed it for me. BFe is much much better.
I had a '97 Zaskar a couple of years ago and it was crap at everything apart from making me dislike cycling.
Yep, a Cannondale Rush. Just couldnt explain why i could never go as fast on it. It was the last year they made them in the USA, and i can see why they moved to taiwan, it was very badly made.
Ragley Piglet for me.
18" frame and it felt like a boat on the flat and XC with only 115mm travel forks.
Good downhill but a pain anywhere else.
Have now got a 140mm forked C456 so should also be a boat but feels a lot better than the Piglet.
Spesh FSR. Hated the thing. I've tried a Camber and detested that too (in fact the only bike I've tried that I didn't enjoy riding).
the wife's stumpjumper fsr, wallowy old thing yet she absolutely loves it 😕
2005 Specialized Stumpy 120 fsr.
Giant trance 29er, was a boat, a concrete boat. Also, it kept wanting to fold in half around the headtube.
on-one 456 just a cheap and nasty piece of crap, no redeeming features at all.
SC heckler, angles were too steep and the top tube too short, but very well made. It was my first full suss and quite early after I got into mountain biking, so it was a learning experience about what would work for me.
There's a disarming number of comments about Brant [i]keepin-it-real[/i] Richards' various offerings here on this thread... 😯
Never liked my heckler, went from a patriot 66 to the heckler, 18 months hating it, bought a 5 frame, back to loving mtb.
There's a disarming number of comments about Brant keepin-it-real Richards' various offerings here on this thread...
I think they are cheap collections of gas pipe. You get what you pay for. i've built a couple for people and they make great cheap pub/beater bikes, and i suppose if you've never had anything else then they are ok.
[i]There's a disarming number of comments about Brant keepin-it-real Richards' various offerings here on this thread... [/i]
Snobs, the lot of 'em.
Lots of specializeds too mind...
Yup. Built up a Ragley mmmBop frame (yet another Brant offering I believe) as a bit of a play bike experiment (well it was only a 100 quid for the frame.) Heavyish Flow wheelset and a big 160 Lyrik fork. It was rubbish and I hated it. Swapped the wheels for some lighter Crests, put a RS Rev fork on it at 130, changed the 710mm bars for some 680mm carbon bars, swapped the stem up from 50 to 70, 1x10 drivetrain, a smidge under 25lbs, and now it's a properly awesome trail bike! Beats me up a bit but it's fast and very involving. Put all the other stuff on a big bouncy bike where they should have been all along.
Quick edit... I did buy the above stuff with the intention of then getting a Soul. I think there was a stock issue so thought as I had the parts I'd stick it on the mmmBop whilst I waited for stock to come in. Was such a good ride I never did bother getting the Soul.
I guess if there's a lesson to be learnt it's that a frame may well suit one build more than another, and if you try and build it up to be something it's not then it may well be rubbish. OnOne do tend to sell bikes that cover a broad spectrum of setup, frames like the 456 for example, but that doesn't mean it'll be good for you at the extreme ends of that scale.
On One Whippet. Hated every mile on it and got rid of it after less than 200 miles.
There's a disarming number of comments about Brant keepin-it-real Richards' various offerings here on this thread...Snobs, the lot of 'em.
The price on one sell their steel frames for does not buy you a decent frame. It buys you a utilitarian work horse that is heavy, dull and un inspiring. These are suitable for lots of applications, but i dont believe quality mountain biking is one of them. Just my opinion, i hope thats not too snobbish for ya' 😉
My Charge Tap commuter is just a bit to draggy to be fun. I'm planning to change the wheelset, adapt the sliding dropouts with a doofer and go 1x8. Just dumping the Nexus should make it much for enjoyable.
Ibis Mojo is the one I've wanted to like the most, yet got on with the least. The sizing is just madness, an XL Mojo has a similar wheelbase to a Medium Stumpjumper FSR. I was somehow in a position where I was over the front downhill, yet somehow off the back uphill and completely unable to do tight switchbacks on it.
Loving the amount of Tricrosses and Stumpy FSRs in here 🙂 Ride both at the moment and love them!
Marin full suss jobbo with the quad link. Mount vision thingy...mags raved about how good it was won best bike in some publication. ..bloody hated it...just could not not get on with it all. (May well be that I have an allergy to common though as I replaced it with lovely niche and sun came out, birds started singing and everyfink) may also just be that it was cack!
Wasn't a massive fan of the five either. The sinister and ellsworth widdled all over it on the ups and the massive rocky downs..nice bike, can see why some folks like them..just not for me at all.
yep - A 2006 spesh FSR Stumpjumper.
I just hated that dull POS from the 1st ride (i'll never buy another bike on spec/cost alone)
the other was a 2012 Giant TCR Advance carbon SL roadbike.
I just didn't gel with that bike at all, could never get that one spot on for fit or comfort.
Commencal Supreme DH. Hated it with a fiery passion. Didn't pedal well, didn't dh well, cornering i kept grounding the pedals... just couldn't get on with it at all.
At least in part I think it was moving from the Demo to the supreme that did it. The Demo was a totally different feeling bike.
In the end, I sold the thing and was pleased to see it go.
I rented one of the original ones a long time ago - much the same feeling. Guy I was riding with had a trek that was half the price and felt like half the weightOrange Clockwork reissue from a few years back. It looked brilliant but was stupidly heavy, unwieldy
There's a disarming number of comments about Brant keepin-it-real Richards' various offerings here on this thread..
My old Scandal 29er was one of my favourite frames I've ever had. Tragically the new one just didn't ever really gel with me, no idea why it felt different. The idea of it being an XC race frame... so we'll put half a pound of dropouts on it!
The old one is lighter than my M5 S-Works Stumpy frame I've got now.
Cove Hustler. Actually a lovely bike, but too short for me. I had hints of its greatness only occasionally; I then switched to a Five that fitted and had those same feelings of greatness, but nearly all the time.
Mk2 Cove Handjob. Got it after missing my mk1, but it was a totally different bike. Again, hints of its brilliance, but never really shone.
Curtis hardtail. Looked beautiful, rode like a brick. Solid is an understatement, and the angles were a little odd. Probably the best looking bike I've ever owned though in a naked steel finish with visible brazed joins.
Only a few bikes I didn't get on with well.
Marin east peak FS from 2000. even in large size it was on the short side. 300 psi in the shock and it still wallowed and felt difficult to maneuver.
Cannondale Rush. Kinda like the prophet, but very much not the prophet. just didn't feel comfy at all.
On One Inbred. Great for most folk, not for me. felt sluggish and handled slow even with 100mm forks.
probably the one i remember most though was the Dekerf Elysium. I so wanted to get on with it, but the bikes geometry and me didn't get on at all. It was so pretty, but it had to go.
Only one really, a Lemond Reno roadie. Despite being the 'right' size for me, and a nice frame, it never felt right with its massive high front end. About a year after buying it and messing about with stems and ride position I replaced the frame with a brand-x cheapie, which felt 100x better.
Uzzi VPX - felt OK at first but was just too short and steep. Probably great for hucking off ladder drops, but I really didn't get on with it. Replaced it with a longer, lower, slacker Socom and much happier!
Orange 224. Gash - wallowed like a pig trying to get any sort of speed out of it.
Scott Genius mc 40 - very light and nimble machine, just far too short top tube
On One 456 evo - straight up hated it
And I'm coming to the conclusion my nomad is not quite right for me either 🙁
a Raleigh road bike had those weird oval rings - never seemed to go in a straight line and I put down not being to ride it no hands to getting older - wasn't until I replaced it that realised it had almost certainly been crashed - bought from a reputable shop as a bargain nearly new/exchanged for wrong size
ST4 for me was the biggest disappointment. Heavy and wallowy suspension. Loved the old 1998 Riftzone, my first full sus and a revelation.
I had hints of its greatness
Interestingly I feel this way about my Bandit which I've not quite got totally to grips with yet. It's turned out better at some things than I expected (e.g. climbing) but I've started thinking the bike might be to blame for (too many) recent crashes EDIT - since I obviously can't blame myself 😉
I've not been without several "wow" moments - usually when I put a bit more effort in - but for most along and down riding I'm finding the front end a bit [i]too[/i] planted. I'm wondering whether I don't really ride it fast enough for it to work at its best. It's probably (I hope) just a confidence thing as a result of the crashes.
While I loved my inbred I hated my 456 also Orange P7. Got rid of the P7 frame after a couple of rides. Also Trek Session I didn't like.
Yep. Specialized Rockhopper, think it was just too big for me at 19". Went back to my trailstar and was much happier. Also my first sunday bmx felt awful, newer trail scout feels way better 🙂
Titus El Guapo - loved the way it rode, but my back didn't like the TT length.
My fault really, I'm too tall!
scaredypants - MemberOrange Clockwork reissue from a few years back. It looked brilliant but was stupidly heavy, unwieldy
I rented one of the original ones a long time ago - much the same feeling. Guy I was riding with had a trek that was half the price and felt like half the weight
Strange that as the original Clockworks were some of the lightest frames for the price. An aquired taste to ride though, I loved 'em.
Can't say my 2007 Clockwork seems any heavier then my mates steel hardtails. Horses for courses I guess.
My most hated was a GT XCR4000 I bought in 1999 to get me back in to bikes. A god awful thing that actually put me off for another 5 years!
Trek Fuel EX - great bike by all accounts and I ride a trek HT, but couldn't get on with this at all. Felt like I was riding a wheelbarrow and I kept crashing and hated cornering. Underwhelmed slightly on a stumpy too (but love epic expert carbon - if only it wasnt 4k!!).
captainsideburns - Member
Giant trance 29er... kept wanting to fold in half around the headtube.
First demo on T29, it did the same thing on me! Loved it otherwise, until Giant admitted that Trances dont work in 29 version!!! 😉
Intense tracer (mk1) - mine was even made straight, but despite timing the shock, replacing it with Ti coil and much fettling it never lived up to the 5.5 that went before it.
Santa cruz bullit: Never fell off a bike so much.
Yeti asr: Great to ride but wore out its bushings like crazy.
GT Zaskar 96: dull.
Specialized allez road bike: So hard, it beat the crap out of me on every ride.
Cotic Solaris: Just not feeling the love. going on the bay very soon.
for blance: I loved my niner air9 scandium, shame it broke ( as did my girlfriends).
and in defence of brant: I had a scandal which was great, and an inbred 29er that was fab as a single speed but only ok geared, strange.
a spesh fsr xc.
the most altered/upgraded bike ive ever had the misfortune to buy and it ate bearings/bushings!
taught me a lot about what i do and dont like in a bike tho.
Yes. Kona Jake the Snake. It fit me. It worked well. It was comfortable. It handled fine. It was pleasant to ride. I just didn't like it.
Hate to jump on a band waggon but my 456 left me cold. I knew it was cheap and heavy but I thought it would be fine for a second bike but I was wrong. I honestly can't say there was one particular thing that made the difference but it just didn't do it for me. I know plenty of people love them but not me. I bought a soul and I do love that.
Pipedream Ti - fitted perfectly, nicely kitted out, stiff, fast, handled pretty well... never once enjoyed riding it. Only bike I've ever got rid of for that reason.
Ellsworth ID. Persevered for a couple of years, but it was never right. Hugely high BB. When I got a 5 I had no excuses, though ....
cove handjob- dull as dishwater and soft feeling
cotic soul- geometry and sizing were spot on, back end felt like rock
cotic soda (mk1)- again fit and size perfect but holy crap that was a flexy pos
meta4- how could a 4 inch "xc" frame weigh more than it's 5.5 inch brother?
2008 heckler- large to short in the top tube /xl too tall and ungainly
2011 five- 18 to short in the top tube / 20 to tall and gate like
it never lived up to the 5.5 that went before it.
I had one of these and my mate still rides it. Still better than the recent FSRs I've ridden.
Ibis Mojo....great bike my mate who tried it loved it but I just didn't click! Last bike Ill ever buy without a test ride!
Cannondale F600 with the headshock, circa 2003. Never felt right at the front, until I changed the forks for some rebas which made a big improvement. Had it for years, then I got my full suss, and suddenly enjoyed riding a while lot more.
As others have said.FSR XC Pro..Hated the thing as it was far to nervous.
Point it anywhere near a slope and it sh*t itself.
Apart from that i think iv'e been lucky as have really got on with everything since.(bought wisely)
Two spring to mind
Scott genius mc20 light full xtr etc but just could not get comfrey on it
Spesh 2008 sworks stumpjumper fitted fine just did not seem fun to ride
Revolution Triad - rebadged Merida frame apparently, utter poo
456summerseason as well, started at 100mm, then 140mm, then 160mm and it never felt right with any length fork, replaced with a Chromag Stylus which is much the same geometry wise but so much better.
Also had one ride on an borrowed mmmbop, hated it a lot, worst ride on any bike ever.
Marin "Mount Vision"... bloody awful bike down hill,
I've had a couple. Tried a Summer Season. Worth a punt for £100 but rode shite. Sold after 3 or 4 rides.
And my old 5 Spot. Had it for a couple of years but just couldn't fall in love with it like all the fanboi's seem to, no matter how much I tweaked the cockpit, forks, shock etc, etc. Moved it on and now have a Zesty which I love. Obviously the Turner was too niche for me.
Yes my Evil Sovereign, always wanted one got one and now like riding my fs much much more.
I bought a Roberts Genesis many years go - felt like a road bike, proportioned like a road bike. The paint finish was a brittle as f***
And the bottom bracket didn't fit
It was rubbish - but a great commuter / hack bike.
In todays money , that was 1,500 GBP up the spout ...
After that my Trek Y5 seemed brilliant!
Evil Sov, came off a perfect Ragley Bluepig onto the Sov, never gelled with it and never feels like a keeper when I fist start riding it although I'm [i]far[/i] faster on this than the 'Pig.
Specialized FSR Comp from about 2003 - bouncy shite. Put me off Full suspension for life.
In short, no. Some bikes took a bit longer to suss out though [i]and [/i]i'm not that fussy. I've a critically acclaimed 😆 456 Summer Season that i didn't get on with at first. I changed the front tyre to one made of rubber which made such a difference. Then i swapped the forks from tall, flexy, springy things to stout, beefy, sprung ones and it's a real blast now.
My Titus Motolite. The geometry was all wrong: Too steep to be a good descender; too slack to be a good climber.
Inbred and BFe. Both were bad for me, for variety of reasons. Probably got what I deserved, having bought both from recommendations from mates, but Inbred felt dead, whereas BFe was more harsh than a solid alu bike, much more harsh than the Soul it replaced. Fair enough, if that's your thing, but not for me.
As for just right, IH 6 Point, Orange Patriot, Soul, Blue Pig. All felt good from day 1.