Unpopular Opinions

dennisn

First.Aspect said:

I just use WD40 these days. Dry lube is utterly hopeless. There is no magic bullet.

Wow, WD40. Now THAT is an unpopular opinion. At least half the people here will try to dissuade you from using it. None of them can prove anything, one way or the other.

Harry182

WD40 was my previous chain lube of choice. Spray and a wipe every 200-300kms -- never any squeaks - even in the rain - and no build-up/crud-accumulation either.

morstar

Harry182 said:

WD40 was my previous chain lube of choice. Spray and a wipe every 200-300kms -- never any squeaks - even in the rain - and no build-up/crud-accumulation either.

Why ‘was’ if you don’t mind the question?

Harry182

Mostly due a propensity to tinker and curiosity to try something new.

pangolin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvzVRxlIUL0&ab_channel=GlobalCyclingNetwork

WD40, GCN approved.

shortfall

If it works for him I'm not going to argue. I might be a little bit more careful when I was squirting it around the brake calipers myself though, it looked like he was spraying it all over the pads and the rims there too.

pangolin

Yeah agreed, very cavalier around the pads

First.Aspect

dennisn said:

First.Aspect said:

I just use WD40 these days. Dry lube is utterly hopeless. There is no magic bullet.

Wow, WD40. Now THAT is an unpopular opinion. At least half the people here will try to dissuade you from using it. None of them can prove anything, one way or the other.

It isn't specifically formulated for bikes, sold in a micro bottle or absurdly expensive. It is also from the 1950s and we all know that cycling started just after golf ended, 2009 or so, so WD40 simply cannot work can it because cycling hadn't been invented then.

First.Aspect

I once went into a bike shop to get some gloopy lube for the commuting bike. She lady asked me what sort of riding it was for. I said road riding. She said no, that stuff is specifically formulated for mountain biking and I need a *dry* lube for a road bike. I told her a. Nonsense b. I will order this online. c. I won't be back.

john80

First.Aspect said:

I once went into a bike shop to get some gloopy lube for the commuting bike. She lady asked me what sort of riding it was for. I said road riding. She said no, that stuff is specifically formulated for mountain biking and I need a *dry* lube for a road bike. I told her a. Nonsense b. I will order this online. c. I won't be back.

Should have spat in her face as well. Bit extreme never going back eh.

john80

First.Aspect said:

I once went into a bike shop to get some gloopy lube for the commuting bike. She lady asked me what sort of riding it was for. I said road riding. She said no, that stuff is specifically formulated for mountain biking and I need a *dry* lube for a road bike. I told her a. Nonsense b. I will order this online. c. I won't be back.

Should have spat in her face as well. Bit extreme never going back eh.

First.Aspect

john80 said:

First.Aspect said:

I once went into a bike shop to get some gloopy lube for the commuting bike. She lady asked me what sort of riding it was for. I said road riding. She said no, that stuff is specifically formulated for mountain biking and I need a *dry* lube for a road bike. I told her a. Nonsense b. I will order this online. c. I won't be back.

Should have spat in her face as well. Bit extreme never going back eh.

Not an isolated incident. It is one of those places in a Dobbies. Couple of Bianchi's and high end MTBs but staff generally haven't a clue and rarely any stock, for specialised items like a 105 cassette. Even through it only 10 mins from me it hasn't been a wasted trip once. A guy is allowed to have a hissy fit anyway.

MattFalle

MF had use 3 in 1 obe day when he had degreased his chain and realised ge had nothing else around - worked a treat: minimal fluck, lovely and smoooooth.

If you're the kind of person he is who cleans his chain once a week (full degrease with Jizer, hose down, dry, apply lube) you can't go wrong.

And it's only £2.50 a bottle at Edwyns.

#bargaineous

coopster_the_1st

GT85 - used it for years and no issues yet.

Had wet and dry chain lubricant in the past but GT85 has been equally as good, and easier to apply.

Rarely bother cleaning the chain, usually just remove the excess gunk with a flat head screwdriver off the jockey wheels every 3-6 months depending on how much I have used it and in what weather.

Life is too short for all weekly bike/chain cleaning rubbish. Wet wipes to clean the bike when needed

dennisn

First.Aspect said:

john80 said:

First.Aspect said:

I once went into a bike shop to get some gloopy lube for the commuting bike. She lady asked me what sort of riding it was for. I said road riding. She said no, that stuff is specifically formulated for mountain biking and I need a *dry* lube for a road bike. I told her a. Nonsense b. I will order this online. c. I won't be back.

Should have spat in her face as well. Bit extreme never going back eh.

Not an isolated incident. It is one of those places in a Dobbies. Couple of Bianchi's and high end MTBs but staff generally haven't a clue and rarely any stock, for specialised items like a 105 cassette. Even through it only 10 mins from me it hasn't been a wasted trip once. A guy is allowed to have a hissy fit anyway.

I think bike shops aren't really stocking bunches of parts and components. The home mechanic will probably use online shopping for anything really specific(which could be just about everything these days) and if the shop needs something to fix a bike they have they simply have it shipped in.

First.Aspect

dennisn said:

First.Aspect said:

john80 said:

First.Aspect said:

I once went into a bike shop to get some gloopy lube for the commuting bike. She lady asked me what sort of riding it was for. I said road riding. She said no, that stuff is specifically formulated for mountain biking and I need a *dry* lube for a road bike. I told her a. Nonsense b. I will order this online. c. I won't be back.

Should have spat in her face as well. Bit extreme never going back eh.

Not an isolated incident. It is one of those places in a Dobbies. Couple of Bianchi's and high end MTBs but staff generally haven't a clue and rarely any stock, for specialised items like a 105 cassette. Even through it only 10 mins from me it hasn't been a wasted trip once. A guy is allowed to have a hissy fit anyway.

I think bike shops aren't really stocking bunches of parts and components. The home mechanic will probably use online shopping for anything really specific(which could be just about everything these days) and if the shop needs something to fix a bike they have they simply have it shipped in.

Good ones have more than one cassette. I'm being harsh, but shops that only sell bikes and make you wait a month to fix things aren't for me. Plenty of better ones out there.

pblakeney

First.Aspect said:

dennisn said:

First.Aspect said:

john80 said:

First.Aspect said:

I once went into a bike shop to get some gloopy lube for the commuting bike. She lady asked me what sort of riding it was for. I said road riding. She said no, that stuff is specifically formulated for mountain biking and I need a *dry* lube for a road bike. I told her a. Nonsense b. I will order this online. c. I won't be back.

Should have spat in her face as well. Bit extreme never going back eh.

Not an isolated incident. It is one of those places in a Dobbies. Couple of Bianchi's and high end MTBs but staff generally haven't a clue and rarely any stock, for specialised items like a 105 cassette. Even through it only 10 mins from me it hasn't been a wasted trip once. A guy is allowed to have a hissy fit anyway.

I think bike shops aren't really stocking bunches of parts and components. The home mechanic will probably use online shopping for anything really specific(which could be just about everything these days) and if the shop needs something to fix a bike they have they simply have it shipped in.

Good ones have more than one cassette. I'm being harsh, but shops that only sell bikes and make you wait a month to fix things aren't for me. Plenty of better ones out there.

Neatly describing the difference between a bike shop and a bike retailer.
Similar to the difference between a cyclist and someone on a bike.

morstar

Yeah but the total proliferation of “standards” already alluded to makes stocking a bike shop a hiding to nothing. You simply can’t sit on stock without economies of sale or huge write-offs.

pblakeney

Yeah blame the bike manufacturers for forcing never ending changes to "standards".

morstar

pblakeney said:

Yeah blame the bike manufacturers for forcing never ending changes to "standards".

I do.

Past my prime as a poor cyclist, never believed the exaggerated performance claims of the latest and never had the budget for all mod cons.

Given that context, I do find myself very carefully calculating what the most future proof equipment is. Not much fits the bill these days. Built in obsolescence offends me anywhere. In a simple machine like a bike, I find it stupid. A bike should last years! I have two serviceable bikes with parts that may be hard to replace in the near future.

pangolin

I think the most common failure mode on my bikes is the rider.

MattFalle

First.Aspect said:

john80 said:

First.Aspect said:

I once went into a bike shop to get some gloopy lube for the commuting bike. She lady asked me what sort of riding it was for. I said road riding. She said no, that stuff is specifically formulated for mountain biking and I need a *dry* lube for a road bike. I told her a. Nonsense b. I will order this online. c. I won't be back.

Should have spat in her face as well. Bit extreme never going back eh.

Not an isolated incident. It is one of those places in a Dobbies. Couple of Bianchi's and high end MTBs but staff generally haven't a clue and rarely any stock, for specialised items like a 105 cassette. Even through it only 10 mins from me it hasn't been a wasted trip once. A guy is allowed to have a hissy fit anyway.

thays what we call a bicycle retailer, not a bicycle shop.

they offer a cycling experience for the bourge but ask them for some shop floor and tbey're stuffed

#bourge

MattFalle

pblakeney said:

First.Aspect said:

dennisn said:

First.Aspect said:

john80 said:

First.Aspect said:

I once went into a bike shop to get some gloopy lube for the commuting bike. She lady asked me what sort of riding it was for. I said road riding. She said no, that stuff is specifically formulated for mountain biking and I need a *dry* lube for a road bike. I told her a. Nonsense b. I will order this online. c. I won't be back.

Should have spat in her face as well. Bit extreme never going back eh.

Not an isolated incident. It is one of those places in a Dobbies. Couple of Bianchi's and high end MTBs but staff generally haven't a clue and rarely any stock, for specialised items like a 105 cassette. Even through it only 10 mins from me it hasn't been a wasted trip once. A guy is allowed to have a hissy fit anyway.

I think bike shops aren't really stocking bunches of parts and components. The home mechanic will probably use online shopping for anything really specific(which could be just about everything these days) and if the shop needs something to fix a bike they have they simply have it shipped in.

Good ones have more than one cassette. I'm being harsh, but shops that only sell bikes and make you wait a month to fix things aren't for me. Plenty of better ones out there.

Neatly describing the difference between a bike shop and a bike retailer.
Similar to the difference between a cyclist and someone on a bike.

just seen this after posting my post.

#greatmindsthinkingalike.

First.Aspect

MattFalle said:

pblakeney said:

First.Aspect said:

dennisn said:

First.Aspect said:

john80 said:

First.Aspect said:

I once went into a bike shop to get some gloopy lube for the commuting bike. She lady asked me what sort of riding it was for. I said road riding. She said no, that stuff is specifically formulated for mountain biking and I need a *dry* lube for a road bike. I told her a. Nonsense b. I will order this online. c. I won't be back.

Should have spat in her face as well. Bit extreme never going back eh.

Not an isolated incident. It is one of those places in a Dobbies. Couple of Bianchi's and high end MTBs but staff generally haven't a clue and rarely any stock, for specialised items like a 105 cassette. Even through it only 10 mins from me it hasn't been a wasted trip once. A guy is allowed to have a hissy fit anyway.

I think bike shops aren't really stocking bunches of parts and components. The home mechanic will probably use online shopping for anything really specific(which could be just about everything these days) and if the shop needs something to fix a bike they have they simply have it shipped in.

Good ones have more than one cassette. I'm being harsh, but shops that only sell bikes and make you wait a month to fix things aren't for me. Plenty of better ones out there.

Neatly describing the difference between a bike shop and a bike retailer.
Similar to the difference between a cyclist and someone on a bike.

just seen this after posting my post.

#greatmindsthinkingalike.

I think anywhere that sells bikes should reasonably be expexted to sell the stuff to keep the same bikes running. And if you have shimano stickers on the door, it does lead to the expectation of being able to buy something of theirs that isn't aleady attached to a trek madone.

MattFalle

Agree 100% but generally people who go into any sort of retailer to buy a lifestyle - be it cycling, camping, camper vans, whatever - don’t care about that.

At the end of the day, the average lawyer/accountant/dentist who has just splurged £15k on a Pinarello and full Rapha isn’t going to changing their own brake cables and pads - they will drop it off to the retailer who will charge them top dollar.

#bourge

tailwindhome

Band Aid I is underrated as a Christmas song.

kingstongraham

tailwindhome said:

Band Aid I is underrated as a Christmas song.

There was an article in The Times the other day, and I was shocked to the core to see this:

veronese68

kingstongraham said:

tailwindhome said:

Band Aid I is underrated as a Christmas song.

There was an article in The Times the other day, and I was shocked to the core to see this:

I read that for the first time ever UNICEF is feeding children in the UK, that is shocking

shirley_basso

I thought it was feed the wooaaarrlllddd

briantrumpet

kingstongraham said:

tailwindhome said:

Band Aid I is underrated as a Christmas song.

There was an article in The Times the other day, and I was shocked to the core to see this:

I was surprised to find that current school pupils know the song - it's about 36 years old now.