Troul 

A slickwax bidet has the potential benefit of cleaning, prepping, & lubricating.

Gyro

So did a friend of mine. DTs are nothing to be trifled with.

livedarklions

I don't recommend Gatorskins.

shelbyfv

Groceries shortages are still a mystery here. Today the store was low on regular salted butter. Plenty of unsalted but I had to buy a boutique brand of the salted. 50 cents more for the pound!! Wonder if some sort of national bake-a-thon is going on?

Troul 

could be a secret coercer to move people to buying certain things, coach others to change there ways of making things from curbing the availability of other products.

Mojo31

It's for pain relief after a long ride. Therapeutic.

Ogsarg

I kind of wish I'd bought a few more GP5000's when they were cheap but other than tires, I am not having a hard time finding anything at reasonable prices.

Gyro

Ohhhhh, I forgot. My mother-in-law horded 100 rolls of toilet paper. I bored friend of mine said, that was enough for 15 years. Don't know where his math came from.

veganbikes

I have spares of stuff but nothing exceptional bought during the pandemic especially not for bikes. I don't really hoard anything specific but I do hold onto bike parts and it is quite handy sometimes. Mostly the stuff I have bought during the pandemic has been used on a bike and in some cases I will take a back up or two for consumables but I don't go crazy and especially now I haven't been buying a ton of stuff. There have been some things I have wanted to get but are generally sold out like some XT Disc pads and Shimano mineral oil but nothing else that exciting.

The whole toilet paper thing was really dumb. If you need alternatives, you can get a spray bottle, wash off in the shower, get a bidet (or bidet attachment), use a wipe, use some washcloths (or old t-shirts or something like that)...

GlennR

Gotta have the basics covered first.

JohnDThompson 

I didn't think of that. The "hot air" supply in particular is likely to plummet after the election.

Mojo31

We were in crisis mode when the local stores ran out of Charmin, and we had to buy the other stuff.

Troul 

thats crappy.

Mojo31

Yeah, it stunk.

August West

I have plenty of tires, tubes, chains etc. to get by for long time.

But I have started stocking up more on normal day to day items at the store. Not so much because of shortages although there are some items I occasionally see out of stock. But since we are in the third wave of the pandemic I try to limit my trips to the store or anywhere else as much as possible. So even though I might not need an item immediately I'll grab a few anyway so I don't run out and have to make extra outings.

frogman

Lots of popcorn for the election coming next week

Thomas15

I have put a lot of consumables and a few hard parts and bike specific tools in the bunker but not because of the shortages, rather because I'm an individual that like to lay in a store for a rainy day. Plus it is inconvenient to run off to an LBS the nearest is about 25 miles.

I do this with other hobbies of mine and we always have quite a bit of canned goods and two freezers full of stuff. A backup generator for power interruptions so I expect to consume all of it.

canklecat

I've avoided hoarding, mostly just stocking up as needed on what I'd realistically use within a year or so: tubes, chains, tires.

If necessary I can semi-retire worn tires and chains by handing them down to my least-used bikes. I have a closet full of worn but still usable tires. And I always patch tubes, even for my road bikes.

The closest I've come to hoarding was buying a few Shimano BB-UN55 bottom brackets and a couple of 9-speed chains from REI when the priced dropped to $8 this summer. I figured they were blowing them out as discontinued items. But I didn't buy up everything off the shelf, just three of the BBs and a couple of chains. I left several and those were gone within a week or two.

The supply chain was disrupted in some manufacturing and shipping, and some shortages may continue, but I'm not seeing a drastic shortage of components and parts. There does seem to be a shortage of complete bicycles.

I never ran out of anything during the first few months of the pandemic. I worked in health care so I already had a box of surgical masks, hand sanitizer, etc. And I got into the habit of buying toilet paper in bulk, taking care of my grandparents and mom as their health declined. They used *a lot* of TP, and not in the bathroom. They used it as napkins, nose wipes, etc. My mom could go through a roll of TP every day. With her dementia it wasn't important enough to fuss over so I just let her use as much as she wanted and bought plenty in advance. Even after she died, I'd still buy a bulk pack that would last me 6-12 months (or one month for her).

I read dire predictions about food prices, especially beef, but locally I haven't seen any evidence of inflation. Beef is pretty pricey, especially steak, but I noticed that by shopping late at night I'd find decent quality steaks discounted 50% or more, so I would buy several of those at a time and dry or wet age them in the fridge. Usually salt and season them, dry age them for a week, then put 'em in ziplock bags for another week to a full month. Worked great. (I wouldn't do that with pork, chicken, hamburger, fish, or pretty much anything other than steak or game meat such as rabbits, etc.)

PDKL45

I bought enough chains and cassettes to last me a decently long while (or so I thought before Covid commuting started chewing stuff up) before the international ban on buying Shimano from Chain Reaction Cycles. I have some Sunrace cassettes too, that will help form an ad hoc drivetrain after all the Shimano consumables are gone.

FTB

So it was you that snatched up the last of em
RIP un55

Thomas15

This thread has inspired me to order two (2) 7 speed freewheels for my classic steel bikes to stock the bunker. I wanted to get one but two seems better. A few weeks ago I ordered a 2 pack of flashing red rear facing LED lights from Amazon, $12.00 for the two. They are inexpensive and not robust in construction but they work fine. Ordered another 2 pack just to have on hand. Also several sets of chainring bolts. I want to put a few sets of BBs in the storeroom in the near future. In very good shape with respect to bulk brake and shifter cables, spare drive train parts, misc fastners and assorted bric-a-brac. On my "wish list" is a commercial quality ultrasonic cleaner. But I would be doing this regardless of the world wide health crisis, the impending social meltdown and the disruptions in the supply chain.

ARider2

In my area there are 5 local bikes shops and at one point all were out of most common tube and tire sizes (like 26 X 1.95). Also, most were out of 7 speed freewheels, brake pads and saddles. Forget about 7-8 speed derailleurs, especially Shimano brand stuff.

Kapusta

Other than chain lube, I’ve learned not to buy “extras” of anything bike-related. Way to many times I have ended up getting stuck with stuff I end up not needing: chains, cassettes, chainrings. brake pads, tubes, grips, helmet pads....

canklecat

Well, I did leave about half a dozen on the peg board at REI. Someone else grabbed the rest.

I'm betting a next-tier manufacturer like SunRace or one of the many anonymous China based makers will pick up the design, licensed or unlicensed, and continue providing an equivalent to the BB UN55. Heck, SunRace might make it even better than Shimano did. The better chromed SunRace freewheels and cassettes are really good, much better tooth shapes for crisp shifting and smooth running. Most of my Suntour and Shimano freewheels and cassettes are in boxes, in case the SunRace equivalents wear out or break.

70sSanO

Winter’s coming. Cities are hoarding salt for their roads. People will have to live without salt in their butter.

John