What are your 3 biggest cycle related purchase regrets?

[mick1836]

1. Buying pair of SPD Road shoes.
2. Not buying larger size of some clothing off ebay from China
3. Not buying and resuming cycling 20 years ago.

 

[united4ever]

Specialized Sirrus X 2
Specialized crosstrail X 1

How come? Was thinking of a sirrus for my next bike.

 

[vickster]

How come? Was thinking of a sirrus for my next bike.

Dull as dishwater to ride and and as common as muck on the roads there are some many more interesting choices IMO. And overpriced for the spec

 

[greekonabike]

In my very brief cycling career I've learnt that I should never buy an accessory purely on the price based on the following items.

1. Masterlock cable lock - bought purely as an afterthought when purchasing my bike. I then realised this lock was wholly unsuitable for my needs and I became anxious when leaving my bike anywhere. Currently waiting for a Kryptolock Series 2 to use as my primary lock.

2. Zefal mini jet pump - Supposedly a presta/schrader compatible pump. It fell apart when I was trying to figure out how to use it on a presta valve. The pump itself is rigid and will only be used as a spare as I've bought a Lezyne.

3. Cateye Omni light set - there's nothing wrong with them and I got them cheap but I should have put some more research into lighting as I would have purchased different products.

Hopefully I've learnt my lesson. I'm also more likely to buy stuff from the guys in my LBS or ask if they can get something in than buy it online.

GOAB

 

[Big John]

1. Crappy cheapo 'brighter-than-the-sun' light from China. Only managed to get it working after endless hours of fettling.
2. Endless 'this-is-a-bargain' mini pumps bought from T K Max/Aldi/Lidl all of which wouldn't inflate a balloon.
3. Two lifetime's worth of outer gear cable 'too much of a bargain' to miss from PlanetX. I think it's a 30mtr roll. So far I've used about two foot of it.

 

[arch684]

Lance Armstrong's books,a chain cleaner thing and a cheap floor pump

 

[Big John]

If we could have had four instead of three I'd have added numerous track pumps purchased at stupidly cheap prices that didn't work. I'm keeping some of them in the hope that in years to come they'll become collectors items for those seeking the most useless objects of all time. I'd have more chance of inflating a tyre by mouth. Oh, and I've also got the Armstrong books too. I suppose I can count myself lucky I've never bought a chain cleaner thing.

 

[tyred]

1. Helmet. Has sat on a shelf in the garage for years.
2. Continental Ultrasport tyres with all the puncture resistance of a wet Rizla paper.
3. Battery lights. Dynamo so much better.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Quite a lot over the years, but the most recent one is/are the hip protector shorts i bought from China. They arrived yesterday. They are supposed to be XL in size,but even my skinny arse stretched them so much that after 2 hours of wearing them round the house to try them out for comfort they came away at the seams. I'd send them back but i think it'll cost a little more than £3.95!

 

[Southside Mike]

How come? Was thinking of a sirrus for my next bike.

Keep in mind that Vickster is the resident Spesh denier on here. Personally, I like mine and have hardly ever seen another around here so not necessarily as common as muck.

If your main method of judging value is looking at what is written on the rear derailleur then they do look over priced, but the frame and wheels are high quality, you get good finishing kit and the bike is well designed for its purpose.

If you fancy one, get a test ride and see what you think

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Keep in mind that Vickster is the resident Spesh denier on here. Personally, I like mine and have hardly ever seen another around here so not necessarily as common as muck.

If your main method of judging value is looking at what is written on the rear derailleur then they do look over priced, but the frame and wheels are high quality, you get good finishing kit and the bike is well designed for its purpose.

If you fancy one, get a test ride and see what you think

Yes, I quite like the frame on the 2013 model Specialized Roubaix Expert SL4 I got in late 2012. The frame IS well-built, and the Zertz rubber inserts on the seat stays help dampen any road vibrations. In general, the bike is very comfortable (for a road bike), and I don't regret buying it.

 

[Mrs M]

The old style lights for my racer when I was a kid, (used to spend all my pocket money on batteries)
The GT Avalanche I bought in 2010, persevered for a year then took it back as a trade in for my road bike.
A very nice cycling jersey from Wiggle that I aimed to shrink myself into, (still hanging in the wardrobe)

 

[al3xsh]

1) my first bso after leaving home - it put me off cycling for years. Could never sort the brakes out so they didn't rub. It ended up spending most of a decade in various sheds ...

2) a cheap Jersey from wiggle - fits ok but a lack of pockets limits usefulness as I can't carry tools + tube + wallet + phone

3) a giant mini pump with my first decent bike a few years ago - I'd have more luck blowing up tyres by mouth. One ride I had 4 deflations - the first one through a thorn and the others as pinch flats because I couldn't get enough pressure into the tyre*.

A



* I now have a leyzene road drive which is awesome! No problems getting 100 psi into my tyres now.

 

[vickster]

Keep in mind that Vickster is the resident Spesh denier on here. Personally, I like mine and have hardly ever seen another around here so not necessarily as common as muck.

If your main method of judging value is looking at what is written on the rear derailleur then they do look over priced, but the frame and wheels are high quality, you get good finishing kit and the bike is well designed for its purpose.

If you fancy one, get a test ride and see what you think

Specialized clothing is decent, especially the gloves.
There are just many more interesting bikes out there in my experience
Buy what you want when all's said and done. I was simply replying to the thread title and giving an explanation when asked why

 

[drummerbod]

Scott Big Jon - poor quality

Buying chainring from Ebay (fake as)