Following on from al’s thread – what did you like that you don’t see any more?

Only removed my DCD from my Kona sometime in the last year

Good honest trolling with a bit of thought to it in here.

If they where that good why did they stop making them?

Kona Impact Headsets. Still the best.
Un 72 bottom bracket. How shimanoi have the front to turn out hollow tech I don’t know.

Suntour XC Pro Groupsets…

I put an XT thumbshifter on my bike yesterday, perfect for front mech duties

Thumbshifters. I’m down to one bike with them now. Still really like them and they couldn’t be simpler.
I would consider Microshift ones on at least one of my bikes if I’d ever seen any to try.

Component design and the bike market is pure natural selection. If it didn’t work, was no longer needed, or did not sell… It died.

So finding stuff that worked that is no longer around is tough.

Zak tempest
Bula hats
… What was the point.

Even onza bar ends died.

There are still alternatives to the DCD around such as the bionicon guide.

Thumb shifters are back too now.

Everything in this picture is excellent and missed.

Suntour XC Pro Groupsets

I still have one hub left now with greaseguard in it from back in the day and one of the thumbshifters still running on my commnuter. It was great stuff

And greaseguard for stuff you don’t see around any more 🙁

microshift thumbies from your lbs
http://shop.upgradebikes.co.uk/Catalogue/Gears/MicroSHIFT-Thumb-Shifters-9-Speed

threads about helmet wearing – don’t see those any more either 🙂

Indicators

Skinwall tyres
Gears, mudguards and racks on commuter bikes. Especially the actual use of gears when they exist!
Front/Rear tyres – Two different jobs, two different treads
Coloured zinc suncream
Bar ends – OK, so some people use them, but the fashionistas have driven them underground. They just work. They make a huge amount of sense for lots of riding, and can’t really see why people don’t use them more! (Disclaimer – No bar ends on any of my bikes. Oops.)

If they where that good why did they stop making them?

bionicon started again…

Even though Charlie’s point is true for a lot of it, I think fashion has a lot to answer for in driving out perfectly good products.
Riser bars are pure fashion for e.g.

That said, I’m struggling to think of many retro bits that I personally miss apart from thumbshifters.

I rode for ages with a frame pack shouldering thing though, and also a bum bag.
(this type of thing):

Component design and the bike market is pure natural selection. If it didn’t work, was no longer needed, or did not sell… It died.

Cycling is also a fashion business. Manufacturers wouldn’t be re-designing kits every year if it wasn’t. So sometimes products aren’t superseded because they weren’t good enough, they’re just superseded by a different solution to the same problem for the sake of change.

Square-taper BBs and normal 1 1/8″ headsets.

normal 1 1/8″ headsets.

How on earth have we arrived at the cluster-fudge situation we’re now in with headsets. Its a complete joke.

Cup and Cone BBs

Indexed six speed

quill stems

Sorry Alex, but flat bars are crap! Unless you want to spend all day riding in a straight line! And bum bags are for Germans! 😛

26 inch wheels?

Someone had to say it!

On a more serious note, a lot of change is driven by fashion rather than necessity, although some stuff has changed for the better (brakes, tyre compounds) but stuff like BB and headset ‘standards’ are a joke. The one that has wound me up recently is the change from ISCG to ISCG05; my chain guide was so easy to set up on the old standard but in the new standard I’m having all sorts of clearance and chain line issues. All in the name of ‘progress’.

Nope – not one thing. Well if pushed Mavic did make nice headsets.

Suspension was rubbish, little wheels were rubbish, anything before 2013 XT brakes were rubbish –
You get the idea.

Suntour XC Pro Groupsets

Don’t miss them, Shimano won out for a reason you know

I miss the days when you had one bike, rode everything on it, and everything was XC

Windows 7.

I had to buy a laptop for my darling wife. How bad can Windows 8 be I thought? It’s just so rubbish. Confusing, irritating, frustrating junkware.

The Crud Catcher was a silly idea that deserved to be forgotten… oh, hang on..

Flex stem

Nail catchers for road tyres. Little widget mounted with your brakes that rested lightly on your tyre and brushed off the crap to prevent punctures. Before kevlar was invented.

Given my pf30 issues this week , its not just taper bb that I miss but threaded bb shells full stop that I miss

While I’m on why ever did threaded headsets die, still have an xt one on my sure ht and just keeps Woking

TJ 🙁 (although it’s probably good for both his health and the general mood of the forum)

flat bars are crap! Unless you want to spend all day riding in a straight line

I just don’t understand this comment. Lots of wide, flat (or nearly flat) bars around now that people have realised that a bar with a big rise/bike with a high front end is useless if you want to ride uphill as well as down. And for 29ers for the same reason.

Groupsets that last. Life of most modern MTB groupsets parts is really poor. Light yes, shift fantastically when new, but nothing seems to last long.

Rollamajigs

The Flex-Stem

Those brake booster horse shoe things …

How on earth have we arrived at the cluster-fudge situation we’re now in with headsets. Its a complete joke.

I still have one hub left now with greaseguard in it from back in the day

Yup ,I still have a front one,it refuses to die.

I always thought that the suntour greaseguard BBs were a great idea,keep meaning to do that conversion thing on a Hollowtech set.

+1 for XT thumbies 8)

The Flex-Stem

I think redesigned versions of the Flex-Stem and Hite-Rite will have a rebirth ,thanks to the trend for minimalist stuff. 😉

Philippa Forrester.

super burners and pay rises

Somewhat tangential

Guernsey sweaters (saw me throught the bitter cold of my Scottish education)
Airtex (?) shirts for summer sports/walking
Paper maps and a compass!!!
Personal responsibility (plus freedom to do potentially dangerous things eg, can I ride highly popular UK mountains solo?)
Dunlop “blue” flash (but then again perhaps I should just say squash as a sport)