Shimano Coasting. Designed and marketed for folks who could balance, steer, pedal and brake, but not shift. Shimano spent a bunch of money finding out there's nobody in this demographic. :trainwreck:

The ne plus ultra component line that bombed for me is the Sturmey-Archer SW three-speed hub, 1954-1960. Designed to replace the older AW model, the SW proved fussy, fragile and forgettable. At the end of five miserable years for management, the engineering staff and their customers, S-A called the 'obsolete' AW back into their mainline offerings.

BTW, the AW (in improved form) is still in production, 77 years after it was first introduced.

Like so many failed components, the SW was technically innovative but poorly executed. It seems to depend on close tolerances that proved difficult to maintain in a production environment. I have several SW hubs here; one works marvelously well (except in cold weather, when the springless pawls take a long time to catch) and one I've never been able to get to work worth a crap at all.

I used Ofmega components on my first 970 road Trek in the mid '80s just to be different and put on the dog a little. This is when I had more spare money and less responsibilities. And I sold both the parts and the first 970 bike long ago.

The cone hubs were Nuovo Record copies and my first crankset on the bike was an Ofmega CX. It was a pretty crank but a little light and flexy even for my riding style.....or just not really right for a stiff bike.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=355930http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=355931
So I put an Ofmega Super Competizione crank on it and changed the Suntour Superb derailleurs and shifters out for an Ofmega Premier group.

The Competizione Crank was stiffer (though I liked the looks of the CX a little better) and the Premier rear derailleur was nice and classy looking and worked well......But I'd say right away that I missed using the Suntour Superb on an ultra 7 speed freewheel. The Superb was slightly the better friction shifter on the narrow 7 freewheel.....You just never had to trim that one.

http://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/...erailleur.html

They were nice parts at the top of their line. Bianchi used their derailleurs (and Competizione cranksets too I believe) with Bianchi's name on them and Avocet used their CX crank the same. I've heard the CX cranks have a record of cracking but mine didn't. Their plastic line of products never appealed to me and I'm guessing I'm not alone in that sentiment. That's got to be what killed them was some of the colors and plastic in some of their lower end groups of parts. Whoever came up with that approach wanted to try and be innovative in manufacturing but didn't have the right insight into the market, imo. Campagnolo was just better focused and bigger anyway. I don't remember seeing them around either before or after the '80s but they were.

http://www.velobase.com/ViewBrand.as...e-9e3f14796785

those of us with a long background friction shifting could say that about index shifting schemes in general.

Shimano Front Freewheel and Positron shifting

Viscount

Remember those cam-drive arrangements that were promoted as the future of bicycling? They used two cams and arms at the BB spindle to pull on oscillating chains that yanked on two ratcheting freewheels, one on each side of the rear wheel. Instead of gears they used some sort of variable geometry to vary the effective gear ratio. After all the hullabaloo, I never saw one on the street and never wanted to.

Rotor is Spain tried that, the crank with a cam to make power stroke better,
but they gave up. the oval chainrings seem to be accepted by Pros .

http://www.rotorbike.com/products

the straight step to rotary thing was tried again, by one Graham Obree, to make a go fast prone bike
to compete at Battle Mountain IHPVA meet.

http://obree.com/obree-news/297-ihpv...ed-record.html

Still have an Avocet 20. Works like a charm, but I like more modern Cateye computers because battery life is at least 5 years for me. The Avocet 20 had a 1 year battery life.

Still use an Avocet seat post on my Raleigh Pro from 79. Really like the adjusting mech. Much easier to use than Campy.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=356023
These Avocet 20 shoes served me well until I finally wore out my last pair. They had slots in the soles for hooking into pedals with toestraps (I had to grind clearance for my toe out). They had metal strips inside the soles that set off metal detectors. I ran 6 miles with a friend in them one day and thought I was crippled for life the next day I was so sore.....definitely not running shoes.

They were actually ideal for riding without cleats and I did most of my riding in them. I wish they still made them. Great product for riding with toestraps.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=356024
Recognize this guy?

Greg Lemond.
Avocet's shoes were good stuff, my wife had a different model of their shoes she loved. Their gender specific saddles were ahead of their time, we both loved ours on the Motobecane bikes we rode on the early 80's.

Bill

Some people swear by the Rotor cranksets; but they were just too darned expensive for the average cyclist, as well as being heavy. I have a set. I'm too cheap to have bought them for myself, but they came on my M5. Q-Rings work in their own way and are a lot lighter; but they're just not the same.

Weyless (weigh less?) - I have a Weyless carbon crankset on my NoCom.
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...pse6cce2f0.jpg
It's old-school now, since it takes an Octalink bottom bracket.

I had a Weyless seatpost in the past ..

I had some of those shoes, too. I really like them; wore them out; wish I could buy more.

I have worn out three different pairs of those shoes. I have some kind of similar shoes that I bought from "Performance" in the mid '90s before I took a decade layoff. So they're not worn out yet but when they do I'm not sure what I'll come up with for a thin stiff soled caged/quill pedal touring shoe.

The problem is that the velcro closures on most modern cycling shoes get caught on the toe clip straps. I found some out-of-production Nike leather lace-up touring shoes on e-bay but that was a one-shot deal.

Try Giro's Republic Shoe, it's SPD compatible:
http://www.giro.com/us_en/republic.html

or Giro's Empire if you want a 3 hole version:
http://www.giro.com/us_en/products/m...es/empire.html