This poll is closed
On The Sexiest AM/FR/Enduro Hardtail thread we decided to have a poll to decide what has been the sexiest bike of 2017. Over the last week, candidates have rolled in and the most-nominated bikes short listed. 6 bikes were clearly leading the pack. In no particular order, the nominations are:
About Us
Contacts FAQ Terms of Use Privacy Policy Sign Up! SitemapAdvertise
AdvertisingCool Features
Submit a Story Product Photos Videos Privacy RequestRSS
Pinkbike RSS Pinkbike Twitter Pinkbike Facebook Pinkbike Youtube Pinkbike Instagram
Anyway; do you have any pictures? Is it possible to export them? I can imagine people that would like to ride a North Korean bike just for fun...
This was my beautiful gnar sled! I doubt with all the sanctions on the country you'd be able to get them out. It was weird enough travelling there, let alone trying to get a bike out. I did get some interesting propaganda stuff though, posters, newspapers, books etc.
Here's the story on the Blackbird:
www.peterverdone.com/sr-71-blackbird
(of the actual plane... got literally nothing to do with bikes but i really like this article and sharing it with people)
maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/7821-Major-Brian-Shul-I-loved-that-jet.html
On an aside, his article on the importance on engagement is an entertaining blend of engineering and humor.
"Bicycle ‘mechanics’ are generally very inexperienced riders. They spends their days in workshops talking trash and theorizing about this and that. They wax their beards and go out for beers with their boyfriends after work. Late at night, the gaze into the blue glow of their screens to see what has happened on some message board about the artisanal use of cork bar tape."
Cheers for that! What a rush!
I'm not on any forums but this is a looker if you're into this sort of thing...
www.pinkbike.com/u/banffowen/album/Sheena-the-Show-n-Shine-Winner
www.pinkbike.com/photo/15480021
www.btr-fabrications.com/portfolio/robin-comrie-ranger-109
Unno would probably get nominated too, if they made an all mtn bike. www.pinkbike.com/photo/14144266
I wonder whether the other frames on my shortlist were even considered. I was considering the Pinion gearbox but eventually dropped it. One beauty I considered was the Portus Cycles Krowd Karl ED. While Pinkbike was way too busy moaning about e-bikes on Eurobike they completely missed this one, complete with Intend USD forks:
enduro-mtb.com/en/trail-enduro-bike-highlights-eurobike-2017/8
Fair enough it couldn't have been on the PB forum simply as it hasn't been finished yet. Delivery should be in April. Or Alex Claus (the owner/welder) himself should have submitted it.
Deserves to win this natty poll.
voted for the Dark Red PVD SR-71 Blackbird, it looks like it has the right geo.
got a Liteville H3 and whenever it goes downhill, uphill, sideways I love it, never felt so confident on a bike.
Sexy: Stanton's ST. Brushed Ti. Neat chainstay yokes on the Stanton and PVD. That purple-blue fade finish. Nice little detailed touches, like PVD gusset by rear brake and hooded dropouts. Tube diameter proportions on the PVD.
Honorable mention: How Stanton's DT connects to the TT and HT. How PVD machined his chainstay yoke (have to see his website).
I tried to avoid rating based on the components, but I'll admit that they had a factor in my vote. Some of them are responsible for causing the illusions...
Better pic of the Swarf here
Another cool on I found on Insta:
www.instagram.com/p/BbxxkkCnYa8
Nope...full 30mm spindle in a Hope threaded BB
Paid ad article conspiracy?
www.pinkbike.com/photo/15482575
www.pinkbike.com/photo/14288608
I feel sorry for the stanchions on a few o those rigs
Fork manufacturers must engineer in how much strength an support a stanchion needs. Some of these bikes have silly HA's and must be pushing those limits
otherwise the winner
Here's a great game to play:
www.peterverdone.com/the-msrp-challenge
Granted they're cheap, but sexy.
m.pinkbike.com/photo/14278592
I guess it is ‘enduro’.
My Carbon Stache is a custom 9.8 has XTR drivetrain, Carbon goodness everywhere, carbon hoops. proper build specs,(devil is in the details) big f*cking tires, etc I like mine more Opinions are like a*sholes, everyone has One
www.pinkbike.com/photo/15482293
Have you tried a long / slack hardtail? For trail riding, especially in the slop they really are pretty good to ride. Sure hey are not the best at the pump track but that's not what they are for.
Give one a go, but if not there are plenty of 'normal' hardtail still left.
Though (as I’ve said before) I think that hardtails do not make good trail bikes. In fact they make quite awful trail bikes. At least they do here. Hardtails are great for beginners and/ or for a cheap versatile bike to use at the bmx track, pump track, dirt jumps, shopping trip for fags and crisps (Adam do you hear me, over). If you stretch the thing like that you rob it of it’s versatility. So you’ve just got a shit trail bike, shit pump track bike, and you look silly on your way to get nappies.
Similarly as some others have said anything over ~130mm travel on a hardtail is just as daft. You end up with this janky, inconsistent ride unless you ride the forks so firm that you’re not using the travel anyway (which is ok, actually. But that’s not why people buy em, they buy because ENDURO). Nope, hardtails should not try to mimic long travel enduro bikes. It ruins everything that hardtails had going for them.
Not sure HT's make bad trail bikes as a whole, I used one as a trail bike for pretty much a year and had a lot of fun but the trails were not super rough - I suppose it depends on what you get upto on your 'trail bike' but I found my local rides more 'fun' on a hardtail which probably has more to do with the increase in difficulty and reduced stability of the bike.
I agree that the super long and slack bikes won't make good all-rounders but a lot of guys don't do much other than trail / singletrack anyway.
I suppose hardtails are just like any bike - no one bike can do everything.
My meta sx! With Sixpack components, Rockshox Lyrik (neon green plasti dipped) and Sram 1x10 drive train
m.pinkbike.com/photo/15480684
Look on the "bright side" though you would be easy to find in a rescue situation.
Personally I.can.not.wait for the Gnarpoon - HT's don't shiver my timbers.
Doesn't look like a Rune to me? But anyway - that one.
They plan to release it for sale in around 8 weeks time? How is that even possible if they plan to do even the smallest amount of actual, real-world product testing? (No FEA doesn't count, I have enough experience there to know it is a good tool but not a substitute for the real world)
There is a reason a frame takes quite some time to come to market under every other brand, especially when methods such as bonding are being applied but I suppose using the customer as the test rider is fine.
"sexiest"?
Which virgin chose that as the adjective?
I was racing hardtails when you guys were getting your first hard on. I evolved. They're shit. Even WC XCO racers don't use them.