What's the best bike you've owned?

[booge]

Was sitting here reading the forum and reminiscing about my first road bike, a beautiful 2000 Scapin EOS Team Columbus Foco steel with 9sp Dura Ace.....I should never have sold it. My new carbon roadie just isn't as nice to ride! I'm sentimental, it reminds me of when that new passion and excitement for riding started.

It bought me to thinking...What is the best/nicest bike you've owned and can't forget?

[r2160]

My Colnago M10. Just nice to ride

cheers
Glenn

[ausrandoman]

This.



Stolen from me in 1979.

[wizardhat]

The very first one.

I had a he-man bike with training wheels that came with a sword and shield. I loved that bike.

[munga]

This:

[bradman]

This.



Stolen from me in 1979.

Did that come stock with a Brooks saddle?

[srl]

Tenth birthday present, so that wold be 1973. Green Raleigh Chopper with obligatory ape hangers, banana seat and sissy bar. Freedom. Still want to get another one, even though it rode like cr#p and weighed a ton.

[Nobody]

The great thing about being a kid is you don't know that things aren't optimum and enjoy them anyway.

[bychosis]

It's a toss up between my first bike and my first MTB.

1st: A second hand dragster with a home spray job (only colour i didn't want was pink). My dad had stripped it to paint so he made me build it up with him by hiding parts all over the house with clues to where the next bit was on my birthday. It was my ticket to freedom and I must have nearly ridden the wheels off it. Still have the frame, its been stripped back and undercoated awaiting a rebuild.

1st MTB: A base model Apollo that reignited the flame and set me on a path to discovering proper MTB riding. I remember, after upgrading, going back to it a while later and wondering how I ever rode it in the scrub. It felt as if it was going to shake to bits and wouldn't stop.

[JessicaAlba]

As far as first memories go, best was my Black Hawk BMX with Cobra grips and Tuffies. Got that for my 10th bday, I think.

But best is the Felt I ride now...I've had a few "racers" over the years, but nothing like the F2. I am amazed at how far bikes have come, every time I climb on it. Honourable mention goes to the Specialized that rekindled the joy of riding a bike.

[westab]

My Repco Superlite - bought in 1991 with a typical late 80's early 90's paint job of blue forks , fluro orange, white (with fluro yellow splashes). It came with shimano exage (300) running gear and a 7 speed rear cassette. I loved it then and thought it was the best bike on the planet - and still love it now (but don't think it is the best bike on the planet).

21 years on the old girl still is a pleasure to ride and has been getting me to work all this year without any issues after a complete rebuild (except for the not so good original paintwork) over the Christmas / New year period last year. Hope she keeps going for may years to come.

[Parker]

The one that works and does the job... Annie and Ginger. Both good girls

[goneriding]

My Time VXS Translink. All carbon loveliness without the carbon twitchiness! I'm hoping one day my legs will be able to do it justice! My bike mechanic (40 year veteran) said that he'd never ridden anything like it and was amazed at the acceleration.

It has recently had an upgrade to a carbon 38 wheelset which has made it even more responsive cornering and accelerating! The harder I push it the better it responds! I'm still trying to find something I don't like about it!

My Cell Blade commuter also has to get a notable mention here due to it reliably getting me to and from work day in, day out year after year in all manner of weather conditions and states of disrepair. After ~70,000 km's it is looking a bit worse for wear, but it has plenty left in it!

[Adstar]

This:

I had one of these in '77! Loved the MX until BMX came out then I was the leper until the oldies let me upgrade!!!

[elantra]

This.



Stolen from me in 1979.

The aesthetics of that bike are awesome.
Commiserations on having it stolen.
I have a Malvern Star from the same era, which looks overall quite similar, mainly Shimano 600 gear.

The Malvern Star is a good bike to ride but slightly heavy compared to bikes today.
Probably because of the thin frame tubes it does descend slightly faster than my Aluminium bike.

But for variable terrain i concede that modern brifter gears have enormous advantages.
So this one is the jack of all trades winner for me :

[yarravalleyplodder]

I love my old crossrider with black skyways tuffs.

It carried me everywhere, including a 4 year stint on my paper rounds. I strapped the milk crate to it, and panniers at one point, lugged those papers around, back in the days when they were hand folded and put into letter boxes.

It gave me freedom and an income and I was one of a few mates that had money from 12 to 16 when I got a job at coles, I rode the bike to that job also. With the money I earnt I got a speedwell racer which was ok, but not nearly as much fun but I had a choice of chariots to get me to school each day.

Having said that I just love my Felt F75, especially since I have put my TWE wheels on it, the handling, acceleration and speed is amazing and would be the best bike I own and have owned, it may take a couple more years to provide me the same value as the old crossrider bmx though

[Cardy George]

A close second best for me was my Orbea Orca. My first 'race' frame, the handling and climbing ability blew me away on the first ride out of the shop...... Then I pumped up the tyres!

So this one is the jack of all trades winner for me :

There's just something about Fondy's that makes the ride add up to more than the specs say they should. I've got an R10 and whilst it has benefitted from my increasing knowledge of how to make a fast bike, the geometry of it lets me ride it all day as fast or as slow as I like and it never gets uncomfortable.

So this is my clear winner (pssst, it's the second one down.....)

[westab]

My Cell Blade commuter also has to get a notable mention here due to it reliably getting me to and from work day in, day out year after year in all manner of weather conditions and states of disrepair. After ~70,000 km's it is looking a bit worse for wear, but it has plenty left in it!

I have one of these as well - They are hardy to say the least and while I prefer to ride as my Superlite it is still a good ride. It may even be quicker.

[rdwaltonut]

I haven't had very many bikes, had one for 9 years, a 2004 Cannondale R1000 with Ultegra group, but I would have to say the Cannondale Jekyll of the same year, gloss black, with Shimano XT group. Amazing

[singlespeedscott]

For me it's my Columbus SLX tubed Berretto. So comfy to ride, even though its a little to small.

[ldrcycles]

My 1986 Dawes Shadow, i could look at it all day, but only if riding it all day wasn't an option. Amazingly fast, extremely comfortable, my best friend (unless my fiancee asks, in which case she is haha ).I'll never let either of them go.

[Percrime]

1981 Bates custom. I bought two.. on for the GF and one for me. The gf bolted when I was injured and ended up swapping hers for food. I still have mine. She has 2 other exes and two kids and works for the pleece farce. I has good taste in bikes anyway.

[g-boaf]

I've only ever had two bikes. One was a BMX ages ago when I was a young kid, and my current Trek Madone.

I can't say the bmx was particularly interesting - but the Trek I love. I can happily ride that bike all day. And now I'm starting to get more fit, my legs are getting stronger and I'm becoming a better rider, I'm discovering what it is capable of (and what I'm capable of if I train hard).

It has brought me a level of fitness I didn't ever believe I'd have.

[Mustang]

The Viner

The Vitus

The Pinarello

The Hetchins ....will be ready soon

But I guess the Viner at this stage is on par with the Hetchins, They are all beautiful

[sumgy]

I still own them.
My Moots that I have now owned for 5 years:



and my Blacksheep that I have now owned for about 4 years: