Your worst ever bike!!! Rant here!!!
- Thread starter Pickle
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Geoff
Senior Retro Guru
Corduroyboy":2l8cvouk said:grahame":2l8cvouk said:
Too, too funny!
I remember those brakes as well :roll: . My sis had (and still has on her Parkpre Alu) some XC500s - OK for someone weighing 3/8 of an ounce
I actually find this a pretty interesting illustration on how some small changes can make a world of difference. Solid silver Kil sounds like 94 (although own brand brakes don't, so I'm confused) which would be the same frame as my 95. Mine came with P2s and Ritchey Logic cantis. And it was bloody fantastic. Wish I still had one in stock form... :cry:
As for my worst, I can't say I've had enough bikes. My kids BMX with washers against metal instead of any bearings for a headset was pretty crummy but I was too small to care. Last bike before the Kona was a 24" wheeled Tim Gould 'replica' Peugeot. Loved it when I got it but hated it by the time I got the Kona...
Although I've only owned it in more recent times I'd has to say my 93 Klein Attitude is the worst bike I've owned for the following reasons.
The frame is nice and stiff but rather unpleasent to ride on anything but smooth surfaces.
The Mag 21 up front on the other hand is the completely opposite and way too flexy.
The MC1 bar stem combo isn't at the right angle for me and can't be changed.
The special tools required for servicing (eg BB) are difficult to take down as not many shops if Australia got them and those that did have either thrown them out or passed them on to private hands.
The rear facing drop outs make getting the rear wheel out around the derailleur a harder task than it should be.
Ride wise I'd have to say a similar aged middel of the road steel Kona with Project 2s is light years ahead in terms of ride quality.
Given all its flaws I still like it and don't think I'll part with for quite a while, its just at the bottom of the list as far a bikes I'd take if i wanted to go on a good ride (as opposed to posing).
The frame is nice and stiff but rather unpleasent to ride on anything but smooth surfaces.
The Mag 21 up front on the other hand is the completely opposite and way too flexy.
The MC1 bar stem combo isn't at the right angle for me and can't be changed.
The special tools required for servicing (eg BB) are difficult to take down as not many shops if Australia got them and those that did have either thrown them out or passed them on to private hands.
The rear facing drop outs make getting the rear wheel out around the derailleur a harder task than it should be.
Ride wise I'd have to say a similar aged middel of the road steel Kona with Project 2s is light years ahead in terms of ride quality.
Given all its flaws I still like it and don't think I'll part with for quite a while, its just at the bottom of the list as far a bikes I'd take if i wanted to go on a good ride (as opposed to posing).
Stick Legs
Gold Trader
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I have never really owned a bike that I would consider to be bad. Even my £99.99 5 speed Apollo Road bike from Halfords (1989), which I consider to be my first bike (as opposed to a toy) was great because of what it meant to me at the time.
However, I have ridden some duff kit.
Pace RC36 EVO II's, long travel. Bluggh Wrong fork for my Orange totally, may be a nice fork, just not on that bike.
Rock Shox Mag 20's, seals blew with alarming regualrity. Swapped them for a Control Tech stem and a set of Tange Big Forks. Much Better.
Tioga Factory XC tyres. What a pile of s**t. How to make any bike feel awful. Came as standard on my Mrs' Kona Nu Nu, changed them for Panaracer trail blasters and saved 1 1/2 lbs off the bikes weight, and made it nice to ride.
When they first came out I had a GT RTS3 for a weekend as I was intrigued, nearly bought one, glad I got the demo week end as it saved me a lot of money.
Those the the only things that I have really disliked, everything else I could live with.
However, I have ridden some duff kit.
Pace RC36 EVO II's, long travel. Bluggh
Wrong fork for my Orange totally, may be a nice fork, just not on that bike.Rock Shox Mag 20's, seals blew with alarming regualrity. Swapped them for a Control Tech stem and a set of Tange Big Forks. Much Better.
Tioga Factory XC tyres. What a pile of s**t. How to make any bike feel awful. Came as standard on my Mrs' Kona Nu Nu, changed them for Panaracer trail blasters and saved 1 1/2 lbs off the bikes weight, and made it nice to ride.
When they first came out I had a GT RTS3 for a weekend as I was intrigued, nearly bought one, glad I got the demo week end as it saved me a lot of money.
Those the the only things that I have really disliked, everything else I could live with.
m1kesmith
Old School Hero
I had a raleigh bomber that was really heavy and only had 3 gears, then a peugeot Ranger with 10 gears and a frame with a very soft front end. having bent 3 frames i moved on to a raleigh discovery. Bent that too and replaced the frame with a Saracen traverse.
Thats when i started enjoying mountain biking andthe bug really bit.
Thats when i started enjoying mountain biking andthe bug really bit.
velomaniac
MacRetro Rider
A late 1980's West German built cheapo from a company that had obviously heard of mtb's but had never actually seen one.
The geometry was extremely slack with a very raked fork but a very long stem, almost as if they had wanted slow steering and quick steering at the same time but achieved neither !
The bottom bracket height was 13" and the gearing very high, a 52/42 double chainset with a 14-28 5 speed freewheel. Down hill was great, uphill was not an option.
Pressed steel canti brakes and steel rims shod with very heavey block tread tyres meant poor brakes in dry to no brakes in wet.
Nice shade of red though with a comfy foam saddle !
My Townsend Beartooth of 1994 was a sophisticated pleasure in comparison to the German Heap, although I still have an affection for high tensile steel cheapo mtb's both past and present, a Raleigh Massif among my current crop.
The geometry was extremely slack with a very raked fork but a very long stem, almost as if they had wanted slow steering and quick steering at the same time but achieved neither !
The bottom bracket height was 13" and the gearing very high, a 52/42 double chainset with a 14-28 5 speed freewheel. Down hill was great, uphill was not an option.
Pressed steel canti brakes and steel rims shod with very heavey block tread tyres meant poor brakes in dry to no brakes in wet.
Nice shade of red though with a comfy foam saddle !
My Townsend Beartooth of 1994 was a sophisticated pleasure in comparison to the German Heap, although I still have an affection for high tensile steel cheapo mtb's both past and present, a Raleigh Massif among my current crop.
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all road bikes made of alu for me so harsh that all fun was lost dudes no soul in alu no soul at all not cool :cry: :cry: steel is real repeat after me steel is real ooww and riding a ralight arena my first real road bike it was god awful almost put of road bikes for ever
Will Palmer
Retro Guru
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Geoff":2eio34lr said:
Yup, putting Marzocchi's on their bikes was the biggest mistake Kona made in the 90's IMHO... I never liked the offset crown... made the bike look so wrong from the side.
They look far better with Manitou's
