#1 Oranges 89-94 and up to 97 to include C16rs
#2 Onza – anything Onza, just love it
#3 Alpinestars – would have loved one...
#4 Marin 91-92 – had one until stolen – boo!
#5 Tioga
I'd also like to include 89-90 Ridgebacks (I always wanted one as a skint student but couldn't) and 94 Konas for their frame geometry and styling.
1) Brodie
Will never part with mine.
2) White industries
Nothing beats quality in a bare aluminum package when it comes to bike parts.
3) Dekerf
Just lush.....
4) Footwork
Lusted over the stuff in my younger years. Rode the Canti's till they broke which took me 15 years of hard riding.
5) Merlin
Gone but not forgotten, that XLM was one hell of a bike
1. Pace - Gotta be. Waited 20+ years for an RC100 and still sublime to ride. The RC200 F2 isnt bad either. Plus the 'Hip to be square' adverts BITD were just genius.
2. Orange - I've always loved Orange from the days of the early clockwork's. Stif let me ride one of the first Ally 'O's when they got it in .... loved every minute. I will have an Orange in my brood some day.
3. Yeti - Any yeti from the FRO, Ultimate era. The FTW days were the best.
4. Merlin - Anything from the early Helfrich days.....they were just beauty in titanium.
5. Chas Roberts / Dave Yates - I cant separate them. Chas for the purity in steel of the DOGSBOLX and Dave for his simplistic ruggedness. The best of British.