What's the worst thing you've ever bought for your bike?

_Ferret_

Personally I'm sick of hearing how great everything is. You rarely hear a bad review of something these days. Everything is always good or amazing, I guess that has to do with development steps in our sport.
Still what is the worst of most useless thing you've bought for your bike recently?

I got a pair of knee warmers which don't fit properly and slip down constantly when riding. I only wear them to prove a point to the girlfriend...

Anyone else?

salsarider79

I brought a Cateye Cadence computer for my road bike. Cost me £30 and lasted 82miles. No, wait that was the replacement, the first one lasted ONE ride. :evil: And no, I never used it in the rain.

I can't be bothered with using a computer now.

Jay dubbleU

Rubbish rear light from Bikehut - changed the batteries twice in one month, clip broke and had to be fixed with superglue, finally the switch button fell off - I used it for less than a month :x

Surf-Matt

Done the rubbish light thing too - never again!

ratty2k

At the moment, I'd have to say my Lyrik 2 step forks. In for warranty on a malfunctioning 2 step system. Not had the bike now for the last 2 weeks while it gets sorted out.

bogussocialworker

Two products I've been majorly disappointed with recently.

1) Raceface Flow gloves. I wore through the synthetic leather palm on the thumb of these gloves on both hands within 5 rides. JUST AWFUL.

2) Pearl Izumi Overshoes. Very poorly made. I pulled the velcro tab off one of the overshoes when I was trying to do it up for the first time. It was like it was held on with blu-tack! The other which I had managed to get on was exceptionally poorly fitting. So I took them back to get them swapped for some BBB ones that are much much better.

dave_hill

Think this thread might have been done already...

Linky...

BlackSpur

ratty2k wrote:

At the moment, I'd have to say my Lyrik 2 step forks. In for warranty on a malfunctioning 2 step system. Not had the bike now for the last 2 weeks while it gets sorted out.

I thought 2 Step was supposed to be all sorted since the 08 forks? Bad luck anyway mate...

Alex-nutsaboutbiking

i bought a rear mudguard ... a topeak defender i think it was the trouble never stoped !

firstly putting it on my bike was a knightmare as you have to thread through a pice of fabriccy stuff through a tiny hole and then twist it some how with the mudguard its self pulling it away.

next when riding the front attatchment constantly slipped and draged on my wheel so off it came

and finaly when ever i rode over a small bump it would twist and fall down !

not a good buy

ratty2k

BlackSpur wrote:

ratty2k wrote:

At the moment, I'd have to say my Lyrik 2 step forks. In for warranty on a malfunctioning 2 step system. Not had the bike now for the last 2 weeks while it gets sorted out.

I thought 2 Step was supposed to be all sorted since the 08 forks? Bad luck anyway mate...

Yer, me too- thats why I bought them. Mind, some good news today... they will be back on my bike on Tuesday. So if anyone sees the very happy fat bloke on a black Reign around the Marin on Wednesday, that'll be me!

counterculture

Alex-nutsaboutbiking wrote:

i bought a rear mudguard ... a topeak defender i think it was the trouble never stoped !

i found this mudguard to be alright, a bit of a faff about getting it on like you say, but once its on its pretty secure, in my experience anyway

redddraggon

salsarider79 wrote:

I brought a Cateye Cadence computer for my road bike. Cost me £30 and lasted 82miles. No, wait that was the replacement, the first one lasted ONE ride. :evil: And no, I never used it in the rain.

I can't be bothered with using a computer now.

Cateye Strada Cadence? I've found mine Ok, so far....

Northwind

I bought a "carbon" bar a while back on ebay that turned out to be a steel bar with a carbon-look sticker over it, it weighed about half a kilo. Still, I got my money back and kept the bar, so it worked out OK in the end.

mattbarnes

Bloody GORE 'Ride On' cable set - absolutely woeful.

I realise I'm probably not going to make many friends here but they were the biggest waste of money; all £40 of it!

Being this price I expected them to be flawless and believed I'd never have to buy cables ever again but after a full two months of use, I had to bin them.
The problem starts when you open the box and discover that you haven't got enough outer cable to run the full length of the bike. Then when you cut the inner cables, the thin plastic/clingfilm membrane over them stretches and frays which makes it hard to get it through the outer cable; an outer cable which is nigh-on impossible to cut with any man made object.
When you do finally get them on your bike, they feel tight, hard to shift and they aren't well sealed so fill up with crap.
I'm angry just thinking about them... :evil:

BigStu2

A $2.00 pair of clear work sunnies for a wet winter ride. One wipe with my gloved hand and the lens was impossible to see through.

Chaka Ping

bogussocialworker wrote:

1) Raceface Flow gloves. I wore through the synthetic leather palm on the thumb of these gloves on both hands within 5 rides. JUST AWFUL.

Mine lasted a whole summer, including a week in Spain, but I was still gutted when the thumb finally popped through.

impished

I'm almost embarrassed to admit this one :oops: .....
My 1st proper MTB was a '99 Marin B17 (back when the B17 was a 6-inch full-susser 8) ). I wasn't too impressed with the way the V's pushed forks and the rear stays apart, so decided to get some, bluddy expensive, carbon arches. Worked a treat on the forks. Gave the V's a whole new lease of life. Can't say the same about the back though. Bloody thing whacked the seat stay as soon as the suss compressed. Doh! And I felt too stupid to take 'em back to the LBS. :roll: They're probably still lying in my garage somewhere...

ddraver

In a similar vein to the Gore ables - I'd have to say the flying Snakes cables - for pretty much the same reasons!! That grey liner thing just pulls through the outer cable and stops the whole thing shifting properly.....I'd rather buy cheap cables and change them more regularly

although i was thinking of going gore next.....hmmm

mtbikerboy

This would have to be the worst thing i have ever bought



I cant imagine what i was thinking when i bought that.

BorisSpencer

Just to balance the thread, I love my gore ride-on cables. I can't remember what ghost shifts are.