Bikes you have loathed

[Andy Chequer]

"bomba" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> This follows on from the 'A little piece of history' thread, where myself and Dr Chequer were
> discussing old horrific bikes. It also popped up when discussing the old Manitou frame.

I last saw one of those about two years ago, groaning under the weight of a hugely fat man as it
limped sullenly along one of Swansea's cyclepaths. Though I think it was the Marin version.

> Conditions: Bikes must have been appalling through design, looks or performance. You don't
> necessarily have to have owned the bike, but merely avoided it like the plague. You can't just
> write, 'Cannondale'. Links to pics of the offending articles are appreciated.

> To start off:
>
> Iron Horse / Sintesi Verlicchi. ****. And anodised purple: http://www.teamcow.ca/bikeguide/iron/

I think all the people I met with them were tossers, too.

> GT RTS. Surprising for GT to invent a proprietary rear suspension system that didn't really work.
> I owned one of these, and it wasn't that great, even at the time. Hardly any travel, lots of side
> slop and the shock topped out when you got out of the saddle. Plus mine snapped in two places.
> This fetching one is also in anodised purple: http://www.netjoy.ne.jp/~j-otsuka/mtb/rts3-2.jpg

Going to have a "purple room" in my bike museum, which I'm going to have when I'm rich enough to be
eccentric. I'll tour the world looking for peculiar two wheeled objects to put in it. Raleigh
Chopper fanatics will be shot on sight, with a duck gun mounted on the front of a Pashley Post
Office Bike. And they can take their flares, retro adidas T- shirts and other bandwagon jumping 70's
tat with them. Raleigh Bomber owners, OTOH, will be most welcome for tea and a biscuit. And any
herbs I can find. And some maybe a spin in my Supercharged V8 milk float - bit torn between Detroit
or Blackpool power at the moment though. Probably Blackpool.

> Orange UFO (URT). One of my mates bought a UFO when it first came out. Can't say I was ever really
> jealous. Tragically, the fact that hardly anyone bought them, and those that did broke or got
> binned, means that there doesn't appear to be a photo on the 'net.

The X1 was their first effort and it never struck me as a nice idea. All Cr-Mo. Looked bendy. Was
URT. It's easy to be scathing about supension designs gone by I suppose, though - drivetrains
haven't really come very far in the last ten years or so, but suspension has gone from weedy
little pivots and lumps of rubber to slick, ballraced motorcross inspired spang in the same time.
I'd like to see someone make a hydroformed frame though. I like hydroforming. Yes, I know, I need
to get out more.

I'd like to add the Apollo Blizzard - 100 pounds sterling, 100 pounds weight. A lawsuit on wheels.
Then again, nothing about the Blizzard distinguishes it from the huge numbers of other bikes that
are built to be sold rather than ridden.

The GT LTS scoops my moneypit award for unreliability. Somewhat reminiscent of a girl I dated years
ago - an insufferable pain for one week out of four, and satisfyingly plush for the other three.
They should never have made all those important parts out of plastic. The bike, not the girl.....And
I'm sure the people at Specialized had a fit when they first saw it.

And those sodding U brakes I had on my early bikes - Tha sodding Joe Murray thing and my otherwise
likeable GT's. A fine tool for those who just love to drag leaf mould with them wherever they go.

Alivio chainsets c1995. I still have the scars from two separate occasions when these shoddily cast
turds let go on me.

Ooh and those Marin monocoque hardtails. Make funny rumbling noises, and a cheap and easy technology
sold at a huge premium. Cunning wee monkeys ;-)

Chequer rides the same bike now as he did 7 years ago. Except all the bits are different. I
think this mainly is because he (surprisingly astutely) realised at this point that any
further advancements were going to come from within. Which they did. Gears, suss, discs,
whatever. It's only kit.

So nyer.

Ray Quenched - I am an anagram.

I really shouldn't post when I'm this ******.

 

[Catfish]

On Fri, 07 Feb 2003 15:23:25 +0100, bomba <[email protected]> wrote: <snip other crappy rides>

>Orange UFO (URT). One of my mates bought a UFO when it first came out. Can't say I was ever really
>jealous. Tragically, the fact that hardly anyone bought them, and those that did broke or got
>binned, means that there doesn't appear to be a photo on the 'net.

Here's one...

http://www.adrenalintrip.net/xml/Mountainbiking/review/102.jpg

It's actually got a favorable review!

I vote for the Klein Mantra, also. A buddy had one and it pitched me twice in about 200 yards before
I decided I wouldn't mess with that bike any longer. It did this "stinkbug" thing that was very
disconcerting, and add the steep head angle and it was quite an exciting POS.

Cheers, Catfish

 

[Andy Chequer]

"Howard Turner" <[email protected] (reverse to reply)> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Anyone thrown in the ultimate loathsome bike yet? Aka the Raleigh Mustang, Was my 1st MTB as a
> kid came either in grey and white or the one I had " mottled pink" Made almost entierly out of
> scaffold tube and weighed more than most family cars. Had to try dam hard to break it to
> upgrade as
no-one
> was ever going to steal it. Howard

I remember that mottled pink. Was all the go up my street, 1987-9ish? Am I about right? I had a
Falcon Cheetah which was very similarly nasty.

You probably remember the Lizard too. My scalp is crawling.

Andy Chequer

 

[Bill Wheeler]

Never loathed any bike.

Peace, Bill The mind serves properly as a window glass rather than as a reflector, that is, the mind
should give an immediate view instead of an interpretation of the world.
:-]

 

[Lone Wolf]

I have never liked trek... rode a rigid one once .... never again..... pos. and any dept store bike(
huffy, roadmaster, royce union, etc etc)

 

[Miles Todd]

spademan o---[)* wrote:

>Andrew Thorne wrote in message
><[email protected]>...
>
>
>>>I'll go one better. The first Cannondale FS bike. High mounted hinge
>>>
>>>
>point
>
>
>>>and a Girvin Flexstem in the front. Dang thing rode slightly better than
>>>
>>>
>a
>
>
>>>50 lb huffy with flat tires. The only good that came out of it was
>>>
>>>
>getting
>
>
>>>my hands on a 1 inch Girvin stem somebody yanked off to put on an Mag 21. The Girvin ended up in
>>>a place that made sense - on a commuter bike.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>Good one. But don't forget the Mongoose Amplifier. Imagine an early AMP,
>>
>>
>built
>
>
>>under licence to sub-huffy standards. Right down to the linkage fork,
>>
>>
>bushing
>
>
>>that would last about thirty miles (less in the rain). And a twin downtube design that proved too
>>flexy for Colnago to use on a roadbike. Lovely.
>>
>>
>
>I'll defend that bike. Okay so the manufacturing wasn't great but the design principles are still
>used today, what other frames from that period can say that?
>
>You're right about the forks though, they used to top out on the bottom of he headset every time
>they hit a bump.
>
>Steve E.
>
>
>
>
I'll defend that bike even further. I had AMP #7 (that is to say, not one of the first six ever
made, but almost). it was a fantastic race bike. I rode that thing many thousands of miles, under
almost every imaginable condition. It worked great. Sure, it wasn't the most precise handling bike,
but it was a race bike. It didn't need to be. It was light, I mean really light. 23 pounds, honest
riding weight. This was a dozen years ago, when there really wasn't all that much available in
lightweight stuff. Hell, that was before Flites came out, and us lightweight fanatics were
ridingthose crappy Ritchey saddles. The fork worked superbly at what it was designed to do. If you
stayed on the ground and just rolled over stuff it sucked everything up beautifully- but drop-offs
were and endo nightmare. The bushings did have a very limited lifespan, but a little bit of White
Lightning made them last much longer. They were also very easy and cheap to replace, a trait shared
by few other designs. The fork came with a top-out bumper (at least mine did), so I never noticed
anything wrong there.

Anyhow, you might get the idea that I liked that bike. I did. It was an absolutely superb race
bike... but a crappy trail bike. When it got stolen, I replaced it with a hardtail trail bike, and
haven't looked back since.

Miles

 

[Miles Todd]

Andy Chequer wrote:

>"Howard Turner" <[email protected] (reverse to reply)> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>
>
>>Anyone thrown in the ultimate loathsome bike yet? Aka the Raleigh Mustang, Was my 1st MTB as a
>>kid came either in grey and white or the one I had " mottled pink" Made almost entierly out of
>>scaffold tube and weighed more than most family cars. Had to try dam hard to break it to
>>upgrade as
>>
>>
>no-one
>
>
>>was ever going to steal it. Howard
>>
>>
>
>I remember that mottled pink. Was all the go up my street, 1987-9ish? Am I about right? I had a
>Falcon Cheetah which was very similarly nasty.
>
>You probably remember the Lizard too. My scalp is crawling.
>
>Andy Chequer
>
>
>
>
Let's see... Late 80's GT bikes, with the crackle paint. A good way to hide frame cracks, I
suppose... Was it about 1990 that Trek did all those flourescent bikes? Hated them. Any
candy-colored anodized aluminum, by any maker ever. Any Italian road bike from before 1995 or so-
paint so bad all you have to do is look at it to chip flakes off.

Miles

 

[Bomba]

[email protected] wrote:
>>I never asked before, but what's your beef with Kona?
>
>
> He hasn't got one, just shooting his mouth off for no reason as usual.
>
>
>>All the other bike co.s you list have their detractors in some form or another, but you seem to be
>>the only one who beats on Kona.
>
>
> He's just to caught up in his $2500 custom made single speed world in Colorado, while day after
> day, around the world, Kona is becoming a household name for those who want a strong, reliable,
> rugged bike for just about any application you can think of.
>
> Of course, you have to ask yourself, just how much would you believe from someone who looks like
> this.....................

You've been asked several times - please stop posting the binaries.

 

[Tom Purvis]

miles todd <[email protected]> wrote:
> Let's see... Late 80's GT bikes, with the crackle paint. A good way to hide frame cracks, I
> suppose... Was it about 1990 that Trek did all those flourescent bikes? Hated them. Any
> candy-colored anodized aluminum, by any maker ever. Any Italian road bike from before 1995 or so-
> paint so bad all you have to do is look at it to chip flakes off.

I still have a steel '92 Stumpjumper Comp that's an eye- catching hot pink metallic. At the end of
the 1992 season, my old beat-up Jamis was starting to break parts pretty much on every ride. Mostly
spokes, as I recall. But I was in a mind to buy a new bike.

In about February '93, my riding buddy told me I had to go down to Wheatridge Cyclery because they
had some season close-out deals. They had a bunch of these pink rigid steel Stumps. Screaming deals.
Almost half price. I was feeling secure in my sexuality and had permission from the wife to spend
that much $$, so I bought one. Even though the paint hurt my eyes.

My buddy bought one too, and we didn't know we'd each bought a pink bike until we showed up to ride
together. It was a hoot, like we were high school girls who'd bought matching outfits.

It was a damned good bike though. Pink or not. I had many, many great times and rides on it. And I
saw people riding pink bikes just like it around the Denver area for years.
--
Tom "bikes are tools, not symbols" Purvis Salida, CO

 

[Jd]

Benjamin Spanklin wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> >I never asked before, but what's your beef with Kona?
>
> He hasn't got one, just shooting his mouth off for no reason as usual.

**** is ****: http://gallery.consumerreview.com/mtbr/gallery/pictures/brokenstinky.jpg

> >All the other bike co.s you list have their detractors in some form or another, but you seem to
> >be the only one who beats on Kona.
>
> He's just to caught up in his $2500 custom made single speed world in Colorado,

Yeah, that's a bad thing. HAHAHAHAHA

> while day after day, around the world, Kona is becoming a household name for those who want a
> strong, reliable, rugged bike for just about any application you can think of.

Another boring kona commercial from their insipid spokesdweeb, spanky.

> Of course, you have to ask yourself, just how much would you believe from someone who looks like
> this.....................

Like a bunch of dots???? You're way off the deep end now, benski.

JD

 

[Gabrielle]

On Fri, 07 Feb 2003 17:24:47 -0800, scottieski wrote:

> Of course, you have to ask yourself, just how much would you believe from someone who looks like
> this.....................
>
> Attachment: Text/Plain - Unknown Encoding - No Filename Attachment: Text/HTML - Unknown Encoding -
> No Filename

Someone who looks like a text file?

gabrielle

 

[Nelson Binch]

Specialized Hardrock, circa 1990. Thing was dark pink fading to purple. They liked it so well, the
color was available for two years, despite the fact it made me want to vomit.

---
__o _`\(,_ Cycling is life, (_)/ (_) all the rest, just details. Nelson Binch =^o.o^=
http://intergalax.com

Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.449 / Virus Database: 251 -
Release Date: 1/27/2003

 

[Bill Wheeler]

On Sat, 08 Feb 2003 07:40:14 GMT, miles todd <[email protected]> wrote:

My Peugeot road bike is fluorescent yellow. I actually can't stand
it. But I'm not looking at it when I ride it. Very nice bike.

Peace bill(Accidentally made it brighter with Simple Green)wheeler The mind serves properly as a
window glass rather than as a reflector, that is, the mind should give an immediate view instead of
an interpretation of the world.
:-]

 

[D_d]

removethisbittosend wrote:

>
> "Howard Turner" <[email protected] (reverse to reply)> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Anyone thrown in the ultimate loathsome bike yet? Aka the Raleigh Mustang, Was my 1st MTB as a
>> kid came either in grey and white or the one I had " mottled pink" Made almost entierly out of
>> scaffold tube and weighed more than most family cars. Had to try dam hard to break it to
>> upgrade as
> no-one
>> was ever going to steal it. Howard
>
> I remember that mottled pink. Was all the go up my street, 1987-9ish? Am I about right? I had a
> Falcon Cheetah which was very similarly nasty.
>
> You probably remember the Lizard too. My scalp is crawling.
>

In my street one kid managed to get a Raleigh marauder. It must have come out just before cheap
index shifters putting him at a disadvantage during races.

Another kid had a lizard and not content with the lime green paint he got his sisters boyfriend to
paint it a nice purple to green fade.

No one has mentioned the worst feature of these bikes, steel rims.

Then there was mine, my dad decided to fill the tyres to stop punctures, the only problem was the
wheels alone weighed more than the complete bike used to and the ride was very unforgiving.

--
D_D

 

[Penny S.]

[email protected] wrote:
>> **** is ****: http://gallery.consumerreview.com/mtbr/ gallery/pictures/brokenstinky.jpg
>
> Well you got me there, you've found a picture of a broken Kona frame, and yes indeed, that means
> that Kona are indeed ****. I'm certain no matter how hard I look, I'd never find a picture on the
> internet of a broken frame by any other manufacturer.

the gauntlet is tossed down... should be easy enough.

I wonder how many hits "broekn bike frame" would give you just in Google?

penny

 

[Andy Chequer]

"Stephen Baker" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Penny says:
>
> >I wonder how many hits "broekn bike frame" would give you just in Google?
>
> 53,700 as of this morning.
>
> Steve

Did an image search for "Broken Frame" and after pages of irrelevance I came across an LTS with the
seatstays cleaved in two. Which added some weight to my argument at least.

As regards the Kona, When you consider that the failed part of the frame has to cope with the
impulse loading of a rider landing after a considerable drop (well, it is a freeride bike innit),
you'd think it would be made rather more substantial in this area.

Andy Chequer

 

[Jd]

[email protected] wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > I wonder how many hits "broekn bike
> > frame" would give you just in Google?
>
> >penny
>
> LOL, well, here we go, starting with a brand that the self proclaimed Demi-God of biking
> recommends!
>
> ------------------------------------------------------
> CPSC, Marin Mountain Bikes Announce Recall of Mountain Bikes WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation
> with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Marin Mountain Bikes, of Novato, Calif.,
> is voluntarily recalling about 1,000 Marin-brand, aluminum-framed mountain bikes. The steer tube
> on the front of these bicycles can break off from the two main tubes of the frame causing the
> rider to lose control, fall and possibly suffer serious injury. Marin has received two reports of
> the steer tube breaking off, resulting in two injuries that included broken bones, broken teeth,
> cuts and abrasions. The recall involves Marin-brand mountain bikes with aluminum frames. There are
> seven model bikes with 11.5-inch frames and one model with a
> 13.5-inch frame. The 11.5-inch bikes have the following model names: Bobcat Trail, Hawk Hill,
> Palisades Trail, Pioneer Trail, Nail Trail, Stinson and Rocky Ridge. The 13.5-inch model has
> the model name Quake. The model name is written on the top tube of the mountain bikes. To
> determine the size of the frame (11.5-inch or 13.5-inch), measure from the center of the crank
> arm to about 1 inch below the seatpost clamp. Independent bicycle stores nationwide sold these
> mountain bikes from August 1998 through July 2002 for between $280 and $900. Consumers should
> stop using the recalled bikes

Look, it learned how to do a web search! Ok, who gave it a banana?

JD rides and suggests Marin steel

 

[Shaun Rimmer]

bomba <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> This follows on from the 'A little piece of history' thread, where myself and Dr Chequer were
> discussing old horrific bikes. It also popped up when discussing the old Manitou frame.
>
> Conditions: Bikes must have been appalling through design, looks or performance. You don't
> necessarily have to have owned the bike, but merely avoided it like the plague. You can't just
> write, 'Cannondale'. Links to pics of the offending articles are appreciated.
>
> To start off:
>
> Iron Horse / Sintesi Verlicchi. ****. And anodised purple: http://www.teamcow.ca/bikeguide/iron/
>
> GT RTS. Surprising for GT to invent a proprietary rear suspension system that didn't really work.
> I owned one of these, and it wasn't that great, even at the time. Hardly any travel, lots of side
> slop and the shock topped out when you got out of the saddle. Plus mine snapped in two places.
> This fetching one is also in anodised purple: http://www.netjoy.ne.jp/~j-otsuka/mtb/rts3-2.jpg
>
> Orange UFO (URT). One of my mates bought a UFO when it first came out. Can't say I was ever really
> jealous. Tragically, the fact that hardly anyone bought them, and those that did broke or got
> binned, means that there doesn't appear to be a photo on the 'net.

Raleigh Chopper.

What can I say? - The things sucked functionally, looked god-awful, and were death traps.

Claude Butler Stoneriver HT - My last bike, and the frame I have built the SS icebike from. Heavy.
Too freaking heavy! As an SS, it weighs more than the BASE, which weighs around 36 lb. Flexes
stupidly at the BB, so much so, that in big front, middle rear, if I really yanked on the bars and
stomped on the pedals, the chain would hit the front mech cage. It steers like a slug on a superglue
trail too, and the component mix was _awful_.

Shaun aRe

 

[Supabonbon]

bomba <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> This follows on from the 'A little piece of history' thread, where myself and Dr Chequer were
> discussing old horrific bikes. It also popped up when discussing the old Manitou frame.
>
> Conditions: Bikes must have been appalling through design, looks or performance. You don't
> necessarily have to have owned the bike, but merely avoided it like the plague. You can't just
> write, 'Cannondale'. Links to pics of the offending articles are appreciated.
>
<snip>

I tend to have a hard time disliking bikes. There are bikes I love, and bikes I like. I've seen
Murrays ridden with skill and aplomb. Even the **** Raliegh M80 I had with that flexxxy Jett pogo
stick wasn't inherently 'loathesome'. I tend to loathe bikes for the detestable riders it produces.
For example:
- overkill 'freeride' rigs on smooth, hilly trails, steered by dianese-clad goobers who live to
frighten hikers who'll eventually get us booted off the trails,
- full-suspension bikes with slicks and oversized gel seats, and, worst of all,
- RIGID SINGLE SPEEDS. yes, i know what it's like to ride rigid. yes, i have a singlespeed (a fixed
road bike). no, i don't need a big earful of how, whether you're faster or slower than me, this
makes you so much better than me. congratulations, you win, whatever, shut up and ride. /s