What do you think is the biggest gimmick in bike equipment?
- Thread starter Crankyfeet
- Start date
old911guy said:There are still Trek frames made in the USA (the high end ones). BTW, don't tell the Taiwanese that they're "China" unless you want a fightBut really, that's not the reason that people are hung up on Trek. It's because they see them as the industry dominator (which isn't true...they're not that big worldwide), and because they don't like the whole "Lance wannabe" thing that they project onto everyone who rides a Madone. Anyone who feels like they need to get permission from someone else (like the snobs on this board) to buy a good bike at a good value that suits their needs has serious self esteem issues.
Actually Trek is the second largest bike company in the World, second only to Giant.
You want real snobs try the Cycling Forums.net or the one at the Bicycling rag; they way worst then the folks here...if you can believe that!
I have tried this stuff repeatedly, thinking, well, it HAS to do SOMETHING. It will not even stop microscopic leaks, it in fact, weakens the rubber I think.
I just noticed the other day that Walmart, Target, all these big chains are selling these pre-slimed tubes almost exclusively, Walmart is now selling giant gallons containers for your automobiles.
Please help stop this madness, these bastards are making BILLIONS of dollars off the biking community, selling them a sham product, making the ridiculous, ILLEGAL , FRAUDULENT claims that it seals punctures 1/4 inch in diameter when it, in fact, seals ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
Also, these pre-slimed tubes are so weak and thin, they burst so easily and spew gunk all over everything, they don't even bother to sell you a decent tube.
The company is called Accessories Marketing. Please tell any lawyers you know, if they've ever been looking to bag a big case, and make a million dollars try a class action lawsuit against thist stupid company that deserves not one dime of the BILLIONS of dollars it has made.
I just noticed the other day that Walmart, Target, all these big chains are selling these pre-slimed tubes almost exclusively, Walmart is now selling giant gallons containers for your automobiles.
Please help stop this madness, these bastards are making BILLIONS of dollars off the biking community, selling them a sham product, making the ridiculous, ILLEGAL , FRAUDULENT claims that it seals punctures 1/4 inch in diameter when it, in fact, seals ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
Also, these pre-slimed tubes are so weak and thin, they burst so easily and spew gunk all over everything, they don't even bother to sell you a decent tube.
The company is called Accessories Marketing. Please tell any lawyers you know, if they've ever been looking to bag a big case, and make a million dollars try a class action lawsuit against thist stupid company that deserves not one dime of the BILLIONS of dollars it has made.
Froze said:
Can you provide a link? I don't see many Treks in Europe or Asia when I travel there, although I have seen a few Dales, Treks, and Specialized bikes in Europe... they are hardly commonplace. Globally, I would have thought that Fushida, Hero, Merida, etc. may all outrank Giant (which is probably 4 to 6 times larger than Trek). Maybe your source restricts the definition to companies that "brand and sell" higher end road bikes to wealthy developed countries outside of Europe? When I win the lottery, my first priority will be to buy a bike that is hipster approved, and be able to hold my head high and smugly smile, perhaps even looking down at the mass market bicycle owner when I pull up to get my coffee in the morning. Meanwhile, I'll continue to consume slightly used high end bikes from mass market brands at a fraction of their retail price. I actually don't encounter much bike snobbery among the club riders. Funny how the internet can create almost an alternate reality.
Trek is very big in Australia. Who the hell are Fushida or Hero? - I've never seen them in Europe or Australia. Merida's big, but Giant would outdo it 3:1 in this country.old911guy said:
My anecdote doesn't mean anything, of course, but I think I make a point that it might be very hard to tell which brands are big if you extrapolate from local trends.
Adam-from-SLO said:
My shoes are finished after two years, so I'm not going to try to save a few bucks on half-used shoes that might not even fit right.
At my age the body part that gives out first is my feet. If you had to choose from was available to us 35 years ago, you'd rejoice at the shoe choices we have today. And the clip-in pedals, too.
I used to get tons of flats. We have a lot of goathead vine around here. I had my bike shop fill tubes with slime from their shelves and I have not had a flat since. One problem, when I tried to add air, a little of the goo came out at the valve and sealed it. No air comes out and no air goes in.
I am thinking on it. regarding the things which you have mention here have to think and go for that then i will come to you.
Hero is the number one brand in India. I'm not sure what there distribution is worldwide. Fushida is a Chinese brand. Although there are millions of bikes sold in China annually, there are over 2000 distinct brands/makers. But Fushida is one of the larger.artemidorus said:
I really enjoyed my all too short business trip to Melbourne. I wish I had a chance to do some riding when I was there. Good luck to Cadel Evans in the Gyro!
Mike Indiana said:
They work pretty well for me, though that could be due in part to the amazing tubes I have. I ran over a goat-head bush with slime, going a bit to fast small trail on a bike not really meant for trails, and got a couple punctures, which were promptly gooed. Kept biking for another 10 miles or so back home. Not sure why you think it doesn't work.
old911guy said:
So what's your favorite snooty bike? I might want one too!
Here's the info on Giant you wanted to see: World's Largest Bicycle Manufacturer, Giant Manufacturing, Selects MatrixOne for Product Collaboration. | Asia > East Asia from AllBusiness.com
Here is info on most if not all the bike companies worldwide; and on this list again Giant is #1 and Trek is #2: Where was my bike made? - The Bike Pedlar, Nashville, TN
Thank you for providing this!
The first link says that Giant is the world largest manufacturer of "quality" bicyclies...???
The second link says that Giant is the largest manufacturer of bikes sold in the USA. Not in the world.
I'm still not convinced
The first link says that Giant is the world largest manufacturer of "quality" bicyclies...???
The second link says that Giant is the largest manufacturer of bikes sold in the USA. Not in the world.
I'm still not convinced
Froze said:
old911guy said:The second link says that Giant is the largest manufacturer of bikes sold in the USA. Not in the world.
I'm still not convinced
You need to learn to read...something I sometimes fail to do as well! It say's no where that Giant is the largest sold in the USA, but rather the worlds largest bicycle manufacture. But here is the copy from the second link:
"Giant - You may have ridden a bicycle made by Giant without knowing it! Giant is the world's largest bicycle manufacturer with factories in Taiwan, China, and Europe. Giant, a Taiwanese company started in 1972, manufacturers their own bikes - including the carbon bikes, which is unique in the industry (i.e., most other brands utilize other manufacturers such as Advanced or Martec).
In addition to making their own bikes, Giant also makes, or has made, bikes for many other prominent brands, including Trek, Specialized, Schwinn, and Bianchi. Giant's claim to fame is that they have the most sophisticated and efficient manufacturing facilities in the bicycle industry.
A bit of trivia is that Giant owns 30% of Hodaka, a key Taiwanese supplier for many brands such as Bianchi.5
Giant also sponsors the T-Mobile professional cycling team."
Most mini pumps. All mini pump manufactures WAY overrate their PSI capability, but none ever get any closer then about 3/4ths of their rated capacity.
baker3 said:
Personally I think CO2 are not a good source of air, though they are a fast source of air. The reason I don't like CO2 is due to always having a limited supply of air, and you never know when the unusual happens and you have to use all you air supply and then need another one. Thus is the reason you carry your cell phone, but I don't carry mine, why? This is not a bash against you because everyone thinks differently, but I won't call my wife because she's not my mommy. That's why I carry a pump, patches, spare tube and tire, mini tool, cash, Imodium AD, first aide, etc so I don't have to call her. Wives are intended to be there when you have an extreme emergency, like you crashed and your in the hospital, or you crashed and your bike is destroyed, or you vomiting or crapping uncontrollable.
Taxi? Where I ride it would cost a fortune to have a taxi come get me!!!
In an earlier post of mine I gave you two medium mini's I thought (and I use one of them) that are fantastic pumps; their only slightly larger then a true mini but actually will get close to their rated psi (which I never go to those high extremes anyways) and they do it in half the strokes. Those two are the Lyzene Pressure Drive and the SKS Carbon Race pump which is the one I have.
Froze, surprised you don't carry your cell phone for emergencies. Sure we can all fix flats, but what about equipment failures? I've seen chains break, pedals break, rear dropouts break, even on good bikes.
Cell phone goes with me on all rides, safely tucked in my seat bag where hopefully it will survive a crash. Haven't ever needed it to call my wife, but have used it to contact 911 for an ambulance when someone in the group had a serious crash. In event that I suffer a bad one and am unable to call for help, the emergency contact card in my jersey pocket has the note "Cell Phone in Seatbag", as well as my home phone and wife's cell phone number.
Cell phone goes with me on all rides, safely tucked in my seat bag where hopefully it will survive a crash. Haven't ever needed it to call my wife, but have used it to contact 911 for an ambulance when someone in the group had a serious crash. In event that I suffer a bad one and am unable to call for help, the emergency contact card in my jersey pocket has the note "Cell Phone in Seatbag", as well as my home phone and wife's cell phone number.
dhk2 said:
Surprised? What the hell do you think we carried with us BEFORE CELL PHONES????????? NOTHING!!! That's right, once upon a time, about 20 years ago and prior, you know the prehistoric era, there were no cell phones, we had to fix our bikes ourselves or walk. Maybe that's why bikes in the prehistoric era rarely broke?
Lets take your equipment failure list individually.
Chains breaking, I never had a chain break and know very few who did with road bikes; but, if a chain were to break all one has to do is remove the offending link or two and join the chain back together. The derailleur will take up the chain except you may not be able to shift into your largest or smallest gear.
Pedals breaking; this would only happen in an accident and even then it's very rare. I have had my share of accidents and know others who have had their share and pedals never broke. But in a worse case situation, your pedal breaks you can still pedal with one leg, I don't recall that breaking one pedal meant you couldn't ride a bike.
Rear drop out breaks; again this would only occur in an accident, and then your screwed as far as riding, you could still walk.
Both situations of pedals and dropouts breaking would be caused by an accident and then you probably have other issues besides bike problems. And if these items are breaking without an accident happening then it's time to invest in some quality components, or go back to good old steel that rarely break unlike carbon fiber on "really good bikes".
Accidents? so what? In the prehistoric days we weren't stranded for days and died in the street because no one came by! Back before cell phones people use to be nice, they saw a stranded motorist or cyclist and they would stop to ask if they needed help...today people just ignore others in trouble with the attitude that they can help themselves with their cell phone why should I be bothered and besides I may be late for my hair cut.
By the way, most of the areas I like to ride into don't have cell service anyways, so I'm back to the prehistoric days of learning to fix the problem or look for a solution.
This reminds me of a Tour story I heard from back in the day.
So sometime in the early days of the tour, they didn't have radios and phones, or mechanics. One rider broke his fork, and in the good-old-days they were made out of steel or iron.
So, the rider found a forge, took his bike to the forge and forged himself a new fork by himself. He managed to finish within the time limit! What a man.
So sometime in the early days of the tour, they didn't have radios and phones, or mechanics. One rider broke his fork, and in the good-old-days they were made out of steel or iron.
So, the rider found a forge, took his bike to the forge and forged himself a new fork by himself. He managed to finish within the time limit! What a man.
