Value for money components.

[Markybeau]

Re:

Quite often the question is, for me anyway, 'what more am I going to get for the extra, or am I just buying the exclusivity?'

It's knowing with which component, or manufacturer, does the value peak, and the extra 'qualities' become negligible. Such as with Deore and XTR for instance.

I've started another thread about obtaining compatible chainrings, and have found some Deore rings at, what I think is a pretty good price. When I compare it to the price of an XT ring, where I can get 3 Deore rings for the same money, to me, for what I need, that's where I draw the line. I know I'm getting reasonable quality that won't be bested x times over, by the next, available, level up.

 

[mk one]

Have to agree with greencat above. Another twist if you like is that i used to go through rear hubs very regular back in the '90's, i got fed up having to source XT hubs all the time, mainly costs, so ended up using less expensive hubs, nearly lasted as long but a lot cheaper. Ended up really rating the old DX hubs. Though the one hub i still have from then is a dearer Goldtec which still spins smooth and forever, never had to service it either. Hope that helps

 

[Imlach]

I wouldn't buy a CK headset. It would make my build time a lot longer as 100+ gbp would allow me to get multiple bits for a build or a bike to strip for parts. I don't doubt the quality of CK headsets, but I can't get myself to spend that much. I generally buy Cane Creek and I would consider buying Hope, but even Hope is at the higher end of the scale for me. CK headsets are a perfect match of superb quality and cool factor though!

 

[Tootyred]

This all rounded very grown up thinking with your heads stuff....but, let's be honest, if a set of xtr stuff turned up a price you thought a bargain I'm not sure theres many people who would say "no thank you, im sticking with my deore stuff".

I would not go out and buy expensive gear, weight is a myth beyond a point ( save 10g on a caliper,.....just have wee before you go out or put one less useless energy bar in the seat pack)., nor would I buy "the name", but I've got a level I accept as I'm sure you all do.

The trick is to be happy in your purchase, dont feel dragged to it and stop trying to justify enjoying a bit of hedonism.

 

[Imlach]

This all rounded very grown up thinking with your heads stuff....but, let's be honest, if a set of xtr stuff turned up a price you thought a bargain I'm not sure theres many people who would say "no thank you, im sticking with my deore stuff".

I would not go out and buy expensive gear, weight is a myth beyond a point ( save 10g on a caliper,.....just have wee before you go out or put one less useless energy bar in the seat pack)., nor would I buy "the name", but I've got a level I accept as I'm sure you all do.

The trick is to be happy in your purchase, dont feel dragged to it and stop trying to justify enjoying a bit of hedonism.

But... shiny stuff!!!

 

[Tootyred]

Umm. Shiny.

 

[dyna-ti]

Hope this isn't a thread about how pricey or overpricey they are :shock: glances at the ti version sitting on the living room mantelpiece.

I suppose there and with anything its partly about what your intended purpose is. ?. Go smashing down a hill hitting everything there is to be hit, then a CK is not the best choice by far. More likely a cane creek weight 200g+ and designed for smashing down a hill hitting everything there is to be hit would probably be the better choice.
But on sweeping singletracks, more a countryside ramble than anything, then a nice well made ck of reasonable weight, but far exceeding any strength to weight to longevity ration than anyone else really(ok debatable, but 99 times they're of similar money)
Roadies seem to favour CK's, so there must be something in that :?

Any how

Best reliable is probably mid range Shimano, LX(or equivalent) or XT pretty much across the gear spectrum, with the exception of the wheels which I thought in this day and age and use cup and cone bearings were to fiddly for most riders to tackle, and cartridge was a better option for all(yup, had that debate too )
Brakes are really important and they excel there for sure money/power ratio. Shame they cannot be serviced, I think thats a big minus, though its really understandable given the size of their customer numbers.

Top kit longevity/reliability/capability.

XT Gear- mechs,shifters.- up to m750
Hope wheels up to bulb
Shimano brakes LX/XT or Hope for increased longevity.

 

[daugs]

I know that you only get what you pay for in life..........

actually what you get is what someone else is prepared for, as this "sets" market price, save for discussions on winners curse and all that nonsense. Your question sounds aimed at the quality issue which is around how well does it work, do its job etc where as said the cheap stuff is a compromise but the improvements become more marginal say from DX to XTR and often serve a different purpose lightness vs durability.

Price reflects bling factor, or desirability and what people with more cash want. Value for money may no longer be the priority.

 

[M-Power]

Re:

I remember the alloy XT headsets of the late 80s @ £30 ea iirc. One weekends hard riding and they had that lovely pitted bearing feeling and were toast. Not much more £45 iirc and you could fit a Mavic 315 which is still working flawlessly to this day. I never fitted CK headsets back in the day as they seemed a crazy price even trade. Its all relative and now I only use them on all my builds. They are fit and forget, even used ones have never given me any issues and if you sell you get a decent whack back.

 

[Tootyred]

That's an interesting point about value ...ie money.

A chainset costing £89.00 in 1989( that's about right for xt then I think), would now be £195.00 given inflation.

But they are not. They are £130 ish. As with most products the quality has been dialed down to compete with new markets and customer price expectation. Wheres the money gone.....well the last 2007 hollowthingy crank I had, broke in half down the middle and seemed to be made of laminated tin foil.

So it's back to the mt60 deore, 30 years of jumping on and still going!

Quality is still out there but in now seems relatively expensive in a cheap Chinese plastic world.

But hey! We are lucky as retro bikers the appalling manufacture processes of modern life dont effect our hobby!