Cheap stuff that works?

The reason I ask is I have had little or no joy with budget components. I never usually buy them but recently bought a Cube LTD SL 29er and the bike is pretty good but the headset and BB have been wrecked in less than 10 rides. Cleaned and greased properly. Upgraded the Fox forks to the FIT performance model and not really impressed, not terrible though.

M520s
UN72s

shimano spds
shimano brakes
kmc chains
shimano chainsets (and BBs IMO though others will disagree)
on-one / p-x frames (esp for ss – some think they foul up if you get chainsuck with gears)
full-length cabling

(secret with headset and bb bearings is to fill ’em up with heavy grease before use, IMO – some say not to but it works for me)

Amphetamines? 😉

Bic Biro

Alpkit

Aldi kit!

Shimano deore. Its not flash or fancy but I’ve never broken it either.

i just wait til CRC sell expensive stuff dirt cheap.

Joyo guitar pedals

Shimano M520 SPD pedals
KMC X9 chain
SLX chainset

Current Deore brakes – better than some models costing 5 times the price.

My Magicshine lights have lasted 3 years so far and have been great. 😀

De Walt (or similar) safety glasses from DIY shops

on one framesets cos they work and are far better than they should be considering the price

Cane Creek s-3 headset
Shimano 520 pedals
Stuff on offer from Merlin

spirit levels

Aldi kit!

their winter gloves are brilliant.

Another vote for the Deore range, cheap and good.

Bell track pump from Asda.
Aldi Neoprene gloves.
Deore middle chainrings.

Cane Creek and FSA headsets- why people pay more I don’t know
Deore chainrings- last forever, but also keep shifting well for longer than anything else I’ve used.
Bolle safety glasses for riding in

Polish immigrants…

My verdict on cheap comes at the end of life.

For me thats
Hope Headsets, BB’s, Hubs and Brakes
Mavic Rims
Camelbacks

Cost per ride is minimal these days.

deore.
FSA XL2 headset
aldi 5watt light
ALDI cycling kit in genereal, gloves, jacket, winter cycling trews, socks
ASDA fingerless gloves
2nd one for bolle safety glasses.
Ebay – got a brand new Rocky Mountain Vertex frame for £150 shop liquidation. Pisses on any on one.
STW Classifieds – blokes that buy good stuff, never use it, then sell it cheap.

I’ll also add proper ride kit

Most of my stuff was in the 60+quid short price range, tops at RRP too 🙂

Most barring crash damage are fine 4-6 years on.

That’s not cheap stuff that works, that’s expensive stuff that’s good value, different question entirely.

Ronhill tracksters – my “new” ones are at least 10 years old!

Findus lasagne

Oakley Factory gloves. <£20

Another vote for aldi winter gloves

And cheap Chinese roadie kits, you’ll find me decked out in Castelli for £25 (not that you’d want to mind)

On-One Chunky Monkeys…

Superstar sintered brake pads

Superstar pads +1

knife, fork and spoon

Bolle +1

On One smorgs.

Safety glasses from Screwfix, as stated above. Buy for a fiver, use for a couple of years/ get scratched and chuck and get a new pair.
I like Michelin tyres. Always look for end of range. Tubeless and just happy to ride them Find it nuts to pay £45 a tyre for a bike !!
Shimano SPD’s ……. buy them, run them, er….. keep running them.
On One smoothie headsets………… sorry I lied there 😉
Some Decathlon clothing isnt too bad for the money either.

That’s not cheap stuff that works, that’s expensive stuff that’s good value, different question entirely.

Pedant

mikewsmith – Member
My verdict on cheap comes at the end of life.

Camelbacks

+1 on Camelbaks – I just sold one which I’d used for five years or more. It had been through every sort of crap imaginable, been fallen on, put away dirty, never cleaned.

Gave it a clean, cleared all my stuff out of it, and there wasn’t a thread out of place, every zip, buckle and clip was as new.

Crane cycling kit from Aldi.
SLX. (all of it)
Superstar pads
Superstar grips
Superstar stems
Spoons, Knives and Ladles
Gusset BBs
Shimano SPDs
Tesco Hydration pack. (2 litre bladder and 6 litre carrying capacity for £7.)
BBG bashguards
Blackspire Stingers