What did you buy your ebike this week?

[steve_sordy]

More than ten years ago, I bought some Oakley Straightjacket specs with prescription lenses (even more expensive). Brilliant quality lenses, photo-reactive, anti-glare, tinted, range of colours. The nose bits and the socks that fit on the end of the arms are made from some rubbery material that grips even when I'm sweating like a pig. They have never fallen off even when I have hit the ground hard. I replace the lenses when I get a new prescription that is different enough to require change.

Shortly after I first got them, I trod on them, felt the crunch and knew instantly what I'd trodden on. I was in the French Alps at the time, no chance of repair or replace. I looked down and saw the specs in pieces, aaarrrgghh! But the arms just popped back into place and I've been wearing them ever since.

In addition to being able to replace the lenses, I can buy new socks and nose bits if required.

Buy cheap buy twice was an understatement.

PS: Don't buy them from Oakley, other places can supply them more cheaply, especially if you want to fit prescription lenses.

 

[ashleydwsmith]

I agree, most branded sun glasses are a total rip off. Profit margins will be insane.

To put it in to perspective, where I work our £169 frames cost us about £12-£15 to buy. The lenses then about an extra £5 per lens.

 

[Tubby G]

To put it in to perspective, where I work our £169 frames cost us about £12-£15 to buy. The lenses then about an extra £5 per lens.

If you’re in the industry, can you recommend a brand of sunglasses that will provide great quality lenses with all the coatings, polarised etc, that DON’T sell at inflated prices and make an extortionate profit margin. Not MTB, just sunglasses in general ? Thanks

 

[Marksou]

I just buy Bolle safety glasses. Good lenses and cost about £10 on eBay.

 

[RustyMTB]

To put it in to perspective, where I work our £169 frames cost us about £12-£15 to buy. The lenses then about an extra £5 per lens.

I'm relaxed about that. How often does anyone buy glasses? If it was tins of beans, then yes, it's gouging. OTOH, an opticians with a thousandth of the footfall of a supermarket still has to pay the bills. And buy cheap, buy twice isn't aimed at anyone in particular, it's just a truism. In life, you generally get what you pay for. Plenty around here happy to drop 10k+ on a Spesh because to them, it represents a level of quality they desire.

Whether that's true or not with those is another matter

 

[ashleydwsmith]

Also another point, I bought a pair of Oakleys with photochromic lenses about 8 years ago, still work perfectly fine and in reality have cost me £21 a year.

 

[VWsurfbum]

100% I have 4 or 5 pairs of prescription Oakleys, I'm a total Oakley fanboi, but when it comes to riding glasses in the mud and crappy conditions I use the above. The way i see it for my £14.00 glasses i have saved 28 times the cost of replacing my Oakleys if i break them.

 

[RustyMTB]

I use a pair of what I think are roadie shades. I ordered something off Ribble years ago & they sent sunnies in error. Rang them up & they said we'll re-send your order, keep the glasses. Can't get cheaper than that I suppose.

 

[St4nley]

Riding glasses are soooo expensive though, I really don’t know how they justify their prices

For example, take these POC glasses: POC DO Blade Clarity Sunglasses | Chain Reaction

On sale for £110

As far as I can tell, the lens is the same as what you get with the POC goggles, but you can pick up the goggles for around £40

The frames are simple plastic, so where does the extra £70 over the goggles come from ?

The 100% glasses are around £200, goggles around £60, again same lens (as far as I can tell)

I suspect the profit margin on sunglasses (not just MTB) is huge and we are simply paying for brand name & vanity

We both have POC Crave Clarity, while i'll agree they are not cheap to buy we feel they are worth it as the lenses work great when riding in and out of shaded tree trails with the changing light conditions, they work really well as we are both Contact lens wearers also they do not steam up at all, and I can sweat!!, so if they are on offer at £110 they would be a good buy with the Clarity lenses, and whichever frame.

But as said I do agree riding glasses are expensive.

 

[Tubby G]

We both have POC Crave Clarity, while i'll agree they are not cheap to buy we feel they are worth it as the lenses work great when riding in and out of shaded tree trails with the changing light conditions, they work really well as we are both Contact lens wearers also they do not steam up at all, and I can sweat!!, so if they are on offer at £110 they would be a good buy with the Clarity lenses, and whichever frame.

But as said I do agree riding glasses are expensive.

It was the POC Clarity glasses I was after, but couldn’t swallow the bitter taste of parting with over £100+ for a pair of shades when the goggles with the same lenses only cost me £40! You seem to get more ‘product’ with goggles too!

This discussion came from me already purchasing a pair of Sweet Protection glasses at half price, so certainly can’t justify getting the POC’s now too, although now you’ve made me wish I had haha

 

[BeBiker]

A deeply damaged BR-MT520 Caliper.
No idea what the previous "new" buyer did with this:
Return procedure is running. What a waste of time. Again.

 

[St4nley]

It was the POC Clarity glasses I was after, but couldn’t swallow the bitter taste of parting with over £100+ for a pair of shades when the goggles with the same lenses only cost me £40! You seem to get more ‘product’ with goggles too!

This discussion came from me already purchasing a pair of Sweet Protection glasses at half price, so certainly can’t justify getting the POC’s now too, although now you’ve made me wish I had haha

Yes I see what you are saying but we spend a fortune on wear & tear products for our expensive mtb/Emtb's so I see it as these glasses will last quite a few years for the money.

 

[steve_sordy]

Early on in my mtb career, I was making do with normal specs when twice in 5 mins I got a stick bumping into the bony orbit around my eye. A fraction of an inch either way and I would have lost my right eye. Someone up there is trying to tell me something is what I thought, so I decided to get some proper protection. I looked at safety specs, all sorts of things. Problem was I needed prescription lenses and did not want to use contact lenses. As posted previously on this thread, I chose the Oakley Straitjacket. Never regretted the purchase, not once. I am pretty sure that they have saved my sight on numerous occasions.

 

[skinipenem]

Most of the time I wear hardware store clear safety glasses for trail/xc and goggles for lift served.

Fwiw

 

[iXi]

Yep mine are $10 safety glasses with the blue I'm red green colour blind it makes it easier to focus on the trail, if I wear a brown tinted lens I really struggle with the transition between the trees and trail.

 

[Zaskar20]

Looking forward to setting this up.

 

[Rob Rides EMTB]

Great find on this wheelset @Sweatyhogg

DT Swiss with new EXP hub at £340 using the CRC code! RRP on these is apparantly £900+!

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[ilostmypassword]

Maxxis Dissector tyre as I pinch flatted/ cut on a rock. Damn expensive fix on a 12 week old bike I'll put more air into the tyres from now on

Also a one up dropper to replace the oddly short Giant dropper that came stock on the new bike. I'm a freak I think as I'm running a 170mm dropper on a small! Now it drops 100% to seat tube vs about 4 inches from 100% with the Giant. Who specs these bikes? I think that's the only upgrade for a while. Until I destroy the wheels...... I feel its only a matter of time

 

[Tubby G]

Now then. I’m the kind of guy that can’t stand bright sunlight. I wear sunglasses when it’s raining. I live in shades all year round. I’ve been after a pair of riding glasses for a long time but haven’t been prepared to splash the cash on the extortionate prices that are asked for

Been down the Screwfix / Toolstation safety glasses route. They’re fine, but steam up when stationary or climbing. Then bought some Melon Optics sunglasses last year as they were on offer and not too bad a price. Great glasses, no good for riding. Steam up when stationary or climbing and plunge me into total darkness within the trees

So, spotted an offer on Stiff’s website, Sweet Protection’s Ronin MAX Rigs for half price. Industry leading lenses according to the marketing blurb. BIXBRITE being the perfect lens type for UK weather. Thought I’d give them a go and part with my money (even at half price they’re still quite an investment compared to the Screwfix options)

View attachment 91773

First impressions … Not great. Feel cheap, plasticky frame, rubbery nosepiece which no doubt will slide around when sweaty, but the lenses do seem pretty damn sexy. They do fit well though and provide a clear line of vision in all directions. Haven’t ridden in them yet, just wore them in the garden looking at colours in amazement. Time will tell if I’ve been ripped off, or if I’ve bagged myself a decent set of riding shades for a bargain price

Just a quick update on these glasses after riding in them all weekend, if anyone’s interested

The lenses are indeed top quality. The contrast in the shade of the trees is excellent and the trail is easily seen, even in the darkest corners of the forest. No fogging or steaming up of the lenses either, and this weekend was probably the best test for that we’ll ever get here in the UK as it’s been around 28 deg C and I’ve done over 60 miles and 7000ft elevation in total

However, after a few hours of wear I did begin to notice the frame itself isn’t too comfortable on the ears, and the rubber nose band does indeed start to slip a little on my sweaty face

Also, these are the MAX size, so the largest lens, but they are quite narrow on my face, not fully wrapping around as other glasses would

So in summary, I’l be wearing them all summer and very happy with the lens, but they’re not the perfect shape for my face so will probably keep looking and perhaps one day treat myself to the POC AIM’s that do measure wider and are a more ‘wraparound’ shape

Sunglasses are quite a personal fit so they really need to be tried on before purchasing. Lesson learned

 

[Dannage]

Got some new rotors, rear mudrocker and gloves. Parachute helmet for when it gets riskier.

Rotors are way more aggressive and the bite is so much stronger. Going to need to change pads a lot more I think with these.

 

[Levo Laland]

Got some new rotors, rear mudrocker and gloves. Parachute helmet for when it gets riskier.

View attachment 92159

View attachment 92160

Rotors are way more aggressive and the bite is so much stronger. Going to need to change pads a lot more I think with these.



View attachment 92158

Hi, where did you buy the rotors?

 

[AJB]

New cassette & running gear… appears I’m rather lead footed still!

 

[Marksou]

Some Endura Hummvee II shorts for £35 from Leisure Lakes. Grey camo colour scheme but at that price who cares

 

[thecremeegg]

Got myself a new Super Deluxe Ultimate rear shock for £150 from Wiggle - they're clearing the 2021/22 stock in preparation for the new 2023 models so it's time to get a bargain! Also picked up a Charger 2.1 RC2 Damper for my Lyriks so it's been a good day for suspension for me hah!

 

[Dannage]

Hi, where did you buy the rotors?

Rotors from Bikeinn -

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[Tubby G]

Ok I didn’t buy these, they were a present, but well chuffed with the quality. From Discobrakes

 

[RustyMTB]

Lyrik 160 up front & a Deluxe ultimate behind. The Deluxe is new, the Lyrik off Ebay I serviced the lowers before fitting on the Lyrik, it was ok, bit dirty inside but nothing terrible, I'm noticing the HSC knob turns when I move the LSC one, unless I hold it still, despite cleaning & lubing the dials. At a guess, I need to service the charger damper but I'll get to that in a week or two.

Oh & a set of decals from Slik for the forks, get rid of the disco stickers

 

[CannonFodder]

Well I have got a bit carried away with purchasing bits for my eMTB

Ordered a VolSpeed V4 - should be here Thursday providing they don't get too excited in NI down tonight!

Ordered a SKS Mudhugger - Should be here in about a week apparently.

Then tonight I popped onto CRC,,,,what was I thinking,,,all I had to do was spend £75 on clearance items and I get £10 off,,,how did I get over £100 for frig sake;

I can blame @shockwave for this;

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Then a Torque Wrench would be a good idea wouldn't it, to be fair I have been planning on buying a low torque wrench for a while;

LifeLine Essential Torque Wrench Set | Chain Reaction

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Ohh maybe it would be good to be able to split the chain;

Birzman Chain Link Removing Pliers | Chain Reaction

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Gonna try this bottle holder, not sure if I have the room on the Moterra but if not I will find a home for it somewhere, RED ones are always the fastest, aren't they?

Prime Doyenne Bike Bottle Cage | Chain Reaction

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I like gadgets so one of these was a must;

LifeLine Pro Chain Cleaner | Chain Reaction

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No idea what I am going to do with this either, but I am good to go when I figure out this suspension malarkey;

LifeLine Shock Suspension Pump | Chain Reaction

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Right I need to go and lie down and stay away from biking websites for a while

 

[thecremeegg]

Lyrik 160 up front & a Deluxe ultimate behind. The Deluxe is new, the Lyrik off Ebay I serviced the lowers before fitting on the Lyrik, it was ok, bit dirty inside but nothing terrible, I'm noticing the HSC knob turns when I move the LSC one, unless I hold it still, despite cleaning & lubing the dials. At a guess, I need to service the charger damper but I'll get to that in a week or two.

View attachment 92196
Oh & a set of decals from Slik for the forks, get rid of the disco stickers

Is there a reason the shock is that way round? I don't think it matters but I've never seen one that way up before!

 

[thecremeegg]

I got the Charger 2.1 RC2 because Charger 3 upgrade kit will not be available before early 2023.

I don't think the Charger 3 is backwards compatible, unless they haven't updated the websites yet? You can buy the upgrade but it says only compatible with 2022 forks - I was looking at hte 3 and bought the 2.1 instead