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Yeah, that makes sense, although I’d heard that claim about URT before the Mantra arrived I think.
The thing people miss about URT is that it was designed to do exactly what it did. Released when full suss was only just filtering down to affordable levels it was meant to be a soft landing for people who had rigid or front suss bikes and were not sure they'd like fully active rear suspension.
Just to update, anything with the downtube heading anywhere other than the centre of the bottom bracket. I look at modern frames and just wonder, why?
this magnificent beast…
🙀
Knolly – any of them but especially this
I think the whole s-shaped downtube thing - especially when coupled with a bendy top tube is just hideous. A tube thats only job is to tie two parts together - that could almost be done with a piece of string - somehow managing both get fat and lost when travelling between those two point.
I had to replace my bike on insurance back in 2013 - no bike - money burning a hole - just a load of horrible bendy jelly bikes on the market. If I hadn't tracked down a banshee prime in my size I dont think I would have bought anything 🙂
I think the Klein Matra was obviously flawed from a dymmaic point of view but it was only the idea that was ugly - for the time it looked great. But the WTB Bon Tempe did the same bad thing in a much more attractive way - drawing a line with that monocoque toptube to the rear dropout instead of the seat clamp - And did it in titanium just to tick all of the FS Faux Pas boxes. I'd buy one and just lock out the shock.
somehow managing both get fat and lost when travelling between those two point.
Ugh yes - fat downtubes are horrible. At least ebikes have an excuse for them. Anything else it just makes it look like an ebike.
I know Knolly have their fans, but it does seem like they make them look terrible on principle.
Like, "it must ride great if it looks as bad as that".
I think the whole s-shaped downtube thing
Can someone explain what the bend at the bottom bracket in a S-shaped downtube is for?
I get that the bend at the headtube is to allow more room for the wheel if you've got a long travel fork but I can't see any use for the other bend.
WTB Bon Tempe did the same bad thing in a much more attractive way
Can someone explain what the bend at the bottom bracket in a S-shaped downtube is for?
Generally its so you can fit shock and bottle in there.
36er from truebike.
From temudgin ☝️
Cheers kayak
That Truebike has some good lines actually, I do appreciate the overall proportions and balance. A good design overall imho.
Yeah, considering the fact it's a 36er and most 36ers look like compete clown bikes, they've done some interesting things to keep it somewhat proportional.
Can someone explain what the bend at the bottom bracket in a S-shaped downtube is for?
Integrated rock guard?
Can someone explain what the bend at the bottom bracket in a S-shaped downtube is for?
If it didn't have the bend at the bottom, it'd miss.
I quite like the look of the Mantra, the Proflex K2 from a similar era however just look gopping.
We had a stand at Sea Otter next to the Truebike owner (and his wife IIRC). Nice people. He's not as tall as you'd think and the bikes are pretty nice.
If it didn’t have the bend at the bottom, it’d miss.
If the Downtube is going to miss the BB then all serious bike designers know that you just need some more bottom brackets.
That’s a lot of words to say ‘we ordered too short a down tube’
To be fair, questionable designs go back a good 150 years with the penny farthing.
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And going back 200 years with the Klein Mantra V1
[img] 
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sync
To be fair, questionable designs go back a good 150 years with the penny farthing.
Not sure they were ever intended as Mountain bikes tbh.
Not sure they were ever intended as Mountain bikes tbh.
That's what they used to go wherever they could, it's not like most roads back then were anything more than grass, mud or gravel tracks.
It was only 25-30 years ago mountain bikes were now what are essentially gravel bikes.
Classic steel frames, 1.8-2.1 tyres if lucky, rigid forks or maybe a smidgen of travel, narrow flat bars with huge bar ends. All pretty rough looking.
I had the below first time round (not my pics), I rode the same trails on those that I now ride on AM Full Suspension or Hardcore Hardtails, albeit faster and in more comfort now.
[img] 
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The raleigh activator was everywhere in the early-mid 90s. In terms of mass produced over saturated ugly bikes that prob wins by volume....
Crikey. I had an activator. Didn’t realise it was quite that ugly!
If it didn’t have the bend at the bottom, it’d miss.
Like!
That’s a lot of words to say ‘we ordered too short a down tube’
Pretty much my conclusion 🙂
Anything with black on it.
Alright I will allow tyres.
I foolishly thought that FL-01 would've hands down put an end to this thread 🙈
Anything with black on it.
Anything covered in an over the top assortment of colourful anodised parts.
I do like the way that it's perfectly possible to uglify a perfectly fine frame (especially BITD) by simply looking for a photo of a 20" or XL bike 🤣
As the owner of a set of disproportionatly lengthy limbs, I vividly recall trying to find photos of XL bikes to check that they weren't completely gopping compared to the M versions that everyone photographed for the catalogue...
I vividly recall trying to find photos of XL bikes to check that they weren’t completely gopping compared to the M versions that everyone photographed for the catalogue…
As a 6'6" rider its the best thing about 29ers frankly. It would be nice if there were more wheel size choices for road bikes.
Technically not a mountain bike, but not really a road bike either.
That guy at the back isnt pedalling he just uses those cattle prods to make the guy in front pedal harder
Astoundingly, this is for sale, new, right now, at Evans. What was the orders department thinking?
https://www.evanscycles.com/brand/muddyfox/recoil-26-inch-mens-mountain-bike-938441#colcode=93844148
They were going to call it "Recoil in Horror" but shortened it for production
Anything covered in an over the top assortment of colourful anodised parts.
Ever looked at the comments after a Hope social media post?
An awful lot of people showing they have All The Hope and None Of The Restraint.
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.
See what I mean.
Specialized Enduro stands out as the mass market bike closest to the current 'enduro standard', no wonder it was so popular looking at what the others were doing.
Amazing all the abominations that time has cleansed from my memory…
Holy dropper post limitations batman! 😀
stoundingly, this is for sale, new, right now, at Evans. What was the orders department thinking?
At least they were wise enough to name it the "Recoil (in horror!)" 😛
Muddy Fox have made some real beauties. Didn't realise they still had the same design department! 😲
Dowotnow?
I keep misreading this thread and think it is The Ugliest Mountainbikers of all time - rather glad it isn't.
This deserves a showing even though it doesn't meet the brief.
Very much does...that is ugly!
Another UMF from MF
how high?
Holy dropper post limitations batman! 😀
Sat on a virtual meeting reading this thread. Burst out laughing. Wasn't on mute. Thanks
Astoundingly, this is for sale, new, right now, at Evans. What was the orders department thinking?
Evans have long had a history of trying to cash in on various cheap bike offers.
My guess is they were offered them at £20 a pop or something and snapped up the last 400 in the country. They did that occasionally with all manner of appalling bikes when I worked there. And amazingly, they sold!
Mostly to students who wanted a heap of shit to leave outside uni. Occasionally to people who'd been caught up in a tube strike or similar and wanted something to get home on. And sometimes just to parents buying their kid a "mountain bike".
They always had shit names too. Recoil, Raw, Havoc, Xtreme, Shooter (which we renamed Shitter). All along that sort of theme. Must be thousands of them at the bottom of every canal and river in the country.
Four pages, 120 posts and no-one has mentioned the Maverick ML7?
I used to have one of those I didn't get on with it. It just didn't work,plus the forks pissed all the oil over the front brake. The various elements of rear suspension failed in turn.
Not one of my better purchased. 🙂
I used to have a 24seven Dark Angel dh.
Didn't think it was ugly at the time, but the years haven't been kind. Although, there's definitely worse, as evidenced in the above.
Not mine below
I also used to have an Intense M1
Looks proper like a BSO now.
(not mine below. I mean, yellow cranks? 🤮)
And I had A Trek Diesel.
Used to think that was pretty good looking.
Funny how your perception changes.
Looks gopping now.
Not mine below
Evans have long had a history of trying to cash in on various cheap bike offers.
My guess is they were offered them at £20 a pop or something and snapped up the last 400 in the country. They did that occasionally with all manner of appalling bikes when I worked there. And amazingly, they sold!
Evans are owned by Sports Direct, SD own Muddy Fox.. so Evans sell them.
Very few brands managed to make good looking URT frames, Orange clearly didn't 
However this one does tickle my fancy
If anyone has a Cannondale Raven and doesn't like it, I'll happily re-home it for you.
Amazing all the abominations that time has cleansed from my memory…
was that still on the roof when someone drove into the garage?
The new stuff for sure.
Slack forks with steep seat angle, very few look good.
Then offenders like Marin add some crazy suspension layout.
M1 Sportechnik
🤮🤮🤮
Id like to enter a candidate for the greatest uglification between model years award
Unno Dash....why!!!
Holy carp! 😳☝️😳
Unno Dash….why!!!
One is a nice-enough looking but very generic MTB, could be any brand. The other is a brand making a statement and doing something genuinely different. If they don't need to sell that many then it's better to be different and polarise opinion than be generic. I like it tbh..
Generic! Thats harsh, I prefer 'classic'. Its a stunning example of a classic design that I would definitely buy if I was a millionaire. The new one on the other hand is hideous; on account of trying to be different for the sake of it. Looks like a Picasso gone wrong.
on account of trying to be different for the sake of it.
Obviously not a veteran of the 'Standover Height Wars' from 1996 - 1999.
This is just a very late entry.
Obviously not a veteran of the ‘Standover Height Wars’ from 1996 – 1999.
This is just a very late entry.
That's true
On Wednesdays when I like to wear a skirt this would be ideal!
Nice to see a bike based on what we used to call a ‘ladyback’. Certainly not enough serious MTBs with that look 😁
Have we done a 99 Kona Stab yet?
unique I suppose
That Kona is kinda reminiscent of the old Scott Octane DH bike with the saddle so huge it was bolted on twice.
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Is that Kona Stab the one Fabien Barel chopped the headube off and welded it back on* in the name of LLS before it was a thing?
*possibly voiding his warranty
Generic! Thats harsh, I prefer ‘classic’. Its a stunning example of a classic design
Classic, maybe - quite conventional layout and very well styled.
Thankfully I'd forgotten those Konas. Oof :/
Removing the viel on The Veli 🤢
I'm genuinely not sure which one of those Unnos is supposed to be the ugly one.
But I also think the ML7 and Stab on this page still look good, so what the hell do I know...
The stab never looked good...
I admire what he is trying to achieve, and would love a go, but from a distance & in the dark.
That's.... different 🤔
Thread closed! No idea what he is trying to do.