Bike stuff shout out thread...
midschool22
Posts: 1,267 Member
Just a thread to give props to your favorite companies for the products and services they provide.
Trek Bicycles...LOVE my Madone...stiff and fast as F...
Felt Bicycles...LOVE my cross bike...Is it fall yet?
Pearl Izumi...The best cycling clothing...hands down.
Twin Six...The coolest alternative cycling shirts out there...Bar none.
Skratch Labs...The best drink mix and cookbook on the market...no rock gut feeling like that other stuff, "Hater-ade".
So who gets your shout out?
Trek Bicycles...LOVE my Madone...stiff and fast as F...
Felt Bicycles...LOVE my cross bike...Is it fall yet?
Pearl Izumi...The best cycling clothing...hands down.
Twin Six...The coolest alternative cycling shirts out there...Bar none.
Skratch Labs...The best drink mix and cookbook on the market...no rock gut feeling like that other stuff, "Hater-ade".
So who gets your shout out?
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Trek and Pearl Izumi f'sho!
Nashbar.com - They have great prices on great brands.
Hammer - I have so much more energy during and after rides when I use their horribly tasting products.
New Belgium Brewery - For the excellent beer and the Urban Assault Ride0 -
Hammer - I have so much more energy during and after rides when I use their horribly tasting products.
I tried Hammer for the first time during the middle of Bridge to Bridge... Horribly tasting product are kind words.
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Giordana - shorts I always reach for on longer rides or back-to-back rides
Selle Italia - saddle
Shimano - durable gears (I mean those shifters, cranksets etc)
Bontrager - plastic bottle cage - lightweight, hold securely at the same time easy entry/exit0 -
I count bunnies when I ride. Does that make me a bad person? Sometimes, I talk to them.0
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So far... The best bibs I've ever worn have been Pearl Izumi Pros...
I've tried some Girodanas, Assos, Performance... All are flimsy... Last a season and that's it. The PIs are the bomb.0 -
Planet-X and their sister company On-One... great customer service, great gear for the price and just all-round nice people...
Case in point - About 3 years ago, I bought a On-One Inbred frameset (the first generation white steel one) that was a little "rough around the edges" paintwork wise. So, I posted a query on their forum asking if replacement decals were available. Within 10 minutes I'd had a reply from Brant Richards (the guy who actually designed the frame) telling me that they hadn't actually got the decals anymore but he'd emailed me a link to a PDF file of the decals that I could take to any vinyl-cutter and get sorted. He also asked if I was intending getting a full respray or if a "touch up" job would suffice - as if I wanted a bottle of touch-up paint he'd sort one out for me and send me it FOC. All this on a second hand frame - not even one I'd bought direct from them.
Needless to say, with that kind of customer support, when I came to get a new road-frame, they got my money. Ditto when the white inbred was nicked - a replacement Steel 456 (in red for a change) came my way courtesy of the insurance payout.
Pity their current range of road framesets are just a little too "race focussed" for my current needs - though the Dolan is shaping up quite nicely, and I have to say my dealings with them have been pretty good (once I stopped trying to get information via the awful website, and picked up the telephone instead!)0 -
Zipp wheels
Giro road Helmet
Rudy Project TT helmet
Castelli Jerseys
Garneau bibs
Assos Speed suit
Giant Bike
Oakley Sunglasses
PowerTap hubs0 -
Wahoo Fitness iPhone Speed/Cadence meter, HRM & Phone Case (inc ANT+ dongle)0
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Sony AS-10 (or AS-15) camera; awesome bit of kit for the money!0
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Wahoo Fitness iPhone Speed/Cadence meter, HRM & Phone Case (inc ANT+ dongle)
QFT0 -
Wahoo Fitness iPhone Speed/Cadence meter, HRM & Phone Case (inc ANT+ dongle)
QFT
QFT?0 -
Quoted For Truth...
QFT acronym expression stands for "Quoted For Truth". It has two particular meanings when used in a discussion forum.
1) QFT is an expression of agreement and support, where the user stands behind you and one of your statements. This commonly occurs in controversial topics where opinions are very heated, and people will choose sides in an argument. If someone "quotes you for truth", they are paying you a compliment, and siding with you in the discussion.
2) QFT can also be used to preserve an original forum post, so that the original author cannot edit after the fact. A user who copy-pastes the original forum content will sometimes put the letters "QFT" at the top of the copy-paste. It is a type of forensic stamp, commonly used during very heated discussions on a controversial topic. The original author can no longer change their original text, because it is now preserved through someone else's post. The original author is prevented from denying what they originally wrote because the QFT public copy can refute any denial.0 -
Quoted For Truth...
QFT acronym expression stands for "Quoted For Truth". It has two particular meanings when used in a discussion forum.
1) QFT is an expression of agreement and support, where the user stands behind you and one of your statements. This commonly occurs in controversial topics where opinions are very heated, and people will choose sides in an argument. If someone "quotes you for truth", they are paying you a compliment, and siding with you in the discussion.
2) QFT can also be used to preserve an original forum post, so that the original author cannot edit after the fact. A user who copy-pastes the original forum content will sometimes put the letters "QFT" at the top of the copy-paste. It is a type of forensic stamp, commonly used during very heated discussions on a controversial topic. The original author can no longer change their original text, because it is now preserved through someone else's post. The original author is prevented from denying what they originally wrote because the QFT public copy can refute any denial.
You learn something new everyday :laugh:0 -
Bikes - Specialized, Yeti
Clothing - Craft, Sugoi, Pearl, Casteli
Gear - Fulcrum wheels, Sun/Ringle wheels
Vendors - Competitive Cyclist (great support)
Funny that a few of you have mentioned trek stuff. I've had terrible luck with every trek product I've had (though, admittedly, all have been low end or middle of the road stuff)... Wrench Force, Bontrager, Trek, etc. I got my first piece of higher end trek gear this Christmas (winter bibs, bontrager)... will be interesting to see how they do.0 -
Twin Six
Ortlieb - best panniers I've used, never leaked even in the worst Portland weather.
Nokian - awesome studded tires for awesomely bad weather
REI...yes, not a bike shop but their return/customer service policy is amazing! Case in point: bought my commuter there during the annual sale, due to supply chain kerfuffles and over-selling that particular model I was never going to get it. They let me transfer the discount to another bike no hassle, even though the sale was over! Over a year later, 6 broken spokes later on the rear wheel I emailed them wondering if having repetive broken spokes was a known issue with the wheelset (I wasn't doing anything aggressive, just riding to work). It wasn't. They offered me several options. 1. return the bike and get new one (same make/model). 2. get a new wheel. I was shocked to say the least. I opted for the wheel since it was the problem, not the whole bike. Instead of making me travel to a REI store, the closest being a 3+ hour drive away, they shipped it to me and were even willing to reimburse the costs of having the cluster and rotor moved over. And they did not ask for anything in return. Probably helped I'd been a member for nearly 20 years and never had an issue like that but still, amazing.
edit - helps to proofread before posting!0 -
Several exchanges on companies that have good return policies... I wouldn't normally praise them, but had a great experience at Performance Bike recently.
I have a pair of Sidi Genius shoes that my wife bought for me back in 2010. I sweat like a beast... even my feet. When I went to swap out my speedplay cleats in 2012 I had to use screw extractors to get several out... they had rusted/fused to the shoe "nut". I still was able to make it work... 2 of 3 screws were able to go in on each foot (probably a bad idea). Fast forward to the end of the season last year, and one of the springs broke on one of the cleats.
When I tried to remove the cleat... one of the 2 remaining screws would not un screw... it would spin and spin and spin...
So I went to Performance hoping they might have a suggestion on how to fix the shoe. I was hoping to get replacement shoe "nuts" (probably not the right term) so I get get a cobbler to fix. They looked at the shoes and said "That shouldn't happen... go to the shelf and get a pair of new Sidi's in your size and a new set of cleats"
I was floored... typically I view Performance in the vein of the "Big Brother" of bike stores... they will get more of my business in the future.
Dave0 -
Several exchanges on companies that have good return policies... I wouldn't normally praise them, but had a great experience at Performance Bike recently.
I have a pair of Sidi Genius shoes that my wife bought for me back in 2010. I sweat like a beast... even my feet. When I went to swap out my speedplay cleats in 2012 I had to use screw extractors to get several out... they had rusted/fused to the shoe "nut". I still was able to make it work... 2 of 3 screws were able to go in on each foot (probably a bad idea). Fast forward to the end of the season last year, and one of the springs broke on one of the cleats.
When I tried to remove the cleat... one of the 2 remaining screws would not un screw... it would spin and spin and spin...
So I went to Performance hoping they might have a suggestion on how to fix the shoe. I was hoping to get replacement shoe "nuts" (probably not the right term) so I get get a cobbler to fix. They looked at the shoes and said "That shouldn't happen... go to the shelf and get a pair of new Sidi's in your size and a new set of cleats"
I was floored... typically I view Performance in the vein of the "Big Brother" of bike stores... they will get more of my business in the future.
Dave
Wow... that's awesome. I've been in Performance a few times when traveling, but unfortunately there isn't one near me.0 -
Bikes: Yeti, Giant
Clothes: PI, LG, Performance jerseys (great for the price when on sale), Swiftwick socks
Clipless: Speedplay for road, SPD for mountain
Camelbak (especially for summer in TX)
Halo headbands - things are awesome!0 -
My husband better find a way to block this thread before I go shopping.0
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My husband better find a way to block this thread before I go shopping.
True. I see a bunch of stuff I am interested in checking out.0 -
Nashbar: great prices ... love the touring frame and fork I bought from them
Terry: Excellent saddle & women's plus size bike clothing
Bikesdirect: great deals
Bontraeger: love my shoes
SRAM:
American Classic: The Hurricane Wheel Set is the bomb!!!! Especially for the larger rider. Ceramic bearings, and they roll forever.
I know people fall in love with a particular bike, I have bikes from many different companies, right now my current favorite is my touring bike, which I built using the frame I bought from Nashbar. Honey I have more money in my saddle than I do in the frame. I know many will disagree with me, but if the frame fits you and is good quality the components are what make the bike.0 -
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Honey I have more money in my saddle than I do in the frame. I know many will disagree with me, but if the frame fits you and is good quality the components are what make the bike.
My grandad always used to say, spend your money on a comfortable bed and good boots, because if you're not in one, your in the other - I guess a saddle that fits well should be included on grandad's list :laugh:0
