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For me it's a positive change. I bought one of the 50% off Joplin seatposts from CRC and it's great. My bike seems to have a slightly oversized ID on the seat tube so the post was always slipping unless I had the QR done up really tight. This meant I always used to keep my saddle a bit lower than I'd normally like for climbing as trying to open the clamp was a complete bastid. I'd end up pinching my finger tips or worse, breaking a nail.
I'd only ever drop the saddle if I was riding something real steep and technical. With the Joplin fitted I now lower and raise at will. No more stopping and wrestling with the clamp and no more broken nails, but most importantly I can have the saddle where I like when I like.
So what item, (good or bad) has done it for you?
Haribo
Lycra shorts. Looks jey as, but you don't end up with chafing grit up your shorts, makes me go faster and gives the ladies something to look at.
Going tuberless. Riding is much easier without carrying a bag of potatoes.
My Enduro SL in it's entirety. Such a good bike, 28lbs all in with 6" of travel front and rear, it's everything I wanted in a full-suspension ride (and it has an adjustable seatpost as well 8) )
My first FS was a Yeti ASR, which was a bad choice for me as I blew through the travel too easily (should've done more research and gone with a 575! The ASR is a racer bike after all 🙄 )
Suspension and brakes that work. I rememember cramped hands from descending with canits. Not nice. 🙂
Buying a 29er.
It's completely changed how & even why I ride a bike.
So much more engaging.
My Turner Flux is gathering dust these past 18 months.
& going tubeless, of course.
I have a few:
2.4 racing ralphs: damned light and fast but also better than suspension forks used to be.
Bender fender; great idea that works really well and only a few quid. Looks soooo much better than the flappy neoprene option.
Hip flask and holster (cage) makes sitting on top of the last hill in the dark looking down on your home a lovely innings of contemplation and reward.
+1 for the Joplin (or any other height adjustable seat post). It really is a 'use once, never go back' type product. Mine is unfortunately being fixed under warranty, so I am having to make do with a Thomson and it's a pain.
After that I'd say the Cane Creek Double Barrel
wanna change my mind. Actually more important than my previous post is:
niner sir9: 853 tubes in a nimble 29er format is a revelation and a pleasure. Very sensual and full of character. Best frame ever.
Clipless pedals and going tubeless. Oops that's 2.
padded shorts !
Camelbaks. Made carrying sufficient liquid for a big day out practical and easy. The number of bottle cage mounts used to be one of the important pieces of bike spec.
Decent lights- specifically the Lumi halogens for me- changed night into day and meant that you could ride whenever you wanted, all year round.
Tubeless- no more flats. Well, hardly any.
That's 3 but they all upped the enjoyment level a lot.
Simples!
Rockshox Lyrik U-Turn Coil's, allowed me to ride harder, faster and bigger!
Graham Dickenson 8)
Lock on grips, gravity dropper, super tacky tyres, chain device for double chainring, camelback.
- Hampshire hills... As they don't exist.
+ lock on grips. No more wire ties to stick through your gloves!
5.10s and grippy pedals
Lumicycle System 4 lights as I can go out whenever I want, and my MT500 overshoes- no more cold/wet feet :D.
My rigid singlespeed - so much more engaging, I'm now looning about the lakes like a kid on his christmas bmx. That and waterproof shorts.
vinnyeh beat me to it - good lights. I remember doing Mountain Mayhem the first couple of years and I had 2 big carrier bags full of lights, batteries, chargers etc which I'd had to beg/borrow/buy to share round the team. 5 or 10W of yellow halogen which would last about an hour on full beam. Faffy mounting systems, cables that would pull out. Argh.
Fast forward 10 years and you've got 1000lumen HIDs and LEDs that will last all night, lightweight, compact, reliable systems. 🙂
Friends - new and old, to ride with 😀
Proper winter boots. Invested after a horrible Chilterns ride a few months ago and can't believe the difference they make.
Going to wider bars - from the stock 620mm my HT came with to some Easton's at 685mm.
Going slightly off piste a minute, one item I know would make an improvement to my riding would be some waterproof 5.10s. But at the minute I can only dream of such things...
Hope DH4s - they're the only thing that's really changed my riding that I can pick out, I was always cheesed off that my brakes were not as good as I needed and that frame-flex caused all sorts of brake-related hell. Now I can stop when I want, almost quicker than physics allows, and the rest of the time I rarely need to touch the brake.
5.10's...no more bouncing off pedals on rough descents!
Going tubeless. One flat in 18 months - priceless.
[i]Proper winter boots.[/i]
+ 1...my Shimano goretex boots do a fantastic job of keeping my feet toasty and dry which adds to the enjoyment of a ride.
Also wide bars.
Easton EC70 2" rise handlebar. The bike is now "right", it was mt first step in carbon-goodness...
Gravity dropper, tubeless
strength and stamina from swimming and trail running.
Wide riser bars (over 700mm) & tubeless.
Jones H-bars
Sorted out wrist problems so I can still ride as much as I want
For winter - Winter boots (Northwave) + waterproof trousers. How/why people persist with overboots + tights etc is beyond me!
For summer - Moving from 32 up to Fox 36 forks....... Superb!
Overshoes and arm warmers. Ok, two things but they both do the same job of allowing me to do club runs for 3 hours without screaming in the shower afterwards as my body warms back up.
Interesting points about tubeless. I'm trying to make my mind up at the moment but it sounds like sans tubes is the way to go.
O'Neal knee pads
Going from an old aluminium flat backed racing hardtail to a 456. So much more fun and so much more comfortable. Saying that my new Scandal is great too, flies up the hills even in singlespeed guise.
Endura MT500 overshoes.Having suffered for 2 winters with cold feet,I`m finally able to enjoy winter riding without needing an hour after a ride to restore circulation to my toes.
Hate to say this cos it's a roadie thing. I get so much enjoyment out of Mtbing that no one item has increased the fun that much.
But getting [b]Crud Racer Guards[/b] on my road bike has made commuting so much more pleasant!
Waterproof shorts.
Adjustable seat post for me as well.
After busting up my wrist, Mary bars let me ride again, without pain.
not riding in muddy conditions.
Endura 3/4 Biblongs
Wide high risers.