# your WORST bonehead purchase.....?



## Jersey (Sep 14, 2005)

anybody ever obsess over a certain part or make an expensive forced/impusle purchase that later had you kicking yourself in ass?

i was just thinking about the marz z3 flylight 100 i "had to have" because it was last model they made with the bolt-on brake arch that i liked so much. long story short, the fork was a piece of sh|t and i was down 400 bux...

what is your story?


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## Biker75 (Feb 22, 2004)

*Late last year...*

I bought an '05 Specialized S-works Stumpjumper FSR frame since it was like $700 off AND the mgr was throwing in a Talas fork for only $100 more. Problem: I was riding an '04 Stumpy w/ only an inch less travel. I thought the extra 1" was 'all I needed' for my type of riding. I totally fell into that "I don't want to miss out on this deal" mindset...
That s-works was flimsier than my other Stumpy since it was so lite (and I built it lite, so totally my fault....)
Ended up I sold the bike about a month or so and like 5 rides after I built it up. Good thing was that I broke even since I got such a good deal. 
Eventually, I ended up w/ a Turner RFX (6" travel and MUCH heavier duty). I do wish I could have kept it for racing-it was crazy lite (IMO) for a 5" bike...but cant have 8K in bikes sitting around 

JW


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## Ricko (Jan 14, 2004)

*The First was the Worst...*

The first bike I built was a 23lb Zaskar....NOT a good bike for a 210lb clunk like me to do aggro type trail riding on duh. I beat that thing to death in no time!

Now I ride your standard 5" trail bike weighing about 32lbs...a better tool for the job (to say the very least!).


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## CDtofer (Nov 4, 2004)

Not too expensive but the first time I believed the hype and thats what makes me angry...

NOKON CABLES

Yes they are pretty, yes they work fine, yes it is like jewelry for your bike. However the $50-60 kit does not have enough of the stupid metal tubes to run full length housing even on a small bike? WTF no.1!!! Another 20 bucks for the extension kit? WTF no. 2!!! The cable is plain old steel and the teflon liner does not run full length??? WTF no. 3!!! Seriously, what is the point and who were all these people that said these things were the cats meow.

Yes they work, but you are kidding yourself if you think they work 2X as good as Avid Flak Jackets or Dry Cables or any Jagwire product that runs full length housing. Wait till they start to rust/corrode after less than a year...

What a joke....dont believe the hype on these things.

This has been a public service announcement brought to by the *SBBSC* (Sucked into Believing the BS Council.) Yep, thats me...


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## iridefar (Jan 27, 2004)

I would say my Salsa El Santo frame that I am riding now. For me... its not worth the $$$ I spent.


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## oddestfellow (Sep 15, 2004)

The "Peace Sign" canti-brake cable hanger. Those things were crap! Looked cool though!


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## Tarekith (Mar 9, 2005)

Aluminum chainrings, I forgot the brand. Needed to replace the XT chainrings after a season of riding, and someone one recommended a company that made aluminum rings that worked great. Except they did not work great, chain skipped like crazy on them, grrr.


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## Hecklerboy (Jan 13, 2004)

Slime tubes.
I bought these because I was getting allot of thorns in my tires and having lots of flats.
They worked but they were heavy. Felt like I was running a flat tire.
So I dumped the tubes and purchased a better set of tires.


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## DiRt DeViL (Dec 24, 2003)

I just did, after watching my son suffering climbing on his roadie I posted on several forums asking if changing to a compact crankset will be of help.

Most of the replies were negative or neutral and ignoring the comments went ahead and ordered thru my LBS.

To make the matter even worse I ordered the cranks too long for him, he's using 150 and I ordered 170.

I feel like an arse and will be putting them on ebay really soon.


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## porkchop (Jan 16, 2004)

A mountain bike! I started on a ridgid CrMo Schwinn "High Plains" in 95 which started and addiction to all things bicycle. I usually shop for awhile before buying so I haven't really made to many bone head buys. I did buy a road bike that is to big for me because it was a "good deal" I bet that we have all done that.


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## teamdicky (Jan 12, 2004)

I have done the "buyers remorse" things more times than I can remember. Nothing like sitting in your workroom staring at an unwanted part attached to your bike.


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## Johnny Hair Boy (Jul 11, 2004)

*Trek Y bike*

I had to have one back in the day so I said "Y"es to the Y bike. It was the worst bike I had ever ridden (next to a hard tail). It was the first and last time I was sucked in by savy marketing. I do wish I still had the frame to hang on my wall it looked so cool.


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## namaSSte (Dec 19, 2003)

well, back in my road racing days, I had to have this "sweet" Cannodale R600, I mean HAD TO have it! Worked all summer, saved some loot and went in to buy and guess what? My size (54cm) was gone. There was one on the floor though..all gray with pink lettering (hey, it was the 80's!). What's 4cm I asked myself (the salesperson completely supported this pov, big shock!). So off I went on my 58cm roadie, top tube cradling my boys....just stupid!!!!


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## Lucky (Jan 12, 2004)

WTB SST saddle. These things were getting rave reviews a bunch of years ago, so I spotted one on either the MTBR classifieds or Ebay, I forget which. Got it, installed it and sat on it. Didn't even take it for a ride around the block, it fit by bottom that badly. Managed to pass it along to someone else for close to what I paid. I'm sure that's not the only thing I've regretted buying, but that's all that comes to mind at the moment.

Kathy :^/


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## forkboy (Apr 20, 2004)

A Schraeder air pressure guage when all my valve stems are Presta.


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## *rt* (Jan 15, 2004)

"custom" Dean Ace 3 ti FS frame. set me back $1400 (+ another $200 & 5 hrs in fits at local shops), took 17 weeks longer than promised to get to me, rode like [email protected], and nearly crippled me because my "custom" fit was so fakacked. oh, and the bb squeeled like a maimed piglet because of a design flaw in the bushing (which Dean wanted to charge me $75 + shipping to fix).

the only good thing about that bike was that i only lost about $400 when i sold it.

rt

oh, and Lucky's post reminds me of one other boneheaded purchase - i bought a Serfas road saddle about 6 years ago (can't remember the model but they haven't made it for at least 5 years). it looked way cool and i was certain that it would fit my rear like a glove (so to speak). yeah, it fit my rear like that glove that "fit" OJ Simpson's hand. OUCH. but, because i am THAT stubborn, i rode that saddle for 4 months until my shoulders, arms, back and achilles tendons begged for mercy. that saddle sat in my parts bin for nearly 6 years and 3 moves as a constant reminder of how painful really cool looking stuff can really be. i think i finally gave it to a friend about 6 months ago. he loves it.


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## The SS Boz (Apr 12, 2004)

Soulcraft convert chain tensioner for ss conversion...

had to have it.....searched all around....it was out of stock everywhere.....finally found one, oh no the last one...must purchase....

and maybe it was something weird with the bike or im such a gear masher but no matter how i set it up and how much i tightened that bolt down i could crank that tensioner loose....

so i sold it on ebay to somebody in asia who also just had to have it and got my precious dollars back thank goodness....cause i was a poor college student...and 65 dollars was alot of milwaukees best  

-Boz


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## WWT (Aug 18, 2004)

A Chevy Truck. I thought it was a lemon, but apparently all of my problems were normal for a GM product...


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## wunderhorn (May 13, 2005)

*me too!*

Just yesterday I was kicking myself (again) for buying my Ace of the same vintage (2002). Not custom. (Some of its issues made me wonder if it was custom for someone else though.)

I would love to sell mine also but I would want to replace the bushing first -- unfortunately Dean won't answer my e-mails or phone calls. I'm pretty close to just stripping the frame and putting it in the trash.


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## anthrax (Oct 27, 2004)

1994 Giant ATX-890

Good bike wrong size

I was young and thought I was going to grow a bit more then I did. So this bike was too big for me. I did not put meny miles on it only about 800, due to the poor fit.

I still have it just don't ride it

That is definatly my most regrettable bike related purchase


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## ZoSoSwiM (Dec 2, 2005)

My most bonehead purchase wasn't isn't Bike related.. 2 years ago my car needed new tires.. I went to tirerack.com and found a nice set.. then I saw some nice semi decent wheels... I ended up getting new wheels and tires..set me back $900... The tires were $72 a piece... I could have saved $600 of that...



I have also jumped on a few things bike related. like my $60 Kelty Hydropack.. it's nice, but I should have went for the M.U.L.E.... esp at that price and the limited storage I now have.


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## Drewdane (Dec 19, 2003)

I "needed" a road bike for my commute, picked up a closeout Kona 'cross bike that was too large (but a great deal!). I managed to adjust things enough to make it ridable, but it's far from ideal.


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## DiRt DeViL (Dec 24, 2003)

Is it a trend going on? Mountainbikers buying roadies that don't fit.

I also got a roadie a tad too big, made some adjustments but still don't enjoy the ride.


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## smw (Jun 22, 2005)

Drewdane said:


> I "needed" a road bike for my commute, picked up a closeout Kona 'cross bike that was too large (but a great deal!). I managed to adjust things enough to make it ridable, but it's far from ideal.


 A second 5in. travel bike, because I had a $900 credit at the bike shop. I hated the bike the first time I took it on the trails. Ended up selling it at a $700 loss. So much for a credit.

Sean


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## forkboy (Apr 20, 2004)

DiRt DeViL said:


> Is it a trend going on? Mountainbikers buying roadies that don't fit.


I did this as well with my first roadie.

MTB'ers are used to 3 options. Small, Medium and Large. We don't realize how important two measley centimeters are when you spend 3 hours in the exact same position.


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## *rt* (Jan 15, 2004)

wunderhorn said:


> Just yesterday I was kicking myself (again) for buying my Ace of the same vintage (2002). Not custom. (Some of its issues made me wonder if it was custom for someone else though.)
> 
> I would love to sell mine also but I would want to replace the bushing first -- unfortunately Dean won't answer my e-mails or phone calls. I'm pretty close to just stripping the frame and putting it in the trash.


the final kicker was when i called Dean to tell them that the bike just didn't fit me and was there some way that we could work together to get me a bike that fit.
john: 'oh sure, for about $350 we can re-do the front triangle for you.' 
me: 'hmm, that sounds reasonable. could you work up a drawing so i can look at the dimensions?'
john: 'sure. i'll email it to you right away.'

fast forward 5 weeks, still no word from Dean. so i started calling. weird, john was always in a meeting and would "call me back". uh huh. finally i explained the problem to someone else and he said he'd check on the drawing i'd been promised (according to this guy, john's email wasn't "working properly"....yeah, it was filtering email from me!)

miraculously this guy sent me an email about 10 minutes later with the specs on the new front triangle and a cost of $850!! HUH? what happened to $350? so i called back and asked. 
new guy: 'oh, i don't know anything about $350. $850 is what john says it will cost. and that's just for materials.'
(what were they going to make it out of? unobtainium??)
me: 'sorry, but that almost doubles the cost of the frame and i could sell the frame i have for at least that much. doesn't really sound worth it to me since you guys are going to charge me close to what i paid originally to have a custom frame made that turned out not to even remotely fit and to be honest i don't really trust that you can get it right this time either!'
new guy: 'well, if you want to sell it, i'll write the classified ad for you.'

   

so, basically, i'm pretty sure Dean does not want me to ever darken their doorstep again. good thing the feeling is mutual!! 

rt


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## Ro.nin (Jun 3, 2005)

*Think*

Think it was a Race Face Diabolus stem. I was charmed by the bling factor. I Actually loved it when I first opened the box.

Then I realized that it's totally innapropriate for my riding style, bike etc. Sold it, lost about 30 bux... eh. Went with a cross country stem - nice 100mmm, light and dependable.

But, like someone says, I'm doing that a lot. I have a brand new OS Deus handlebar sitting at home... The moment I got it in the mail I realized I don't like it. Why? No idea. So I went and ordered an FSA carbon.  
(the Deus is probably going on ebay on Sunday...)

Oh yeah. Last year I got an 18.5" Giant VT frame. I loved it. But till the moment I sold it I was thinking it was too small for me... 

Bring'em on!


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## sportsman (Mar 2, 2004)

Ellsworth Truth.

I know the truth-haters are chuckling, but it's a great bike, I have no problem with the bike. Other than it spends most of the time hanging in my garage feeling useless as my gunnar and rat ride brag about the trails..


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## jugdish (Apr 1, 2004)

Snowboard boots, I'm a two board man plain and simple.


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## Wherebob (Mar 29, 2006)

One of those bike trainers that lifts your rear wheel off the ground and puts the tire on a roller so you can ride inside................ can't remember the brand but what a joke.


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## Mr Magoo (Jan 17, 2004)

*Ski Parkas. Repeat Offender.*

I am between L and XL. I get all steamed up inside on descents and shiver like jello on the chair lift. I have tried waterproof-breathable shells and soft shells on both sizes to no avail. Always dissatisfied with fit and temp maagement.
I learned that my cousin also buys too many ski jackets. Now we just trade. Cash stays in pocket.
Arcteryx. Me likey the L fit but would hate myself for dropping 4 bills on a closet filler.


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## fsp (Feb 15, 2006)

Yeah, when I was 12 I spent the money I had saved up for three years on a... Mountain Bike. I blame everything that has gone wrong in my life since then on that moments decision. Next thing you know, I'm 30, have made and lost fortunes on bikes, bike companies, bike people, bike events. It's made and cost me relationships in my family, friends, and changed the way romance will be viewed forever. It's destroyed my extremely stereotypical Catholic upbringing, & it's completely taken over every aspect of my life.

...I wouldn't do it any different if I had the chance.


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## bykhed (Feb 20, 2004)

*Too big bike*

Waaaaay back in the late '80s I decided to get into mtn biking (it was just emerging on the East coast). So I go to this roadie shop where the owner only knew road bikes (there wasn't another option) and he special orders me a 22-friggin-inch frame. He insisted that this was the right size for me. Did I mention that I'm 6'1" with a 32" inseam and now ride a 19" frame? Damn thing was like driving a bus - plus I smashed my nuts at least a dozen times on the flat top tube that I could barely straddle.

Funniest part is that my shorter friend insisted on buying it over my objections!


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## bingemtbr (Apr 1, 2004)

*the $48 h2o cage*

An "Elite" that holds patoa water bottles. Its celeste. Had to have it to match my bike. When the clerk rang it up I knew, I knew, I knew it was a mistake but I thought, "oh well, its just a water bottle cage". I had buyers remorse and I wasn't even outta the store. I've never been able to live it down with the mrs ("can you believe that water bottle cage cost $48??). I always tell her my bike has room for another cage, but it was/is a really stupid purchase.

Runner up item: Salsa Horse Shoe brake-beefer. Originally installed on my '98 GT LTS (4bar noodle bike), did a frame over onto an Ellsworth Joker. Didn't notice the Salsa horse shoe was on the new bike: 6" brand-new, single pivot bike + horse shoe brake-beefer = crimped/dented seatpost tube on first ride. Jumped a log and heard/felt the sickening sound of metal being bent.

Honorable mention: Ti-steerer tube for a '92 RS Mag 21. Sold it at a $50 loss. Stupid, stupid, stupid.


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## Curious (Jan 30, 2004)

Most of my bonehead purchases were saddles and buying into good reviews on MTBR. I just have to remember that not all a$$es are the same.

Selle Italia Flite: Rock-hard torture device, returned.
Selle Italia Octavia: Ditto, but endured it for 1 year, sold to a friend.
Selle Italia XO (seeing a trend here?): Ditto, sold on a bike build.
Specialized Body Geometry Saddle: Uncomfortable and pinched the boys, returned.

Now, it's just WTB saddles for me, mountain and road.


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## brianthebiker (Nov 1, 2005)

Bought a trainer in 2004......and never used it. Not once!

I like riding outdoors, even if it is cold.


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## Bikinfoolferlife (Feb 3, 2004)

Back when I was riding road more and just getting into bike stuff, I bought a set of Kreitler rollers for those rainy days. Discovered I hate riding indoors, period. They've been used only a few times, still have 'em. Same with a Bob trailer, was sure I wanted to take a camping trip like that someday, still haven't, hanging as new in the garage. A USE suspension seat post, thought I'd like that, didn't whatsoever. Then there's the various tires I've tried and didn't care for that reside in a box...


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## athalliah (Dec 9, 2005)

forkboy said:


> A Schraeder air pressure guage when all my valve stems are Presta.


that's hillarious!


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## milehi (Nov 2, 1997)

Bikinfoolferlife said:


> Back when I was riding road more and just getting into bike stuff, I bought a set of Kreitler rollers for those rainy days. Discovered I hate riding indoors, period. They've been used only a few times, still have 'em. Same with a Bob trailer, was sure I wanted to take a camping trip like that someday, still haven't, hanging as new in the garage. A USE suspension seat post, thought I'd like that, didn't whatsoever. Then there's the various tires I've tried and didn't care for that reside in a box...


My worst purchase was a Nissan Titan. I test drove it and had to have it. I started having visions of kicking the service managers a$$ by the time Nissan bought it back. The worst bike purchase was a Specialized Ti stem in the late 90's. I didn't know a stem could torsionally flex like that! Scary. I also had to have a 24" dirt jump bike that sat in the garage with less than a mile on it until I sold it. There aren't even any jumps around here.


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## AndrewTO (Mar 30, 2005)

I'm not sure which one is THE worst, but I JUST got home from resolving one of them - a shock pump, one of those "universal" cheap p.o.s. job's. Of course, I had to have one and made the stupid mistake NOT waiting just ONE day to get one of the better versions (like the Performance pump that everyone talks about) and wound up paying $30 f'n dollars for it. Oh man, I can't tell you how many time's I had to pump/check/re-pump my shocks/forks. Junk junk junk!

Today, I went downtown to MEC and for $18 picked up one the one's that everyone seem's to never complain about. Tried it out already on everything I have and it's GREAT!    Peace is restored in the Galaxy once again - I can RIDE!!!!!!!!!

Other's include Avid Tri-Align v-brake's (horrible!), RS Mag 21 and Quadra (should'a got the Manitou 3!!!!!), all "back in the day". Thanks to MTBR I don't typically make any mistake's anymore.  Thanks all!!!!!


Gotta add one non-related, just because - an engagement ring.  STILL feeling that one today.  (<~ he should be crying)


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## misctwo (Oct 24, 2004)

AndrewTO said:


> Other's include Avid Tri-Align v-brake's (horrible!)


dang i thought those were the best brakes, esp with the DKG brake booster!

worst bonehead purchase:

Fork booties for my Manitou 3; i extended the travel to like 3.5" and the booties first weren't long enough and second they kept slipping down the stanchion or popping off the top of the legs even with zipties. biggest piece o' chit. i always left them on and realized that they also covered up the ugly wearing out of the stanchions.


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## 514Climber (Mar 7, 2004)

*M2Racer Headset*

In my Quixotic quest to shave grams, I bought into the hype of this ultra light headset.

Well...it is light.

It also looks like a plastic toy you'd get out of one of those 50 cent gumball machines.

It never worked smoothly.

It does a horrendous job of keeping dirt out.

It has bearings not much stronger than egg shells.

I'd recommend this headset...if you're one of those people who build up their bikes with comically light parts just so they can photograph it hanging on a scale.

This headset is lousy to the point of being criminal. And I was dumb enough to buy it.


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## 514Climber (Mar 7, 2004)

*Then you may get a kick out of...*



CDtofer said:


> Not too expensive but the first time I believed the hype and thats what makes me angry...
> 
> NOKON CABLES
> 
> ...


this month's MB Action. They highly recommend the Nokons.

Of course, I'll put more weight on word-of-mouth reviews such as yours.

And I'm convinced that MB Action does push certain products in the name of ad dollars.

Thanks for the tip. I'll stick with jagwires and flak jackets.


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## Guyechka (Jul 19, 2005)

*Fat Chance Yo Eddy*

I had just sold my 21" Fisher Mt. Tam because it was a little too big. I went back to the same store that had sold me the Fisher and bought a floor model Yo Eddy. Oh, the bike was beautiful. The only trouble was that it was a medium frame, and, being a floor model, it wasn't like I had a choice of frame sizes. The store didn't seem to think I would have any trouble, so I spent $1800 on the thing. Back in '92 that was serious cash. I couldn't ride it without my knees hitting me in the face, so I sold it the next year. I think I got $400 plus an old RockHopper that had seen better days. The sad fact is that the RockHopper was much more comfortable than the Yo Eddy.


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## Mynamesrob (Jul 25, 2004)

An engagement ring followed by a wedding band.

Oh, you mean bike related. Most boneheaded purchase of year goes to me for buying a hardtail that I just had to have as a commuter. It didn't look THAT big on the wall. Yea...I look pretty funny but the ride is only 3 miles each way. Anybody want to buy a large KHS 03 team frame?


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## akitadogg (May 23, 2005)

A pound of crack...
JK but that would have been better than the Saab I bought back in NY that happened to get t boned in the DMV parking lot when I was pullin in to register it.


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## LetsGoOutside (Sep 4, 2005)

I would say the last 2 weeks of my life are my most bonehead move ever. I don't necessarily need anything with more than my fair share of bikes/parts/kit accumulated over the years but I felt the need to blow all of my leftover student loans these past 2 weeks. Joined a new team $50 in dues, $200 in kit, all for 10% at lbs and rides with guys I already ride with. $300 in wheels, $150 in tires for mtb and roadbike, new stems for both my main rides, new drivetrain for the road bike, a case of tubes and a case of clif shots. That's a little less than $1000 in less than 2 weeks on stuff I really did not need at all, I am sitting here as a jobless college student, drinking awful cheap beer realizing what I just did, it all seemed like a good idea at the time. Oh well I'll prbably go pick up matching SLR's for both bikes tomorrow with my sweet new team discout and pay it all back five years from now while I drool over what I could have if I didn't blow all that money in college.


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## pinguwin (Aug 20, 2004)

*Trek 850*

My second mountain bike (replacing a stolen first one) was a Trek 850 that was too big for me. The shop suggested that I go with the smaller one, but I *KNEW* better. Well, I do...now, but not back then. It wasn't so big as to be useless but held me back. My next bike was absolutely perfectly sized and what a difference that made.


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## mp29k (Jun 17, 2005)

*Lightweight Titanium railed Token Saddle*

I just had to have this $60 seat for my cheap parts transfer singlespeed because it was red and matched the colr scheme of the bike... I bent the rails within the first 30 miles (I weigh 230), and it bave me horrible bruises inside my thighs becauss I was out of the saddle so much on the single.


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## Guest (Apr 6, 2006)

*Ti Roadie*

I decided to buy a road bike.
For some reason I decided to buy an Airborne ti frame.
It had a Carbon fork & a mix of Campy Record & Veloce parts on it.
It was crazy light 

I did one century on it
It hung in my garage for a year. 
I sold it on eBay 

I also bought some Grimeca 8 disc brakes.
I already had Avid Discs that worked so much better, I still feet stupid. 

*Best Mtb purchase: my Mtbr Voler shorts*


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## Tacoma4.0 (Dec 2, 2005)

*An Oldsmobile (G)utless Ciera*

OMG I hated that car!. But we were just back from a 4 year stint in Japan and the (now ex) wife "just luvvvved it" It was blue and had lots of cheap chrome. It had the infamous 2.5 liter iron duke putting out a stunning 152 hp. _It would slow down when you put on the AC_. It was 2 years old when I bought it with 33k on it for _8 grand_ at an obscene interest rate. Oh well live and learn...


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## wunderhorn (May 13, 2005)

*boiler room*



*rt* said:


> new guy: 'well, if you want to sell it, i'll write the classified ad for you.'


That is classic. Similar experience here. At first I rationalized that in Boulder folks are just super-laid-back or maybe stoned. Then the things they'd say on the phone or e-mail, coupled with their later actions, started to remind me of the brokers in the movie "Boiler Room." You know, put the new kid on the phone so he can make promises and sound convincing because he doesn't know the truth from experience. Then when the mark catches on and wants to talk to someone who can give an honest answer, be "in a meeting" or have your e-mail "not work properly." That's funny. I'm making some assumptions here, but it's not like either of us is that guy on the 29er board who woke a builder up to complain about his carbon bottle cage not working.


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## *rt* (Jan 15, 2004)

wunderhorn said:


> That is classic. Similar experience here. At first I rationalized that in Boulder folks are just super-laid-back or maybe stoned. Then the things they'd say on the phone or e-mail, coupled with their later actions, started to remind me of the brokers in the movie "Boiler Room." You know, put the new kid on the phone so he can make promises and sound convincing because he doesn't know the truth from experience. Then when the mark catches on and wants to talk to someone who can give an honest answer, be "in a meeting" or have your e-mail "not work properly." That's funny. I'm making some assumptions here, but it's not like either of us is that guy on the 29er board who woke a builder up to complain about his carbon bottle cage not working.


seriously? there's some guy on the 29er board who had the audacity to call a builder during the night to complaing that his carbon bottle cage wasn't working?!  

yeah, i didn't think i was being unreasonable but apparently the guys at Dean thought otherwise. i was thrilled to be rid of that frame - bad mojo all around on that one.

much, much, much happier with my racer x. fits me like a glove....a glove that really fits, that is! 

sell your dean (squeeling bb and all) and buy something you'll love. it's so worth it. 

rt


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

The worst part I ever purchased was the Sampson Stratics bottom bracket.









https://www.bikepro.com/products/bottom_brackets/sampson.html

Shortly after getting started riding, I got obsessed with getting my bike under 21 lbs. I bought a $150 bottom bracket based on price, grams, materials and marketing jargon.

It wouldn't install easily and I cross-threaded my frame. It creaked and clicked the whole time. And in two months, the bearings were shot.

I was so disturbed that I started a website. The idea was bikers share product experiences to avoid mistakes like mine.

The site looked like this:
https://web.archive.org/web/19961111144106/https://www.mtbr.com/

I was most proud of a section called Hall of Shame:
https://web.archive.org/web/19970125123932/www.mtbr.com/shame.html

Everyday, waited for the Sampson Stratics BB to make it in there. It didn't make it.

francois


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## kev0153 (Sep 2, 2004)

I bought one of those botique front derailleurs that were coming out in the mid-90s. Forget the brand. Worked like crap, and ended up tearing it off when it somehow shifted into my big ring.


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## athalliah (Dec 9, 2005)

My worst purchase were a few pints of Ben and Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar fat buckett blah blah blah this winter, closely followed by the more than a few pints of beer. Forget shaving grams/pounds off my bike when I need to shave them off my @ss!


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## JmZ (Jan 10, 2004)

Tacoma4.0 said:


> OMG I hated that car!. But we were just back from a 4 year stint in Japan and the (now ex) wife "just luvvvved it" It was blue and had lots of cheap chrome. It had the infamous 2.5 liter iron duke putting out a stunning 152 hp. _It would slow down when you put on the AC_. It was 2 years old when I bought it with 33k on it for _8 grand_ at an obscene interest rate. Oh well live and learn...


And that was the 6 Cyl right?

Had one of those. It wasn't per-se a _bad_ car, but it was by far not a *good* car either. Hard to tell which year it was though since the same car was sold for what about 10 years or so... body style and everything.

I was lucky to get the AC to work. The guts did work, but the venting on that one got so clogged, and quickly, that no how much power the fan had - you would never feel the AC or the Heat, or the Defroster...

I'm much happier with my more recent vehicles.

My worst bike purchase was a set of Pyscho tires that came on a bike that I bought. The *ONLY* tires I actually hate. The tires made me wreck on dry asphalt. No water, or anything around.

JmZ


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## wunderhorn (May 13, 2005)

*rt* said:


> seriously? there's some guy on the 29er board who had the audacity to call a builder during the night to complaing that his carbon bottle cage wasn't working?!


 That's just the half of it. I'm sorry you missed it! The very, very best part is where someone buys the brand new frame from the guy for $400. Grab some popcorn and go here:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=175259

You'll thank me, I think, if you like to be entertained. Then if you're still hankering for more, any thread above that with the little lock icon is worth following.

Yeah, I have a new hardtail in gestation right now. Then I'll sell the Ace with disclosure about the play in the bushing; I would give a great deal to anyone willing to hassle Dean into giving them a new bushing. The brass ones don't squeal. Size: M, may come with a SID


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## MDJ (Jan 21, 2005)

*Kooka*

Kooka products back in the early/mid-90's. I thought the cranks were so cool that I had to have them. I must have broken at least 10 sets...and this was in the days before DH (real DH).

I also bought their brake levers for the Magura hydraulic rim brakes. I installed them the night before a race and while waiting for the starting gun, I squeezed the lever and the brakes locked up because the plunger in the lever got stuck. I pried the pads off the rim and had to race without a back brake.


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## evilbeaver (Jul 23, 2005)

*Sometimes it's not what...it's where...*

I have made many, many terrible decisions when it comes to bicycle-related acquisitions. My worst one, though, was buying a full XTR kit from a notoriously overpriced shop here in Seattle. I got so screwed on that deal...basically because I hadn't shopped around and bought in to what the little parts-sh!t behind the counter was sellin'.

I like the groupo though!


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## Finch Platte (Nov 14, 2003)

*Wow.*

Lots of sad (read: funny) stories in here.

My beef is with my cranks. I was bashing my 180 cranks (I'm 6'3" and have always used 180s) & pedals on every rock on the trail (Specialized Enduro), so I decided to get 175s. Big mistake. Although I don't bash them as much, I've sure lost a lot of power, and it just doesn't feel right.

Tossup. I'll just have to get as used to them as I can. 

fp


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## Finch Platte (Nov 14, 2003)

francois said:


> The worst part I ever purchased was the Sampson Stratics bottom bracket.francois


I got a Specialized ti bb. Had it installed & ran it for a couple weeks. One fine day, while commuting to work, I stood up & honked thru an intersection. The bb broke, and I went down onto the toptube. Managed to stay upright, and coasted thru the intersection w/ pedal and crank dangling from my shoe.

fp


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## *rt* (Jan 15, 2004)

wunderhorn said:


> That's just the half of it. I'm sorry you missed it! The very, very best part is where someone buys the brand new frame from the guy for $400. Grab some popcorn and go here:
> 
> http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=175259


wow! now, that's entertainment! 



wunderhorn said:


> Yeah, I have a new hardtail in gestation right now. Then I'll sell the Ace with disclosure about the play in the bushing; I would give a great deal to anyone willing to hassle Dean into giving them a new bushing. The brass ones don't squeal. Size: M, may come with a SID


excellent. enjoy that new HT when you get it. 

rt


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## lucifer (Sep 27, 2004)

let's see regrets.... my 20 inch cannondale sm1000... worst fit for offroading ever .


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## R.M. (Jan 17, 2005)

Probably a Specialized Epic frame. I got the frame and a SID Team fork for $500 so I really couldn't pass it up. I put all the parts from my C-Dale F1000 on this Epic, rode it for about two weeks and switched everything back to the C-Dale. I guess I'm just not a full suspention guy. I kept the fork though and sold the frame for $600!! Maybe that wasn't so stupid after all.


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## wrongway (Jul 26, 2005)

I fell for the hype and bought an Easton MG60 stem.


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## fsp (Feb 15, 2006)

wunderhorn said:


> That's just the half of it. I'm sorry you missed it! The very, very best part is where someone buys the brand new frame from the guy for $400. Grab some popcorn and go here:
> 
> http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=175259


 Wow. That's really a good thread. That guy that offered the $400, (initials, not a bitter Divorced White Female...) is a local framebuilder, who could even be seen as one of Walts competitors... pretty cool of him to make that move. Brant from On-One is a trip. 
As agonizing as it is to see a good guy and quality builders name dragged through the mud like that, the plus is that people who otherwise wouldn't get to see this sort of thing do get a chance to see what it can be like dealing with customers on any given day.


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## shwinboy (Jan 13, 2004)

First Specialized Big hit model frame that was too big because I wanted to build a down hiller. It rode like crap and was an eyesore.

Hayze cable/hydrolic disk brakes. Bought these because I just had to have disks but couldn't afford the full hydro models. They never worked and would have to go down as one of the worst mountain bike part ideas ever. I think they made them for a year or two before realizing their mistake.


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## Johnny Hair Boy (Jul 11, 2004)

AndrewTO said:


> I'm not sure which one is THE worst, but I JUST got home from resolving one of them - a shock pump, one of those "universal" cheap p.o.s. job's. Of course, I had to have one and made the stupid mistake NOT waiting just ONE day to get one of the better versions (like the Performance pump that everyone talks about) and wound up paying $30 f'n dollars for it. Oh man, I can't tell you how many time's I had to pump/check/re-pump my shocks/forks. Junk junk junk!
> 
> Today, I went downtown to MEC and for $18 picked up one the one's that everyone seem's to never complain about. Tried it out already on everything I have and it's GREAT!    Peace is restored in the Galaxy once again - I can RIDE!!!!!!!!!
> 
> ...


Engagement rings are always a bad Idea no good can come from one of those cursed things.


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## brianthebiker (Nov 1, 2005)

Johnny Hair Boy said:


> Engagement rings are always a bad Idea no good can come from one of those cursed things.


.......unless of course it goes on the finger of a beautiful girl who loves to mtn bike, get dirty, and nicked up. They do exist;-)


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## Dude (Jan 12, 2004)

*Your worst purchase*



francois said:


> The worst part I ever purchased was the Sampson Stratics bottom bracket.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Has become our best purchase.... Thanks for making a bad purchase or should we thank Sampson for making a crappy product? Hey we need a hall of shame...


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## Johnny Hair Boy (Jul 11, 2004)

brianthebiker said:


> .......unless of course it goes on the finger of a beautiful girl who loves to mtn bike, get dirty, and nicked up. They do exist;-)


I know they exist I have one. But I still think engagement rings are a horrible idea why not just get an engagement bike?


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## brianthebiker (Nov 1, 2005)

Johnny Hair Boy said:


> I know they exist I have one. But I still think engagement rings are a horrible idea why not just get an engagement bike?


My fiance and I agreed that rings (and jewelry in general) are a huge waste of money, so her engagement ring is zirconia, but with the ring, she also got a new mountain bike and a brand new whitewater kayak with a whole package (kayak, paddle, pfd, helmet etc etc)

Thank God I found a girl with some common sense......I could not imagine marrying a girl who absolutely had to have a ring worth 2 months salary or whatever the rule of thumb is. That is insane!

Oh, and the best part is, is that the ring looks just like the real thing.....why people spend $2K or more on a single ring boggles my mind.


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## vitamin b (Apr 7, 2006)

hey folks first post here whoo hoo 
anyways, i bought these 'system 12 grimeca mech discs' off ebay not just one but two
sets. 50 bucks apiece. total pieces of shat. one even came with a five inch rotor, what the hell am i supposed to do with that? went back to the v-brakes on that bike because they still had more power. 100 bucks for discs i can't use, STUPID.


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## fsp (Feb 15, 2006)

My fiance & I made each others rings ourselves. We thought it'd have more meaning than if we just went into a store, saw something we thought was pretty, and paid a bunch of money for it. I guess it might have been more meaningful, if she didn't turn out to be a volunteer hooker... anyway.


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## SuperBad (Jan 5, 2004)

iridefar said:


> I would say my Salsa El Santo frame that I am riding now. For me... its not worth the $$$ I spent.


What don't you like about it?


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## Dwight Moody (Jan 10, 2004)

R.M. said:


> Probably a Specialized Epic frame. I got the frame and a SID Team fork for $500 so I really couldn't pass it up. I put all the parts from my C-Dale F1000 on this Epic, rode it for about two weeks and switched everything back to the C-Dale. I guess I'm just not a full suspention guy. I kept the fork though and sold the frame for $600!! Maybe that wasn't so stupid after all.


If that's your dumbest purchase ever, you're one lucky person.


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## MDJ (Jan 21, 2005)

Finch Platte said:


> My beef is with my cranks. I was bashing my 180 cranks (I'm 6'3" and have always used 180s) & pedals on every rock on the trail (Specialized Enduro), so I decided to get 175s. Big mistake. Although I don't bash them as much, I've sure lost a lot of power, and it just doesn't feel right.
> fp


I hear you on that one FP. Don't get me started because I like to B**** about cranks. For some reason, bike designers can't understand why us tall guys need to longer cranks. One of my best purchases was 175 cranks to replace the 165s that were on my DH bike. I'd rather bash the heck out of them and keep my power and speed.

I did give up on 180s on my trail bike though, and no I don't like it.


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## brianthebiker (Nov 1, 2005)

Bought some cheap mtn bike tires on sale through Nashbar......and now I know why they were on sale. The heaviest tires I have ever seen.....still sitting unused.


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## Jersey (Sep 14, 2005)

holy cow!
i never figured id atract this many people to my post. its actually quite funny!
keep em coming everyone...


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## Rockin (Apr 29, 2004)

*Performance Bike Shorts*

Eight panel "elite" shorts, why spend the money of Pearl Izumi when you can have more comfort for half the price.

Ended up having a gel pad that felt like I had stuck a Maxi-Pad in my shorts. Wore them once, finally threw them away...


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## crashomatic (Jan 16, 2006)

*low normal lament*

i bought a low norm derailleur at our shop after i sold it to a guy who brought it back after 2 days completely bent about how it works, he hated it and i should have stopped there. but nooo.. it was cheap so i put it on my bike and it was fine for 3 days or so then it was constantly screwing up and the tension in the cable was always wrong. when i take this miserable idea off of my bike its going to meet my 10lb sledge. low normal is the lamest crap and makes me resent shimano more.

should have just bought the sram stuff.


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## Atomic300 (Feb 9, 2004)

CDtofer said:


> Not too expensive but the first time I believed the hype and thats what makes me angry...
> 
> NOKON CABLES
> 
> ...


Hey that for info MBA mag is bragging about these this month may edition, just go to local bookstore to see the mag. thanks for info, thought about doing these.


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## Atomic300 (Feb 9, 2004)

crashomatic said:


> i bought a low norm derailleur at our shop after i sold it to a guy who brought it back after 2 days completely bent about how it works, he hated it and i should have stopped there. but nooo.. it was cheap so i put it on my bike and it was fine for 3 days or so then it was constantly screwing up and the tension in the cable was always wrong. when i take this miserable idea off of my bike its going to meet my 10lb sledge. low normal is the lamest crap and makes me resent shimano more.
> 
> should have just bought the sram stuff.


Not a bike purchase but a pair of cheap ass nashbar shorts back in the day, wore 5x's then kept in drawer. A vette bike computer I liked the flag design but got tired of after a yr. I guess this is a bling factor but got a coda hybird bike and put a thompson seatpost on it (not really dumb for post). I guess it can always be transfered. but like if for the bling. I got rid of stupid suspension post that came with bike.


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## pinguwin (Aug 20, 2004)

Finch Platte said:


> Lots of sad (read: funny) stories in here.
> 
> My beef is with my cranks. I was bashing my 180 cranks...so I decided to get 175s. Big mistake.


Some brands have a 177.5mm, tried them?


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## Que? (Dec 30, 2003)

Panaracer Trailblaster tire:

2.1's weighing in at real-live 510g: I was seduced by the weight.

However, they are absolutely worthless as a real live tire if you happen to dare riding off the sidewalk.


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## arandal (Apr 2, 2004)

*frames, stems, you name it*

where to begin...?

a lot of them involved a mouseclick late at night after three "bedtime helper" shots or 'deals' from friends

these mostly have to do with MY stupid choices, not always the product (apart from the obvious)

race face titanium stem I bought off a friend who was a team rider. Flex? Can you say FLEX?
and that thing broke...JRA...

syncros titanium b/b...creak, creak, creak, creak. but I swore it was smoother and lighter!!

several titanium railed seats that broke off during a ride

med SC bullit when I needed a large...rode it for three years...now I have a large frame from a LBS which is great.....always wondered why I had a sore back after a ride...bought/sold EBAY

hope big'un front hub....thought it would be cool and convertible but used 5 hole discs..and they (the rotors) were expensive from hope....bought/sold EBAY

hope disc brakes rear...i think they use a 165mm disc instead of 160mm or vice versa but all I know is that they didn't fit my rohloff specific disc and the rohloff mechanic laughed at me when he saw I had been using them (and complained about the lack of power in the rear) bought pinkbike, sold EBAY

hutchinson tubeless tires...BOTH sidewalls split after one "100 ft road ride" and then got lost in the mail sending them back to the online store....

not really a bonehead purchase but nevertheless:
TREK oclv team frame...I rode this and then I moved to the North Shore in Vancouver from New Zealand back in 1998-99...the guys I rode with used to LAUGH at me, and took bets when it would break... I attempted some of the rides being built at the time and used to ride with a guy who built some of the trails (the digger, don)...he looked at me sideways when we first went riding together...
All the components broke, but never the frame...sold second hand to pay for a flight to Europe

I know there are more, but I have obviously repressed them or attribute them to lack of being able to sensibly and rationally remedy the associated cognitive dissonance at that moment in time.

If any of my old girlfriends still talked to me I bet they could come up with a few crackers..!

"Nice bike...Fat Rider"


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## ICanDigIt (Jun 23, 2004)

Usually my bonehead purchases begin with the famous words...

...."well, it looks like it'll fit..." or, "...I think thats the right size..."

That just happened with a mounting kit for my Cateye computer. Looked fine in the store, got home and was too small. Anyone need a mounting kit for a CCMT200?


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## ArmySlowRdr (Dec 19, 2003)

well it was almost a garmin edge 205. i lost 1 planetbike protoge 9 on the maunawili on oahu and the other day dropped my 2d one on the parking lot breaking a small plastic piece on the back of the unit that lets its "spring" feature work.

i really agonized over the edge at 250 bucks----but i already have a geko which is a much better navigational gps--and the edge dont have temp like the planetbike. really had to dwell on how much i'd really use the software/motionbased training aid software and in the end decided it wasnt 4 me.

ordered anohter planet bike 9 (i guess i really do like that model/brand) and a new E2 '06 Giro (slilver w/red highlites). Saved 150 bucks from what i would have spent. thinking for a change saved me from a bonehead senseless purchase that i truly wouldnt have needed.


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## NoTreadOnMe (Feb 4, 2006)

I bought some WTB Lockon Grips the other day. TOTAL GARBAGE. Save your $15 on those. They dont lock at all. Complete waste of money and UNSAFE.


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## SlowPokePete (Mar 27, 2006)

*Steering damper ...*

by you know who (sorry!).

All the reviews were great...unfortunately, the only way to find out how you'd like it was to pony up like $250. Don't get me wrong, the thing was very well made, beautifully finished, and performed exactly as described.

I just didn't like it.

Then, on a family camping trip, a stem change forced the eventual destruction (oops!) of the damper.

Sure wish I had the $$$ now.


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## neveride (Feb 7, 2004)

An '02 Toyota Rav4. 

In the summer of '02 I had just left my job to go back to school for my masters. A week before school starts the transmission on my '95 Honda Passport (really an isuzu rodeo) goes at 150,000 miles (can't really complain about that). My wife's car was a 95 Honda civic with 100,000. Our options are spend 3 grand on new transmission on a car with 150,000 miles on it, or look for something new.

We looked at the Honda CRV but settled for the Rav4, despite both of us normally preferring Honda's (a month or so later the newer versions of the Honda CRV's rolled out, and I would've gotten that).

The back seat had zero leg room. When we had my daughter in late '04, I had to have drive with my chest practically touching the steering wheel to fit her baby seat back there. Regular oil changes every 3000 miles. Then, in Feb of '05, the engine seizes with less that 40,000 miles on it. Took Toyota a almost 2 months to agree to fix it (first they wanted us to pay something like 7,000 for a new engine--yeah, okay. The car brand new was like 16,000, and was still under warranty), and I'm still trying to get reimbursed for the money I spent on a rental. The day we got Rav4 back with a new engine we drove to the Honda dealership and traded than POS in.


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## fsp (Feb 15, 2006)

Worst ever product: Fiberflight spokes. These were carbon rods that had little threaded in inserts at each end to provide the j-bend & nipple threads. A few of us had em on our race bikes in the early 90s. Really light. Really dumb. We were cooking up a good climb when it ramped up sharply near the crest, everyone was crawling along in a granny grinder struggling to stay upright, when my teammate next to me made an attempt to attack. One lurch forward, and a loud crunching noise came from his rear wheel. We were barely moving, so his rear end just dropped down into the mud & he balanced for a second before just tipping over. We were all trying not to bust out laughing, but it was pretty comical. Within a few weeks, just about everyone else that had been using them had catastophic failures as well.


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## Stuart B (Mar 21, 2005)

couple of years back i bought a 1989 Toyota Supra Turbo....was nice.....had it a week and didn't realise it pissed oil like it was going out of fashion and as a result killed the big ends. rattled like a sod. Still I got 20k odd miles out of like it suprisingly.....wondering when a rod was gonna get ejected from the motor hehe.

It would spin up in third in the wet when booted though...which was fun lol.

UK petrol prices and 23mpg (imperial gallons that is, which are bigger than us gallons) was a bit expensive. I think it was about 80-90 us dollars to fill up and that got me 300 miles hehe.

Stu


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## neveride (Feb 7, 2004)

fsp said:


> Worst ever product: Fiberflight spokes.


Hah! Good one 
Years ago I was building up one of my bikes superlight (I also worked at a shop at the time)and had the dilemma of choosing Ti spokes, or the carbon fiberflights. I went ti.

Not long after I built my ti spoked wheels, I'm at a race, and as we're all lining up, from next to us we hear this loud "PING". Someone had the fiberflight spokes, and his wheel literally exploded while we were standing still wiating for the start. I immediately thought "I guess I made the right choice".

To this day I've still got a wheel floating around with original ti spokes, and I actually took some older used ones I had and laced up a wheel for a retro bike I've got.


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## honkinunit (Aug 6, 2004)

*Machine Tech*

In the early days of V-brakes there were some really cool looking CNC'd ones made by an oufit called Machine Tech. Holy S**t did they suck. You had to center them by adjusting a nut that rotated the tension spring, then holding it in place while you tightened the brake onto the boss. They would stay adjusted for about 10 minutes. While they were adjusted, they didn't stop worth a damn. They looked *****in' though.

Irony: Their levers absolutely rocked, and I still have them on one of my bikes......along with the pad holders.


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## pinguwin (Aug 20, 2004)

honkinunit said:


> In the early days of V-brakes there were some really cool looking CNC'd ones made by an oufit called Machine Tech. Holy S**t did they suck.


Honkin...what are you talking about?

http://www.bikepro.com/products/brakes/brakecanti/mach_tech.html

They say "one the best deals ever". You don't think they are trying to sell us something or their brother makes 'em? Maybe the titanium bolts are the best ever. Who knows.

There was a discussion on the vintage, retro, classic group recently, called 'whatever happened to the billet years" that discussed the rise and fall of many such outfits. Another thread about a guy who picked up a killer looking TI suspension fork that had no bottom out (i.e. your wheel could easily hit the crown causing you come to an immediate, flying stop). One rider wrote how that fork ended his racing career. So yeah, lot of this stuff looked great.

Penguin


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## @dam (Jan 28, 2004)

I bought TWO Mutano Raptor 2.4 tires because the reviews were so good, and they felt very unstable in my terrein.

But, my biggest bonehead purchases were, sadly, nice bikes for my wife. She started riding on a medium hardtail that was admitedly too big for her. So, I got her a full-suspension carbon fiber Schwinn S-30, which she said fit. Then, after a few months, she said it was too big for her. A few years later, she said she'd ride more often, and ride more obstacles, if she had something lighter and smaller. (Mind you I wasn't pushing her to like riding- she was asking for this stuff. After a ride, she usually says she likes it and wants to ride more. She just doesn't follow through though). Anyway, she wanted smaller/lighter/nicer, so I got her a Santa Cruz Juliana Superlight (that if anything is on the small side for her, but she says it fits), a new Bell X-ray helmet, new riding clothes, new platform pedals, new camelback- the works. She still seldom rides, and still slows down for every bump, she still rides her brakes down every downhill no matter how mild the slope, and still carries her bikes around any obstacle greater than 4". I was riding with her just yesterday (her first ride in a couple of months). There was about a 1% downgrade on smooth, but sandy double track. I just coasted down the hill. I didn't pedal a single stroke and just coasted to a stop, and I was often riding with no hands. After about 2 minutes of that, I coasted to a stop and waited about a minute to a minute and a half for her to catch up. I was going 50% faster than her without pedaling and sometimes not even steering! Mind you, I'm normally pedaling hard going down this hill. Had I done that yesterday, I'd spend MORE time waiting than riding. This is very frustrating to me.

Grand total is probably about $2500-$3000 worth of stuff (both bikes + gear) when $700 worth of Specialized Hardrock + entry level gear would've been more than sufficient equipment for the next 10 years.  I thought it'd be worth the risk, and I was wrong. To top it off, she keeps asking about a road bike. Whats the old sayings...full me once, shame on you, full me twice, shame on me, full me three times...ya can't fool me again.


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## sstaurus (Jan 18, 2004)

Not a huge deal, but I bought a Topeak Moonshine Pro off eBay, thought I was getting a great deal at $125 or so (cdn). As soon as I got it, the computer shorted after an 'almost frayed' wire on the back gave out after I touched it. Never even got to use it, bah!

Ended up buying a brand new Turbocat S15, all good so far!


----------



## poff (Dec 23, 2003)

I regret buying all 26" stuff, 29ers are so much better.


----------



## aliensporebomb (Feb 2, 2004)

After reading some of these stories I don't have quite that level of "fun" you've all
experienced.

I've had some "odd occurrences" though:

-when I bought my Specialized Epic bike I just HAD to have it in black, all my 
friends and even the wife said "Oh, the black one looks so much MEANER,
you gotta get black" and being that all of my riding buddies rides were black
we had to ALL have the SAME COLOR, since, geez, that's just the best eh?

But the store just had ones in my size in RED and it was a sort of PINKish red
so I decide to have them get me one in my size in BLACK (the preferred color
I guess). I wait a day or so and get a call that the bike is in. The red ones 
all looked "newer than new", no "extended store rides" or whatever.

So I get to the store and the bike looks great although when I got there I took
a second look and it looked new but it also looked like it had been used as a 
demo ride at another location of the same store - no problem, all the bugs will
then be worked out - it still looks 99% new right? Tires still have all the little
hairs on the edges but something about the paint looked like it had been 
around a while. But I got a great front shock and....woof woof.

With respect to the manufacturer, the frame and shocks, brakes and derailleurs
were perfect. The things that I ran into a problem with were commodity items 
such as chains or bearings!

-Within the first 150 miles I'd:
Broken two chains (never broke a chain in my life on any bike before much less 2x!)
The store was great in that after the second chain they replaced it with a nicer chain
free of charge but I had my doubts setting in at that point ('what the hell is wrong with
me?')

-Had the freehub bearing in the rear wheel fail while on a ride (also in the
first 150 miles) had to walk it out of the forest, that was fun - not) then had 
to wait for a few days to get the appropriate bearing replaced.

After that, I'm about 1200 miles beyond that point but I must admit I didn't 
ride it as much as I could have merely because I was afraid some stupid 
two dollar part would fail..

But the weird part is: I did a lot of riding that year that necessitated it 
being on a bike rack to take it places and the places that the straps 
for the bike rack touched the frame, the paint quality degraded 
significantly due to motion of the vehicle it was on.

Not that a MTB needs to be perfect because it's going to be in mud 
and dirt and dust and god knows what else, but when my old 
Mongoose hardtail that was $350 holds its paint condition better 
it kinda made me go "hmm..." 

I might go for a repaint in some wild color someday.

Otherwise I love the bike but little nagging things like that bug me. 

Commodity parts are commodity parts and you expect occasional failures. 
I noticed the next year that Specialized changed their paint finishes on that 
bike from a clearcoated gloss to the kind of finish you'd see on a Santa 
Cruz Blur - a better idea I think.


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## Jesterrider (Feb 22, 2004)

You don't need to run the metal components full on Nokon housing. The inner housing acts as 'full housing'. 
Run the metal parts as you would normal housing.


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## PrincipalRider (Jun 24, 2005)

I should never have bought my road bike. I have put about 100 miles on it and road riding sucks. At least I went the cheap route. Bought a Mercier from Cycle Spectrum. Oh well, I am sure it will get ridden once in awhile. Maybe I'll train for a triathlon or something. Yeah, and maybe monkeys will fly out of my butt.


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## Tracerboy (Oct 13, 2002)

*That bargirl in the Philippines...*

Oh,you're talking about mountain bike stuff. 
A 1990 Univega Alpina Pro.The black chrome flaked off after it's first ride in the rain.It felt heavy and dead for a triple butted frameset. Traded it for a Trek Singletrack of the same year which was a much better ride.
A 1990 Raleigh Technium Heat. Dull ride.
A 1986 Alenax MTB with those crazy long crankarms.It was so loud,deaf squirrels would scatter and laugh in sign language.
Oh yeah, those bubble gum colored latex tubes,Airlights I think,nah...anyways,those things blew up after being touted as 'snake bite proof'. They did work for a year but after that,the new tubes blew up on the first ride.A well-known rider dropped out of a XC race and he was pissed.He held those pink tubes and that wasn't good advertisment.
Now,I only buy what works and not on impulse.


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## CDtofer (Nov 4, 2004)

Jesterrider said:


> You don't need to run the metal components full on Nokon housing. The inner housing acts as 'full housing'.
> Run the metal parts as you would normal housing.


Jester,
I dont know if you have a different set up then when I bought mine but that is exactly what one of my WTF??? numbers was about - the inner housing, (the grey liner) that came in my brake kit is not long enough to run full length!!! There was not a long enough piect to run the back brake.And when I say there is not enough of the metal cylinders I mean there is not enought to run full length for a front disc brake and then normal (non-continuous) to the rear. I bought them specifically for mechanical disk brakes which is where I had heard so many good things said about them. I stand by my post, feel free to use it if you are running it for shifters or v-brakes but there is no way the Nokons work twice as good as other comparable systems that are half the price. (and actually sealed against the elements)

DONT BELIEVE THE HYPE...


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## Tracerboy (Oct 13, 2002)

Damn thing was like driving a bus - plus I smashed my nuts at least a dozen times on the flat top tube that I could barely straddle.

Funniest part is that my shorter friend insisted on buying it over my objections![/QUOTE]

Ok,that was a great laugh.I needed that.But seriously,I can relate.


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## Tracerboy (Oct 13, 2002)

*Agree*



Johnny Hair Boy said:


> Engagement rings are always a bad Idea no good can come from one of those cursed things.


Oh boy,that is soooo true.


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## slowride (Jan 13, 2004)

Sheesh, I've got a ton:

Panaracer Smoke 1.8
Billet replacement derailleur pulleys
Cook Brothers bottom bracket
Onza clipless pedals
Norco hardtail (good bike, just not for me)
Titec Berserkr (not so good for XC)
a Haro with a cut shock mount
K2 Disco Monkey
Stratos LR1 (anything stratos really)
a singlespeed

There's others but that's all I can think of now.


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## fwlslyr (Mar 12, 2004)

oddestfellow said:


> The "Peace Sign" canti-brake cable hanger. Those things were crap! Looked cool though!


 I still have a set on a Grove Ti bike with old school XTR canti's.


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## EBrider (Aug 3, 2004)

I am sure I have made a number of boneheaded purchases over the years. However, most recently, I bought a Park chain wear gauge so I could avoid letting my chain get too stretched out. At the first sign of wear, I replaced my chain, but it turned out that the old one was so frickin stretched that the new one skipped allover the place and, on the first climb, straight into the spokes, taking the derailleur with it. The tool only cost about $10 but replacing my drive train was probably closer to $100.


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## JoelM (Nov 8, 2004)

poff said:


> I regret buying all 26" stuff, 29ers are so much better.


I knew that was coming...
And noone bit? Way to show restraint!


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## MtnSpectre (Nov 21, 2004)

I had to laugh out loud on that one too...


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## techFiend (Aug 12, 2005)

*I have a couple... at least..*

#1: Ringle Super Duper Bubba rear hub back in the late '97(?). Nice polished silver bling for my first mountain bike - a GT Zaskar LE. I had put most of my money into the frame and built it with cheap components (no front suspension) with the intention of upgrading later when I had saved more. The stupid hub set me back $400, had to wait to a year or so before I could get a nice rim and put it together... and it seized in 3 rides! No amount of adjustment or type of lube would help. And no warranty since I had bought it so long ago. Most expensive piece of junk aluminium ever.

#2: '02 Rockshox SID SL. For a couple of years, all my friends were getting into mountain bike racing. Light and fast hardtails were the way to go. They talked me finally talked me into getting a '02 SID SL. Worked beautifully for 5 rides, then began to lose air. Sure, race forks require servicing and I was ready for that. Opened up the fork and guess what? Custom tool required to replace o-ring on air chamber side. Fine.. not a big deal. Let's go buy the tool. "Dealers only, dude. Can't sell you one and we don't have one either. Too bad". I lived outside of the US then and could not send it back for service. Every single 2 hr ride, I had to open it up, drop in some red rum and come back with 0mm travel. Replaced it with a Fox and never looked at RS again. Just not my kind of fork.


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## SlowSSer (Dec 19, 2003)

the dean duke, thats now a spider colony in the garage- why a bonehead move? it was the beginning of my exposure to single speeding and this was about 5 years ago. 

the other? the Kona cowen. my tyres dont leave the ground. what was i thinking with a DJ bike? oh well- it's fun on urban stuff. ....from time to time- its been ridden maybe three times in the past two years (more than the duke though!)

a regret that cost me nothing: the warranty replacement of my titus riddler. i had titus build me up a ss specific HCR. the regret? not making it for 29" wheels. damn. oh well- its still a rocket and i wouldnt change a damn thing about it. kinda hard to find fault with a 20lb machine that I'd trust on any terrain.


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## mwills (Feb 8, 2005)

*too many to tell*

fun topic!
worst purchases in no order:
grafton ti BB - nice at first - too much maint to keep creakfree
grafton cranks - broke 2 pair but who didn't
whitebros SC90 - coating on legs came off in flakes after 9months
custom 3" stainless exhaust for my forester - 2-1/2" is much sane-er


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## dwnhlldav (Feb 2, 2006)

Luckily I didn't buy these, but the spinergy spox wheels would have been regretable. I rode a pair for a summer that were the demo wheels for the shop I was working at, totally flexy, I finally turned them in when I went off a jump and blew both tires off the rims, thought for sure I hsad trashed them and decided I would regret having to buy these wheels.

A few years ago I went from FS back to hardtails, I bought an XL surly instigator based on TT length. I built it, rode it a half mile then stripped it and sold it. Way to big, even though the top tube length was the same as on my Jeckyl.

Recently I built up a surly 1x1, through miscommunication and me being a dumbass I ended up with 2 real disc front hubs from the internet and one surly bolt on disc front hub from the shop. I used one of the reals, and luckily they only cost me 15 bucks each plus shipping and the surly went on my tab so I don't even know how much that thing cost.


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## SpinWheelz (May 3, 2004)

Being relatively new to the sport - been riding for about 2 years only - coupled with the fact that I'm notoriously cheap, I don't have a ton of boneheaded purchases. I do have 'em, just like everyone else, but the magnitude of these purchases is nothing like frames or high-end forks and the like.

One thing I can think of is a wheelset that I bought. I needed new wheels, and rather than plan for the future and get a disc wheelset with a v-brake rim, I got a non-disc wheelset. Now, as I move to disc brakes on more of my bikes, I'm realizing that the non-disc wheelset was a total bonehead move. Thankfully, I hope to unload that wheelset soon so that I can pick up some decent disc wheels.

And for a while, I went through a stem phase. Still can't explain it, but I went around bought a ton of stems on sale. I've got way more stems tham I'll ever need...


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## bob (Jan 14, 2004)

*Not bike related but....*

Not bike related but this just happened to me a few weeks ago. I'm a relatively new guitar player and own an accoustic and an electric that I love. I was surfing music123 and saw an Epiphone Dot Studio in a cherry finish that I "had" to have. I dropped it in the shopping cart and checked out before good reasoning set in. The next morning I realized my impulsiveness and tried to stop the shipping. Too late, it was on it's way. When it came in, I kept it in the shipping box for week because I felt so bad and intended to send it back. Though it's a cool guitar, I absolutely don't need it and if I had waited five minutes I wouldn't have bought it. But it's mine now!


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## ziggurat22 (Aug 3, 2004)

*Rock Ring*

I wanted a rockring/bashguard type thing to put on my new ride which had 4-arm crankset. I had a Blackspire Big Ring Protector on my old bike, that crankset was 5-arm and it obviously wouldn't fit. I wanted a deal because there's no way I'm going to pay $30-$40 for a round piece of aluminum.

So, I went to ebay and found some guy selling a bunch of old Rock Rings, still in the packaging, in various colors. He had some available for a 4-arm crank set for like $10 all in with shipping. Awesome! Well, when the thing arrived a few days later, what do you know, the thing doesn't fit, not even close, despite the fact that it was made for a 4-arm chainring. The four holes on that thing didn't line up with the four holes on my crankset. What possible 4-arm crank configuration would these have fit? So now this hunk of useless metal sits in my garage and my search for the elusive, cheap big ring protector continues...


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## Reposado Man (May 31, 2005)

Answer BodyShock seatpost.. 

This was the thing that looked like it had a pack of cigarettes stuck in the middle. The thing would always twist laterally, which a preload screw was supposed to take out. But you take out the twist, and the travel became horribly sticky. After about a month, the metal bushings snapped. Answer sent a replacement which also broke.. 

After that, I went to the RS post, which was marginally better. 

The "good old days" pretty much sucked.


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## Vitamin G (Oct 11, 2004)

*Hopefully this turns out good*

I don't know yet if this will turn out good or bad, but I had a big case of buyer's remorse last week. I bought a Trek 2100 road bike instead of a Gunnar Roadie. I don't know why, got sucked in by the light weight, but the Gunnar was just so cool! I should have gotten that one but its too late now.


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