age/looks not important!
I dunno but I feel I've put my 2007 giant trance through its paces and it hasn't snapped on me yet. Not quite what I can say about the marin's I've owned.
It seems quite happily tootling around a black trail centre or nice long rides but I've sent it off some decent jumps for what its supposedly designed for and they haven't all been simple and smooth. for 100mm of rear travel. its done damn well.
Anything FS from Giantrekalised. They don't inspire anything like the same quasi-religious witnessing you get for the more boutique brands, but they're better than most IMO.
Rim tape
Any functioning bike that has been left in the garage in favour of something newer, shinier, more niche/trendy/hyped.
Giantrekalised
plus
GianTrekHalford-Alised
Anti-snobbery, that's where it's at. From a Ragley, Whyte owning sheep 🙂
Kawasaki ZZR600.
GF Supercaliber 29er hardtail (red and yellow version)
Underrated by who? If it's goons on the internet then the Carrera Fury, it's awesome and it's cheap. Gets great reviews but fashion victims refuse to buy it because it's a Carrera and instead pay 50% more for something less good, usually from mail order but they still say "Oh Halfords wouldn't have built it right" even though they're building the bike themselves.
See also: Boardman FS, Boardman HT, practically every Voodoo.
I love my carrera fury, no other bike near the price could offer the spec and I've put it through some abuse... love it 🙂
kinesis maxlight hardtails....
The most under-rated bike must be the Surly Pugsley - if only because there are so few of them about.
[img] 
[/img]
Gary
www.pugsley-on-patrol.org.uk
www.youtube.com/user/garybuckham
yeah only 2 up here! 😮
also agree on the carrera bikes, got that old Skoda image,pure snobbery,
Easy. Pronghorn LT. Everyone looks at them and either barfs or fears for their balls.
Swing a leg over one though and it's a different story. So much so that it's my choice for an AM bike over anything else out there.
Meridas...
+1 for Carrera Fury. Brilliant bike for the money, zero "respect" from the fashionistas. Mind you, I personally view that as a bonus.
Agree with Garry - big brands that make great bikes but aren't "cool" for the label snobs, despite often cleaning up at major World Cup races.
Orange 5 😉
I think you'll find 'big brands' have big budgets = getting the best racers = cleaning up. Whether they're cool or not has got f*ck all to do with it.
Pronghorn. Simples.
Davey - BS. Why else would some spend 20++% more on a "boutique" branded bike that's often not as good?
They want to look cool.
End of.
Konas get a righ slagging but for the money (discounted everywhere) the stinky is an ace bike. Tough, capable and fun.
Surf-Mat - MemberDavey - BS. Why else would some spend 20++% more on a "boutique" branded bike that's often not as good?
They want to look cool.
End of.
Because it fits them! I like a short top tube and relaxed angles on my bikes, that what is important to me, its the supposedly boutique bikes that tend to fulfil those criteria.
Konas get a righ slagging but for the money (discounted everywhere) the stinky is an ace bike.
Now ordinarily I would have scoffed at this but I think Ianv may have a point and that's based on having actually ridden one last weekend on the Forest of Dean DH courses. Not the most demanding courses I grant you, but fast enough and with some braking bumps in places. I was really quite surprised by how supple the suspension was, even under braking (I was stuck behind some much slower riders so actually had to used the brakes!). The shock wasn't set up for me either but it was still pretty good.
Titus have nevr quite had the recognition you might have expected in this country and I suspect, though I don't know for sure, that Chumba may be vastly underrated given how much of a bargain they are, although I've never ridden one so I can't say for sure.
SIIIIIIIII MMMMMMMMMMM OOOOOOOOO NNNNN! HALLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
My Planet-X jack flash built with RS Domains, wide bars and big tyres. Looks ugly and like it won't work but point it down a hill and it is great fun.
Titus - dirt cheap second-hand, and the Ti ones are a work of art.
yeah the chumbas look nice. horst link too iirc
lyons - Member
kinesis maxlight hardtails....
Yep +1
Stinkys are really nice bikes to ride, if not to look at. They just feel really well balanced.
Think they're quite popular with the youngsters though, since they're affordable and reliable - so not sure about underrated.
Surprised nobody's mentioned the Orange 5.
Of course i am mega biased but the Chumba XCL is a very underated frame. Its super tough with a classic design without all the hydroformed tubes etc, sensible weight and geo and is now a bargain as we have dropped the prices 🙂
I dont know anyone who has ever ridden one not be be impressed by the XCL.
Pretty much any Gary Fisher.
I've got a '98 fury. Incredible bike.
End of.
Ooo, handbags. Does that mean you're right and I'm wrong in the world of forum etiquette?
If it does, sorry to p*ss on your fire because people buy boutique bikes over a Spesh etc because they can / because they offer something a mass market bike doesn't. Not sure its because they want to look cool or not...
If I had the money to buy an R8 over an A3, I would. Because I could.
If I wanted a car with rocket launchers and the R8 came with optional rocket launchers and the A3 didn't, I'd buy the R8. Yes, its more expensive but it'd suit my needs.
Whether I looked cooler driving an R8 over an A3, I wouldn't really be bothered. Thats how other people might perceive it, personally I really couldn't give a sh*t what other people thing.
Is this where I put 'end of' to indicate I'm right, everyone else is wrong?
See also: Boardman FS, Boardman HT
Yeah, boardmans are really underrated. Except for all the reviews and the legions of people recommending them on "what bike" threads... 🙄
Another vote for the Kona Stinky. Riden them loads in Canada and much prefer them to the other bikes I've tried. Biggest biking related regret is stripping and selling mine to fund a build based on a whim.
I'm not sure if the Coyote Dual is under-rated or not but it doesn't pop up very often. Been riding mine for over 5 years now and absolutely love it. Good thing it's worth sod all. Means I'd never be tempted to sell it!
unicycle
under rated by a whole wheel
Kinesis Frames IMHO 🙂
Sarcin.....
🙂
'99 Kona Explosif
"pypdjl - Member
See also: Boardman FS, Boardman HT
Yeah, boardmans are really underrated. Except for all the reviews and the legions of people recommending them on "what bike" threads..."
And getting completely ignored by fashion victims, brand snobs and the generally ignorant. Which is a nice definition of underrated, the bikes are superb and most people who ride them and have first hand knowledge recommend them to the 9s, while most people who have no first hand knowledge dismiss them.
Inbred - when (it used to be) so cheap can any hype be undeserved?
And getting completely ignored by fashion victims, brand snobs and the generally ignorant. Which is a nice definition of underrated,
No, that would be a nice definition of ignored.
Mongoose Khyber. Pedals up hills sweetly then hammers down the Alps . beast. Love it.
I rode one of our Sunn's for a week or so at the end of the season and really rated it. Lovely, supple susension feel, very light (165mm travel, sub 30lbs!!), but they're pretty much unheard of here. Highly rated in France mind.
Another one for Maxlight hardtails.
Especially the pha5e
Maverick ML8
Giant Trance
Titus especially Supermoto or the older Quasimoto
Some of the KHS bikes the xct 555 for example can be used as a trail or light downhill bike and can pedal back up and take masses of abuse and for £999 its a steal.
the khs 604 light trail bike was the same great bike but not alot of people buy them.
spec trek and giant for doing a huge range of sizes.i'd love to be a boardman fan but they don't really do one big enough
Azonic propulsion, probably the best [s]lager[/s] bike in the world, 3.7" of awsomeness 😉
Specialised Hardrock
Maverick ML8Giant Trance
Replace that with "any Maverick" and "any Giant with the Maestro suspension system".
It's funny how vain the buying public is, and how beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I like the look of both my Durance and my Reign X, most people don't, and it seems ratings often have a lot to do with how a bike looks. Both my Maverick and my Giant are 2 of the best bikes I've ever owned, certainly the best full sussers, yet they're massively underrated by the public because of their challenging looks...
Specialized Enduro.
Specialized Pitch - Holy Jesus that is a capable bike when it's got a decent fork on it.
I hate to sound like some SBC marketing man but the current generation Big Hit is freaking awesome and nothing is written about anywhere (except that one Dirt article)
456 mine rides quicker than my old trance EVERYWHERE.
£125 brand new for the frameset against £799 I paid for the trance
definatly underrated especally for the cost
Ditto the Maverick comments - keyboard warriors generally slag them off for the way they look despite the fact that I have yet to ride a bike that does so many things so well as the ML8.
DMR Trailstars never get mentioned but really good for general trail riding with a longer stem if you don't mind a heavy bike. Stick a shorter one on and perfect for jumping.
+1 for the stinky
just weighed mine at 40lbs 😀 rode it at caersws this weekend and i was happily keeping pace with guys on sundays, sessions, glorys and lots of supposedly better bikes
id extend that to konas in general my 02 bear (recently retired) did 8 years hard labour, 2 megavalanches, xc rides all over the country, trips to the alps
but people seem to hate them because of their halfords assosciations and their 'old school' suspension
+1 for the Trailstar, excellent geometry.
Marin Hawk Hill 2003, I didn't know how much I loved mine till I sold her. It just had perfect geometry for my size and shape. I keep browsing eBay for a mint one, soon as the garage space permits I'm going to get another.
+1 on the carerra fury, my Dad got one I borrowed it and loved it. I think if you destickered it and a similar priced specialized, then let people ride them the carerra would win hands down. People ARE put off by brand and image or there would be more about.
voodoo wanga - bargain on C2W too
cyclocross bikes too, i've avoided anything of the sort for years but loving my cross check with knobblies now
any Carrera ever made 🙂
Fisher Cake.
I always thought Mavericks were drooled over, can't see how they were ever under-rated. Loads of the bikes mentioned here are viewed very favourably in mags and on here, so can't really be considered under-rated can they?
Commencal meta 5
I've ridden treks, giants, oranges, and some fairly random euro bikes and the Commencal just works and rides better than anything else I've ever ridden - and the frame hasn't cracked yet 🙂
Agree with Molgrips on the ML8, drooled over for good reason.
Most under-rated for me is my Coyote HT3 which in the last 10 years has seen everything from a 120mm fork to it's current build as s/s drop bar road bike. Only frame I've found which meets all three of 'light, strong, cheap'.
My Dave Hinde Etape road bike. Lovely to ride.