whats your stupidest bike related purchase?

chris_bass

Mine is the high vis base layer I bought the other day.

As its a baselayer its made to be worn underneath other clothes, so why make it high vis? and its not really one that you'd wear on its own either!

but just to qualify it, i knew it was stupid purchase but its the only base layer they had in my size and I needed a cheap one!

t4tomo

Makes it easier to find at the bottom of a drawer / back of the wardrobe I guess.

chris_bass

t4tomo wrote:

Makes it easier to find at the bottom of a drawer / back of the wardrobe I guess.

Haha, I hadn't thought of that!

raymondo60

Few years ago I bought a (not cheap) pair of Pearl Izumi Road Shoes that were heralded as a 'new design'. The three velcro straps ran from the 'outside' of the shoe to the inside - i.e. the opposite way to every other (sensible) style shoe you can buy. Not only that, they were a garish silver colour too. Wore them a couple of times - in truth they didn't suit my foot shape anyway - but decided quite quickly that I looked a complete and utter pr*t and they've been sitting unused in my wardrobe ever since. Size 44 if anyone's interested!!

deadhead1971

Flashing led valve caps.
But they were for my 5 yo son's bike!

markhewitt1978

deadhead1971 wrote:

Flashing led valve caps.
But they were for my 5 yo son's bike!

If you are 5 then they are super mega cooltastic!! Pretty good if you're 35 too

elderone

Mine is tubes to carry around on bike when riding and after months realising the valves on the tubes(42mm) wouldn,t work on the wheels on the bike as i needed 60,s.Now that,s proper numpty.

seanorawe

A clip to hold a heart rate monitor or watch..... When I didnt have a heart rate monitor, or a watch

chris_bass

seanorawe wrote:

A clip to hold a heart rate monitor or watch..... When I didnt have a heart rate monitor, or a watch

i think this is my favourite so far!!

verylonglegs

A turbo trainer. An utterly hateful invention that was used 3 times at the most before being discarded to the back of the garage.

Wirral_paul

Ok flame me if you wish.................... but i bought one of those off road mountain bike things!!

I have sold it and bought a couple of road bikes since - so i am all better now that i am a proper Roadie again!! Still get the occasional nightmare still though. :x

rolf_f

Chris Bass wrote:

t4tomo wrote:

Makes it easier to find at the bottom of a drawer / back of the wardrobe I guess.

Haha, I hadn't thought of that!

This is very true. Infact, the stupidest colour for a base layer is black as black things all look the same. Why make a baselayer black when you never see it?!

jamie1012

t4tomo wrote:

Makes it easier to find at the bottom of a drawer / back of the wardrobe I guess.

verylonglegs

Rolf F wrote:

Chris Bass wrote:

t4tomo wrote:

Makes it easier to find at the bottom of a drawer / back of the wardrobe I guess.

Haha, I hadn't thought of that!

This is very true. Infact, the stupidest colour for a base layer is black as black things all look the same. Why make a baselayer black when you never see it?!

I was caught out when I was out on a ride a couple of weeks back and suddenly found myself feeling rather chilly as conditions turned a little. I pulled over to get my armwarmers on already mentally feeding on the soon to be feeling much warmer sensation in my mind and was utterly deflated that instead of my armwarmers which are black with white writing on I actually pulled from my pocket my black with white writing defeet socks :x Taught me to double check when getting stuff out of the draw.

Bobbinogs

verylonglegs wrote:

...instead of my armwarmers which are black with white writing on I actually pulled from my pocket my black with white writing defeet socks...

Nice pair of mitts though. All that is missing is a long piece of string to stop you losing them.

rolf_f

verylonglegs wrote:

I was caught out when I was out on a ride a couple of weeks back and suddenly found myself feeling rather chilly as conditions turned a little. I pulled over to get my armwarmers on already mentally feeding on the soon to be feeling much warmer sensation in my mind and was utterly deflated that instead of my armwarmers which are black with white writing on I actually pulled from my pocket my black with white writing defeet socks :x Taught me to double check when getting stuff out of the draw.

I, just this weekend, with perfect timing, found the pointlessly black silk liner gloves that I have been needing all winter and spring - I would have found them much sooner had they not been black. I also have an all black buff, black compression base layer top and bottom, black normal base layer top and bottom, black leg warmers (fortunately the arm warmers have blue stitching and can easily be found), black gloves, black socks, black oversocks, black toe warmers, black overshoes. Most of this stuff has been chosen not for its blackness but for the lack of any other choice!

wishitwasallflat

Those bloody stupid pliers that close quick links (meant to order the ones that open them)!

crispybug2

elderone wrote:

Mine is tubes to carry around on bike when riding and after months realising the valves on the tubes(42mm) wouldn,t work on the wheels on the bike as i needed 60,s.Now that,s proper numpty.

I did that too. So when I had my inevitable puncture it was twenty miles from home, my wife was away for the weekend but that didn't matter too much as I didn't have my mobile or any money for that matter. So a very long, very painful walk home.

But remember this point, a mistake is only a mistake if you don't learn from it...........I learnt!!!

Wirral_paul

wishitwasallflat wrote:

Those bloody stupid pliers that close quick links (meant to order the ones that open them)!

I didnt know you could get such a tool. I just bought a Park MLP-1 and you had me running for the toolbox and youtube to make sure i didnt do the same!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0yLb3umRU

arthur_scrimshaw

A cheap pair of cable cutters, did three cables before it was mashing the outers and just bending the inners. The Park Tool replacement actually works. What's more annoying is I'm always saying to the Head of Finance 'buy cheap, buy twice' and this mantra is now being relentlessly rubbed in which provides her with amusement. Still, I'm holding my tongue, all good ammunition for future purchases.

Lycra-Byka

"how bad can £14 bib shorts actually be?"

^^^thats mine

supermurph09

A carbon fibre look saddle bag that looked great on someone on here's bike but when it arrived it didnt fit and was the size of Vtechs frame bag. Its now safely stuffed under the stairs.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=89395

The bike I saw it on: http://www.flickr.com/photos/94438979@N ... otostream/
viewtopic.php?f=40044&t=12913193

Bozman

My helmet

Pumpkin Positive

A tandem.

Purchased on ebay for £570 in Feb. Collected in NW London and returned to my home in Devon. Then brought to Norfolk where it was ridden by my wife and me for exactly 18.7km. http://app.strava.com/activities/41960885

The tandem was repatriated to Devon and sold on ebay two weeks ago for £360 :oops:

I feel slightly better about the Cayo I bought on ebay for £400 two years ago, put 6000 km and sold for £750

Anonymous

Supermurph09 wrote:

A carbon fibre look saddle bag that looked great on someone on here's bike but when it arrived it didnt fit and was the size of Vtechs frame bag.

Is Vtechs frame bag the most famous (infamous) bikeradar.com forum accessory?

me-109

Hopefully not the carbon Scott frame I just bought from Westbrook's! "Are you going to go and look at one of those frames then?" obviously did not mean what I thought it meant, judging by the reaction which has since ensued to n+1/2. :evil: What ploy now to get the additional components bought and delivered without adding fuel to the fire?

Raffles

verylonglegs wrote:

A turbo trainer. An utterly hateful invention that was used 3 times at the most before being discarded to the back of the garage.

^ this

I call em yawn machines

markhewitt1978

Hmm,. Several times I've considered buying a turbo trainer, but I don't want to spend £150 on something I might use a couple of times and get sick of it!

keef66

Me-109 wrote:

Hopefully not the carbon Scott frame I just bought from Westbrook's! "Are you going to go and look at one of those frames then?" obviously did not mean what I thought it meant, judging by the reaction which has since ensued to n+1/2. :evil: What ploy now to get the additional components bought and delivered without adding fuel to the fire?

Same boat. Plan A was to strip the components off the alloy bike, but now I'm contemplating acquiring some shiny new stuff for the CR1. She doesn't know about any of this yet...

joelsim

My most stupid was a sale. I bought a thing for holding my phone to the handlebars, then didn't use it so sold it, as I was only commuting, pretty much the same way every day.

Now I miss it, especially as I got lost last night on the way to see my nipper, trying to avoid the A3 as I usually drive the 20 miles or so, went 10 miles in the wrong direction on my bike.

A nice ride but I was a bit late. D'oh!

RiderUk

On ebay right now is a Rapha Black Retro Style Bike Cycling Cap with a current highest bid of £72.10p.
The auction has 14 hours to run, what is so special about this Cap.
Sorry not able to provide the link.