Bikes You Wished You Never Sold

I've had more mountain bikes than pairs of pants during the 2000's-2015. You have probably as well. But please post 2 at a time. Here are 2 of my regretful sells. 2011 stinky air and 2011 stinky deluxe.

 

I don't have a picture of my 1970s era Sears Free Spirit 10 speed...but damn I wish I still had that thing. Steel, 10-speed, friction shifters. I rode that thing everywhere. I think this is representative...

 

No pictures; 1983 Univega Alpina and 1985 Bridgestone MB 3; the rest of the good ones I've kept.

 

There's a couple old ones I wish I still had, for sentimental or rarity reasons. But honestly I wouldn't want to ride them too often, more modern bikes so much better.
~1998 Turner Afterburner DH


1999 (first year) RFX. This was my primary bike up to about 2012

 

My Wicked Fat Chance bought from Fat City Cycles in Somerville MA comes as close to regret as any.

But no real regret, ever. Every bike I've owned has fulfilled a purpose and then some – even if that purpose was to guide me to something even better.

 

Only regret I have is the prices I’ve sold some of them for. In fact I’ve had a couple I was really happy to get rid of...

 

2006 Bianch Pista- Stolen, not sold.

2008 Kona Dawg Deluxe-Smashed by a car

2000 GT Outpost- Donated-kinda regret that one.

 

But not the gravel bike...

 

Admittedly I probably would have kept it if I had someone else to ride it with and do stupid stuff. It was basically an injury looking for a place to happen.

 

It becomes a fun ride when you dump the down bars and add flat bars.

 

I’ll just put skinnies on the Les for my next experiment if the need arises. I did that on the Kona for a while and while sketchy they were fun & fast.

 

Why not Tom? Half the people I see on gravel bikes are running 27.5×2.1. Your Les would fly with 29×1.5.

 

Then it's not a gravel bike...

 

Sometimes I wish I never sold the '97 GT Xizang Team I had.....such a nice bike.

 

You would have snapped the frame by now anyway...

 

That's an opinion I do not share.

If I trade out the riser bars on a DH bike for XC flat bars, is it no longer a DH bike? Of course it is.

 

Probably....and i'd be screwed since GT went away in the early 2000's

 

Looks to me like they're still around...

 

That's not the GT I knew. They were still a local Santa Ana company then.

 

Hmmm, don't have any I regret selling, in fact, I need to sell a few more.

 

Only one I regret selling: Plastic Highball.



It went to a really good home, though...

 

Why did I assume you broke that rather than sold it?

 

None.

Perhaps the closest to regret was the Yeti 303 RDH in my avatar, but the Knolly Podium I replaced it with was certainly equal, and my days of owning and riding a dedicated DH bike are over.

Everything else I sold went to a good home for a good price and I moved on to something I liked equally or better.

PS: @Lenz Rider - you certainly like some squishy bikes!

 

Usually when I get rid of a bike.....it's like a failed relationship or ex.....I'm ready to move on.

 

A first year Stumpjumper I bought in High School.

 

Hasn't broken yet!!!

I think that's always the go-to assumption! But you know, come to think of it, @Faust29 hasn't busted a bike in a while...

 

In 2005, Cambria Bike decided to close out all their Kona new, old stock and I was lucky to get this new 1998 Kona Stinky Deluxe frame. Even by 2005, the frame's head tube angle and chainstay lengths were like almost a XC frame, but I bought it anyways. It didnt come with a shock, they pilfered that long ago (which was good) and I bought a modern Vanilla RC. The cable routing was still implemented for cable brakes which sucked so tie strips came in handy. I kinda wish I still had that bike, it was during Kona's glory days and on almost every ride somebody always asked if I wanted to sell it.

 

A guy breaks three bikes in a couple years, and the internet never forgets.

 

Giant and Salsa both disagree with that... Their popular gravel bikes can be ordered with flat bars or drop bars. I considered that option before I settled on the Sutra. The Toughroad was a really close second.

 

That is a cool looking bike... I saw one at the luge flag a year or so ago. Nowhere near as nice as the one in your picture, but it was still a beast of a bike!