Odd Stuff that Defies Standardisation

[velomaniac]

When I bodge about with bikes of all kinds I come across stuff that is just plain odd. When it would be easier just to bolt on some standardised piece of kit some manufacturer just decides to do their own thing.

Removed a crank today that was fitted to a standard square taper bottom bracket. I could not use a crankpuller as the cranks had no thread to wind in the puller onto. This was not because the threads were damaged or worn, they just were not there. The bike was an old Dahon and some searching suggests this was normal for Dahons of the same model. But why ?????????
I had to knock it off from behind with a hammer and an old blunt big screw driver.

Raleigh was infamous for its odd threading.

Grimeca had 5 bolt discs that were different than Hope 5 bolt discs but everyone else used 6.

Peugeot Like internal lugged frames so ridiculously skinny 23mm seatposts were required.

There are 2 sizes of 14 x 1&3/8th" tyres that differ by 10mm.

At least five tyre sizes are classed as 26".

I know its a stupid question but some stuff is just odd.

Go on tell me about bike stuff that you just dont get why the need to be different ?

 

[KermitGKona88]

Re:

22.0 quill stems, 56 bcd inner rings on microdrive chainsets....

 

[old_coyote_pedaller]

Re:

MTB wheels other than 26", there's 27.5"/650b, 650+, 29", 29+, WTF......... :facepalm:

:mrgreen:

 

[argonsixar]

Re:

press fit bottom brackets :roll:

 

[legrandefromage]

Stuck drive side cranks is easy

Old Raleighs are just weird though and low end Peugeots too

 

[tintin40]

Re: Re:

MTB wheels other than 26", there's 27.5"/650b, 650+, 29", 29+, WTF......... :facepalm:





Agree. No point in the bigger wheels. And yet seat posts are reducing the size on offer. 27.2; 30.9 & 31.6 seem to all thats on offer. The rest of us on the other sizes can get f**ked. Or buy a new bike :twisted: The number of good quality companies selling 26'' wheels, V brakes i can count on one hand.

 

[clubby]

Re: Re:

Fixed it

The number people wanting to buy good quality 26'' wheels, V brakes i can count on one website.

The amount of current manufacturers doing their own sizes and fitting just for the sake of it, is just madness.

Take rear thru axles. Axle size has been standardised at 12mm for ages, but frame makers are still using 3 different thread sizes. So if you need to replace yours, you need to hope its written on it somewhere what thread pitch it is.

Chainrings are as bad as ever. Shimano are still constantly changing BCD and most crank manufacturers have their own pattern for direct mount rings, all needing various tools to fit them. My Santa Cruz came with the original Hope cranks. Lovely looking things but need 4 or 5 bespoke tools to remove them and tighten chainring. At least they've seen sense and redesigned them. Best of the current crop are SRAM cranks. Chainring held on by 3 T25 torx bolts. Simple and effective.

Headsets. :facepalm: Tapered steerers are here to stay and for good reason. Stiffer than 1 1/8th for same weight and stronger, but why the need for internal cups, external cups, direct fit bearings etc?

I'm all for the reduction in number of seatpost sizes though. In fact I can't see why we still have 30.9 and 31.6?

The thing is though, for the majority of the bike buying public, none of this matters. They buy a bike and ride it. When bits break or wear out, they take it to a bike shop who then have the trouble of figuring out what fits. All the changing, non standard bits only affects serial upgraders or bodgers.
I don't think it's any worse than it used to be. When I started MTB'ing it was just as Hyperglide cassettes were coming in and older riders were complaining that they'd never had issue with freewheels. My first proper mtb, a Muddy Fox Cro Mega, had a 1.25" headset when the Tioga Avenger 1 1/8th was starting to win out as most common. Cantilever brake design changed every few years even before V brakes came along and needed a different set of levers.

 

[66 triumph daytona]

Re:

Pre 2000 "I.S."disc caliper spacing.Bane of my life.It would be ok if it was only on shite forks but its on possibly the best forks ever-Bomber Z.Makes running discs on these forks a pain.