Most useless purchase ever?

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
dan_b
Posts: 249
Joined: 12 Sep 2008, 2:46pm

Post by dan_b »

Mick F wrote:Words cannot describe the uselessness of this.

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I see you and raise you this (the pump, not the scales)
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Still, at least it's light, hey?
JH22
Posts: 22
Joined: 13 Oct 2008, 11:58pm
Location: North Lincolnshire

Post by JH22 »

In terms of my most useless purchase i can't think of much that can rival an overpriced piece of plastic i bought - officially it retails as a Cateye E530 front light. To be fair, it does emit a decent light but not at a sufficient output to justify its cost and that useless flex tight bracket supplied with it deserves a special what a waste of money category all of its own. Still, at least the fact it was so rubbish gave me an excuse to get one of them snazzy Fenix torches :D
dan_b
Posts: 249
Joined: 12 Sep 2008, 2:46pm

Post by dan_b »

I did the el530->fenix upgrade too, when my el530 spontaneously stopped working

I don't think the el530 was a bad light (although, I concur, the bracket was rubbish), but it's so far outclassed by the newer technology LEDs I really wouldn't get one again.
cricklewood_graeme
Posts: 44
Joined: 2 Mar 2007, 6:37pm

Post by cricklewood_graeme »

I have to show some support for rainlegs as everyone else seems to be slagging them off. I bought a pair at Cyclepro exhibition at Olympia a year ago and think they are great. I haven't toured extensively with them yet but around town in a downpour they keep me dry without feeling sweaty.
keepontriking
Posts: 472
Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 9:40pm
Location: Hampshire
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Post by keepontriking »

Porelle waterproof socks.
Let water in that then froze.

I'm completely happy with my spacegrip tho'.
JohnW
Posts: 6667
Joined: 6 Jan 2007, 9:12pm
Location: Yorkshire

Re: Most useless purchase ever?

Post by JohnW »

boink wrote:Just wondered if anyone else has ever shelled out for something they thought would improve any aspect of their cycling lives, only to get that 'wheres the receipt' feeling as soon as it was out of the bag/box?


Alloy tyre levers.

Just as well that the first time I tried them was at home and not on the road. All three broke the first time I tried to use them. I took them back to Johnny Mapplebeck's shop, and he changed them for some steel ones straight away. Every set that he'd sold had been brought back - it wasn't me being superhuman. He never sold them again.
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Si
Moderator
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Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 7:37pm

Post by Si »

How about the old cow tyre levers - the white ones made from recycled plastic milk cartons....and with all the strength of a milk carton.

A second year's subscription to Cycling Plus: might as well ahve just kept all of the mags from the previous year and reread one every month.
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jonbott
Posts: 246
Joined: 7 Feb 2008, 12:42pm
Location: cornwall home of the hills!

Post by jonbott »

halfords exploding tyre levers,tried to remove my tyre and it shattered into a million pieces
tesco value tyre levers,they were better
just snapped :(
I`m def too old for this!
byegad
Posts: 3232
Joined: 3 Sep 2007, 9:44am

Post by byegad »

vernon wrote:
frank9755 wrote:Easy - rainlegs. Funny things that go round your waist like a belt, then when it starts raining you unroll two flaps to cover the fronts of your thighs.

Bought them from Wiggle for about £30. Put them on once in the kitchen. My wife just laughed and said they looked like fetish wear. I didn't get round to returning them in time so they are lying around the house somehwere. Last time I looked on Wiggle they were selling them off for about £4.


Saw my first pair in the wild today. They looked really stupid. Could'nt see the point of them today as it wasn't even raining.


Well I have some and they work well for me. I ride recumbents and they keep the bits not protected by my Fairing dry.

I have to agree about the looks though, fortunately I was never a slave to fashion!
DOD53

Post by DOD53 »

For anyone who remembers :- Sanyo bottom bracket dynamo (early 1980's)
Bolted between chainstays.....this was not the location for longevity, especially in UK winters !

I tried 2, they just about lasted a couple of months before I reverted to the usual reliable bottle dynamo at half the price.

And not forgetting the Campag 'rally' rear mech of the same period...
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Mick F
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Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Tamar Valley, Cornwall

Post by Mick F »

Sorry, can't agree on the Campag Rally mech. Good stuff, had one for years and years. It was the Nouvo Record with a long cage. Well made and never let me down.

Don't have a picture of it, but I do have one of my Soubitez BB dynamo. Another wonderful bit of kit. Never slipped, never let me down, and was bright and easy to use. It has sealed bearings and never needed any maintenance. I pulled it apart one to see inside. It was perfect, so I put it back together again and used if for another few years. I sold it a year or two back on these very pages. The purchaser was delighted with it, and I'm not surprised.

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The Sanyo version, I believe, was useless.
Mick F. Cornwall
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squeaker
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Joined: 12 Jan 2007, 11:43pm
Location: Sussex

Post by squeaker »

Cannondale branded MTB mini-pump: I doubt it could manage 4psi let alone 40 :(
But Rainlegs are excellent IME, especially as I aquired mine S/H for the cost of postage from a guy who had just been given a new pair (at show, I think) :)
"42"
mick skinner
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Joined: 15 Aug 2007, 7:57pm
Location: ilkeston, derbyshire

Post by mick skinner »

dan_b,

the decathlon carbone mini pump you've pictured; it's worked really well for me, i'd go so far as to say it's the best mini pump i've had. only works for presta valve though.....
Pedalo
Posts: 12
Joined: 30 Apr 2008, 6:50pm

Post by Pedalo »

Cyclaire pump - junk :cry:
cricklewood_graeme
Posts: 44
Joined: 2 Mar 2007, 6:37pm

Post by cricklewood_graeme »

Yes Pedalo. Now there is something I can agree with. The Cyclaire pump. What a doosey! Its a bit like those electric hand driers you get in pubs. You spend a few minutes trying to dry your hands then you wipe them on your trousers. The Cyclaire pump takes a lot of effort then you still have to use a conventional pump to get up to pressure.
I can see this thread developing into a CTC version of Grumpy old Men before long !
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