I wish they hadn't discontinued.......

[sspielman]

In the never ending quest to offer us new and exciting products, cycling manufacturers are constantly discontinuing great products. What is the product(s) that you miss most?
For me, it is the Selle Italia Mythos saddle...I also like the Flite WITHOUT embroidery....the 400g Mavic GP4 Rims were far too useful to discontinue.....ITM PRO 260 bars in the traditional Strada bend....a sensible weight and a great shape.... Carnac Diagonale shoes...Briko Stinger sunglasses.....Magic Guanto gloves....

[dbrk]

My list would stretch to the moon.

At this point if I REALLY like it after I've had it just a short while, I buy another and leave it in the box. It's not only that things will be discontinued, it's that they will be "improved" and almost always in ways that screw up the earlier version, say, Pearl Izumi's Tokyo Tights, now just another slick, gooey thing when they were once respectable looking draws you could wear to the market. I am on my second and last pair. I love Aurora Shoes (aurorashoes.com) so much that I have, at last, a lifetime supply. Each pair lasts about six years if you take care of them. I reckon I have (with The Blessing) about thirty years before I can't tell left from right, let alone what shoes I am wearing, so I have a trunk of six pairs and plan on a few more before they disappear (because all the really great things I like somehow don't survive or are improved for the worse).

The other side of the coin are the best things that do last (but alas most of those are gone too...): Maxi-Car hubs (about a zillion times better than any others, ever, period...), Simplex 5500 derailleurs, Rivendell Silver shifters, a proper automatic/wind-up watch, stuff like that.

I am, alas, a hoarder, a collector of stuff I will use, and a keeper of things that I may never use or get to use, but I have not the slightest inhibition or "guilt" about owning anything. It's all temporary, as we are, but that doesn't mean it's a bad thing to love what you like. I don't live like it's a penance nor believe that I have to purge my material world to make meaning or to live better. Life's too short not to love the good stuff. It's just up to you what you think is the good stuff.

dbrk

[ergott]

Aspide saddle with the embroidery. It is much classier than the current. I'd sooner just get one in all black.

Hey, does anybody know how to get the silly stripes et al off this saddle?

I know a shop that has one, possibly two, mythos saddles. They were there for the 5 years I managed it, and I doubt they were sold in the last year or so. PM me and I'll give you the details.

[Samster]

Suntour Superbe track group. I miss it badly. A lot cheaper than Campy Pista. Just as functional and pretty...

--sam

[Tailwinds]

[QUOTE=sspielman]I also like the Flite WITHOUT embroidery[QUOTE]

It's back and not too hard to find.

[chrisroph]

time impacts, carnac quartz, sella max flite trans am, clement--criterium seta, criterium cotton, strada 66, paris roubaix, simplex dt retrofriction shifters, c record cranksets, campy c record high flange track hubs, nitto built ritchey quill stems.

The old style Pearl Izumi Gel Lite Gloves that actually lasted a few years.

[Tailwinds]

The old Pearl Izumi Gel gloves from around '99-'00... thick padding in the palm and an actually useful amount of terry cloth on the back. Also miss their old Ultrasensor fabric. The lycra in all of their new shorts seems to disentegrate way before it should. At least they brought back the discontinued the Air-Oh! headband recently under some other name.

[bluesea]

- C-Record level of polish, and attention to detail.
- Simplex retro-friction

[vaxn8r]

Seems like there is a lot of PI stuff on this thread.

Throw in PI AmFib leg warmers...essential for PNW winter riding. Anyone know where to still find these?

Thankfully the Flite came back unimbroidered. Still perfect after all these years.

DBRK...proper auto/wind up watch? You mean like a Rolex? Admittedly an overpriced workhorse but a workhorse none the less.

[Ozz]

Originally Posted by dbrk

... Pearl Izumi's Tokyo Tights, now just another slick, gooey thing when they were once respectable looking draws you could wear to the market. I am on my second and last pair....

I bought a pair of the originals back in 1989....still have them, but they are looking a bit worn and the logo patch has long since worn away.

Wonderful tights....wore them as warm ups for soccer, X-country skiing, and casual wear around the house.

Definitely should have bought another pair, as I have never found anything close to them for comfort and style.

BTW - Swiss Army Brands offered an automatic watch a couple years ago. It went for about $400....have not seen one since I first saw it. I have no idea if they still offer it.

[The Spider]

Glad to hear it!

My first pair of PI kneewarmers lasted 3 years, the second pair 2 years and now I'm lucky to get a year....every year the lycra gets thinner???

[sevencyclist]

Fat City Cycle MTB bikes

Mountain Goat MTB bikes

Bridgestone Bicycle

[billrick]

MTB thumb shifters. I have the Paul Thumbies, and they are cool, but they are still a kludge.

Product I am hoarding now: Kool Stop salmon brake pads. Can you imagine a world without these?