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Thin merino sweaters in a size or 2 smaller than normal, £10-15 in TK MAxx. Base layer bargain.
Nike Kato spd shoes and shimano spd pedals
16th birthday present, I'm now 36 and they are used for commuting
Plastic bung for stopping crud getting into underside of steerer tube and neoprene headset protector, both free with mbuk about 18 years ago and again still in daily use
B17 saddle. Bought used about 10 years ago for £20 and it looks like it has another 40 years in it at least.
Pedros tyre levers +1
Specialized 2Bliss +1
Cane Creek S3 headsets.
A cycling specific polartec 100 flece gilet bought in 2003 (just before Sports Direct got their chavvy mitts on the brand) for a fiver in the LBS bargain bucket.
Aldi winter gloves. four quid. four years. loads of use and still going strong. just right for cold but not freezing days like most of the british wintrr too
Those hard-to-find bags of Haribo jelly babies- all the jellybabiness of a normal bag of Supermix, but without the weird milkbottles. Rocket fuel of the gods.
And Deore steel chainrings. Cost half as much as products that work no better and last 1/4 as well
I was just on the Clas Ohlson site after the linky earlier.
It made me laugh how on their puncture repair kit they had a patch missing 😆
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lot's of good choices already listed; shimano QR's, and selling another factory wheelset against Hope Hoops must be hard work (as good as the Hope's and only twice the price), pedros tyre levers - carry one all the time
I have a thin bandana thing (that i think i got from singletrack on a stand at the 2001 Schwinn mountain marathon) still wear it all the time
Superstar pedals. £15 3 years ago. One of them died this weekend and I was gutted.
foook all 🙂
Blower - Member
foook all
not even them 'cough cough' cheap oranges........... 😆
On-one merino l/s top
Muckynutz Bender Fender mudguard
Spesh Captain Control 2.2 tyres
These things, absolutely brilliant
1)On-One's tyre sales - £20 Nobby Nics were a bargain.
2)My WTB SST Ti railed saddle lasted about 9years, just got another one.
3) Paracetamol - 16p per packet (got minor man flu.. :cry:)
sidi giau,11 years old this year,still look new-ish.
selle italia slr,10years old,only recovered it because the leather ripped in a crash.
shimano sq taper bbs
520/530 pedals.
bike manuals pdf off the internet..
Mountain bike Britian book
Great when I'm working somewhere new and want to take the bike with me
When I think about what conditions they have to work in, under stress, and the sheer number of parts they are made from, I'm always surprised chains cost as little as they do.
Rachel
My Decathlon gillet, thermal top and base layers. So cheap and still going strong after five years.
Another vote for shimano Qr's
Original Hope Bulb (with bolt on spider), now relegated to the other half's bike.
The Cannondale Beast of the East that I inherited from an uncle.
Original kool tool. Used it a couple of weeks ago when a friend's chain broke.
Shimano SPD pedals - 3 pairs here, all going after many years with no maintenance at all. Splashed on the M540s - they were going cheap at the time.
My Marin hardtail frame. Everything else has been changed on the bike, but frame is original, and has a lifetime warranty. Fit's me really well, don't see a reason to change.
Steel 456 frame. Find something so versatile and good to ride thats cheaper.
Original ti railed flite saddle. Bought cheap in 1997 and still in use, albeit looking a bit tired!
Gore Bikewear Windstopper jacket, £28 in the sale from Wiggle several years ago. Too warm for all but the coldest weather but still a total bargain.
SRAM powerlinks
+1 On One 456
+1 for shimano 540/520's
Shimano alfine rear hub ( long lasting 8 speed gear system for <200quid!)
Aldi cycling shoes (or were they lidl, can't remember)
Buff-style thingies that aren't made by Buff or were free
Also impressed with Hope stuff - I have some HopeEnduro 4's which I can still service.
XT rear mechs have lasted me very well over the years (I have one that's 12 years old)
best bargains I have:
Park Tools tyre levers - £2.99 for good strong tools in 'that' blue 🙂
Muckynutz fender bender
Toronto cycles jockeys £8 a set
Wellgo MG1 pedals
new shimano trail pedals M530 - ie M520 with a cage.
Transfil cable sealing kit - £3. Well expensive for some tube but cheap for what they do perfectly.
My Giant Anthem 3..the local bike shop offered to price match an online deal i'd seen so I got 800 quid off and they still offered me my 6 week service!
Does make you wonder about the profit margins however doesn't it..
*raises head above parapet*
King hubs and headsets (not tried a BB yet). They provide a lot of value for a lot of money..... And have a pretty ace warranty, not that I've ever needed to use it. The shinyness helps soften the wallet pain too!
*retreats*
Aldi and Lidl lycra shorts and compression wear.
Hope C2 brakes
Endura basic roubaix knee warmers - £14 about five years ago and pretty much indestructible. Still £14 now. Some Endura stuff falls to bits when you sneeze at it, but they did these right.
Wingnut packs / DaKine bladders
Sealskinz
Reba/Revelation
Someone's already said Deore chainrings - can't knock 'em.
Topeak Hummer. Built umpteen bikes & rescued umpteen riders.
Cane Creek S3 headset.
Lezyne Alloy Drive pump.
http://www.canyon.com/_uk/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=2563 14
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1428 quid
http://www.canyon.com/_uk/mountainbikes/bike.html?b=2577
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1689 quiddies
Specialized BG saddle, had mine for well over 4 years now and its been comfy since I got it. the spesh arse-ometer/memory foam gauge thing really does help.
My mini-pump. bought for £3 in one of those "cycle promotion sales" about 15 years ago and its still going strong.
Endura 3/4 thermal bibs - just binned mine after around 10 years of regular use, a fine bit of kit.
As above, bottom end shimano spd pedals. Work perfectly and last several years. It's often the same price to buy cleats and pedals as cleats on their own, so I have a pile of them now.
Specialized Nimbus tyres - bought in a pair from wiggle as a deal with tubes about 8 years ago and still going well on my hack bike.
emanuel - where did you get your saddle recovered? I have one on my road bike that needs doing?
One more to add to the list - Z1 Bombers bought in 1999, still working perfectly on the Mrs' bike despite being serviced no more than 4 times.
Hope Pro 2s. Bought my front one s/h around 2-3 years ago and it's still going strong with one bearing change. Rear one is also holding up nicely.
Despite all the shit they get my Juicy 5s have been great value for money. They came with a Rockhopper I bought s/h about 3 years ago and other than a few problems with bleeding them and sticky pistons they've been very reliable.
Mavic 721. Mine came with the aforementioned Pro 2 and is still very much in one piece with no dents or wobbles despite having a complete battering over the years.
papa-lazarou nice name.I did it myself.the second one is easier.
or send it to busyman cycles.
There was a thread on pinkbike I seem to recall,some nice ideas.I used leather,the thinner it is the easier it is.thin leather adds about 40-50gthick stuff adds 100g.done a few now.
you can use any fabric,denim looks good.contact cement,patience.
anyway,for no reason at all,a song.
Easy........
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(The Neoguard not the forks!)
STW premier digital account, bargin!
Tis when you live abroad anyway.......
duntstick - MemberSTW premier digital account, bargin!
Tis when you live abroad anyway.......
+1...
a copy of Singletrack costs 12.95€ at the international newsagents in the main station here in Munich....
oddly, Dirt has started to market itself over here. costs about 6€. still printed in english. its got a bit of an underground cult following here...
If you subscribe to the European Print & Digital plan it's around 6€ for Singletrack Mag too - and you don't need to go the the station to pick it up.
Those converted army gortex trousers have outlasted both the endura and altura ones.
emanuel - where did you get your saddle recovered? I have one on my road bike that needs doing?
I keep meaning to try a DIY repair on a tatty old Flite. Apparently, you can buy leather offcuts from ebay, use the old cover as a template, and stick the new one on with contact adhesive. Dunno how easy it is though.
The humble inner tube.
Shimano Quick Releases.