I like my bike to run well but at the same time I have always been drawn to components that work well without having to pull them apart and rebuild them every month. I accept that parts will wear out and need replacing but which parts give you the best performance vs time spent servicing them?

I will start the ball rolling with my bottom bracket of choice the Shimano XT for me its always been a fit and forget part.

The Hayes cable disc brakes that came on my 2001 Stinky. Still going strong. I think they have had one cable change in that time.
Just work, all the the time.
Can’t fault them at all.

road bike

RockShox Revelation forks. Got them on my FS & HT – superb & get better with age.

WTB GreaseGuard stuff used to be awesome for the lazy mechanics. Don’t know if it is still around any more though 🙁

Hope brakes and bottom brackets. Ck headset.

I’m a lazy mechanic – xt drivetrain, bb are great. Had a great run with a hope pro11 rear hub, 3 years without opening it up. Mavic 819s and UST tyres are ultra reliable. To be honest it all works these days.

Only real problem I’ve had on my bike recently is sticking pistons on an xtr caliper. Basically need to throw it in the bin but balking at replacing it as it more or less works.

my Hope c2 brakes. bought in 96 and only touched twice when I swapped caliper halves a couple of times. still in use and working perfectly.

Single speed FTW

Shimano Deore disk brakes, circa 2007. Bled twice in all that time. Plenty of power and no trouble at all.

I never keep a bike long enough to find out how long stuff lasts. Although my wife’s XT BB is still going strong after 2.5 years….so much for Shimano BB’s being crap!

Hope brakes, shimano gears, marzocchi forks

“WTB GreaseGuard stuff used to be awesome for the lazy mechanics. Don’t know if it is still around any more though”

I remember them they where great, such a good idea, why it never took off I never know, (well prob very low spares sales!)
Think campag do something along the same lines as WTB.

Hope BB for me.

RockShox Revelation forks. Got them on my FS & HT – superb & get better with age.

Unlike it’s rider! 😆

Hope bottom bracket and headseat

Hope C2’s – only been bled as I wanted some pimpy new Goodridge hoses fitted.
CK headset and a Cane Creek Solos have had absolutely no attention yet.
SKF ISIS bottom brackets are good by any standard and fantastic for ISIS.

SInglespeed and rigid. Perfect.

Giga X Pipe BB – buy for £25, fit and forget. 2 months later buy and fit another. No maintenance required as they dont last long enough, just a carry a spare for weeks away.

+1 for pre 2010 Revelations, but doesnt seem to apply to the new ones unfortunately….

older marzocchi air forks
most Hope stuff