Not liking your bike or gear

Sell it quick.

People are still into these overbuilt heavy pointless SUV bikes, but it won't last. Before you know it the trend will move and you'll be stuck with it.

There are loads of amazing bargains on beautiful light skinny steel frames, not to mention carbon weapons.

You've got kids and Victorian house you say? Well you're not touring to Mongolia are you. A quick weekend blast on something fun is better, even if some dreery Internet bore or West Cost influencer tries to convince you that you'll technically be faster using a 29 x 4.0 on your tour of Mongolia with massive steel handle bars.

#bethechange

How about installing some 700c wheels and fast 45-48mm tyres on the bridge club and give it a new color?

Sell the Surly. I had one , never got on with it so sold it for something better. Have never regretted doing so.

It's not about the bike...

I like my bikes well enough, but my current body can fuck right off

Amen to that

Opposite problem: I like all my bikes and can't bring myself to get rid of any

Sell your body...

By way of Surly deprecation, I only ride mine in the winter and irrespective of what I've ridden in the prior months it feels heavy and listless and I hate it, then by the end of the winter it feels like an unstoppable tank and we are reconciled.

One careful owner

I have this with my rohloff Fargo.
Gave it a good year and half of regular riding in all weather and then just stopped. Should sell it really.

I feel less lonely reading this.
I've been trying to fall in love with my carbon endurance road bike, a Look optimum 765 plus, after a decade of steel and a bit of alloy here and there.
After one year of consistent riding, it still feels like a boring piece of plastic. The color is super nice but that's basically it...
Maybe it's the geometry that's too boring for me, idk...

Had this happen with a Surly straggler too, bought the frame and built it as a fancy commuter. Sold it after 3 rides. Felt heavy and didn't like the weird geometry
Same shit with a specialized langster pro.

one silly thing goes wrong with a bike can trigger a cascade of issues, many hypothetical, and i get to the point of considering selling, then the first thing gets fixed (because sometimes the fix is easy) then suddenly you love it again. on the other hand I go through a big adventure with a bike and love it for serving me well, even though it is a gopping mess and has dangerous toe overlap. it’s called projection.
edit also funny to think of people on here saying how much they hate their bikes then selling them, also on here, and saying ‘yeah, no, it’s been great, I’ll be sad to see it go’

Yeah, I'm pretty unhappy with the state of mine at the moment. At least I can finally fucking ride though I guess. I see a long, shitty winter ahead...

It's not about the bike...

It's about the gear that goes in your arm, eh Lance?

Geometry is such a huge factor. I've had a Pinnacle Arkose for several years and it's been such a useful commuter/dad/off road bike. However, the geometry makes every single ride boring.

Contrast it to my Fairlight Secan where every single off road leaves me beaming. It's not even a weight thing as I'm sure the steel Secan is heavier than the aluminium Arkose.

Yeah, it took me a long time to realize that... Funny you mention the Secan, i'm actually looking at replacing my Look bya Fairlight Secan!

solution is simple, do not ride bikes made with steel
nothing new, just love this bike, currently most used

ameyrite?

1 Attachment

Geometry is such a huge factor. I've had a Pinnacle Arkose for several years and it's been such a useful commuter/dad/off road bike. However, the geometry makes every single ride boring.

Replaced my Arkose with a Faran, it's night and day better off road and when loaded up, remains balanced and still fun.

Nudging my partner toward swapping their Arkose out for a Secan so this is great to hear. There is something about the geo which means they can't stand and climb for more than a couple of seconds but testing out my Faran, it's a breeze.

I couldn't get on with my Straggler either. I built it pretty light, was pretty fit at the time and it was just so boring. The fork wasn't great either. Saying so the fit was spot on, I usually ride a 56, went for a 54 and used 20mm more spacers than I usually would: job done. On the mid table sizes the geo is only bad if you insist on slamming the stem. IMHO.

I have had two Surlies (a cross check and a steamroller) and they were both a bit lifeless.

Of all the bikes I have sold or diposed of over the years, probably the only one I would like to ride again would be a Planet X Nanolight (circa 2011). Unfortunately I had a frontal crash and I didn't want to risk it, so it had to go.

There is nothing like when a bike feels just right though. I feel happy every time I ride my Geek (horizontal tt, rim brake), and it is steel. That is the one bike I will never sell.

Parklife!

The bike I've had the longest (Caadx 105, 2010-2024 rip) and rode the most, the only one that survived the cull when I moved from London to Berlin and felt by far the best to ride...was also the bike I liked the least. It was so practical, comfortable, versatile, fast and light, but despite all that I found it underwhelming. It's hard to explain because I even liked the way it looked. I put really decent parts on it and it was so light. It ticked every box for me, except some inscrutable IT factor. It might just be that it was aluminium and I always had some feeling I would break it.

When a very well priced cross check came along I swapped all the parts over and couldn't be happier. It doesn't hurt that I wanted a cross check for longer than I can remember.

I have a variation of this problem with an old steel cx frame which is great to ride but has sooooo many fucking niggles that I cba to get it properly sorted and consequently don't ride it out of frustration:

• canti mounts too close to easily use modern cantis
  
• BB threaded
  
• no bosses or mudguard eyes
  
• gear bosses that no known ferrel correctly fits
  
• gear ratio too high (my fault)
  
• campag dropouts don't have the cute little screws (shouldn't matter, but it bugs me)
  
  

I've found hacks and workarounds to a lot, and it's currently in SS, but it's still fucking annoying. I also feel like if sunk too much effort and money into it over the years to ever let it go. I'm actually now looking into how to braze to remedy some of these issues.

Majority of my bikes atm are steel! doesent mean I like them though. I HUGELY miss carbon. I have never been able to replicate this bike and the way I felt on it:

That is the one bike I will never sell

dibs

the way I felt on it

younger?