Best (and Worst) Cycling Doo-dads

[rek]

I thought I'd start a thread for us to share our thoughts on those little gadgets, doo-dads and accessories for our sport that you just couldn't live without or couldn't live with

Here's my list..

The Good

SRAM Powerlinks -- I hate those Shimano replacement pins, and chain tools even more.. now you only need one for sizing the chain. Plus makes in-field chain repairs so easy, just break off the broken bit of the chain and put a powerlink in its place. Too easy.

Crank Bros Speed Lever -- makes getting thin 700c tyres on recalcitrant tyre/rim combinations much easier

Those tiny little flashing LED lights -- they're cheap, barely bigger than the button cell lithium battery that powers them, have the little elastic strap to attach them anywhere, and really bright. (You know the ones I'm talking about, you can buy them pretty much anywhere under a number of different brand names.)

I know it's not a "little" accessory, but I'd also have to nominate my heart rate monitor. It taught me that harder is NOT always better, and has been a great motivational tool to improve my cycling. Without it, I'd probably never have progressed from the "one-hour-a-weekend recreational rider" to the hopelessly addicted degenerate cycling junkie I am today

The Bad

Silca Floor Pump -- I know this'll be unpopular with some, but it has the most ****-backwards presta valve attachment I've ever used. Sure it's easy to get on, but it's so difficult to get off, especially if the valve stem is threaded. The normal locking lever type are much better IMO. And don't get me started about all the little washers, bushings and what have you that wear out every 6 months. Sure, it's rebuildable, but that's poor consolation in a world full of maintenance free floor pumps.

 

[lokstah]

In the WORST category, the NiteRider mounting brackets sold before 2004. These, folks, were ridiculous. A good-sized and hefty lamp like a NiteRider requires a confidence-inspiring and sturdy mount; this was a plastic collar and a 1/2" steel bolt, smooshed through a couple mms of plastic threading. You didn't have to worry about those threads stripping; the bolt would just pop through them once you over-tightened.

Over-tightening, of course, was not tight enough to keep the thing steady.

 

[cydewaze]

Oh my. This has the potential to be a really hysterical thread, especially when pondering the "worst" category.

My nominees for worst are:

Biopace chainrings
Snap-on fake rear wheel discs (yes, I owned one at one time)
Cannondale "seat cleat" seat bags

And...

Bike seats for infants. Use a Burley trailer for heaven's sake, and cut your kid a break.

 

[mgagnonlv]

Oh my. This has the potential to be a really hysterical thread, especially when pondering the "worst" category.

My nominees for worst are:

Biopace chainrings
Snap-on fake rear wheel discs (yes, I owned one at one time)
Cannondale "seat cleat" seat bags

And...

Bike seats for infants. Use a Burley trailer for heaven's sake, and cut your kid a break.

Bad
Battery headlights.
Headlights are necessary and no bike should be ridden without one, especially at night. But why in the world do all makers of headlights insist on making them last 1.5 - 2.5 hours? If you buy one with a powerful headlight, it comes with a longer-lasting battery. But no one seems to think that a road rider could want a decent headlight (say 5-10 W) that would last 8-10 hours.
In the same vein, all use the infamous MR-11 spotlight, which is great for trailriding, but not very good for road riding. You doN't need to light the trees! For road riding, a Lumotec headlight with its 3 W bulb is almost as good as a 10-W MR-11 spotlight. So imagine a Lumotec-like design with a 5-W bulb... or even a 10-W bulb!
And what about a system that would be attached permanently on the bike?

Specialization of bikes.
It's easy to find cheap fully-suspended mountain bikes that are really heavy, and if you have money, it's easy to find fully-suspended MTB and racy road bikes that can't accept tires wider than 700x25 OR fenders. But what about all-around bikes? IMHO, nothing beats a light-touring bike or a hybrid for all-around use; yet these types of bikes were more readily available 10-15 years ago than today.

Best
Advances in LED technology. LED taillights are good, LED headlights are coming soon to maturity, and I now find the best ones very decent for backup or even for riding on well-lit streets.

Wish
Long-range taillight, especially for high-speed road riding. Something like the Planet Bike 1W LED Superspot, though with a red LED, obviously.

 

[tyler_derden]

I got this from a guy who rides a tadpole trike- when you get off one of those, you don't lean them on anything because they are stable on 3 wheels. The problem is, they will roll away if they get a chance. So you keep a velcro strap on the handle bars to use as a "parking brake"- just wrap it around a brake lever.

I have found this to be very useful when transporting my bike in my mini van- the bike won't roll back and forth, so all I have to do is stabilize it laterally and it won't move at all.

The velcro strap is also useful for carrying locks and other misc junk that I have to carry on the bike once in a while. You can even use it to carry a light bag of groceries if the need arises.

TD

 

[tyler_derden]

Bad
Wish
Long-range taillight, especially for high-speed road riding. Something like the Planet Bike 1W LED Superspot, though with a red LED, obviously.

The 1 W Planet bike lamp could easily be modified for a 1W red LED. The company that makes the multiwatt LEDs is Lumileds. They have 1W parts in several colors including purple. Actually, a purple or blue lamp might be better for a bike headlight as it would tend to attract a lot of attention...

I'm waiting for a 5W LED headlight.

TD

 

[escii_32]

Best: Ortliebs <sp>
Suspension stems on road bikes for tar and gravel roads

Worst: REI branded bags -> punt to Goodwill
Synthetic handelbar tape

 

[mgagnonlv]

The 1 W Planet bike lamp could easily be modified for a 1W red LED. The company that makes the multiwatt LEDs is Lumileds. They have 1W parts in several colors including purple. ...

I'm waiting for a 5W LED headlight.

TD

Thanks. I'll look at that over the Winter.

For headlight, a 3 W LED looks to me more promising, especially if it uses good optics à la Lumotec. It would be a wonderful item to power from a Schmidt dynohub. Lots of light all the time...

 

[vl1016]

Worst I've experienced:
White Lightning lube
but even worse I think is the Pedro's Blowout Hacthback bike sack..always comes open on trails, and opens in a way that everything falls out.
Best: Topeak Alien tool, those minilights, T9 lube.

 

[Brunswick_kate]

Worst I've experienced:
White Lightning lube
but even worse I think is the Pedro's Blowout Hacthback bike sack..always comes open on trails, and opens in a way that everything falls out.
Best: Topeak Alien tool, those minilights, T9 lube.

Now I like White Lightening...

 

[ppienkow]

The Profile Designs Aqua rack...I know, most roadies whine and complain that as soon as you go over a bump the water bottles fly out, well I got a handy solution. RUBBER BANDS. I prefer the asparagus style (that the grocery store bundles those asparagus with), they are nice and strong, strong enough to keep the water bottles in place over anything (on the road, not including large roadkill). I have yet to replace mine with quite a bit of riding. Its amazing how liberating it feels not to be weighed down by 2 extra waterbottles in your back pocket on those long rides.

 

[kingsting]

BEST: Comfort bikes, Jump bikes, High quality, inexpensive lights, The little thingy on helmets that keep it level on your head, Brooks leather saddles, Pedals with little dynamos in them that power orange LED's. (Tacky, but I like them) Big convex mirrors, V-Brakes, Powerlinks, internal gear hubs, cartridge bottom brackets, Zip Stick tire levers, small bells that don't rattle, threadless headsets...

WORST: Cantilever brakes with those little rocker devices that you can't ever center, Suntour index systems, Hydraulic brakes on anything but tandems and downhill bikes, Cane Creek headsets, Avocet cyclometers that used a coil ring instead of a magnet. (the pick up would only fit a few fork types.) Shimano shifters with integrated brake levers, "Coaster" brake levers that were used on older "10 speeds", Quick cleat style bags, Trek's Party Port racks. (They come in two different sizes that only fit one or two frame sizes.) Tubeless bike tires, Grip shifters with dials on them that tell you what gear you're in, 9 & 10 speed drivetrains (How many cogs are do we really need?) Trek freestyle bikes, Cyclometers that aren't 100% waterproof, Giro 3 piece waterbottles (Remember these leaky things? I still have mine ) Automatic shifting bikes, any kind of goop you put in inner tubes to "seal" them if they go flat. (The only thing that stuff seals is the valve.) the "titanium boron steel" stickers on Huffy bikes, and there's so much more ...

 

[MaxPrime]

Best: Ortliebs <sp>
Suspension stems on road bikes for tar and gravel roads

Worst: REI branded bags -> punt to Goodwill
Synthetic handelbar tape

I have an REI backpack that's fantastic - cycling I stick to the big names though. I have a crappy pair of REI shorts that I don't like at all.

Love: iPod w/ inline remote, energy gels that taste good, profile bottle holder

Hate: crappy shorts, bottles that fall out

 

[ghostpedal]

Best: Heart rate monitor (look at previous posts, he's right on), stems with removeable face plates (changing cockpit stuff is soooo much easier), aftermarket anodized pulleys (could be geeky, but I liked them, haven't seen them lately).

Worst: gel saddle covers (sitting on a jellyfish?, get a better saddle), shoes with both laces and velcro (a little too much)

 

[kingsting]

Best: stems with removeable face plates (changing cockpit stuff is soooo much easier)

OOOHH! Good one! Bike shops around the world were thrilled when these started showing up. Changing stems is a breeze with these, Especially when a customer is trying out a road bike and wants a different length stem on it.

 

[jamesdemien]

Best: Gore Ride On cables... I've had mine for 7 years now...no lube, no nothin, just silky smooth shifts and wonderful brakes... Boeshield lube even works for baking.

Worst: 55lb suspension bikes at Walmart...this really ruins cycling for so many kids. I saw a 40 pound girl trying to pick one up the other day after she fell...

 

[PeterF]

Bad: Handlebar Tape retaining clamps. Electric tape works better and your friends won't make fun of you....

 

[dm69]

BEST: HRM & The floor pump

WORST: those non flashing reflectors, not a good look.

 

[free_rideman]

Best: Sram Powerlinks, Jtek shiftmate, zip ties, lock-on grips, dualco grease gun, dremel tool, Loctite brand epoxy, Kool stop pads, rock-n-roll extreme chain lube

Worst: normal grips, t9 chain lube, white lightning lube, presta-to-schrader converter thingies, bontrager tires, nokon housing, patch kits, cable cutters

there is more, just can't think of anything else for now

 

[xxamr_corpxx]

Oh my. This has the potential to be a really hysterical thread, especially when pondering the "worst" category.

My nominees for worst are:

Biopace chainrings
Snap-on fake rear wheel discs (yes, I owned one at one time)
Cannondale "seat cleat" seat bags

And...

Bike seats for infants. Use a Burley trailer for heaven's sake, and cut your kid a break.

Probably a bit of a dumb question, but what's so bad about Biopace chainrings?