Worst rigid MTB ever ?

[Loki]

The full rigid Klein Attitude wasn't great over stutter bumps, roots etc. Fast technical descents were kind of scary. Kona's with Project 2 forks were a great handling bike but lacking in front end compliance which I personally found tiring after more than a couple of hours of technical trails. That being said, both those bikes were super fast. I don't think I've ever ridden a rigid MTB I really hated.

Ha, that's what my wifee tells me, " you never met a bike you didn't like"..........

 

[24pouces]

Rigid is a whole different approach, as everyone knows, in terms of obstacles. The rider needs to be compliant. I don't think we can blame the bikes.

I agree

But, the more stiff is the frame, the more big your legs need to be.
After a long time without riding, stiff bikes are really harder for pedaling with the feeling of no strong in the legs. Things are cooler on some titatium or steel frame

 

[velomaniac]

Original post referred to bad design producing a bad bike, rigid bikes can be badly designed and thus bad bikes. How bad the rider is, is not the question. How you aproach riding on a rigid bike is not the question.

Sometime ago I asked what the worst mtb ever was and the Raleigh Activator II won. On this we can all agree and no one blamed the rider or how you aproached riding one.

So whats the worst rigid bike

 

[Rampage]

It's this then:

Also doubles as a step ladder for cleaning out your gutters.

 

[MADJEZ]

It's this then:

Also doubles as a step ladder for cleaning out your gutters.

+1 ... It was one of these that put me off cycling for most of the 1990s !
I believe this is the small version as mine had about a 6foot frame.

 

[Pyro Tim]

we call the bad ones BSOs, and you've stated we can't cite these. Also, above isn't rigid, and despite being truly awful, can't be included in this thread, and in my opinion is just a BSO anyway

 

[velomaniac]

My definition of a BSO is something built by a company unheard of by many with no history of ever building anything decent. Raleigh do or did know how to build decent bikes but alas they also made utter rubbish.

As to the Activator 1, you can barely call its forks suspension and even if a rigid fork was fitted it'd still be rotten.

Maybe we should wind this thread up and give the acolade of worst mtb's ever both rigid/hardtail/full suspension to the complete Raleigh Activator series :roll:

Sorry Raleigh, for you its an epic FAIL

 

[ishaw]

Hmm, not wanting to enter the fray lightly, I'm going to nominate the manitou HT frame for consideration. Never had one, never ridden one (though I have seen one hanging forlornly in a bike shop, displaying its design flaws to all who cared to look), but the tales on here of cracks and dents appearing after staring too hard at the frame make me think that this frame design pushed the limits of the tubing a little too far, making them almost unfit for their intended purpose of riding. In my view then, I think the frame fits the topic.

I'm going to duck now to avoid the missiles being hurled my way.

 

[drcarlos]

Hmm, not wanting to enter the fray lightly, I'm going to nominate the manitou HT frame for consideration. Never had one, never ridden one (though I have seen one hanging forlornly in a bike shop, displaying its design flaws to all who cared to look), but the tales on here of cracks and dents appearing after staring too hard at the frame make me think that this frame design pushed the limits of the tubing a little too far, making them almost unfit for their intended purpose of riding. In my view then, I think the frame fits the topic.

I'm going to duck now to avoid the missiles being hurled my way.

Were they not designed to last only a season of racing though?
I maybe wrong. I wouldn't touch one now as we would be pushing those design boundaries now some 15-20 years on

Carl.

 

[ishaw]

Were they not designed to last only a season of racing though?
I maybe wrong. I wouldn't touch one now as we would be pushing those design boundaries now some 15-20 years on

I'm not sure, but did many manage a season on one?

A friend had a GT RTS that he leant against a rack at work, and when he came back there was a dent, though no sign of it falling over. I think someone must have knocked it over then covered their tracks, as these were nothing like the Manitou in terms of tubing.

There are a few other brands renowned for their frame weaknesses at various points, but manitou stick out for me as they were a fork brand rather than frames/bikes.