You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
What would get your vote?
Almost any Turner for me 🤔
Topic has been done before. Klein Mantra is all-time champion.
Paperclip Bike wins the amateur class.
The old Proflex, with Girvin forks?
I had one, and would buy another for nostalgic reasons, but it ain't pretty!
Ellsworth. All of em.
Redalp.
Some of the weirder Nicolais from the early 00’s
The old Proflex, with Girvin forks?
Klein still wins.
Well that Mantra is pretty special, I did want one in the late 90s, but luckily couldn't afford.one.
not watched the video yet, but do any Whyte E-bikes feature?
Also, I have huge respect for whoever created the PaperClip bike. It's like the Star Wars kid, got relentlessly mocked online but deserves credit for actually doing something, did a better job than most of us could do. However, the people that made the Klein were supposed to be professionals.
Nowt wrong with that Klein Mantra that removing those stupid forks in the picture wouldn’t cure. Nice set of Judys or SIDs and it’s lovely…
As someone incurably stuck in the 90s with regard to mountain bikes, I reckon everything made in the last ten years is ugly.
The Klein up there looks worse as it has totally the wrong fork and front wheel on it.
1998 Marin Quake fits the bill as ugly though!
A more interesting question would be what company continuously churned out the most amount of ugly bikes, Cannondale have a long list of hideous munters.
A more interesting question would be what company continuously churned out the most amount of ugly bikes
Ellsworth
Ellsworth
Yeah, actually when I said Turner in the op, I meant Ellsworth (although not a fan of Turners in the main)
Topic has been done before.
Not this week. 😊
Nukeproof Giga and the Santa Cruz Hightower it was copied from. Utterly hideous when I first saw them. Still think the tube forward of the BB looks stupid but at least the colours come in something other than pastel shades now.
Mantras have always looked weird but I wouldn't say they were ugly, that's a good cargo fork but not something I'd put on an already noodly FS. V Ravens and Trek VRX on the other hand haven't aged well at all. There were definitely worse DH bikes than the Nikolais too, I remember one Dutch one that looked like it was inspired by a Mk1 Tank.
Nowt wrong with that Klein Mantra that removing those stupid forks in the picture wouldn’t cure. Nice set of Judys or SIDs and it’s lovely…
Elsworths, all of them.
Fat bikes, all of them.
The Be One dh bikes (and a lot of the 90s/00s Euro stuff) were a special kind of ugly.
Anything with a SuperMonster fitted to it.
Most ebikes, though they're getting better.
Special mentions...
Time has not been kind to the Raven, but I remember at the time thinking it was amazing. The Kleins also look pretty boak, but kinda did at the time!
The Klein didn't exactly float my boat at the time, but it did look futuristic and expensive - rather than just plain minging.
Astonishing that Pole are currently making very expensive bikes which can easily hit the all-time top 10 munters list.
If it serves a purpose, I can kind of forgive a bikes looks. The Whyte PRST couldn’t ride the way it did if it looked conventional. But if it’s just because we could…… Nope.
Nowt wrong with the Mk1 Raven. (I had two, may be biased)
Not watched the video but a quick think results in:
Klein Mantra
The Pole e-bikes. Most e-bikes in fact.
Most things with bottle/rack mounts covering every square inch of them. Look like they were conceived within the Matrix.
Those weird Marins they did about 10 years ago that looked a bit Pole-esque
Anything with Haibike written on the downtube.
Came into thread expecting the Geometron G1 to be mentioned, was pleasantly surprised. 🤣
To be fair, there are some abominations in here! The 90's has a lot to answer for.
Kirk had a good 'crack' at being the ugliest!...
[img] 
[/img]
...and Cannondale Raven - nooooo, they were the bollocks back in the day. My mate had one with Spinergy's on. I was so jealous.
I owned a Whyte Preston and loved it. Pig ugly though
…and Cannondale Raven – nooooo, they were [s] the [/s] bollocks back in the day.
Ftfy
Sorry Orange.
Up close it doesn't improve.
Anything with Haibike written on the downtube.
Yup...
The newer models are getting much better, but it's still a pretty strong look imho.
Whatever happened to Bionicon?
Can't think why they wouldn't be all that popular 🤔
I used to work for the company that machined the Kirk frames. We had quite a few in various states of machining in a storeroom.
The bleach I used for my eyes must’ve got through to my brain, had completely forgotten about Pole full sussers, ebike or not!
BMW Q6.S, Whyte PRST and anything by Karpiel. Nothing wrong with the Mantra or the Raven up there! (Yes, I’m still stuck in the nineties!)
Thinking about it, it's hardly a level playing field if eebs are included, is it?
Those Haibikes just make me shake my head in disbelief. Imagine being the designer with that on your CV.
Whatever happened to Bionicon?
It's not exactly pretty, but it's perfectly fine IMO - and arguably looks more relevant now than it did at the time (when it looked a bit too burly).
kayak23
Anything with Haibike written on the downtube.
The newer models are getting much better, but it’s still a pretty strong look imho.
There is a new Haibike, a lightweight one with the smaller motor, it's a genuinely good looking bike.
First thing they have made that's not hideous
Edit - just found it, maybe I went a bit too strong. I'll say it's "not that bad"
If that's an eeb, then it's one of the best-looking out there, I agree.
Looks a bit like a toned-down Unno?
It's the best looking Haibike for sure, but there are a few better looking eebs out there; all SLs of some description. Once the huge leap in battery density that everyone wants happens you'll be hard pressed to tell an eeb from a neeb.
Saw the title and guessed 5 posts before a picture or a bike from Stainland. In true singletrack fashion I wasnt disappointed.
I was going to post up the Orange eMTB which is pretty grim. They had a prototype which was even worse (sorta box welded to down tube) but thankfully that didnt make it into production.
I've got to say the recent idler wheel (I think that's what they are called with the pulley above the chainset) bikes all look pretty horrible to me even if they are meant to ride well.
Almost pips the PRSTN to the post
That new Haibike looks very tidy...
That Proflex still looks good to me.
An Arantix Isotruss
with
ONZA HO cranks
and....
The new Ibis Oso.....
If we're doing "ugliest MTB that's actually quite popular", I'd nominate any Evil full-sus frame.
All of these - *all of them* - pale into putrid insignificance compared to this magnificent beast...
Full suspension? No.
Hardtail? No.
eBike? No.
New brand, blank design sheet, ability to create a new image? Yes.
So there is no, no reasoning for this abomination. The Vastos.
Special mention to Devinci also.
All of these – *all of them* – pale into putrid insignificance compared to this magnificent beast…
What the hell... 😱
We have a winner. Half preying mantis, half super short wheelbase bike...
So, just to put the boot in on the mantra (which is definitely fugly) but also - that suspension design doesn't suspend the pedals. So only offers rear suspension when seated...
When standing it works instead of suspension forks with the front end/bars suspended by the rear shock. So that spindly cargo fork is fine when standing...
Possibly the worst rear suspension design ever?
So, just to put the boot in on the mantra (which is definitely fugly) but also – that suspension design doesn’t suspend the pedals. So only offers rear suspension when seated…
When standing it works instead of suspension forks with the front end/bars suspended by the rear shock. So that spindly cargo fork is fine when standing…
Possibly the worst rear suspension design ever?
Wasn't that same with all URT designs though?
All of these – *all of them* – pale into putrid insignificance compared to this magnificent beast…
Are we sure that's even a bicycle?
Are we sure that’s even a bicycle?
Other photos don't help it 🤢
[url= https://i.postimg.cc/zD7X0CZ6/s1200-10411872-10202207473413938-6900391529028403919-n.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.postimg.cc/zD7X0CZ6/s1200-10411872-10202207473413938-6900391529028403919-n.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
The steering is done by about 15 million cables from the stem to the hub, jeez that must feel "nice"
All of these – *all of them* – pale into putrid insignificance compared to this magnificent beast…
It's not eligible seeing as it's not one bike, but the back halves of two different bikes that have been bolted together at random.
Jesus, I Googled for that monstrosity above, found this.
https://www.vitalmtb.com/features/Scariest-Bikes-of-All-Time,804
Wasn’t that same with all URT designs though?
Most URT designs put the pivot somewhere around the BB area for minimal effect on the sitting/standing thing.
By putting the pivot WAY up there, Klein deliberately turned their FS into a 'FS when sitting/semi hardtail when standing' bike. You could actually run.the Mantra with a rigid fork and the high pivot would act like a sort of hinge, offering suspension front and rear at the expense of the bike feeling like it was folding up underneath you...
Seemed like a good idea at the time I suppose. Plus they were certainly distinctive.
Ugh, is that a 29er? Gross!
By putting the pivot WAY up there, Klein deliberately turned their FS into a ‘FS when sitting/semi hardtail when standing’ bike. You could actually run.the Mantra with a rigid fork and the high pivot would act like a sort of hinge, offering suspension front and rear at the expense of the bike feeling like it was folding up underneath you…
Yeah, that makes sense, although I'd heard that claim about URT before the Mantra arrived I think.
bensales
Free Member
As someone incurably stuck in the 90s with regard to mountain bikes, I reckon everything made in the last ten years is ugly.
Agree.
When I were a lad the seat post and head tube angle would be roughly the same (visually anyway).
So these new fangled L-L-S beauties where the head angle is significantly slacker than the seat angle, look to this old fart like they've been sat on by an elephant and had their wheelbase splayed out.
Seeing the Paperclip bike gives me a warm fuzzy feeling 😀
My Planet X Armadillo wasn't exactly a looker.
Wait, that FL-01 is nearly ten years old? Holy shit, I thought it was a modern thing that students had done to prove a point.
I mean, I like part of the look, but...
I would like to nominate the LLS bikes lots of you are currently riding. To me they look like they are disjointed, I don't dispute that they work well, but they do look wrong.
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
All of these – *all of them* – pale into putrid insignificance compared to this magnificent beast…
reminds me of that Oppenheimer quote after realising what he had unleashed on the world
So these new fangled L-L-S beauties where the head angle is significantly slacker than the seat angle, look to this old fart like they’ve been sat on by an elephant and had their wheelbase splayed out.
THIS! ^^
I would like to nominate the LLS bikes lots of you are currently riding. To me they look like they are disjointed, I don’t dispute that they work well, but they do look wrong.
Whereas I think they look "normal" now and bikes from 10 years ago look primitive and clunky.
Knolly - any of them but especially this
i always wanted a cannondale raven f4000 with the lefty fork (and still do if i'm being honest lol)
i always loved the whyte prst-1 too (on a mtb group ride one time someone had one of them) i just love the engineering behind it as to what it was trying to do (no brake jack etc). it reminded me of the yamaha and bimota hub centre steering motorcycles from back in the 90's.
as for ugly bikes well am not keen on bikes that have a wheelbase that crosses 2 counties tbh.
All of these – *all of them* – pale into putrid insignificance compared to this magnificent beast…
Looks like a transformer that’s stuck mid transform. Probably a Go-Bot because they were really shit, useless and ugly.
Really not keen on the new Boardman FS bikes. Even in the flesh they have as much appeal as a cold cup of sick.
This generic fatbike, sold under many different names is just... wrong.
Holy standover!
The original version of this was even more gopping BITD. 😁
Rob, who created it, is (or used to be) on here sometimes. A face only a mother could love. 😜
I was actually just thinking about that downhill bike 🙂. He was using the Sachs groupset stuff iirc, 1995 ish I think. There was also a guy that used to come over for UK races from Netherlands or Belgium with monocoque aluminium frames.
Wait, that FL-01 is nearly ten years old? Holy shit, I thought it was a modern thing that students had done to prove a point.
I 'designed' a FS mountain bike with front swing arm suspension as my first industrial design project at university 29 years ago, BiMoto inspired. What really dated it was the 'Cosworth 2x2 drive'😂 TBF it was the 90s and it still looked way better than that ^
Two pics in the last 5 posts proove me right. Both the Marin and the Ibis Ebike are truly awful. There has been a fella on marketplace trying to shift the Marin for nearly 6 months and he has to add in the post 'NOT AN EBIKE' It's that bad. I think the the Ibis Mojo HD3's were nice then when The AF came out everything went south. The old Marin wolf ridge were a funky looking thing as well.
I'm an Orange fanboy but gotta agree the Ebike is no looker, the old 26er Five's ect looked weird in larger frame sizes too. I dont really like the Geometrons looks either TBH, Fantastic bikes though none the less.
FWIW I think the orange ebike is one of the best looking ebikes out there- the massive chonkyness plays well with orange's slabby aesthetic, better than it does with most curvy bikes.
But then, I owned this so what do I know?
[img] 
[/img]
Possibly the worst rear suspension design ever?
Possible competition:
That climber on the shed could do with a drink.
Special mention to Devinci also.
Was that abomination called the Devinci Escher?
I'm looking for a decent secondhand bike for my 11 year old at the moment. He needs a medium sized bike. All of the FS bikes in our price range looks so terrible.
Extra ugliness marks for anything with an externally routed dropper.
[img] 
[/img]
Gary Fisher's Joshua were a thing of beauty at the time and also super light weight compared to other full suspension offerings. The URT design did give some float when standing.
This was the era of the Whyte, Cannondale Super V / Raven and Proflex though.
looking back now, it hasn't aged well, especially in the more garish colours.
Gary Fisher’s Joshua were a thing of beauty at the time
I'm sorry, they were what???
