Have you ever bought a bike, either through personal preference or followed the hype, and regretted it? If so, what was it and what did you do about it?
Should have gone to "Speshsavers" 😛
What have you bought?!
Bought a pair of over-hyped motorbike boots. Managed to get a full refund; so at least the company were good to deal with!
Ha Ha No I'm not hinting at a personal purchase regret, Its a question that crossed my mind tonight while doing a bit of online window shopping.
Yes. Bought a nomad. Not as versatile as the reviews would have you believe. Sold it on within a few months.
Ask Hora....
Ibis Mojo.
Had a Nomad too, pretty versatile, but overkill for a complete mincer like me,
I've bought a lot of bikes I haven't kept very long, and some that didnt really do it for me, but no regrets. I guess I would have regretted them more if I'd bought them new and lost a lot of money.
The latest orange 5 (tapered head tube etc.); I bought one having owned an original sub-5 & a 2006 5, both of which were fantastic. It seemed to have lost the edge that I enjoyed; it was no longer the lively fun bike I loved but a sanitised boring sledge. I think my main issue was that for most riding it was too slack, coupled with a particularly crap shock (RP23) that cavitated twice and got replaced eventually.
456 Summer Season, wooden and rode like it was drunk even with 100s on it. Not a fan of slack, long travel hardtails but thought I'd get one anyway. Still own it mind, keep thinking about replacing with a regular 456 or an inbred, but I really wanted a Lemon Meringue coloured one! 😳
Really wanted a BFe or a Soul but didn't have the funds at the time.
Lynskey Ridgeline LT
Lynskey got the published geometry wrong - tricky things to use, rulers. Medium was too small so got sent back. Big wait. Lots of emails and nonsense from yanks. Then large frame arrived and was a massive gate and didn't handle. Sold on with a loss of £400. Thanks Lynskey, never again 8)
Giant XTC Advanced. If you change the seatpost the warranty is invalidated.
ROFL @ konastoner
cynic-al - MemberIbis Mojo.
oh dont say that, I haven't even finished building it
overkill for a complete mincer like me
phew! thankfully, I am a nutcase 😛
Sold my GF hifi as the reviews weren't all that favourable to buy a pace rc405 which was hyped. Didn't keep the pace long, and missed my old hifi 😕
Konastoner - Member
Should have gone to "Speshsavers"
Funny 😆 How long have you been waiting for an opportunity to say that !
D'oh double post 🙁
Spent a while on a friend's Pace 405 and it genuinely the worst bike I've ever ridden, and I'm including my old Raleigh Tomahawk in that...
Rachel
Normal 456, I just didn't get on with it. Ended up selling my road bike so I could buy my Enduro frame.
[i]Sold my GF hifi as the reviews weren't all that favourable to buy a pace rc405 which was hyped. [/i]
So you sold something you liked, because someone else said it was crap?
And for me 2006 Enduro, just too much bike for 99% of my riding.
Nomad, is there a trend here?
pjm84 - MemberGiant XTC Advanced. If you change the seatpost the warranty is invalidated.
this does not affect your statutory rights.
Yep, live and learn 'eh 🙄
Bit of dillema recently...Swift / Pace RC129 or a Niner SIR9...
The Niner won, & its lovely. Big outlay for me & (daft as it seems) a few restless moments weighing them all up. Still wonder if I did the right thing, but the Niner is really ticking every box I set out.
Bought a Giant NRS many years ago & it was truly, truly awful.
Wish I had bought or at least tried a Cotic soul before buying my C456. Love the 456 but was part blinkered by carbon, weight, swapouts and tapered fork and thought the soul was short in the TT like a cove. Now I have realised I am hankering to try a soul. (16"/small)
Mondraker Summum.
Even the large was too small.
Don't know if I've regretted buying a bike or frame yet, but definetly have issues with most. (My own fault, shame of shames, haven't test ridden anything bar one or two car park pedals .. )
Stuff like:
assuming Id never progress to the point 3" saddle drop would become an issue, brain shock limitations [spesh SJer FSR]
slack HA, long eff.TT [Pinnacle Camino]
too slack head/seat angles for what I had in mind [sanderson life]
long chainstays, too easy to bottom out shock (@ 20% sag) [titus el guapo]
"Pace 405 and it genuinely the worst bike I've ever ridden"
really? sort of good to hear, I spent a while thinking what if after buying my SJer FSR not long before the rc405 came out/got rave reviews
got an inbred last year for a cheap ss build err shouldn't have bothered last 2 weeks then got a charge duster frame swapped everything over last 3 weeks thought this it never gonna find a nice ss frame built up an old merlin steel frame (the one with ritchey drop outs) perfect! road really really well, light responsive everything the modern ss frames missed lasted til i needed funds 6 months later and regret selling it
Ow and the iron horse bootleg3 BAG OF F*(£ING BOLTS only way to describe it what a crap frame to build up round
For those with regrets - did you voice those on any public forums while you still had the bike in question?
Scott Spark, seemed OK when I tried one and the light weight and big discount was attractive. However, the more I rode it the more I grew to hate it and the more it seemed to self destruct. I was happy to see the back of it.
Mojo +1 just never clicked with it don't know why no issues with it and my mate who tried it loved it but I never felt at home on it.......I think I never pushed it enough for it to come alive! Ie I'm a chicken!
meta 5. just never rode well. sold it bought a 456.
Not really, mine haven't all been good buys but I've always learned something from the bad ones. (or sold them on for more than I paid 😉 )
I'm slightly regretting not just parting out the cross bike, unridden, it was worth a heck of a lot more in parts than it cost me. But what the hell, it's nice to have.
Oh Lordy, I forgot the Devinci Hectic... Worst piece of crap I've ever had. None of the measurements matched up with their published numbers. About a 77 degree seat angle, 65 degree head angle & a bottom bracket that was in orbit. It was just wrong. I can't actually believe they're all this bad but mine was awful.
Sugdenr it was the proper one - I.e. in steel 
My second comment was re. Nomad. When it came out it was heralded as the best do it all bike ever, I imagine many were bought by folk who didn't justify their gnarl.
Pompino. Didn't help that I got taken out by a geared bike with rigid panniers who couldn't deal with me over taking him and then clipped me with said panniers as he cut me up. Transferred to a Cross Check and never looked back.
Not really, mine haven't all been good buys but I've always learned something from the bad ones. (or sold them on for more than I paid )
Maybe not been quite so lucky all in, but a similar story all told. I've had a number of bikes over the years that have not been particularly suitable for me, for one reason or another, and have learnt well from those experiences. The 2 Mountain Bikes I have now suit my needs perfectly, and there is pretty much nothing I'd change on them both (save giving them a full service, new bearings all round and a good clean). But many bikes from my past have dictated why the 2 I have now suit so well, and I have learnt a lot about my own quite specific requirements towards geometry and feel from a bike. And some of the bikes that didn't suit me are particularly well loved models almost universally, so it just gos to show that there are indeed horses for courses.
Bikes are like partners some long term ,some one night stands.
Some hot,racy and far too costly.
Some cheap and nasty leaving you sore in the most sensitive of places
Some too laid back and far too slack but fun in a naughty way
But with age and experience you eventually settle down with one that just feels right most of the time and it's a bonus if they really enjoy having their * ** ****** **.
Do I get a ban now?
Another Nomad disappointment. Lusted after them since first seeing one, managed to get a MK1 in fave colour (white). None of the reviews mentioned it climbed like a dog with a broken leg. In granny ring the lower link compressed with every pedal stroke, effectively shortening the chainstay 3/4inch. Most disappointing and possibly worst bike I've owned. Luckily bought used so no noticeable financial loss when I sold it on.
Replaced with an ugly recycled filing cabinet with an archaic single pivot, which is a joy to climb on by comparison and just as capable at covering up lack of skill on the descents.
Still not sure about my CAAD8. Not decided whether it's the bike or just being bored of road riding.
I bought a Marin once.
It was very efficient. That is the nicest thing i can say about it.
Basically it was dull as [insert expletive here].
Bought a Dialled PA which I loved.
Wasn't sure about my Ragley Blue Pig when i got it initially but love it now!
Sometimes you have to give things a few rides to click.
Rocky Mountain ETSX-50
Yes, I did, review here - 'Tim from Edinburgh', three or so down
[url= http://www.mtbr.com/cat/bikes/freeride-full-suspension/rocky-mountain/etsx-50/prd_363282_1543crx.aspx ]bad review[/url]
I haven't. Mr Toast, on the other hand....
Interesting that there have been a couple of Mojo regrets, as that was one of Mr Toast's unsuitable bikes. Lovely thing, just far too short for him, even in extra large. A real shame, I loved having that bike in the house. It was pretty. 🙁
I bought in to the "Titanium magic carpet ride" hype and bought a Merlin XLM. Coming from a full suspension SC SL I probably couldn't fully appreciate the trail dampening qualities, maybe if I'd have come from another HT I would've - who knows.
I stuck with it for two years then moved it on. I bought an Ibis Tranny and have never regretted getting rid of the Merlin, yes it was pretty and well made but it was a real wheels on the ground bike (boring imo)
Endorfin VP-4R SL - seemed like a full-suspension frame and a Rohloff hub would be a great combination. And it is. But after spending £3k on the bike I pretty much stopped riding full-suspension bikes in the UK, and have pretty much exclusively ridden a £200 singlespeed On-One, just because I like it.
So the Endorfin sits in the garage, unloved. A genuinely great bike, I just don't need it. And it's bright yellow. I keep meaning to break it and sell it, but to do so would mean admitting I got it wrong in buying it in the first place.
Had a 2001 S-Works FSR that I just didn't get on with, nothing wrong with it, just didn't suit me. Wasn't too enamoured with the S-Works Carbon ht I had in 2006 either, just preferred riding my Racer-X that I'd had previously.
The last bike that I had I now regret. It was a Gary Fisher Cake 2 DLX. I don't think there was anything wrong with it in general ie it got great reviews, but I never really liked it from the first day I rode it.
The bike was one of a number of factors that kind of put me off riding bikes for about 4 years.
Last summer I bought a new bike, which feels completely alive in comparison and makes me want to get out riding 🙂
Another indifferent Nomad owner here, felt like a hovercraft, (not in a good way), I swapped it for an old shape Yeti 575with the knuckle and sold it and used the money to buy the newer shaped 575 which I still have, so no regrets overall but the disappointment with the Nomad was palpable... I love my 575 though, saying that I spend almost all my riding time on an Orange P7 single speed made out of donor parts, this is probably the bike purchase I regret the least... the whole think only cost about $600 NZD...
I loved the 456. Rode the Ti456 and thought 'eh'? Bikeradar mags bummed it to the max.
456 Summer Season, wooden and rode like it was drunk even with 100s on it. Not a fan of slack, long travel hardtails but thought I'd get one anyway. Still own it mind, keep thinking about replacing with a regular 456
GaryLake - i think it may be time 'the family' headed down your way, and i can save pennies for a couple of months to make space in your garage! 😉
ps are you coming to the wedding...lots of riding up there!
Wasn't the Summerseason straight guage single-butted i.e. different to the 456? Summit like that.
Bought an Orange 5 without a test ride.
Used it for a year trying to get to like it because i must be wrong,its a fantastic bike.
A waste of a year when i could have been enjoying myself on something nice to ride.
I rode the Five- really didn't like it. I had a brief spin on a 5- liked it.
Ellsworth Moment has been my worst experience, the guy even let me demo it for a week, but I was star struck at that time. It didn't take long after to realise the BB was way too high for me and the shock didn't help. Also as above, the Summer Season I found to be a bit of a dead weight, so harder work the terrain, strength sapping and just uncomfortable. I suspect mine just weighed too much.
Oh gawd. Ellsworth's. Yes my I.D felt like it was on stilts. Stupidly I'd gotten rid of the ace Rocky Mountain Vertex/Psylo's for the ID thinking 'lets get core' 🙄
Erm
Turner 5-spot - the HL one. Not sure if it was the Romic, what I was riding it on or just the frame design in general but never really got on with it. Sold to a bloke on here who painted it green and still has it as far as I'm aware
Got rid of my On-one gimp trials bike for a proper competition trials bike. Hated it, the one bike I will ALWAYS regret selling is that on-one...
Olympia Speedy - see my other recent post. Bloody uncomfortable...just generally not nice.
Interesting, lot of Mk1 Nomad owners not liking the bikes. It was fairly common knowledge they were a bit of a dog to pedal, did people not research then first?
I got a lot of guilt when I bought my first bike to replace the rubbish one I had during Uni. I was pretty brassic at the time, so spending just over 200 quid on a Claud Butler brought on a lot of negative feelings. It was a great bike though and I was gutted when it was stolen.
For some reason felt a lot less guilty buying its replacement, a Merlin Malt 2, than I did with the previous one. Maybe it was because I needed a bike, or I was still feeling really angry about the last one being stolen.
Spent a while on a friend's Pace 405 and it genuinely the worst bike I've ever ridden, and I'm including my old Raleigh Tomahawk in that...
I think 405s really suit some people's riding style and not others. If you expect a floaty, magic carpet, sofa ride, you're in for a shock. You need to treat it like a long-travel hardtail and stuff it into things. It won't just float serenely along while you sit there enjoying the view...
...unlike a Reign - borrowed one of those for six weeks or so and hated it, not so much for its lack of capability, but it's utter bland neutrality. I was quite glad to see the back of it.
The Raleigh Tomahawk on the other hand? Pure, unadulterated magic.
I've either been quite lucky or else I'm too much of a numpty to notice the difference. The most controversial bikes I bought were a couple of Marin 140 frames - the first in a medium was a snug fit and too short in the top tube for me, but was an absolute demon on the descents. It fits the missus nicely though, so rather than sell it I gave it to her and bought a large Wolf Ridge.
The large bike is usefully longer in the top tube but it feels a lot taller and has lost some of the slow slung feel that made me love the medium bike on the descents. With a 160mm fork it's even taller. That said, the BB is quite low by AM bike standards, my old Enduro which I absolutely love has a very low BB but I've gorwn used to the way it handles.
Oh and I've just bought a Pure 7 frame and absolutely love it.
Only frame i ever regret selling was a Cove Stiffee, loved it to ride but all the paint dropped off in chunks, replaced it with a £150 new from CRC mmmmmmBop, which i could just not get on with at all, brutally stiff and unforgiving on a ride over 1 hour. Wish i had kept the Cove and just had it powdercoated.
Dialled PA. Hated the thing. It's put me off HTs a bit which is a shame.
I know this is prolly considered heresy but I never really got on with my Cotic Soul. I didn't have immediate buyers remorse as it was my first bike I bought following me getting back into mtbing. However I never felt that comfortable on it and felt that it didn't fit me that well (despite fiddling with all contact points, longer stem, shorter stem, wider bars, narrower bars, layback post, straight post). Most perplexing.
Became 29er curious and bought a Scandal s/h, found that I felt much more comfortable on the Scandal and sold the Soul.
many moons ago i bought a Marin Attack Trail, which just about fell to bits in a month. Grant at ATB Sales told me that I should not use even a low pressure hose but instead wipe it with a cloth after a winter ride in the peaks. He also said, and I quote, "some poeople only ride their bikes once a month".
Briilaint advice on improving reliability - just use it less!
Oh there's another - always wanted a Spesh Epic
the 'older' version with the shock mounted within the seat stay - not the newer design
Tracked one down my size a year last October - restored it over winter
Rode it for all of 30 miles - didn't like it one bit
straight onto ebay with it 🙂
GaryLake - i think it may be time 'the family' headed down your way, and i can save pennies for a couple of months to make space in your garage!
ps are you coming to the wedding...lots of riding up there!
Hello Mark! Yes we are coming to the wedding, sounds like the best wedding ever actually! (I was officially joking to Sarah, but seriously, do I need to bring a bike now?! 8))
I think the Summer Season might be a bit small for you, 16", unless you want something a bit 'braap' and jumpy I guess 🙂
Wasn't the Summerseason straight guage single-butted i.e. different to the 456?
Possibly, still means I bought the wrong one, but given the pocket money pricing, I was swayed by colour, not 'need' 😳
Specialized Enduro, so so dull and boring to ride
GaryLake
tried emailing and got a bounce back - mail me on bigvern52 at hotmail dot com
'maybe' having a ride day on the sunday...quite a few bikers coming 😀
oh and back on topic it had 'APOLLO' wrote on it
Sounds good, and if you guys are down in the mean time, bring the bike and we'll hit Bristol trails.
I got rid of mk1 PA and traded up to a Commencal Super 4.
While the bike itself was perfectly fine, I just missed the HT.
Since then got a Swift and haven't looked back (although I am now slightly hankering after another FS FFS)
I think with bikes I'm probably never going to be happy
Well documented on here, in Sept 2010 I built up and Intense Tracer VP to replace my 5.5.
Despite much fettling I never got on with it and eventually with regret sold it a year later. I so wanted that bike to be great.
I lusted after the Specialized FSR SWorks Palmer replica DH bike in the 90's and got one a season or two after it was launched, wasn't in his troy lee colours though. Never really got on with it, the wheelbase was absolutely massive and the front end too low. Loved it to look at but we just didn't get on.
Spesh SWORKS FSR 120, about 2005 model. Just didn't get on with it, too isolated and magic carpetty I thnk. I came off that bike more than any other I have owned, it just didn't seem to have anything in between "fine" and upside down in a hedge.
Have never bought a complete bike and regretted it but I have extensively upgraded a couple of POS that remained POS.
Expensive POS but still POS.
Specialized Enduro '11 with lyrics. Such a dull bike! Like ridding a sofa. Was okay on DH runs but everything else was just so boring.
Giant Reign '10 was a horrible ride. Really dont like the suspension platform. Could *maybe* see why people like it but not for me.
On-one SS 456 - Just handled like a pig on anything other than DH.
Had a Trek Fuel EX when everyone was raving about them... Nice bike, but it just didn't click with me... bit dead to ride and no real feedback... Shame really.
It also had the thinnest paint of any bike I have ever owned!
Garry, have you tried the carbon version? Need to try and make a cheesy ride sometime (or at least take my bike back to Bristol for a ride) if you want a try - it's a 16". But no big jumps as it's only got XC717 rims on at the moment!
Hob nob, not sure the pedal issues were that well known until well after the fact on the Nomad. Every mag or owner review i read made it out to be 5 stars niche defining bar setter. I've seen more negative comments about them in this thread than in the last 2 years on STW combined...
Bit of dillema recently...Swift / Pace RC129 or a Niner SIR9...
The Niner won, & its lovely. Big outlay for me & (daft as it seems) a few restless moments weighing them all up. Still wonder if I did the right thing, but the Niner is really ticking every box I set out.
I ended up with the Swift and the Sir9. I like the Sir9 but find the Swift is so much more 'alive' that it is my automatic 'go to' bike.
Mistake purchases.... Voodoo Wanga and Cotic Soul, never got on with either. I think it is a wheel size thing, I was going off mountain bikes altogether, slowly but surely until I discovered wagon wheels and have been sold on them ever since.
Orange P7 rode like a bag of shite, sold it within 2 months.