Previously it would have been my Genesis Vapour, or the crosscheck with an 11-speed ‘ub. But now it would be my new Longitude, with the knards and with a set of Fat Franks for road use. Lovely on the trail and useable for everything else.

Would be more than happy to have jones space frame or my ti blacksheep as my only bike.

Yep, Rocket is as near perfect as I’ll need and I don’t road ride or commute.

I ride my 26 inch wheel hard tail for on road with slicks and a 26 inch wheel FS off road

My current hard tail could do it all but not well

I would have thought an OK 29er hard tail would probably keep me happy for life. Provided I had a pile of tyres and it had rack mounts

But in reality I’m looking at n+1 as I do seem to enjoy the road at the mo and would like something a bit more specific

If you mean just one bike for the widest possible range of uses then it would have to be a Tripster.

I have only ever had a basic trek HT. Can’t justify the price tag but the (demoed) bike that always makes me smile the most is a carbon epic. I am convinced Spesh have hidden an engine in there! But £4.5 k is beyond what I would pay for a bike.

Yes, my stanton sherpa….

I’d keep my Sync, but put bar ends and a set of road tired wheels on for the road.

Nope, it would be this – ordered with my own custom geo.

65 degree head angle
465mm reach
17 inch seat tube
72.5 degree seat tube

Spec would be

Pikes fitted with an Avalanche cartridge
Superstar Carbon Wheels
Schwalbe Procore
Hans Dampf Front
Rock Razer Rear
Shimano 1×10 XT mech, One-Up Cage
XTR shifter
11-42 Cassette
30mm Syntace Stem
Renthal Carbon bars
Race Face Next SL cranks
Spank Oozy flats with the titanium axle
Shimano Saint 180mm Front and Rear
Renthal Wire on grips
Reverb
Sub 200 g seat

I would love every single second of being near or riding that bike. I think I’d **** sleep with it in my bed and kick the missus out.

Yep, old ‘Trusty Rusty’. Had it since 1994 ish & as I’ve said many times before, it brings a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘Triggers broom’. (there’s only 2 original tubes on the frame, never mind parts)

[url=https://flic.kr/p/eSmeff]Mk 8[/url] by jimmyg352, on Flickr

1st time I went to the Alps was with this. (except it was light blue)

Would have to be my Slackline Ti. 25lb xc/trail 130/160 machine…again like others, wish it had bottle mounts and also a 142 rear. Such a versatile bike and sooo comfy for a HT.

Probably not for me as my main bike is too much bike for gentle stuff. If I could have only one I expect it to look like a 120mm-ish 29″ FS.

I think I’d have to give up road riding, but my road bike is about 4500 miles away I’m not doing any of that anyway, so yeah, my current bike (Norco Sight C) would be the one that I’d keep. I bought it as an all rounder and it seems to be pretty good at it. Light enough to pedal around all day on and it’s got bigger balls that I do, so no worries about me pushing it past it’s performance threshold.

Yep, got my one bike and I’m content.
Gradually upgrading parts is the only vice.
Feels a really rather good place to be.

I’m not sure I could truly one have one bike, but I guess I could live with a monster-cross with a few wheelsets (one with slick road tyres, one with cx tyres and one with mtb tyres), I’m currently looking at designing and building a frame/bike like this , but I know I would miss the xc racing, as most series do not allow monster-cross bikes, so will almost definitely keep the XC full suss for that.

Sorry Tom, but that ancilloti is horrible. Designed by Apollo? 😀

Lottis always make me think of these:

Sorry Tom, but that ancilloti is horrible. Designed by Apollo?

No taste, no taste.

They were a brilliant motocross company back in the day. That linkage design was sold to Honda by them, for use on their crossers – now they just make bikes as a little family business. That’s pure heritage right there mate, a far far better design than your Nomads.

The weights right down between your feet and properly aft, no forward-high shock placement. The stiffness of the chassis has actually been tuned and developed to produce the optimal combination of grip in flat corners and stiffness through the rough stuff. The shock rate is great. The bike has real thought put into it.

The only downside beside it being a single pivot (if you think that is one) is that you have to use their shock, which is pretty great anyway.

Still the best bikes I have ridden and the last time I rode one was back in 2004.

My 456 would do the job just fine. Except for pub / town duties and very rare road riding it is used as my only regular bike. Out in the hills riding? (check) mucking about with the kids? (check) rare trail centre trip (check) swap tyres for slicks and ride to work ( just about but there’s always the train).

In fact not sure why I still have the other bikes…

To be honest a lighter / different hardtail or short travel fs would do the job too. Once micro gd grows out of the topeak seat – can’t be long now – I might get a carbon one in 26 flavour until the spares bin is empty…

I thought that my Nukeproof Mega TR was the ONE as you put it. I was wrong……it’s that Ancillotti. I want that bike……a lot.

I’d have to sell my road bike and my ten year old GT but then yes, it would be my Scott Spark. For me, versatility is the most desirable of traits hence why my 3×10 is staying and my Rons are the only tyre I’ll ever need 🙂

Current bikes (that actually get ridden) –

Orange Alpine 160
Cotic BFe
Lee Cooper XC frame – singlespeed and slicks for commuting

If I could keep only one for all my riding it would have to be (as much as the Alpine makes me grin every time I ride it) the BFe – perfect for local muddy woody singletrack, great for big days out in the hills, bearable for a bit of mixed surface commuting.

That Ancilloti is a horror! That thing to hold the seat tube on….

That Ancilloti looks like a Mountain Cycles San An c.1993 rip off to me. No bad thing like.

I’d take the ancillotti in fluoro orange any day, not keen on chrome though. What does it weigh?

Would be my CX race bike. I’ve cross raced on it, circuit raced on it, time trialled on it, done winter training rides, ridden my local trails. I really love it.

Google translate it

http://www.triridemtb.com/ancillotti-2014-fry-27-5/

Full build is 13.2kg

Not bad for a coil equipped aluminium bike eh? I like the polished look as well, it’s so much more exotic than a Nicolai….

The link design is the same as the one Honda motos use.

Before anyone mentions that you will bash the links on rocks, that never happened in the 2-3 years my brother raced one. The links flatten out when you sag the bike and they move underneath the chain guard. Although this build doesn’t appear to be running one and neither are the guys who race them. I seem to remember you’d probably catch the chain ring before you bashed the link.

Ancillotti Develop New Enduro Bike | Dropping In

All our frames are custom sizes, but we think a 65º head angle, 1210mm for the wheelbase and 350mm BB height are the right measurements to start the process. We also have three different linkages to customize the progression curve and the link hanger has two hole options to have a slacker or steeper headangle (low and high BB).

Want…..they aren’t ACTUALLY pull shocks though as described in that article….the swingarm merely pulls as opposed to pushes the links.

Also, if you really don’t like their shocks….it appears theres enough room to swap them out these days.

mmm that is sex

A chap at Madison had an Ancillotti, ran a team all riding them. Quick rider, he rated it. I love the design and the use of tubes. Seat strut looks a little odd being so upright but I’d expect there’s a good reason for it. Really nice bikes.

This. Cos it’s perfect. (Imo)

The Perfect one by tom.howard.562, on Flickr

And I’d give up road riding.