"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - The worst money you ever spent on your racing bike?

I'll start: USE Alien seatpost. It's not that bad, but once I got the KCNC post I realized how terribly designed the Cyclops clamp is. Yeah, I "made it work" but now I don't have to.

Hmm. I make so few purchases, and I'm so careful with them, I really don't have much regret.

I guess I regret my 2nd Dura-Ace cassette, just because it was too expensive. I was a DINK back then though, so no big deal. I'm $30 SRAM happy these days.

Expensive handlebars ($250) that I cracked in a wreck. Now I have a $50 bar.

Sidi shoes :eek:

They just don't fit me right, but I just didn't want to settle for the better fitting, cheaper, off brand ones (Cat-1)

Any flexy frame. In the past it's been the RR version of the Cannondale 3.0 frame, a Prestige tubed frame, a lugged carbon frame. I rode them all a little bit and then sold them. I actually checked the Prestige and lugged carbon frames for broken BB shells because I figured that's why they were so flexy.

Also any non-mainstream pedal. They aren't mainstream because there is something about them that makes them a bit harder to use.

And any non-mainstream night light system. NiteRider or nothing. I have a pile of batteries, lights, and various cords and wires and such, all useless. Vistalite, some Canadian light company, one or two others.

+1 on USE Alien post, although they are pretty light.

I'm pretty conservative with buying things so even my failed experiments aren't too bad. I'd rank aluminum derailleur pivot bolts, ti bolt kits, stupid skewers (American Classic, whatever the first "light" ones were, basically all but the Salsa Flip Offs), and cheap ti seats among the "I wasted my money" things.

cdr

Expensive handlebars ($250) that I cracked in a wreck. Now I have a $50 bar.

Mine were only $130 but still. The worst part is they fit my hands so well I constantly have to resist the urge to replace them.

1 - cervelo R2.5 frame, wally mart carbon is probably better than that P.o.S.

2 - fizik arione saddle - phantom weiner anyone?

3 - white handlebar tape - looks hawt and is oh so pro when clean, but gets dirty far too fast and needs changing far too often for me.

Cane Creek Aerohead wheels with titanium spokes. At my delicate #215, the flex was downright terrifying.
Ridden about 50 miles and sold on ebay at a $250 loss.

Buying a first gen Orbea Orca.....god I hated that bike.

B-T-P carbon front dérailleur clamp.

Panaracer Stradius Pro Tires.

dura ace Wh7700 wheels

http://images.craigslist.org/011508010203010309200807026cdf19bf379e7281ba00dd50.jpg

Front has held up great, the rear not so much.

Conti Attack/Force tire combo.

Michelin tires. I hate putting those things onto, or getting them off of, wheels.

Currently having a racing bike at all is probably a waste of money for me at present.

But I typically buy things at a pace closer to Waterrockets than to the typical road weenie -- i.e. a new bike a decade -- so I don't have many regrets.

Nevermind -- thought of one -- the on clearance Northwave Hornet shoes. Never could make them comfortable, but I only paid $55 and got a year out of them.

Whipperman Conex S.S. chain.

Silca SuperPista pump. I can't believe a bike pump can be such a pain in the *****.

Cheap (read: crap) wheels. Numerous saddles.

Any plastic saddle.

I forgot about my cyclocross experiment with a surly cross check. plumbing quality tubing, low grade plumbing quality tubing. that thing was so effin' heavy that I dreaded shouldering it. One practice session I taped maxipads to my right shoulder to protect me from that thing - it had to weigh more than me!

I taped maxipads to my right shoulder

That takes chutzpah, as it were.

That takes chutzpah, as it were.

under the jersey, and I've told very few people about this time in my life.

At the risk of divulging my top-secret time machine, how about using a top tube protector?

Conti Attack/Force tire combo.

bummer. i really like those tires.

for me, 10 speed brifters when i had perfectly functioning 9 speed.

bummer. i really like those tires.

for me, 10 speed brifters when i had perfectly functioning 9 speed.

Yeah, I don't know. I wonder if it's just me. I put on the 22mm Attack and it just looked too low profile to handle the crappy country roads we race on around here. So I got a standard 23mm GP4000 for the front. Then with only about 200 miles, I got a huge slash on the Force tire in the back. So I got another 23mm GP 4000 for the rear. I wish I'd just gone with those in the beginning.

I'm with you on the 9-speed stuff. I'm thinking of hoarding as many Ultegra 6500 cassettes as I can afford.

The biggest waste of money was some gel bar wrap. I rode with it on one time then took it off and threw it away. I like to feel the road, not grab something that feels like an overripe banana.

Carbon handle bars at double the price and half the stiffness of my $80 deda's

1. Negative G Brakes - overpriced pieces of ****. Went back to record skeletons.
2. Pearl Izumi P.R.O. bibs, ****ing $140 dollars and feel no different from my $50.00 attack shorts
3. Arione saddle, didn't like the no penis feeling after 20 miles

1. Negative G Brakes - overpriced pieces of ****. Went back to record skeletons.
2. Pearl Izumi P.R.O. bibs, ****ing $140 dollars and feel no different from my $50.00 attack shorts
3. Arione saddle, didn't like the no penis feeling after 20 miles

Seems to be the natural progression, I did the same thing.

fizik arione

I'm pretty happy with with my Arione, but the Selle San Marcos Regal on my cross bike is more comfortable...I'm debating eating the extra 90g and putting one on all my bikes.

Mavc R-SYS

Mavc R-SYS

Ouch, you ok?

I've started to regret going campy. I can never keep the damn thing functioning properly. It seems like I'm adjusting and tweaking every other day. My Shimano Sora group caused me fewer headaches. Might go to Rival this fall when the '09 comes out.

Ouch, you ok?

I'm fine. Still using them. Just not worth what I paid, and I didn't pay anywhere near full price.

I'm fine. Still using them. Just not worth what I paid, and I didn't pay anywhere near full price.

I hope you continue to be ok.. I'm mildly surprised they haven't been recalled or discontinued.

I hope you continue to be ok.. I'm mildly surprised they haven't been recalled or discontinued.

They aren'tmy primary wheelset anymore, but I broke a spoke on my Roval and have been too lazy to get it fixed.

"red" bar tape...looked pink in the sun. not that that is bad, but I wanted red.

btw, I have been riding a Fizik Arione and I still have a working penis. Does something sinster happen after 300 miles? (mine is pretty new)

Dropped $1100 on a set of FiR Carbon Rims. Wonderful wheels until the spokes start breaking...only one guy in the country was able to service them....

"red" bar tape...looked pink in the sun. not that that is bad, but I wanted red.

btw, I have been riding a Fizik Arione and I still have a working penis. Does something sinster happen after 300 miles? (mine is pretty new)

Your penis is new?

^Relatively, yes. Or at least thats what I tell my wife...

Campagnolo.

1. It needs to be spotlessly clean to work smoothly.
2. I wore out the springs in my Chorus shifters in 2 seasons.
3. All my team mates run Shimano.
4. Recabeling costs and arm and a leg.
5. No shop stocks aforementioned cables and must order them.

Ouch, you ok?

I've started to regret going campy. I can never keep the damn thing functioning properly. It seems like I'm adjusting and tweaking every other day. My Shimano Sora group caused me fewer headaches. Might go to Rival this fall when the '09 comes out.

Check your RD hanger alignment, campy tends to need a higher tolerance for some reason.

Think how fickle it'll be with 11 speeds...

The worst thing I ever bought was my bike. It eats up my spare time, my money, and much of my life.
I love it!
I don't really buy much stuff that I do not need, though.

Turbo trainer tyre.

Fizik Arione didn't suit me, but that was an honest error.

Vredestein Fortezza SE tires ... holy Lord that soft center section makes for a squirrelly crit. Ponied up for the Tricomps the next go round and never looked back.

-mark

Campagnolo.

1. It needs to be spotlessly clean to work smoothly.
2. I wore out the springs in my Chorus shifters in 2 seasons.
3. All my team mates run Shimano.
4. Recabeling costs and arm and a leg.
5. No shop stocks aforementioned cables and must order them.

Really?

1. I raced muddy ass cross on mine flawlessly. With a Shimano cassette no less.
2. Weird, that's not normal.
3. Sorry for them. :p
4. I always use the universal cables, same as the ones I use with SRAM with no problem.
5. Again, I awlays just used generic cables which worked great.

Really?

1. I raced muddy ass cross on mine flawlessly. With a Shimano cassette no less.
2. Weird, that's not normal.
3. Sorry for them. :p
4. I always use the universal cables, same as the ones I use with SRAM with no problem.
5. Again, I awlays just used generic cables which worked great.

+1, I've always run campy. never experienced any of the problems cited. ever.

also, I'd like to add another worst money i've ever spent candidate:

tufo tubular clincers - all the worst qualities of a tubular and all the worst qualities of a clincher in one convenient package. It took 2 bike shop mechanics + me to mount them on my wheels and I removed them with heavy pruning sheers.

It took me like 10000 mile of not cleaning or bothering with my campy drive train to have any problems with it.

I cant think of a bad purchase ive made on my race bike and i cant determine if thats a good thing or bad thing.

i've wasted a lot of money on shoes. trying to save money and buying several ill fitting shoes when i should have just bought a really good pair that fit perfectly.

The worst purchase was the first road bike I got: a 1995-ish Specialized Allez. The guy sold it as "Oakley Edition," and my newbness took over and bought it. Came with some frankenbike components (Deore LX rear derailleur, Campy front derailleur, bar end shifters, etc etc) and the frame itself was really dirty looking. I crashed it and got back all that I paid for it, only to buy my current bike (Trek 1000).

Another was some Schwalbe tire set I bought a while ago that just suck beyond explanation.

My former LBS of choice (in hindsight, they were pretty bad) sold me a pair of Northwave MTB shoes to go with some free SPD mountain pedals I got from a friend. I'm still using these shoes now, but I hate the look of them (not pro/Euro enough) and they are unbelievably uncomfortable after about 50 miles or so.