Most Pointless/ Daft Item On A Bike
Most Pointless/ Daft Item On A Bike
Author
Discussion

Justin S

Original Poster:

3,658 posts

290 months

Thursday 1st November 2012
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Anyone have any ideas on this? Mine is white handlebar tape. I mean, what were they thinking? It goes dirty before you clip in on a ride !! On my Christmas list is Easton 'Black' tape as a stocking filler.

itsnotarace

4,685 posts

238 months

Thursday 1st November 2012
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Mirrors, more so mounted on the helmet

SkinnyBoy

4,635 posts

287 months

Thursday 1st November 2012
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Gears. In so much as they stick out, move a chain tortuously across its ratios, go out of true at the drop of a hat. But they are the best solution upto now. I rode a bike with a NuVinci hub and gates belt drive and it was ace but fk me it was heavy. Hopefully materials technology will get this weight reduced in time and the future will be sleek!

Steve vRS

5,394 posts

270 months

Thursday 1st November 2012
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Cross bar padding on 1980's BMX bikes.

Like 1/2" of foam will stop your plums being mashed when the inevitable happens whilst playing with your homemade jump.

Steve

hurstg01

3,222 posts

272 months

Thursday 1st November 2012
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Some people may say it's me....

roadman

492 posts

167 months

Thursday 1st November 2012
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In my opinion:
1) remote adjustable saddle height
2)from my days of riding jump bikes single speed tensioners (had many never properly worked), pointless just get a bike with horizontal dropouts.
3) Tiny flashing rear lights, in a car they are very difficult to see, just get a normal bright one
4)egg beater pedals, iv had two sets, still have them....rubbish pedals, ill try and resist buying a third set

I think that will do for now

rhinochopig

17,932 posts

227 months

Thursday 1st November 2012
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roadman said:
In my opinion:
1) remote adjustable saddle height
2)from my days of riding jump bikes single speed tensioners (had many never properly worked), pointless just get a bike with horizontal dropouts.
3) Tiny flashing rear lights, in a car they are very difficult to see, just get a normal bright one
4)egg beater pedals, iv had two sets, still have them....rubbish pedals, ill try and resist buying a third set

I think that will do for now
I was a very very early adopter of the remote adjustable seat height post - had a gravity dropper. The reason: I was riding with people who were just so much better than me - Danny Hart for one - and the increase in confidence it gave me on very very steep technical descents, which then go straight into a steep climb made a hell of a difference. It meant that I could keep up as I wasn't having to stop and drop at the top of a DH and then raise it for the climb on the other side. Putting the saddle in the best compromise position just meant I was slower descending and then slower climbing.

For the majority of riding though, it's 3/400 grams of extra ballast - up high were you don't want it. IMO they do have a place though.

With you on Eggies though. I'd never have another either.


Ennoch

371 posts

167 months

Thursday 1st November 2012
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roadman said:
In my opinion:
1) remote adjustable saddle height
4)egg beater pedals, iv had two sets, still have them....rubbish pedals, ill try and resist buying a third set
1) Love them, they're great if you're riding the trails we do as they frequently feature stuff that you want to drop your seat for, but only for a few hundred yards, before snapping straight back into a climb. Granted, they're currently not the most reliable of things, but they're a great addition if you're riding on proper trails. By proper, I mean of course something that is at least vaguely technical with more gradient than clapham common...

2) Eggbeaters I'll agree on though, they're terrible. Thankfully they seem to have resolved a lot of their mechanical deficencies in the past eighteen months, although the EB's are too small. I just use the Mallets for everything (which are much improved now the axles don't snap with alarming regularity).

As for me?

1) More than a single front ring is now surplus to requirements; a 36T up front and an 11-36T on the back basically provides all the range you need. If I need a lower gear than that I'd be better off walking...

2) Suspension fork lockout's are a total waste of time in my experience. Travel adjust is great as it drops the front end but the lockout is just added complexity that usually ruins an otherwise competent damper.

roadman

492 posts

167 months

Thursday 1st November 2012
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Ennoch said:
1) Love them, they're great if you're riding the trails we do as they frequently feature stuff that you want to drop your seat for, but only for a few hundred yards, before snapping straight back into a climb. Granted, they're currently not the most reliable of things, but they're a great addition if you're riding on proper trails. By proper, I mean of course something that is at least vaguely technical with more gradient than clapham common...
I lived at the bottom of Aston Hill, Bucks for 25 years, so most of my riding was done around the Chilterns. iv also ridden Coed-y-Brenin , Fort William and area, Thetford, Forest of Dean, other parts of Wales, woburn sands..a good selection of trails over the UK, always ridden hard tails and iv adjusted to the trail,.....I guess they have their merits otherwise they wouldnt be in the market....just not my thing

BadgerBenji

3,534 posts

247 months

Thursday 1st November 2012
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It's got to be the extra brake levers on cyclocross bikes, just learn to ride normal levers on drops.

Got to disagree on the eggbeaters, love mine, just about to buy a set of candys for the singlespeed to try them out as they seem a popular choice with the cyclocross lads in the states.

Justin S

Original Poster:

3,658 posts

290 months

Thursday 1st November 2012
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Reading Ennochs has reminded me of my Fox Talas forks on my Carbon 456. Put it into short travel and its just wrong, doesnt actually climb any better, feels worse for it, just seems a pointless thing to put on the forks. Lockout is good, as you can close the floodgate a bit and stiffen them for climbing. But Talas is an expensive waste. So the other way round for me !!

scubadude

2,619 posts

226 months

Thursday 1st November 2012
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itsnotarace said:
Mirrors, more so mounted on the helmet
Clearly you've never ridden a recumbent or shopper bike, both lethal without mirrors, looking behind you is much easier when your hunched over the bars MTB/Roadie style.

Most pointless-
Graphics, who cares what you ride?
Horns, Bikes should have Bells, no one knows what a horn is and consequentially they stop and look, normally in your way.

shouldbworking

4,801 posts

241 months

Thursday 1st November 2012
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'Safety' levers. Enable you to brake harder with your hands closer to the stem, thus providing more unstable steering, whilst having less weight over the front wheel, increasing your chances of having a moment. Also get in the way of lights and other bar mounts, and add weight to boot.

Pablo16v

2,912 posts

226 months

Thursday 1st November 2012
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Shimano chainstay mounted U-Brakes and Girvin Flexstems.......both awful.

WarrenG

345 posts

226 months

Thursday 1st November 2012
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BadgerBenji said:
It's got to be the extra brake levers on cyclocross bikes, just learn to ride normal levers on drops.

Got to disagree on the eggbeaters, love mine, just about to buy a set of candys for the singlespeed to try them out as they seem a popular choice with the cyclocross lads in the states.
better would be eggbeaters for road bikes - oh yeah, they discontinued them - quattros


AnotherClarkey

3,698 posts

218 months

Friday 2nd November 2012
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Pablo16v said:
Shimano chainstay mounted U-Brakes and Girvin Flexstems.......both awful.
Nooooooooo! I loved my Girvin Flexstem and wish I had it now.

itsnotarace

4,685 posts

238 months

Friday 2nd November 2012
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scubadude said:
Clearly you've never ridden a recumbent or shopper bike, both lethal without mirrors, looking behind you is much easier when your hunched over the bars MTB/Roadie style.
No I haven't. Point conceded, or rather amended to say: mirror's on road/mtb/hybrid bikes


Raven Flyer

1,645 posts

253 months

Friday 2nd November 2012
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The bit of clear plastic behind the cassette. What is it for?

rhinochopig

17,932 posts

227 months

Friday 2nd November 2012
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Raven Flyer said:
The bit of clear plastic behind the cassette. What is it for?
That's the dork disk. An essential way of identifying whether the person on the bike is going to wobble all over the place so you can give them some space.

SkinnyBoy

4,635 posts

287 months

Friday 2nd November 2012
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rhinochopig said:
That's the dork disk. An essential way of identifying whether the person on the bike is going to wobble all over the place so you can give them some space.
Hehe same goes for reflectors and other dubious safety paraphenalia new bikes are festooned with.