What's the worst bicycle you ever owned?
#101
pan y agua
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So that exact bike could wobble horribly for one rider and not at all for another.
__________________
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
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#102
Grouchy Old man
RE: GMC Denali
I had the GMC Denali. The frame was built like a tank, which I liked, because it could take a bit of a beating. It wasn't uncomfortable to ride. The components were garbage but I was going to replace them out, in a piecemeal fashion. That didn't work out sadly. I still wanted to rebuild the bike, but had to leave it behind when I moved. It wasn't the worst bike I ever road though. It served it purpose...no hate towards you. I knew what I was getting into and dealt with the issues as they came up.
#103
my nice bike is at home
Sears "Free Spirit"... I actually raced it when I was 13 or so... today that would be deemed child abuse. The bike weighed 1/3 of my weight 30 lbs to my 90... ugh..
Every bike since was incrementally better but only slightly it was painful, bike by bike rise to a pretty fine 30 year old Rossin, which is still great.
Every bike since was incrementally better but only slightly it was painful, bike by bike rise to a pretty fine 30 year old Rossin, which is still great.
__________________
BMC Race Machine / BMC Team Machine / Rossin Record / 80's Pinarello Traviso / Merlin MTB / Raleigh "Folding 20" / Ti-Swift (!)
Erikson w/C&C couplers / Trek's: 2300, 1200, 990 / Jamis 'Sputnik'
BMC Race Machine / BMC Team Machine / Rossin Record / 80's Pinarello Traviso / Merlin MTB / Raleigh "Folding 20" / Ti-Swift (!)
Erikson w/C&C couplers / Trek's: 2300, 1200, 990 / Jamis 'Sputnik'
Last edited by kraftwerk; 09-15-20 at 06:35 PM.
#104
Zoom zoom zoom zoom bonk
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: New Zealand
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The BMX I used to bike to school and deliver papers had no brakes (I went through a lot of shoes slowing down on the hills).
Everything else since has been a luxury.
Everything else since has been a luxury.
#105
Mother Nature's Son
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Sussex County, Delaware
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Bikes: 2014 Orbea Avant MD30, 2004 Airborne Zeppelin TI, 2003 Lemond Poprad, 2001 Lemond Tourmalet, 2014? Soma Smoothie
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I cannot think of a "worst bike" I have ever owned. The bike I have owned, and still do, that I least like riding is my Orbea Avant. It is a nice bike, great looking, decent components, but I just do not like riding it. I had to try a CF bike, and this is the one I chose, partly because of the sale price when I purchase it. I do not like how noisy it is. The CF frame seems to reverberate whatever noise comes from the drive train, wheels, etc. It drives me crazy. I also find it rough riding and uncomfortable, I rode it yesterday, only 23 miles, and thought to myself that it just may be the last time I ride it.
#106
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My worst bike - Raleigh Seneca mountain bike (1985). The bike had steel bullmoose handlebars that transmitted so much buzzy vibration to my hands that they would become numb. Once the bars and were replaced with an aluminum stem and aluminum bars the bike was okay.
#107
serious cyclist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Austin
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Technically, it must be the junky Magna I rode around the yard as a kid. As an adult, it must be the Fuji Cross Pro I had as my first "real" bike, which wasn't terrible but was worse than the TCR Alliance, S1, P2, and R2, so it gets the "worst" label. None was truly "bad", though.
#108
Junior Member
In 1994 I lived in Beijing for three months. I bought a few of the basic bikes everyone rode around so I could tour the city on weekends. Beyond bad but was fun to be riding in the pack as there were very few cars and millions on bikes. I think the brand was Pigeon. So much fun.
#109
Senior Member
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I wouldn't say worst bike I've owned but more in the sense of least liked was the 2012 Cervelo S5. Prior to that, I had a '09 S2, then a '10 S2 so I was expecting the S5 to be all that and then some. Unfortunately it wasn't and within 3 months, I sold it.
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#111
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A 1999 Gary Fisher Kai-Tai MTB. Quality-wise it was very good but I just could never dial it in so I was comfortable with the geometry. I rode it a lot though with lots of great times on singletrack and mountain trails. I was always fiddling with the saddle and stem adjustments.
Last edited by GeneO; 09-18-20 at 06:45 PM.
#112
pan y agua
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Jacksonville
Posts: 31,275
Bikes: Willier Zero 7; Merlin Extralight; Calfee Dragonfly tandem, Calfee Adventure tandem; Cervelo P2; Motebecane Ti Fly 29er; Motebecanne Phantom Cross; Schwinn Paramount Track bike
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Setting aside the no bad bikes viewpoint, my worst bike would have to have been a Lambert with the death fork.
they had nice adds though.
they had nice adds though.
__________________
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
#113
Senior Member
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My dad bought himself a Sears Free Spirit three speed from Sears. It had a Shimano three speed hub and handbrakes front and rear. It was a cheaper version of a Raleigh Sport. I ended up riding it way more than he ever did. The only complaint I had with the bike is that the frame was flexible. Really flexible. It did not have lugs and looked like the tubes were just press fit together. They were probably brazed, but this was not as strong as a fillet braze or lugs.
Despite that, I rode that bike all over. No problem with the hub, the brakes or wheels going out of true. I ended up removing the fenders and painting the frame blue from a Duplicolor car paint spray can. Then rode it a bunch more.
Despite that, I rode that bike all over. No problem with the hub, the brakes or wheels going out of true. I ended up removing the fenders and painting the frame blue from a Duplicolor car paint spray can. Then rode it a bunch more.
#114
aka Tom Reingold
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I was a bike mechanic in my young days. I worked on a few Tyler kids' bikes. Tyler is a Polish brand. I guess they chose the name to make it sound appealing. The steel they used for nuts and bolts was soft, so lots of stripping and rounding happened. The rear dropouts were pointed down to the back. The only way to tighten the axle nuts with the wheel in position was to sit on the ground, put my feet on the pedals, pull the bike back with one hand, tighten an axle nut with the other hand, then switch hands and do the same.
Since this asked about bikes we had, I did flip one of these Tyler kids' bikes in my bike flipping days, so I had one, too. I didn't ride it, though.
Since this asked about bikes we had, I did flip one of these Tyler kids' bikes in my bike flipping days, so I had one, too. I didn't ride it, though.
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
#115
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I have at least 14 bikes now, maybe more. I had some others as a kid. I never had a worst bike. Every bike I ride, I get home with a smile, and think, why did I ever get another?
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#116
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I had a 1980's Peugeot - it was an electric brown color which matched the shade in my drawers when the seat post suddenly snapped in twain after a hard brake stop.