Bikes with that certain 'je ne sais quoi '

I haven't tried any, but there's something about Xprezo bikes that do it for me. It's probably a matter of having grown up in Montreal and pining after a Balfa. Xprezo bikes seem to keep the traits alive, including the steel rear ends.

i really liked the banshee legend i rode for a season, got it pretty cheap and put some $$'s into it. had some fun until it pissed me off and then i threw that bitch on the buy/sell like a used scratch n win

The SB66c I just sold will definitely hold a dear place in my heart. That bike was an eye opener.

And a looker to boot.

2003 Santa Cruz Heckler
White powder coat, 5th Element Coil, 1gen Pike coil u-turn, fat rubber (heavy and not a lot of grip compared to recent tires), 2x9 Shimano, no dropper, 580mm bars.

But boy had I a lot of fun with this bike.

I worked for the old UK distributor for 5 years and so had the pleasure of owning a run of these, some Morphine, Scirocco, Wraith and some others too :)

and of course the Pip original

Crikey, look at the size of 'er!

Chromoly cranks and all on that 1st gen Scream. And is that that a 24" Gazzi I spy on the back? Please say yes.

Wait, i though the Banshee phenomenon was just after we all collectively said "ok honestly, the Gazzalodi is overkill" but i could be wrong?

kind of off the back of Joyride the other week i've been digging a bit into the current crop of slope specific bikes. It looks like the Canyon is finally out of the unicorn stage, and that makes me feel good inside:
http://p.vitalmtb.com/photos/users/33294/setup_checks/31431/photos/51663/original_slopedark.JPG?1458501143

I'm not much of a trek guy, too "americana" for me, but the first time i saw a ticket in person, before they were available to the public it was sitting in the shop at Highland Park and I really wanted to try it.
Call me crazy, but this dude selling his on PB did a great job on refinishing his:

Also, that Manitou is totally a Cunningham, isn't it?

Wait, i though the Banshee phenomenon was just after we all collectively said "ok honestly, the Gazzalodi is overkill" but i could be wrong?

Also, that Manitou is totally a Cunningham, isn't it?

First off, Banshee's are awesome….I have been riding them for the past 5 years. Started with the old Rune and now on a '13 Prime and just love them. This year I have been testing a few other 29ers and can't find anything better…lots of good out there, but none that are better than my Prime so far.

As for Manitou, no, they were made by a guy named Doug Bradbury. He started with the bikes and then the forks back in the day. I believe it was Answer that bought the name and started Manitou Suspension.

Crikey, look at the size of 'er!

Chromoly cranks and all on that 1st gen Scream. And is that that a 24" Gazzi I spy on the back? Please say yes.

yes! 26"/24" wheel combo - I had a Big Hit before and liked the mismatched wheel size for freeride

we used to do lots of custom builds around Banshee/Mythic

their complete budget trail bike "Wraith", I had one of these for a few months

My old Chromag TRL was amazing

Banshee Spitfire definitely seems greater than the sum of its parts so far

Hmmm this seems a lot like a 'post your awsum bike' thread

Hmmm this seems a lot like a 'post your awsum bike' thread

Yup. The Warden is my favouritest most awesome-ness bike to date, but the Spitfire is high on my awesome list and I have never owned one (have ridden it quite a bit however).

First off, Banshee's are awesome….I have been riding them for the past 5 years. Started with the old Rune and now on a '13 Prime and just love them. This year I have been testing a few other 29ers and can't find anything better…lots of good out there, but none that are better than my Prime so far.

As for Manitou, no, they were made by a guy named Doug Bradbury. He started with the bikes and then the forks back in the day. I believe it was Answer that bought the name and started Manitou Suspension.

God I feel like an idiot. You had to spell it out to jog my memory about him making frames. Definitely from the same school as Charlie Cunningham's work though. I think the only one i ever came across was in the background of a shot of the brand new, at the time, through axle Manitou fork, '94 Sea Otter or so.
Hmm, now you've got me wondering, maybe i can find that old magazine, pretty sure i kept it.

EDIT: So I found the issue, and while it's probably the case that it is a Manitou frame, and it is a prototype through axle Manitou 4 fork in the picture, and it is a 1994 issue of Mountain Bike, there is no mention of the bike it's mounted to, in fact it's barely visible at all, and it was the Cactus Cup and not Sea Otter.