What are your 3 biggest cycle related purchase regrets?

[alecstilleyedye]

• turbo trainer - though it would be fun to watch telly while training, but the noise made it impossible and soon was consigned to the shed and, ultimately, the tip
• chain washing thingy - absolutely useless; i'm amazed that they are still for sale
• crank bros minipump - equally poor for both schrader and presta; now seeing out its life as a football pump

 

[Kajjal]

(1) Specialized Propero helmet (The mushroom one) , the latest one is very good.
(2) Non bib shorts, just don't do it.
(3) Elixir 1 brakes, no braking power and sound like gobbling turkeys.

 

[davidphilips]

First has to be cheap brake inserts just dont work as well as good inserts and wear wheel rims so end up costing more in the long run with less braking power.

Second is purchase of a cheap lock for use on an expensive bike very costly mistake with a long walk home involved.

Third prize for me has to go to cheap lights, good lights are money well spent.

But overall money spent on cycling is money well spent and have to add that i have perhaps spent many £1000s on cycling but worth every penny and more.

 

[Disabledcyclist40]

Rapha

Racing Ralph's, super quick but punctured quicker

Right turning vans and my face

 

[ColinJ]

turbo trainer - though it would be fun to watch telly while training, but the noise made it impossible and soon was consigned to the shed and, ultimately, the tip.

My first turbo trainer used fan resistance and that was way too noisy. The magnetic one that I replaced it with was a lot quieter.

 

[Tangoup51]

1) Buying 25c tires when my bike can easily handle bigger ones

2) Cateye strada (wireless) cycling computer - sensor failed on me but still got the head unit.. Head unit is worth £10 and the cable/sensor is £20 according to online sources?!

3) "multi-compound" Clarke Brakes for Road calipers. (complete shilt in the wet.)

 

[Will Spin]

1) Ribble winter trainer/audax; the blue one with the ally frame. Mudguards will only permit 23mm tyres and the clearance was so close that I had to stop every few miles to clear all the mud out and enable the wheels to keep turning, handlebars way too low and crap wheels, the bearings of which wore out after about 1000miles.
2) mini pumps of any price and description...give me CO2
3) Endura bib shorts, bought medium, which should fit me according to the size chart, but the legs are cut off just below crotch height and I'm sure I'm getting some strange looks from my club mates when we stop for coffee.

 

[hoopdriver]

Two of them were Rapha waterproofs. I like Rapha gear as a rule - well made, stylish and functional, but I have learned through two expensive mistakes that they simply are incapable of making a waterproof that is even close to breathable. Utterly boil-in-a-bag stuff. Just plain bad.

My third regret is something that I did not buy when the opportunity offered. I love the old fashioned quill pedals. A few years ago I found a shop that had what were probably the last two pair of brand-new TA quill pedals - one of the best ever made. I bought one, left the other sitting there. Why, oh why, did I do that?

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

SPD pedals and Shimano shoes.
Shoes never fit right, could never align the cleats as I must cycle like Charlie Chaplin walks, despite spending a week trying to sort it all out.

I also hate the good looking but unfortunately single sided retro steel flats that I got instead.

 

[Threevok]

Buying a 20t cog from Tredz - only to realise I already own one - purchased from the same place too !

the Haribo's were nice though

 

[SAB]

EBay's just the auctioneer. Still need to look at who's selling. Some good, some poor.

Same with Poundland, but when I mention the retailers name, you know what I mean! But yes, lots of low quality stuff on eBay hence the stereotypical 'eBay junk' classification.

 

[CopperBrompton]

All the various lights I bought before switching to a SON hub dynamo system.

 

[froze]

#1 I got into a buying frenzy and bought a Mercian Vincitore Special when I was England and too a side trip to Derby, fortunately I was able to sell it about 10 years later for what I paid for it since I only put about 100 miles on it. It was such a beautiful bike I was afraid I was going to scratch it riding it!

#2 Orbea Scandium bike, after only about 10,000 miles a crack formed at the top of the headtube spreading down the front from the headset; after over a year of hassles Orbea refused to replace it under warranty, stating the frame failed due to normal wear and tear! No more Orbea and no more Scandium, and it rode like the bike was made out of bricks.

#2 Continental tires for me too, not only did I make the mistake once but I had to try them several times over the years and they all were expensive fails.

#3 Tubular tires, yeah I use to race on them but I hated them, I was so glad when Specialized introduced the Turbo folding clincher tire.

#4 Latex tubes, more flats with those then I ever had, even with ultralight 65 gram butyl tubes, they only lasted one season instead of 5 to 8 seasons with butyl tubes, they were expensive, and they lost about 20 psi in 24 hours.

#5 I've had a lot of fails with mini pumps, most of which could not get to 75 psi not alone 100 psi that I needed; an SKS Puro (a really nice looking pump with a built in psi gauge) blew apart at 45 psi and it was rated for 145? SKS replaced it with a Wese Raceday Carbon mini, that one works great, too bad all that SKS sells now is crappy pumps.

 

[fatjel]

1.. Brooks b17
2.. Fizik aliante
3. Selle smp extra
4. Brooks cambium
5. Charge knife
I could go on :-(

 

[Smokin Joe]

#2 Orbea Scandium bike, after only about 10,000 miles a crack formed at the top of the headtube spreading down the front from the headset; after over a year of hassles Orbea refused to replace it under warranty, stating the frame failed due to normal wear and tear! No more Orbea and no more Scandium, and it rode like the bike was made out of bricks.

I differ there. I had a Prorace Scandium frame for eight years and it was the best frame I ever used, I preferred it to the full carbon frame that replaced it. It still looked like new when I sold it.