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What's your favorite Downgrade?

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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

What's your favorite Downgrade?

Old 09-09-16, 11:00 AM
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Returned to a Sturmey Archer 3 speed 57 years Later.
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Old 09-09-16, 12:33 PM
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I stopped buying sports drinks and Endurolytes. I mostly make herbal tea for liquid calories and try to get electrolytes from solid food.

Didn't have any cramps this summer. I think the cramps I've had in the past had more to do with pushing too hard than nutrition.
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Old 09-09-16, 12:58 PM
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Originally Posted by DXchulo
I stopped buying sports drinks and Endurolytes. I mostly make herbal tea for liquid calories and try to get electrolytes from solid food.

Didn't have any cramps this summer. I think the cramps I've had in the past had more to do with pushing too hard than nutrition.
Me too. No pre and post workout drinks, no protein powders, no gels, etc. A bit of CTFU with a lot of HTFU this past year has made my FTP higher than it's ever been.
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Old 09-09-16, 01:14 PM
  #54  
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I went from a Terry FLX to a take off Giant Connect on my MTB and absolutely love it. Got the Giant Connect on eBay for $9 shipped.
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Old 09-09-16, 01:25 PM
  #55  
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Originally Posted by rmfnla
Who says every component change has to be to a more expensive part?

A while back my rear Mavic Ksyrium SSC developed the dreaded rim crack, so I tossed on a set of Shimano WH-R550s I had lying around just to keep me on the road until I could shop for a set of "good" wheels.

Many miles later I find I am quite happy with these wheels and don't see any reason to not continue using them.

Saving a few bucks doesn't hurt, either...
Funny you mentioned Shimano WH-R550's -- two days ago I took off this exact wheelset off my bike and replaced it with some Rolf Elan wheels. It rained that same night so i wasn't able to ride. The next day i went out for a test ride, THEY FELT EXACTLY THE SAME.

Butt-dyno was super confused.. 1800g claimed weight vs 1250g claimed weight and no difference in feel at all. Except now I can't abuse these new wheels like i did the Shimanos (hop off curbs, ride straight through bumps/cracks/bad pavement)....

Now I believe Shimano WH-R550's are actually very very good wheels..
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Old 09-09-16, 01:40 PM
  #56  
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Tektro Mini-V brakes (926AL for $13/pair) stop better than *every* cantilever brake I've tried: Avid Tri-Align, Tektro Oryx, Tektro 720, various Shimano ones.
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Old 09-09-16, 01:49 PM
  #57  
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Sports socks by the dozen, & winter long socks the same, prefer my $50 clipless sandals to carbon Time shoes, upgraded my phone to a 6+ a couple years ago-went full app & ditched all the cycling computers. Fig newtons instead of gels, mix juice & water 50:50 with 3 shakes of salt, ditched the sports drinks, bought take off seats $ NOS seats for 30-50% off, put my MTB eggbeaters on the roadie because I put inexpensive mallets on the fat. I buy jerseys on sale, wear the shorts till the wife rolls her eyes, replace helmets from Costco when I break them. Drink PBR.

Bear River east side full tilt boogie downgrade gets me to 50 mph which is fast enough.
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Old 09-09-16, 02:26 PM
  #58  
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Originally Posted by OneIsAllYouNeed
Tektro Mini-V brakes (926AL for $13/pair) stop better than *every* cantilever brake I've tried: Avid Tri-Align, Tektro Oryx, Tektro 720, various Shimano ones.
Good to know, thanks.
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Old 09-09-16, 02:49 PM
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Originally Posted by rmfnla
Where do you think the high-dollar stuff is made..?
Italy
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Old 09-09-16, 03:15 PM
  #60  
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I have a beautiful old McLean hand-made frame. In 1983, I built it up with almost all Campagnolo Nuovo Record components. It was beautiful. A couple of years ago, I rebuilt it with mostly Shimano Tiagra components. It's not as pretty, but it's more pleasant to ride, as the 3x9 drivetrain gives me a wide range with small steps.
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Old 09-10-16, 12:09 PM
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Profile Design Kage bottle cages. Forget stainless, carbon, and certainly aluminum cages. They are the lowest end part on most of the bikes in my fleet. However, bottles don't get launched on washboards, there's no rattling, screws don't come loose, they just work.
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Old 09-10-16, 02:02 PM
  #62  
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Avid Shorty Ultimate cantis to $15/wheel Tektro 926al v brakes.

46T big ring

mountain bike shoes when road biking. Little heavier, but I can actually walk into the convience store without looking like a baby horse taking its first steps.
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Old 09-10-16, 09:06 PM
  #63  
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I went from a Dura-Ace cassette and an Ultegra crankset, to a $28 cassette (HG-something) and and an FSA Vero crankset when I regeared my Klein. Works great! Also went from Ultegra SPD clipless pedals and Shimano shoes, back to straps and Walmart sneakers!

I only wish that my bike had downtube shifter bosses! (Then, you know what my next downgrade would be! Bye-bye DA brifters! -but I am not going to stoop to adding one of those clamp-on brackets to my Klein!)
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Old 09-13-16, 11:46 AM
  #64  
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Originally Posted by 650c
Funny you mentioned Shimano WH-R550's -- two days ago I took off this exact wheelset off my bike and replaced it with some Rolf Elan wheels. It rained that same night so i wasn't able to ride. The next day i went out for a test ride, THEY FELT EXACTLY THE SAME.

Butt-dyno was super confused.. 1800g claimed weight vs 1250g claimed weight and no difference in feel at all. Except now I can't abuse these new wheels like i did the Shimanos (hop off curbs, ride straight through bumps/cracks/bad pavement)....

Now I believe Shimano WH-R550's are actually very very good wheels..
I like the inboard nipples; not only does that reduce weight at the rim it also removes them from the area of most road shock, making them less likely to go out of true.

I also like the radial spoking on the drive side; allows for a more efficient dish.

Can't beat loose ball construction for low friction

Also one of the quietest freewheels I've ever heard.

I think they might be some of the most under-rated wheels out there...
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Old 09-13-16, 11:54 AM
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Originally Posted by noglider
I have a beautiful old McLean hand-made frame. In 1983, I built it up with almost all Campagnolo Nuovo Record components. It was beautiful. A couple of years ago, I rebuilt it with mostly Shimano Tiagra components. It's not as pretty, but it's more pleasant to ride, as the 3x9 drivetrain gives me a wide range with small steps.
Whoa! Have you posted this in C&V? I wonder what their reaction would be...

I'd rather ride tiagra any day over anything with DT shifters, but I'm sure there are purists who would be offended.
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Old 09-13-16, 11:57 AM
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Originally Posted by Dan333SP
Whoa! Have you posted this in C&V? I wonder what their reaction would be...

I'd rather ride tiagra any day over anything with DT shifters, but I'm sure there are purists who would be offended.
Downtube shifters can be OK, depending on your position. I noticed they're not so good with upright handlebars.

Yes, I've posted pictures of the bike in C&V many times. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to take good pictures of it, and it's especially hard to capture the frame's color. Here are most of the pictures I have on hand. Some are from before the downgrade.
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Old 09-13-16, 12:18 PM
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Originally Posted by noglider
Downtube shifters can be OK, depending on your position. I noticed they're not so good with upright handlebars.
Especially since thumb shifters are one of the best things about upright bars, at least in my opinion...
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Old 09-13-16, 12:44 PM
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Downgrade... well I really liked leaving the FD off and converting to 1x, that is a downgrade in most peoples eyes but I really like the setup so I'd say that is my favorite downgrade.
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