[Closed] Things you were completely skeptical about but now utterly convinced

Disc brakes on mtbs. I used to think there was nothing wrong with a well adjusted set of v-brakes - pretty sure I expressed that opinion on here ☺️. Then I got a bike with discs.

I can’t believe it’s not butter

Yup. Bluetooth headphones

Android phones (had my first in 2010) was sceptical.

Citroen Berlingo. Hated on them. Had one. Best family car ever. Sadly don't own one now as they are crap at towing caravans. Best car ever though.

Caravans. Hated on them. Friend got one. It all made sense. I'm typing this now from my cosy bed with the sun light disappearing over the llyn pen.

Impact drivers. Didn't think it was something to buy. Best tool ever.

29ers. Obviously. Then I got a new bizango in 2015. Just recently had a Merida big trail. Go to bike.

Dropper posts. Can't go back.

Spds. Brilliant but I picked up many bad habits. Back on flats now but they have my respect.

Skepticism.
Cynicism also.
And brevity.

Oval chainring
Bumbag

Skepticism.
Cynicism also.
And brevity.

🤓

Halloumi

Brexit.

Each day I take out my Blue Passport and lovingly admire it. I can't believe I used to have to live with a crummy purple one.

And the sovereignty. It's to die for.

Don't even get me started on taking back control of our borders. Just imagine where we would be right now if anyone could just come into the country from any part of the world, infected or not, at will.

Smart phones. Didnt think I needed anything like it, till I tried one

Bigger cars. Never saw the point as I could fit 2 mtbs in a Fiat 500. But a back injury ment I couldn't get a bike in and out of a boot without a lot of pain and ruining a day's riding. Sitting higher up and being able to roll a bike in a boot is Infinitely better.

29ers. Skeptical at first as I'm short and need a small frame. But a nice light 29er is great fun.

Zwift. Didnt get the hype till I tried it and put so many more hours in while it was raining.

Apple products.

Belle and Sebastian. Mrs Tyred adored them from day one, she's got an original copy of Tigermilk. We met, I derided them as twee shite for quite a while then the scales fell from my eyes and I realised their beauty. She's always been very nice about it.

Front axle suspension on tractors, can't imagine how we ever used to manage without it.

Automatic cars

- Music that isn’t some sub-genre of rock

- Dark chocolate ( North of 80%)

- Seaweed snacks

- 29ers

- Cider (traditional)

- Olives

- Swimming laps

Cats! 49 years of disliking them, then we got the wee fella.

I was completely wrong! He's lovely!

Cryptocurrencies.

Dropper post.

Front suspension.
Long travel front suspension.
Full suspension.
I genuinely thought I’d hate all of them, i was wrong.
Cheating, i never thought she would cheat. I was wrong.

IH cooking
Eggplant and mushrooms

I was skeptical that the tory party was a party of the people. Now im convinced they aren't.

Religion

Front suspension, I suppose. Saw it on bike in about 1990 and thought they just wanted to make their bike look like a motorbike. Had a go on one a few years later, rode about 10 metres and knew straight away this was it. Bought some that weekend. I've been an early adopter of quite a few changes since (disk brakes, dropper posts, 1x), but still on the fence about tubeless.

Brexit.

Each day I take out my Blue Passport and lovingly admire it...

You aren't the only one to have had an epiphany

welshfarmer91
Full Member
Front axle AND CAB suspension on tractors, can’t imagine how we ever used to manage without it.

Posted 7 hours ago

FTFY 😁😁

See also softride on loaders/telehandlers...

Cordless vacuums 😂

After being a fully committed Henry user for the past six years, more WFH and adopting a pet cat meant we generated a lot more dust/fluff than I ever imagined.

A battery powered Shark has been great for wizzing round the house more often and cat blankets. Still use the Henry for a deep clean and it is better in nooks/crannies but nowhere near as convenient. You would be amazed how much the Shark get out of your carpets for the size of it.

29ers
Contact lenses
I can see your voice 😂

Toilets in campersvans

For the small inconvienance of having to tip out the toilet you become truly leave no trace ..... Shame about the other 200lazy shits who litter our lay-bys and parking spots with shit and toilet paper part buried.

Wouldn't have fitted one on a build but inherited one and have been converted to how much better life is with it

Disc brakes on road bikes - thought they were probably a good idea on winter bikes.

Until I had them on my summer bike, still think rim brakes have a place but I won’t be buying them again.

And slippers 🙂

Magic beans! I thought no way, not a chance in hell these’ll work, but hey presto they do. Really. (See classifieds).

Sorry.... Electric bikes.
My wife an I can now ride together for the first time Ok she is slower on the flat and frustratingly fast uphill but it is so much better than before.

Tubless tyres on bikes. Spent far too long thinking the phaff wasn't worth it...I was wrong
Cruise control on cars. Would not be without it now

Lidl quality

Di2
A high driving position
Getting a saddle fit
Expensive bib shorts
Bum butter

I do appreciate that most of this list revolves around cosseting my arse.

Apple products. Always had windows for PC and android for smartphones and tablets but now have pretty much every apple product going.

Peanut Butter - work of the devil for 46 years, now I can't get enough of the (good) stuff.

Walking poles
Leashless ice axes.

Orange juice on muesli, I thought someone was trying to have me on but now I'd never go back to milk.

Droppers.
Even have one on my gravel bike now.

Walking poles
.

yep

Leashless ice axes.

you what now?

Road bikes, lycra, shaved legs 😭

Aye, walking poles too, like dropper posts for walkers.

Tents, I was always a bivvy guy, went 180 on that now, my bivvy bag only lives in my day pack as an emergency item these days. Planning a cuillins traverse soon, it may see action then.

you what now?

Bit niche I know. Ice climbing axes used to have wrist loops so that your hands didn't slip off the shafts(!). Now they have sculpted handles and it's much better for many reasons.

Using a bread maker (our two little blighters would get through a loaf a day during lockdown, and there’s nothing nicer than waking up to fresh bread)

Homemade pizza (an extension of the above)

Dropper posts (like many others)

Saurkraut

Niche but,

Kite killers. Emergency brakes for power kites which collapse the canopy if you get into trouble. I always thought they were pointless, "I'll just put the brakes on," until I got into trouble one day.

paying someone else to clean my house

Automatic cars. Cats. 29ers. Nihlism.

Bit niche I know. Ice climbing axes used to have wrist loops so that your hands didn’t slip off the shafts(!).

Might be OK on sport routes but a friend's wife dropped an axe half way up a multi-pitch ice climb in the Alps - that was a palaver and a half, we had to down climb several pitches to retrieve it. I'd always want them attached to me so they can't go missing even if I don't hang on the leashes. After the massive faff we ended up finishing the route, down the glacier mid afternoon, just in time for all the mini-creveses to open up as the sun had melted their lids, lots of the leader disappearing up to his waist every few hundred yards.....

Planning a cuillins traverse soon, it may see action then.

Ooh, wanna buy the rope?

Mine is sat in the cupboard looking at me pristeenly and forlornly every time I rummage about for scrambling kit.
Lovely lightweight 8mm by 40m Mammut loveliness. Seems such a waste to have only used it one day ever, but equally seems even more of a waste to trash it hauling the kids up various lake District ghylls.

Henderson's Strong & Northern Relish.

I though it was just another Worcester Sauce but I was wrong it was so good I actually "drink" it ... I am going to buy more. It is bloody good.

Automatics - amazing invention, would never go back to manual now.
Electronic gears on bikes - SRAM AXS is just sublime
Olives - took a long while to come to terms with them

E-bikes

Wide, carbon tubeless wheels on road bikes. Run at low pressures the magic carpet effect is incredible!

I’d always want them attached to me so they can’t go missing even if I don’t hang on the leashes.

When people say 'leashless' what they usually mean is wristloopless. Pretty much everyone I know, myself included, uses a leash of some sort when climbing 'leashless'. 🙂

+1 for Apple products
+1 for Henderson’s, since turning veggie I was looking for a Worcestershire Sauce replacement, Henderson’s fills the spot very well

MrsMC

First met at an event briefing when she was bossing around her group, and I thought "The poor sod that marries that."

26 years later, I'm utterly convinced I was right.

Norovirus. I thought it was a myth or at least just a tummy bug before the first time I had it. Turns out I was labouring under a misapprehension.

😳

Full suspension mountain bikes, after 10 years of hard tails

1x - Couldn't believe I'd not the options.

Dropper - hardtail still doesn't have one and I miss it every time.

Netflix - their own content is often reason enough to subscribe. I assumed it would be docusoaps(? - like TOWIE?) and cop shows only.

Pick up trucks then I saw the Ford F-150 Lightning.
It is so electric it will even power your house - if it is 120vac.
I want one but thankfully cant afford one even though it wont fit in a Devon lane or a parking bay.

I want one but thankfully cant afford one even though it wont fit in a Devon lane or a parking bay.

FIFY. Is awesome though. I reckon you'd get 2 29ers in the frunk.

Beer.

29ers. I am riding stuff i couldnt on a santa cruz nomad on a 130mm travel 29er. And faster everywhere.

Kids. Who wants that hassle? Turns out me. Twice.

Red wine. Olives. Humus.

Always willing to learn

29ers here too. Thought wheel size couldn't make that much difference. But ditched 26" long ago after trying my first big wheeler.

Still not convinced by wireless earbuds. None I've tried got anywhere near loud enough.

Quooker tap in the kitchen

SUV's and brand new cars on PCP deals....same as what I was paying on loans for second or third hand cars for brand new motors.

+1 for paying someone else to clean your house

and building on that paying trades people for doing jobs you can do yourself - used to never consider getting a tradesperson in unless I had to or the job was too big for me. But recently got in a painter and decorator to do the hall starts and landing and he had the job licked in half the time I would have taken and did a far better job and didn't ruin things as he went along, like dripping paint on carpets and stuff. And wasn't really that expensive in the end.

Bose QC35s headphones, seemed insanely over priced and resisted for years. Wear them for several hours every day now.

Smart phones. Didnt think I needed anything like it, till I tried one

That was me with mobile phones (pre-smartphones). My BIL gave me his old Nokia which just sat in my pocket unloved. Then a colleague brought an iPhone 3GS into the office. I was instantly hooked, this was so much more than a phone and now a useful thing to cart around. I still don't use my iPhone as a phone very much. Or a camera.

Single speed.  Always seemed like making life hard for yourself for no good reason and I was too old for that sort of nonsense.  Love it now

Oh, and C&H of course

Automatic Gearboxes
Podcasts
Coriander
Android (Apple is truly shite)
Paint rollers
Guinness
Thermal vests
Sensible jumpers

@thegeneralist, aye, go on then. Could meet up for a ride to grab it from you? No huge rush, be good to meet in the lakes.

Onesies. Swore never ever. Got one as a Christmas present. Soooo cosy.

Titanium framed road bikes. Thought advocates were describing the emperor's new clothes. How wrong. Limousine smooth.

Salt and chilli chips

Titanium framed road bikes. Thought advocates were describing the emperor’s new clothes. How wrong. Limousine smooth.

Yep.

Oh, and C&H of course

Not sure I was ever sceptical

didn’t ruin things as he went along, like dripping paint on carpets

Bit that’s how you get a nice new carpet on insurance to go with the freshly painted walls.

For me- mountain bikes. Saw some lads at a bmx track on their diddy little bike & pyjama suits in the late 70s. Thought it was a fad like skateboarding. Then at uni a friend had a muddy fox in the late 80s til he left it unchained in Toxteth. Again thought it was a silly fad!

Marriage....

Turned out i was right...

Dual/multiple monitors. Resisted for years at work, as they'd take up too much room on the desk. Went on holiday, came back to find 2 monitors had been fitted in my absence, much to my disappointment.

Can't work without them now, even converted to them at home. (You think bikes are bad for differing standards?!?)

Nothing really bike wise. I suppose 29ers, as the first ones I tried weren't my cup of tea, and its still not a deal breaker if something is 27.5. Possibly 1x, I ran it in the early 00's on DJ/4x hardtails and DH bikes but liked 2 and 3x as I got older and went for longer, more XC/trail, rides for the range. Then 11 speed came out, I was worried I wouldn't be able to shift to an easier gear as quick as dropping from middle to granny, but 10 mins with it soon put my worries to rest.

Aperol Spritzers at the end of a hot day.

*hic

Unsprung weight every which way...

Traction?

Mmmm hmmmm

Pop?

Oh yes

General feeling of unencumbered wellbeing and manoeuvrability deftly juxtaposed with ploughable unflappability in any and all terrain or ****ery this space time continuum can provide ?

No Diggity

Dropper posts and ebikes.
I should be disgusted with myself.

Bumsex, yeah bumsex.

I mean bumbag.