Seeing as every other thread contains, "yes, I bought Product X and it's teh orsumz", let's hear about your purchasing errors.
I bought some Hutchinson Pythons once. Oh my, they were shitter than shit. Fine when it was bone dry, but just sneeze on the trail ahead and there'd be enough moisture to make you crash.
most cycling magazines, written by kids for people with to much money to waste on stuff they didnt need but are convinced they do now to save nano grames of weight
B&Q Value spade. Snapped on the very first dig.
Fosters
nobby nicks
[s]cock enlar[/s] err, that's pretty much it, really
Superstar chain device. I really should have known better...
Volkswagen Passat.
A raceface headset, discounted at the bike show (NEC) back in the day, lasted 1 trip to Wales and a month of dampish riding in thetford before seizing,new custom bevelled bearings from rf were more than I paid for the headset!
Schwalbe performance line tyres, f-ing lethal in the wet and sidewalls made of tissue paper
a orange sub zero
a fisher fat possum
a fisher pro calibre 29r
a fisher super caliber 29r
some lake winter boots
a edinburgh bike coop tourer
a spa cycles saddle
some nukeproof carbon hubed wheels 20 odd years ago
i could go on for hours
4x B&q builders buckets. Split 2 and broke the handles off the other 2 the first time I picked them up after filling with sand.
tonights chinese.
turned up an hour early.....
fake oakleys - utter garbage
mud tyres - great for ploughing up hill through gloop, but ruin the descent
proper cycling socks - much prefer normal terry sports socks
those tyre liners to stop you getting punctures - what a pita...
Apple AirPlay. Never worked properly.
I can't do cars too painful
The manitou SX (the base model) forks on my Orange Gringo (the base model). There was no valve to make the rebound damping more than the compression damping!! Just a solid plastic plunger. So much worse than the manitou PRO C (the base model) on the previous bike, which had rebound damping
But to be fair most of the stuff I've bought is fine
Oh ONZA "BuzzSAW" inner chain ring. It looked so cool in the shop all cut out from steel. It had such a cool name. It chain sucked like mad the whole time it was on (in dry Colorado). The chain suck stopped as soon as it was replaced by a cheap stamped Shimano one
LOL at CFH.
i was recommended pythons too. Dreadful tyre, were just about ok in a straight, flat, line. Dreadful in every other respect. To this day the guy who recommended them (bike shop manager) insists they were a good tyre.
currently i think my Nokia windows 8 phone is shite.
A merida
oh and some panaracer spike tyres, so squirmy they folded on me and i fell and broke my thumb.
also any of the 5 or so sets of avid brakes.......utter tripe.
Spesh fast trak. Bought a month ago for the rear of my quick bike. It's been mostly underwhelming and not particularly predictable. Anyway it met it's end today - a flint tore the sidewall. Kinda happy to bin it
Avid brakes - although calling them a bit shit is being generous....
Plus in my BMX days anything made by Haro, GT or Mongoose....
A Tesco chain tool. Which was apparently made of cheese. I knew it would be made of cheese. I don't know what I was thinking.
New Five Ten Impacts XVI. Feel like shooting your feet with anaesthetic. I almost got used to them then today I wore my old Freeriders and realised what I'd been missing.
Bose noise cancelling headphones
Specialized fsr
ESI grips
Tag Heuer grande date watch
Abarth 500 esseesse
Global knives
Shimano XTR mech and shifters
G shock watch
Sony ps2
Special K
Charge saddles
Pretty much any Continental tyres I've ever bought, special mentions to Gatorskins which are terrible.
Biemme winter tights from Planet-X. Odd fit, basic design, sent back sharpish
[url= http://www.dx.com/p/oulaiou-bicycle-explosion-proof-glasses-outdoor-sun-glasses-transparent-black-304066#.VBS3F6MwAtU ]"Bicycle Explosion-proof Glasses"[/url]
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Call me a cynic, but I suspect [i]genuine[/i] explosion-proof glasses retail for a touch more than £1.43
If they don't make me look gnarsome when they arrive, I'll see about an [s]scientific[/s] ill-thought-out test and have my next of kin get back to you all.
Panaracer Trailrakers. May as well ridden with the brakes on, they dragged that much
Northwave Arctic Boots, dire
I liked Python tyres in the dry, fast and rolled well
O.O smoothie headsets, absorb water like a teabag
Hope Pro 2 SS hub.......... for me, was the worst Hope product to date. Bring back the XC hubs.
Avid brakes.........mmmmmmmm
Planet X shower cape for road rides. Lining disintegrated in 6 months. Should have guessed at £20.....
Panaracer Fire XC's
a fisher super caliber 29r
I had one (red/yellow), brilliant, just didn't survive my lardy arse but I had a good few years out of it
non-black chilli rubber queens awful as was the website that declared them black chilli and the shop that refused to refund
Garden Manure
Hans damfs. I wanted to like them. I so wanted to like them. Everyone else liked them. They were the draggiest, slowest piece of dung I have ever used.
Gatorskins...? Really.? They're Proper winter training/ commuting tyres.
Schwalbe tyres. All utter ****ing **** and £50 a pop.
Raceface Aquanot Jacket. Not breathable and not waterproof. Bloody expensive and the zips all fell off.
Nobeerinthefridge - MemberHans damfs. I wanted to like them. I so wanted to like them. Everyone else liked them. They were the draggiest, slowest piece of dung I have ever used.
As far as I can tell, everyone who likes Hans Dampfs either came to them via Nobby Nics, or at the time when there were absolutely no good 650b tyres.
Fox 34 FIT, Rock Shox Monarch Debonair, Matchmaker clamps for shimano brakes to sram shifters, titanium XTR pedal axles.
That Specialised bar tape with the gell pads under. It was really really comfy but made the bars so fat I could barely reach the brakes on the drops.
The roubaix is a much better compromise!
Easton wheelset, freehub issues 😥
An all inclusive holiday to Turkey, I would rather be in Grimsby.
Bought some Maxis Ardents four years ago. Fitted them to my old kona then immediately flew off to molini with them. In the words of Captain Bertorelli: "Whatta mistaka do makka"
Tioga Psycho II...
FSA gossamer cranks with the pre-load cap that always comes undone no matter what I do to the ****in thing.
Aztec shimano road brake pads, 2 frikkin rides in the wet and they were done.
Shimano Goretex winter boots, great in the dry, complete utter turd in the wet when they just turn into mobile ice baths.
Giro gloves - just fall apart.
Continental Vapour tyres. So bad, I genuinely thought they were actively trying to kill me.
I read later that they were developed solely on marketing grounds "we were told to bring something new to the market for a particular bike manufacturer" was the excuse
Bastards
On one smoothie headset.
Aldi cycling shoes.
At least three Oasis albums.
Ice V8 dropper.
Continental mountain kings.
Bavaria lager.
Tom Waits rain dogs (I mean, really, what so ****ing good about it).
Some £20 DVD about the 1974 Lions tour to South Africa, that was nothing but interviews after they'd been on the piss at some dinner thirty years later.
Too much other crap to mention.
Gatorskins...? Really.? They're Proper winter training/ commuting tyres.
Hateful things, vague feel, not much grip and not great at repelling punctures. I really didn't like them at all.
Gloves made by
Scott
661
Giro
Fox
Kona
Dakine
Specialised
Mace
Aldi
Raceface
All of them disintegrate within a few months, stiching fails, holes in palms, Velcro comes away, rubber armour falls off, silicone grips on fingers- these last a couple of rides, just shit
No other piece of riding kit I've ever own fails so quickly on me as gloves
If anyone knows of some long lasting gloves , let me know
Not really shit, but certainly biggest disappointment was the Ragley Ti in 20" size. Wanted to love it, just couldn't get past the overly stiff rear end. Expensive mistake on my part.
I have briefly ridden an 18" frame that a friend still has (and loves) and it felt more lively, more planted. Strange.
On the other hand, Nobby Nics really are crap.
Ifanyone knows of some long lasting gloves , let me know
Poc. On my second pair in five years.
Bonty Mud X had them on my Stans rims tubeless twice for 10 minutes until they exploded in the garage covering it in a shower of stans spunk.
Chris King headsets, a bazillion pound pile of utter ****.
Rock Shox Quadra's, SKF ISIS BB's.
Troy Lee gloves for gloves that last
I've a pair of old xtyle XC that are used 2-3 times a week and have lasted 6 years. I have a pair that I bought at the same time still in their bag.
amazing gloves
Some fake nutella I found in a Colruyt supermarket in france
a VERY used XT rear mech I got for a bargain of £6
I have a set of gore gloves that are now on their 4th year (of mtb + road) - and still look new after a wash!Ifanyone knows of some long lasting gloves , let me know
Easton Haven wheels, shite bearings, lasted 3 months with Easton/Importer refusing to admit there was a problem and dragged their heels on warranty.
Maverick Speedball, useless seat clamp.
Avid Elixir CR - at least they looked nice and I guess they made me faster.... because they didn't work
Troy Lee gloves for gloves that last
I Would say the exact opposite... Had some, fell apart in a few weeks. Royal gloves have always been great. had a pair for 3 years now and another couple that I bought in a CRC sale. Also got some POC ones that are great, but a bit hot for summer.
ESI grips were a disappointment after all the positive reviews. Spun on the bars and shredded themselves after one off.
SRAM drivetrains (not tried the 11 speed stuff) can never get it set up right and requires constant adjustments. Shimano stuff is fit and forget.
I really like my ESI grips but they've got absolutely no crash resistance.
Use the ones ye was born with - your hands. Feels better once you are used to it.No other piece of riding kit I've ever own fails so quickly on me as glovesIf anyone knows of some long lasting gloves , let me know
Real brass monkey weather might mean putting a pair of gloves on, but if you're only using them one season out of four that should take care of longevity.
Worst component in recent memory was a use seat post - unusual clamp design with a single bolt. Slipped all the time.
Chris King headsets, a bazillion pound pile of utter ****.
😆 come on son, come on, you spend more than most african countries national debt on bike stuff a month, no way are you having issues with the only thing 99.99999999% of people would say have no issues
infact i think you just the new bike radar version of Cannondales "big john" fictitious and/or paid by Santa Cruz
Shimano gloves
crank bros pump
crank bros extendable tyre lever
Selle Italia SLR
Very lightweight, the mixture of carbon, titanium and carbon wetted my middle aged desire for 'bike stuff'.
On any ride over one hour it appears to be designed to get you ready for a life time sentence in a Turkish prison.
Garmin 210
Constant steamup up display, doesn't like water, or sweat, or humidity or any vapors.
I never actually used my chris king, it came in a used bike but it'd already put a lovely groove in the fork steerer so I just sold it on. Still, they kindly offer to sell you a replacement part to stop their headset destroying your forks, and that part only costs about twice as much as the perfectly good non-fork-destroing headsets I normally use. Course, there was nothing wrong with the old design, no, they redesigned it for no reason at all, that's not an admission of fault. They certainly weren't just dodging the licence fee- oh what's that, they changed it the second the patent expired? Forget... forget... forget...
😆
Panaracer Magic Dart. death trap of a tyre and quickly replaced with a Specialized team control.
Aldi bike tool kit. returned after 3 days, 8mm allen wrench was more like 8.5mm and the rest of the tools looked like they'd die on first use.
Michelin Cross Country mud tyres. They were 1/2 price from CRC, it was the middle of winter, I was still on SB8s. I tried the michelins for 2 or 3 rides and went back to the SB8s. I was fed up with the constant washing out and crashes.
I have some oakleys that are lasting pretty well about 4yrs in - thinnish xc-style (is factory pilot a model name or just marketing crap ?)If anyone knows of some long lasting gloves , let me know
Orange Sub5 (first ones, not the more modern "5". Never tried one of them, because having had the misfortune of owning a Sub5, and it's two warranty replacement bretheren, I will never buy a bike made by that shower again)
If anyone knows of some long lasting gloves , let me know
Royal
Some early rock shox that didn't move no matter what you rolled over
fasternotfatter - MemberSome early rock shox that didn't move no matter what you rolled over
Not true, they had loads of sideways travel!
Schwalbe Fast Fred
Conti Supersonic Tubes
unless of course you enjoy fixing punctures
Ashima PCB brakes. You think Avids are bad, yer nur nurthin Jun Snurr.
Hans Dampfs, the draggiest, slowist, crappest tire I have ever used in the last 30 years.
Tioga lock on grips that did everything but lock on, and the grip literally wore off after one muddy ride.
Defeet Woolieboolies, spuds in the toes after a few rides and yes I do clip my nails. Overpriced and appalling quality.
If anyone knows of some long lasting gloves , let me know
DeFeet
XT wheels with 'fabulous' cup and cone bearings.
If they're so great, how come no one else uses them?
Oakley factory Pilot gloves are pretty good. Mine are 2 years old and just starting to go at the seams.
Nobby Nics (all versions, not the first thing to come off of a new bike),
Superstar Laser Chain device (their other chain devices were fine but I could not get this to fit anything without taking a hacksaw to it),
Tioga Factory DH Tyres (like riding on ice),
Renthal Kevlar Lockon grips (ok but not very comfy, not very hard wearing, ugly colour and expensive),
ISIS Hussefelt Cranks,
Norco Atomic,
The three books I've taken on holiday
Grahem Greene travels with my aunt
Peter Moore vroom by the sea
And the latest John Lewis carre
Anything from one insustries, the most overpriced poor quality tat i have ever bought
Gary fisher cake full suss
Santa cruz bullit awful bike
Intense tracer bought. After a turner rfx.....why
Avid brakes
Camelback bags all sit too high
Odi lockons bolts made of cheese
Merino wool.........not as a base layer or as just one top
Icebreaker base layer 80 quid and itches me
Shimano saint c/set paid 90 paypal gift and it never showed up
Endura, Patagonia and raceface waterproof jackets, all leak and are sweaty
51 plate vw golf estate paid 3k for it a few years ago privately and the turbo went after 60 miles
According to the wife....
The house we bought
The car we bought
The tv we bought
The kitchen table we bought
The clothes I wear
This could go on for a bit...
Panaracer Smoke Re-Issue, put it on, thought my wheel was out of true on the first ride, checked more closely and found the bead seperating from the sidewall. Importers apparently insisted my brakes had rubbed it away, even though I was on discs. We subsequently had loads of returns with blown sidewalls, and i've refused to sell any of their tyres since.
Also bought a Crud Claw, nice in principle for muddy rides, but it seems there's a reason QR nuts have big grippy serrations, and sticking a flat shiny piece of ali between it and the frame stops it doing it's job.
Edit- Anything that's labelled "waterproof".
Hite Rite - I was too light to make it work. Even back then I guess mountain bikers were all fat.
Manure.
😉 ➡