best bike gear purchase so far

[bennymac]

Kinda inspired by the "end of life purchases" thread in the Padded Room and some recent discussion in here about shoes

I bought the Mavic Alpine XL shoes on the left in 2013. Have used them for every ride since then including multi day enduro stage races here and in Europe and numerous one day races. I've had to glue the sole back on once at the toe (and it needs it done again as you can see - the glue job fell apart last week). Before Mavic stopped making them I ordered a second pair on closeout that now sees use when the original pair needs fixing.

Mavic kinda owes me for all the blown up hubs over the years but these shoes have stood the test of time. Yeah they look like something out of the transformers but they are tough, light, and comfortable.



What do you have that has stood the test of time (other than spd pedals of course - I still have pairs in use from the 90s that have seen zero preventative maintenance done to them in 20 years)

[toast2266]

Time pedals.

And the DHF. Not sure there's a bike product I've used more consistently over the years.

[3PinGrin]

Time pedals.

x2

[t.odd]

And the DHF. Not sure there's a bike product I've used more consistently over the years.

100%

[El Chupacabra]

Is this thread about durability (SPD pedals) or timeless designs (DHF)?

For durability: Avid BB7 cable disc brakes on my touring bike. The only Avid/SRAM disc brake I've ever really liked.

[snowaddict91]

Time pedals.

And the DHF. Not sure there's a bike product I've used more consistently over the years.

/end thread. Also, my Shimano AM45 shoes refuse to die. But I got them wet in a stream crossing the other day, and put them on a boot dryer. Holy shit, thought my wife was going to kill me.

[bennymac]

Is this thread about durability (SPD pedals) or timeless designs (DHF)?

I guess kinda both. If someone said I have to only bike is this model of shoe and only ride DHF tires for the rest of my life I wouldn’t be phased in the slightest.

[stradissimo]

I bought a brand new Park TS-2 truing stand about 25 years ago. It seemed like stupid money at the time, but I have built at least 30 wheels on it, and trued up wheels hundreds of times.
I check the dish calibration every few years. I think I’ve only adjusted it once.

[NuMexJoe]

x3 on Time ATAC pedals. Made the switch nearly 20 years ago after continuing to grenade spds on rock strikes and haven't retired a pair yet.
Not so much on my Mavic shoes. Crossmax XL sole cracked before I'd put two years of occasional use on them. Glad the Alpine XLs seem more durable.

[mtnjam]

Time ATAC pedals for the x4. Those things are almost indestructible although I've had one pair that the spring broke on and sadly had to throw them out.

Besides those, the best bike purchase I made was buying my Evil Following V1 and now onto a V3. The V1 will be for sale soon.

[sethschmautz]

For everybody who has mentioned the ATACs - what makes them better than SPDs?

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[3PinGrin]

For everybody who has mentioned the ATACs - what makes them better than SPDs?

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

I haven't used SPDs in a loooong time, but compared to the Ritcheys I used to use the ATACs are much more resistant to clogging with mud, offer more float, and easier to enter/exit. I can't speak to more modern SPD designs though.

[XXX-er]

SPD's are super reliable,i've never had a failure among several pair, I'm still using the same pair i bought > 20 yrs ago

the mud hasnt been too bad but they aren't good in snow cuz they clog with ice, i'm gona put flats on the new fat bike

[Andeh]

I am a terrible consumer. I was trying to think of what my oldest component on my bike is, and I've got nothing over 2 years. But if you include tools, I've got a Feedback Sports Pro Repair Stand and a Pro Tools 15n-m torque wrench that are from 2015, right when I started riding. Of those, I'd give the nod to the stand. It still works perfectly fine, is used constantly, and I have no desire to replace it. The torque wrench I think is getting worn out and I've thought about replacing (have snapped a couple bolts with it set to the required torque).

[3PinGrin]

SPD's are super reliable,i've never had a failure among several pair, I'm still using the same pair i bought > 20 yrs ago

the mud hasnt been too bad but they aren't good in snow cuz they clog with ice, i'm gona put flats on the new fat bike

I probably could have pounded nails with those Ritcheys, they were definitely solid! I run flats on my SS, it's so much better in certain situations (and obviously better for single speeding), but every time I'm grinding up a long climb on my FS I'm so glad to be clipped in. I think flats would be perfect for a fat bike though.

[bagtagley]

Roach/Race Face knee/shin pads. Mine have to be at least 15 years old. I sewed some velcro onto strips of webbing and had a cobbler replace the elastic strap above the calf with the webbing. That took care of the slipping issue they tended to develop. They're old and ugly and stinky but they still work and they're comfy as hell.

[mtnjam]

For everybody who has mentioned the ATACs - what makes them better than SPDs?

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Like others, I haven't used SPDs in a long time. The Time ATACs seem to just hold up better, are easier to get in and out of predictably and doesn't have a tension screw to fuck around with, they clip in reliably when conditions are dirty/muddy....oh yeah, and they don't blow up like anything Crank Bros. makes.

[bagtagley]

My SPDs have also been pretty reliable. Years ago Shimano updated the mechanism to remove a bunch of moving parts which helped a ton. My oldest pair is as old as those Roach pads and they're still doing okay on the gravel bike, though they're pretty ragged.

Having said that, my next pair will be Times for the reasons mentioned above. I only switched to Shimano because, at the time, they were the only option for platform clipless pedals.

[ticketchecker]

Time pedals, speaking of which anybody got a decent set to sell?

[californiagrown]

A 1L waterbottle allowed me to ride pretty much anything under 3 hours without a pack. All my tools and stuff are strapped to the bike, and i just fill the Magnum up with water and im ready to go without a sweaty back or a (fanny)pack shifting around. Its great.

[toast2266]

For everybody who has mentioned the ATACs - what makes them better than SPDs?

Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk

I never had a problem with reliability on spd's, but times have much more float. I think 4 degrees on the spd's vs 17 degrees on the times.

I used to run spd's but found myself unclipping in corners when I was twisting my body. Switching to times fixed that issue for me. Crank brothers have similar float as times, but have a slew of other issues that we don't need to wade into in this thread.

[bennymac]

Yeah it’s like SPD and Time fans are brothers that sometimes argue but deep down they understand each other - and when CB fans come along watch out.

[HAB]

I never had a problem with reliability on spd's, but times have much more float. I think 4 degrees on the spd's vs 17 degrees on the times.

I used to run spd's but found myself unclipping in corners when I was twisting my body. Switching to times fixed that issue for me. Crank brothers have similar float as times, but have a slew of other issues that we don't need to wade into in this thread.

Shimano says 4 degrees, but they feel a lot more like the version of the HT cleats that offer more float, which IIRC HT says is 8 degrees. The "4" degree HT cleats barely move. Dunno who's wrong, but they're certainly not consistent.

Long time SPD user, tried Times probably 15+ years ago briefly but didn't like the extra float. I'm digging the HTs. X2s are a fuckload lighter than Saints, T1s feel a lot like XTR Trails but with a bigger range of tension adjustment. I run SPDs pretty close to maxxed out, but have some more room to play with on the HTs. The SX versions are even stiffer if you want to basically bolt your shoes to the pedals.

[supermodel159]

Any dropper seat post I've ever purchased has exceeded it's monetary value with downhill cycling enjoyment.

[jamal]

My sidi genius and dominator shoes

ESI foam grips

Challenge baby limus tubular cyclocross tires

Tubeless wheels/tires for gravel and such

Photochromic sunglasses