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My short sleeve waterproof jacket. It looks crap as I’ve just cut sleeves off
And with that, you invented the gilet 😉 . Should be crap at keeping off the elements with no arms, but in reality works just fine. Even the ones that aren't made of decent waterproof materials. I have a convertible Pearl Izumi and the arms and shoulders lift off like a bolero jacket.
Probably not so much on here, but guessing a lot of the trouser converts are doing it for the ‘enduro/dh look’, rather than practicalities
A mate runs a gravel and MTB guiding business, and he swears by trousers
Loffi gloves: https://loffi.cc/
Got them as a present, thought they were a bit silly, now I love them - always seem to get a smile from pedestrians now.
Photochromic glasses
Gravel bikes
Crap/Pointless? Mais non! combine what a bunch of folk have already said the most amazing thing is: Singlespeed Fatbike! obvs with a dropper and decent forks!
Amazing today: https://www.flickr.com/photos/cojacal/53336497233
Been amazing for a while too! https://www.flickr.com/photos/cojacal/albums/72157713828419618
Perhaps though a niche within a niche ...
Always thought the little handlebar mirrors were pointless (just turn around), but for road biking, they're really handy.
“Surprised at all the calls for dropper posts.
For me it was the most obvious need on a bike.”
I’m quite annoyed at the amount of time I wasted arguing with people on here about why dropper posts were brilliant, for all sorts of MTBing (bar dirt jumps and DH). I’m pretty certain that 99% of the naysayers now use dropper posts.
Another one I forgot to mention is my Dirtsuit.
Yessss. Especially on the ebike. Absolute game changer for me
I recently bought some new wheels and tyres. Popped them on easily with thumbs, squirt, pump up with a normal floor pump. Zero faff.
Yeah I feel like I've left it for long enough that when I do finally do it, all the problems in earlier designs should be worked out by now 🙂 although it might be a long wait as I'm wondering if I should even bother sinking any cash into new 27.5" stuff when the world seems to be going 29. But I'm also skeptical about that wheel size for the riding I do.
Press fit BBs.
Edit. Nope, they really are shit and a solution to a problem that didn't exist whilst adding 3 more problems to the pile.
Dropper posts: Guess it depends where you ride. I quickly remember to stick some air back in the post when I ride somewhere slightly more hilly than the flatlands.
Tubeless: I was misled by the reports about the faff which possibly links into having a decent pump and/or rims and tyres. Pulling out blackthorns and realising that would have been a new tube and possibly a repair job is a joy.
handlebar mirrors: Not something I have tried having used a moped in the past. My assumption is any that are decent enough size are going to be a nice wind block.
I’m quite annoyed at the amount of time I wasted arguing with people on here about why dropper posts were brilliant, for all sorts of MTBing (bar dirt jumps and DH). I’m pretty certain that 99% of the naysayers now use dropper posts.
Similar for me, but I do understand that some people really do just ride gentle XC trails and don't need a dropper post (even though I'd still have one). The thing that got me was the people who argued for years that disk brakes were unnecessary and/or worse than rim brakes (apparently a 26" disk will give more braking power than an 8" one). And then the people who insisted that cable brakes were better because if you broke down in the middle of the Serengiti, you could pop into a local bike shop and have them fixed, whereas you wouldn't be able to buy parts for hydraulic brakes.
@robertajobb. I quite like them, but it depends entirely on the frame's alignment, and who's PF system they're using. The SRAM and Shimano PF92 variants are all fine, pretty much all the others; Cannondale, all those over-sized horrors, can all get in the sea.
And then the people who insisted that cable brakes were better because if you broke down in the middle of the Serengiti, you could pop into a local bike shop and have them fixed, whereas you wouldn’t be able to buy parts for hydraulic brakes.
I don't think retro-grouches are any different from the rest of us. They buy bikes for the riding they want to do (solo excursions to outer Mongolia) rather than the riding they actually do (riding along canal tow paths never further than 30 minutes from a coffee or bike shop).
Another one I forgot to mention is my Dirtsuit.
Yessss. Especially on the ebike. Absolute game changer for me
Conversely in the 18 months I've owned one I've worn it about three times.
Just massive overkill for me and far too hot.
Even when it was sub zero and snowing i had to have all the vents open and the main zip almost fully down on the climbs.
And then the people who insisted that cable brakes were better because if you broke down in the middle of the Serengiti, you could pop into a local bike shop and have them fixed, whereas you wouldn’t be able to buy parts for hydraulic brakes.
That goes back to @nickc 's point on page 1 about the constant cycle of:
New thing comes along
Everyone loses their mind over it, cones up with spurious reasons that it's crap, rants on and on about how it's unnecessary, expensive, complicated....
Then it splits - some people try the product in question and are converted and stop moaning about it, others (the real retro grouches) never try it and just keep mumbling to themselves about how terrible it is and how they cope quite happily on their rod-braked, 27" wheel, tourer with its 3sp Sturmey Archer.
keep mumbling to themselves about how terrible it is and how they cope quite happily on their rod-braked, 27″ wheel, tourer with its 3sp Sturmey Archer.
Plus dropping references to the Rough Roads Club whenever anyone mentions the history of mountain biking. <yawn>
Just massive overkill for me and far too hot.
Even when it was sub zero and snowing i had to have all the vents open and the main zip almost fully down on the climbs
Ebike or normal riding?
Ebike or normal riding?
Both.
Though TBF it's very rare I even wear a waterproof coat and even more rare for me to wear waterproof strides.
As per @rocketdog, I can confirm after an 80 km wet road ride last night, that the Ass Saver Win Wing does fall in this category. It is the only mudguard I can fit to a Giant Propel - not even race blades (Propel has V brakes right where they would clip on, and no hole for a rim brake mount). Kept my rear dry throughout right up the back. Whether the £4 Paul Smith tax was worth it is for others to decide, but I’m very pleased. Also kept the Garmin Varia light clean, which is a plus since the switches are known to fail with road grit blasting.
New thing comes along
Everyone loses their mind over it, cones up with spurious reasons that it’s crap, rants on and on about how it’s unnecessary, expensive, complicated….
Up until five years ago (maybe even ten years ago) I would probably have agreed.
Struggling to think of anything in the last five years that has actually been an improvement and not just a marketing exercise.
Hardtails.
Both.
Though TBF it’s very rare I even wear a waterproof coat and even more rare for me to wear waterproof strides
I guess the two times I've used mine (Leatt) so far, have been a mix of normal bikes and ebikes, so the pace was relatively slow/minimal effort needed from me. I was no warmer than any other ride (well, I was in the fact that I wasn't at all cold)
However it was absolutely howling it down both times and I was far and away the comfiest and dryest person in the group
Struggling to think of anything in the last five years that has actually been an improvement and not just a marketing exercise.
👆
I think there is something in that.
Hardtails.
👆👆👆
Most definately.
Hardtails.
👆👆👆
Most definately
I suppose hardtails might seem crap and pointless to riders that have almost exclusively only ridden FS, but to the folks that have been riding them for years, they've never seemed crap or pointless 😉
Personally, I've never NOT had at least one (currently got three, although the new one probably puts one of the others out of circulation)
Struggling to think of anything in the last five years that has actually been an improvement and not just a marketing exercise.
I've not tried it yet, but I suspect that direct mount electronic derailleurs are going to become a lot more common as they seem to fix some of the problems remaining with derailleurs.
Struggling to think of anything in the last five years that has actually been an improvement and not just a marketing exercise
High pivot/idler suspension? Mixed wheel sizes? Tyre Inserts? Gearboxes on E-bikes? Properly reliable wireless shifting at normal person prices?
None are ground-breaking (or argument developing) in the way that risers or disc were fo'shure, but we may very well be into the world of diminishing returns for off road pedal cycles anyway.
I suppose hardtails might seem crap and pointless to riders that have almost exclusively only ridden FS
ie me.
I hadn't ridden exclusively FS, but my previous hardtail was a very XC orientated bike from 2008, and not really much fun to ride at all.
I’ve not tried it yet, but I suspect that direct mount electronic derailleurs are going to become a lot more common as they seem to fix some of the problems remaining with derailleurs.
Apparently those of us who point out that any improvements to derailleurs are just extremely expensive turd polishing are retro-grouches.
And yet the only reason we still have them (even though current drivetrains are completely incompatible with drivetrains from 10 years ago because every single part of the system has been changed) is because 'normal' riders won't buy anything that doesn't look like a 'normal' bike.
If they were going to change everything anyway then they could have ditched derailleurs and gone with a Phaser type solution.
But then no one would have bought it.
Either fix the problem properly or leave it as it is. Don't change everything but keep it exactly the same.
Tyre Inserts?
I'll definitely give you that one.
I always thought they sounded like a good idea but it was only running them front and rear that I realised just how many opportunities they open up for bike tuning.
So yeah, I didn't think they were crap but they were definitely much much better than I thought.
Of course none of these things are really very important. All right, I accept that the invention of the safety bike was s big step but everything after that is just a collection of little things to make life easier.
Now, who makes adult sized balance bikes? Just taking the pedals off won't satisfy the new breed of converts.
I hadn’t ridden exclusively FS, but my previous hardtail was a very XC orientated bike from 2008, and not really much fun to ride at all.
A bit like my 90's Kona
You look back with memories of old steel Joe Murray inspired Kona's being something amazing (they were a bit ahead of the game geometry wise) but in reality, they are a bit of a dog to ride these days. Enjoyed it when I didn't know any better though.
It's now strictly a pub bike
Struggling to think of anything in the last five years that has actually been an improvement and not just a marketing exercise
Part of it is just that all of the easy wins have been done, from then on its just been gradual and incremental changes.
Loffi gloves:> https://loffi.cc/ < Got them as a present, thought they were a bit silly, now I love them – always seem to get a smile from pedestrians now.
They look great! Want some 🙂
...How much!!! Forget it 🙁
Part of it is just that all of the easy wins have been done, from then on its just been gradual and incremental changes.
I'd say the gradual and incremental changes were from about 2008* to 2018. I honestly reckon you could put a 2018 bike up against a 2023 bike and not notice the difference.
*2008 being the year I'm pulling out of my arse for when we had bikes that you could do downhill races on but also take Munro bagging.
It's a bit of a unfair comparison though. I agree with you that bikes changed pretty radically from 2008-2018, but then you don't know what coming up in the next 5 years to make the comparison between bikes 2018-2028 over a similar time scale - Although I'd agree that you could stick a '18 bike in a '23 catalogue and most folks wouldn't notice.
I honestly reckon you could put a 2018 bike up against a 2023 bike and not notice the difference.
I went from 2017 to 2022 and there is definitely a difference. The more modern bike just feels more stable and doesn't try to kill me when I take my eye off the ball.
I went from 2017 to 2022 and there is definitely a difference. The more modern bike just feels more stable and doesn’t try to kill me when I take my eye off the ball
Just about to take mine out (glorious day in Derbyshire) for its first ride and see if it's all it's cracked up to be
Timber bell.
Looks very over engineered/ over thought for something with such a simple purpose.
But flick the switch as you approach walkers / horses/ the 100m DWZ* at car parks and the distinctive tinkling catches peoples attention without being an in your face ring-ring make way for the cyclist. Always gets a friendly response.
And available from this very website at a good discount for subscribers (wheres Charlie when you need him?)
I have one on each of my bikes now.
*Dog Walking Zone
BruceWee
Part of it is just that all of the easy wins have been done, from then on its just been gradual and incremental changes.
I’d say the gradual and incremental changes were from about 2008* to 2018. I honestly reckon you could put a 2018 bike up against a 2023 bike and not notice the difference.
You (well, I) totally can. MASSIVE difference between my 2018 HB.160 and 2022 HB.916
I honestly reckon you could put a 2018 bike up against a 2023 bike and not notice the difference
Some bikes are still catching up with geometry from 2018.😂
I was riding a bike today that I bought in 2018...
And today.
https://flic.kr/p/2pgibpV
I went from 2017 to 2022 and there is definitely a difference.
I would say that difference is on aggregate a lot less than the difference between a 2012 and a 2017. A number of things happened since 2008 or so including 29er wheels and then the long-low-slack movement. They came along and produced a major year-by-year evolution of MTBs and that has now slowed.