The Ugliest Mountainbikes of all time

Yeah, that makes sense, although I’d heard that claim about URT before the Mantra arrived I think.

The thing people miss about URT is that it was designed to do exactly what it did. Released when full suss was only just filtering down to affordable levels it was meant to be a soft landing for people who had rigid or front suss bikes and were not sure they’d like fully active rear suspension.

Just to update, anything with the downtube heading anywhere other than the centre of the bottom bracket. I look at modern frames and just wonder, why?

this magnificent beast…

🙀

Knolly – any of them but especially this

I think the whole s-shaped downtube thing – especially when coupled with a bendy top tube is just hideous. A tube thats only job is to tie two parts together – that could almost be done with a piece of string – somehow managing both get fat and lost when travelling between those two point.

I had to replace my bike on insurance back in 2013 – no bike – money burning a hole – just a load of horrible bendy jelly bikes on the market. If I hadn’t tracked down a banshee prime in my size I dont think I would have bought anything 🙂

I think the Klein Matra was obviously flawed from a dymmaic point of view but it was only the idea that was ugly – for the time it looked great. But the WTB Bon Tempe did the same bad thing in a much more attractive way – drawing a line with that monocoque toptube to the rear dropout instead of the seat clamp –  And did it in titanium just to tick all of the FS Faux Pas boxes. I’d buy one and just lock out the shock.

somehow managing both get fat and lost when travelling between those two point.

Ugh yes – fat downtubes are horrible. At least ebikes have an excuse for them. Anything else it just makes it look like an ebike.

I know Knolly have their fans, but it does seem like they make them look terrible on principle.

Like, “it must ride great if it looks as bad as that”.

I think the whole s-shaped downtube thing

Can someone explain what the bend at the bottom bracket in a S-shaped downtube is for?

I get that the bend at the headtube is to allow more room for the wheel if you’ve got a long travel fork but I can’t see any use for the other bend.

WTB Bon Tempe did the same bad thing in a much more attractive way

Can someone explain what the bend at the bottom bracket in a S-shaped downtube is for?

Generally its so you can fit shock and bottle in there.

https://i.postimg.cc/0QkZvmq6/2-E43-E7-DB-7817-4-B5-C-B138-5-A8-DFB3-BFE77.jpg

36er from truebike.

From temudgin ☝️

Cheers kayak

That Truebike has some good lines actually, I do appreciate the overall proportions and balance. A good design overall imho.

Yeah, considering the fact it’s a 36er and most 36ers look like compete clown bikes, they’ve done some interesting things to keep it somewhat proportional.

Can someone explain what the bend at the bottom bracket in a S-shaped downtube is for?

Integrated rock guard?

Can someone explain what the bend at the bottom bracket in a S-shaped downtube is for?

If it didn’t have the bend at the bottom, it’d miss.

I quite like the look of the Mantra, the Proflex K2 from a similar era however just look gopping.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/373212640564?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338749377&toolid=20006&customid=GB_888_373212640564.142582812373~1920524060287-g_EAIaIQobChMI_JP_0pH3_AIVw4XVCh2QJwspEAQYASABEgK4dPD_BwE

We had a stand at Sea Otter next to the Truebike owner (and his wife IIRC). Nice people. He’s not as tall as you’d think and the bikes are pretty nice.

If it didn’t have the bend at the bottom, it’d miss.

If the Downtube is going to miss the BB then all serious bike designers know that you just need some more bottom brackets.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BdsZHorB1Hd/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://www.instagram.com/p/BdqG_ouhoi_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

That’s a lot of words to say ‘we ordered too short a down tube’

To be fair, questionable designs go back a good 150 years with the penny farthing.

And going back 200 years with the Klein Mantra V1

sync
To be fair, questionable designs go back a good 150 years with the penny farthing.

Not sure they were ever intended as Mountain bikes tbh.

Not sure they were ever intended as Mountain bikes tbh.

That’s what they used to go wherever they could, it’s not like most roads back then were anything more than grass, mud or gravel tracks.

It was only 25-30 years ago mountain bikes were now what are essentially gravel bikes.

Classic steel frames, 1.8-2.1 tyres if lucky, rigid forks or maybe a smidgen of travel, narrow flat bars with huge bar ends. All pretty rough looking.

I had the below first time round (not my pics), I rode the same trails on those that I now ride on AM Full Suspension or Hardcore Hardtails, albeit faster and in more comfort now.

The raleigh activator was everywhere in the early-mid 90s. In terms of mass produced over saturated ugly bikes that prob wins by volume….

Crikey. I had an activator. Didn’t realise it was quite that ugly!

If it didn’t have the bend at the bottom, it’d miss.

Like!

That’s a lot of words to say ‘we ordered too short a down tube’

Pretty much my conclusion 🙂

Anything with black on it.
Alright I will allow tyres.

I foolishly thought that FL-01 would’ve hands down put an end to this thread 🙈

Anything with black on it.

Anything covered in an over the top assortment of colourful anodised parts.

I do like the way that it’s perfectly possible to uglify a perfectly fine frame (especially BITD) by simply looking for a photo of a 20″ or XL bike 🤣

As the owner of a set of disproportionatly lengthy limbs, I vividly recall trying to find photos of XL bikes to check that they weren’t completely gopping compared to the M versions that everyone photographed for the catalogue…

I vividly recall trying to find photos of XL bikes to check that they weren’t completely gopping compared to the M versions that everyone photographed for the catalogue…

As a 6’6″ rider its the best thing about 29ers frankly. It would be nice if there were more wheel size choices for road bikes.

Technically not a mountain bike, but not really a road bike either.

That guy at the back isnt pedalling he just uses those cattle prods to make the guy in front pedal harder

Astoundingly, this is for sale, new, right now, at Evans. What was the orders department thinking?

https://www.evanscycles.com/brand/muddyfox/recoil-26-inch-mens-mountain-bike-938441#colcode=93844148

They were going to call it “Recoil in Horror” but shortened it for production

Anything covered in an over the top assortment of colourful anodised parts.

Ever looked at the comments after a Hope social media post?
An awful lot of people showing they have All The Hope and None Of The Restraint.

I would like to nominate the LLS bikes lots of you are currently riding. To me they look like they are disjointed, I don’t dispute that they work well, but they do look wrong.

Whereas I think they look “normal” now and bikes from 10 years ago look primitive and clunky.

See what I mean.

Specialized Enduro stands out as the mass market bike closest to the current ‘enduro standard’, no wonder it was so popular looking at what the others were doing.

Amazing all the abominations that time has cleansed from my memory…

Holy dropper post limitations batman! 😀