What's the worst bike that you have ever had?
#51
Southern Grrl
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: New Orleans, LA
Posts: 86
Bikes: Marin Hawk Hill, Trek 800
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
My 1st Mtn bike was a 1992 era Schwinn Hurricane(I don't even know if Schwinn was still Schwinn back then) cost about $300. Then about 2 years later, a friend was buying a bike and I was there, so I impulsively bought a Trek 820. I really didn't ride either bike much, since it was always TOO hot here in the summers and I was lazy LOL The Trek pretty much fell apart and I only rode, maybe 20 miles on the thing, TOTAL in it's existence. Still have the Schwinn in the garage, but she hasn't been ridden in maybe 10 years. I now own a Marin Hawk Hill. Much better bike IMO
#53
Bike Junkie
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: South of Raleigh, North of New Hill, East of Harris Lake, NC
Posts: 9,622
Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Specialized Roubaix, Giant OCR-C, Specialized Stumpjumper FSR, Stumpjumper Comp, 88 & 92Nishiki Ariel, 87 Centurion Ironman, 92 Paramount, 84 Nishiki Medalist
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 68 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 37 Times
in
27 Posts
A Magna Glacier Point "mountain bike". There's nothing quite like the low end model of a X-Mart brand bike. The brakes were an experience all their own. Stopping was something they sort of got around to doing. Shifting was OK if you didn't mind the chain grinding against the freewheel. I was new to mountain biking, but even then I had the good sense never to take that bike on a trail (not even a rails to trails MUP). I sold it after owning it two months and used the money to buy a 17 year old Nishiki Ariel and a 17 year old Hoo Koo E Koo for my son. Both of those made it to the MTB trails.
Worst road bike was a Murray I picked up at a garage sale for $12. I soon found out, I overpaid. The farthest trip I took on it was three blocks before the chain jammed. I stripped it for parts and junked the frame.
Worst road bike was a Murray I picked up at a garage sale for $12. I soon found out, I overpaid. The farthest trip I took on it was three blocks before the chain jammed. I stripped it for parts and junked the frame.
__________________
Roccobike BF Official Thread Terminator
Roccobike BF Official Thread Terminator
#54
Guest
Posts: n/a
Mentioned: Post(s)
Tagged: Thread(s)
Quoted: Post(s)
Y-Frames were all the rage for awhile there. I remember all of Trek's top of the line bikes were carbon Y frames and even some of their road bikes. I for one am glad to see the Y frame design dropped from most manufacturers lines.
Although I remember drooling over the Trek Y series. Looking at the old catalogs I am surprised at how cheap the aluminum Y frames were.
This was quite the trip down memory lane: https://www.users.bigpond.com/cool386/trek/trek.htm and the cool Y foil road bikes banned after 2000 https://tandem-fahren.de/Mitglieder/C...mm/Y-Foil.html
Although I remember drooling over the Trek Y series. Looking at the old catalogs I am surprised at how cheap the aluminum Y frames were.
This was quite the trip down memory lane: https://www.users.bigpond.com/cool386/trek/trek.htm and the cool Y foil road bikes banned after 2000 https://tandem-fahren.de/Mitglieder/C...mm/Y-Foil.html
Last edited by NitroPye; 02-28-08 at 09:38 PM.
#55
Sucks at loife
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Lundun Tahn
Posts: 380
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Early/mid 90's green Raleigh Activator... Gawd, my 14 year old mind thought it was the nuts.
Remember really wanting a super V. The older one with the boxy swingarm and headshock.
GT Zaskers were the shiz too..
Square tubed Pace RC200 anyone?
Mag 21's, Quadra's? Manitou 3's?
Zoiks yo...
Remember really wanting a super V. The older one with the boxy swingarm and headshock.
GT Zaskers were the shiz too..
Square tubed Pace RC200 anyone?
Mag 21's, Quadra's? Manitou 3's?
Zoiks yo...
#56
Dismember
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Western Australia
Posts: 695
Bikes: Kona Kikapu/hoss deluxe mix, 1950's Malvern Star gent 28" turned into a stealth commuter with drums and a three speed.
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
K-mart dually. Mushy pogo sticks at the front and a sponge for the rear with geometry designed to kill you. Wheels were made of spaghetti and foil and the drive train was fighting for its life with every pedal stroke, I still dont understand how I survived it. Funny part was I got it as returned stock, it had already tasted blood when I bought it. Piece of *****.
__________________
Mmmmm...shiney new parts...mmmm
Mmmmm...shiney new parts...mmmm
#57
one less horse
Not sure if you're aware, but that super v is not a y-frame (aka URT). It is, however, just as ugly.
#60
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Flagler Palm Coast, FL
Posts: 1,959
Bikes: 1986 Fuji Allegro 12 Spd; 2015 Bianchi Kuma 27.2 24 Spd; 1997 Fuji MX-200 21 Spd; 2010 Vilano SS/FG 46/16
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
#61
Advanced Slacker
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 6,187
Bikes: Soma Fog Cutter, Surly Wednesday, Canfielld Tilt
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2749 Post(s)
Liked 2,516 Times
in
1,422 Posts
In terms of being let down by what should have been a legit frame and company, the ONLY bike (and company) I have had a bad experience with was a 2010 Marin Mt Vision.
I bought it as a frame and built it up. Never liked the suspension characteristics. It supposedly had 125mm travel, but it utilized it very poorly. It had the sag and wallow of a 140mm frame and the bump absorption of an 80mm frame.
But the real kicker was that the bearings were shot practically out of the box. These were advertised as aircraft grade and guaranteed for life. But the attitude of the Marin service rep was basically that these bearings are so good that if they go bad it must be something else responsible, and they would not send replacements.
I have owned 6 FS frames:
2000 Santa Cruz Superlight
2003 Heckler
2005 Azonic Saber
2009 Iron Horse MKIII
2010 Marin Mt Vision
2012 Turner 5 Spot
I can say I liked all of them except the Marin.
I bought it as a frame and built it up. Never liked the suspension characteristics. It supposedly had 125mm travel, but it utilized it very poorly. It had the sag and wallow of a 140mm frame and the bump absorption of an 80mm frame.
But the real kicker was that the bearings were shot practically out of the box. These were advertised as aircraft grade and guaranteed for life. But the attitude of the Marin service rep was basically that these bearings are so good that if they go bad it must be something else responsible, and they would not send replacements.
I have owned 6 FS frames:
2000 Santa Cruz Superlight
2003 Heckler
2005 Azonic Saber
2009 Iron Horse MKIII
2010 Marin Mt Vision
2012 Turner 5 Spot
I can say I liked all of them except the Marin.
#62
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Merry Old England
Posts: 772
Bikes: Muddyfox Evolve 200, Bicycles4u Paris Explorer, Raleigh Twenty Stowaway, Bickerton California, Saracen Xile, Kona Hoss Deluxe, Vertigo Carnaby, Exodus Havoc, Kona Lanai, Revolution Cuillin Sport, Dawes Kingpin, Bickerton, NSU & Elswick Cosmopolitan
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 297 Post(s)
Liked 33 Times
in
25 Posts
Thought I had a bargain when I got a Kona Lanai as new for half retail price of ebay. Jumped in by impulse before I allowed my logic chip to kick in.
Absolutely dire piece of junk really. Naff frame, crappy freewheel, rubbish single wall rims, clicking bottom bracket, dire front suspension, tourney front derailleur, twist grip gear shifters. The only thing that was really a step up from bottom was the Altus rear derailleur. I was convinced when I first got it the person had swapped out all the decent components but no on checking everything was stock. Convinced the original purchaser had just totally rejected the bike and was happy to get almost anything for it.
It wasn't even a decent frame compromised by cheap components the frame was crap too. £300 normal retail price in the UK. I can't really complain for the price I paid but such junk for £300. Just to put in context £300 would buy a basic freehub equipped mountain bike from many other brands with equal or better front suspension (likely better). It's taught me that decent brands can do some pretty dire entry level models that frankly are a joke and utterly noncompetitive.
https://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/...spx?item=10013
Just looking at that bikepedia page and see the bottom bracket was a Chin Haur CH-46 which I've never heard of.
A quick search shows this thread.
Chin Haur strikes again with injuries
My view of the Lanai has got slightly worse.
Don't think I'm anti-Kona though. I have 2 Kona Hoss bikes.
Absolutely dire piece of junk really. Naff frame, crappy freewheel, rubbish single wall rims, clicking bottom bracket, dire front suspension, tourney front derailleur, twist grip gear shifters. The only thing that was really a step up from bottom was the Altus rear derailleur. I was convinced when I first got it the person had swapped out all the decent components but no on checking everything was stock. Convinced the original purchaser had just totally rejected the bike and was happy to get almost anything for it.
It wasn't even a decent frame compromised by cheap components the frame was crap too. £300 normal retail price in the UK. I can't really complain for the price I paid but such junk for £300. Just to put in context £300 would buy a basic freehub equipped mountain bike from many other brands with equal or better front suspension (likely better). It's taught me that decent brands can do some pretty dire entry level models that frankly are a joke and utterly noncompetitive.
https://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/...spx?item=10013
Just looking at that bikepedia page and see the bottom bracket was a Chin Haur CH-46 which I've never heard of.
A quick search shows this thread.
Chin Haur strikes again with injuries
My view of the Lanai has got slightly worse.
Don't think I'm anti-Kona though. I have 2 Kona Hoss bikes.
#63
High Plains Luddite
Mongoose full-suspension mountain bike - model E303, I think - purchased at Sports Authority with an employee discount around 2005 or 2006.
I had been away from cycling since the early 1990s and thought I was buying a good brand. I had no idea it was a crappy parts-bin special that proceeded to fall apart a little more every time I rode it. It had twist-grip shifters, a disc brake up front, and a V-brake in back. The disc caliper needed to be tightened up several times during every ride - I think the rotation of the disc un-did my tightening a little bit every time I used the front brake.
Another few years of very little cycling followed, but I'm much happier now riding older rigid MTBs with cantilever brakes, as I did in the '80s & '90s.
I had been away from cycling since the early 1990s and thought I was buying a good brand. I had no idea it was a crappy parts-bin special that proceeded to fall apart a little more every time I rode it. It had twist-grip shifters, a disc brake up front, and a V-brake in back. The disc caliper needed to be tightened up several times during every ride - I think the rotation of the disc un-did my tightening a little bit every time I used the front brake.
Another few years of very little cycling followed, but I'm much happier now riding older rigid MTBs with cantilever brakes, as I did in the '80s & '90s.
Last edited by Squeeze; 04-09-18 at 10:37 AM.
#64
Newbie
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 3
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
That is so horrifying! I've experienced also that. I'm so worried, thanks god i had a tracker. My friends tracked me. It's so dangerous, mountain climbing without safety devices. Ughhh
#67
Senior Member
I didn't know any better at the time, but purchased this Kent to ride to work back in 2009. Rode it a couple times, then it sat for 5 years untouched. After trying it again, I saw the light and replaced it with a decent used bike.
#68
Senior Member
Ha! I was also going to mention the Pro Flex 856. I bought one brand new for $2000 in 1996. What a lousy bike. Mine was even worse, it had the stock elastomers. Maybe 1" of actual travel on each end?
That being said, the Pro Flex 857 that I replaced it with was a really nice frame.
That being said, the Pro Flex 857 that I replaced it with was a really nice frame.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
3speed
Mountain Biking
5
05-08-11 02:08 AM