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Thought it might be a good idea if we shared our "alternatives to" in one thread so we can perhaps save a few quids?
Marsh guard are selling some chainstay tape which is 3M 2228.
The good heli tape (Milspec, 0.36mm thick) is 3M 8671HS.
Tubeless tape; 3M 8898. I think this is same as the Roval stuff.
Any more for any more?
Gorilla tape in the 'handy 1" roll' variety makes great, and dirt cheap, tubeless tape.
Tesa 4289 Tape - Same as Stans, but 1/6th the price.
I love this idea. This sort of thinking is quite big in older motorcycles where the same bearing or widget for ur Ducati is 1/10th the price as its the same as a component in a different bike. I hopwe we get lots of suggestions
Torco engine assembly lube (the stuff in a bottle) is same as rockshox redrum, but for about 1/3 the price, been using it for the last 2 years and it's great!
Tesa 4289 Tape - Same as Stans, but 1/6th the price.
That's a really good one. £9.95 for 66 meters!!!!
Certainly interested in oils and lubricants. I have been using Castrol LHM+ in my shimano brakes and it's been spot on.
Any cheap wet chain lube? Fox sus fluids? bike cleaning/mukoff stuff?
Everyone probably knows this one -
Halfords own brand Citreon LHM brake fluid - works in Shimano (and other mineral oil based) brake systems. And it's a nicer colour.
(Just checked and the Shimano stuff is only £1 more per litre from CRC these days!)
I have been using Castrol LHM+ in my shimano brakes and it's been spot on.
But then again I know someone who ran cooking oil in some of the previous gen XT brakes for about 3 weeks while touring across russia!
good thread. I use LHM mineral oil from the car parts place in my shimano brakes, no issues to date.
I have nothing to add but I'm bookmarking this.
Bearings ought to be a rich vein on this thread.
Gorilla tape in the 'handy 1" roll' variety makes great, and dirt cheap, tubeless tape.
+1. I combined with some of [url= http://www.affixit.co.uk/Foam-Tape/Specialist-Foam-Tapes/Draught-Excluder-Tape/Draught-Excluder-Tape-BR-Narrow-8mm.Html?gclid=CPjg7f_OxcMCFSXnwgodT6UAEA ]this[/url] draught excluder tape in the well to give a flatter profile and aid inflation. Works well.
Helly Hansen LIFA base layers make excellent cycling tops and are much cheaper than cycle specific stuff.
Buy suspension fluid from you local motorbike shop, typically its around £10 a litre rather than a fiver for 120ml
I use LHM mineral oil from the car parts place in my shimano brakes, no issues to date.
+1
Clothes - lots of fleece/baselayer/waterproofs that are not bike specific.
Tick.
All fork oil. Check wikipvd for a list of alternatives.
Can anyone share a bearing supplier they recommend with good prices and service? It's been hit and miss with Eriks, sometimes they try and rip you right off.
Non bike specific DOT fuild (from a car parts shop) is obviously a lot cheaper, I expect everyone has figured that.
Nike or UnderArmour thermal base layers can be picked up very cheaply from Sports Direct and are as good if not better than cycling specific brands. I suspect the Karrimor jobs are very similar and defintely cheaper as well.
Silk glove liners can be picked up from most outdoorsy type shops very cheaply and make winter gloves very, very warm.
In general, Decathlon clothing (cycling specific and otherwise) is generally very good and about 1/4 of the price of equivalent stuff with a proper brand on it.
Bearings - I've always used simplybearings. Don't know how they compare for price but they always deliver next day.
20L of bike cleaner for £30
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/motocross-Enduro-20L-DBC9MX-DIRT-BIKE-CLEANER-ktm-kxf-crf-kx-yzf-/251816124098?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3aa1691ec2
More cleaner here;
http://www.motocleaningproducts.co.uk/special-offers/2-x-mukjunkie-off-road-dirt-bike-cleaning-2-x-5-litre-2xmj250015mb
Beats £30 for 5L!!!!! suspiciously pink too.
Check wikipvd for a list of alternatives.
Wikipvd?
Army surplus gore tex
Screwfix safety glasses
Nearly-empty bottle of white spirit to drop chains into and shake instead of expensive, messy chain cleaners.
Engine oil makes decent enough chain lube and is vastly cheaper of course. Also gearbox oil which is really thick - you might experiment.
General purpose grease works well enough and is vastly cheaper than bike specific stuff.
Generic maltodextrin can be had in 5kg bags for about £8 off ebay - just as good in normal usage as expensive energy drinks but far cheaper - and you can add your choice of squash to taste (although I do prefer flavoured Torq for racing).
Liquid latex is £15 for a litre which makes it cheaper than Stan's, but Stan's does have other stuff in it so this may not be worth the savings.
Just bought some plain old 0w-30 motor oil for my Pikes.
Mastic tape makes many many many sweet chainstay protectors.
The cover of plastic folders makes a Bender Fender.
Bleed kits for anything with a proper bleed nipple- a syringe from a vets (never more than 50p) and fish tank tubing (£1).
5w fork oil from halfords in my rockshox dampers. Works great!
15 wt engine oil in my lowers
Citroën lhm oil in my brakes
80w gear oil is the same as float fluid just not coloured blue! Use this in my rear shock
Self elamgilmating tape for chain stays
Gorilla tape for tubeless
Fence sprayer compressor for pumping up tubeless tyres.
Bearings I use marksman industrial / simply bearings. Frame bearings for my spesh come to about 20 quid vs 70 for OEM set.
P600 grease for all bearings and cup and cone hubs.
Download template off Google and cut out your own enduro guard / fork protector. Choose lime green 0.3mm thick plastic sheet if you are enduro. Anyone else can use black. Secure with zip ties.
Again, use the same plastic sheet to cut out little discs to be used as crush washers.
Fork O rings - don't spend 29 quid on a small bag..... Measure the ID, OD and cross section and buy them for 10p from local hardware store.
Oh edit, one more.... Chainsaw lube for all my chains. Cheap as chips and works brilliantly! Far superior to any branded lube I have used.
I've been using M&S thermal tops for ages on the bike when it's really cold. Cost about £12.
The main problem with saving money on Dot brake fluid is that it meets the atmosphere it starts 'going off' so whilst you can buy a lot more, for little more money it's not really worth it - or at least that's what I've been told.
Great post doncorleoni
http://www.radmoretucker.co.uk/category/Chain_Oil/product/Stihl_Chain_Oil_1_Litre/?gclid=CJHLxLHWxcMCFYTItAodXAwAQQ
That's pretty damn cheap.
Ok , so it's supposed to be 'bike' specific, but Tesco puncture kit, about half a matchbox in size, 99p when I bought one, carted it round in me Camelbak for three years , bailed a mate out of trouble when last tube had been used on an Élan Valley ride. Still owes me next to nowt and lives to fight again.
Tesco puncture kit, about half a matchbox in size, 99p
They're now £2 🙁
Helly Henson from Screwfix, £10 a pieces according to their last email.
Lots of tools, go Were, Knipex, Bahco etc.
Magma technicians bag for tools from Amazon.
Disc brake cleaner, degreaser, water displacer etc etc £1 per 600ml aerosol from the local pound type shop.
IKEA bags and Gorilla tubs for the car. Milton for water bottles. Vets tape for injuries. Prescription safety glasses (through work if you can).
Katec for bearings.... Good stuff, good prices. On Ebay.
Sorry, pvdwiki. (peter verdone) for suspension fluid info.
Katec for bearings.... Good stuff, good prices. On Ebay.
Used Keasea a few times. He's a good egg.
I usually buy multipacks of stainless steel hex bolts from toolstation, roughly 50 for £2.50 depending on size, or there's a boltintheblue on ebay, every size you could want, from stem bolts to water bottle cage bolts. There's also the ghetto tubeless brew which is said to be superior to stans on mtbr forums though I haven't tried it myself! Thanks DonCorleoni, will try printing out a fork mudguard template! (:
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^ arts and craft fun for all the family.
the brush from a dustpan & brush set from home bargains/wilkos/poundland for cleaning the bike while spraying with water. lol
Nothing to contribute besides always buying DOT fluid from a motorfactors. Fork oil too.
Keenly reading the rest though.
[url= http://www.halfords.com/cycling/tools-maintenance/cleaning-lube/muc-off-trigger-bike-spray-1-litre ]Muc-off[/url] £6.99 per litre
[url= http://www.halfords.com/car-seats-travel-equipment/camping-caravanning/caravanning/fenwicks-caravan-cleaner ]Caravan Cleaner[/url] £11.99 per litre, but concentrated, so 2 cap fulls makes 5 litres of useable liquid = about 100 litres.
Plus [url= http://www.homebase.co.uk/en/homebaseuk/trigger-sprayer---1l-694790 ]one of these[/url], obviously
Isn't it mandatory in this day and age for the word "hack" to appear at least somewhere in thread title / OP?
Isn't that for 'puters?
Mechanics gloves from about £10 at loads of places.
Padded, abrasion resistant, a variety of types with full fingers or half, perfect as riding gloves, they last forever.
Aldi have some gloves coming soon that look ideal, think its this Thursday.
Missus's stretchy over-knee socks had the feet cutoff and now became arm warmers 🙂
And this military drinking bottle got ziptied on a seat tube. It takes all types of bottles, even good for carrying beer back from shop, if you take it easy.
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Does anyone have a source for cheap but decent cable outer (maybe a box)?
How often do you need to be bleeding shimano brakes to make it worth buying LHS fluid from Halfords? Once it's opened, you have to use it, as it draws in moisture, plus the amount you need to bleed a set a brakes in teeny. So by the time 5-6 years has rolled by and you need to bleed the brakes, you'll buy another litre of fluid from Halfords?
false economy really.
bike cleaner? erm that'll be fairy liquid then.
I'm all for saving money, but some of these are a waste of time.
Does anyone have a source for cheap but decent cable outer (maybe a box)?
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