The thrifty cyclist.
neilo23
Posts: 783
I tend to be a bit of a flashy ********* (insert your letters of choice) and would rather buy one piece of expensive kit than 10 cheap bits. But even though I am completely irresponsible with money, I don't mind saving a couple of bob if I can (who doesn't?).
Who has some penny pinching tips in regards to cycling?
To start the ball rolling:
Watching TdF coverage here on the continent, time trial legend Michael Rich suggested cutting 6" sections out of your old tyres and attaching them to the bottom of the mudguards on your winter bike to keep your feet a bit drier.
Don't waste your money on expensive water bottle sterilising tablets. Get a cheapo multi-pack of denture cleaning tablets (or nick em off your granny). Do the job for a fraction of the price (told to me by a mechanic with very good teeth).
Who has some penny pinching tips in regards to cycling?
To start the ball rolling:
Watching TdF coverage here on the continent, time trial legend Michael Rich suggested cutting 6" sections out of your old tyres and attaching them to the bottom of the mudguards on your winter bike to keep your feet a bit drier.
Don't waste your money on expensive water bottle sterilising tablets. Get a cheapo multi-pack of denture cleaning tablets (or nick em off your granny). Do the job for a fraction of the price (told to me by a mechanic with very good teeth).
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Comments
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P.S. I do not mean "buy a pair of 30 GBR shorts instead of spending 150 GBR on a pair of Asssos". I'm talking about penny pinching in order to be able to afford a pair Assos shorts :-)0
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Baby wipes."That's it! You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college! " - Homer0
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For what purpose? I don't usually have a baby with me on my rides.0
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5L Swarfega Oil & Grease remover from B&Q (needs to be heavily diluted) rather than Muck-Off chain degreaser for cleaning the transmission. £8 makes 100L+ of chain cleaner0
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neilo23 wrote:For what purpose? I don't usually have a baby with me on my rides.
Great for your hands when your chain breaks and you have to repair it. Guess how I know that!!0 -
Sugar + washing up liquid = home-made swarfega substitute
Salt + sugar + bicarbonate of soda in your bottle makes for a nasty tasting but effective home-made electrolytic drink - I use Nuun these days though, it tastes a lot better
Buy big tubs of automotive grease, oil and anti-seize (instead of the bicycle-specific brands), will last a lifetime of bicycle maintenance and much cheaper- - - - - - - - - -
On Strava.{/url}0 -
Wirral_Paul wrote:neilo23 wrote:For what purpose? I don't usually have a baby with me on my rides.
Great for your hands when your chain breaks and you have to repair it. Guess how I know that!!
You spend too much time in the baby department of Boots with greasy hands? Or...you have a bike and a baby? ;-) Brad Pitt uses them instead of washing when he's on set. I thought it was an excuse for the after-ride shower :-)0 -
DesWeller wrote:Sugar + washing up liquid = home-made swarfega substitute
Salt + sugar + bicarbonate of soda in your bottle makes for a nasty tasting but effective home-made electrolytic drink - I use Nuun these days though, it tastes a lot better
Buy big tubs of automotive grease, oil and anti-seize (instead of the bicycle-specific brands), will last a lifetime of bicycle maintenance and much cheaper
I've heard that before with the sugar. Does the oil cling to the sugar? Heard it's very effective, despite images of having hands like syrup.0 -
neilo23 wrote:DesWeller wrote:Sugar + washing up liquid = home-made swarfega substitute
Salt + sugar + bicarbonate of soda in your bottle makes for a nasty tasting but effective home-made electrolytic drink - I use Nuun these days though, it tastes a lot better
Buy big tubs of automotive grease, oil and anti-seize (instead of the bicycle-specific brands), will last a lifetime of bicycle maintenance and much cheaper
I've heard that before with the sugar. Does the oil cling to the sugar? Heard it's very effective, despite images of having hands like syrup.
It works really well. I think the sugar just acts as a mild abrasive to get the ingrained bits out, you're still relying on the detergent to break the oils up.- - - - - - - - - -
On Strava.{/url}0 -
Wirral_Paul wrote:neilo23 wrote:For what purpose? I don't usually have a baby with me on my rides.
Great for your hands when your chain breaks and you have to repair it. Guess how I know that!!
Latex gloves would perhaps be more practical to carry. Can also be used when sticking plasters to your riding buddy in the event of an off.
Buy as much gear as you can trust second hand, thus avoiding VAT and depreciation. Somebody already paid that for you.The only disability in life is a poor attitude.0 -
Selling kit on ebay. I build up a nice slush fund on paypal, then plan what I want to get then buy it. At the moment selling a set of shimano wheels I have kept from my first bike just in case I need them and I have not even looked at them for 3 years, now at 40 quid with 9 hours to go.
This helps me afford Rapha.
Buy snickers instead of energy bars.
If I buy energy/protein etc, I try and go in with mates at work/club to get bulk discount.
Clean bike well after riding, maintains life of components.0 -
Just work in the trade.
Love n hugs
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+1 on the latex gloves. You can pick up a box of 100 for around £6. I keep a couple of pairs in my puncture repair kit. Makes such a difference. Plus, you look seriously well prepared when you stop to help a damsel in distress.0
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hstiles wrote:+1 on the latex gloves. You can pick up a box of 100 for around £6. I keep a couple of pairs in my puncture repair kit. Makes such a difference. Plus, you look seriously well prepared when you stop to help a damsel in distress.
I imagine you'll look seriously frightening as you stop adjacent to the lone female and begin to approach her whilst pulling on the latex gloves.
Anyway, in the spirit of the thread I'll add to the tedium by pointing out that Tesco have value malt loaf for twenty eight pence a loaf. It's not as unpleasant as you may fear and at that price is a very cheap source of carbohydrate for long rides.0 -
Use petrol instead of degreaser. Its about 10% of the price, and only 0.0001% more likely to kill you.0
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Engine oil for your chain.
The specialist products cost what ? £5 for a small bottle. A gallon of engine oil, a few quid and it'll last forever, and even then, there's always some left when you change your cars oil.
Ive run mine for ages like that, it doesn't make any difference to chain life. Ok so it takes a little extra wiping, maybe a little more frequently but i came to the conclusion a long time ago that specialist products are just too expensive and dont really perform any better as far as chain life goes.0 -
P_Tucker wrote:Use petrol instead of degreaser. Its about 10% of the price, and only 0.0001% more likely to kill you.
I prefer diesel as it leaves an oily residue (=good), doesn't evaporate at the drop of a warm hat, and can be left in the shed next to your bench grinder...- - - - - - - - - -
On Strava.{/url}0 -
Maybe it's just me but I find Tesco baby bottle sterilising tablets cheaper to do my drink bottles with rather than denture tabs! 8)
Can we fix it?
Yes we can!0 -
hstiles wrote:+1 on the latex gloves. You can pick up a box of 100 for around £6. I keep a couple of pairs in my puncture repair kit. Makes such a difference. Plus, you look seriously well prepared when you stop to help a damsel in distress.
Or you look like a deviant !!!Science adjusts it’s beliefs based on what’s observed.
Faith is the denial of observation so that Belief can be preserved0 -
Pour your used chain cleaner through coffee filters, takes all the crap out and you can use the cleaner again. My 5L of comma engine degreaser has lasted almost a decade now."Let your life rule your job, not your job rule your life"
Born to ride, forced to work.0 -
bike2work scheme, £1000 bike for £6500
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Just wash your water bottles out after you finish riding. No need for any tablets at all.
Duck tape or plastic bottles works well as mudguard flaps.
Use black bar tape and then you won't need the baby wipes and elbow grease.
Buy oakleys. In pence per use - they're the best value I've found.0 -
I have black bar tape. It is called old inner tube.
corks from malt whisky bottles complete the ensemble as bar end stoppers..
lights from Dealextreme are both very bright and cheap.
Lidl have some new led light sets in right now which might prove to be very good value AND german standard marked so legal (for those few that still try to be).
make your own patches out of fragments of old tube cleaned and sanded.
I have used UHU instead of rubber glue and it seemed to work fine.
I agree about water bottles, never treated them , just rinsed or put in dishwasher.
jam sandwiches or cheese, peanut butter or whatever is much cheaper and better than choc bars. I often grab some brown bread and put it in a snappy bag. or just shove it in your pocket so that it is easy to get at while riding. I just bought a huge wholemeal loaf for 89p.
A prominent member of our club swears by oats. He just has a bag of them and chuffs them down while riding; and he goes a looong way.
squash with added sugar and perhaps half a teaspoon of salt for a very hot long ride.
keep old bananas and wizz them in a milkshake for a recovery drink.
keep your eyes peeled and occasionally you will spot an axle bolt lying on the roadside or cycle trail. I have a small collection of these , but have yet to find a money-saving use for them .Still, you never know.
this reply got a bit out of control, so that's it for now.
oooh. cycle jumbles!!!Raleigh Eclipse, , Dahon Jetstream XP, Raleigh Banana, Dawes super galaxy, Raleigh Clubman
http://s189.photobucket.com/albums/z122 ... =slideshow0
