The be honest with yourself/bad product review thread
- Thread starter Inclag
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I am OCD about wrenching (and everything else except reading comprehension, and english composition
) and my BB7's do this, my Juicy 7 rear occasionally throws a warble; and the Shop mech I ride with - his 5's sounded like a crazed watery grumbling kookoo sound yesterday. Stuff works great, but there is definitely something to that complaint, and Ive heard a boatload of others with same comments/complaints.Im still using my Juicy 7 and BB7
But the codes are going in the backup box and '10 Saints are replacing them.
Hayes 9's. Just not enough for DH. Mags worked good though.
Minions. So many guys swear by um. Never worked as good as others for me, in any conditions. And 4 days at Snowshoe trashes a new $et.
50/50 pedals. Just a joke. I'm shocked people still buy um.
Minions. So many guys swear by um. Never worked as good as others for me, in any conditions. And 4 days at Snowshoe trashes a new $et.
50/50 pedals. Just a joke. I'm shocked people still buy um.
Does anyone have anything GOOD to say about Nevegals? I like the 2.3's, but find the 2.5's (DH or XC - w/e) float in turns and dont bite unless modified/cut. I still use them in 2.3, and sometimes in 2.5 (Cut).
Is it the wikkid fast juggalos around here that hate em, or do you feel they're crap at any speed?
Is it the wikkid fast juggalos around here that hate em, or do you feel they're crap at any speed?
Dude, its a bike park in sussex county which is known for rolling hills. It is a different type of riding and fairly local.
LG1 impossible to adjust, loud, dropped chains. Don't bother with it.
Crank Bro's 50/50. blew out super fast. bearing sucks.
Crank Bro's 50/50. blew out super fast. bearing sucks.
Uhhhhh, I think you need to learn how to carry speed through turns/features/obstacles. If there's one thing that park is not, it's slow.
AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Baby Jesus is crying. There will be earthquakes and monsoons and tidal waves.
I think you need to go to mount snow, diablow is slow.
Trust me ive ridden fast trails. All we have is fast smooth wide open trails in socal right? Diablo isnt that steep, true. That doesn't make it slow though. Although i rode it a few years ago, maybe my definition of 'fast' back then was pretty slo, ha ha
Last I heard the east coast was all "slow and technical"...
sun ringlé hubs:
I don't know why but even if I take good care of them and re-grease them often, they just don't seem to hold up. The bearings are dead after like less than 2 months and the whole freehub, cassette assembly is pretty cheap and easy to strip out too...
I don't know why but even if I take good care of them and re-grease them often, they just don't seem to hold up. The bearings are dead after like less than 2 months and the whole freehub, cassette assembly is pretty cheap and easy to strip out too...
I don't really see where that comes from, there are a few courses every year that are like that but for the most part there's always at least some high speed sections.
Stupid people posting stupid things on the internet...............................uuuurrrgggghhhhhhhhh.
Damn, getting stupider thru the ages.
Please help me, nelson smith before i implode
Damn, getting stupider thru the ages.
Please help me, nelson smith before i implode
ok ill try and keep this short
wtb tires, just wow, such pos', should stand for Waiting To Blow, or Walking The Bike
fox 40, yeah stiff and pretty good fork, til it blows!!! and then oh wait, its a project forever, i rebuilt it everyway to sunday and it still wouldnt work right, in a single season 13 rebuilds by fox til they sent an entire new one, good cs, ****ty fork
dt swiss cheeze rims, figure it out already, yeah it might save a flat every once n a while, but flats are cheaper then rims
ill just sum it up, anything specialized, f all their stuff, its got some hype as of late but its crap, actually one of their pumps is ok, but still gross company
last but not least: atom lab pedals, the pro is they are really thin and grip well, but they blow more then a stripper in vegas, so sick of rebuilding them after the 2nd time in a few months they were gone
wtb tires, just wow, such pos', should stand for Waiting To Blow, or Walking The Bike
fox 40, yeah stiff and pretty good fork, til it blows!!! and then oh wait, its a project forever, i rebuilt it everyway to sunday and it still wouldnt work right, in a single season 13 rebuilds by fox til they sent an entire new one, good cs, ****ty fork
dt swiss cheeze rims, figure it out already, yeah it might save a flat every once n a while, but flats are cheaper then rims
ill just sum it up, anything specialized, f all their stuff, its got some hype as of late but its crap, actually one of their pumps is ok, but still gross company
last but not least: atom lab pedals, the pro is they are really thin and grip well, but they blow more then a stripper in vegas, so sick of rebuilding them after the 2nd time in a few months they were gone
Damn dude!!! You are at least the 2,400,568th person that has said atomlab pedals s*&K!!!
Too bad...ultra thin, and cool colors, but they will not stay together!!!
Sorry to hear about the 40...what year is it??? I have an '06 that I've been riding for 3 seasons and it's by no means the plushest fork out there...but it's low maintenance and easy to rebuild...but I heard the newer ones could be sketchy...at least Fox does have ex. cs...how's the replacement holding up???
Specialized..."they make a decent pump"...LMFAO!!!!!!!!!
Too bad...ultra thin, and cool colors, but they will not stay together!!!
Sorry to hear about the 40...what year is it??? I have an '06 that I've been riding for 3 seasons and it's by no means the plushest fork out there...but it's low maintenance and easy to rebuild...but I heard the newer ones could be sketchy...at least Fox does have ex. cs...how's the replacement holding up???
Specialized..."they make a decent pump"...LMFAO!!!!!!!!!
haha, yeah alab just doesnt get that the bearings are kinda important, looks only go so far, hahaha, yeah mine was actually an 06 as well, the replacment was sold for a boxxer which is still on my brothers bike and going strong! but fox's cs was great, so props there.
oh and while its on my mind, wtb hubs, holy wow, specifically the rear, i was stoked that they were so light, but when i opened that pos up and found a "paper clip" was the primary engagment mech i was over it, i mean come on, you dont have to be a rocket scientist to understand that a paper clip isnt the best engagment method, yaya rant over, but seriously sh1ty hubs
oh and while its on my mind, wtb hubs, holy wow, specifically the rear, i was stoked that they were so light, but when i opened that pos up and found a "paper clip" was the primary engagment mech i was over it, i mean come on, you dont have to be a rocket scientist to understand that a paper clip isnt the best engagment method, yaya rant over, but seriously sh1ty hubs
Gamut chainguide: Metric and Imperial bolts? Really? maybe this has been addressed in current models, but I figured I'd post it again out of frustration. That being said, it does a good job of keeping the chain on.
Truvative Howitzer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change...
Truvative Howitzer: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change...
I can't fault WTB's engagement system (although a few years back there was some issues). The "paper clip" doesn't ever see any load actually as once the pawls make contact there is no stress on it. But it sure does look funny. My issue w/ their rear hubs is with the bearings. There really isn't a easy way to adjust them and when they do wear out you discover that they used some backasswards funny size.
I never understood that one either, but the guide works well, until you nail the boomerang or jam the chain behind the ring enough times for it to start flexing a lot, then it becomes problematic. Extreme circumstance though.
I think they did change the one imperial bolt, but not positive.
Good CS from them though.
in my case the "paper clip" somehow became worn down and a bit pointy so it would jam into the engagment plate thing and get stuck, i just remember taking it apart and thinking wtf!?
which boxxer did you get??? I've been wanting to try one for a while now...in really technical terrain, the 40 is a bit much, wouldn't you say..? A little too massive and monster truck-y???
Rode a boxxer for the first time last summer...seems like the smaller stanchions are bit more "agile" ? in hyper tech stuff, the 40 can be hard to get it to do what you want it to do...very forgiving of nose-dives and nose heavy landings tho...any thoughts????
Rode a boxxer for the first time last summer...seems like the smaller stanchions are bit more "agile" ? in hyper tech stuff, the 40 can be hard to get it to do what you want it to do...very forgiving of nose-dives and nose heavy landings tho...any thoughts????
honestly i haven't been riding all that much this year yet here's my "product that sucked monkey balls"
Crank Brothers 5050 pedals cheap version...
fell apart on the 4th run of the first day of riding this year in leogang...
way to go...
the cheapo atomlabs i bought there are still in one piece
Crank Brothers 5050 pedals cheap version...
fell apart on the 4th run of the first day of riding this year in leogang...
way to go...
the cheapo atomlabs i bought there are still in one piece
Have to say I'm surprised at the number of folk not liking the Truvativ Howitzer BB's. I ran the same one for 3 years on my DH Team, and I bought a new one for my Sunday. Both have been rock solid while being given a bit of grease every few weeks, and that's without and BB facing and chasing.
Things I do like are Mavic 521/721s, Superstar pedals, Boxxers, High Rollers and Shimano transmission.
Not a lot of things I've had major issues with. One thing is Maxxis Swampthings, don't have the grip of a full spike but don't have a cornering edge like an intermediate tyre, I regret spending money on these things. May run them as a back tyre at a push.
Another is SRAM transmission. Shifter mechanisms dying after a few weeks use, shifters snapping off the bars in minor crashes. The mechs really annoy me though, mangled two of them while barely tweaking the hanger. Switched to a Shimano road mech and twatted it hard enough to snap the hanger, but I'm still running that same mech.
Going back a bit, Nokian Gazzalodi tyres (no I didn't go for the 3.0!) and FSA Power Pro cranks, truly gash products.
Things I do like are Mavic 521/721s, Superstar pedals, Boxxers, High Rollers and Shimano transmission.
Not a lot of things I've had major issues with. One thing is Maxxis Swampthings, don't have the grip of a full spike but don't have a cornering edge like an intermediate tyre, I regret spending money on these things. May run them as a back tyre at a push.
Another is SRAM transmission. Shifter mechanisms dying after a few weeks use, shifters snapping off the bars in minor crashes. The mechs really annoy me though, mangled two of them while barely tweaking the hanger. Switched to a Shimano road mech and twatted it hard enough to snap the hanger, but I'm still running that same mech.
Going back a bit, Nokian Gazzalodi tyres (no I didn't go for the 3.0!) and FSA Power Pro cranks, truly gash products.
Like: Wellgo XPEDO pedals, and Magura Julie Hydraulic Brakes. The pedals have been set and forget since i've owned them and have amazing grip with a low profile and low weight. The Magura Julies have been on 5 different bikes since 2007 and are as good as new with a pad replacement or two. Killer for a price point brake-set
Dislike: Any Marzocchi fork i've owned, no matter how much dialing couldn't get to stay plush even when new
Strongly Dislike: All crank brothers pedals, and their customer service. When calling the service department I was given a lesson on condensation still getting into "sealed" bearings as to why my 120$ flats were seized after 4 uses.
Dislike: Any Marzocchi fork i've owned, no matter how much dialing couldn't get to stay plush even when new
Strongly Dislike: All crank brothers pedals, and their customer service. When calling the service department I was given a lesson on condensation still getting into "sealed" bearings as to why my 120$ flats were seized after 4 uses.
Overrated:
Sunline V-1 handle bars 745mm.
I'm 200 lbs and these things are the flexiest POS I've ever seen.
I figured from all the rave reviews it would be golden. Total flex and one little spill into dirt left a deep gouge on the second ride. Might cut them down for the trail bike.
DHX 5.0. I'm sure everyone can agree.
These things will take even the plushest suspension and turn into a hardtail at bumpy speeds. My Highline felt like garbage until I put a Roco WC on there.
Fox Forks
Garbage seals. And the 3 position TALAS system isn't very versatile if your bike is optimum between one of the travel settings. They need to have the infinite adjust option.
Underrated:
Rockshox forks including the Pike and Lyrik
They get good reviews, but I am blown away when people choose a Fox fork over one of these. Some of the most reliable forks on the market if you go coil U turn, which also makes them easily the most versatile. Buddy is riding my Pike SL bought in the fall of 2004. Only had to change damper oil once and that was to change the weight, still perfectly clean. Just sent it into PUSH lately for its first ever complete service. I broke two frames with this fork and it just won't die.
Sunline V-1 handle bars 745mm.
I'm 200 lbs and these things are the flexiest POS I've ever seen.
I figured from all the rave reviews it would be golden. Total flex and one little spill into dirt left a deep gouge on the second ride. Might cut them down for the trail bike.
DHX 5.0. I'm sure everyone can agree.
These things will take even the plushest suspension and turn into a hardtail at bumpy speeds. My Highline felt like garbage until I put a Roco WC on there.
Fox Forks
Garbage seals. And the 3 position TALAS system isn't very versatile if your bike is optimum between one of the travel settings. They need to have the infinite adjust option.
Underrated:
Rockshox forks including the Pike and Lyrik
They get good reviews, but I am blown away when people choose a Fox fork over one of these. Some of the most reliable forks on the market if you go coil U turn, which also makes them easily the most versatile. Buddy is riding my Pike SL bought in the fall of 2004. Only had to change damper oil once and that was to change the weight, still perfectly clean. Just sent it into PUSH lately for its first ever complete service. I broke two frames with this fork and it just won't die.
Horsepoop.
The seals blow just like every other fork, it happens. Deal with it. Saying that you can't find the optimum spot between 160-130-100 is a classic example of a rider blaming the equipment. You really think that if you can change things 15mm instead of 30mm its going to make all the difference in the world? It won't make anywhere near the difference people might convince themselves it will.
And how can RockShox forks be under rated when every MTB site and magazine out there gives them top marks? Short of showing up at RS headquarters and blowing everybody in the R&D dept, how much more praise can they get for building kickass forks?
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Add one more to the list:
This may not be in key with everybody else's experience, but I could never get my Pike to feel good. No matter what I did, it dove like crazy. X-Firm spring, lots of compression, whatever. Had to have it almost locked out to feel right, and then it would deflect off of smaller hits. Just never felt right to me. I do not have this problem with my Lyrik at all, unless I dial out the LSC too far.
Somebody else mentioned that the older Boxxers (06-09) were not the greatest choice for a bigger rider. Maybe this is something to do with the Motion Control internals themselves?
This may not be in key with everybody else's experience, but I could never get my Pike to feel good. No matter what I did, it dove like crazy. X-Firm spring, lots of compression, whatever. Had to have it almost locked out to feel right, and then it would deflect off of smaller hits. Just never felt right to me. I do not have this problem with my Lyrik at all, unless I dial out the LSC too far.
Somebody else mentioned that the older Boxxers (06-09) were not the greatest choice for a bigger rider. Maybe this is something to do with the Motion Control internals themselves?
I can feel the difference in 5mm with my Uturn fork. 30mm is huge.Horsepoop.
The seals blow just like every other fork, it happens. Deal with it. Saying that you can't find the optimum spot between 160-130-100 is a classic example of a rider blaming the equipment. You really think that if you can change things 15mm instead of 30mm its going to make all the difference in the world? It won't make anywhere near the difference people might convince themselves it will.
And how can RockShox forks be under rated when every MTB site and magazine out there gives them top marks? Short of showing up at RS headquarters and blowing everybody in the R&D dept, how much more praise can they get for building kickass forks?
Magazines give everything props if they advertise in their mag.
Based on riders, seems like a lot of people hold higher praise for Fox than RS in my experience. well... that is until their fork is jizzing oil on the 5th ride.
I'm with you on that man. I have a extra firm spring in and am using a whole lot of compression and it still is soft.
I doubt its a just a big guy thing, I weigh 170, not small but not big and it still is soft.
Love the fork though, one of the best single crowns i've owned.
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I can see what you mean, but I think you might be missing the point of TALAS. Its a during-ride travel adjustment to accommodate the trails you are on. The U-turn is a ride height adjustment, much different. One is on the fly, one is stop and drop. For what its intended for, I love the TALAS system. It works super well. The RS equivalent is the 2step, which is now fixed and works great, but doesn't offer that mid travel option. I found that I rode my TALAS in 5 inch mode for most of the time.I can feel the difference in 5mm with my Uturn fork. 30mm is huge.
Magazines give everything props if they advertise in their mag.
Based on riders, seems like a lot of people hold higher praise for Fox than RS in my experience. well... that is until their fork is jizzing oil on the 5th ride.
I find right now RS and Fox are right about on par. Its the same as the SRAM vs SHIMANO arguement. I've never had a fork leak, and I've had quite a few of each.
** wait, not true. I had a 40 leak, which Fox promptly warrantied. Something was off on the lowers.
Saw this thread and figured I should chime in on a few things.
-Rockshox totem. replaced two missioncontrol dampers in the first season. Five sets of seals. Made the mistake of selling it to a friend and it is still haunting me.
-Rockshox vivid. Rear shock has been replaced with new shocks four times in a full year of riding. 1st was broken rebound settings internally, 2nd thru 4th blown seals after a month or less of riding.
-fox 40 fit model. Damper cartidge literally fell apart after 3 rides. fox fixed it and it has been the best fork to date I have ever ridden. I have had a boxxer team, 888 , totem, domain, 36 van, etc.
-Sunline headset. Got this in a trade. whoever designed it never took it apart or out of a bike. It literally will freeze in the headtube and not allow you to take your fork out unless you pound it out with a hammer. After grinding the races down it works ok.
fsa gravity light cranks, never had crank bend this easily before. I knew it was a light crank and this was somewhat expected.
Avid code 5 brakes, used a set for a season and had to bleed them three times. Changed out mc seals and they still sucked, replaced by sram. no more lever to bar for now.
-Rockshox totem. replaced two missioncontrol dampers in the first season. Five sets of seals. Made the mistake of selling it to a friend and it is still haunting me.
-Rockshox vivid. Rear shock has been replaced with new shocks four times in a full year of riding. 1st was broken rebound settings internally, 2nd thru 4th blown seals after a month or less of riding.
-fox 40 fit model. Damper cartidge literally fell apart after 3 rides. fox fixed it and it has been the best fork to date I have ever ridden. I have had a boxxer team, 888 , totem, domain, 36 van, etc.
-Sunline headset. Got this in a trade. whoever designed it never took it apart or out of a bike. It literally will freeze in the headtube and not allow you to take your fork out unless you pound it out with a hammer. After grinding the races down it works ok.
fsa gravity light cranks, never had crank bend this easily before. I knew it was a light crank and this was somewhat expected.
Avid code 5 brakes, used a set for a season and had to bleed them three times. Changed out mc seals and they still sucked, replaced by sram. no more lever to bar for now.
Everything I ever spent my money on is awesome because I don't like admitting my mistakes, everything I haven't ridden sucks because my third cousins friend had one that broke.
I'd say the thread has it pretty well covered, but here's a few notes on some popular mentions...
Intense frames- Yeah they used to come crooked and break a lot. I got a crooked as hell Uzzi VPX, and broke it. You can still break the links, but the new generation frames have been much better in build quality and reliability. We havent seen a crooked one in the shop in the last couple years.
Hadley Hubs- This is a weird one, since every opinion is either "nothing but trouble", or "no trouble at all". From what I've seen, they're are the best and most easily serviceable hubs you can buy, we sell probably more than anyone and get almost zero complaints. Not sure whats going on with those that report horror stories, maybe Jesus has it out for you.
Any Chainguide- They all set up in more or less the same way, if it rubs it's either your fault or your frame's. The E13s offer more adjustability than the competitors in that you can change the boomerang angle, so if anything they are easier to get really dialed. There are some frames that work better with other guides, mostly because they have pivots and hardware that stick out too much and get in the way, that's not E13's fault. "Hard to set up" isn't a legitimate criticism. I can't believe I'm agreeing with Frasier on something....
I'd say the thread has it pretty well covered, but here's a few notes on some popular mentions...
Intense frames- Yeah they used to come crooked and break a lot. I got a crooked as hell Uzzi VPX, and broke it. You can still break the links, but the new generation frames have been much better in build quality and reliability. We havent seen a crooked one in the shop in the last couple years.
Hadley Hubs- This is a weird one, since every opinion is either "nothing but trouble", or "no trouble at all". From what I've seen, they're are the best and most easily serviceable hubs you can buy, we sell probably more than anyone and get almost zero complaints. Not sure whats going on with those that report horror stories, maybe Jesus has it out for you.
Any Chainguide- They all set up in more or less the same way, if it rubs it's either your fault or your frame's. The E13s offer more adjustability than the competitors in that you can change the boomerang angle, so if anything they are easier to get really dialed. There are some frames that work better with other guides, mostly because they have pivots and hardware that stick out too much and get in the way, that's not E13's fault. "Hard to set up" isn't a legitimate criticism. I can't believe I'm agreeing with Frasier on something....
I think that's a perfectly legitimate concern, at least concerning the LG1 style guides (I haven't set up any of the new ones yet). The time and effort required to 1) space it out installing the cranks a couple of times and 2) just removing the cranks is a gigantic pain in the ass with the LG1 and the G2 guides. I don't like having the chainring exposed to the side like that at all for a half a piss worth of weight savings, but the fact that it makes basic maintenance and setup that much more of a hassle explains why I've never found either of those guides on my bike, and never will.
For the SRS style guides and the Gamut and MRP S3, they're dead easy and quick and offer great protection. I never ever have to think about the guides again, even when removing the cranks. But they weigh soooooo much more...
Amen brother. As for Intense frames being crooked, I dunno. I do know that my socom was so flexy in the back that you had to push the drop outs together to thread the wheel in; for what its worth.
Agreed, believe it or not the Transition chainguide is one of the simplest to setup and most bullet proof I have seen or used, not to mention its cheap, basic, and comes in sweet colors.
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No doubt about it that the LG1 or MRP G2 are pains to install compared to the models with crank mounted bashguards. Just the nature of the type. If at all possible I just put the crank on with the complete guide sitting on it, and then jimmy in the necessary spacers with a magnetized screwdriver. It's a fiddly operation, but less time consuming than taking the cranks on and off several times, especially if they are PITA cranks like raceface or deity.