Cycling stuff you wish you hadn't bought

[dave_79]

lol wtf is that!!!

Yes, WTAF is that? Massive LOL!

 

[suecsi]

Hi-vis Sam Browne Belt.

+1

 

[suecsi]

Got caught up in the enthusiasm and got extras with my C2W Brompton in January, plus a few other bits later that were useless and mostly remain unused.

• Cateye EL-530 light - useless fixing like a zip tie thingy, kept coming loose all the time as I had to turn it round to fold the Brompton. I'd spend 5 minutes at the station at night fighting to tighten it up and then go over a bump and it would end up lighting my front wheel or the top of my Brompton bag. Eventually fell off and smashed to bits. Replaced with a lovely Sun official Brompton front light which has a much better fixing, and a nice sold clip on/off so I don't need to rotate the fixing, just remove the light.
• Hi-Vis rucksack cover. Never used it, decided I didn't want the weight of my rucksack throwing my balance when doing the right shoulder look. Sold both the rucksack and cover on EBay this week.
• The larger of my Brompton bags - I've found the S bag pretty adequate for what I carry. I started leaving my laptop at work and control it via LogMeIn if I need to do anything from home. I'm currently trying to sell the bag on EBay.
• Cycle clips - thankfully they were only cheapy Tesco ones but they pinged straight off and were useless at holding my trousers. I bought a pair of Madison velcro bands instead, they are a bit big for ankles though but at least they work.
• Sam Browne belt - kept falling off my shoulder mid ride. Bought an Altura hi-vis jacket but don't wear that much now as I keep a standard zip hi vis vest in the bag and wear it over a normal coat. I prefer to have the choice of hi vis or not as part of my route is off the main road anyway. With the Altura I kept getting asked questions on the train as I looked like a station worker.
• BSpoke ladies black jacket. Thankfully I got a full refund on this but I liked the idea of a jacket that looked 'normal' for the commute, but had reflective strips under the collar and at the belt. The sizing is horrendous though - the large was marked up for a 12-14 but I could have got someone else in there too, the arms were about 6 inches beyond my fingertips, and it felt like a cheap, rustling, black polyester duvet.

 

[Hilldodger]

My latest pair of Plus Fours. I didn't really need another pair and as they are made of wool they're a bit itchy!

But they were cheap

 

[suecsi]

I'd looked at getting some cheap Plus Fours purely to do the Brompton World Championship in this year, but I'm allergic to wool so that's a non starter .......

 

[Hilldodger]

Plus Fours are NOT for riding Brompton in!

There should be a law against it.

 

[byegad]

B17 saddle. 1000 miles of total misery until I sold it and bought a Specialized Body Geometry saddle which was comfortable from day one and still comfortable 10000 miles later when I sold the bike.

Seal Skins gloves. Not waterproof, they let in water after a half hour or so and a horrible feel to them. Worn once and still in the drawer.

Reel lights. Pathetic brightness. One of the few lights that seem to make things darker, plus they failed after 1000 miles. A great idea poorly executed.

We need a thread with best things we bought too!

 

[Norm]

B17 saddle. 1000 miles of total misery until I sold it and bought a Specialized Body Geometry saddle which was comfortable from day one and still comfortable 10000 miles later when I sold the bike.

Seal Skins gloves. Not waterproof, they let in water after a half hour or so and a horrible feel to them. Worn once and still in the drawer.

What size are the SealSkinz? And do you still have the B17?

Well, you've got to ask, haven't you.

 

[e-rider]

I'm amazed how many things have come up that I agree with:

Sam Browne belt
Sealskinz gloves
Altura handlebar bag
Shimano cycling shoes
bar ends
selle itailia XC saddle