I’ve been reading the thread on what you did not get on with. So
What bike was instantly right for you.
Mine was
1 Khs Montana pro in the 90s
2 klein attitude race 2001
Both were nimble and responsive, nothing since has climbed like the klein.

My Curtis XC120

Just felt *right* from day one.

My SS felt just right but then I pointed it uphill

Cannondale prophet!

My HL five spot, and my X-caliber, both just felt right straight away.. Even though there’s ten years between em,
In fact the spot still feels good.. Even though its got little dinky wheels…

DW Turner Flux

And my old ’08 Cove Handjob

This one:

Snowy Soul. by Metalheart-UK, on Flickr

Way, way, waaaaaaaay better than the Handjob it replaced. First time out was a real hoot, had me grinning from ear to ear. It rode like I remembered my old Explosif did (back when I could ride properly too).

My DMR trailstar. Felt good straight away and is getting even better!

My Hard Eddie, I wasn’t sold on it at first (I wanted a FS). But now I love it, completely sold on the 29er wheel! Until I try a 650B I guess.

My Genesis io id. And it becomes a SS this weekend for a trip to FoD.

Santa Cruz solo. Shame I can’t afford one, yet…

My Malcolm Smith Racing from back in the day and my Jones now.

Been through most of the trends !!!! But just rebuilt this and it’s all I need 🙂 🙂

image by Plus one2010, on Flickr

Specialized Demo 7
Commencal Meta SL

Cotic Soda with 130mm Revs. Just felt… right

29ers. Each one I’ve ridden has felt better for me than any 26″ bike.

My Turner Sultan was the first bike I’d ever test ridden and I knew from the first time I went round a bend and over an obstacle that it was the bike I thought it might be.

Charge Blender
Scott Voltage

Roberts DOGS BOLX, perfect right from the start.

Yeti Asr sl, nothing I have ridden since has even come close!

Does almost straight away count? The stem on my BFe was too long on its first rode (90mm) so I put a shorter one on (70mm) for the second ride and it was perfect.

The build hasn’t changed in the 18 months that I have had it!

Intense Tracer 275. About 50 pedal strokes in, I knew I had to have it.

99 Kona explosif – been looking for that perfect ht ever since. Never quite found it.

Ohhh, my Klein Attitude… Loved it.

And my Niner One9

Ok how do you do a quote thing?

Ohhh, my Klein Attitude… Loved it.
One of the bikes I wish I had not sold too.

My Solaris. So much so it’s got me thinking about selling my full sus

My 2010 Stumpjumper FSR. Felt at home on it within a few hundred yards of leaving the car park….love it.

I built up a ragley Piglet when the first came out, first ride up the road it instantly felt perfect and it loved it. Shame it snapped a few months later. Got a soul now, it’s nice but not as ‘right’ as the Piglet was.

my 2010 anthem x 26, medium with fox set-up. Just so confident on it, felt i could take on any trail esp the ones that eluded me in the past. And bloody fast too. 🙂

It’s been te only mtb I’ve used since I build it.
Light enough , climbs far to well for a big bike
And gives me huge confidence on the rough stuff

Also love my late 70s steel road bike was a £100 bargain
Just feels perfect for me and only a tiny bit slower than my Sunday best bike

An old 2006 Santa Cruz bullit it made me feel very confident and able to do more than I should of been.

2004 Spesh Enduro. Nicked 6 months after i bought it. In my opinion Spesh have been going downhill since.

I also like my current Orange Five, but i can’t say it felt instantly right.

Early 90’s merlin mountain. Could not believe how different it felt to anything else I had ridden, lively, fast and just so much better than I imagined a bike could feel.

Some others have come close:

My mates Orange P7 was impressive the first time I had a go
Similar with an explosif

I guess it happens less often these day as most bikes are pretty good, there’s very few complete duffers.

1992 marin eldridge grade which replaced my 1988 dawes ascent.felt like night had become day.

2002 cannondale F800 lefty absolutely loved that bike.sold it in a moment of stupidity 🙁

2007 Cotic Soda with 120mm forks
2012 Turner 5-spot with 150mm forks

Both felt good from the off.

2012 Spesh Camber Elite bloody great bike!

But now replaced with 2011 Enduro 😀

Spesh Tricross. Loved it from day one and still do.

1991 Kona Explosif with all the lovely xc pro stuff on it.
1998 ti Sonic boom
2011 Van Nicholas Tuareg ( only needed to change the stem )

Surly 1×1 specced by Matt (the ex ST ad man) when he ran the MTB side of Chelmer Cycles. Perfect from the off and still my favourite bike 9 (NINE!) years later. Gone through multiple drive train parts and tyres, but nothing else has been changed.

Ragley MK1 Bluepig 20″ loved it, beat the shit out of it Lee Quarry constantly. Sold it as usual, regret it ever since.

See other thread