Bikes That Should Not Have Been Invented

[Si]

I wouldn't go along with small-wheeled bicycles.

I have 2 Moulton APBs.

The pluses are
1. You can split the bikes into two in about a minute each and put them in the boot of a car etc.

yeah, but you could do that with the Kirk

[Cunobelin]

I believe the Kirk frame used to split into two halves without any help whatsoever!

[gentlegreen]

its fashion thats the problem where MTB's are concerned,I many being used for commuting where a sensible roadster would be much better suited,I can only think these people feel it makes them,somehow better as fashion dictates that MTB's are cool
Fashion is a terrible animal that can't be tamed.

I'm of "rugby player" dimensions and I have commuted on a road-ified aluminium-framed mountain bike for the past 9 years and it suits me perfectly. Being very hard on wheels, I even have Mavic 721 "downhill" rims - meaning that the 1 3/4 inch "country" tyres are as narrow as I can go, and the rim brakes go through them like cheese - but I consider the 4p a mile replacement costs preferable to finding a friendly local wheel-builder to fix weaker wheels when I break the spokes.
I've raised the gearing as I find I can do most riding on a 38 tooth front cog, and the 48 tooth cog helps me make the best of downhills.

I also seem to keep up pretty well on "medium" CTC rides of 50 miles or so and given the state of the roads I ride on, I'm hesitant to "upgrade" to the ubiquitous Dawes Galaxy or whatever ...

But then I came to cycling after 10 years of riding motorcycles and appreciate a little solidity.

[reohn2]

its fashion thats the problem where MTB's are concerned,I many being used for commuting where a sensible roadster would be much better suited,I can only think these people feel it makes them,somehow better as fashion dictates that MTB's are cool
Fashion is a terrible animal that can't be tamed.

I'm of "rugby player" dimensions and I have commuted on a road-ified aluminium-framed mountain bike for the past 9 years and it suits me perfectly. Being very hard on wheels, I even have Mavic 721 "downhill" rims - meaning that the 1 3/4 inch "country" tyres are as narrow as I can go, and the rim brakes go through them like cheese - but I consider the 4p a mile replacement costs preferable to finding a friendly local wheel-builder to fix weaker wheels when I break the spokes.
I've raised the gearing as I find I can do most riding on a 38 tooth front cog, and the 48 tooth cog helps me make the best of downhills.

I also seem to keep up pretty well on "medium" CTC rides of 50 miles or so and given the state of the roads I ride on, I'm hesitant to "upgrade" to the ubiquitous Dawes Galaxy or whatever ...

But then I came to cycling after 10 years of riding motorcycles and appreciate a little solidity.

I think you're the exeption to the rule,not everyone is so big,but the number of cheap mtb's with knobblies fitted and no m/guards out number other commuting bikes two to one around this neck o' the woods,thats what prompted my post.

We ride tandems in all weathers and some mild off road track/towpaths with 700Cx32mm tyres 40 hole rims, which stand up to the task,IMO the stresses are far more than any solo bike,discounting serious Down Hill and MTB bikes, we've recently had a rear axle break on a DT swiss hub but I'm hoping that was a one off,upto now thats the only problem in over fifteen years of tandeming, other than wearing rims out.
One of our tandems is fitted with disc brakes(Avid BB7's),they are very good stoppers and no rim wear perhaps that could be the answer to rim problems for you.

[niggle]

Moulton springs immediately to mind and anything else with small wheels come to that.

I can understand they may not be for you, but why should they not have been invented? It is one thing to want rid of bad or superfluous designs, but another to be against innovation and greater choice of quality solutions. Moultons in particular have many advantages to the rider without some of the disadvantages that other small wheelers have, eg. the Raleigh Twenty.