What highly rated products did the bike media convince you to buy, only to not live up to the review?

Roasted said:
*snip*
Hope C2 brakes - these barely had enough power to lock up a wheel, pulling an endo was almost impossible, and if not used regularly they would stick on needing a blead to fix. I considered switching back to rim brakes.
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Got 2 bikes here with C2 front & rear. Only issue I've found with them is the adjusters getting sticky if left at one end of their travel (and the bleed procedure is a bit of a faff by the book, requiring spillage of fluid). I am running DOT4 though maybe they prefer that to the official correct fluid

Roasted said:
DMR Jump Seat - for a saddle that was designed for abuse it certainly couldn't withstand being sat on. It's the only saddle I've had where the rails bent almost folding in half.

So what products were you duped into buying? Or, on the flip side, what poorly reviewed product turned out to be really good?
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DMR chain device here, the one with a bottom roller & pseudo mech-cage at the top. worked OK-ish to begin, although chain rubbed like a badly indexed FM in anything but gear 4 or 5. However the first time the roller took a hit (as it would on a bike used to anything near it's potential) it bent up like the cheap thin sheet metal it is causing it to constantly derail the chain until the roller was removed. Bin fodder...

Oh, oh, oh and... Anything made by SR Suntour. ESPECIALLY Hexatech or whatever the crappy 6-pointed BB profile was called. Not that they're inherently terrible, (although they likely are!) but because the threads are just that bit bigger than standard square tapered with the result that the snout of a crank puller sneaks inside the thread & chews up both axle and puller snout.

And the big one, Grip Shift... They raved over this crap IIRC & as soon as it hit the local bike shop I converted my old Townsend from TY thumbies, and it never shifted as badly. Every single Gripshift set up, SRAM or otherwise, I've ever tried has just reinforced my love of rapidfire or thumbies.
 
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wynne said:
Odyssey Aerator sestpost. Practically unusable.View attachment 801199

Easton Haven carbon wheels came with a no questions asked life time warranty which was impressive until i broke one and Easton told me my failure wasn't covered. Brilliant until they went wrong - so probably the best and worst product.
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That was really a thing? Hell, I saw the major issue with it as soon as I realised what it was! Maybe usable with Spin wheels, not sure if the valve hole is centred between spokes on those?
 
rentedmule said:
Bad: Syncros seatposts, SDG BelAir saddle, Shimano dual control and rapid rise (I agree on the RS Indy forks)

Good: Trek Y, Nashbar 853, Englund Total Air
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OMG yes - Shimano dual control never felt great on Gen1. I had them on a top normal mech too (first time) which did not make things easier. Apparently Gen2 was a lot better but the damage was done by then…

I still don’t have a single chainring mountain bike with a dinner plate rear cassette …but they seem to make sense?
 
Oh I had forgot Rapid Rise. It worked until the spring weakened, when it would upshift when out of the saddle on the steepest climbs. Genius.
Shimano solves another non-existent problem.

1x only make sense if you are in the business of selling cassettes. Worse chainline for the highest loaded gears.
 
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