Components that have lasted against the odds.

Just getting my bike out for a spin, and I’ve realised that the Magura Louise pads have been in for four years untouched. This is my main bike, so over the four years has probably done in excess of 6,000 off-road miles. And before I’m accused of not using the front brake, well I do, a lot, so there!

Anyway, anybody got anything fitted to their trusty steeds that has lasted a rather long time against the odds?

1995 Middleburn RS3’s on a Hope Ti bottom bracket, used several times a week for the last 17 years – has had dozens of sets of chain rings & bearings replaced.
Pace gillet & team windcheater must date from 1998ish

My Truvativ GVX bottom bracket has lasted 3 years and probably over 4000 off road km.
I don’t service it either but I do regularly jet wash my bike at service stations.
I’ve thought about replacing it but I doubt I’ll ever get a freak like this one again.

e-13 guide ring, came on a second hand bike 6 years later sold on another bike, perfectly good

Had an XTR long Cage mech kept ending up in and out of the spares box always worked perfectly (5 years +)

Original Hope Mini Mono and Mono M4’s 7 years no work done

If anybody says anything mechanical from Crank Brothers I’ll eat my cycling shoes!!!

set of candys been going for 4 years here just a spot of grease every now and again

CB multi Tool

dantsw13 – Member
If anybody says anything mechanical from Crank Brothers I’ll eat my cycling shoes!!!

Want sauce with those?

My crankbrothers joplin lasted 1 month then popped the seals.
Seems to have outlasted most dropper posts that I’ve heard of.
Great purchase and my riding over that month completely changed! 😆

early shimano cartridge BB from my raleigh road frame bought in 1991, removed it when the frame went to the tip last year and its still as smooth as new.
weighs a fair bit mind, compared to more modern types.

Not a fan generally of Shimano stuff, but the square taper BB on my singlespeed just seems to go on and on.

Very early Orange 5 is pretty indestructible too.

04 fox vanillas still perfect
04 Hope qr seatclamp still working fine
03 turner 5spot still going strong
Full 2006 xtr groupset and wheels still spot on
S’all good 😀

erm,
rocky mountain frame from 1995/96 just retired yesterday.
hope front hub/mavic rim, built by monty at condor running true after 8 years…!(on rigid forks and 10,000)
flite and giro saddle( recovered)
xtr brake 12 years old and working on a singlespeed.

finally me, if my new frame lasts as long as the last i will be over 60.

Mike – BBQ sauce please!! I’m happy for you though – in my experience of CB that REALLY is against all odds!!

Y2K Manitou X-Vert Supers with the gaiters removed soon after purchase.

Never taken apart, fresh grease pumped in maybe every 2 years.

avid arch rival vbrakes off my 99 kona muni mula were my off-road brakes until i went disc in 2003, it was my last trip to cyb in the wet when i finally knew i had to go disc
anyway they went on my lava dome frame in 2005 and have done 5 days a week since then in all kinds of weather and some long off road treks too, ive had to replace the noodles a couple of times but they still work a treat (the stem of the same vintage is still on there too)

Suntour XC Pro front thumbshifter – in use since ’96 and still works fine (now on a Turner Flux).

Admittedly thumbies are quite simple robust things so this may not be particularly impressive…

oh and RP2 4 5 years no service
DHX5 no service and 6 years

You do all realise that any component listed up here ^ will explode into a pile of rust and (your) blood this afternoon don’t you?

2006 Mavic crossrides – apart from cleaning and regreasing the rear last year they’ve been trouble and maintenance free. Think they were about 120 odd quid so have been pretty damn good value for money.

Also a pair of 2005 fox floats – never serviced, used most weeks, trouble free. As are my 2006 vanillas.

Shimano HG20 rear hub and freehub 1989 and over 100,000 road miles.
Shimano XT BB 2003 and over road 40,000 miles.
Truvativ 42T steel chainring over 30,000 road miles and 4 chains.
Shimano M525 SPD pedals well over 40,000 mixed miles on one strip+grease, bought second hand in 2002.

Obviously all over-engineered as used on a hack bike and getting little cleaning or maintenance.

PaulD

I recently sold my hope e4 brakes from 2001 I think they were. Still in perfect working order when I sold them.

CB eggbeaters- now 6 years old, but they do feel like they are on the brink of death.

Hmmm…my Hope M4 brakes have lasted eight years, but I haven’t touched them in five aside from some new pads last year. They’re doing sterling work on my missus’ bike.

Then there’s my seven year old Crank Bros Mallet pedals. There’s no play in the bearings and they’re working perfectly. Yep, they’re seven years old and they’re Crank Bros and they’ve covered some eight thousand miles.

🙂

Dantsw13,

My egg beater Sl pedals are now 4 years old. Never been greased or serviced. Still no play in them whatsoever. Sorry dude.

Have some Hope C2’s on the front of my Clockwork since 1996 that have never even been bled, let alone have any work done to them. Loads of pads though…..

Well, got a Sram XO rear mech that is a good 9 years old or more (pre ordered when they first announced the launch) which has been bshed, smashed and dropped. Had 2 new back plates and a set of jockey wheels but survived being ripped off a hanger in a crash that wrote the hanger off and slamming into a boulder at high speed in the Italian Alps. Still works perfectly though.

My 1992 Cook Bros cranks are still fine too, albeit with a longer than intended bb axle to combat the slight bagginess in the tapers…

I really wanted to like Crank Bros kit. It looks lovely, and feels quality. However after my CB skewer exploded on my front wheel, and one of my pals candy pedals seized solid after 2 months, I decided enough was enough.

1999 Mavix x517 rims on my xc bike. Front wheel still on the original Hope Sport hub, rear has a new hub.

On the road bike a still have a mixture of late 90’s 105 and ultegra stuff – 8 speed!!!.

A pair of Hayes Stroker Ryde brakes, got them in 2008. They went through about two dozen pairs of pads over the four I had them, but never needed bleeding once.

I had a pair of eggbeater Cs that leapt up in the middle of the night and murdered my entire family whilst self-destructing, but then I was given them for Christmas by my Aunt Hilda who bought them from Halfords, and a week later her built-up shoe caught fire.

My original wheels (xt centerlock hubs on ringle eq27 rims) from my 2009 meta are still going strong despite a trip to alps, a year in canada and hundreds of miles over here. Plenty of life left in them too!

three sets of Cranks Bros Candys on three bikes (mountain bike, road bike and fixed bike) – only the oldest ones which are about four years old have been rebuilt and that’s because I got a free rebuild kit and thought it was worth doing given the bad rep they’ve got.

Bulb / 521 wheelset. 1999 and still my only wheels I’ve never been less than 15 stone and they’ve been through 3 snapped frames in that time, trued the rear once.

You lot can’t ride your bikes enough!

Hope mono minis 8 years old.
Shimano xtr spds 7 years old.
Both have done a lot of miles and I have just rebuilt the hopes but I cant remember touching the pedals.

Probably not that abnormal, but my Campag neutron wheels from 2004 are running as good as the day I got them, back in 2004. Hubs super smooth and keep on spinning when bike is in a stand. Never been trued as well. Was going to replace them a couple of months back with some Neutron Ultras, but no need as these are still awesome.

I’ve got a mavic 717 on an XT hub thats now over 8 years old and never been touched once, be that spoke tension or bearing grease. Still true, tight and smooth – thank you Merlins.

deore 525 brakes 2002,time atac carbon 2000, turner 5 spot 2004,fox vanillas 2002, all you got to do is look after them,bit of tlc 8)