Your Least Favorite Bike You Have Owned
08-08-18, 11:26 PM
#126
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Location: Pacific Northwest
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Bikes: ‘87 Marinoni SLX Sports Tourer, ‘79 Miyata 912 by Gugificazione
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For some this will seem like sacrilege, but I never ended up loving my Rivendell Rambouillet. I spent nine years with it as my only bike and took it on some fabulous rides like Mt. Rainier in the photo below, fulling expecting that it would be the last bike I’d want/need. Maybe it would have been better under someone with more power.
In the last few years of ownership, I rebuilt my old 1979 Miyata 912 and recently acquired 1987 Marinoni SLX Sports Tourer with identical setups and fit as the Rambouillet (2nd photo), and rotated through them often for my 36-mile round trip commute, even swapping wheels/tires between bikes. Whenever I was on the Rambouillet, I always wished I was on one of the others.
In the last few years of ownership, I rebuilt my old 1979 Miyata 912 and recently acquired 1987 Marinoni SLX Sports Tourer with identical setups and fit as the Rambouillet (2nd photo), and rotated through them often for my 36-mile round trip commute, even swapping wheels/tires between bikes. Whenever I was on the Rambouillet, I always wished I was on one of the others.
Last edited by Dfrost; 08-08-18 at 11:38 PM.
08-09-18, 12:05 AM
#127
Crawlin' up, flyin' down
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Democratic Peoples' Republic of Berkeley
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Bikes: 1967 Paramount; 1982-ish Ron Cooper; 1978 Eisentraut "A"; two mid-1960s Cinelli Speciale Corsas; and others in various stages of non-rideability.
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For me, it was a Koga-Miyata Prologue from c.1993. They were originally sold as complete bikes, but American Cyclery in SF bought out somebody's inventory of frame/fork/headset sets in the late 1990s and I got one for a reasonable price. I built it up and it was - okay. Just okay. Not great. Not awful. But definitely not inspiring. Just kind of "meh" bordering on dead feeling.
My 1992 Trek 520 was decidedly "meh" feeling - until I used it for what it was built to do: fully loaded touring. Then it came to life and rode like a champ. Unloaded, it was no fun at all. Loaded, it was a joy.
The Koga-Miyata, though, never rode like a champ and was never a joy, at least not for me. After a year or two, I traded it to bigbossman who then sold it. I hope it is making someone happy.
My 1992 Trek 520 was decidedly "meh" feeling - until I used it for what it was built to do: fully loaded touring. Then it came to life and rode like a champ. Unloaded, it was no fun at all. Loaded, it was a joy.
The Koga-Miyata, though, never rode like a champ and was never a joy, at least not for me. After a year or two, I traded it to bigbossman who then sold it. I hope it is making someone happy.
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"I'm in shape -- round is a shape." Andy Rooney
"I'm in shape -- round is a shape." Andy Rooney
08-09-18, 09:48 AM
#128
Steel80's
Of all the vintage bikes that have passed through my hands (which is not that many compared to some of you!) I would say the Raleigh's were my least favorite. I had a Record Ace, a grand Prix (both converted to fixed), a Technium 460, and briefly, a somewhat newer all-aluminumTechnium. It wasn't just that they were heavy, they had a ponderous ride quality and felt tall for their size (and they were all 23").
This thread is a good reminder that there were dogs among vintage bikes, too, and not just the gas-pipe ones.
This thread is a good reminder that there were dogs among vintage bikes, too, and not just the gas-pipe ones.
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