What products have you seen that you thought ‘that’s absolutely pointless and will be crap’, only to use it and work out they are great
my 2..
redshift suspension stem. Perhaps scarred by the use of a knock off flex stem in the 90’s, and coming off a set of modern day suspension forks this was always going to be utter rubbish. But remarkably it’s bloody brilliant..
also, (and perhaps obviously) my first dropper post. An utterly pointless extravagance, until I used one..
im not going to include disk brakes, as I always knew that they would be good..
Fatbikes. which i am pretty late at trying. looked at em years ago, and thought they looked silly, and slow and pointless, when infact, they are just bloody ace, and i recon i could have spent my whole cycling life using one rather than dozens and dozens of other bikes i have owned.
Togs.
Little plastic thumb doohickies... Pffft... Hang on... These are ace.
Varia rear radar lights. Hate heading out on the road bike without it. Scariest moment since having it was on the Fylde when travelling in a group at 25mph and a motorbike coming past without setting it off. It works by Doppler and has a 100mph differential meaning the motorbike was going over 100mph faster than us...
Mudhugger shorty front mudguard, you think that's tiny and never going to work! They're brilliant.
Arm warmers, knee warmers, gilets, cycling caps....
Turns out that being around for 100 years before mountain bikes came along gave roadies time to figure out how to make useful kit.
TyreKey
It looks like a useless piece of landfill. Until I dislocated my thumb trying to get a tight tyre on to my gravel bike. It works brilliantly, if only for small gravel or road tyres.
I second droppers.
Avid Thingamajig from years ago.
Definitely droppers.
Swore I'd never need one.
Yellow high definition lens glasses.
Win-wing, silly piece of flexible plastic on a loop with 2 zipties, has made riding in mud bearable, weighs nowt and swaps between bikes in seconds
Surprised at all the calls for dropper posts.
For me it was the most obvious need on a bike. I was first in line as soon as I first heard about the Crank Bros Joplin (which as I remember was a Maverick Speedball).
Get to top of hill. Stop. Put down saddle. Get to bottom of hill. Stop. Put saddle up. Ride on. Stop. Adjust saddle. Ride on. Still not right. Should I stop or keep going? **** it, almost at the top again. Is this hill worth putting the saddle down for? Get to top of hill. Stop. etc...
Or was that just me?
There’s a lot more to it than protecting your hands from trees.
Aero gains for fat bikes?
Arm warmers, knee warmers, gilets, cycling caps….
+1 (at least for the first three, less convinced by cycling caps...)
And another vote for dropper seatposts. And this is coming from me who almost never dropped the saddle for anything! A couple of rides on one and wow!
Have to say I've tried knee warmers, not that taken with them. Oh the shame of when they start falling down your legs🫣
Get to top of hill. Stop. etc…
Or was that just me?
Probably not. I did get quite adept at standing pedaling when my dropper was out of service at one point. Then raise it once legs dead!
Rea radars. Bought one on a whim not expecting much - so good on quiet lanes and alerts you way before you hear anything.
Droppers were obviousish I wasn't the first in my group to get one but the use case was clear as I stopped at the top of every trail to drop the seat.
Or was that just me?
100% me too
Surprised at all the calls for dropper posts...
Or was that just me?
No, I ordered a GravityDropper the moment I saw a review in Mountain Bike Action. They were so obviously better than having to stop to adjust your saddle height all the time. I could never understand the people who never tried them, but then declared they were a solution looking for a problem.
Same with disk brakes. Twenty years ago, forums were full of people declaring they were pointless and too heavy. Same with full-suspension and tubeless tyres.
I was skeptical of oversized bars, didn't really see the point if you weren't racing DH. Once I tried them, I realized how much 25.4 mm bars flexed.
The cycle community is, I think, generally quite a conservative bunch, anytime something comes along with things like dropper posts, riser bars, disc brakes, changes in bike design, wheels etc etc, it tends to follow more or less the same path;
1. A loss of collective shit
2. Invention of reasons why product/design isn't going to be any good/unnecessary; argue endlessly about it
3. Try product
4. Realisation that many of the arguments are in fact, horseshit
5. STFU about it
@nickc has it.
The gap between points 2 and 3 can also often be huge while all the time trotting out the same old shit.
All the 29" wheels will explode/don't steer quick/aren't rad enough for me folks were the worst of the lot.
1. A loss of collective shit
2. Invention of reasons why product/design isn’t going to be any good/unnecessary; argue endlessly about it
3. Try product
4. Realisation that many of the arguments are in fact, horseshit
5. STFU about it
For some that's the case.
For others, it depends on the product. Shit pointless products get through the first 3 steps and then return to step 1. Good products get bought up as soon as they're made available.
For others, they just just inhale the marketing bullshit and then regurgitate it at the first two people. Hence the endless arguments.
Toe covers for crappy shoes that have holes/vents/mesh in them. Who on earth thinks we need ventilation in shoes in the UK?
I'm embarrassed to say, I didn't even know that you were meant to lower the saddle for descents. Which meant that we used to get off and walk down the more technical stuff.
Who on earth thinks we need ventilation in shoes in the UK?
I need ventilation in shoes much of the year
I fitted a dropper when I bought my first new MTB for 15 years. Meh.
It took me long enough to realise 26" wheels are crap, never mind adopt 29
Well I was dismissive about long trousers for MTB for ages, because I expected them to be sweaty and what's wrong with a bit of mud on your shins anyway?
Now my pampered lower legs have got used to staying clean and dry-ish through the colder months.
And they seem to help with temperature management too.
Until I saw a dropper post - I had not thought about their existence. Before using my first one - a Crank Bros Joplin, I didn’t realise how much it would change my riding.
Waterproof socks. First tried the Porelle socks in the early 2000. They were a game changer and much better than the Gore-Tex socks in the late 1990’s which just felt artificial.
Toe covers for crappy shoes that have holes/vents/mesh in them. Who on earth thinks we need ventilation in shoes in the UK?
Soon as i get a new pair of shoes i'm straight out with the mastic gun or packet of Sugru filling in the vent holes in the soles..
Tubeless inflaty-tank things. For years I thought they were the preserve of the lazy and a waste of money, but pssht and straight up is just a much nicer experience
In-frame storage has been a bit of a game changer for me. Big days in the Alps without needing to carry a pack are brilliant.
In-frame storage has been a bit of a game changer for me.
Ooh, good point. I started doing it because I was cos-playing as an EWS racer but then I found not having a backpack was actually really nice.
And I also like to persuade myself I can feel the improvements with the sprung/unsprung mass ratio.
Vents in shoes. Loads of people seem to think they’re crap, but they’re actually brilliant. Just pop on suitable overshoes when you’re going to need extra weather protection.
Little cotton roadie caps. Seem to be just brilliant at regulating temperature most of the year and great at dealing with low angle sun - rather better than sunnies to be honest.
Dropper posts and tubeless aren't crap and aren't pointless (early tubeless 20+ years ago was a bit faffy but as soon as UST was a thing I've never looked back)
I think much cycle clothing (especially shoes) from the larger manufacturers are designed in sunny California, hence isn't really "UK proof" - see also; anything designed by Crank Bros.
@Chipps used to torment Californian visitors to the UK with winter night-riding in Calderdale. I think there's probs a designer from Giro who still has PTSD flashbacks
Garmin Varia, stupid gimmick that I would never be without
nickc
anything designed by Crank Bros.
I'd have agreed with you a while back, I had a friend sponsored by them, she was doing the Mega and had to borrow a seatpost as all 3 of her Joplins were broken, and my Mallets fell of their axle on the same trip.
They have turned it around a lot though - new flat pedals are excellent, and to your clothing point, the Stamp flat shoes are really good too
jamj1974
Until I saw a dropper post – I had not thought about their existence. Before using my first one – a Crank Bros Joplin, I didn’t realise how much it would change my riding.
I do remember pointing and laughing at a mate who had a Gravity Dropper very early on. We all ate our words pretty soon after. Wasn't until years later when I got on a gravel bike, rode down a steep chute and got stuck behind the saddle at the bottom that i realised just how much i take them for granted now
Proper winter MTB footwear - thought they were too expensive until I got my first MW80s - worth every penny
I've had a dropper on my gravel bike for years.
Was very sceptical about them altogether when they came out, but now would haven on any bike over anything else.
Agreed but what about that silly mesh? Hmm
Wasn’t until years later when I got on a gravel bike, rode down a steep chute and got stuck behind the saddle at the bottom
I'm still in denial about needing a dropper on my gravel bike.
I know I'll get one in the end, but I still don't want to yet.
Cycling caps- thought they looked stupid. Tried one and didn't have sweat smearing over my glasses
Gilets- thought they looked stupid. They have helped me sweat less.
Trousers for MTB. Bought a light pair of walking trousers in a sale. So many less bramble scratches, nettle stings plus cleaner legs
the Stamp flat shoes are really good too
Yeah they do look pretty good - and pass the "no moving parts" rule I have when it comes to buying Crank Bros things. There does seem to be much better shoes about these days from CB, Fox, Fizik, Ride Concept etc etc, all much better than trad disco slippers.
chakaping
I’m still in denial about needing a dropper on my gravel bike.
I know I’ll get one in the end, but I still don’t want to yet.
Got a really cheap desl on an OEM AXS one recently, was 250 euro, and I already had the axs shifters. Only 75m, but it's great to have
Trousers for MTB. Bought a light pair of walking trousers in a sale. So many less bramble scratches, nettle stings plus cleaner legs
you can actually thank the UCI for this.
Downhill rule change required the shins to be covered with either shin pads or trousers. As nobody would be seen dead with visible shin pads, trousers suddenly became popular on the pro race circuit, and this trickled to the gravity-riding-for-fun-not-competition crowd.
Crank Bros' Highline dropper was really over-engineered and reliable. They obviously had a point to prove.
Got a really cheap desl on an OEM AXS one recently, was 250 euro, and I already had the axs shifters. Only 75m, but it’s great to have
I think I would do fine with an under-crotch-lever activated one, like my first MTB dropper.
Was hoping Brand X would come up with a cheap, reliable gravel post like that, but obviously their future is uncertain.
Aheadset. My how we laughed at a mate with his non-adjustable stem on his 'dale m600 back in 1993. My how he laughed as after every smegging ride one of us would end up having to re-tighten headset bearings with a massive inconveniently sized spanner.
Mucoff tubeless valves. Thought they were poncy bling. At last a valve that doesn't seize up.
Schrader valves. We'll be back using these.
Unless it's really grubby out, I'm yet to be converted to troos - and then it'll be waterproof ones.
I get the nettle/bramble/mud argument, but I'm still happy in shorts. Who doesn't love tingly legs at the end of a summer ride? 😉
Probably not so much on here, but guessing a lot of the trouser converts are doing it for the 'enduro/dh look', rather than practicalities
I was skeptical of narrow wide chainrings and clutch mechs for some reason (I liked my MRP chain device!) but it does actually work as advertised and don't think I've ever dropped a chain since getting them.
I still haven't gone tubeless but will eventually try it I guess when I get new wheels as they all come with tubeless rims. Just seems like a lot of faff to set up, and I don't remember the last time I got a puncture on a normal tube.
Garmin Varia. Very sceptical. Then I tried it. Then I upgraded to the rear light. Then I became a convert. I'd replace mine in a heartbeat.
"So good I bought the company" said a anonymous Garmin exec once... (they didn't invent it btw)
My short sleeve waterproof jacket. It looks crap as I've just cut sleeves off an old riding jacket, and many would say it's pointless. But I find it has to be single digit temperatures before I can wear my normal rain jacket without overheating. So this is perfect for riding in wet summer, spring and autumn weather.
Bib shorts with rear pockets in them. Means I can stash food, a gilet and a tool in the back and don't have to take a bag.
I was skeptical at first, "why my shorts have pockets" but it moves the bulk away and is a gamechanger for me.
Ebikes.
Seriously, allowing a 50plus with a bad back to ride a bit further and has increased my enjoyment on the MTB.
For me droppers were never really needed, I just didn't ever get that hung up on constantly raising and lowering my saddle. That changed when I did the MacAvalanche and found a raised saddle for the pedally bits helped. That was it. Still don't have one in my other bikes but see the utility for certain use cases.
Oh and Schraeder tubeless valves are better in every way.
The garmin Varia is a great shout. Initially saw them and thought it would be utterly pointless but as has been said, for road riding it’s a great bit of kit, especially on narrow lanes as it allows you to cycle two abreast without holding up cars behind you
Another shout for in frame storage. I cycled around with mine empty for a year before discovering its wonders.
Anything that removes the need for a backpack really (still required for long backcountry epics for food and clothing).
In frame storage; "enduro straps"; tools that attach to, go in, or are integrated with the bike; cargo bibs and to a lesser extent bum bags. No bag around your shoulders feels amazing.
The only thing that annoys me about the in frame storage on my Spesh Enduro is that its not waterproof. So not only do you have to be a bit choosy about what you store in it, you do have to take the lid off and take everything out occasionally to dry everything out.
Probably not so much on here, but guessing a lot of the trouser converts are doing it for the ‘enduro/dh look’, rather than practicalities
For me it's because I really dislike having cold mud splattered all over my shins.
Products perceived as 'crap' but are amazing: Full mudguards.
My short sleeve waterproof jacket. It looks crap as I’ve just cut sleeves off an old riding jacket, and many would say it’s pointless. But I find it has to be single digit temperatures before I can wear my normal rain jacket without overheating. So this is perfect for riding in wet summer, spring and autumn weather.
Rapha did have a pro level waterproof jacket with seams welded mid way down the upper arm with a cut here line!
Apparently, it's what their pro riders did...
found a link: https://themartincox.co.uk/review-rapha-race-cape-complete-arms-cut/
invisiframe.
just a bit of helitape. nope. gamechanger for carbon bikes
I still haven’t gone tubeless but will eventually try it I guess when I get new wheels as they all come with tubeless rims. Just seems like a lot of faff to set up
I’ve been doing it since the days of stretching bmx tubes over wheels, and messing about with diy 3l coke bottle inflators. that was a faff.
I recently bought some new wheels and tyres. Popped them on easily with thumbs, squirt, pump up with a normal floor pump. Zero faff.
I recently bought some new wheels and tyres. Popped them on easily with thumbs, squirt, pump up with a normal floor pump. Zero faff.
Yeah - all newish tyres and rims are tubeless ready these days, so its actually easier doing it without a tube than with.
I recently bought some new wheels and tyres. Popped them on easily with thumbs, squirt, pump up with a normal floor pump. Zero faff.
I'm guessing they weren't Continental GP5000 tyres on Giant rims then! 🤨
Whilst I'm a (late) convert to tubeless, everytime I've tried to set them up, I've had to do the walk of shame into the LBS to get help as either the tyre beads were stupidly tight or the beads wouldn't pop into place without a proper compressor. Guess I've just been unlucky...
To add - I'm generally not an early adopter as I'd rather let other pays the high prices and suffer the unreliability of new products whilst kinks are worked out, but I did get a Gravity Dropper when I first learnt about them.
Another one I forgot to mention is my Dirtsuit.
All my mates have taken the piss out of me for wearing it, until we’ve been riding in terrible weather and I’m toasty and warm and they’re freezing their tits off.
Even better for uplift days. I’ve had days at Antur and Dyfi where at the end of the day I’ve felt like I’m the only one still going when the weather is really shit because I’ve been warm and mostly dry.