Reading through the headline article on STW this morning reminded me all to well of the proliferation of heavy, bouncy bikes during the middle of the last decade that promised to “do it all”.

An acquaintance of mine turned up one afternoon on a Specialized SX Trail, complete with a 5th Element coil shock, XTR everywhere, gold Hope hubs with Mavic 729 rims, Manitou Sherman forks, a triple chainset and the piece de resistance – Hope six pot callipers at either end. I dread to think how much this monster weighed.

I remember a demo in the lakes where I winched a Kona Coiler around borrowdale, Kona in their wisdom had a base spec demo fleet this had the OEM pogo stick bombers on it, a basic coil with no pedal platform and paper thin tyres…. It was a long day

An acquaintance of mine turned up one afternoon on a Specialized SX Trail, complete with a 5th Element coil shock, XTR everywhere, gold Hope hubs with Mavic 729 rims, Manitou Sherman forks, a triple chainset and the piece de resistance – Hope six pot callipers at either end. I dread to think how much this monster weighed.

I had an 05 SX Trail which I loved.

The crappy 5th Element shock was swapped for a DHX 5 air. It was an ace bike. Originally it was a bit porky – Diabolus Cranks, Marzocchi Z150’s but once it’d been put on a diet it actually worked pretty well as an all day bike despite climbing like a bloody pig.

My early noughties hooligan bike was an Azonic Saber. With old Pike coils on the front it weighed 36lbs, though I did race it downhill with Z150 Bombers for a bit, that would have been a couple of pounds heavier I guess. I’ve still got it (the orinal Romic shock long since bit the dust) and it is still a hoot. But I have a Transition Bandit 29er for all mountain fun now.

My ’06 Reign was fantastic. Fox 36’s, 27 gears. Went up and down really well and wasn’t too heavy either.

I had a few
Turner rfx – great bike one of the best I owned
Santa Cruz bullit – worst bike I have ever owned

stevied – Member
My ’06 Reign was fantastic. Fox 36’s, 27 gears. Went up and down really well and wasn’t too heavy either.

you just lost this game…

I’m not immune either. Somewhere, I’ve a Romic coil which fits a 2002-2004 Enduro. Fantastic shock, but somewhat overkill for Thetford Forest.

Lets see some pics, I’ll start off

Mine

A couple of the girls Stinky JRs

Kevins 50th birthday treat, it was heavy

My ’98 Marin B17 was ahead of it’s time. 150mm travel coil spring single pivot with RST triple crown forks and STX RC 3×8 gears. Was a lot of fun, but climbed horribly, even / especially with Continental Cross Country tyres, 1.9in wide.

By the mid noughts I had a more restrained Stumpy FSR, but built with Fox Vanillas and Saint brakes.

Tracey – those little white SX’s were brilliant little things. I really, really wanted one.

I rode a 2004 Bullit with Boxxer teams and a triple chainset. I would do the Karrimor trail in the morning and uplifts in the afternoon. It was ridden up and down most mountains in Snowdonia. Unfortunately, I have no photos. The 5th Element coil on it was amazing. I had so much fun on that bike and made me very very strong and very fit. There was nothing trail around in that time with 170 travel both ends.

Mk1 Bullit gradually built up from cast off bits from my DH bike – lightweight Middleburn cranks and huge Eastern flat pedals epitomise the skewed way of thinking, eventually cracked around the shock mount, I still have the saddle on my gravel bike. Jedi would have kittens over my brake lever position!

In action at the sadly gone Esher Shore

Spec Enduro Pro from 2004 with some actual XTR bits. Same mono-cock frame as Tracey’s photo.

My first new bike.

Loved it.

Far too tame compared to others here:
[url=https://flic.kr/p/cR9shJ]P1020858[/url] by Mike Jones, on Flickr

An 06 Heckler with Magura Wotan and DHX5. 1xX (I haven’t had a triple since the mid-90s) and light-ish wheels kept it from being stupidly heavy. From memory, it rode alright. I sold it on a few years ago and saw that the new owner had it up for sale two days ago, which did get me a little tempted, but I’ve no doubt that what I have now is better. I’d definitely be tempted by a newer Heckler, though.

Shamefully, this wasn’t even that long ago. I bought it for the Megavalanche one year, then used it as my do-it-all bike for a bit. In all honesty, it pedalled very well for such a lumbering lump.

(Anthea) Turner Highline

It was easy to get wrong, and cost a lot to get right. My 2006 nomad was circa 31lbs and was really good for everything. In fact it still is (bar the granny ring bob). Cost a lot though but it has lasted incredibly.

’07 Helius FR. Heavy, even with the air shock and fork, but it rode brilliantly. Shame some **** stole it 🙁

SX Trail.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/3bBbZU]Peaks September 2007-52[/url] by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

That’s on Cavedale. Only time I ever cleaned it! Did quite a lot of long rides on it but it was a heavy beast. Spent most of its time at Chicksands.

Replaced this

[url=https://flic.kr/p/LFSxR]Kona Stinky – March 04 – May 05[/url] by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

not the greatest bike to pedal and chronically short in the top tube. But I did love it tho. Clearly was having a Maz fetish at the time. Bombers and 66s!

And Can I just include

[url=https://flic.kr/p/LFG4w]Ellsworth ISIS – April 04 – June 05[/url] by Alex Leigh, on Flickr

Heavy, hard work uphill, not confidence inspiring downhill, ugly as buggery. I decided it’d be better with a longer fork. It made it EVEN WORSE!

I had the version of the SX that you could pedal up (but it was still a bit of a pig). Ripped on the downs though

’06 Enduro Elite

Then changed it for this – bought the frame and forks with a grand off – the forks were stiff as hell, but only really XC forks. Didn’t work too great, but a cracking bike

’08 S-Works Enduro

Eventually morphed into this, which is pretty much as good as most AM bikes around today

[url=https://flic.kr/p/zEWiYN]2015-10-12_05-19-07[/url] by davetheblade, on Flickr

This

Built not long after I moved to Essex, didn’t last long…

My Nicolai Helius FR was getting on for 36-37lbs with Totem coil fork, coil shock, Gravity Dropper and dual ply tyres but my friend Brian (RIP) trumped that with his 2004 Nicolai gearbox equipped Nucleon. 43lbs I believe it was.

I had a 2005 Scott Nitrous 20, a bike that managed to combine big excess (Marzocchi 888’s, Manitou Metel R coil Shock, 203mm Hayes HFX9’s, easily over 40 pounds weight) with surprisingly flimsy kit elsewhere (Shimano deore triple chainset, Alex DP20 rims, 90mm stem and 660mm bars) and a curious seatpost with a shim and second QR seatclamp to avoid hitting the shock. Speaking of the shock, 170MM rear travel, a 190mm eye to eye basic shock and single pivot design mean it should have been called the Scott Bob 20.

Hard to comprehend riding let alone enjoying that bike when I look at my Saracen Ariel now, we may be cynical of some things but the improvements are there to see.

Patriot 66,1st gen Fox 36’s,one of the first DHX Air’s in the uk.DT Swiss 5.1’s on Bulbs.
Was 34/35lb iirc and a ran it was run as slack as was possible…circa 64 degree ha and sub 300mm bb.On a 180mm travel single pivot!!
I seeming never clipped pedals after learning to deal with that!

These were my two

[url=https://flic.kr/p/dQoKn]IMG_1144[/url] by eastham_david, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/4YsrxX]IMGP0649[/url] by eastham_david, on Flickr

Ever since I first rode a full sus I’ve had overweight long travel bikes. Had an 06 Enduro elite that I stripped down and resprayed / rebuilt with fox 36s. It was good even going up cos I didn’t know any better

Then had a voltage with coil shock that I somehow built up around the 30lb mark.

If I could post proper pics I’d show em.

I had a Santa Cruz bullit, but traded it for this,

This was my xc/ do everything bike for a year, but was a little heavy, so I bought this.

Both great bikes, but neither was ideal for xc, so I swapped the patriot for a 224 and the sx for a hardtail. And I still have both of them.

2008 Enduro. Climbs like a XC bike, goes down like a DH bike. With a dropper and a travel adjust fork it’s deliciously versatile. Antur, BPW and the like, all the more “normal” Welsh trail centres. Snowdon. Pub to pub along the Ridgeway weekends. And, seen here on a local loop.

2005 enduro expert like in tracey’s pic.

Went everywhere on it. Bullet proof. Lovely colour and design. Why I sold it I’ll never know.

Had a ’06 Enduro expert, so 150mm each end, massively heavy 36’s compared to current ones, a DHX air which had propedal which wasn’t like current ones – 18 clicks fully on to fully off, it was meant to be for fine tuning not making a 34lbs bike a ‘climber’. 100mm or so stem, 500mm odd wide bars and such a low BB that it felt like walking climbing because your feet hit the ground on every rotation, you could fix it by fitting the high BB mount but it ruined the way it rode.

Loved it though, did everything, tough (frame and forks anyway) and very, very quick downhill by the standards of 10 years ago.

At first when the shitty OE bits died I beefed it up with Saint cranks and hope wheels with Mavic 729 rims, but it was awful, a slow unresponsive tank, but with lighter rims and lighter crank it was great and managed to keep it modern-ish with shorter stems, wider bars and better brakes etc but in the end it’s sheer weight and steepness made it ‘old’ and I striped and sold it 5 years after I bought it and Trigger often tells Del Boy that his broom is like P-Jay’s Enduro.

Still l got my 06 Enduro elite. Green like above . needs a shock but cheap. Any suggestions?

An acquaintance of mine turned up one afternoon on a Specialized SX Trail, complete with a 5th Element coil shock, XTR everywhere, gold Hope hubs with Mavic 729 rims, Manitou Sherman forks, a triple chainset and the piece de resistance – Hope six pot callipers at either end. I dread to think how much this monster weighed.

I Still occasionally use my 05 Enduro.The 5th Element died whilst stil under warranty & got upgraded to a Fox DHX air.The Fox 36’s got a upgraded cartridge last year.This year the TALAS died so that got converted last month..

I had an 05 endure expert like a lot of others here. Sold it a couple of months ago,but it was relegated to spare bike status in 2010. It still got ridden when my usual bike was broken,and it rode ok really,not brilliant uphill compared to modern am bikes,but not bad downhill even compared to modern bikes.

pfft. amateurs. This was my only bike for years, all 45lbs of it. Did sdw in a day (that was tiring). 150mm front, 170mm rear.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/6EE1Dn]P7090246[/url] by Hugh Lunnon, on Flickr

that photo was taken on the heli drop at whistler, eventually snapped it the next trip there.

I haven’t learned though. I was there again last week and did the last ever test of metal xc race (67km, 4000ft of climbing) on my 44lb park bike (has the same cranks, wheels and a few other bits as the snapandale. Saddle doesn’t even go up to proper pedalling height). still placed mid-table 🙂

Cannondale gemini – I got this one around 06, second hand, and it was boss, despite the sherman fork. It actually came out around 02/03 – if you were on one then you were a visionary, miles ahead of its time. Way lighter than any 170mm bike around then – no one could understand what it was for. A DH bike you can pedal around the place?

My 2003 Enduro sx like the White one above somwhere is the bike I use the most.
Well it was but think the shock has finnanly died and it’s an odd size so no easy option to replace it.

I had a 2006 SX Trail, though a bit after the fact. Really nice spec, fairly heavy but all nice parts. Bag of shit really, maybe it was OK in 2006 but it was as hard to pedal as a downhill bike and as good at downhilling as an average modern trailbike.

Cannondale prophet 2005 was my 1st forray into full sus. Still a great bike today. One of those bikes you wish youd never sold.

Not mid-00s, but of a similar theme A ’98 Marin team DH with mostly more modern parts. Built with fond memories of a friends beefed up Rift Zone in 2000 or so.

Somehow managed to ride worse than it looked.

My beefed up 08 Reign just did a trip to Italy and another to the Lakes. It’s a bit rubbish uphill but still great on the downs.