When it ain't broke: Your best stories of gear holding up.

[giverdada]

I saw a post in the classifieds about a rider accidentally bunny hopping onto the edge of an unseen pothole, and cracking his carbon rim. I have done the exact same thing, resulting in radially-laced spokes exploding out of a Ringlé Super8 flange and a completely dented Sun RhynoLite. But that's not a great story.

Please reply with your stories of horrid abuse of equipment wherein the object was subjected to circumstances that should have ended its functional life, but the object continued without failure.

I guess this is like the verbal version of those videos of guys cutting framing nails and cinder blocks with their CPM3V custom knives, then using the same knife to push-cut paper.

The first set of wheels I built was for my first road bike, a Cannondale 500 frameset handed down to me from my uncle. I used Shimano 600 Tri-Color hubs, Wheelsmith Spokes, DT Swiss brass nipples, and Mavic MA40 32-hole rims. Finished it all off with Fond de Jante rim tape. I was damn proud of that wheelset. Built it back in 1996, when I was 15, using a Bicycling Magazine special-mechanics-issue publication and a Park truing stand that I still use today. That wheelset lasted forever. It saw me through my first triathlon (ill-informed, I know, but hey, I was 15!), all of high school, into university and out of road bikes, into bike commuting, into my first times getting hit by cars, the worst collision I had been involved in yet (bars and stem bent, wheels remained true). I took the wheels into a shop to get trued up once when I figured they would have some magic I lacked, and the mechanic laughed at me, said that the rims came out when the Cosby show came out. Last I saw of those wheels, I used them to build up a singlespeed commuter for a friend who had done a bunch of babysitting for us. They were still going strong, still spinning like butter, still stupidly true with only one minor flatspot in the rear. In 20 years of riding the crap out of those wheels, I only repacked the bearings twice. Phil's. When it ain't broke...

There was this other time, in university, when I was trying to teach myself to become a freerider, so I went around after dark and hucked myself and my bike off of low-lying objects. Picnic tables were my maximum height at the time, and I had no technique or mentor, so I just kinda wheelied off the edge of things, hoping to land without flatting. Concrete everywhere. No speed or transitions. Just huck, land, repeat. Anyway, lots of equipment abuse because I had no idea what I was doing. Turns out I kinda messed up my takeoff from this one concrete ledge to the pavement, and ended up casing the crap out of the landing. ALL front wheel. The fork took the entire force of me and my bike and my stupidity and my fear. I was surely going down. I was going to get hurt. Maybe I'd lose some teeth. No. That Marzocchi Z-5 (lowest end model with huge 145mm travel) not only took the impact, it ABSORBED all of the shock (and stupidity), did not send me over the bars (where I belonged), and then GENTLY pushed me back to upright, all without a whimper. Took it, fixed it, sent me on my merry way. I brought it to a shop a few years later to give it some TLC; they said they'd check the seals as those usually needed love first. When I picked it up, they told me the fork was in amazing condition, seals were perfect, all they could do was change the oil, and even that was pretty unnecessary. Marzocchi Z-5. Tougher than my stupid.

[cmbicycles]

One of the first times I went mountain biking, early 90's pre-suspension for all of us, a friend showed up on a Murray. We adjusted the seat in the parking lot and the seat binder bolt snapped, but since we had some vise grips in the trunk so held the seat clamp with those and went riding. Bike actually survived some decent trails, probably helped that the rider was 120 lbs soaking wet, but the seat held just fine.

[giverdada]

vice grips!!! amazing! :hello:

[ultraman6970]

I have done that trick with vice grips (we call them Caiman like the animal in my country), when i was a kid the clamp broke in my bmx bike, used a tiny v.grip to hold it, worked pretty well.

[Gummee]

I can tell you that Mountain Exage from 'way back when' held up to my abuse as a broke-arsed college student.

Otherwise, I don't have much off the top of my head

M

[cachagua]

Remember the Lambert bikes imported from England in the 1970s? Remember the cast aluminum (or "aluminium") forks that came on those things, that kept shattering and dropping people on their faces so often the CPSC quit letting them into the country? They actually bought mine from me, gave me full retail for the whole bike, so they could destroy it as part of their testing.

But not before I rode it for a couple of years, back and forth to high school, all over north Atlanta, nose-wheelies and bike-frisbee in the shopping-center parking lot, up and down badly eroded hiking trails in the river valley, all with *only* a front brake. (A useless second brake in the back? I'm so sure, who needs the extra weight! No front derailleur and no inner chainring either, for the same reason. It was 1X before 1X was a thing.)

Never had a problem. That fork was solid as a rock. Who knows the plastic surgery I could have gotten, if it had cut loose? That was before helmets were invented, too, of course.

Come to think, was that the bike I rode with the long, long 3TTT stem, which I'd drilled for the front brake cable? Ah, youth.

[soulspinner]

34000 plus miles on a Campy bb. Its still in there:hello:

[SoCalSteve]

34000 plus miles on a Campy bb. Its still in there:hello:

Yeah, but will ever be able to get it out?

[Kontact]

In the early '90s I was riding around screwing with the shifting on my Cannondale and rode right into a curb. The bike bounced right up over the medium high curb and I ended up stopped with the front wheel on the sidewalk and the rear on the street.

I weighed 140 pounds, the fork was an SR aluminum and the wheel was a 32 hole original Open4 CD rim with 20c tires.

No dings, bends, pinch flat or loss of true. I hit that curb so hard, I was shocked that nothing happened.

[William]

Still have DA 7400 group in rotation that just won't die. Had it since new and it's been on a few different builds. One brake/shifter started to gum up once but flushed it out with WD-40 and its worked fine ever since.






William

[gdw]

I've put well over 20,000 miles each on a couple sets of Sram 8 speed Shimano compatible Plasma and Attack twist shifters. They have minimal parts, are easy to maintain, and work well with any Shimano derailleur I've paired them with. I'd love to see Sram bring back an updated 10 or 11 speed version but it won't happen.

[pjbaz]

I'm not a huge mileage guy but I usually square away 1K a year, sometimes a little more, etc. but last year, because I figured I should, I changed my original 2004 Ultegra shift and brake cables.

Took them out and they look like brand new ... amazing. My guess is 10K on them. Still running the OG 6500 group (with new cables) :banana:

[pdonk]

I have Sun rims with the tcb coating that are 20 years old on my dekerf. They've been ridden hard and show no sign of giving up. Maybe the better part is the mavic paris dakaar front hub that is on its third rim yet only second set of bearings.

Chris king headsets probably shouldn't count. Have 2 that are 20 years old.

[Tony]

I've put well over 20,000 miles each on a couple sets of Sram 8 speed Shimano compatible Plasma and Attack twist shifters. They have minimal parts, are easy to maintain, and work well with any Shimano derailleur I've paired them with. I'd love to see Sram bring back an updated 10 or 11 speed version but it won't happen.

Same, thousands of miles, over 20 years, in all kinds of conditions, including coastal areas, still banging out perfect shifts.

[veggieburger]

Campy Electron wheels. My guess is they have 40,000 or more kilometers on them. One broken spoke, one bearing set replaced, and I'm no lightweight, biking on crappy streets on 23w tires.

The rear wheel is almost in need of a bullet, though. It's starting to make funny noises.

[zzy]

I am still using some 9sp 6510 bits from back in 2002. 9sp Shimano stuff just won't die.

[fignon's barber]

I got 26 years of service from a set of Tacx rollers. 20 of those years was when I lived in Michigan and did the majority of my training indoors on them. The last 5 years saw the rails held together by duct tape, before they eventually crumbled. I once calculated that I rode over 100,000 "miles" on them.

[Heisenberg]

I’ve done some really vile things to the pair of Bora 50 Ultra tubular rims I have, including singletrack, drops, and way, way too much gravel at low pressures, along with 20,000km of use. The rims always make it out unscathed.

[d_douglas]

I have a SSM Regal ti saddle that is as comfortable as the day I bought it (used) from a friend about 12 years ago. The bike slid down a wall last year and tore up the back corner, but I think it has 10 more years in it before I retire it. It is such a comfortable saddle.

[soulspinner]

Yeah, but will ever be able to get it out?

Um Um not sure...:)

[BobC]

Lemond Revmaster spin bike.

Abused for 15+years. Literally have not done a single thing to it. Refuses to die.

**Except I did replace the used, beat up speedplays when one finally locked up & almost sent me flying (now that would have been a story)

[quickfeet]

I'm not a massive fan of Shimano the company, but I have multiple pairs of m959 pedals with tens of thousands of miles on them and they still spin like silk and have never been repacked. Just bought another nos set too. I cannot kill them, they are the only things that have not ever been "upgraded"

[shovelhd]

I had a double rear flat on a group ride once. I had given my second tube to a fellow rider, and I don't carry patches. Instead of making the call of shame, I rode my 58mm generic carbon clincher 8 miles home on the flat. Climbing and descending were "interesting". The edges got a little chewed up, but they're still my main road wheels today.

[Gothard]

Edco competition hubs. Have them since 1990. The front is still in use. The rear retired to the trainer because 8sp. They have the grease port. Of the 3 sets I have, I had to change (1) bearing, 5$.

Mavic Ceramic rims. Look like the day I built them into wheels over 25 years ago.

[El Chaba]

I am still using some 9sp 6510 bits from back in 2002. 9sp Shimano stuff just won't die.

This is true that was durable stuff. The same was true for the 9 speed era Campagnolo Record and Chorus parts. IMHO, that era marked the high point for bicycle components in terms of aesthetics, function and durability combined.

[daker13]

Not a bike part, but I was given a Patagonia fleece by my aunt in about '91, I lived in SF at the time and had to go to Pacific Heights to exchange it for another size. I wore it a lot, and while I replaced it in '16, it's really not in that bad shape and I can't get myself to throw it away.

[Tandem Rider]

I have some old Campy NR and SR parts with well over 50k on them, and these are hard miles in all kinds of weather, on all kinds of roads and not roads, and tons of races. I finally just moved on, they wouldn't die. The parts will take much more abuse than any of the frames from that era.

[FastforaSlowGuy]

I️ rode a lot as a kid and was obsessed with all things euro. So I️ used my savings to get a set of hand built wheels: Ultegra hubs laced 3x to some Mavic GL330 rims, glued up with some Vittoria tires. I️ was pretty sure I was going to win the Tour on those wheels. Then I️ got in a NASTY crash and stopped riding. Wheels sat in my parents’ garage from 1993 until 2012. I️ came across them and thought, what the hell, let’s see if they roll. I’m sort of stupid at times, so I️ didn’t even reglue. After the first ride it sort of became a game of how long before the tires gave out. I put well over 1,000 miles on those things before I️ flatted.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[steelbikerider]

Some Dura Ace 7400 7-speed hubs from 1987. They are now 10 speed on their 3rd or 4th set of rims with 10's of 1000s of miles.

A Yakima roof rack still in use from 1986 on its 4th car( I keep cars for awhile too).

A couple of jerseys from mid 1980's that I can still wear and do on throwback Sunday rides.

My Silca pump from 1979 was in daily use until 2-3 years ago. Now it is a backup/travel pump.

[oliver1850]

In the early '90s I was riding around screwing with the shifting on my Cannondale and rode right into a curb. The bike bounced right up over the medium high curb and I ended up stopped with the front wheel on the sidewalk and the rear on the street.

I weighed 140 pounds, the fork was an SR aluminum and the wheel was a 32 hole original Open4 CD rim with 20c tires.

No dings, bends, pinch flat or loss of true. I hit that curb so hard, I was shocked that nothing happened.

Reminds me of a story that the owner of the lbs (who sold me my first good bike) told me. He was bombing down a hill at 30 mph in the Quad Cities with traffic alongside when a brick appeared in his path with nowhere else to go but over it. Hit it dead square and didn't even flat. I can't hit a 1" rock without pinch flatting, and once broke a tubular rim crossing a railroad track that was rough but nothing like hitting a brick.

The bike that he sold me was a Cannondale MTB with Suntour XCD. I had nearly 8,000 miles on it when it was stolen. I'd replaced the chain and cassette, probably wouldn't have needed the cassette if I'd known enough to replace the chain earlier. My '93 M800 is still going strong with the original LX. I don't think I've even replaced the chain on it.

[konaman]

am unsure how the new shimano stuff holds up. am on the 8-speed gear still. the UN71 and 91 bottom brackets live forever, as do their cranks and mechs. love their cone and bearing hubs too (maintenance every other year).

[oliver1850]

This is true that was durable stuff. The same was true for the 9 speed era Campagnolo Record and Chorus parts. IMHO, that era marked the high point for bicycle components in terms of aesthetics, function and durability combined.

Agree but the durability of the finish on 9 speed era Shimano is probably the worst of anything I can think of. DA is probably the worst of the lot but none of the groups' finishes hold up. Kind of a shame as 7700 is such beautiful stuff. I bought a 7703 bike last winter. The crank is a jewel but the finish was so bad that I had to sand and polish it. As for C9, Centaur/Daytona gives up nothing worth mentioning to the higher groups. Best stuff for the money ever in my opinion.

[El Chaba]

I got 26 years of service from a set of Tacx rollers. 20 of those years was when I lived in Michigan and did the majority of my training indoors on them. The last 5 years saw the rails held together by duct tape, before they eventually crumbled. I once calculated that I rode over 100,000 "miles" on them.

There is something really awesome about all of that....

[Alan]

Have been riding this saddle for 25K miles and shows no sign of giving up. Has been a great saddle for people who like narrow leather saddles. All parts are replaceable so should be around for a long time.

Alan

[marciero]

I have a 5700 long cage derailleur that jammed on our tandem. I had field repaired the chain while out of town several weeks earlier by removing a link, leaving it too short to cross-chain big-big. After not getting around to changing the chain I forgot not once, but probably a dozen or more times, ending up big-big and the cranks locking up. Each time we had to dismount but I was able to release tension on the chain by hand and get going again. Then on an overnight trip we really jammed it up. I thought the derailleur was destroyed. It was jammed into the cassette and I could not budge it, and it looked grotesquely disfigured. Nor could I even remove the wheel. I finally broke it loose by unbolting the derailleur itself. Getting it back together, it did not even need an adjustment. I did end up replacing the pulleys since they were chewed up. Credit to my stoker for not giving me a hard time for putting off changing the chain. She did, however, forbid me from using the big ring until I fixed it. A few times I tried to sneak it in and she would refuse to pedal.

[Bob Ross]

I bought a 1986 Bridgestone 600 in 2007 that was 100% original equipment. Like, even the inner tubes were the ones that came with the bike when new. Clearly the previous owner had never ridden this thing, because as soon as I started riding it in 2007, parts started failing. At this point I have replaced nearly everything on the bike except the frame and the fork

...and the front derailleur. That Suntour still works like it was made yesterday!

[tv_vt]

DA7700 sti shifters still going strong close to 20 years later. Same for 7700 hubs.

Patagonia fleece vest still used 18 years after purchase.

Mavic Reflex clincher rims still in use after first build in 1995.

Coffee mug still sitting on my desk at work. Gift from college girlfriend in 1975.

Oster blender purchased in 1977 still on kitchen counter and sees almost daily use.

Single sheet of green construction paper - has rows of monthly and yearly mileages logged since 1989. Just about at the bottom of the sheet...

[Bob Ross]

Coffee mug still sitting on my desk at work. Gift from college girlfriend in 1975.

Oh, if we're going that route... I still have (and regularly use) the phillips head screwdriver that my Dad gave me in 1966.
You just can't kill a well-made tool. Lord knows I've tried.

[ptourkin]

I am still using a pair of original M747 pedals. They've been overhauled once.

[Monthly Payment]

Almost anything from DeFeet but the slipstream shoe covers in particular. I bought a pair in 1996 and just threw them out last year. That cordura is pretty tough stuff. I would have kept them going if I had bought them in black instead of white. The white got pretty dingy looking but held up great.

[Wayne77]

I have a set of Taxc Tao cages bought in 2003 that have outlasted 9 other sets of cages. Love these cages. The first to go (and first to chuck bottles) are the CF uber light ones. I'm the opposite of a technology curmudgeon, but when it comes to cages I am.

My Dewalt cordless drill...marriage gift from my Father in law in 1996. It just won't die and I have been very mean to it :-)

[keevon]

I just can't kill my two Surly frames - Pacer is 15 years old , Steamroller is at least 10. Both are still ridden heavily and, dare I say it, ride pretty nice.

[MesiJezi]

I have a set of Taxc Tao cages bought in 2003 that have outlasted 9 other sets of cages. Love these cages. The first to go (and first to chuck bottles) are the CF uber light ones. I'm the opposite of a technology curmudgeon, but when it comes to cages I am.

I found a pair of these for $5 each at the used bike parts store a couple months back and I felt a little guilty for only paying $10 for them!

[fignon's barber]

There is something really awesome about all of that....

Thanks. My only regret is that I didn't take a photo of it before it went in the dumpster.

[john903]

I have a Campy record bottom bracket from 2000 with who knows how many thousands of miles on it. It has been on 3 different bikes over 18 years and just keeps quietly spinning away.
Have a great day.

[martl]

I have done that trick with vice grips (we call them Caiman like the animal in my country)
Where i'm from, they are either called "Englishman" or "Frenchman" :)

How's this for a bush fix:

A clubmembers crank snapped off halfway through an century ride in the alps between summit 2 and 3. Another participant stopped and offered to help. He produced a numer of zip-ties and this was the result:

https://fotos.rennrad-news.de/img/photos/2/0/9/0/_/large/kurbel2.jpg?0 (https://fotos.rennrad-news.de/p/120074)

https://fotos.rennrad-news.de/img/photos/2/0/9/0/_/large/kurbel1.jpg?0 (https://fotos.rennrad-news.de/p/120073)

That crank held up nicely until the finish line and has thus conquered the Bernina pass.

[Bob Ross]

I have a set of Taxc Tao cages bought in 2003 that have outlasted 9 other sets of cages.

Wow. I used to love the Tacx Tao cages...but after I destroyed more than a half dozen of them in a <5 year period, Tacx refused to continue sending me replacements, and explicitly said "perhaps the Tao is not the appropriate cage for you. We suggest you try our [traditional alloy model]."

That L-shaped bracket that supports the bottom of the water bottle would snap in half right at its 90° bend whenever I hit a modest bump. And always the cage mounted on the seat tube. Tacx even sent me a handful of replacement L-brackets, but when those started snapping too they cut me off completely.

I don't know how anyone can get 14 years out of a Tao cage! It's too bad, because when they work I do like them a lot: Very easy to get bottles in or out, but never seem to jettison a bottle unintentionally. Weird.

[Wayne77]

I don't exactly baby these things... maybe the manufacturing process has changed? Oh well, I just bought a new set for another bike. We'll see how they hold up.

Wow. I used to love the Tacx Tao cages...but after I destroyed more than a half dozen of them in a <5 year period, Tacx refused to continue sending me replacements, and explicitly said "perhaps the Tao is not the appropriate cage for you. We suggest you try our [traditional alloy model]."

That L-shaped bracket that supports the bottom of the water bottle would snap in half right at its 90° bend whenever I hit a modest bump. And always the cage mounted on the seat tube. Tacx even sent me a handful of replacement L-brackets, but when those started snapping too they cut me off completely.

I don't know how anyone can get 14 years out of a Tao cage! It's too bad, because when they work I do like them a lot: Very easy to get bottles in or out, but never seem to jettison a bottle unintentionally. Weird.