[ridiculous]

You've obviously never had a system 1 (dual rotating plates) MRP then. Utterly silent, and a doddle to set up, and I've never dropped a chain in 7 years or something.

Got one hanging on my tool wall. Yes it was an easy setup, all 3 pounds of it (2 metal plates, boomerang and orange rollers). I dont think I ever dropped a chain with that either. In fact the only chainguide I think ive ever had issues with, is that piece of crap AC chain system or whatever its called that came on the 2000 giant dh team. The one at the top.

 

[Steve M]

Gamut chainguides... broke the first bashy in 2 days, the second one in another 2 days, the third one about 3 weeks later (but this time I haven't been bothered to replace it so I've still got it 2 months later), the guide roller allen key is imperial where everything else is metric, the locknut for the guide roller fell off (ok not necessarily a product fault but I never touched it from factory, it happened to be in the right spot out of the box), the 8mm head bolt for the upper guide is PLASTIC, the smaller metal bolt below that fell out (again, never touched it). In its favour, it's light, super easy to set up, and hasn't actually made the critical error of dropping the chain.

In my negativity there I didn't mention that the local distributor (XXIV) has been quick to help me out with all the issues I've had and been generally good to deal with about it. I also just received a message from Juan @ Gamut saying to email him with details of the issues I've had and he'll sort me out. This kind of pro-active customer service is most definitely appreciated and makes me far more inclined to think "well maybe I just got unlucky, I should give it another go". Thanks guys.

 

[ZenkiGarage]

DW-Link- Not "bad", but DEFINATLY not worth the hype

Manitou Travis- It looked the part. Thats about all it did right.

Truvativ DH bars- The weakest bars ive used

Animal Pedals- Bearings went to **** too quick

 

[Damo]

e13: Brilliant. Never had a problem, never had to fix/change anything. It just works. Easily set up and haven't touched it since.
Mavic 721: Great! Lightweight, nice tyre profile and you can get them anywhere if you need to replace them. Mine are a season old and no problems.

The only thing I can think of that I wouldn't use again is Maxxis SwampThings. Had the wire bead strip out inside and puncture the tube on two different tyres. In over 7 years of riding in the French Alps, I have ever only had three flats. The two I mentioned before on Swampies and the third was a Minion from running over a screw.

Maxxis all the way.

 

[weedkilla]

SLX front derailleur - probably just the low clamp, 2 ring version. I read all the hype about the first new thing in FD's for years, ordered it and was disappointed the first time I looked at it. THEN I tried to set it up, the cage is too short and it doesn't change height enough as it moves across. Really only useful if you want to change between two gears the same size. Had to take it to LBS on the bike because I didn't think they'd believe me if I told them about it!

Connex wipperman chains - the german engineering that explains how they lost the war. (I've been told I got one from a bad batch, but I never want to smack my nuts from a broken chain again.)

Mixing imperial and metric - my VP free has M8 shock eye bolts and a 1/2" AF nut on the end?!

My demo 7 - just never got on well with that one. It was never forgiving of mistakes, back end was never right, blew through the travel or rode too high, hard to two wheel drift - back would sometimes catch and highside you or wash out front end, never that predictable. I will admit may just be me.

Agree with some others - Hayes, Manipoo, total lack of user service guides / non serviceable products, 9 speed (just set up my lads bike as 8 speed - I'd forgotten how good it is).

I find it weird how sometimes you get a good one of something, I had a Giant dh with a swinger 6 way, that never leaked from the high/low adjusters and always felt superb. Every other Manipoo product I have tried sucks in at least one way or another.

Anyone else notice how often manipoo and hayes are mentioned in this thread - arent we all glad hayes bought manipoo!!!!

 

[Steve M]

I find it weird how sometimes you get a good one of something, I had a Giant dh with a swinger 6 way, that never leaked from the high/low adjusters and always felt superb. Every other Manipoo product I have tried sucks in at least one way or another.

I've ridden a Giant with a remote-res 6-way that actually felt pretty good too, wasn't excessively sticky or harsh, just felt fairly well damped. Sure it wasn't quite like a DHX in terms of smoothness, but it was completely rideable at the very least.

 

[ZoRo]

Best: (1) Morewood Ndiza ST: a real good frame. Solid geo, really stiff and pedals really well. Extra durable and very versatile. Extremely easy to maintain.

(2) Hayes Mag Brakes: yeah, they don't got those fancy adjustments and hercules extra power, but damn, they are reliable, rebuildable and they ever, never let me down. Extra parts are extra cheap and oil can be bought at the gas station. I still ride them and would think of many things to replace on my bike before the brakes.

Worst: (1) Manitou X Vert double crown DH fork--> those who were in the scene in the 90's know... What a piece of crap. Rebound cartridge was simply trash. Never got mine to work properly. A real pogo stick...

(2) Mr Dirt Gizmo chain guide: what a *itch to set up! Never worked good, noisy and somehow always got loose or un-adjusted no matter how crazy mount of loctite you put on it. MRP Syst 1 was the bomb back then. Never dropped a chain with it.

 

[IH8Rice]

DW-Link- Not "bad", but DEFINATLY not worth the hype

thats blasphemy to some people!

 

[Eastern States Cup]

IHBC now offically SUCKS.

A major disappointment from what it was.
I sincerly hope RSC and IHBC and whatever they become burn in hell.



(there I said it, happy?)

 

[al-irl]

hmm worst products. It could be a big list but all this talk of old school bits has reminded me of some gems.

Rob warner pedals, cut the shins off you and had possibly the worst bearings ever and crap grip.

IRC Kujo tires, amazing puncture resistance but feck all grip like having ball bearings under your wheels.

ZZYZX forks a disaster. More travell sideways than up and down.

More current products that have annoyed me.

Formula ORO brakes. Powerfull, light but the levers are always breaking and constantly have to be bleed.

Marzocchi ATA forks, loads of problems and haven't met anyone who hasn't had a problem with them. From winding down to the air pressure equalising between the 2 air chambers.

Schwalbe nobby nic tires. Was given a pair to try and my arms didn't like them wiped out any time i tried to corner hard. Resulting in some scabby fore arms.

Hayes el cammino brakes, they just lacked power.

 

[xtremedoritoes]

Not a big fan of Race Face cranks, went through two sets of Evolve DHs with the same issue. Right crank arm keeps wobbling.

Sram Derailures, only reason why I'm running them is the thumb only shifting. I've gone through 2 X-9s already and am on my third.

 

[davemo7]

08 66ATA w/TST2, i have had it for less than a year and its at marzocchi right now gettting its 3rd tst cartridge and its 2nd ATA cartridge.

XT rear hubs, the cones are in terrible places so you have to basically take the hub apart to adjust them, and they come loose constantly, always the driveside

speciallized urban tires (not 09 rythm lites) are crap,

kenda nevegal nuff sed

shimano mech disk brakes... terrible

XT shadow it looks like the weakest part is replaceable but no, brake one at the hangar and you need a new one, even though its just a bolt holding the hangar on...

im sure theres more (i work in a shop so i see lots of stupid sh1t all the time) but i will stop here

 

[ZenkiGarage]

DW-Link- Not "bad", but DEFINATLY not worth the hype

thats blasphemy to some people!

Yup... people that havent ridden enough bikes or care too much about riding the "in" bike lol

 

[Mike Buell]

In my negativity there I didn't mention that the local distributor (XXIV) has been quick to help me out with all the issues I've had and been generally good to deal with about it. I also just received a message from Juan @ Gamut saying to email him with details of the issues I've had and he'll sort me out. This kind of pro-active customer service is most definitely appreciated and makes me far more inclined to think "well maybe I just got unlucky, I should give it another go". Thanks guys.

I had great luck with Gamut Chain guides on both my DH and MX rigs the year I used them, really liked the products.

 

[Mike Buell]

Knee/shin guards. I don't understand why nobody can seem to build a decent set. I have raceface guards, which I read were the best, and I hate them. One crash they slipped down and I still managed to get scraped up, and that was hard to believe since they're the size of my entire lower leg. The stitching is terrible, they're hot, too long, and they just don't work. I have no idea what else to use, as people are bagging on the lopes in this thread, other people have hated dainese, and dainese were the only others that I've used and really liked.

Brakes. Seems like manufacturers can't seem to figure out how to get things right. You have cheap, good performing, or a total pain in the ass. Choose 1 or 2, sometimes.
I wanted to like my Hopes so badly. They were wonderfully comfortable in the parking lot. They heated up terribly out on the trail, I could never figure out if they were leaking or bubbling or what, but when they cooled down and I was screwing around getting them set up, they were fine.
My gustavs are supposed to be the most deadnuts reliable brake on the market. I have to bleed both of mine after one ride. I could never get the lever to feel like it's supposed to. Yeah, they seem to have power, but I just can't figure them out. For something so german and overengineered, I expect a higher quality lever.

Modern suspension design. I used to be a huge lover of multi-pivot bikes. Lawwills, FSR, whatever. No matter what it was better than a SP. Now it's the opposite. I've ridden VPP and hated it. I've ridden two different DWL bikes and each rode like poop. I've ridden a canfield F1 and it felt goofy. I just don't understand how all the marketing hype and lingo thrown around compensate or cover for these things. My next bike will probably be one of those, as people seem to love them, and I know shock setup has much to do with it, but I just can't wrap my head around it.

I have a sic stem as well, and it's garbage. I can't seem to get it tight enough not to slip. My monster truck of a BMW stem has never twisted.

My Avy fork is hit or miss. It could certainly be more supple over repeated bumps, stutters, and braking bumps, but oh my god on anything larger it's superb. My rear shock has been flawless.

I hate 9 speed components. If 8 speed weren't so hard to find, I'd be running it. Narrow spacing just isn't a great idea on DH bikes.

Lock-on grips. I know some people absolutely love these things, and in the rain and mud, I agree with you, but my hands absorb so much more shock because of the rubber sleeve, and they grip can't be as thin because of it. I found some brand that did half plastic and have rubber, but still locked on, but I forgot which it is. I much prefer the full rubber grip unless it's wet out.

my dainese suit has been kind of meh. I don't know if I got the wrong size, but it fits kind of funny and rides up, especially when I'm on the lift. Otherwise it seems fine, but there are a few select issues which just kind of stink. For such an expensive item, I expect a little more.

a few comments on other things:
Hayes brakes were a bitch to set up, but mine worked fine once they were there. Had few complaints.
My CK headset has been fine since I got it. I probably wouldn't buy another, but still.
All the 721 haters made me realize something: I LOVE my Arrow DHX rims. They are heavy, but I have never had a single problem. I may try the FRX rims on my next race bike since I love the ones I have so much.

Thats a pretty long list, are you sure you just never realized that maybe you don't like bikes?

 

[dropmachine]

hey Sandwich, 8 speed stuff is all over eBay, and SHimano still makes 8 speed XT shifters available. SRAM has X7, which work, but aren't nearly as fun as 8 Speed X) shifters would be.

Also, read this, and know that I feel for you: http://www.dropmachine.com/Feature/rant-gimme-8-please-a473.html



Regarding suspension, I agree. FSR is still the best I've ridden, and I doubt its going to get much better. VPP has been a dissapointment, except on my Blur 4x, and the V10. The Blur because the negatives are rather small with that amount of travel, and the V10 because you can cater the chainring size to work effectively with it. My Nomad thought...not so hot.

 

[cowman]

Notice how not one person has mentioned shimano hydro brakes. This completely reflects my opinion as well. They are the best set and forget, trustworthy brakes that I've used. On top of that, if they need some work it takes under ten minutes and is a breeze. Changing pads is very simple, bleeding is almost as easy, even installing new lines isn't bad at all. I have been very impressed with the multiple sets that I've owned.

 

[BikerBoy28]

kenda blue groove
Anything Manitou
Specialized Lo-Pro Mags
TLD Lopes shin pads
Hayes brakes
Leatt prices

 

[davec113]

Stuff that sucks.

Fox RP23- I have the HV air sleeve and it still sucks balls. Propedal on and it takes small and large bumps like poo and the rebound slows way down. Propedal off and it blows through mid-stroke travel on small bumps. Maybe sending it to push will help.

maybe 9 mo. late, but shim the hv can until you get the spring curve right. Most trail bikes seem to need this to avoid blowing through travel if you ride them hard.

 

[kidwoo]

If I tally up everything in this thread, is everything that's ever been made for bikes on the 'bad' list?

 

[Delimeat]

I'll have a go..

Under damped Marz suspension
Any and all external BB's
Elixir brakes
Most NWD movies
Joplin posts
Sytace aftermarket QR lever
WTB rear hubs

 

[davec113]

My F'in SRAM XO shifter. Came on my bike, and the thumb shift knob broke off after a minor crash. $35 to replace? f'in-a...

Sunline grips - uncomfortable and super fast wear.

Most single ply tires...

New Race Face Rally leg armor. WTF is the deal with the 100-grit elastic edge-band? I had to cut it off of the top corners of my leg armor. Otherwise good pads, the knee seems like it stays in place better than older ones in crashes.

Transition Bike Pedals. Easton clones, just without the quality. Don't Buy!

Azonic Outlaws. Heavy and ok if you never pedal your bike. Otherwise the freehub is garbage.

Hope Pro II rear hub... hearing protection required for anyone riding in your group.

'06 Boxxer... maybe not the best choice for a bigger guy.

Intense Uzzi VPX... maybe not the best choice for a bigger guy. Bomber front triangle with cheddar cheeze rear triangle.

Good... Very happy with '09 Trek Session and Remedy bikes.

 

[Kanye West]

Any and all external BB's

What issues could one possibly have with an external BB? I'm genuinely curious.

 

[tuumbaq]

I'll have a go..

Under damped Marz suspension
Any and all external BB's
Elixir brakes
Most NWD movies
Joplin posts
Sytace aftermarket QR lever
WTB rear hubs

absolutely hate my 2 sets of elixirs...complete junk.Im glad to see Im not the only one

 

[strizzle]

Any manitou product
Last years marzocchi stuff
SDG I-beam post
Shimano Saint Rear D
Rock Garden Knee/shin pads
MACE Helmets
CODE brakes
Kenda Tires

 

[slothy]

absolutely hate my 2 sets of elixirs...complete junk.Im glad to see Im not the only one

whats the issue?

 

[pterodactyl]

I would guess that most of us are limited. It's not like all of us can run every new or upgraded component when it comes out. Some of my likes:

I just sold a Hadleys laced to Mavic 729 wheelset that I have beaten the crap out of for 3 years. 3 seasons at Platty on one set of wheels! I've had all kinds or wheels before, but Mavic just plain makes the best rims. I will never use another brand.

Same thing for Avid. I may shift around from Juicy to Codes or try out Elixers this year, but I will never use Hayes. Just simply not as good.

Boxxer. I've had other forks, but just for service in general, it is the best, let alone a version that is air sprung. No more Fox for me.

Easton. Pretty much everything they make is quality.

Roach/ Raceface DH knee shin armor. Ok these are like hockey pads, and are a little hot, but you could slide down Mt Everest on thse and they will still be in place when you hit the bottom.

Dislikes:

Crank Brothers Egg beaters. They break on rocks too easily. In the northeast, it us very common to hit your pedals on rocks while trail riding. I used to have Times. I will go back to Time.

Kenda tires. Last time I rode Kendas, I spent 6 months in a cast. Seriously, they just don't seem to grip as well as the minion or highroller. I only ride Maxxis, but I am interested in some of the new rubber Conti and Schwalbe as well as Duro are putting out. Maybe the Kendas do better out west where all the magazine folks do their riding, but here, where you ride on rocks and roots more than dirt, they just seem to suck.

Rockgardn armor. Knee/ shin armor is just plain ****. Suit is **** as well.

 

[PepperJester]

Sunline grips. Their end cap design blows monkey chunks.

SunRingle Jumping Flea hubs - engagement is decent, don't weigh much, alloy freehub body is junk. my 11T cog tore up the body so bad it just spins. I'd put up with the alloy freehub body if they were cheeper to replace.

 

[fortenndu]

Love:
Boxxer
Elixers
CCDB
Sinister F-bomb
Hate:
Funn pedals
Sunline grips
XT cranks

 

[TankerX]

Likes:

Shimano XT cranks Kick ass and super light!
Formula The one brakes have great modulation and have great power even with 180mm rotors.
Morewood bikes-lightweight/simple
Mavics rule!

 

[EVRAC]

I'll have a go..

Any and all external BB's
Sytace aftermarket QR lever

I'm also curious about why you don't like these.

Since I switched to saint cranks/bb, it's been perfect.
WAY better than ISIS/sqare-taper/Howitzer/anything else.

That aftermarket syntace qr with the built in seal looks like a great upgrade I was thinking about. Looks like a comfortable lever and a great idea. What's the problem there?

http://www.syntace.com/index.cfm?pid=3&pk=1258#

 

[Spahman]

my 06 888 RCX2.... I really really wanna love the fork, but I just can't get it to feel "good".
hell while it was in the shop I ran some 02 shivers..

they felt like butter compared to the 888s

 

[OBB]

This is a rough thread because there is so much subjectivity going on, but at the same time we can't expect to experience all the problems out there. When something works for us, but not the other guy it's tough to understand.

I can contribute a bit though.

- Truvativ bottom brackets, either the GXPs or the Howitzers. Both are relatively cheap, but don't last very long. The Howitzers are also a bit on the heavy side. These products are annoying because they are often spec'ed on higher end bikes where you don't expect to run into those kinds of issues. I also think this is a widespread issue.

- WTB Tires. They can't seem to figure out either the right compounds or the right tread pattern. They're cheap enough but come on. The fact that they are widely spec'ed on many bikes out there irritates me even more because that's an additional cost to consider when buying a bike.

- Any marzocchi air fork. Props to the service people in the pits though, because you have a lot of **** to deal with.

 

[aj-monkey]

Crank Bros. pedals
DT rims

So agree with that!

 

[Eastern States Cup]

have I said recently that kenda tires are crap ?

 

[Scurry]

thomson post - creaks no matter what I do. Looks nice and well done though. Like my bontrager road better though.

avid code 5 - squishy feeling, feature were it snaps forward broke, so now it sits all the way forward, got in some hairy situations the day it happened due to that.

hayes nines - i love the feel, have one that hasnt been bled in 6 years, and feels great. Bleeding them is a pain though, and real easy to destroy.

 

[Delimeat]

I'm also curious about why you don't like these.

Since I switched to saint cranks/bb, it's been perfect.
WAY better than ISIS/sqare-taper/Howitzer/anything else.

That aftermarket syntace qr with the built in seal looks like a great upgrade I was thinking about. Looks like a comfortable lever and a great idea. What's the problem there?

http://www.syntace.com/index.cfm?pid=3&pk=1258#

Man, I wanted that QR for a long time before I convinced myself to drop $50 Canadian on it. A few issues: one, the screw that holds the collar centered on the tube is plastic and has zero purchase on the tube. It spins no matter how tightly/gently you do it up until it deforms. Two, the lever lasted about a week before it bent and then broke. Too tight you say? the stock QR was easy to use and held the post tightly w/o slipping for ages before I replaced it (I'm an idiot eh?), but the post started slipping as soon as I put the Sytace QR on. I even tried some carbon anti-slip compound (its an aluminum post btw). A bit of a mystery to me as it looks like it has lots of leverage ect... If you want one that works well have a look at the Chromag beast, it's worth the coin!

Regarding external BB's, they blow. I've never had one (Shimano, RaceFace, Truvativ) that lasts as long as a good ISIS. The drag from those things in infernal, even after broken in. As someone who rides xc/am a lot I just can't get past it. And you're telling me you can feel that its stiffer as you ride your 7" FR bike with 20 psi in your tires? BULL****. I knew the BB remark would get a response.

 

[-C-]

Ha, it seems pretty much everything has had issues!

My list:

Formula The One. B*tch to bleed properly, inconsistent lever feel, eats pads, expensive, etc etc. Good riddence.

Pace forks. About as stiff as a wet noodle.

Marzocchi 66SL. These really were garbage. Utter pig to set up, user manual was about as much use as bog roll. Blew the cartridge in France 2 days before we were going home, had to blow them up every run, p*ssed oil out all over the place. Fixed under warranty, month later did it again. Fixed and sold.

Intense/VPP bearings. How does a bike go through them so quickly?

Formula Oro levers & Caliper O ring. Lever saving design with the piston 'pop out' in a crash. Neglected to mention that if the above occurs the pin gets bent & the brake is useless anyway. Great. Also who on earth decided it would be a good idea to run a 1mm O ring in the bleed port? That's just plain stupid. Easily lost, a pig to get back in & all round crappy design.

Interesting regarding the Thomson seatposts & a lot of moans. Mine creeks too!

Maxxis UST tyres. Never before have I experienced the level of punctures since I decided to 'give tubless a try'. What a crap idea.

 

[gav_dub100]

ZZYZX forks a disaster. More travell sideways than up and down.

But al, my zzyzx were awesome! What with there nylon bushings and damper that, i sh!t you not, had been replaced by the guy i go them off with a retro fitted landrover rear window damper which improved them! They really were woeful...

Sintesi Bazooka Mounting hardware... Snapped a bolt every other week, a long time ago!

Square taper BB's... crank, crank, tighten, crank crank tighten. Repeat.

Hayes 9's.. on or off, pick one!

Fizik Freek.. comparable with a$$ rape

sdg big boy.. just sh1t and heavy!

Planet-X Bars.. 5mm thick, weighed a ton, and bent if you look at them too hard!

Nokian 3" Gazzaloadi.. 2 ton tyre with no grip

Non standard disk mounts.. Boxxer, Sintesi Bazooka, Marin B-17 etc.

 

[MDJ]

But al, my zzyzx were awesome! What with there nylon bushings and damper that, i sh!t you not, had been replaced by the guy i go them off with a retro fitted landrover rear window damper which improved them! They really were woeful...

Yeah, and if there was any moisture on the track at all, the fork would be completely locked out by the end of a run. Tear down, rebuild for every run.

What made them even better was when the factory mechanics at the Norba nationals drilled a hole in the bottom to relieve the build up in air pressure to make the fork perfom better.