What have you bought that's a bit shit?

nukeproof headsets.

avid brakes.

formula hubs.

cycling clothes not cut for cyclists – which just about everyone is guilty of

(recommendations for cycle clothing that’ll fit a skinny 6footer gratefully received!)

haha no idea matey, I tried to love them, tried them in all conditions and I just hated them. Choose wisely young padawan for the trails are alive….

They’re a rear tyre only for me now that I’be discovered the Magic Mary as a front tyre.

I’ve found them to be pretty good in most conditions, not exceptional on anyone just good on a variety which suits me as I’m too lazy to change tyres. Easy to run tubeless, not too heavy for a big tyre. What I will day is that when they die, the grip is useless (once the knobs start to tear they get squirmy).

Rockshox Pikes.

I bought a Fat Spanner external bottom bracket tool that won’t fit the bottom bracket properly.

Also this, utter pile of rubbish. Always had to make it fit with a rubber mallet.

On aye squirmy as a mofo, I found as they wore down they were really erratic handling wise, breaking away on stuff that usually they ploughed through. I remember railing a left handed berm at our local trails one I had done a million times same line as usual and the bike slipped right under me. I pissed them off pretty much that day. Now on Nics and love them! Crazy.

Nothing beats a tioga farmer john as everyone knows hahha

Any PF30 BB. SRAM, PSA and Wheels Mfg. All SHIT.

MRP 1x – Broke it putting it together the plastic is that soft.

Truvativ XO Chain Device – Should have learnt from above about how bad the design of that MRP top device is and how soft the plastic is.

I’d like to say Zee mechs, i’ve bent three of them now but that’s more my fault than the zee mech, but they all bend in the same place…

Nothing wrong with HDs and I do know what I’m talking about :p

However, Superstar rear hubs….. utter rubbish – need to be supplied with at least two spare freehubs.

DMR V8s. Hopeless pieces of grumbly crap

Those shiny superstar bar ends, not the ones that serve for climbing hills, the ones that tidy up the end of the handlebar…..look lovely, but forever falling off and getting lost!

Crank Bros Cobalt headset, a lovely bit of design, diabolical execution.
Was rough after about three rides, was dead within six months.

Race Face X type bottom bracket, the bearings disintegrated in five rides, yet the Hope one that replaced it is still going strong five years later.

Hope Mono M4 brakes, it was all but impossible to get through a ride without one of the pistons sticking – lovely looking brakes and really nice modulation but so temperamental.

Pop / Pushlocs, just shite, work for about two rides before they stick, moving the compression knob yourself is just so much less hassle

On One Pompino – dull
Funn titanium seatpost – weighed more than the bike it was going on
Gobi Saddle – probably me rather than the saddle..
Various Mucky Nutz fenders which to be fair I never actually finish putting on and usually just resort to any electrical tape that happen to be lying around.

Superstar tesla rear hubs….. ruined god knows how many rides and cost me a fortune in wheel builds.AVOID AVOID AVOID 👿

Avid brakes. 🙄

Non black chilly contis. 😯

All soft alloy/ti hex/torx bolts. 👿

Fox suspension (i have it but it took £350 of tft pushing to make it work) 🙁

Met Parachute. 😐

BMW X5. First and last beemer I’ll ever buy. It looks good and the Mrs enjoys tailgating whilst driving it. But it is absolutely useless: noisy, rock solid suspension, would struggle to venture onto a blade of wet grass or gravel without wheel spinning all over the place.

kayak23 – Member

I bought a Fat Spanner external bottom bracket tool that won’t fit the bottom bracket properly.

You bought a fat spanner and you’re complaining that it’s too fat?

MRP 2X utter cheese
E13 30mm BSA BB fell over beetle style after the kettle had boiled
Hope QR seat collar as said looks great but unable to do what it is actualy designed for.
Shimano XTR trail pedals three pairs all distanced themselves from the axles.

BMW X5. First and last beemer I’ll ever buy. It looks good

😯 😆 😆 😆

Schwalbe Dirty Dans – they cower in the face of decent terrain
Altura Attack jacket. How can you put a jacket together with GLUE? Idiots.
Avid Juicy 3s, for reasons too tedious to get into
Every set of proper MTB shorts – best ones I have now are pro sailing shorts.
Waterproof socks. There’s no such thing.
Royal gloves, Altura gloves, On One gloves – every pair except my old Spesh fingerless have fallen apart.
Parktool multi-tool – snapped.
Topeak ‘power’ tyre levers – great design, terrible quality. They sort of, well, melted.

Any of those cheap tyre levers that either bend in two rather than lever the tyre, or worse, fracture and send bits spinning towards your face
Conti Vertical tyres, weak walled & squirmy.
Hope QR’s, the older type. Deliberately designed to be difficult to get the tension right, and painful to open when on tight.

I’m glad somebody else thinks Park tools are crap. They always seem to get such rave reviews yet the two I have had have both failed in some way eg pin on chain tool snapped after very little use.

a fisher fat possum

+1 made me want to rip off his silly little beard

Avid brakes.

Panaracer Fire XC’s nearly killed me in the Mendips.

So much user error.

A Mini Metro, the kids loved it and I was helped out with a jump start ( 😯 ) by a very nice lady once but I think she felt sorry for me. The car was yellow. It really did look like an up-turned skip.

A temporary clothes rack. It took 20 mins to put it together and then it collapsed immediately we put clothes on it.

EDIT: I have never bought anything hopeless for the bike, just stuff that isn’t useful yet. The cheap tyre levers broke so I had to buy better ones which I see as a positive !

That new Fat tire book.

Oooonly kidding. :O)

I bought a pack of four Snickers for a quid.
No way were they normal size!
Had to eat all of them to satisfy my hunger pangs.

A KS i900 seatpost – words fail me. I’m afraid!

Too many tyres to name them all, but some were funny colours and French which usually meant the rubber was harder than granite. Fortunately I learnt rather quickly just how terrible Schwalbe MTB tyres are (odd really as their road tyres are so good!), so only a couple of Nobby Nic’s in there.

Plenty of Endura clothing. Sorry guys, it really isn’t up to much once it’s been washed a few times. Longevity isn’t their strong point!

Hope disc brakes. Once bitten, twice shy etc. owned about 4 pairs between about 2001 and 2003, and just gave up! Have recently ridden a couple of bikes with modern X2’s and X4’s on though and been thoroughly impressed.

Rockshox Reverbs – Best thing since sliced bread when they’re working properly. Unfortunately I’m on my 3rd now, the first 2 being replaced/fixed under warranty, and it’s already fit for a trip back to Fishers for another warranty job!

Charge Saddles – not comfy at all!

Fizik Saddles – instruments of tortute, every one of them but especially the Gobi!

Cotic BFe – the frame I wanted to love but we weren’t for each other. Odd as I’ve loved Soul’s I’ve ridden!

A CX bike – borrowed one for a few days last year, really enjoyed it. Bought one this year, used it about 4 times. Maybe I just bought the wrong one but it just felt too much of a compromise too much of the time.

There are more but it’s late and I can’t remember them all properly right now…

mboy – Member

Cotic BFe – the frame I wanted to love but we weren’t for each other. Odd as I’ve loved Soul’s I’ve ridden!

I didn’t like it much either. You must have bad touched it.

As above Juicy 3s, just pure hassle.

Fenwicks foaming chain cleaner. Just launches pink foam everywhere. Other than on my chain. Stupid.

Fenwicks foaming chain cleaner. Just launches pink foam everywhere. Other than on my chain. Stupid

Get a scourer or the fenwicks chain sponge and spray it on the sponge.. then scrub the chain.. works better that way.

Fenwicks sealant, utterly rubbish. And they didn’t respond to my complaint email either.

Thanks to their complete inability to seal the tiniest of holes that wouldn’t trouble Stan’s or Joe’s, I had to redecorate my hallway.

Charge Spoon. I love the comfort, I’ve got them on three bikes, but will someone please stop the creaking!!!!!

Poplocs.FFS why? They work in the showroom, but stop as soon as you ride the bike and want it to unlock. You then spend several rides trying to make it work, and realize that you are far better off reaching down and turning the knob by hand.

Rubbery lock-on grips.

Fox Flux helmet. I have a thick neck, and when I am standing on the pedals and look forwards the back of the helmet is pushed upwards, and the front comes down pushing my glasses down my nose. I try to tighten the sliding adjustable retainer and it traps hairs. I don’t see why I should have to shave my head to wear a helmet and see where I’m going…..

All the baggy shorts I’ve ever tried.

I’m now Lycra all the way; it just works.

Charge Spoon. I love the comfort, I’ve got them on three bikes, but will someone please stop the creaking!!!!!

My Madison Flux has been silent for 5X the length of any of the Charges I’ve owned.

Fox Flux helmet. I have a thick neck, and when I am standing on the pedals and look forwards the back of the helmet is pushed upwards, and the front comes down pushing my glasses down my nose. I try to tighten the sliding adjustable retainer and it traps hairs. I don’t see why I should have to shave my head to wear a helmet and see where I’m going…..

[troll] That’s what happens when you buy stuff that doesn’t fit[/troll]

+1 for a creaking Charge Spoon.

However, it’s twenty five sniffs and is the most comfortable saddle I’ve ever used so I merely turn up the music on my Ipod and that sorts the creaking problem.

And I’m going for broke here, but surely cartridge bearings in mountain bike pivots deserve a nomination? I’m a long standing Specialized owner and I have ten of the suckers in my frame and cleaning them regularly is a colossal PITA. Even if you have high quality stainless steel bearings a-la Marin, the races eventually get notchy and die. Surely needle bearings would be a better alternative?

I have Spoon saddles, Avid Brakes and On One windproof and Spec gloves, all lovely.
My Aldi trackpump fell to pieces but there clothes, (apart from mitts) are excellent.
My Independent Fabrication TI SS was disappointing, as the geometry was so weird, it tried killing me on every descent……