'Unrivalled' kit/equipment

SCR Pedro

BR650 in the 57mm drop market? Admittedly, there isn't much competition.

kingstonian

Arundel bottle cage - in steel. Great design, holds the bottle nice and snug even when blasting over the cobbles etc.

Ber Nard

In keeping with the OP...

Bluemoon17 wrote:

Those things that just get suggested time and time again on the 'what to buy' threads, those things that just work.

...I think this is a very good list, although one for the tourers:

MichaelW wrote:

brooks 17 saddle
MKS Sylvian pedals
Sealskinz socks
Velox rim tape
Rema Tip Top p*ntcure repair kit
SKS Chromoplastic mudguards
tubus racks
Ortleib/Carradice panniers
Busch & Müller lamps
Zefal HPX pump.

bluemoon17

The two bottle cages suggested are what I'm talking about. Elite cages for an oversized tubing bike, Arundels for a steel bike. They just work!

The Buff buff is a great shout too.

desweller

Schwalbe Marathon Plus w.r.t. puncture protection

blackpoolkev

Silk glove liners make standard winter gloves toastie. £5http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/130456612114?limghlpsr=true&hlpv=2&ops=true&viphx=1&hlpht=true&lpid=108&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0-L&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=108&ff19=0

Photochromic sunglasses £27 http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/pro-lite-pro-lite-glasses-pro-lite-rovigo-tx-glasses/prolzgla140

Also wouldn't be without my Specialized Romin saddle.

Jules Winnfield

Assos chamois cream

Bobbinogs

markhewitt1978 wrote:

banditvic wrote:

Shimano PD-M520 Pedals.

Unrivalled in terms of value for money, but not in terms of performance.

Performance? Not sure there is much tangible difference in performance between an M520 with a decent shoe and a pedal costing up to 5 times more. I actually use the M540s though because I think they look nicer :oops:

I would probably take Woolie Boollies off the list as they are just too thick and, IME, could only be used with a winter boot (as in one size bigger than usual). Great for padding around the house though.

Agree with a lot of the others mentioned though including Rema TT puncture kit, Shimano QRs (any of them really). I would also add Prendas Oversocks.

simonhead

Not a piece of kit as such but fig rolls oh and the emergency fiver

Mccaria

Only thing I can think of that I would really really like on any bike, BSA bottom bracket. That's after experience of BBright, OSBB, PF30 and Italian thread BB !!

marcusjb

Mccaria wrote:

Only thing I can think of that I would really really like on any bike, BSA bottom bracket. That's after experience of BBright, OSBB, PF30 and Italian thread BB !!

If we're talking BBs

Royce titanium square taper bottom bracket - flipping expensive, but utterly indestructible.

Have one on the distance bike that's done 35000km without any worries.

Just about to press go on another for the new fixed wheel bike.

Of course, they won't work with new-fangled cranksets - but there are many fantastic square-taper cranksets out there still.

lawrences

Anything made by Specialized.

rolf_f

DesWeller wrote:

Schwalbe Marathon Plus w.r.t. puncture protection

It's supposed to be about unrivalled kit. You can achieve the same result as a Marathon Plus by filling any tyre you like with concrete.

Ber Nard

Marathon Winters.

jordan_217

Prendas arm warmers. Simple, cheap and excellent.

sloppyschleckonds

Chris King anything

meanredspider

Ber Nard wrote:

Marathon Winters.

Unrivalled? Perhaps. Any good? Nope. At nearly 1kg each and only 120-odd studs (when they arrive - about 90 six weeks later...) they're pretty poor. They are comprehensively outclassed by Ice Spiker Pros (2/3rds the weight and 3x as many studs which stay put). But they're MTB tyres. I'd prefer to ride an MTB fitted with Spikers than a road/CX bike fitted with Marathon W***ers! In fact, that's exactly what I did - sold my CX bike and used my MTB for winter duties.

rolf_f

meanredspider wrote:

Ber Nard wrote:

Marathon Winters.

Unrivalled? Perhaps. Any good? Nope. At nearly 1kg each and only 120-odd studs (when they arrive - about 90 six weeks later...) they're pretty poor. They are comprehensively outclassed by Ice Spiker Pros (2/3rds the weight and 3x as many studs which stay put). But they're MTB tyres. I'd prefer to ride an MTB fitted with Spikers than a road/CX bike fitted with Marathon W***ers! In fact, that's exactly what I did - sold my CX bike and used my MTB for winter duties.

Different tyre for different purposes though. I'd probably be going for the Ice Spikers if I lived up where you do but on city roads where the snow is ploughed quickly Winters are going to be a good deal faster for all their faults.

Hark at me - defending a Schwalbe product with the word "Marathon" written on it!

MisterMuncher

Black Cinelli Bar Tape.

meanredspider

Rolf F wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

Ber Nard wrote:

Marathon Winters.

Unrivalled? Perhaps. Any good? Nope. At nearly 1kg each and only 120-odd studs (when they arrive - about 90 six weeks later...) they're pretty poor. They are comprehensively outclassed by Ice Spiker Pros (2/3rds the weight and 3x as many studs which stay put). But they're MTB tyres. I'd prefer to ride an MTB fitted with Spikers than a road/CX bike fitted with Marathon W***ers! In fact, that's exactly what I did - sold my CX bike and used my MTB for winter duties.

Different tyre for different purposes though. I'd probably be going for the Ice Spikers if I lived up where you do but on city roads where the snow is ploughed quickly Winters are going to be a good deal faster for all their faults.

Hark at me - defending a Schwalbe product with the word "Marathon" written on it!

Actually, I hardly came across snow at all. I only came off once on ice and that was with W***ers on the bike path in Inverness on my Boardman CX. The bike actually went under the front of a queueing car - baggered the mech hanger which took nearly a month to replace. The plus side of that issue was that I started to take the MTB. Firstly I realised that the MTB was as light as the CX once the tyres were fitted. Secondly I realised that the grip on any sort of ice was infinitely better on the Ice Spikers. My commute times were almost identical and I had total confidence in the grip. The only downside was if it was windy - the MTB position isn't as good. Fortunately sub-zero temps tend to by accompanied by reasonably still air.

krogort

Elite Custom Race bottle cages.

Cheap, good grip, easy entry/exit, light enough and available in many colors.

rolf_f

krogort wrote:

Elite Custom Race bottle cages.

Cheap, good grip, easy entry/exit, light enough and available in many colors.

Scuff up the bottles a lot, look a bit ugly and mine ejected a Podium on the descent of Wrynose! There's much better to be had.

sarm34

SLK bottle cage ..... best ive ever tried

nunowoolmez

Dura Ace C24 wheelset. Best pound for pound wheelset on the market imo

birdie23

Oakley Radarlocks (preferably vented)

Agree with the Elite Custom Race cages but it is true that they aren't very kind to your bottles.

bendertherobot

nunowoolmez wrote:

Dura Ace C24 wheelset. Best pound for pound wheelset on the market imo

http://www.justridingalong.com/wheels/i ... -rims.html

and, to be honest, I'd just build them with Archetype rims and save another load.

paulmon

bendertherobot wrote:

lostboysaint wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

The Woolie Boolie are equalled by the Rapha Winter socks, especially with discount in a three pack.

They really aren't.

I have 3 pairs, of each, they really are.

Would you like to come back?

I concur. I have both the Rapha and Woolie Boolie and prefer the Rapha which I think a more comfortable than the Woolie Boolie.

P

blinddrew

Rohloff speedhub

rowlers

Rolf F wrote:

krogort wrote:

Elite Custom Race bottle cages.

Cheap, good grip, easy entry/exit, light enough and available in many colors.

Scuff up the bottles a lot, look a bit ugly and mine ejected a Podium on the descent of Wrynose! There's much better to be had.

What do you recommend?
The elite customs really do destroy bottles!

rolf_f

rowlers wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

krogort wrote:

Elite Custom Race bottle cages.

Cheap, good grip, easy entry/exit, light enough and available in many colors.

Scuff up the bottles a lot, look a bit ugly and mine ejected a Podium on the descent of Wrynose! There's much better to be had.

What do you recommend?
The elite customs really do destroy bottles!

I swapped the Elites on my Ribble to Blackburn stainless steel! They are pretty good. Any cage will mark bottles on a wet ride as dirt gets onto the bottle and cage and then acts as sandpaper on the bottle - but the less contact between the cage and the bottle, the less off a mess the bottle ends up with. Some people might feel that the Blackburn cages don't suit a carbon bike - I like them. And they aren't expensive. Must be the stainless steel ones though.

Otherwise, Look carbon cages work well on my Look but they cost £40 each which is nuts!