The What NOT To Buy Thread

Paul Sh

Over the past couple of months i seem to have be spending a lot of good money and in return getting complete and utter rubbish, so in an attempt to save fellow forum members the disappointment of having empty pockets and nothing to show for it i think we should share our knowledge about items that we find to be a big no no in terms of quality and their ability to do the job they were intended for.
If so can we all post a pic of the dreaded item, I'll start with this, FSA seatpost, white with wafer thin paint, you have one shot at getting the height right or you end up with the below pic, £30.00 straight down the toilet.

The Northern Monkey

good thread
i always hate reading reviews tell us how amazing products are, only to get them to find they last about 5 mins!

i would like to add wellgo v8 copies (although i know most people will stay clear anyways) i had them on my GT for about a week. stacked them with grease before fitting but they siezed solid after 1 muddy ride!!

nicklouse

Paul Sh
did you have the seat tube reamed out? and then deburred?

it still works does it not?

Paul Sh

nicklouse wrote:

Paul Sh
did you have the seat tube reamed out? and then deburred?

it still works does it not?

Seat tube is fine, it was one of the first things i checked, i've since seen a review on Chainreaction and someone was complaining about the exact same thing, you will not believe how thin the paint is, it now just picks off with my finger nail, it's a shame really as in the flesh it's a nice post.

supersonic

I can understand being upset with the finish if that is the reason you got it.

But as a post - take it it is fine?

Paul Sh

supersonic wrote:

I can understand being upset with the finish if that is the reason you got it.

But as a post - take it it is fine?

The clamp seems fine, but as far as i'm concerned it now looks like trash, that post is like that after one day, sorry but thats not acceptable.

supersonic

I'd strip the lot off, and polish. Though it might not fot then, hmmm.

What size is it? I might buy it off you!

rd350lc

I would like to add my very expensive VW T5 Transporter not a bike I know but with under 20k on the clock and now needing its 3rd clutch I think its a bit on the poop side.

oh and most things made by hope ..... and formula ......robbing bastards,I always buy the best I can afford and its usually complete pants .... oh and the bathroom set I bought from the House of Fraser last month which cost an arm and a leg and is now sat rusting away as we speak.

Pathetic

Rant over

Rich

Paul Sh

27.2, i was going to stick it on my get to work bike though.

supersonic

Ah well! Needed a 27.0 anyway.

Things I'd avoid... Hope Pro2, Hope Hed Doctor, Marzocchi MZ forks...

Paul Sh

rd350lc wrote:

I would like to add my very expensive VW T5 Transporter not a bike I know but with under 20k on the clock and now needing its 3rd clutch I think its a bit on the poop side.

oh and most things made by hope ..... and formula ......robbing bastards,I always buy the best I can afford and its usually complete pants .... oh and the bathroom set I bought from the House of Fraser last month which cost an arm and a leg and is now sat rusting away as we speak.

Pathetic

Rant over

Rich

This is interesting TBH, i was going to shell out £300 on a hope light, but the more i search on the net the more i become unsure, their lights have electrical faults, apparently.

supersonic

Lighting is a fast moving market. As soon as one releases a new mega light, somebody comes along with another more powerful, lighter, cheaper one!

You seen the other light thread? Brightstar Mag Levin HID, 1300 lumens, 190 quid!

Paul Sh

supersonic wrote:

Lighting is a fast moving market. As soon as one releases a new mega light, somebody comes along with another more powerful, lighter, cheaper one!

You seen the other light thread? Brightstar Mag Levin HID, 1300 lumens, 190 quid!

I need a light to find the link i think, you got a link to it.

supersonic

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12592482

Justinjured

Things I'd avoid... Hope Pro2, Hope Hed Doctor, Marzocchi MZ forks...

Whats wrong with hope pro ii?? Havent had any problems with mine, and performance wise they have been better than the shimano 525's they replaced.[/quote]

whyamihere

supersonic wrote:

Ah well! Needed a 27.0 anyway.

Strip the paint off and polish it, might knock 0.2mm off unless the paint really is stupidly thin...

supersonic

Which given they cost 5x the amount, not suprising ;-)

Front hub I don't have much problems with, rear is simply overpriced compared to what you can get from other manufacturers. Is a simple hub, with simple freewheel and bearings, and not very good ones at that.

Justinjured

Mags definately have their favourites. At the time when I bought them it was what everybody was recommending for xc type use.

not being technically any wiser thats what I went for.

hucking_fell

You do get lots of options on the rear Hope pro 2 though.

Not just bling colours but conversions to different axle types like the 12mm needed for the maxle.

The front's convertable from QR to 20mm and 15mm too.

But I do think British mags are biased towards British products.

maximus69

my pro 2 front hub was grinding after 2 months. hope didnt want to know, they said the bearings are not covered in guarantee . lbs had to strip it and re grease for me. thought it was a fit and forget item. just hope the money i splashed out on a hope 4 light is`nt gonna be a waste of time. i wont be buying anything from hope again.

Surf-Matt

rd350lc wrote:

I would like to add my very expensive VW T5 Transporter not a bike I know but with under 20k on the clock and now needing its 3rd clutch I think its a bit on the poop side.

oh and most things made by hope ..... and formula ......robbing bastards,I always buy the best I can afford and its usually complete pants .... oh and the bathroom set I bought from the House of Fraser last month which cost an arm and a leg and is now sat rusting away as we speak.

Pathetic

Rant over

Rich

Not good about the van - my Bro in law has one (2004 130bhp) and has also thrown a lot of money at it. Thirsty too.

I have a hope QR seatpost binder and a Hope 1 LED vision light and am pleased with both but I cannot STAND the noise their hubs make!

Interesting about Formula too - mags absolutely rave about them but now read several things on this forum about loads of problems with their stuff.

Slightly like car mags - they'll rave about a car they don't have to live with - then people go and buy them and find they are a complete nightmare to own (e.g. Renault Clio Sport - lovely handling but terrible reliability and customer service).

realnumber 1

Now now Surf
Not had any bother with my RS Clio so far. depends if it was made on a Friday afternoon or not I think.
Not had ny bother with my Formula K24's yet either!
Just going to touch wood now otherwise I will leave work and the car won't start then I will get home and find my formula have leaked fluid all over the carpet lol.

Mancunianfightingcat

Unless you've got weird shaped, long narrow feet, I'd avoid Diadorra shoes!

I'd also avoid Fox shox standard aluminium bushes, upgrade them to TFTuned mounting kits which are nylon and steel and last much much longer.

stevieboy

Avoid the cheap helicopter tape on ebay (the 3m stuff) it's way too thin, it sticks and cannot be replaced once one part touched the paint without writing that piece off and getting air out is impossible as it's too sticky. Using the recommened wet method also leads to trouble :evil: wasted £10 so far on that tripe.

The thicker bikeshield type stuff is way better - 100% success so far as it's easy to peel off and try again.

cjw

stevieboy wrote:

The thicker bikeshield type stuff is way better - 100% success so far as it's easy to peel off and try again.

That's the stuff I used. Easy to put on and still looks like new after 18 months or so. Bit more expensive but - as with many things - you get what you pay for.

stevieboy

While i'm on one -

Hope Skewers, can never get them off once set tight enough - i don't happen to carry a crowbar during an XC race, replaced with Deore - Much better

Mancunianfightingcat

There's not much love for Hope in this thread is there?

rd350lc

My Formula Oro k18 brakes were fantastic when i first got them but they slowly got worse and worse so I sent them off to Formula ( in St Austell ) and A MONTH later I got them back put them on the bike and they are still shit,im fed up with spending money on trying new pads etc so not to sure what to do about it really.



Rich

Dazzza

Probike in snozzle is just a formula distributor not a repairer, for me my oro's have been fantastic.

I think it's that rule where if something is good you hardly hear anyone singing it but soon as it faults all of them are faulty.

Funny thing about the fox shock bushes, i use betd nylon bushes as i have their bushing kit and it worked great.

What's wrong with the formulas anyway, if the lever doesnt retract decently or you're losing power it's usually the caliper seals need changing, formula did have a small run with bad seals a few months back, im sure there was a recall, that and a pin on the levers was playing up.

dave_hill

Mancunianfightingcat wrote:

There's not much love for Hope in this thread is there?

I think if Supersonic had the chance he'd burn the factory down, he HATES Hope stuff!!

My own personal pet hate is Crank Bros 5050X pedals. Shite materials and poor assembly. Plus their attitude STINKS. I think possibly the red-neck who replied to my e-mail had lost his pet raccoon up his sister that morning...

dave_hill

maximus69 wrote:

my pro 2 front hub was grinding after 2 months. hope didnt want to know, they said the bearings are not covered in guarantee

Unfortunately I'd agree with that. Bearings are considered to be a consumable item, and consumables aren't (usually) covered by warrantys.

maximus69 wrote:

lbs had to strip it and re grease for me. thought it was a fit and forget item.

There's nothing to strip OR regrease in a Pro II front hub. It's less than 5 minutes work to fit new bearings.

Bearings are never a fit-and-forget item, they have a finite life-span. Unfortunately, cartridge bearings cannot be adjusted or re-used once they are knackered.

I'm surprised at Hope not being interested. They're usually pretty interested in any problems that people have and whenever I've asked for advice (be it by e-mail or by phone) they've always been quick to respond and more than helpful.

And no I don't work for them