Forum menu
Specialized Singlecross - It's a singlespeed that was dirt cheap. Does what it needs to and refuses to die.
SC Chameleon - About the only reasonably priced HT frame that's singlespeedable.
Epic Evo - I've no need for a long travel bike but missed the comfort of full suspension on longer rides so this seemed to fit the bill and the price was good in the sale.
Boardman Hybrid - Utterly reliable bike that does everything from commuting to gravel rides to shopping runs and turbo trainer duties. Like the Singlecross, it was cheap as chips back when you could stack loads of discount codes at Halfords.
Aeris AM9 - main influences were great geometry and inexpensive (frame bought 5 years ago) and I have not felt the need to change it yet as it is just a fun and capable AM bike
Ragley Bigwig - steel hardtail - had a previous gen Bigwig and a Blue Pig so stayed with the brand - got a great deal on the frame a few years back
Genesis Fugio 10 - alloy gravel bike - I wanted a cheap-ish gravel bike but couldn't find a XL frame during peak covid disruption, but a bike shop owning pal who stocks Genesis managed to secure me one and give me a discount, so a no brainer
<p style="text-align: center;">Orbea Rise , had a full fat for 3 years overkill for my riding , didn't want carbon so when the alloy version came out I was there ! Onza Jackpot £699 complete bike for a steel frame , Revs , Reverb 👍2012 Kona Raijin big wheeled Ti hardtail to compliment my Cove Hummer which is my lifer bike 👍98 Kona Aha my garage queen 😎</p>
Brand-X RD-01 - I'd emigrated, I had brought a box of spare bike bits but no road bike to ride to work on so I bought this cheap frameset and a few bits so I could build up a complete commuter bike. The BB was creaky until I refaced the shell but other than that I have been very impressed - it is even nice and stiff when sprinting. I've since swapped out the Brand-X fork for an Easton CX fork and done some cyclocross races on it which is a bit of a compromise with the rear tyre clearance but just about works.
Cervelo P3 (2016) - I needed a bike for upcoming TT races that needed to be UCI compliant, and I found this one being sold second hand for a decent price with Zipp 404 wheelset. I ended up switching to an e-tap groupset for better fit withing the UCI rules - the mechanical levers made it hard to get the cockpit long enough.
Felt AR5 (2012)- I needed a UCI compliant bike for road racing and I found this one being sold super cheap 2nd hand and it had some decent Bont Aeolous 5 wheels and I have found it useful to have some aero wheels with an aluminium brake track. After buying the bike I found the chainstay was damaged from a previous chainsuck incident - but with the advice of some composite expert friends I did my own repair job on this. It has a super short wheelbase - the twichyness and toe overlap is a bit annoying actually but overall it has served me well.
Trek Procaliber (2017) - I needed a bike for MTB races and I found this one being sold cheap 2nd hand, it came with some nice bits, and other than one of the XTR pedal axles snapping has been perfect.
Current Bikes:
2017 Nukeproof Mega 257 - Built from a new frame with my choice of component. Have been a Nukeproof 'fan' mainly because of Sam Hill...... Although that didn't really influence my purchase as I was also looking at other frames at the time but got a deal on the Mega.
2022 Nukepoof Mega 290 Carbon Elite - Didn't plan on buying this bike at all, but was lucky enough to win the £8k Dream Bike Competition and had the chance to upgrade my ride. Got it purely as I really like my 2017 275 and kind of decided to stick with what I knew and the spec to price ratio was decent.
2021 Cannondale Topstone 4 - Fancied a gravel bike and got this purely based on price in a sale.
Shand bahookie. a bike for life built to my spec at great expense. Mainly UK components with a few EU and US. NO Japanese
Salsa Beargrease. right bike at the right price and time. I wanted a ftbike. this was ex demo and cheap
Cube reaction pro e bike. Best spec for the money. Bosch motor essential
the frankenbike - a utility bike from my spares pile
Road bike - vintage bought 40 years ago! and it was old then
RM Instinct - 2015 I wanted a mid-travel, light trail bike and Tredz had this on offer. Carbon, 130mm, decent spec and just over £2K. Guess it was a bargain, cos I still (just about) ride it. Went proper dizzy last time though. Hence...
Cannondale Moterra Neo 2 - 2/3 years ago, diagnosed with AF. Lost all stamina, MTBing just hurts. Avoided going eeb for a few years, eventually realising I'd never get the same enjoyment out of MTBing again. Had demo'ed the Cannondales a few years back and really liked them, so when these were on sale early 2023, took the plunge. It's a great bike, but I'd rather be able to do the hard climbs under my own power rather than electrical power. That is for certain.
Ahem, yeah also got Commencal Meta HT - 29er hardtail. Trying to find something light and fun that I could ride and do climbs on... another absolute bargain, its proper nice, but underused.
Tripster. I can still ride this old beauty to work. 😀 Why? Cos my old man died and left me enough to buy a really nice custom build, like er, 9 years ago. Ti for life 👍
Identiti AKA - old bike broke, needed a new / better bike, slightly influenced by a friends Identiti Mettle, price was right and couldn’t find a bad review anywhere
Surly 1x1 - wanted a steel, SS mountain bike, spent WEEKS trying to find a frame I liked the look of, frame and fork came up on eBay, right size, fair price, good looks, it’s green…
BMC Alpenchallenge - wanted a quick commuter that could handle bridleways, old train lines and a little bit of rough as well as tarmac, price was right
Mongoose BMX - was headed for the skip and is now my “grab and go” quick errands / shopping / acting like a child bike
Clown / circus bike - it was £20, needed a little love / work / refurbishment and I had nothing better to do the day I bought it, it’s now mostly a shed ornament
Bought my bikes to fit a need
2017 5010. Tested a few short(er) travel trail bikes, knew right away the 5010 was the one, still is. Most of my local riding is woodsy singletrack, this bike absolutely rips and makes me smile every time
2018 procaliber, built from a frame with rigid forks as a sort of flat bar gravel bike. Ride it lots, like it lots. Consider it a gateway into gravel, still not sure I want drop bars
2022 Orbea occam LT. wanted something bigger for bigger terrain (Lakes, Spain and the like). Got a massive discount on it which definitely swayed things, found despite the longer travel it rides just fine everywhere
XC FS - got it uber cheap on a team / sponsor deal 3.5 years ago, can't see a reason to change it, bloody ace bike.
XC HT - swapped it for my gravel bike as I wasn't riding the gravel bike like a gravel bike so thought a HT was a better bike to have.
Road bike - as per the XC FS, 3.5 years old, still going strong and does what I need a road bike to do, raced it once in my only ever road race.
CX bike No.1 - liked the spec, liked the paint, bought it in Wiggle sale 2 years ago, sorted.
CX bike No.2 - exact same spec and frame etc as No.1, bought it in Wiggle sale a few weeks ago for less than the first one, figure that out if you can.
Scalpel HT 2 - never got on with my previous hardtail, an XTC Advanced. The Scalpel had a lefty, which I'd always wanted to try, great reviews, and it looked gorgeous. Was a very good decision.
2019 Reilly Gradient Di2 and Carbon wheels - wanted a gravel/bikepacking/winter road bike, always wanted a Ti bike, it was a 60th birthday present to myself.
2017 Defy Advanced Pro 0 - wanted an upgrade for my old Tiagra/alloy Defy, went in to buy an Advanced Pro 1, they didn't have my size but got a great discount on the 0.
2016 Jeffsy Pro Race - wanted something more capable than my 2009 Anthem X1, but not too heavy (I'm a weight weeny). The launch year Jeffsys had a ludicrous spec for the money.
Sanderson Soloist - mate got an SS, rode with him a couple of times, thought it seemed fun, saw this on eBay. Brilliant.
Brompton S6L - wanted a folder for work, tried a Dahon on loan, got the Brompton on C2W.
Early 90s Specialized hybrid - wanted a pub/shopping bike that I didn't mind locking up in town, found this for £75 at the local cycle recycler.
Production Privée Shan GT:
I wanted a bike that was a good all-rounder - from pootling with the kids to taking on enduro courses. Fitting to my budget and abilities meant a long(ish) travel hardtail was ideal. Also didn't want something too run of the mill, no Spesh or Trek etc thanks. Another requirement was something available as frame only, as I wanted to build it myself.
Discovered the PP Oka and fell in love, though that was discontinued by then. Found its big brother the Shan GT and decided on this, then saw Andi's rave review on here which made me happy I'd decided anyway before seeing the review, cos I'm not influenced by marketing at all, no way 😉
(Incidentally, PP were out of stock of the colour scheme I liked so I asked a UK supplier even though the price was higher. They were going out of business, had 1 left that happened to be the right size and colour and sent it to me price matched and free postage! Got lucky there)
Boardman Sport road bike:
Needed a commuter and also wanted to try out the dark side. Found a bargain on Gumtree!
Whatever I felt like brazing from steel tubes 🙂 with minimal limitations - if it needs tooling, I make some. So it has a top tube ovalised from a round one, a seat tube curved from straight cromo, and seat / chainstays bent from straight tube.
Design has been an ongoing evolution of 3 frames since 2010. Not sure where it goes next - I was going to chop out the chainstays and go elevated again for bigger tyres but I managed to crimp in a bit more clearance.
Vitus Sommet 27. The CRC sale mainly influenced me 🙂 have wanted something with squish again for ages so it came at the right time. Don't have a huge budget so needed something that I could get away with all my older parts on, 29er was out for this reason. As a bike though it fits my preferences - ~160mm travel, good descending ability but can still be pedalled, doesn't feel like a wallowy barge. For the kind of trails I ride I probably "should" ride a hardtail but I have a lot more confidence to go for bigger jumps etc on a FS, I prefer the more balanced feel too.
Bought 4 bikes in the last 12 months 3 of which were purchased as j couldn't believe the price
Mondraker crafty r bought as I'd just come into some cash and recovering from a massive knee op,think I've rode it 4 times
Mondraker foxy carbon ex display bought half price when looking at e bikes
Giant trance x half price sale bargain
Nukeproof mega carbon -ridiculously cheap
None of the above are good reasons to buy a bike but none of them are bad ones either.
All the above 4 bikes were just over 10k and are probably worth 3 lol
I’m not afraid to admit brand, aesthetics and specific details are part of my decision making process. I’m paying a lot of money for a bike so I want it to be right for me.
Santa Cruz Megatower - after 2 Bronson’s I wanted to go 29er and a bit more travel. I like how SCs ride and got a cracking trade in deal from Pedal and Spoke when the MTv2 came out. Other influencing factors were warranty, bottle space and frame storage as I like to ride pack less. As an old skater I’m into the origins of the brand and have always liked the Syndicate from the Peaty and Ratty days so I guess this has influenced me to buy into the brand too.
Specialized Tarmac SL6 - got the frame second hand at Cycle Exchange and they gave me a good trade in deal on my old frame. I liked the paint job and wanted a decent all rounder as my second ‘proper’ road bike the Tarmac was well reviewed so I have it a punt.
Genesis CDA - this is my triggers broom commuter/gravel/winter road bike. It was what was available via cycle scheme from my LBS at the time. It was my first drop bar bike so I had little else to go on. It’s 9 years old now and will be replaced when I have the money. Key factors of the new ride will be value for money, versatility, fittings for guards, 1x group set, hydro disks and a nice paint job.
My heart ❤️, definitely not my head, form and function, clever engineering, good customer service, supporting smaller manufacturers and shops over mainstream big brands. Etc
I couldn't face riding a Trek, Santa Cruz, or something off the shelf. I guess that makes me a terrible snob,....
I really fancy one of those Atherton bike, part of me loves the functional way they look part of me thinks they are dull as shit.
Choices made based on affordability, fit and do I have a use case for it, in that order... 🙂
I don't wring my hands over it if any of those don't line up, and I tend to keep my bikes for a long time, if it's working and I'm using it why chop it in for something else?
Habitual bike changers (ahem) do seem to suffer from that nagging FOMO thing where there's always something better out there, but they never quite seem to be able to find it.
Stumpy Evo 29/commencal supernormal 29 (rigid)/PX London road/Merida scultura/old fixie commuter (now becoming 2speed)/Norco threshold (just for CX) All bought and maintained cheap.
Merlin HT - Was a good spec at a very good price with a good rep for the frame and they had my size in stock. Thery were also really good when I ordered it.
Merlin Malt-R - Off the back of the Malt-2 purchase, I went back to Merlin for a road bike. Super-glad I did as well, as it is still a nice bike to ride. I should get it properly fitted, but it's not bad as it is.
Spec Stumpy FS - eBay purchase based on it being a size that fitted me with a decent spec at a good price. If all eBay bike purchases could be like that, I would do it again.
2014 Giant Defy - wanted a road bike to ride on a charity event from London to Snowdonia - £1k C2W limit - the Giant looked nice and was great spec for the money (10 speed 105 & rim brakes). Upgraded with Hope x Pacenti wheels it still flies. 9 years on i've just retired it in favour of a new road bike but it'll still get ridden occasionally.
2022 Dolan GXA Gravel bike - wanted something to replace a competent but uninspiring 2017 Pinnacle Arkose for touring and winter road duties. The Dolan looked like a good deal with 1x11 GRX, Mavic wheels, etc. It rides really nicely - particularly now fitted with the Hope x Pacenti Disc wheels i'd previously had on my Arkose.
2023 Basso Venta -I've been wanting an Italian road bike ever since i got into cycling - My Giant was getting to the point where i didn't want to spend anymore money maintaining obsolete technology or upgrade parts which couldn't be then used on newer disc bikes. My LBS built the Venta up using a new 105 groupset and parts i provided (the Mavic Wheels from the Dolan, etc) I love it - it makes me smile every time i ride it and it absolutely flies. It'll get a wheel upgrade in due course (50-60mm Carbon)
I tend to keep bikes a good while and both the Dolan and the Basso are good enough frames to upgrade, so doubt i'll buy another complete bike for some time, particularly as i've got 6 years of Uni financial support to look forward to as both my kids will be going back to back.
Ibis Ripmo AF: Niche brand, interesting spec (DVO), subtle colour, perfect geometry for me, decent deal from LBS. Right amount of travel, 160/145 29er.
Ragley mmmbop: Great value (-40% of RRP), decent spec
focus jam2 eeb. i was bored of pushing up hills and had been given a bonus so i bought the best cheap ebike i could. could have been any brand - it needed to be decent value though.
dartmoor primal - i love a HT - mine had been knicked and this was a cheap frame with decent angles.
sunn bmix - i read a dirt magazine review with pics of someone who became an aquaintence going huge at the old jumps at devils dyke on one. I wanted to do that so bought one. its great/scary.
vitus sommet. was going ot the alps and crc were sellign the frames so cheap it seemed daft to risk killing the eeb for the price of the frame. i was also looking for a DH bike/ longer travel endro frames at the same time but all the diffrerent standard for DH meant it was too expensive and even second hand frames were pricey.
conclusion - not influenced by racing at all but i am/was susceptable to pretty photos and overestimations in my ability leading to random bike purchases. but it has to be cheap/good value.
Sure, but very few people want a DH race bike or buy one either
i actually think this may change - well maybe not the super high end but certainly the cheaper end.
lots of good riders (most of the people i know locally) have an eeb for local stuff and 'Park bike' for uplifts. I've never wanted a DH bike but since getting the eeb i`d have one now just for uplift days/the alps to save the eeb.
Nukeproof mega. Wanted a big bike with decent geometry for the alps and lakes. Found one at a really good price. So that did the job
cotic Solaris I’ve had for ever. It has 135qr dropouts
now need a short travel bike as the Nukeproof is too big for the Peak District so narrowed the choice down to 3 or 4 bikes based on geo. It’s now what’s about at the best price
ots of good riders (most of the people i know locally) have an eeb for local stuff and ‘Park bike’ for uplifts. I’ve never wanted a DH bike but since getting the eeb i`d have one now just for uplift days/the alps to save the eeb
This is definitely something I’m considering too for the future. Second hand park bike for uplifts / Alps and an eeb for everyday local riding.
Pretty simple ... compatibility with existing parts, price of a frame used or not and wheelsize.
Wheelsize is partly "compatibility with existing parts" but also I won't ever buy or ride a full 29er for myself...
Titanium to go with the username. And fixed wheel, because it is the purest cycling. And it is shiny. I have lusted after a fixed titanium Kona Paddy Wagon for years to replace my steel one and two other fixed bikes. No such bike was forthcoming, so went Enigma and lucked upon a beautiful used Echo with full Campagnolo Record groupset for a very good price.
Race bike (Propel SL) is a tool for fast bunch riding, track bike is carbon lightness and decent geometry for bunch races (#notasprinter). Cross bike is also titanium but I am resting from cross and rebranding it as a min-V braked gravel bike. Folding bike was chosen based on the ability to run it fixed wheel.
Current MTB is a rigid single speed steel 26" after my Kona Unit was stolen. Next MTB will be titanium too, although I've never had a FS, I did see that very nice one posted recently.
Of course there are others; the TT trike was bought because you can't enter the trike category with two wheels 😀
I'm definitely swayed by a good deal, but I also have to like the way something looks. I won't purchase something I don't like just because its cheap.
Giant TCR Advanced Pro 0 2021 - Was after one of the new breed of climbing/aero bikes, and got a great deal on this through work. My main summer bike
Planet X Pro Carbon Disc - Winter bike - picked the frame up from the Planet X ebay page for £500, and built up with an older groupset. Has carbon wheels despite being my winter bike...
O-O Scandal - Had an old scandal which I loved, and managed to pick a new one up 2nd hand for peanuts. Upgraded with a pike and some lightweight wheels, its the best hardtail I've ever had.
Saracen Hack - Bought off FB marketplace for £225! In almost new condition. Commuter and turbo bike
I've been running my brother's cast off bikes for years, he's been racing MTB, triathlon and Cyclocross since a teen and I seem to have provided an outlet for him to retire stuff once he's decided to move to the next/latest/bestest thing..
Late 90s Cannondale frankenbike, acquired in 2003 whilst my motorbike was in for major surgery after it lunched it's gearbox, its been through several incarnations, frame, forks and seatpost remain original, currently set up as a heavy tourer/commuter.
2014 (ish) DeBall Hup Hup Carbon CX bike, open mould Fuji Altamira frame my brother and his then 'teammate' imported a batch from China, sold a couple and raced a couple for a few seasons. I acquired it in 2018, hammered it around road and local bridleways, great fun but sadly killed by a car this February..
2000 Scott Competition Pro 26er, temporarily 'looked after' for a few years for a mate who had upgraded and had no space for it. Had great fun on it, returned it on purchasing the next one below.
2017 Scott Scale RC700, brother's former XC race bike, he bent it around a tree and had the frame professionally repaired, I got a reasonable deal when he moved on to a full suss XC... Love this bike, great for South Eastern MTB japes, although I found its (and my) limits last month in the Les Carroz bike park...
2023 Giant Revolt Advanced 0, first new bike for 30+ years, replacement for the DeBall, canvassed advice on here, bro chipped in with that a good mate of his was running one and loved it. As there is a Giant franchise around the corner from my office and one near my home, I managed to test ride before C2W purchase. Rather liked it so bought it. Still like it.
Whyte T 130 - needed a new bike and mates son offered it at a really good price.
Whyte Dorset road bike - needed a new bike. Got a great deal on this at the local LBS.
New bikes will follow the same sort of thinking!
The sad truth is the number one parameter is cost.
I set a budget and I then look to see what is available within that budget.
Next it's geometry and size, followed by make, availability and spec. Lastly it's colour.
Aeris AM9 – main influences were great geometry and inexpensive (frame bought 5 years ago) and I have not felt the need to change it yet as it is just a fun and capable AM bike
Also an AM9 here, but bought the frame second hand. I really liked my aether 7 and wanted to try 29" wheels. I initially bought the aether 7 based on geometry and, as is common, price but that's now in pieces awaiting sale.
I bought my Orbea Wild based on (my worsening) disability, price, being able to buy it locally for when the electrics stop working. It was discounted as last year's model, the geo looked decent, it has a removable battery to charge in the house, and I didn't want to hold my mates up loads in Scotland - also not being a wobbly mess, from the climbs, on steep techy descents helps, a lot.
<p style="text-align: left;">Budget is the main driver. Normally local availability too. Don't really buy new if I can help it. Too many lightly used bikes around to waste that money and I'm not really into the latest and greatest. And then I spend a fortune on parts 😀</p>
Price dictated mine, both times.
Last November I wanted a bike, On-One Big Dog for £850 on C2W was a bargain.
This July, wasn’t really looking for a new frame but you buggers had to go and post a PSA for CRC and boom, a 160mm Sommet frame arrived at my house for less than £400. Was inevitable really, you can’t go turning things like that down.
a) My XC race bike - it was (probably) the best bike at the time - a Scott Spark - and on special offer
b) My Trail bike - was highlighted in review on here as a sleeper long travel trail bike par excellance, and was on special offer.
c) My road bike - the dream bike/build I was after suddenly on special offer and I was first to the post.
There's a theme here...
Budget, reviews, and what I'll be using it for. What the pros ride has absolutely zero bearing on my choice.
MTB 1 - Bird Aether 9, absolutely love it and was able to build up a great spec within budget thanks to their flexibility.
MTB 2 - Surly Krampus 29+, bought frame then built up using combo of spares box, 2nd hand parts and a couple of new bits. This was before I got the Bird and I wanted a low maintenance MTB. Haven't ridden this in an age as just use the Bird, esp as most of my riding is Tweed Valley and am enjoying a bit more squish rather than the rigid.
Road/Gravel - Fairlight Secan - bought frame then transferred old groupset and components onto it and have treated myself to 3 sets of wheels for it - Mason X Hunt 4 season, Hunt Gravel x wide, Parcours Strade. Again, absolutely love this bike, fits like a glove and super comfortable to ride.
Stooge Scrambler: moved back up to Scotland from the Lake District. Got bored with local stuff feeling flat on a full suspension and don’t feel the need to do Munroe descents, jumps or big drops anymore. Sold it and built up a trail/fireroad bomber/bikepacky/ bastard of a Scrambler. It’s poppy when unladen and a tank bagged out. I have camo bits on it and it is well cool.
Vitus Escarpe
The price, local and 2nd hand, the MBR trail bike of the year review. In that order based on spotting it on facebook marketplace and then doing a bit of research.
On-One Scandal
Generally trusting Brant's design decisions and getting it on pre-order for a good price.
Cannondale CAAD4 and CAAD-X
The CAAD4 back then had a good reputation for being by a country mile the best frame on any <£1000 bike, the equivalent Trek's, Specialized etc were just 'cheap', the CAAD4 was a pro-tour frame just a few years previously. The CAAD-X because I'm a bit of a Cannondale fanboi now.
Charge Plug
There's not many SSCX framesets out there. I'm always looking to upgrade it to a nicer frame material and discs but it's never a priority.
Next purchase will be a proper winter/audax road bike. I'm fed up of compromises around guards, tyre clearance, etc.
Levo - one quick test ride and loved it and the geometry was like a 29” version of my Spitfire but with longer chainstays and more stack height, which had always worked well for me.
Moxie - wanted a hardtail motorless version of the Levo, or to look at it another way, a 29” steel version of my Zero AM which fixed all the issues I had with it (which boiled down to it only working well on natural trails when I was absolutely “on it”). Didn’t plan it being a singlespeed but I got curious whilst I was waiting.
Brompton - it was 2002/3 and I was going to be moving to Brighton but still working in London. What else was/is there?!
A Titus Loco Moto, because it was cheap and I like slack long bikes and I like hardtails. It's working out pretty well
A Cotic Rocketmax, because it's really, really competent and for the last couple of years that's been what I've needed since I've not been riding enough to stay good. I don't love it and I wish I did but it does mostly keep me intact
A Calibre Dune fatbike, because it was cheap and I was curious and I love the stupid thing
A mk1 Cotic Soul with slicks on, for bombing to the shops via the maximum number of steps, I don't exactly remember why I decided I needed something to do thta on
Cotic Rocket 27.5 Gen 3:
Decided to treat myself after a few bad years and as a slightly early 40th birthday present plus my Orange 5 was in need of replacement. Figured out a budget and test ride a few bikes but nothing really clicked so had settled on just getting another Orange but then Cotic launched the new Rocket. Saw it at the London Bike Show (was there as I'd won a free ticket via a Facebook comp run by Cranked magazine) and it just looked 'right'. Did a demo ride if one a few weeks later at Cotic's Calver base, a few days after The Beast From The East hit and even though the ground was covered in snow it just felt so stable and planted I knew I had to get one. Was originally looking at a base spec one but luck played a part and I ended up with lots of bling on it plus a few upgrades from the retiring 5. Loved it ever since it arrived despite constant problems with the Cane Creek shock (very maintenance-hungry ie needs a service twice as much as it should do) although a lot of the time the bike is so much more capable than I am I feel I do it a disservice taking it out!
Canyon Neuron:
Needed to replace my old Trek Fuel EX after the proprietary shock died, just as I'd been made redundant. Originally had a Radon Skeen on order but that got delayed due to parts shortages by a few weeks and then cancelled altogether as that pushed it back to after Brexit and Bike-Discount would not longer ship to the UK. Looked around at alternatives and the Neuron seemed good so ordered an AL7, which was then delayed and had the price increase by £500 due to Brexit (stated in the email), eventually arriving 4 months after ordering it. Was always meant to be the workhorse no-nonsense bike but has proven to be much better than that, being so capable it actually overlaps with the Cotic in terms of capability for some local riding!
Voodoo Hoodoo:
Just a cheap hardtail as I fancied one, has inherited a few upgrades from the Trek when the Canyon arrived. Been thinking of selling it recently but the market has bombed so it'll stay around for a while longer despite the Canyon covering the riding I originally bought it for.
Merida Crossway:
Bought as a turbo trainer bike. Amazingly got it for £80 from Facebook marketplace during the lockdown madness despite it being a £600 bike new and having never been used! Just put it back on the turbo trainer after it had a summer being used outdoors, will become my commuter bike if I find a job close enough otherwise it might get sold on next spring to make way for a cheap road bike.
Having thought a bit more about influences and my choices, I think reviews and forums are probably the biggest input. Whilst I think racing, in particular EWS has probably improved some of the tech, (thinking tyre technology) I don’t find it being a deciding factor in my buying. I read a post on pinkbike (I think) about the ews set ups. They were mainly running 35mm bars, something I feel was created for a problem that didn’t exist. I guess most of them could be due to sponsorship deals rather than preference
Orange Stage 5 aluminium 29" full suss- I like Orange bikes, had a couple of 5's, a 5 29 and a Segment before this. Segment frame cracked so got this under warranty and like it so much I've felt no real need to change it.
Pace RC627 steal 27.5" hard tail- Had a similar bike a while back (P7) so when these frames were discounted last year I though it would be fun to build one up. not used it much yet but winter's coming so that will change.
Ragley Trig steel gravel bike- Mate got a GB during lockdown so got one myself. Road it loads for a year or so but still can't get on with drops so it's in the process of being sold and has been replaced by......
Cube C-26 carbon 29" XC hard tail- Wanted an XC MTB to replace the Ragley and this came up second hand at a great price. Been ace so far, really enjoying it.
Orange Stage Evo because like Chakaping:
Orange Stage Evo – Big fan of how Oranges ride
I’ve had loads of other bikes (and I do mean LOADS) but I always return to Orange.
My other bike is a Deviate Highlander. I’ve been high pivot curious for quite a long time, since reading the Luis Arriaz features in Dirt magazine, and I love single pivot bikes, so when they had a sale of the mk1 Highlander, coupled with me having a 210x55 Ohlins coil shock spare & then I saw they took Cycle Scheme vouchers I couldn’t resist (and for the judgemental - yes I do cycle to work on it).
It has absolutely blown me away. I used it at the mega this year and if it wasn’t for a big crash brought on by some red mist I would’ve easily been top 20 in my qualifier - I actually crashed twice trying to pass slower riders in daft places (patience isn’t a virtue I possess) & lost over 8 minutes straightening bars etc. yet still finished 75th (out of 150), which I was very pleased with.
What I’m trying to say is the bike really flatters your skill, and carries so much speed it’s unreal. I think if Orange brought out a HP frame with modern geometry, it’d be like it was made for me.