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Anyone ever buy new parts, and NOT install them?

3K views 66 replies 50 participants last post by  Spencer Baum 
#1 ·
It's like a mental block or something. I've done this several times in the past. I get all excited, buy the stuff...anxiously wait for the UPS guy to show up, even paying for faster shipping sometimes...and then I let it all sit in the box. Scared to go for it. Contemplating selling it and moving on.

Am I alone here? Why is there such a mental block. It's only things I really don't need. And my brains says "don't be an idiot, keep what you have."

I have a whole box of drivetrain parts sitting here. Good stuff too, AXS XX1. XC biker here. 2 weeks on, still haven't even taken it up to the garage to begin.

Ugh.
 
#3 ·
I have some projects on the back burner for when I get around to it... an old 26er to switch over to discs after I rebuild an old Hayes caliper I have sitting around.

One time, I bought a rear rack for commuting on my road bike and never put it on... it ended up on my son's road bike last year for a multi-day trip he did.

If I bought a nice upgrade for my main bike, I'd have it installed ASAP.
 
#5 ·
I feel better now. At the end of 2019, I bought RaceFace G5 Next SL cranks and bb made just for my Otso Voytek. And a carbon Next bar and post and Turbine stem. All nice upgrades to my stock RaceFace Ride aluminum stuff. Then all the fat bike races got cancelled in early 2020, and they've been sitting here since. It's so stupid. I clearly don't need any of it, but it's long been paid for, and I'd just take a loss selling it...
 
#6 · (Edited)
I have. There's a new OneUp carbon bar sitting on my bench right now because I've got analysis paralysis. I was convinced I wanted more reach on my bike, so I bought a bar with 35mm rise, but its 35mm clamp and needs a new 50mm stem; to replace my 31.8 bar with 25mm rise and 50mm stem, my thought being that by using a high rise bar I can slide the stem down the steerer for more reach.

Now I'm too chicken to cut a new 800mm carbon bar down a measly 20mm to the same 780 width I've been running on TWO bikes for the past year. I've also somehow convinced myself that the 7mm of reach I intentionally sought out will make my bike more endo-prone in the steeps. <facepalm>

$150 for the bar, $80 for a stem, and $10 for stem spacers.... and I can't bring myself to put them on the bike.

Seeing that written out is pathetic. sigh. I need to man up. The bike in question is a 64* HTA, 1200mm wheelbase, 170/150mm travel smashwagon. And I'm somehow afraid of pushing my handlebars a quarter-inch further more toward the front wheel.
 
#10 ·
Yes, this happens to me. Sometimes I change my mind or I got lured by a good buy vs it being something I really needed. Lame, I know. Most often, like with my wheelset I had built recently, it is finding a large enough chunk of time to actually get the work done so that I don't leave it left part way done. When I do get a chunk of time that isn't spoken for, I usually go ride! The reality is that it probably won't take me that long to tape the rims, mount the tires and rotors, cut the steer tube down to eliminate that extra spacer, and cut the brake hose down to better dress the cockpit to get the bike where I want it. Maybe tonight. Oh, hold it, i'm going riding...
 
#17 ·
Same here.

I also find bikes pretty easy to work on so there's no feeling of "scared to go for it". My van elicits that fear and hesitation though. I had a power steering rack, pump, and tie rod ends sitting on a shelf in my garage for 2 years before I installed them (the leak was easy to live with). I'm also not looking forward to dropping the gas tank to replace a few hoses and some other work this weekend.
 
#15 ·
Not in the manner you describe. If I actually NEED the part, it goes on ASAP after it arrives, work starts many times within 5 minutes.
However, I frequently buy new part that I do NOT need....at that time. If I see a deal on anything, I snap it up. I have a NIB spare parts bin to almost build a complete bike. It usually goes with me on big trips just in case I need something. I don't want to be paying MSRP in an emergency.

@Impetus PM me, I'll buy that OneUp bar off you 😀
 
#16 ·
Two sets of decent cranks, two sets of rims, a decent fork, several new cassettes, brake pads, and a set of dual piston XT brakes - all NIB. Half this stuff was for a project bike for my brother who has since dialed back his interest. The other stuff is all upgrade stuff for me that I just haven't got around to installing yet. 3week old daughter here says it's going to be a while still.
 
#19 ·
Not often, but I've done it.

Bought a set of Deity Black Label bars in 800mm. Everyone was like "wider is better", blah, blah, blah. Ended hating the 800mm width so I cut them down to 780mm, which was still a bit too wide. I'm 5'7" so I'm short. Cut them down to 750mm, then had a momentary freak out thinking I cut them way too short and ordered a new set right then and there without ever going for a ride. Ended up being perfect at 750mm so now I have a brand new set of Deity bars laying around. Also changed the OEM RaceFace stem out to a 50mm Deity Copperhead stem because, at the time, I thought the RF stem was too short. Ended up not liking the 50mm stem and ordered a 35mm one instead, within like a week of buying the 50mm stem. lol. #fwp
 
#25 ·
So many new parts... Usually wear items like cassettes and chains that I got on sale. Then they just get loaded into tote bins in the garage (Hoarders style.) I did an ebike conversion on my old Surly Big Dummy and found an entire new 11-speed Shimano transmission in the tote bins. Turns out the 46 cog was way too big for something with a motor. Fortunately, I also had an entire new 10-speed Shimano transmission with an 11-36 cassette. The 11-speed is now on my Kona Unit, which I use for winter offroad riding (for the minimum number of moving parts without running a single speed.) I think I have a couple of new 9-speed shifters and derailleurs floating around. But I cleared out all of the 5-8 speed stuff around 5 years ago.
 
#29 ·
I have some uninstalled brake adapters.. but they were a bit hard to find to clear my calipers when I was building my hardtail, so I have some in the parts bin.. other than that, the parts bin is full of takeoffs... I do have a couple complete drivetrains in there though. Handy when it's time for a new full squish.
 
#30 ·
Yeah I did that. Actually it was quite recent. Wanted a 51 tooth in the back for climbing so I ordered a wide range 8 speed cassette for the bike a few months ago. Since I never use a few of the speeds on my 2X10 setup I thought going back to an 2X8 would be better. Never put it on. I didn't want to go through the hassle of removing the 2X10 drivetrain I have. Long story short I just left the 2X10 on the bike. It only has a 42 tooth for climbing but for now, that's fine.
 
#32 ·
This has happened to me a few times when I’ve bought and “extra” of some wear item, like a chain, tire, or cassette. By the time I would need them, I’ve moved on to a different drivetrain or taste in tires.
 
#33 ·
I only have one working bike right now (2012 Jamis Dragon 650b hardtail) so I tend to buy and keep stuff around that I might need so that I don't miss days of riding waiting for stuff to arrive. Examples include my favorite brake pads, cables, or an extra chain. Sometimes if I go to a bike shop and find something I like such as grips that feel really good, I might pick them up, keep them around and put them on when needed. More recently, I knew my MRP Loop fork was going to need service soon so again, to avoid down time, I went on ebay and picked up a budget X-Fusion Enix fork to have ready when it was time for the fork service. Of course, that resulted in me buying an extra crown race, Velofuze adapter to convert my thru axle hub hub to the 9mm Enix dropouts, and a DT RWS skewer. So yeah, I'm always thinking about my bike and wondering "What do I need?" Maybe it's time to just get another bike. 😃
 
#36 ·
I've done it in the past. The parts sat for months before I installed them. A lot of times its stuff I don't really need. I'll buy just because its a good deal...and not that I need it.

I do the same with my car parts too. I currently have some car parts that I bought months ago. They are still sitting in the box they got delivered in.
 
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