I dig small builders, generally steel, generally with high bottom brackets and steep angles for the twisties, and function. East Coast (US) geometry, like Fat and IF, EWR, Grove, Rhygin, Bridgestone MB-0 and MB-1s, early pre-Volvo rigid Cannondales not too dressed with goofy chi-chi. Pacific NW style is nice too. Early Rocky stuff, Toads, Brodie Soverigns and Espressos, some Kona I guess, lets say pre-threadless just to be picky.
Parts I dig...Mavic 217 Sunsets, Altek, SDG Kevlar, Race Face Turbines, Deore DX, and pre 'SC' Shimano 105 derailleurs. Yum.
I don't like shitty CNC boutique parts that aren't worth the pot aluminum they are cut from (and the trailhead stitches and sutures that usually result!), and all the modern junk painted black...black spokes, black stems, black posts, black cranks, blah blah blah.... Don't like 100mm+ forks flooding the scene, nobody needs that on a cross country hardtail.
I don't like Trek, the butchers of Klein and Bontrager. Trek should fall off the planet. No like Diamond Back/Mongoose/Iron Horse/Haro/GT pretend BMX junk brands. Except the Tech Shop GTs, Zaskar, Xizang and Psyclone...some DBRs get a pass from the hate too...
Kooka. I don't like Kooka. Garbage from day one. All Kooka junk should be melted down and pressed into Mountain Dew cans, except I don't thinkt the aluminum would pass canning quality standards. In their own words..."Get off the trail, you weasel!"
Wow...I feel better!