[Closed] What bikes have you ridden and couldn't stand?

A friend of mine got an on-one 456 and everyone including myself who rode it thought it was shit, it got sold rapidly.

Wilier Cento Uno, with full Super Record and Fulcrum Zeros. Hated every second of it. Twitchy, nervy and no fun at all.

(Cento Uno Superleggera with Di2, however....wow!)

Test rode a stumpy fsr in 2007, climbed like an asthmatic pit pony and descended worse than a fully rigid tricycle, hated it

Whyte 905, bought it without testing and sent it back.

ridden some friends konas and i have never liked a single one.

my mate runs a soul with a 110mm stem. which is way too high (we are the same height) just makes the bike unrideable.

I bought a medium SC Heckler, having tested one a coupel of years earlier and decided I needed a large.
I did need a large, but the Heckler was oodles of fun. Gone to a good home now 😉

And a Cotic Simple (that actually replaced the Heckler). Didn't like that at all.

Borrowed a couple of Orange P7s and didn't like those either. 😉

Although I did like the Orange Five I once had a go on 🙂

Edit: apologies for excessive smileys...

Not bought a bike I didn't like yet but in the past I have tried some really bad full suspension designs. This sticks in my mind as the worst.

[img] [/img]

Orange 5 (bought an Alpine instead)

Orange Clockwork, in 1991. Not my thing at all.

GT Peace. That was really horrible. I gave it back to the owner mumbling 'Well it looks nice'....

224, 456 and any hardtail with long forks. also anything with a high BB, long stem, long Toptube or too slow rebound.

got a Mountain cycle Zen as a warranty replacement for my (Ace!) Tomac Eli.

Was like riding a dead horse. Did 5 miles on it, stripped it and sold it. Went with my first 29er and been far happier ever since.

Had a go in the car park on a Marin once. Awful thing.

I also rode a friends Trek Y frame and hated that too, which was such a dissapointment because I was desperate to try it and wanted one really badly.

My friends old 24" Specialized Cruiser. He removed the rigid forks and cruiser bars and fitted 130mm Marzcocchi Drop offs and low ride bars.

Rode awfully, he could ride it really well though. I think you can adapt to most bikes after a while.

Oh, another one. I fitted some Handsome Dog rigid trials forks to my DMR Trailstar, it was horrible. I took them off before I got chance to get used to it.

Mentioned it on the other thread but my 2002 Stumpy FSR was too light, had v brakes, radial laced front wheel, and a really flexy back end. I also took the saddle out to do a run in once and had an unfortunate frame - balls interface. stupid FSR interupted seat tubes 🙁

Bought a Specialized Enduro S-Works, the monocoque one. Suspension at each end was rubbish (Manitou Minutes and a Brain shock) and never really liked it all that much. Quite glad when it was stolen, to be honest.

Tried a couple of Giants which were dull and were handed back after 30 minutes, and a Cannondale Scalpel (I think) which I really couldn't get on with. Tried it out at Mayhem and turned round on my demo lap and gave it straight back. Hated everything about it.

I always dislike my Mates Charge Blender, which is strange as I really love my own!
Must be his 'finishing kit'....

Gawd awful piece of [add you comments here]
[img] [/img]

giant yukon... 'orrible thing it was.

orange UFO from 96... well what do you expect. it was old and set up sooo wrong.

Pimpmaster Jazz - Member
I suppose my biggest mistake was a Cove Hustler. Bought on the back of a Cove HJ, the angles looked fine on paper, but in the flesh was too short (and on paper the next size up looked like a bit of a gate). A shame, as when it worked it was a great bike, but because of the length it just didn't work enough for me.

This reads like you bought on asthetics instead of actual size!!

Some hideous Marin FS with squealing Hope brakes. Was white and anaemically uninspiring.
And a first generation Scott Genius rental at Lake Garda - too tall with a top tube you had to hurdle but can see how it might suit arse-up, head-down racers.

Mongoose Teocali Comp 08 - bought brand new last year as it was so cheap and seemed worth a punt for £900 - kitted with Fox 32 140RL, RP23, XT/SLX group, is950 remote seatpost, Stans Flow rims, etc.

It turned out that I hated riding it completely - the geometry, the riding position, the suspension action, everything.

The only good thing was that it was so well spec'd that I made a decent profit on selling the parts when I broke it to sell.

Saracen kili. I built one up when I first got back into riding and it was cack. My old Diamond Back was much better.

Didn't like the camber either, couldn't see the point of it.

Sat on a Trek Remedy, the other day, felt awful. Just felt wrong - although a huge amount of the "feel" of a bike is a function of the stem and bars, there was still something about the Remedy that felt off - sat on a Spicy and a Covert and they both felt good from the first moment.

Does a Fuel injected Gas Gas EC400 count.
I didnt like it but got my best results on it, so what do I know 🙂

Cotic Roadrat. Horrible thing, neither fish nor fowl. Bought it, built it and sold it on within about a month, luckily they were in short supply at the time so I didn't take a hit on the money. Got back on my Cross-Check and rode off into the sunset. a wiser man.

Sweet baby jesus!!! That Klein is ****ing hideous!!

I instinctively hate any bike Hora owns. As does he after a week or so 😉

5, 575, Hustler, Specialized bouncy bikes, ETSX

johnners - Member
Cotic Roadrat. Horrible thing, neither fish nor fowl. Bought it, built it and sold it on within about a month, luckily they were in short supply at the time so I didn't take a hit on the money. Got back on my Cross-Check and rode off into the sunset. a wiser man.

I quite like mine. You're right though, it's hard to know what it is, exactly.

24Seven Dark Angel DH
It was my very first dh bike and so I guess I thought it was okay until I knew any better.
It wallowed and weighed more than the combined weight of the Nolan sisters...

[img] [/img]

I brought a ragley mmmbop when they were going cheap and built it up burly with 160 lyriks. Took it for a ride around the W2 at Afan and hated it. Admittedly wrong bike for the job but that had put me off enough to not bother with it again.

Anyway it got boxed away in the shed for ages and I swapped the parts to another bike. Recently started to collect bits for a Soul build and while procrastinating over the frame I thought I might as well put the lighter traily bits on the mmmbop... and it's now a great fun bike for local woods rides.

On One 456; bought the frame off a mate, thought it would be fine as you hear such good things about them. Was okay I suppose, but felt a bit too long in the top tube. Okay for XC but that's not really my thing so I sold it and bought a second hand Chameleon frame, which suits me much better.

Had a Dialled PA for a while too. Never really got on with it at all.

As for full suspension bikes, there have been a few I've ridden which I didn't expect to like but did; original Big Hit, Giant AC and Giant Trance.

This reads like you bought on asthetics instead of actual size!!

It was the same size as my Handjob, which was great!

But then I bought a mk.2 Handjob and found I sat 'on' it rather than 'in' it - that didn't last either.

I think I just don't fit the Cove sizing blueprint...

Now you mention it, I had a Cove Stiffee for a while. I sold an Azonic DS1 frame and used the parts on the Stiffee. In the end, I bought the DS1 frame back and sold the Stiffee on. Couldn't tell you what was up with it but it was just not as nice as the DS1 - maybe it was the slacker head angle?

I slowly grew to hate a Giant Reign for its seamless netrality of suspension response, excessive weight and utter blandness. It had nothing resembling a soul even though it was capable and efficient. Fortunately it was just borrowed.

Owned a Klein Palomino briefly that was just wrong for me and disintegrated regularly to spite me further, though it had nice, spangly paint.

And hated my Giant OCR2 road bike for its ability to actually amplify the smallest road irregularity into something that felt like a three-foot step down.

None of them were objectively awful, but I came to really dislike them all for different reasons. 🙄

Not really. I used to tend to buy bikes, ride them for ages convinced that they were perfectly fine for me and then eventually realise they were way too short or blew through their travel or something.

Although I never really clicked with my old Yeti 575 at all tbh. Just assumed I hadn't got it set-up right for ages though.

have never hated any bike that i bought,but just didn't gel with my 2006 stumpy fsr comp (the last of the pierced seat tube bikes).i did ride a gt rts blue/yellow back in the mid 90's (only a few 100 feet on the road) and thought if that's full sus,you're welcome to it 😉

456 Summer Season. I struggled to find any terrain that was remotely fun to ride on it. Just not my cup of tea. Sold within 2 months.

Marin Bolinas Ridge goes down as the worst bike I've ever ridden. We're going back a few years here but it was a lurching horrible steep frame that was probably a bit big for me and it struck the fear of god into me every time I sat on it... even if I was just riding down the road.

on one summer season..........sold after a 40 miler over cross fell.
2 x gf 29r's..............far too long and low.
fisher fat possum............too flexy and bouncy.
cannondale t2000 tourer........like riding a cast iron railing.

One of the chaps in our riding bunch has a really nice stumpjmper with a brain shock, but, he's got the queerest setup in the world with his stem/bars.

just feels wrong.
Would be such an easy fix.

So as a result you spend the whole time cursing the setup when you ride it.

I had a GT something-cheap frame built as a single speed. it was a dog.

I also had a fixie built from an old frame rescued from a skip. That was like riding a barge. Still commuted almost 3000 miles before the back wheel bearings collapsed and I decided it needed ebaying.

had a kona coiler. never really got in to it the chain always bounced off & it weighed alot. tried chain tensioners etc but as soon as the rear suspension kicked in off the chain came. it never felt right either. 2007 model. never tried the later ones maybe they improved

Love the look of Specialized full suspension bikes but just cannot get on with them. Also rode a Norco DH a couple of years ago and hated every minute on it. Can't put my finger on what is was but it just didn't feel "right".

2008 Orange 5 pro

GT Peace

Tsk tsk Poddy. Wash your mouth out... 😉

Where is he then?

Perhaps he's typing a detailed description of all the bikes he's hated, and why.

If he stays up all night, he could hit the 'send post' button about lunchtime tomorrow. Possibly. As long as he keeps it to one sentence about each 😀

A slightly surprising one for me as it's almost universally liked, a Giant Anthem x. A horrible, horrible bike. By that I mean I hated it, it is undoubtedly a great bike, it must be, loads of people love it. I thought I would love it too, perfect for me on paper but just couldn't get on with it at all. Spent so much time and money playing about with different set ups e.c.t, tried pretty much everything to unleash this 'amazing bike' but always felt rubbish, dead feeling and wrong both up and down.
Finally resigned myself that we were never going to get on and it was just a very costly mistake. Was very happy to see it go. Although saying this I still wouldn't say it was a bad bike, just not a 'me' bike.

If he stays up all night, he could hit the 'send post' button about lunchtime tomorrow. Possibly. As long as he keeps it to one sentence about each

Will it be a little like "[i]and there was this one bike, at band camp...[/i]"?

I'm going to post my Klein. Actually I quite enjoy riding it but only as a SS at which it's great. As a geared bike, I'm pretty sure it'd be awful.

[img] [/img]

Had a Superlight, and loved it.

Replaced it with a Heckler5, and hated it.

It got passed onto someone who likes it.

Tastes differ.

There are very few bad bikes, but plenty that don't suit everyone.

spesh fsr from about 1998? My first full suss, it was just like a riding a pogo stick, I detested it.

I persevere for a long time to try and set up a bike to my liking but the following have failed and were sold,
2005 Marin Mount Vision (Fox fork and Hope brake issues)
2005 Marin Wolf Ridge (Fox fork, Hope brake issues and flexi frame)
Pace RC303 (Harsh ride, very steep head tube and appalling build quality)
2007 Orange P7 (Heavy, unresponsive)
Rock Lobster Tig Team (Harsh ride, 90's geometry)
2007 Stumpjumper (Unresponsive and a harsh ride)

Keepers include
2007 Orange 5 (Pre 2009 so steeper head angle)
2007 Orange Clockwork special edition (Terrible paint quality though, chips easily)
2008? Cotic Soul (Mmmmmm, Custard with green graphics)
2009 KTM Lycan 3.0 (The actual bike tested by WMB and a rarity in the uk. Proper Horst link rear with lower shock pivot on chainstays)
2008 On-One 456ti (Sweet)
2008 On_One Summer Season (Needed some time to set up properly. 130mm fork and 50mm stem sorted it out (18" frame I'm 5'11")
2010 Gary Fisher Paragon clown wheeler (120mm fork and 70mm stem make it a technical trail blaster)
2011 GF Rumblefish II 29er (Brilliant fun on everything but the very tightest singletrack, it's long!)

Toys - they just needed a decent shock tune to firm up their midstroke compression (or smooth riders). shame it wasn't done from new.

2006 Scott Genius. Hated every second of the ride on it. Needless to say I didn't buy it.

I had a mid 90's GT Zaskar that was so rigid it hurt my back to ride more than 5 miles ON ROAD! if I dared ride it off road it was similar (I would imagine) to an S & M session with Max Mosely...

As a few people have suggested Specialized Stumpy 08 ish (Anniversary edition.

Just felt vague and remote at the rear unless the shock was pumped-up high, then felt like a hard tail.

Also, and only just thought of this, Spesh Epic 2009. Bought used from ebay and had a rear brain shock with rebound adjustment only. Felt like a flat rear tyre most of the time, hated it. Fast though.!

So its just two Speshes I didn’t like but nothing against the brand.

Without doubt the worst bike I ever demo'ed

[img] [/img]

Without doubt the worst bike I ever demo'ed

I'm glad you've said that. It lessons the schoolboy pangs of wont that I get everytime I see a picture of one.

Toys - they just needed a decent shock tune to firm up their midstroke compression (or smooth riders). shame it wasn't done from new.

Too late I sold it whithin weeks. My next full suss was a giant NRS in 2000, that was brilliant.

It lessons the schoolboy pangs of wont that I get everytime I see a picture of one.

Well, you were clearly never at school with spelling like that! If you were, you clearly didn't pay attention in lessens. 😉

Demo'd loads, worst was a Charge Duster. Felt like a supermarket special.

And an early Giant Reign which pedalled uphill about as well as a blancmange.

Norco Sasquatch - wrong bike for the riding I was doing, incredibly heavy and pretty uncomfortable. No doubt good for what it was meant to be doing!

Sunn Xircuit Maxx - Sunn's trials frame which a friend had in the mid/late nineties. It was lovely when he was using it as a trials bike with rigid forks. But he got into more pedally/less bouncy riding and put a pair of 130mm Manitou Xverts on it, which made it incredibly slack and generally unpleasant.

Duster Ti - just so wrong!

CaptainFlashheart - Member
you clearly didn't pay attention in lessens.

Well, I was just pointing out errors of spelling, as is my want. 😉

[url= http://www.thefreedictionary.com/wont ]as is my [b]wont[/b][/url] 😉

Indeed. If only some people knew the difference between wont and want, eh? 😉

Ti456. I've no idea why it got 10/10 in the mag review. It felt flexy as hell to me.

In second place the Ellsworth ID. I had a stunning Rocky Mountain Vertex before that and it was alot faster than the ID with zero rear suspension. The ID felt wrong and awkward.

Never liked the Orange 5 just seemed a lot of fuss for quite a dull bike.

Worst bike I ever rode though was one of the first Whyte full sussers that came out. It cost a fortune and to me ride shockingly bad

Corratec X bow, I think it was called. Steel unpleasant nastiness ( guess some of you will have to look that up) GT LTS boingy boingy thing, was just not right, too much plushness, however I set it up. Mates got a new Marin something full suss, maybe mount vision or that spec anyway. That just feels like a hovercraft. No feel to what you are riding terrainwise and just feels so bland and uninspiring.......

Never really got on with my GT i-Drive 5. Not sure if it was too small or the suspension system, but I just didn't quite get it. Followed a bloke on one the other day and it does seem to get rid of a lot of pedal bob, but replaced it with a sub5 which is 5 years older with a shock without propedal which feels much more responsive and fun.

2010 Orange P7, just felt horrible.

I think my biggest bicycle disappointment was the Intense Tazer HT. I've bought and sold loads of frames which just didn't suit me, size or angles-wise so disillusionment is almost par for the course but being an avid Intense fan, that build promised so much. It looked amazing, fit was spot on, weighed burger all, climbed really well and even coped pretty well (in my very incapable hands) with the local downhill track . . . but after 2 days' riding I could hardly move 🙁 . . . but I'd buy another tomorrow . . . just to look at 8)

Stumpy 120 in 2007, replacement for a cracked 2003 Enduro. Absolute pants 🙁

Yes, OK - I got me wonts all mixed up.

My Pompino.

I certainly didn't hate it, that's way too strong a word, but it just didn't come together for me, despite lots of different bar/stem/saddle/fork swaps, it just didn't ever work. I prefer a bike to have at least [i]some[/i] stiffness too, rather than none.

I'm not at all sure about my Onza T-Rex (trials bike), but then, I don't think it's very sure about me either. It always feels like a kinda stupid cartoon-wrestling match whenever we go out together, and usually involves swearing, and injuries.

As an appropriate measure of our relationship, I have had more bee stings whilst riding/wrestling that bicycle than at any other time in my life. That's not some unusual/odd colloquialism 'either, it really is as simple as just being stung by bees. 😯

Jonnyseven, same here: cracked 2003 enduro, warranty replaced with 120 stumpy: horrible thing!

[img] [/img]
Truly the worst bike I ever cocked a leg over, too short and imbalanced between front and rear travel.
Think I owned it for 3 months and then moved it on.
Vowed to never have another 'dale again.

Not many in the modern age. But I found my Idrive 5 incredibly annoying, because the complicated bit was done well, loved the way the idrive itself worked... But the geometry was terribly ****ed, which turned it into an 8lb plus, long travel, XC frame. I could've tolerated it more if it didn't do some things so well.