Worst Bike I Ever Had

[shepp]

This monstrosity. Had one around 92 I think, very cheap but still didn’t excuse the complete lack of suspension movement, horrible geometry and constant squeaking. Took it back 2 weeks after buying it.

Pic isn’t mine!

 

[Canuk]

Mark One Raleigh Grifter: there were three kids round our way had Grifters and all three stuck in (quite a big) third gear on the Sturmey Archer gripshift haha! I used to burn them up on my trusty mark 2 Chopper

 

[ChromeChainstay]

independent fabrication crown jewel. steered like crapoli

 

[bontybonty]

Interesting the thread starts with alpine stars.
I rented an E stay alpine stars bike for a weekend as my bike had been nicked.
The elevated stay seemed to guarantee every bump was transfered straight to my arse. Hateful thing.

 

[ChromeChainstay]

In contrast, this is BEST bike I ever had. A 45 year old Vitus 979 duralinox. It's been to hell and back, a dozen times over. In the late nineties I took it touring with my wife eleven hundred miles through Italy. With bags. And a rack. It's been battered through thirty winters, the down tube unglued itself from the bottom bracket (a spot of industrial 3M sorted that, with the help of a wooden mallet). I've crashed it half a dozen times, broken the front forks, got a real shit replacement pair, dented it, abused it through every kind of salt encrusted route and highway and still...

It refuses to die! Like my old grandad said of Perkins diesel engines: If you want rid of it, you'll have to take it out and shoot it!

shimano ax and huret

 

[Canuk]

Raleigh Grifter - the worst and the best bike I ever had as a teenager. Common flaws: the plastic foam saddle would often disintegrate, or get bits chipped off it. Would perennial get stuck in just one of the Sturmey three speed gears, and the tyres were the shit for doing skids, you could get through a new one in a fortnight.

Apart from that, the Grifter was the dry roasted

 

[The History Man]

Well if we’re going properly retro………


Had all three in succession. All amazingly cool and amazingly shite looking back. Chopper went in favour of my Arena that you could do distances on.

 

[Canuk]

I remember trying (in vain) to repair a neighbour's Budgie. Shite it was, and trying to find spare parts and tyres was nightmare.

 

[Canuk]

The Chopper was quite well made, but when the three speed went tits up they were done. We stayed in a pretty rough council estate and you could perennial buy a stolen one for 20 quid.

I remember fixing a pals three speed by remaking the little chain that was the final link in the drivetrain and being quite impressed by my own technical ability! We were miles from the town centre and bike shops, so it was either DIY home bike repairs, or throwing it in the river.

I remember being totally gutted because my Ma couldn't afford for me to buy a new back tyre for my Grifter, and making do over the summer with patches made out of old tyres glued (and quite expertly) sewn inside!

 

[Canuk]

Puch Free Spirit, loved it and hated it in equal measures.