I read that as “I have a coffee that I bought in 2004.” 
But 
on the Calfee!
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Have you considered getting a used bike?
Its a good point, generally I have always “upgraded” as I bought new bikes so I was keen to get the latest and greatest. I would jump at a 2nd hand Ti 29er frame if one were available but would probably be a bit more hesitant to go for a carbon…
On the mountain bike side, there is simply no question. Just try to find a mountain bike that is not 1x and entry-level.
Certainly I can see some advantages of 1x (simplicity, maintenance, weight - possibly) but I have to say at the weekend on one particularly stiff ramp (prob 30%+), I resorted to my granny ring and passed a lot of people pushing their 1x’s already on their “dinner-plate”. I guess I am still not convinced 1x a solution that is pushed to us because its better for the rider as opposed to the manufacturer
That’s the claim, but it also coincided with a sharp decline in quality.
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In general I try to buy quality stuff and also to keep it quite long. I kept a road frame 12 years and had to replace it due to aluminium corrosion at the BB, keep my iPhones 5-6 years, buy shoes that can be resoled etc. I currently have two custom steel bike frames for road and gravel (stainless steel for the road bike) and hope that they last a life-time. Baring an accident or them getting stolen I think the biggest issue could be parts. For instance I’m not sure how long in the future I can find performance rim brake group sets or wheels, or how long the gravel bike dropout or disc standard will remain what it is etc…
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Literally never have to replace is a huge ask. The only items like that in my household are the Le Creuset enameled cast iron. Provided I don’t damage the enamel, those are going to last my lifetime.
Do any sports items meet this description? In 2007, I bought a custom road bike thinking in general that it would be a lifetime purchase, or at least until my body physically couldn’t hold the position. 15 years later, technology has advanced significantly. I can see that I’d like to get a custom disc brake bike sometime within the next few years. Hopefully that will last a very long time. I intend to keep that older bike in active use until 2027, when it will be 20 years old. It doesn’t have to be my primary bike, but I strongly believe I will be actively riding it.
It’s striking that nobody mentioned power meters as buy for life items. They are very expensive pieces of equipment. Yes, they’re electronics, but they aren’t like computers where the software is upgraded annually, more powerful processors come out annually, etc. You should be able to keep them running for a long time. And yet, there doesn’t seem to be that expectation. I wonder how long they last on average. With disc wheels, I know technology marches on, but I think we’re at the point of diminishing returns. Can we expect a pair of well-built, quality carbon wheels to last over a decade of regular use (excepting bearing replacements)?
And what about groupsets? Yes, they’re mechanical items. Never mind the consumable bits. The derailleur pivots to eventually wear out, and if not that the motors, or something in the mech shifter will break (albeit if Campy or maybe SRAM, you may be able to get spares and repair it), or the battery is going to be worn out. I want to think that the expected survival time should be something like a decade. The thing is, you may not be able to get spares by then. It seems like for Shimano and SRAM electronic, you can’t count on spares 10 years out.
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Concept 2 Model C, 1997. Some years have seen more use than others, but easily several thousand hours with multiple users. Have upgraded the PM and replaced handles and seat, but everything else still going strong.
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Yes, Concept is an amazing company and the products are built to last a lifetime. I have rowed since college back in the 80’s, have had a Concept 2 for just about 20 years now (admittedly it spent a good number of years forgotten about in the garage!). Parts are available even for the earliest models. I just recently bought the PM5 upgrade which is a great improvement.
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Yeah, there might not be as many things that are truly ‘for life,’ but I think it’s reasonable to mention things you expect to get say 10+ years of pretty trouble free experience from.
Related to the above, I was actually tempted to mention my Garmin 935 watch. It’s at >5 years now and I am still perfectly happy with it. I see the newer versions but don’t have any temptation. It’s got all the features I want, still runs great, still has fantastic battery life, etc.
I’ve got a power2max powermeter which has been trouble free for about 6 years now. It just works. All the time, every time. Can’t say the same about the powertap p1, multiple Quarqs, and Garmin vector 1 and 2 all which had issues (some requiring replacement) at some point during my time with them
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My wife?
I kid i kid…
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For everyone who said Vitamix Blender - mine is starting to go, and I’ve heard others say the same. Every once in a while it gets a nice strong electrical smell and turns off. Once the magic smoke gets out, tough to put it back! Great blender, but not for life… I bet my Moka Bialetti espresso pot is for life as long as you don’t count the rubber gasket.
Weber Grill I’m going to say not even close based on my experience. Even stainless can eventually corrode, especially once exposed to high heat. I upgraded from a Weber to a Napoleon, and I’m not sure I’d expect that to be for life either. My Kamado Joe is a maybe in that category though as all the main parts are heavy ceramic.
LL Bean is nowhere close to what it once was. We have a house about 20 miles away and the main retail store in Freeport, ME is on one of my main summer road ride routes (and the Ben & Jerry’s next door.) Fun store, still like going there, but in general there are much better sources of most outdoor gear, clothing, and everything that they used to be known for.
Bike stuff: Some tools are definitely for life, especially high quality stuff from someone like Abbey. I have enough tubs of grease that I never need to buy another. Does that count?
Why are you afraid of carbon? Carbon works just fine on mountain bikes. Carbon frames, wheels and contact points are designed to be impact resistant. Carbon MTB wheels are usually much tougher than equivalent, heavier aluminum wheels.
You are omitting quite a few substantial advantages of 1x. Weight on a mountain bike isn’t as important as on road bikes. And by and large the change to 1x was really welcomed by the various MTB communities. So much so that Shimano did something unprecedented and had to release three or four tiers of 1x12 groupsets within one year to stop the bleeding — 1x12 is much better than 1x11, and a lot of bike manufacturers were switching to SRAM, because they had no other option.
- Removing the front derailleur gave frame designers much more freedom when designing bikes. A lot of suspension designs simply aren’t possible with a front derailleur. You should try to ride a modern mountain bike, especially a fully. Or better, don’t. Because if you do, the bike want will grow very strong.
- Rear suspension design isn’t just about “not having to be able to mount a FD”, the chain tension, and hence, the chain line has a strong influence on suspension characteristics. Equivalent gears on a 2x or 3x setup will have different chain tension, which leads to significantly different ride feel.
- When mountain biking you often have to quickly alternate between climbing mode and downhill mode. On a 1x it is much easier to dump a whole bunch of gears in either direction. On a 2x or especially 3x (my previous MTB also had a 3x10 drivetrain) this is much harder even if you cross chain a lot.
- On the mountain bike side, most riders quickly agreed that 1x12 was much better than 2x11. I don’t think there was a huge subset of people who thought 2x11 was better after trying 1x12.
- Gear range is just fine. Just compare my previous setup to a 1x12 setup on a 29er. Note that you need an easier gear ratio on the 29er to make up for the larger tire circumference. You essentially lose half a gear on the top end. With 1x11 you have to make a compromise, it isn’t ideal, but still works very well. On 1x you have the choice to put on even easier chain rings (28 teeth, perhaps even 26), so you’ll get a much easier gear than on any mountain bike with a front derailleur.
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Toyota Tacoma trucks. 2001, 298k miles original owner. Keep around because it just won’t quit.
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+1 for my Kurt Kinetic Road Machine. Mine is 22 years old and works just as well as the day I got it.
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Agreed. I bough some LLBean stuff over the last year after quite a while of not getting any. Very disappointed. Mediocre enough I wouldn’t go out of my way to go back to the brand
My messenger bag. Basically the same as when I got it in 2007 except for color fading and missing the chest strap (which was my fault).
The SPD/flat pedals I have on my commuting bike are about as old and showing no signs of dying, either.
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I started riding with powermeters about 14 years ago and went with a powertap hub. I remember the ANT+ versions were pretty new at the time. I gave that hub away with a set wheels for basically nothing and it was still working as well as the day I bought it. I bought 4 additional powertap hubs since then and still have 3. I had an electronics cap go out on one (under warranty), but they have all been trouble free other than that. I wouldn’t have expected these things to last as long as they have, but I guess there are really no moving parts except the bearings. I’ve switched to crank-based power on my disk brake bikes (mountain and gravel) and have 5+ years on a quarq dzero with no issues.
On carbon wheels, I’ve got a set of 404 firecrests that are over 10 years old with well over 50k miles on them. Pretty much the only wheelset I used on my main road bike for racing and training. Survived a few bad wrecks and lots of time in the rain and grit. I’m amazed the brake track has not worn down, there is no way an aluminum rim lasts that long. The front hub is a dt swiss 240 with original bearings and the rear is a straight pull powertap hub that replaced the original PT hub (to lighten it up a bit). Again, I would not have expected the wheels to last this long given the miles I’ve put on them. If these rim-brake firecrests have lasted this long, I have to believe that quality disc brake carbon wheels (with no direct wear) will pretty much last forever (except hubs and spokes/nipples).
Showers pass elite rain jacket and pants. They are probably 8 years old now and still work great. The crotch wore out on one pair of pants but jacket is good as new!
LL Bean stopped honoring the lifetime warranty because too many people were buying used and worn out items on eBay and from thrift stores and then asking for warranty replacements.
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Large bus
Two bicycles, the 2005 Allez that is usually on my trainer and the MTB I ride with my wife. Was riding the Allez outdoors when my Tarmac broke and it’s still a good ride. The Speedplay X2 pedals I bought with it I still use on my new Tarmac; the X5s now on the Allez are not as old but still over 10 years. I expect the Speedplays will eventually be retired due to cleat unavailability, alas.
I thought my Garmin 500 was 10+ years but it’s only from 2016. Still kinda surprising it works fine with plenty of battery life, even after going through the dryer once or twice.