Small common parts that seem to be way overpriced
 

As title says, some small parts seem way overpriced to me. Leading off are crank arm dust covers. I guess I didn’t have them in tight enough and lost both nice Shimano ones on my Miyata. Of course even if available, these are perhaps $20 each. Even generic plastic ones are $5. It seems generic metal ones should be $5 considering the universal fit. Brake cable end ferrules also come to mind as they are quite pricey considering the low tech and universal application. Any other rants here?

Contact ShimaNO for replacement parts

Milk and gas and, um, chewing gum!

Agreed. ShimaNO, CampagNOlo, and ScRAM (just made that one up) are all equally annoying and should be done away with.

One time I told someone a presta adapter was $3 (I know they’re often cheaper) and he said “$3?! I could make that! Just need to get a chunk of brass, cut it, thread both ends, put in an o ring….”

I asked him if he’d make me one for $3.

Agreed! The correct term (always used with affection) is Crampy.

The little wire retainer clip that slips onto the slot on the disc brake pad retainer bolt. (Also the bolt itself, which is $5.)

"Vintage" parts are likely one of those things that have limited stock, so prices are all over the ballpark.

One thing that happens is that selling individual items incurs a cost. So, the Presta adapter mentioned above, they should be less than $0.50 each if purchased by the hundred, or by the thousand. But, there is a lot of handling that gets priced in when buying one.

I used to think small parts were overpriced, then I realized I was wrong.

Small parts prices are high, and they always have been. Small stuff is what always falls off/gets lost, after all. That's why when I hook somebody up with one out of my stash, or I'm hooked up with one by somebody out of theirs, we both know we're doing each other a solid :)

Suck it up - and add some blue Loctite while you're at it!

DD

Or this slightly modified version of the same:

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...21eecbabe7.png

DD

crank arm dust caps are totally useless and unnecessary

Imagine what small parts would cost if people were paid fair wages for manufacturing and transporting them!

need to get me some of those chain rings ! :thumb:
Been off the bike(s) for a week or so with shoulder surgery . Its going to hurt when I get back to it .

I'll never forget the day, several after leaving a shop job, when I realized I no longer had any shift ferrules. I'd brought home 2 quart-sized Ball jars of bench sweepings when I left.

$5 and up - way up. A piece of plastic the size of a thumbnail made by the millions

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/dQgAA...nN/s-l1600.jpg

One word: Aliexpress.

Are you talking about the Shimano 600 tri-color cranks? If so those crank hole covers are NOT interchangeable with the universal covers. If you look carefully you'll notice that the cover follows the contours of the crank. One side is higher than the other side. It's not just a simple round cap!

Plastic Cygolite Adapter...$16:(

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...309a8932b9.jpg

I was thinking of starting a kind of loose-screws sales thread.
I got washers and and spacers and what not that I had to buy in bulk-ish.
I think this kind of goes to the OP.

If it’s old, small and I can’t find it anywhere else I pay the money and don’t look back.

I agree with comments about crank dust caps. They’re ridiculously expensive for something some see as unnecessary. I think they look clean but I’m peculiar. Very peculiar….

Depends on the bike ... and the crank. Some cranks look incomplete without them (Chorus). Some bikes look way more badass without them.

I'm having trouble picturing where the crank dustcaps go:

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6e9283a161.jpg

C'mon - some of you don't know what crank dust covers actually do? For real?

A clue: they most definitely serve a purpose, depending on the type of crank/BB - for example, you don't need them on cottered cranks.

"A dustcap may also refer, on a bicycle, to the crankarm bolt cover. It is usually a piece of metal or plastic that, on the crankarm, is snapped or screwed into the threaded counterbore, which houses the bolt that holds the crankarm to its axle, the bottom bracket spindle. The dustcap serves to protect the threads (on the inside of the counterbore), which are used with a crankarm puller to remove the crankarm from the spindle. It is also possible for the crank arm to squirm on the bottom bracket spindle, causing the crankarm nut/bolt to become loose, leading to the nut/bolt working its way out of the bottom bracket spindle. The dust cap limits the amount of dangerous loosening that can occur."

DD