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Idly thinking while recovering from Christmas eating, what bit of cycling related kit/bike/component do you think is great value? Not necessarily cheap but works well and provides really good value for money.
I'll start off with the Shimano m520 pedal. A quick look on Wiggle shows you can get a pair for £19. Surely the best value pedal around? Functionally pretty much the same as XTR but a fraction of the price. Throw into the mix that they're pretty much indestructible too, I've got a pair with ~10k km on them that haven't been serviced and still function perfectly. Furthermore, they even come with cleats, which are about £8/9 on there own, essentially a pair of pedals for a tenner.
M520 +1
My old Vaude 15l cycling rucsack is now 20 years old, almost in tatters yet still keeps going. IIRC it cost £25.
That said, the actual fabric on straps and waist pad is now worn in holes, so a new one this year...
M520 +1. I have them on all 3 bikes.
Aldi winter cycling gloves are also great for a fiver.
XT Hollowtech 2 bottom bracket - I paid £13 just before Christmas (although they are at a heady £15.99 on CRC now)!
The last one has lasted 6 years so great value compared to the old FSA ISIS ones that used to last about 6 months on my old Stumpy.
another vote for M520 pedals still running 2 pairs circa 2005-2006 still buttery smooth (bought the plastic service adapter with them still not used it! ).
I opined that the M520 should win the component of the year, every year in a thread just before Christmas for exactly the reasons you state OP. All my bikes have them, or the varient with the little cage, (M540?). Why would you buy anything else?
Hope brakes or exposure lights I can’t decide. Not cheap to buy but that wasn’t the title question. Both will still be working in 10 years time, won’t burn your house down when charging and won’t need throwing away when something simple prematurely fails.
Yeah we've got same pedals on all the bikes, I've seen riders a lot faster than I will ever be use flats, whereas I don't feel right on them at all, need to be clipped in
My Formula The One brakes. New, they were stupidly expensive but I got my first set for £100 including discs, and they've been on all my bikes since- not much that works as well on an XC race bike, a fatbike, and a dh bike. I'll be using them til they crumble into dust.
I would vote for the cut-down zipties I am using instead of Hope pawl springs. Virtually free and last way longer than the pukka ones....
My evoc bike bag, for the last 5 years it's got bikes to places I'd never normally have the opportunity to ride, it's kept me fitter when I've worked away and helped my have some amazing experiences over the years. The simplicity and functionality make it easy to use, a really tough and well designed bit of kit.
For me it has to be Hope hubs.
I’ve currently got 3 pairs of pro2 hubs on various wheelsets.
I’ve only had to replace one set of rear hub bearings (not the freehub bearings, just the mains) and one side of one front hub. I service them once a year and recently replaced the pawls on one rear. The old pawls were perfect but the springs were past it. I thought they were expensive to start with but considering how old and used some of them are, they’re remarkably cheap over the years - outlasting many frames & forks.
Castelli perfetto jersey.
It gets used so much more than I thought it would, but still looks new and performs amazingly well.
The prefect three out of four season garment.
XT SPD's - got 3 pairs. Bomb proof, great bearings. And they don't snap axels like XTR do.
Other one has to be the X-Fusion HILO SL I got a couple of years ago from Wiggle (ebay) - brand new, other than a slight scratch on the finish that's 'inside the frame'. £80. RRP around £250
Altura Varium soft shell jacket - wind proof, great in sub zero, and water resistant (OK in light rain). £40 in a sale. RRP £120.