What's the biggest waste of money possible on a bike part?

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Manc33
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What's the biggest waste of money possible on a bike part?

Post by Manc33 »

This is only for a laugh, but what's the most stupid bike part purchase you could possibly make, where it costs an absolute fortune and doesn't give you any real world benefit over the standard part you're already using?

My suggestion is... titanium disc brake rotors! Normal rotors are about £12 for a pair and last ages. Some titanium rotors I saw are £220 a pair - and that's in a 160mm variant. I daren't look at what the 180mm or 203mm ones must cost. Those ti rotors are 53g each but you can get (steel) Ashima rotors that are only 75g each, that are about 4 or 5 times cheaper.

Code: Select all

https://www.amazon.co.uk/KCNC-Ultralight-Titanium-Brake-Rotor/dp/B00JW7ART6


The offending item:

Image

There might be even worse examples than this like, something with a 100x or 1000x price difference, but guys please don't start suggesting diamond studded parts, or solid gold parts, that's cheating! I am talking about a functional normal part, not "bling" stuff that's purposely expensive / for the sake of it.
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PDQ Mobile
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Re: What's the biggest waste of money possible on a bike part?

Post by PDQ Mobile »

As a overshoot from the other lubrication thread.
I think really expensive lubes are a decent contender, when normal oils and greases will do as good a job.
IMHO.
landsurfer
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Re: What's the biggest waste of money possible on a bike part?

Post by landsurfer »

Power meters ... .... £100 bib shorts ... :lol:
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Mike Sales
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Re: What's the biggest waste of money possible on a bike part?

Post by Mike Sales »

Expensive sun glasses. And overpriced polystyrene articles.
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skyhawk
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Re: What's the biggest waste of money possible on a bike part?

Post by skyhawk »

Mike Sales wrote:Expensive sun glasses. And overpriced polystyrene articles.


Well that's my Oakley Ferrari Carbon Fibres out then ;) £320.00 Yes I do have them :)

OOOPS......................

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Mike Sales
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Re: What's the biggest waste of money possible on a bike part?

Post by Mike Sales »

skyhawk wrote:
Mike Sales wrote:Expensive sun glasses. And overpriced polystyrene articles.


Well that's my Oakley Ferrari Carbon Fibres out then ;) £320.00 Yes I do have them :)

OOOPS......................

Rayband and Oakleys




Crikey, you must be flush.
It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
PH
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Re: What's the biggest waste of money possible on a bike part?

Post by PH »

skyhawk wrote:
Mike Sales wrote:Expensive sun glasses. And overpriced polystyrene articles.


Well that's my Oakley Ferrari Carbon Fibres out then ;) £320.00 Yes I do have them :)

OOOPS......................

Rayband and Oakleys

Do you use them? Do they offer you something that the cheaper ones didn't?
The OP talks of stuff that doesn't give any real world benefit for the price, but the pleasure that having some things gives can make them excellent value.
My biggest waste of money items tend to be cheap impulse buys that never get enough use to justify the cost, even if that was a low one. £20 Aldi SPD shoes come to mind, I wore them once and gave them away. I've tried in recent years to do less of that sort of shopping, with good results, I've found you can have better kit and spend less money. OTOH it's your money, so it's your decision if it was worth spending.
Mike Sales
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Re: What's the biggest waste of money possible on a bike part?

Post by Mike Sales »

skyhawk wrote:
Mike Sales wrote:Expensive sun glasses. And overpriced polystyrene articles.


Well that's my Oakley Ferrari Carbon Fibres out then ;) £320.00 Yes I do have them :)



My photochromic, varifocal, prescription glasses cost a lot less than that.
It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
Psamathe
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Re: What's the biggest waste of money possible on a bike part?

Post by Psamathe »

skyhawk wrote:
Mike Sales wrote:Expensive sun glasses. And overpriced polystyrene articles.


Well that's my Oakley Ferrari Carbon Fibres out then ;) £320.00 Yes I do have them :)

OOOPS......................

Rayband and Oakleys
....

A bit off-topic but most Ray-Ban sunglasses seem to have glass lenses and I don't like the idea of cycling with a bit of glass just in front on my eye, just in case I fall-off ..... I feel happier with plastic or some non-glass lens. Maybe I've got it all wrong or am being too paranoid? (My optician who is also a cyclist said glass lens sunglasses when cycling not such a good idea - but I have no idea if he was just being paranoid like me or had genuine basis for his comment).

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reohn2
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Re: What's the biggest waste of money possible on a bike part?

Post by reohn2 »

The OP's example highlights the case of a society with too much want and not enough need.
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horizon
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Re: What's the biggest waste of money possible on a bike part?

Post by horizon »

I was looking at wheels recently and came across these and a few like them:

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ful ... gJnlPD_BwE

Full price is £1799 for the complete wheelset. I suppose for some people and in their (racing) context they're not expensive and indeed probably good VFM for what they offer. I did use them to explain to Mrs H that I could spend a great deal more than what I did. But for me they take cycling out of one realm and into another so I just shake my head and move on.

But then I came across these and it made me feel happier:

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/zip ... prod186046

Only £3570 for the pair.
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Re: What's the biggest waste of money possible on a bike part?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Titanium discs are not a waste of mon€y, because they are visible, everyone can see that one used to be rich :wink:

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Oldjohnw
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Re: What's the biggest waste of money possible on a bike part?

Post by Oldjohnw »

Back to the insatiable consumer society.
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reohn2
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Re: What's the biggest waste of money possible on a bike part?

Post by reohn2 »

Oldjohnw wrote:Back to the insatiable consumer society.

:wink:
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sjs
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Re: What's the biggest waste of money possible on a bike part?

Post by sjs »

reohn2 wrote:The OP's example highlights the case of a society with too much want and not enough need.

There's too much need as well, but by a different set of people, for different things.
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