When buying spares, do we always go for the best....?

[graham bowers]

XT is bulletproof. It was 'bang for the buck' back in the day. Does that still hold true?

Depends I suppose. I recently had an XT hub crack through a spoke hole on the driveside flange on a touring bike at about 8000 miles. Replaced with a new Deore hubbed wheel so we'll see how that goes.

 

[Nebulous]

I started cycling reluctant to spend money on it, I'm usually a discounted, like a deal kind of guy. Gradually I've opened the purse strings, and at times I haven't noticed much difference, while at other times I've been blown away by the improvement for more expensive kit.

Tyres are a case in point. A lot of our club seemed to be on GP4000s. I must have tried about everything cheaper I could find. Sometimes I was plagued with punctures, sometimes they wore very quickly and sometimes they didn't grip in the wet. I moved to the 4000s and found them much better. They really appear to me to have found a sweet spot between grip and resilience.

I bought up a few when they stopped making them, and still have one left, carried in my saddlebag on an audax. I also have a set of GP5000s bought on sale at one point. I understand that they have more grip, but don't wear as well, which might not work for me.

My biggest regret with tyres is not the price of them, but that I didn't decide to pay more and try them sooner.

 

[yello]

Hmm, yes, tyres. I found either the afore mentioned GP4000 or the Conti 4 Seasons to be my tyre of choice, depending on bike. The prices of those tyres these days are a bit steep for me these days. But given the comments above maybe buying cheaper is a false economy?? After all, it was experience, and trial & error, that got me to them in the first place.

 

[homebuilds]

What kind of driving boots do you wear? High end F1 boots give superior grip and responsiveness combined with ultra light weight and fire protection. It may look a bit dorky wheeling a trolley around Tesco wearing F1 boots but trust me, once you are back behind the wheel; the difference in power delivery and speed of response is measurable . Its all about marginal gains.

Never thought about marginal gains leaving a 10mph Tesco car park. Must tell the misses I need a pair of these boots for when we go shopping

 

[fossyant]

Entry level at £90?

It's quite cheap. My Spesh shoes were closer to £150 over 15 years ago - used Xmas and birthday money. Still going strong !

 

[Mo1959]

It's quite cheap. My Spesh shoes were closer to £150 over 15 years ago - used Xmas and birthday money. Still going strong !

Like my Specialized shoes too. Bit wider in the toe box which suits me. Not that long since I bought the Recon 2.0. Comfy and enough room for thicker socks when it turns colder.