HazeT

Garmin 820.

Runner up:
Tubeless

Silvercivic27

Oh yeah, I forgot about tubeless. Add that to my list.

Nachoman

Upgraded from a trail-a-bike, to an inexpensive tandem, that we happened to get a good deal on.
The tandem was too big and we could never get it to fit right, no matter what we did.
So me and the kid suffered with it for a couple years, until he started riding solo.

FullGas

gel pad anything...saddle, gloves were horrid.

but worst purchase has been aero bars...

put them on, rode three times, took them off.

hated them.

Cyclist0108

I thought this would nicely match some Chris Bling on the bike. It almost killed me. For some reason it requires 2 movements to disengage. I have less than 5 miles on these, and now they sit in a box, waiting to claim their next victim.

(I now have some nice blue-blingy Shimano XTR trail pedals, which are vastly superior (as are the normal black version)).

Cyclist0108

Upgrades I regret the least:

(1) Steel frame
(2) Hydraulic road brakes
(3) Di2

(4) Athena 3X11 groupo for my 1987 Bianchi.

Psimet2001 

That's too bad. It is by far the most valuable tool any mechanic can have. Too many people don't realize that their hanger is most likely already tweaked. They assume there has to be a catastrophic event to cause it to "bend". In reality most frames aren't straight to begin with. Putting a new - "straight" hanger on them doesn't help. Brand new bikes with new hangers still are not in plane with the cassette. Especially with carbon.

As a mechanic that does it all the time 70% (backed by rigid scientific studies that are statistically validated....or not) of the time shifting issues are actually hanger related. the other 28% it's cables, housing or chain. 2% is the shifter or derail.

It's literally the first tool I grab when any bike hits the stand. Especially at race venues. The reaction is always "how the hell did it bend?" "Well - did you put it on your car to get it here?"

rpenmanparker 

Don't get me wrong. That's why I bought it. But the bikes shift fine, or so it seems to me. So the tool just sits there.

wphamilton

I bought a light compact double chain ring, closeout price , but I somehow mistook my BCD so it lives in my closet waiting for an appropriate crank. A forlorn hope.

nycphotography

Spesh Carbon Ribcage. Odd because normally their stuff is superb.

big chainring 

Whenever I change out a 5 speed freewheel to a 6 speed I feel like I am cheating. Real men ride 5 speeds.

Psimet2001 

Too soon to say "disc"?

TimothyH

Elaborate?


-Tim-

TimothyH

This is very interesting and informative. Thank you for this.


-Tim-

Steve B.

Probably my Specialized FSR Comp dualie mt. bike. It replaced a ProFlex that weighed 25 lbs.

The Specialized weighs probably 30 'ish. As well it has a low bottom bracket that makes the pedals hit roots and stumps. Really annoying. Then I made the mistake of replacing the wheels, shifters and brakes with a deal from Jenson for beefier wheels, Shimano mt. bike shifters that function like STI - I.E brake levers that move up and down to shift, which I actually like. It's the disc brakes that came with it that sucks. Never ending squealing. Went to metal pads and a few months and noisy again. Take off the rotors and clean all, no go. PITA.

I hardly ride this bike, even though it has nice handling for tight and twisty ST. I end up riding my 25 year old Steel Fuji most of the time as it's 6 or so lbs lighter.

Hiro11

My opinions.

Regrets (all my own fault):
- Farsports carbon clinchers: terrible in cross winds, lots of broken spokes, unreliable hubs. Waste of $700. I'm sure more expensive carbon wheels would have been better but I don't want to spend $3K on wheels. I've gone back to aluminum C24s and been very happy.
- Continental GP4000sii tires. I know everyone loves these tires, not me. They rode well but got two "throw the tire away" cuts in three months and punctured several times. I went back to heavier training tires and haven't had an issue since.
- Bontrager RXL shoes. $285 and they just don't fit me quite right. I've stuck with them but honestly my old $90 Shimano shoes were more comfortable. I should be more careful trying stuff on in stores as my feet swell when I ride.
- Giro helmets. Bell seems to fit me better. You'd think I'd learn after buying two Giros I didn't like.

Bonus: upgrades I've been very pleased with:
- Cheap Formula 32sp single speed wheels. $60 on sale at Nashbar FOR THE SET (50% off sale). I bought them after I threw a chain into the spokes of the OEM wheels on a cheap steel SS gravel bike (that I love). Weigh a ton (2kg+) but they have run absolutely true for 5k miles over some pretty harsh gravel. Also have surprisingly nice cup and cone hubs and very smooth braking surfaces. Best $60 I've ever spent on bike stuff.
- Pro Vibe 7s stem, seatpost, and round bar. Immaculately made, not very expensive, very lightweight, durable as hell, very stiff, nice looking and the best bar shape I've ever used. It's not often you can buy something Team Sky uses at a reasonable price, they know how to pick gear.
- Specialized Romin Evo saddles. I have three of various grades. My favorite saddle I've ever used.
- Clement X'Plor MSO Tubeless. The best gravel tires I've ever used, just awesome in every way.

spectastic

-tubular carbon race wheels that I never bothered to put on because I was too lazy to change out the brake pads
-carbon clincher training wheels that had terrible braking performance
-carbon bikes in general

what's so bad about tubeless?

Ball Bearing

Another vote for a Lezyne Alloy Floor Drive. Worked well for about 6 months before the internal one-way valve got stuck, then the chuck needed replacing, the wooden handle came out of the socket, the gauge broke and even after changing the chuck a couple of times it is often a race to pump up fast enough to overcome the steady hiss sound of a leaking Presta valve. Sometimes there is no leak!!! I've tried spit and special o-ring grease and screwing on the chuck with fewer turns all with no luck. I have read that the new design is even worse. The pump has never been abused and I do know how to use it.

Oddly enough, my Lezyne Alloy Dirt Floor Drive has been pretty good - although it is used far less, so I expect it to crap-out in a year or two.

This seriously pissed me off and I am awaiting the arrival of a Silca Ultimate. I never thought I'd spend so much on a pump. Funny that, I spend that much on one set of bibs and a jersey and by contrast a pump that costs the same is somehow an extravagance! I think it has more to do with the fact that a cheap pump works and because it is cheap we think sub-par performance is acceptable.

TimothyH

I tend to be really analytical with upgrades and can't think of much.

Jagwire probably. $70 worth of over engineered frustration for barely perceptible gain.

I upgraded an old Fuji with a set of Bontrager wheels which literally fell apart.


-Tim-

caloso

I'm with you on the Pro Vibe round bars. Super stiff, very round and deep. And the Romin: I hated it for the first 100 miles and then like magic it just disappeared underneath me.

rpenmanparker 

Jagwire Road Pro? It is a lot better for half that price.

95RPM

Fizik Aliante saddle. Initially pleasing, as it distributes pressure, then unhealthy, as it distributes pressure.

AlmostTrick

Thanks for posting this. A reminder that sometimes you don't get what you paid for, or get more than you paid for... or something like that.

MinnMan

I'm with you on these. I've given up on them completely. I understand when people say that the roll well, but then I also see people saying that they have good flat protection. Not in my experience. I'd say that half of the GP4000s that I ever put on a bike ended in catastrophic flats (usually sidewall failures or cuts) well before their normal service life. I ride 4 seasons or gatorskins now. Maybe they aren't "fast", but they last.

MinnMan

Hmmmm. Just bought a pair. Maybe I should try to change a tire in my basement before I ride them much more?