What do you think is the biggest gimmick in bike equipment?



Biopace chainrings now thats a blast from the past! :p
I remember buying my first really nice bike from a lbs. with those chainrings. It was a Jamis Exporer XR 18 speed mountainbike. Came stock with toeclips and a neat padded strap that was bolted to the seattube on one end and then bolted to the toptube on the other end, used to help cushion the bike on your shoulder when the riding was too tough to do and had to carry your way out. I then traded that bike for a Centurion Accordo roadbike with more of the biopace chainrings. They were all the rage back in 1988-89
 
gemship said:
Biopace chainrings now thats a blast from the past! :p
I remember buying my first really nice bike from a lbs. with those chainrings. It was a Jamis Exporer XR 18 speed mountainbike. Came stock with toeclips and a neat padded strap that was bolted to the seattube on one end and then bolted to the toptube on the other end, used to help cushion the bike on your shoulder when the riding was too tough to do and had to carry your way out. I then traded that bike for a Centurion Accordo roadbike with more of the biopace chainrings. They were all the rage back in 1988-89
They are a "must" if you are restoring a 1986 - 1992 bicycle.
 
Camilo said:
This is EXACTLY the guy I want to find three years from now when I'm looking for a new/used bike! Hey, don't be critical, if it weren't for these guys, some of us couldn't afford nice bikes!
Hopefully he lives in N.E. Ohio, I am a Fuji guy anyway!!!
 
Jono L said:
Absolutely. Especially when I read the disclaimer that Assos are "delicate" and need to be treated as such. Wow. Awesome. They're expensive AND they don't last? Sign me up!
 
bccurran said:
Absolutely. Especially when I read the disclaimer that Assos are "delicate" and need to be treated as such. Wow. Awesome. They're expensive AND they don't last? Sign me up!

They last at least as well as anyone else's shorts. Assos also has a crash replacement plan for their stuff.

You've heard of "lawyers", right? Inside a lot of bunker gear, i.e. the stuff firefighters wear when they're, uhm, fighting fires, there's a tag that says "not to be used in the proximity of open flames."

Welcome to the world, Sunshine. It's often not what is written on the tag.
 
bccurran said:
Absolutely. Especially when I read the disclaimer that Assos are "delicate" and need to be treated as such. Wow. Awesome. They're expensive AND they don't last? Sign me up!
I put anything that is labeled to be hand washed - or that people "think" needs to be hand washed at the top of the list of worthless things that should never be purchased.
 
alienator said:
They last at least as well as anyone else's shorts. Assos also has a crash replacement plan for their stuff.

You've heard of "lawyers", right? Inside a lot of bunker gear, i.e. the stuff firefighters wear when they're, uhm, fighting fires, there's a tag that says "not to be used in the proximity of open flames."

Welcome to the world, Sunshine. It's often not what is written on the tag.
Indeed! Many parts are tagged "cleaned for oxygen service". That may be true. Or it may blow up or burn. It is just a tag. I have seen some very dirty/oily fittings tagged and bagged "oxygen clean". As you say welcome to the world. My tires keep wearing out and so do my shorts, cleats, chains and well, me. No warning was ever given about any of this. I want a tag about all this wear! And someone should do something about how fat I'm getting. (not really).
 
gimmicks; octa link, 3d contour or multi-panel chamois, padded bar tape! hehe
 
Fixed gear/ single speed bicycles off the track.

Bikes with no brakes on the road.

Flat bar bikes on the road.
 
artemidorus said:
Fixed gear/ single speed bicycles off the track.

Bikes with no brakes on the road.

Flat bar bikes on the road.
I live in a college town and those things are everywhere. At least they have very little cycling experience so no brakes in traffic is just crazy. Sure looks cool.
 
melslur said:
Interesting no one said 10 speed vs 9 or 8 or 7 for that matter. It's not a gimmick I guess, but is 10 really necessary?


I agree.
I stopped at 9-speed (then again, in picking cycling back up in 1997 that groupo was what had just come out- Campy 9 speed).

If you think about it, the less gearing you have, the less wear and tear you have on your drive-line components(mainly chain, cogs).

I may one day go to 10-speed, but unlikely as long as I can still find 9-speed stuff on ebay :eek:
 
531Aussie said:
How could I forget: ti stem bolts and aluminium spoke nipples

what a farkin joke!


I fundamentally disagree with you here.

Ti bolts will NOT round out(like aluminum), thus will provide many-many years of service(as a stem, or any component that uses the ti. bolts- F+R derailiers, etc).

Aluminum nipples are imployed to lower the weight of the outer part of the wheel, thus make for great climbing type wheels(racing wheels in my minds eye). Considering centra-fugal force/rotational mass can be very important in regards to how a wheel is composed (outer part of the wheel = nipples, rim, tire, tube). Sure, brass nipples will not round out and will provide a very very long wheel life(rim will probably be the first fail point due to break surface wearing thin), and brass nips cost nothing when you buy your spokes. If you are using alloy nips on a daily- train wheelset, then it is a bit of a waist of $$, and long term durability is going to be in question.

Now, if you want to say "colored alloy nipples" are a big gimmick, then I'd agree there.... since colored are like 2X more expensive then standard silver alloy.
 
Adam-from-SLO said:
I fundamentally disagree with you here.

Ti bolts will NOT round out(like aluminum), thus will provide many-many years of service(as a stem, or any component that uses the ti. bolts- F+R derailiers, etc).

Aluminum nipples are imployed to lower the weight of the outer part of the wheel, thus make for great climbing type wheels(racing wheels in my minds eye). Considering centra-fugal force/rotational mass can be very important in regards to how a wheel is composed (outer part of the wheel = nipples, rim, tire, tube). Sure, brass nipples will not round out and will provide a very very long wheel life(rim will probably be the first fail point due to break surface wearing thin), and brass nips cost nothing when you buy your spokes. If you are using alloy nips on a daily- train wheelset, then it is a bit of a waist of $$, and long term durability is going to be in question.

Now, if you want to say "colored alloy nipples" are a big gimmick, then I'd agree there.... since colored are like 2X more expensive then standard silver alloy.

Ti bolts can round and have been known to do so.

Also, don't use centrifugal force. It's a false force, meaning that it's only valid with respect to its frame of reference. Centripital force is the real one.
 
did anyone mention insulated water bottles? surely not the latest gimmick but...
 
curby said:
did anyone mention insulated water bottles? surely not the latest gimmick but...

Believe it or not, they actually work. I use Polar bottles sometimes in the winter to keep drinks from freezing, and in the summer to keep them cool.
 
alienator said:
Also, don't use centrifugal force. It's a false force, meaning that it's only valid with respect to its frame of reference. Centripital force is the real one.

Curious how we're slowly making the change from centrifugal to centripital...I'll buy it the next time I strap in to a 'centripuge' for a run up to 9 G's! But I digress...

biggest gimmick? $400 race shoes in my book...YGTBSM...
 
teamgomez said:
Curious how we're slowly making the change from centrifugal to centripital...I'll buy it the next time I strap in to a 'centripuge' for a run up to 9 G's!

Uh. If you don't understand the topic, don't worry about buying anything 'cuz you just won't get much in return.
 
alienator said:
Ti bolts can round and have been known to do so.

Also, don't use centrifugal force. It's a false force, meaning that it's only valid with respect to its frame of reference. Centripital force is the real one.

Thank you for the lesson on the centripital!
I'll be taking my first Physics class next year!

Don't Ti. bolts last longer though, vs. a alloy bolt (amount of times you screw, then unscrew the bolt in/out) ?

I agree, $300+ dollar cycling shoes is a big chunk of money(about 1/2 or more the money you can spend on a good/decent frame!!!). If you check ebay frequently, a barely used pair of 2-5 yr. old Sidi's can be had for under $100.
 

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