Huret Success rear derailleur. Super light, robust, easily handles a 28 tooth sprocket, shifts better than the sought-after Jubilee and looks good until you lose/break that funky plastic insert.

I feel mixed about them, and ultimately, my view is shallow. I remove them because they're ugly. But they are useful. Sure, we can argue that all you have to do is maintain your bike properly and you won't need your spoke protector. But like the "other" driver, you can't control your entire environment, and you can't do any job perfectly. So we really should use spoke protectors. But I don't use them, so I'm full of hot air.

I know some people here on BF don't like the Sugino Autex system as they believe that it's difficult to tighten them to an adequate torque spec, but I'd much rather break out a long-levered 6mm hex wrench than faff around with a crank bolt extractor and wrench.

https://www.velosolo.co.uk/suginoext.html




Sugino Autex Self-Extracting Crank Bolt and Sugino Might Tour Compact Crankset

As a general rule, I don't use spoke protectors either. However, I did put on my Super Course that has a Huret Luxe RD - those mechs are notorious for getting easily bent and sending the idlers into the spokes.

Square taper triple cranks. Still have some nice higher-end Shimano 1980s examples. Beautiful but a dying breed.

I have some of the Syncros titanium auto-extractors on my Vitus! Hated them at first, but then grew to love them as I fiddled about with different Ti bottom brackets, trying to reduce the weight of the bike. You can get copies of these that use a full-size 8mm allen, anodized in any color, from China. Cheap, tasteful, useful bling.

My first 700c bike, when I was 12, had nutted axles with Allen key bolts. So I just needed a 6mm to open them up. I didn’t even have to open them all the way, just loosened about 2-3 turns, enough to get out (even the front; this was before the days of lawyer lips). I could probably change a tube on that bike as quick as on any QR bike.

Now with thru-axles, the tech is pretty much coming full circle to the extent that some pros who are riding thru axles bring an allen key in their jersey pocket to have their wheel out before the support car shows up.

Where do you even get such a thing? I was idly looking for a source a while back, but didn't find anything I liked the looks of. The problem is, most attach to the axle, when to my mind they should attach to the rack eyelets on the dropout. I think a few older Trek MTBs came with bash guards that attach to the eyelets. I even tried welding one up from stainless tube, but I made it too flimsy and it didn't do much guarding.

They work perfectly well until you bend or break an axle, a moderately common occurrence on bikes with five or more sprockets.

If the bike is ridden much, the steel hub eventually begins leaking lubricant at the seam between the flange and the central portion of the hub. Keep riding for a few years, and the flanges begin to migrate inward, thanks to road forces and spoke tension, until the central shaft starts scraping the bearing balls.

Benatto Cello Tape. I seem to be the only person who likes it. It's on every sigle road bike I own new or old. I love the way it looks and have never had a reason to stop using it.

I didn't reply because I assume someone else would already say it, but I guess maybe I truly am the only one who doesn't hate the product.

Helicomatic hubs. I guess I'm not big enough to bend the axles. I can appreciate the removal tool which also serves as other tools including the ever-coveted beer-popper, I don't find them any worse to repack than others, and i don't find they wear out any faster than anything else either.

I think they generally get a bad rap. But that's just my 2¢. Could the dust caps be better? Sure. Could they have better supported the axle for heavier people? Sure. Always worked fine for me though.

I don't think Helicomatic hubs are known for bent axles. In fact, they might have been the first hubs generally available on the market that placed the bearings near the end of the axle on the drive side. They do have a reputation for wearing more quickly than hubs with 1/4" bearing balls, though.

They should probably be known for axle bendage. Can't tell you how many I've bought off larger people which had the axles bent, I always assumed it was due to the bearing position as you mention.

Never really experienced unusual lifespan, but that may also have a lot to do with which bikes I choose to ride for what purpose.

It's hard to believe that I'm the first person to mention Delta brakes. I know that a lot of people like them but even more complain about them....and many of those have never even used them. If they're set up right they work as well as anything out there IMO.

What's your estimate of how many Helicomatic hubs you've bought with bent axles? More than two or three? I sold Gitanes and Treks with Helicomatic hubs back in the day, and I can't recall ever seeing one with a bent axle. That was in the 1980s, though, before larger people started riding bikes in significant numbers.

That outboard bearing design is the main reason that you almost never see a cassette hub with a bent axle.

Tubulars - Of course not everyone hates them, but there's still plenty of hate out there. I enjoy the whole process and arcane art of tubular maintenance, plus the availability of sealants has made tubular usage much easier.

I'd guesstimate 1 in 5 axles for Helicomatics I've repacked are at least slightly warped, enough you can roll them across a flat service or even take a flat edge to it and clearly see a slight bend. This is something I check on everything when repacking wheelsets. I've repacked a crapload of wheels in my lifetime and I don't recall seeing this more than 1 in 10 with regular hollow-axle style hubs, so to see double that is remarkable to be a coincidence.

There has to be some reason for it. I just assumed it was because of lack of concrete support in the middle. Maybe due to bearings that far outboard, an over-tight QR and enough weight on top will eventually cause warp?

I dunno why it happens, just sharing my experience. Love the product, but

Thanks for that information. [MENTION=20548]JohnDThompson[/MENTION] was working at Trek around that time and also served as warranty manager for them for a while, I believe; I hope he'll see this thread and weigh in on his recollection of Helicomatic problems.

For me it is tire savers or flint-catchers. They are now a relic of the past, except for Rene Herse that sells a new version. Contrary to some, they DO work and are all of 15g in weight. I used them 40 years ago, and when I found them 4 years ago, started again.

I also love Benotto tape. I worked in a bike shop when it became all the rage, and we all loved it. I know some people find it slimy, but I don't. Maybe it's the amount of sweat I produce or the tenacity with which I grip the bars. But it works fine, and I like how it looks. We would burn the end with a match after wrapping so it melded with the previous layer, so it stuck without needing another tape to end it.

I'm still working through my horde of either No1 Tape and The Tape from the '70s! STILL on my Fuji 40+ years later!!!!

As for the component - well, maybe better described as an accessory, is the Pletscher rear rack! Again, my Fuji is STILL equipped with the Pletscher rack from the '70s.





I'm using the same stay mount/support from Bike Warehouse, too!!!



Oh, and @Bill in VA, did I mention the TireSavers????

.

Yes I can't believe it took 66 posts to get to turkey levers which tells you how much they're hated, right? I love 'em.


Sekine SHS 271

Common for who, though? Large Marge? I'm 160 lbs and have broken only one in the last dozen years. And that was on my 5-speed grocery getter. All the other bikes are 6- and 7-speeds and get ridden hard on narrow tires.