Worst cycling purchases

Roastie
Roastie Posts: 1,968
edited June 2009 in Commuting chat
In a way of procrastinating my Saturday morning household chores, I figured I absolutely needed to start a thread on all time worst cycling purchases. So what howlers have you committed that you now realise was a waste of good beer money?

3. Silverback Track pump. I was in Cape Town, forgot my track pump so bought this one. Leaked from day one from somewhere down below that I couldn't get to in order to repair it. Never really worked above 5 bar, then got progressively worse.

2. Altura "Blue Bottom" shorts - they have this awful blue pad that resists being unflattened and so tends to uncomfortably fold up one's butt crack. Most unpleasant indeed. My most expensive pair of shorts as well, which grates. I shall never stray from Northwave again.

1.Supposedly vented, boil in the bag, cheapo Gill waterproof cycling jacket. 'Twas supposed to replace my winter jacket that was slightly ripped after a few falls on black ice. Boil in the bag still hangs somewhere while breathable Old Yellow continues to do cold, wet weather duty - leaks and all.
David
Engineered Bicycles

Comments

  • gb155
    gb155 Posts: 2,048
    I bought a waterproof coat, Boil-O-Rama, Waste of money

    But the single one thing I wasted money on was:

    My Dawes Hybrid, I used it once and hated it, It ended up costing me around £10 per mile, The Bike itself wasn't great but wasn't bad, However I HATED everything about it, Never again lol
    On a Mission to lose 20 stone..Get My Life Back

    December 2007 - 39 Stone 05 Lbs

    July 2011 - 13 Stone 12 Lbs - Cycled 17851 Miles

    http://39stonecyclist.com
    Now the hard work starts.
  • fossyant
    fossyant Posts: 2,549
    Would have had to be some of the premium Decathlon shorts - £45, good shammy, well for a few weeks..... the thing came apart. As in true Decathlon form, they exchanged them no quibbles. TBH the whole range got withdrawn as they'd had a load back.

    Other than that, not much really.
  • Aidy
    Aidy Posts: 2,015
    Probably a Brompton.

    Bought with the plan of ditching tube journeys after the train, never actually happened, and then I decided it would be far more enjoyable to just ride the entire distance.
  • whyamihere
    whyamihere Posts: 7,719
    Orange Zero trials bike.

    Bought it, built it, spent loads on it. Then realised that I couldn't ride trials at all, and never rode it.
  • jinnan_tonnix
    jinnan_tonnix Posts: 78
    It's got to be my Kirk Revolution.

    It was like riding a bike made out of elastic bands. I don't know what I was thinking.

    I've still got it, if any lunatic / collector wants to buy it.
  • fatblokefromwarwick
    fatblokefromwarwick Posts: 331
    I've just googled Kirk Revolution !

    WTF made you buy one of them ?, pmsl

    How much was it?
  • Jay dubbleU
    Jay dubbleU Posts: 3,159
    Halfords rear light - lasted one journey before falling apart :x
  • NGale
    NGale Posts: 1,866
    A JJB Sport mountian bike for £70

    NEVER AGAIN!!!!! :shock:
    Officers don't run, it's undignified and panics the men
  • jinnan_tonnix
    jinnan_tonnix Posts: 78
    fatblokefromwarwick wrote:
    I've just googled Kirk Revolution !

    WTF made you buy one of them ?, pmsl

    How much was it?

    I've got the Deore DX version - it's exactly the same as this one:

    Adrian1b.jpg

    but without the bar ends.

    I bought it in about '95. I'd rather not say how much I paid for it. :cry:
  • JackBenson59
    JackBenson59 Posts: 118
    Go on. You know you want to! The worst bike purchase I know of was my brothers bike light (can't remeber the name) it was £12, started to flicker on and off the first time it was used, the bracket didn't keep it in place and then it just fell apart and didn't work at all.
  • dialforclown
    dialforclown Posts: 470
    Having my drive train rebuilt only for the bike shop to find that the bike still creaked.

    Turned out to be a broken frame.
  • JonS123
    JonS123 Posts: 171
    Jay dubbleU wrote:
    Halfords rear light - lasted one journey before falling apart :x
    ME to, went over a pothole and the bracket just snapped off...
  • downfader
    downfader Posts: 3,686
    Halfords seat bottle cage. Didnt fit my seat and was too flexable to hold a bottle. Didnt bother in the end and removed it.
  • always_tyred
    always_tyred Posts: 4,965
    One of these.

    http://www.clino.it/

    I really wanted it to work. I got my money back - they told me it only worked well if you were climbing whilse seated... on a smooth road.... :?
  • FyPunK
    FyPunK Posts: 160
    Specialized comfort grips. Only £11 but they have cost me a fortune in ibuprofen, after 2 months on the bike my wrists are knackerd. I have put my old bar ends on now.
    www.justgiving.com/aidyneal Cycling Manchester to Blackpool. Look out for number 1691
  • The Chingford Skinhead
    The Chingford Skinhead Posts: 718
    Every cheap bike computer I've ever bought. Either the computer attached to the handlebars jumps off when you hit a rough bit of towpath or road and bounces into the canal / river or under a car wheel or you spend ages getting the blasted thing on the wheel to pick up the magnet signal only to discover it loses contact 50m into every ride~!!! GRRR
    Pain is only weakness leaving the body

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