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can be a bike you have owned/haven't owned.you can choose up to 3 bikes,as i know that it's difficult to choose 1/different types of riding. well here's my 2 pence worth. in no particular order 1. 2002 cannondale f800 matt black with lefty fork (i absolutely loved that bike). 2. klein adroit/purple linear fade with oversized rigid forks.i so lusted after one of those,back in the day (never got one though). 3.i would have to say my new 2010 stumpy fsr comp.although it certainly isn't the flashiest/most expensive bike.since getting it,i have started to get my passion back for riding,big time. it's just so much fun to ride (will easily cope with anything that i will ever do/attempt). well that's my choices (for what they're worth). 🙂
Orange 5
Sorry, Orange 5
1993 marin bolinas ridge
I still insist my Evil is the best ever.
Bontrager privateer............cos keith was right
Anything by on one...............for sheer vfm
My ventana...........cos they let a big fat bloke ride full sus.
GT LTS.
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Mountain Cycles San Andreas, years ahead of it's time.
Orange 5 (want one but out of price range at the moment), Marin Mount Vision (had a cheaper 1998 Marin Alpine Trail as back in the day I couldnt afford the full monty version) and a bike I do own and ride most One One 456 with XT and Hope/Thomson and dual air U turn Revs.
Cove Stiffee and Specialized 2004 Big Hit
Kona explosif...Dont need to say anymore ;0)
2002-04 Enduro.
Orange 5 (sorry)
Whatever bike you are riding right now.
Marin Nail Trail circa 1986 ish.. no matter how much I hammered it round Helvellyn, High Street Skidaw etc etc, those 2 inch travel elastomer forks soaked it all up it and never failed. Fired me up about mountain biking which still lasts today. (Still a Marin owner too - no beard though...)
turner burner was yonks ahead.
Some of the earlier GT's ( including the LTS and Zaskar). Possibly a Muddy Fox Courier.
TBH Though I would have to say a YETI.
Orange Five
orange 5 (not sorry)
ooh ooh can i change?
i would say an early yeti to.
I think this has got to be a personal thing... a bit like saddles. I still miss my Y2k Gary Fisher Sugar 2. It was light, handled everything despite very short travel by todays standards, good price, looked nice but above all... no bike has ever fitted me like that one did.
Had Spec Enduros (inc 2004 SWorks), Merlin Ti, Konas, Giant carbon HTs, ridden Orange 5, SCs Blurs, Nomads and other exotica, but the best 3 are my current stable: Intense 55 EVP, Intense 66 and 4 bar ICT Turner Flux. All bases covered from Big Mountains and Quantocks, to Polaris and centre riding. I am about to buy a Cotic Soul, so list might change.
i would love a scott genius limited, my best bike ever is my current merida matts, still not great by any means, and also want an evil revolt.
Specialized Stumpy - the original (or one of them) and until a couple of years ago, still one of the stalwarts in the business.
Kona .... (insert model name) - mine was a Pahoehoe, but it taught me just how versatile a hardtail can be and how much fun can be had on it.
There's a case for an On-One in there - bringing mountain biking basics to the masses at a very affordable price, be that Ti hardtails for under £1k, the basic Inbred geared, or variations like the 456, summer season etc.
seconded..
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seminal bit of design
Spesh Stumpy, set the bar for mass market mtb's
Mountain Goat, Whiskey Town Racer still the benchmark for real nice steel
Marin Mount Vision the original version, proved a decent full suss bike need not cost the earth.
i would love a scott genius limited
8)
My vote for a bike I've owned though has to go to the Marin MV - full sus that worked for the masses.
For me,it's got to be the 2002 Trek 6500.
Purely because that was my first mtb,and it got me to this mtb addicted state that i'm in now!(4 bikes,spare room full of gear,Alpine & Canada riding hols etc etc...)
🙂
Alpinestars Al-Mega - end of thread.
AMP B-5 if you want the father of them all.
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...But I would have to say the Enduro has it for me. The 5 is way too UK specific.
GT Zaskar the old easton ones with the laser etched logo as the end of the top tube.
Clearly, I can't comment on every bike that's ever been made, but of the one's I have ridden:
Marin Pine Mountain 1991 (+ Pace suspension forks Mk 2.)
Funk FS
K2 Proflex 2000
Specialised Stumpjumper M4 FSR (2001)
Rocky Mountain ETS-X70
Orange 5
The winner is - perhaps not surprisingly
the '5. 8)
Yeti Arc
kona kilauea
Orange Clockwork 
Bontrager OR (pre "race" / "racelite" - circa 89 /90) :
Bonding, riveting, bisected stays, proper gusseting, chainsuck plate, horizontal dropouts and bombproof steel frame. Engineering genius.
Same of the Bontrager comp fork;...so much attention to detail. The privateer wasn't a patch (sorry Ton).
Others:
Bushido - for showing what might be possible
Mantis XCR - Composite possibilities
Cunningham / Bradbury (not Answer!) Manitou - Alloy possibilities (shame the latter liked to crack)
RC100 - holistic / integrated design approach
Merlin Mountain - Ti simplicity
Mtn Goat Deluxe - cycling art
Mtn Cycles San Andreas - With Suspenders & pro-stops - yum
Yeti C-26 - Tomac never looked better
Foes XC-T - suspension for people who don't like suspension 😉
I could make a very long list 🙂
Woppit, do you mean one of the "new" FUNKs or the originals?
Orange 5
Blur 4X
Nicolai Helius CC.
Everyone knows it is a Turner 5 Spot 🙄
We had this a while back and agreed it was the early Enduro.
You serious about a Demo Jedi?
Complicated and over engineered I reckon.
An Orange 5 the greatest? Some people still drunk?
SC Chameleon- in vibrant orange gets my vote 😀
Original Breezer.
The Zaskar, as quick uphill as it is down, still rides like nothing else.