[Closed] Most contentious bike products?

Helmets

SSPP (Specialized's Stupid Proprietary Parts) Weird thru axle sizes, Weird shock lengths/mounts etc.

cup and cone vs cartridge bearings.

i'm an engineer, i fix things with spanners and care. Therefor i prefer cup and cone bearings.

fitters 'fix' things in a hurry, so they use hammers. They prefer cartridge bearings.

Campag V Shimano (and now V SRAM)

You'd think it was religion the way people argue it...

ooh! another one:

'low normal' rear derailleurs, they'll bring out the handbags, every time.

Press fit bottom brackets. 😈

I'm going to have a lie down ...

Any new 'industry standard' that is at odds with previous 'standards' that we'd used for years without realising it had some enormous intangible flaw.

fitters 'fix' things in a hurry, so they use hammers. They prefer cartridge bearings

Anyhow, to answer the OP, proper road bike or CX/gravel bike compromise.

i'm an engineer, i fix things with spanners and care. Therefor i prefer cup and cone bearings.

I'm an engineer and I prefer cartridge

Lets get it on 👿 👿 👿

see? c&c vs cartridge, there's contention for you. i'm going to have to fight tthew and ndthornton to the death over this one.

(nothing personal)

but:

Press fit bottom brackets.

we all know they're shit. or at best: 'meh'.

Orange bikes?
SRAM vs Shimano?

see? c&c vs cartridge, there's contention for you.

Point proved.

Not sure anyone defends the corner of press fit BBs though?

Another obvious one - Orange bikes being "outdated" and "agricultural".

Crank Brothers pedals.

Avid

I use contention, heated debate and endless threads about exactly the same tedious topic as a good indicator that there is really sod all difference between x thing and y thing....and therefor I should just pick the cheapest.

Of all the bike parts I have experience of the two that have bothered me the most or been the most disappointing were:

Avid Brakes
Specialized Stout Hubs

Engineers . what the what now?

Crank Brothers pedals.

"pulling up" on the pedals with SPD vs flat pedals. Fond memories of the letters page on MBUK sizzling with this particularly fascinating argument.

Engineers . what the what now?

Cup and cone. Precision engineering component, universally accepted across high tech industries for accuracy, longevity and value since it was invented by Swiss scientists. 😀

Oh, and I rather like my Avid Elixir brakes too.

Bike industry - 'You need 27.5'

Enve rims

[img] [/img]

😯 Fark.

That'll polish out.

This is just me but CX bikes, or to be more accurate, gravel/touring/gnarmac bikes that are branded as CX bikes.

A CX bike has steep geometry, no mounts or eyelets and is designed to hoon around off road for an hour or 2. It is a not a bike with relaxed geometry for touring or one with rack mounts for commuting. Yes, you can ride a gnarmac bike in a CX race, yes you can commute on a CX bike but they are different things.

And breathe.

Mountain biking, and often road cycling, tends to attract competitive/aggressive sorts of men; those who'd never want to be called wrong. If they've spent alot of their hard earned on something , they'll never want to be told they've made the wrong choice, and that they should have bought something else.

Hope/Shimano brakes are probably the best example of this.
Chris King hubs?
Shimano/SRAM in the roadie world
Disc/rim brakes in the roadie world

Enve rims

And Santa Cruz bikes. A couple more good examples.

Evil

Enve rims

Cup and cone is a good one but shimano seem to be on a losing battle with that, besides it's their freehubs I have a problem with not the bearings 🙂

Enve rims

Yeah!

Disc/rim brakes in the roadie world

Hell yeah! More contentious on here than any roadie forum I've seen too.

That's just my favourite picture of an Enve rim but I don't think it's the fragility that makes them contentious, there's a list of things.

Why don't you start your own thread, Enve vs. Flows or something and watch the fireworks.

As for the muppet who loves cup and cone, surely that's a wind up? Leave them in the middle ages.

Have enough people broken them to make them contentious?

I dunno. They just look silly with those massive logos on them, plus they cost more than I earn in a month.

Cup and cone work great for road bike wheels! They roll forever

15mm vs 20mm axles? That and boost, while we're here.

P.s. I liked cup and cone when I was a student, had no money, but a lot of time to keep them running perfectly. Now I have less time but more money, so I favour cartridge and a once very x years job with the hammers and drifts.

'low normal' rear derailleurs, they'll bring out the handbags, every time

Short stems on road bikes.....

You'd think it was religion the way people argue it...

It's [i]far[/i] more important than that.

A CX bike has steep geometry, no mounts or eyelets and is designed to hoon around off road for an hour or 2. It is a not a bike with relaxed geometry for touring or one with rack mounts for commuting. Yes, you can ride a gnarmac bike in a CX race, yes you can commute on a CX bike but they are different things.

Here here!

But then MTB is everything from xc race weapon, through trail, enduro, to DH bike, and loads in between.

Does anyone have any 9sp RR mechs in good condition they want rid of?

You know what, I might (although I'd need to check with the better half, as technically it's hers)

Oh there have been so many things over the years on here.

29er vs 26er (pre 650b becoming popular of course)
HT vs full sus.
Helmet always vs helmet sometimes.
Knee pads vs nothing.
Road biking vs being gnarcore all the time.
Baggies vs lycra.
1x? vs 2x? or 3x?
Strava
I even remember when V brakes were "fine if you set them up well".
In fact I remember (before STW's time) when Canti's were "fine if you set them up well".
STIs vs thumb shifters.
Suspension forks.

And then all the current stuff (boost, 650b, press fit BB's) all of which I can see some advantages of in some applications, but which is ultimately a bit annoying when you just want to be able to walk into a shop and say "I've broken/worn out X, can I have a new one plz".

"Customer service". Some people think it means "They sold me something they knew was badly designed, for a lot of money, but fixed it when it inevitably broke".

sharkattack - Member

That's just my favourite picture of an Enve rim but I don't think it's the fragility that makes them contentious, there's a list of things.

To be fair, you know how that picture came about, right? First they broke the wheel, then they kept on riding on it to see what'd happen. It's not like it just popped while riding along.

Short stems on road bikes.....

Yes, and upturned stems on road bikes. Makes my skin crawl

Rapid Rise.

How can something so apparently wrong feel so right?

Yes, and upturned stems on road bikes. Makes my skin crawl

*Quietly steps in front of his winter bike with the really short steerer*

That's just my favourite picture of an Enve rim but I don't think it's the fragility that makes them contentious

They knowingly rode a cracked rim - that's why it failed like that

This: http://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/canfield-brothers-rowdy-carbon-epo-hardtail/

£1500? That has to be the ugliest frame I've ever seen.

Yes, and upturned stems on road bikes. Makes my skin crawl

*Quietly steps in front of his winter bike with the really short steerer*

Oh and mountains of spacers under the stem *shudder*

29er vs 26er (pre 650b becoming popular of course)

that implies people had a choice in the 650b saga

mrblobby - Member

Here here!

ok, not a bike product, but bad spelling will get the pitchforks out as quickly as anything else.

mrblobby - Member

Here here!

ok, not a bike product, but bad spelling will get the pitchforks out as quickly as anything else.

awhiles, as will duplicate posts!

matt_outandabout - Member

Does anyone have any 9sp RR mechs in good condition they want rid of?

I have a Hone one, v few miles on it. Although it's extra contentious in that it's the one that is bolted directly to the massive steel hub axle (I can include the back wheel/axle)

LBS's and the services they provide

mrblobby - Member
awhiles, as will duplicate posts!

i'm off to slam my nuts in drawer.

mrblobby - Member
awhiles, as will duplicate posts!

i'm off to slam my nuts in drawer.

Electric Bikes are set to be the most contentious issue of modern times .

Electric Bikes are set to be the most contentious issue of modern times .

Agreed. Definite case of the industry creating a need/marketplace. Not that keen on red tape generally but I hope e-bikes get regulated to death.

Electric Bikes are set to be the most contentious issue of modern times .

My initial reaction was much like garlic there ^^^. Come around to thinking they could well be a good thing for cycling in general. Either way, contentious!

Has anyone mentioned Rapha clothing yet?

I don't mind E bikes as long as they're legal, as it's unlikely that a legal one will be significantly different in terms of where it can go, what damage it might cause etc. than a normal bike.

Outside those limits of course it's not an e bike anymore, it's a motorcycle. No need for any new laws, just some enforcement if people start to take liberties.

Has anyone mentioned Rapha clothing yet?

How could we leave that one out?

The roadie equivalent of Santa Cruz bikes IMO, with the distinguishing factor that more people accept Rapha stuff IS superior to cheaper brands.

Come around to thinking they could well be a good thing for cycling in general. Either way, contentious!

Listen to this, it's quite telling. Get's juicy at 24:50:-

http://www.the-spokesmen.com/wordpress?p=504

I saw an E-Bike at CYB a few weeks ago. The chappie riding it was towing his oppo up the hills 😀

Carbon. That wins hands down!!

I'm not fussed had a full carbon bike, great bit of kit new bike is Ali. But the everything good must be carbon gets on my Moobs....

It is dare I say it new new Titanium!! 😈

Not really a 'bike product' but how about; having a poo versus buying some lightweight kit?

I remember that the Scottoiler thingy divided opinion.

26 vs 29 was right up there. eventually everyone realised that 29r was good for your xc,bikepacking,cx,gnarmac type stuff and that 26 was good for the other end of the spectrum, XXXc,DH,'duro.

unfortunately, the industry couldnt admit it was wrong so has replaced 26 with 27.5 650b.

e-bikes and 'winning' on them will be next.

Strava and e bikes!!!

SPD vs Time pedals. I'm a Time bandit!

Lefty's
*shudder*

Last ride I was on I noticed me and everyone else was putting a lot more effort into the downs than the ups (not that we were hanging around on the ups really, but you know how it's easier to put more effort in when the adrenaline's buzzing.)

Not sure e-bikes would help with this. Plus, to me, the issue is that they're not bikes. Still, other people can ride them if they want.

Bar ends on riser bars?

Or is that a fashion faux pas rather than a component contention?

As a component hate that would be off road Look pedals pedals for me. Lethal things!!

Yellow bikes.

Some I just love. Some are so, so wrong. Just a subtle change in shade is enough.

I totally agree with you, even if you're wandering off topic a bit.

Saw a yellow Nukeproof Mega today - the original one. Almost vomited.

Realman's brakes.
Watsontony's bars
Mint sauce keyrings and associated jewellery.

Realman's brakes.
Watsontony's bars
Mint sauce keyrings and associated jewellery.
iDave's training plans

Completed that for you.

Flat bars vs Risers used to be "the" argument

Is Elbry a product?

More mythology of his own making I think.

*whispers* I actually have one of the tshirts he produced under his 'Vandal' brand.... It's ilder than the average mbuk reader now I think.

[s]Uplifts and Strava MTS Challenges/Club leaderboards/KOMs[/s] whatever.