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

[martl]

Originally Posted by ultraman6970

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:





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

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by Wayne77

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.

Originally Posted by Bob Ross

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.