things that sucked/were cool back in the day

[Dallas Tex]

COOL: CNC'd 'custom' fork brace to replace the flexible stock pos that came with the fork.:thumbs_up:

SUCKED: Finding out that the stock pos was much stiffer than any of the aftermarket stuff...:hahaha:

[WadePatton]

COOL: CNC'd 'custom' fork brace to replace the flexible stock pos that came with the fork.:thumbs_up:

SUCKED: Finding out that the stock pos was much stiffer than any of the aftermarket stuff...:hahaha:

hellfirenation, the cnc'd marzocchi brace is still coooooool! but a mutha to clean...just sold it--had to make it pretty.

[echelon_john]

sucked:
cannondale velcro water bottle/holder "system"
bell biker helmet. ugh.
suntour roller cam brakes
clement red glue
hearing from sean kelly that you can't have sex anytime CLOSE to a bike race
john tesch
sam posey
al trautwig
pierre salinger
all the other ass clowns who weren't phil or paul
having to call the velonews hotline in VT for TDF results (back when long distance cost money)
knowing that the majority of Wide World of Sports' 30 minute Paris-Roubaix coverage would consist of grainy black and white film of farmers' tractors but watching anyway
1st gen lycra shorts with the breathability of a ziploc
snapping modolo dt shifters


didn't suck:
my first set of GP4s on campy hubs
time pedals--when you were too cool for look/mavic! (white shoe bonus!)
the hot crit setup with dt front shifter & gripshift rear
camping on the Devil's Kitchen climb at Tour de Trump (duPont?)
60mph down the kancamagus when i was 13 on a holdsworth
fat chance
my greasy, torn copy of Anybody's Bike Book
Nelson Vails
fitness
racing wompatuck

[Elefantino]

Didn't suck:

Riding on Sampson Stratics pedals.



Sucked:

Walking in Sampson Stratics cleats.

[marten]

Plastic headsets
Campagnolo MTB gruppo's
The first reddish Michelan Elan folding tyres with stretching beads
Two prong FW removers and touring gears
Chromed steel wire rear carriers
Anything by Soubitez
BB dynamo's
CLB brakes with auto releasing QR's
Peugeots PX8

[Innominatus]

Some of the lovably wacky aero thinking in the late 80s hasn't aged very well. Some ideas in particular seemed to have confused fashion for speed gain.

Then again, in 25 years, we'll probably be looking back at today's TT setups with similar mirth.

[edoz]

Sucked:
Vitus frames with the set screw to hold the seatpost in.
For that matter, Vitus frames without the set screw.
I can't believe no one has mentioned U brakes. (Unless I missed it) especially U brakes under the chainstays.
I always hated brakes that took the post style pads.
Pulstar hubs
Rhode Gear anything, especially the water bottle with the wedge on the bottom and the cage that only accepted that bottle
Flickstands
clothing from performance

Didn't suck:
Suntour pedals with the sealed bearings. I still have a set of road and mtn pedals. Both sets are still silky smooth.
Specialized nylon toeclips with the dual strap loops. I have a set of those on my Suntour XC pro pedals and they are still going strong.

[pbjbike]

Serious riders who waved or said hello when you passed or got passed.
The ultimate gearing combo on a five speed freewheel for a junior racer, (93 inches), with low enough inches to climb up Lookout Mountain.
Chamois cream and hand washing wool shorts.
Sanding the glaze off Mafac brake shoes.
Goat heads, but they're still around ;(.

[Mrs. Mustache]

the poster thread and near perfect parts thread got me thinking (uh oh) about how much stuff we used that totally sucked when we were young (mid-70s for me) - but we didn't know any better 'cause we were all in the same boat.

Man you guys are O. L. D.

But what ever happened to mustache bars? I always have to special-order them. They're my favorite...

Holy crap edoz -- flickstands! how obscure! Learned the other day what the hell those are, guys who want them are turds. Only met one person in my life with one, and he seemed really annoyed/triste that they don't come on bikes anymore. And he was a total turd.

[csbmo]

Man you guys are O. L. D.

But what ever happened to mustache bars? I always have to special-order them. They're my favorite...

Holy crap edoz -- flickstands! how obscure! Learned the other day what the hell those are, guys who want them are turds. Only met one person in my life with one, and he seemed really annoyed/triste that they don't come on bikes anymore. And he was a total turd.

mustache waxing on the rhode gear

[davids]

Flickstand: "It was a gizmo that clamped on your down tube and had a wire-type thingy that pivoted. When you leaned your bike against a wall or tree, you pushed the thingy down until it engaged your tire. Then your front wheel couldn't turn or rotate, and your bike was less likely to fall over."

less likely... perfect.

[VertigoCycles]

didn't suck:
never getting chased/kicked off the College Park campus for riding trials/street
737 pedals when they were clean
disc brakes
getting a standing ovation for some sideline activities at Canaan in '94
trails at Potapsco were so tight that brush had to be cut back in the springtime
finally bunny hopping a double log over (7ft apart, about 18" high)
the day I stopped caring about keeping my bike clean
realizing that getting into mountain biking stopped me from poisoning my body and gave me the opportunity to change my life forever


Sucked big time:
always getting chased/kicked off the UMBC campus for riding trials/street
Crestone Peak mod bike
Megamo mod bike
737 pedals in the mud
Onza pedals all the time
the original rock shox
rock shox mag 21 (all though it was better than)
any Manitou fork ever made.
the Manitou II that sucked up H2O during a seven mile DH run resulting in a locked fork
the Manitou III that snapped at both stantions and made me high side a DH switchback
snapping a tow line three times trying to drag my buddy's stuck truck out of the mud at Canaan only to realize that he had the parking brake on the whole time.
continually eating shit attempting to bunnyhop a double log
showing off while leading a beginner ride and getting a concussion
the result of the chain lube nozzle popping off and hosing down my rear rotor with lubricant

[giordana93]

sucked/didn't suck, depending on the moment: quill pedals. easy to set up with any shoes, allowed your road bike to be your bar/school/errand bike, but sucked when you crested a hill with a stop light at 3mph (or any other slow-mo move where a track stand was impossible) and had to figure out how to loosen that damned toe strap without falling over

[stever]

things done changed on this side - remember they used to thump, but now they blast, right?