air inside suspension components (instead of coils)
E.13 back rings, mine broke
Hope mini brakes
SPD’s
rear suspension generally
internal bottom brackets
hairspray to keep grips on. GET SOME LOCK ON GRIPS
Funny, isn’t it, how people’s experiences can be so vstly different.
Reba and Lefty air forks- superb.
Hope Mini Brakes – had mine for 7 years, been bled only 2 times (once was only ‘cos I needed to shorten the hose), performed absolutely perfectly with bugger all ‘maintenance’. Pads have lasted ages too, longer than the Avid and Hayes brakes I’ve also had.
SPDs- had two pairs of basic 515s for 9 years. Still faultless. No maintenance on either pair. Got other SPDs which are perfect too.
Internal BBs- UN52/72s have lasted me years. Even cheapo LP22s or whatever they’re called have been great for ages.
Hairspray- s’worked fine for me for all the time I’ve been riding! If it ain’t broke…
Having used a fair amount of kit in my 20 years of riding mountain bikes, most expensive stuff is well overrated. Unless you’re racing, I can’t really see why a hardtail need cost more than about £1000 max, and a Full susser more than £1800 really. It’s just gilding the lily. No harm in spending more, just don’t kid yourself it’s really ‘worth’ the extra. If you really want to buy into the marketing hype, then it’s your choice I spose.
As for Chris King; I just can’t see the point when plenty of other stuff is just as good. My experience with Hope stuff means I’ll probably never buy any CK bits. No need to spend extra. I don’t need to spend twice as much for ‘aerospace standard engineering’, ‘cos it’s a bike, not a fighter jet.
