So, what bikes have you ridden and instantly thought, "Yes. This is perfect!"?
For me, a works Giant NRS and a Whyte 19ti. Both just instantly felt perfect. Bought myself a NRS and still love it after all these years! Pondering building on a Whyte Ti frame at the moment.
would be a choice of 3. my 2002 cannondale F800 ht,my 2010 giant anthem x2.and my current charge duster mid bike.all had felt right to me as soon as i rode them. 🙂
C'dale Prophet, it's what I should have bought 8 years ago when I bought my one & only brand new bike, but it didn't come out until the year after.. I eventually got one 2 & a bit years ago. Regularly still watch them go on ebay, thinking I should buy a spare (jobless & skint though)
cotic soul, fit is perfect combined with the lazyman geometry makes it just wonderful to ride and always puts a smile on my face. Comes with a built in devil whispering in your ear "go on just a little faster, go on push it" 😈
Somewhat surprisingly, the Surly Moonlander. It makes no sense at all, but is just brilliant.
I want one.
Cove Handjob. No journo descriptions - just feels right.
Cotic Soul, Maverick ML7 (2004 and still going) and Kona Explosif (1992)
Both my Stumpjumper and enduro felt like that. Hence I ride an 04 bike and an 06.
Gary Fisher Sugar, even the bottom spec one I had. Wish I had it now, it would ace with modern upgrades.
My Litespeed Occoee. I can remember the moment I gave it some for the first time, and actually whooped out loud. Strangely, after a couple of months I'd gone off it. The first time I rode a Soda I wasn't as struck, but I think it was just the way it was set up. Can't get enough of mine now though.
Cotic Soul, Maverick ML7 (2004 and still going) and Kona Explosif (1992)
Ooh, ML7. Definitely, blown away on the first ride back in 2001. Sold that particular bike and then managed to buy it back again. Still ride it, still love it.
My current bike, the Bionicon Golden Willow.
Thought I'd give it a try whilst at a demo day so as to have a play with that button thing. Next thing I knew, I was grinning from ear to ear and getting my wallet out.
Unfortunately / fortunately (depending on point of view) I've been unable to find another bike that I've thought the same about.
A 2004 Kona Coiler, possibly still my favourite bike I've owned..
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Enigma Ego, both Steel and Ti versions felt amazing. 2010 Lapierre Zesty 514 still makes me smile
Jones spaceframe.
I'd never have even considered buying one if i hadn't had a test ride.
Once i'd been out on one though i just had to have one.
Litespeed Occoee - don't think I will ever fall out of love with her. 8)
Specialized FSR XC and a Swift.
My Surly Karate Monkey ss bought it second hand as a winter bike but can't stop riding it all the other bikes have been hardly ridden since .
Cotic Soul
Orange 5 & Surly Pugsley.
The Orange always seems to have more to give and the other is just ....fun.
My Commencal Titane, it just blew me away.
The Blur didn't have quite the same effect but I guess that's cos it took a bit to get the suspension dialled in, now I love it
My five just loved it. From the demo bike ride O just really wanted one!
Singular Swift was a revelation for me after a very average dabble with a GF Rig had put me off 29er's
Any Kona HT I've owned (AA, Pahoehoe x2, Kula x2).
Think I am always trying to replicate their feel on different bikes, but not quite making it.
Oh, and my next bike, TBA.
Along with quite a few others - my Soul, and then funny old world my Soda.
All the other bikes I've had do some things fantastically well, but are kinda average in other places. Those 2? Just lovely.
Oh, and thinking about it - my SC Roadster too. Bought on a whim, built with a bunch of (bling) second hand bits. I remeber the shake down ride whizzing down through Brixton to go and buy coffee and scaring the living shite out of myself - it was SOOO effortlessly fast.
Jones Spaceframe. First ride was a borrow for 4-5 hours and it took much of that ride to adjust to it, but once it clicked, well I haven't been able to look at other bikes in the same way since.
Whyte Prest1ne, Whyte 46, both eclipsed by this years Transition Covert with reverb best 'one bike does everything' push that saddle down button once and we were as good as wed.
Another Maverick ML7 here, 2004.
My brother in laws Giant anthem X1, his Giant Anthem 29er and his Basso Astra... erm I like most of his bikes actually, they are a lot nicer than mine. When he says have a go he also has a job catching back up with me so we can swap back. I quite like other peoples bikes especiall if they're reasonably expensive and run super sweet!
My Genesis Croix De Fer. Could have been made to measure for me. Bizarrely when it comes to MTB's the one bike that felt perfect was the bike I didn't buy- I demo'ed a Heckler in 2008 and it felt superb but I had my head turned by a cracking deal on an Enduro. Which after a lot of fettling, now feels pretty close to perfect.
Ellsworth epiphany; now trying to put one together without spending a fortune
jameso - Member
Jones Spaceframe. First ride was a borrow for 4-5 hours and it took much of that ride to adjust to it, but once it clicked, well I haven't been able to look at other bikes in the same way since.POSTED 4 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST
Can we expect a [s]Evans[/s] Pinnacle branded space frame then? 😉
Mid 90's Kona Explosif and Cotic Soul.
Never found [i]the[/i] full susser though...
My Ellsworth Epiphany, awesome bike, but looks like it's going as need to downsize the collection 😥
Maybe not first ride as it was the first time I'd ever used a proper FS bike, but the Bullit I have just feels right, despite having "steep" angles compared to other downhill/freeridey bikes. It's not sluggish or wallowy like I'd expected a fs to be and hasn't really felt much out of its depth yet apart from some particularly rooty and techy double black runs where more travel may have been helpful. It even climbs well if you use a tie-down strap to shorten the fork.
Kona Unit....Rigid,SS and clown wheeled.I had'nt owned a mtb for a couple of years (just bmx).Relaunched my love for off roading.That was 6 years ago!!
Niner SIR9 with niner carbon fork, geared..... Absolutey sublime.... Even better than my Singular Gryphon and that's bloody good. Surly crosscheck definitely deserves a mention too 🙂
Cotic Soda with Fox F120s
Another Maverick ML7 here, 2004.
The very same one that did it for me too!
And it's replacement the Durance is more of the same, only even betterer... 😀
Geoffj - certainly not.. : )
Pitch pro...... Three years old and still puts a smile on my face every day 😆
Cotic soul.
On the road, roubaix pro.
Cannondale prophet
My Cove Handjob, I built it up with money I earnt doing a couple of Crimbo shifts and it's just great nearly 4 years later, saying that it's had more come backs than Evander Holyfield 🙂
It's terrible how few of you seem to have ridden a Maverick. You poor things.
Charge duster here too, currently resisting temption to spend more money to rebuid/upgrade for 2012.
tazzymtb - Member
awesome bike, but looks like it's going as need to downsize the collection
Downsize? Just sell your ass a bit cheaper and do longer shifts. 😆
for me having ridden many and owned 11 (so far)these felt right instantly
2008 orange 5
singular swift
black sheep highlight
Love at first test ride for my Cannondale CAAD4 F600; thought I'd better try a few others (Trek, Kona, Gary Fisher, Scott, giant, spesh etc) to get the best bike for me, but it was the 'Dale that felt 'just right' instantly. actually I was set to buy the Trek, but then a couple of days later came back to put a deopisit on it, and they had the Cannondale just in. Had a quick spin, that was it. Sorted.
Loved my Rock Lobster 853 from the start, without even test riding one.
Tried a Titus Motolite up in North wales recently, up on the Marin Trail. Bloody hell what a lovely bike. Not set up for me, stem too long, wrong saddle etc, but felt great from the off, and after a very short time I was riding it like I'd had it for ages. If I buy a full susser, it needs to be just like that. Best one I've ever ridden.
Funnily enough, on the same holiday, an equally borrowed Spesh Tricross felt really good; 50 mile ride, felt fine after, no complaints. Which for a road bike, is saying something.
Sue; be worried. Be [i]very[/i] worried.... 😉
Mk2 inbred because it suited the forks I had on it where as the mk1 didnt. Same forks were OK on the cotic but once the ones I wanted turned up the Soul it was love at first fork again.
Kona Paddy Waggon fixed. The geometry is sublime. The only way I could improve it is to make it from titanium. Every commute is great.
And my Merlin road bike always makes me grin. Tbat one IS titanium.
The Kona Unit 29er was also love at first ride, this replaced my Airnimal, which in truth took a while to come to love.
kona explosif, cotic soul, swift ss opened my eyes to the big wheel pleasures.
Another Cotic Soul... There's just a rightness about them. And I suppose my rigid-forked Carrera, wasn't technically a first ride as I'd had all the bits for ages but the carbon-forked version's so different from the original that I'd call it a new bike.
have loved my Sanderson Life from the first ride, great bike so much fun and perfect for me.
Cannondale 613 on the road. still love it now.
DMR Switchback- built up on the very cheap, with bits taken off a Marin Wolf ridge. (which was my least loved bike)Totally rediscovered hardtails as a result.
And as a refinement of the above- Cotic soul- though i had to run it with 1oomm forks for a bit until i picked up some 100-130 revelations. Still that setup two years later, and going strong.
Rockhopper Comp from about 1990, still would put many modern bikes to shame.
Klein Fervor
Giant Anthem
cannondale prophet 2008
Kona Stinky Six 2001
Kona Stinky 2006
Kona Stinky 2009
Kona Stinky 2011
Absolutely gutted that they don't make them any more
Been through over 40 bikes/frames in about 12 years.
Only one that was love at first ride was/is my Singular Swift. Never had a bike feel so good or fit so well.
All the others had something (maybe *really* small) that was not quite right.
I tried a Swift a few weeks ago and, considering it was my first time on a 29er, it just felt right immediately. Spot-on geometry.
The other bike that I loved straight off was my first-gen Spesh Enduro. It was as perfect a FS for my needs as I can imagine and I still regret selling it.
Can't argue with the Soul, it's "right".
Feel the saem about my Spicy though, and it couldn't be more different.
Klein palomino was always a smile on face ride , esp with the maverick mono link upgrade, it just climbed sooooo well.
However, it doesn't beat the cannon dale caadx 105 I've recently bought. It's just such a good bike all round, really really enjoy it's versatility, and it's a perfect fit for me when riding
Clown wheel Inbred for me.
And 04 Spesh Enduro just instantly felt right also.
Original (not X) Giant Anthem.
Still the fastest and in some ways the most flattering bike I have ever ridden. Fell out of love after a year or two though as it proved too much of a handful for me.
More recently Trek Session 88 - fits me great, intuitive handling, pedals so well. Felt instantly at home on it.
my bokor - it came from halfords, I rode it with the stock pedals and tyres and it was great. the positioning is spot on for me, it's light but not so you think that you'll bend it, and although it's not cut out for chairlift followed by black run, it's not meant to be, you thrash it through the woods as fast as you can whilst trying to burn your mates off 🙂
My old 2009 Claud Butler Cape Wrath - bought on a budget and it was great - it really was just perfect.
Then last year, I and the bike got taken down on a roundabout, bye bye Cape Wrath....
1974 Kawasaki Z900
....and a Sunn Radical(except that I never ended up buying one)
Tried but hated every minute, too top gun for me and butt ugly.It's terrible how few of you seem to have ridden a Maverick. You poor things.
Cotic soul, kona explosif (99) and singular swift. All 3 felt perfect but all in slightly different ways. The soul felt like it wanted to go apeshit into every corner, the explosif had a lovely balance and the swift is just plain fast and smooth.
Early 90's fully rigid Kona Lava Dome, my first 'proper' mtb (Purple with black P2 forks)
Orange 5 2007/8
Cotic Soul (2008? Custard)
KTM Lycan
Spesh Enduro 2005
Cove Handjob pre 2009
commie meta 5.5 tried one and wanted one so bad... saved for ages and then the frame cracks started happening, so i waited until this year to buy one super cheap, and I just love it.
climbs well descends well.. and is a laugh a minute.
My old SS Wanga. Sadly gone
My old Kona unit 29er. Again sadly gone. Perhaps the new one will replace it's finery
At the moment the Spicy feels nice
Nicolai Helius AM - first time I took it to play in the big mountains it's performance astounded me. It was the holly grail of trail bike for the ups and doonhall bike for the downs. A year and half later and riding it still makes me grin like an idiot 😀
Orange 5, i demo'd about 8 bikes & that one felt 'right' straight away!
Warming to my soul,liking it more & more, but the Orange was instant!
1994 Kona Kilauea
original specialized SX.
commencal supreme DH, borrowed a mates for a couple of days. Bought one a couple of days later.
'96 Cindercone.
My Giant NRS is nice, as is the In-Bred with sliding drop-outs but they will never compare to the 'cone.
Was truly gutted when the drop-out died.
Cotic Soul in its original guise. Of course everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but when I hear someone say they don't like the way the Soul rides their opinion is just wrong.
Spec pitch.
Is my first foray into FS, the faster you go, the better it works. It's bloody awesome.