indyfabz

Schwinn 754. Spokes kept breaking. The seat post with the internal quill kept sliding down. Bearings fell out of the cassette. I was so happy when I finally got a good job out of law school so I could trash that thing and buy a good bike.

SHBR

2011 Giant FCR3300



I made the mistake of buying this new, not intending to ride that much, which most people who bought this bike do. The largest size available was 54CM, so it was too small for me, I made it work by getting a longer seat post and stem. Many of the stock parts failed within 5000KM. Stretched chain, RD snapped in half (JRA), mini V brakes that used standard V brake levers combined with low quality pads required a death grip for adequate stopping power. The stock tires would flat sometimes three times during a typical 50KM ride. The headset was a cheapo pressed in cage bearing unit that used tiny bearings, became pitted in short order, the frame however is compatible with internal bearings. The wheels were especially horrible, multiple broken spokes, never stayed true, even re-spoked the rear wheel only to have the hub flange and rim develop stress fractures.

Replaced many parts, (handbuilt wheels, tires, new brakes, pads, levers, RD, crankset, BB and headset) and it still sucked. Short wheelbase, high BB, and toe overlap made for an awful handling bike, crashed three times, resulting in broken bones every time.

Went back to the states a few years back and retrieved my CAAD-3 mountain bike frame, and built it up a year later. I was AMAZED at the difference in ride quality and handling, sold the FCR and have been crash free ever since.

cydewaze

When I was young, my only source of bikes was our local police auction. My stepdad bought me an old Fuji that ended up having a bent frame near the head tube. Impossible to ride with no hands and difficult with. I eventually stripped it for parts (and ended up with around 3 usable ones).

FLJeepGuy

I bought a couple garage bike racks on the cheap from a guy on CL and he threw in two MTB-style bikes he and his wife had purchased from a big-box store for use on a Halloween zombie-themed ride. They were "assembled" by the store, and then the owner spray painted them both matte black from end to end. Everything was painted... cables, wheels, spokes, gears, brakes, derailleurs, etc. He said they rode them on the ride and then never touched them again. They were only a couple of months old.

I tried to clean them up and get them in working condition to donate to a local shelter, but they were so gummed up I never could get them shifting or braking properly. Luckily he threw in the lights and helmets, and I stripped the tires, tubes, and seats and other salvageable bits before I tossed them in the trash.

BoSoxYacht

I bought it extremely cheap as a used Demo bike, but it only had about 100 miles of use. I was working at a shop at the time, and a customer that came in one day, bought it for over $1k more than I paid.

Bluechip

I'd have to say it was a Specialized RockCombo (think early gravel bike). I bought it used after it had been converted to straight bars. It was my messenger bike for several years and it held up fine with tons of abuse. So I can't say it was a bad bike at all. In fact I wish I still had it with the correct drop bars. It was a lot of fun.

BoSoxYacht

I remember those frames. They looked great, but I couldn't let myself buy one because of that stupid seatpost.

Darth Lefty 

That's the thing, isn't it? I had a BMX put together for me by my bike-hoarder grandad. BBQ-paint handlebars and silver spray paint frame. Loved it. I distinctly remember I couldn't get over it at first without starting from a curb, and he changed the cranks as my legs got longer. It was probably an awful POS

Shuffleman

I have the CLX 3.0 and absolutely love the bike. I have not ridden the CX1 but do admire them. I am curious what it is about the bike that you do not or did not like? It just seems like such a great bike to have listed as one of your worst bikes ever having owned.
If that is the worst bike you have owned, what is your best bike having owned If you say De Rosa, I will be seriously green with envy.

BoSoxYacht

The frame was fine, that wasn't the issue. I bought that bike as pictured for less than the price of the frame because it was a demo. I'm not a fan of SRAM, so when I was offered a good price I sold it.

kaisersling

Probably my 1990 Diamond Back Interval. This was their initial entry into the road bike genre. So I should have known better (I was 18 and it had a sweet paint job). The actual bike/components were fine. But the wheelset, my god, the wheelset. Nearly every time I went out (especially on longer rides), I would break a spoke. I started bringing 2 or 3 spare spokes and a wrenchevery ride. I had the wheels rebuilt twice to no avail. I pretty much gave up on it. Still, I managed to suffer with it for several years as I had no money to upgrade. Somehow, I still have a soft spot for this bike and would be tempted to find another one.

indyfabz

You made the right choice. I was still in school and didn't have much disposable income. A seat stay of my rusted out Trek 660 broke on the trainer so I needed a new bike. The boyfriend of a classmate worked at a bike shop and gave me deal. Some of the bearings literally did fall out of the cassette. I brought the bike home on Amtrak for spring break and then brought it back. As I was riding home from the train station up a long climb I kept hearing little pings, and the cassette got wobbly. Didn't realize what had happened until I reached my apartment. IIRC, they were SunTour components.

kaisersling

Just read your post after I posted. I had a 1990 DB... I literally carried spokes with me and had to call the sag wagon (my dad) regularly.

banerjek

I do look big there, but I was 5 -- bike was still new for me at the time and I was teaching myself to ride

dbrook67

it would have to be my first huffy ... but once I replaced the standard bars, swapped out the frame for an aluminum fuji frame, upgraded to the ultegra groupset and slammed the handlebars, it was like riding a new bicycle!

PeregrineA1 

2001 Gary Fisher Sugar 4+. The master of chain suck, so bad that Trek/Gary Fisher did a sort of trade-in program...long after I sent it on to the next sucker. Shifted poorly and the rear suspension locked up solid when braking. To the point that it spit me off on a downhill and when I heard the CF bar snap, I though it was a portion of my body as I hurtled into a bush-rode it out with one brake lever on the broken bar swinging free.

CafeVelo

My first bike, a trek 1000. It wasn't a bad bike, but it didn't fit properly.

bikecrate

When I was in grade school I had a muscle bike knock off that I loved, but outgrew. The next bike my parents got me was a baby blue dorky three speed commuter style bike. Nothing really wrong with it, but I never "bonded" with it. I think I just stopped riding it until I got a proper road bike.

Nachoman

I took an old austro daimler frame and built it up into a fixed gear frankenbike. It sucked.

interungulate

GMC Denali, bought as a campus bike for my freshman year before I got into riding and obtained a proper bike. About 4-6cm too big for me, and I bought it used, so the brakes basically didn't work. The first few days, I'd genuinely stop it by flinging myself sideways on the bike and letting it fall on its side - nothing could break that frame.

I kept comparing it to the Jamaican bobsledding team - kind of fun in that you couldn't be sure what it would do next.

rmfnla

I also have never had a bike I didn't like, and I've had a lot of bikes.

In 1970 I bought a bike I am told I shouldn't have liked, a Lambert 15-speed with the aluminum death fork, but I never had a problem with it and I liked it just fine...

Jack Ryan

I had one of these back in the day.

wipekitty

Heh...I completely forgot that I had one of those, albeit briefly. I thought it would be a fun cruising around town bike, but it was not.

My 1999 Schwinn MTB (my college bike) was not awful, but could have been better. The frame was excellent, but the components were rather low-end; BF did not exist, and I had not discovered Sheldon Brown, so I did not maintain it properly.

Jack Tone 

That looks like a great handlebar for time trials.

daoswald

A Sears 1982 ten speed with rear disk brake. The brake made it impossible to simply replace the rear wheel that developed a flat spot, because it was impossible to find the parts. Stem indexed friction shifters were just ok. The brake lever extensions were crap. The rear disk brake would get hot enough to pop Popcorn.

But on the other hand, for a low end bike it was comfortable and saw thousands of miles.