Poor design

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Stew
Posts: 495
Joined: 02 Mar 2018, 10:21
Location: Staindrop, Darlington.

Poor design

Post by Stew »

Isn't it odd how big companies sometimes get design so wrong? Even when they have a history of getting it right.
I ordered a G-Shock for work use the other day (I work for a Fire Brigade) and I wanted something big, robust and with hands as well as a digital display. I've had G's before and been very pleased. Que the G shock GA-100-1A4ER.
It arrived, I liked the size, it looked good, and seemed easy to read in the daytime, but here's the thing, I need to read it at night, quickly and at a glance.
I woke for some reason in the wee hours and thought aha! I'll check the time. Oh dear. The hour hand is red, and you can't see it! the digital display is too small to read easily (and can be covered by one of the hands), and the LED back-light is angled so it hardly lights up the digital display, and is the wrong colour (orange) to light up the red hour hand. Bugger. If only the hour hand was white It would be fine.
Back it goes.
It seems I'm not the only one with problems reading the time on this thing. I normally steer clear of reviews unless they're by knowledgeable people I trust, so I didn't really see this coming.
It makes me wonder what other howlers are out there apart from a watch you can't tell the time with?
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Wayne_H
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Location: Temora, NSW. Australia
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Re: Poor design

Post by Wayne_H »

Hmmm, I have 2 G's and I consider them both excellent time pieces. What a shame your recent experiences demonstrate such fundamental mistakes from such an experienced company. Perhaps they have swallowed the Microsoft pill and started to believe their own advertising :cry: :roll:

I'll exercise all my self control and simply say that MS is another example of wtf!! I use MS software because I have to (work) not because I want to (grrrrr) :x :twisted: Most recent example - the latest Win10 update completely trashed the serial ports on both my home PC's, which I'm still working to totally resolve. Why in the 21st century you should have to shut down, then restart your PC, to resolve any problem is absurd - had to do it as recently as yesterday to convince MS that my laser printer was in fact still connected & happily awaiting a print job.

Thank heavens for the Linux community :geek:
End rant.... :oops:
Cheers,

Wayne
Once a Retrobate, always a Retrobate............ ;)
Stew
Posts: 495
Joined: 02 Mar 2018, 10:21
Location: Staindrop, Darlington.

Re: Poor design

Post by Stew »

I hear you Wayne. I have to use Win 10 at work, while I've been using Linux at home for years.
Stew
Posts: 495
Joined: 02 Mar 2018, 10:21
Location: Staindrop, Darlington.

Re: Poor design

Post by Stew »

If I seem picky about a watch, imagine what I'm like about bigger purchases like a bike, or a car...
I'm after a mountain bike this year, and my word what a minefield of design that is.
NeilMac
Posts: 165
Joined: 04 Feb 2019, 22:07
Location: Nth Somerset

Re: Poor design

Post by NeilMac »

"Would you like the free upgrade to Windows 10 sir?" What a mistake saying "yes" to that offer was.

As for bikes, back in the late 80's when I first started riding off road you chose a brand... now, I feel sorry for the retailers who are trying to predict what people will want. I'm a retro rider, so 26" wheels and steel frames for me, but an hardtail alloy 29'er with discs and lightweight (carbon) front suspension will go just about anywhere. Tubeless works well enough on a 29'er and helps keep the weight down and how many gears depends on where you intend to go, I can do most things on 1 x 10, but 2 x 10 or 11 gives you a massive gear range.

I say all of this mostly to distract myself from thinking about my laptop.... and Windows 10.
"I'm your huckleberry, that's just my game"
Stew
Posts: 495
Joined: 02 Mar 2018, 10:21
Location: Staindrop, Darlington.

Re: Poor design

Post by Stew »

Mine came with Win 10. Ripped the licence sticker off, and downloaded Ubuntu onto a USB stick. Made the stick bootable, and rearranged the boot menu to boot from USB. From there just overwrote the Windows guff and never looked back.
Bikes, yup, I'm a traditionalist, so I'll be looking for a steel frame and 26 inch wheels. I hate 29's, odd frame angles, carbon and the rest of it. In my mind the Mountain Bike was perfected some time in the early 90's.

Stew.
NeilMac
Posts: 165
Joined: 04 Feb 2019, 22:07
Location: Nth Somerset

Re: Poor design

Post by NeilMac »

Stew you are a man after my own heart, my personal favourite is a Roberts DOGS BOLX. Mine is a 1992 which came to me as a frame only and in a sorry state, it went back to Chaz's workshop for a new top tube and a respray, I then built it up using modern running gear and with a set of Pace RC35 A/B's which I refurbished and which suit the bike perfectly.

In addition to the Roberts, I have two Dave Lloyd Cats Wiskas and a 1990 Dave Lloyd ATB. I did have a BEEZ NEEZ but it was a bit delicate for me so was passed to a smaller lighter more sympathetic rider (I do like a Dave Lloyd... I have ..erm 7 of his road and MTB frames). I have had a couple of Dave Yates DONKIS NOB's, but they don't suit me, I have had a couple of other frames in Columbus MAX OR and I just don't like the ride. The newest steel frame I have is a 2002 DeKerf, that is built up super light with carbon allsorts and rides like a dream, but my go to is always the DOGS and I have ridden hundreds of off road miles on it.
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"I'm your huckleberry, that's just my game"
Stew
Posts: 495
Joined: 02 Mar 2018, 10:21
Location: Staindrop, Darlington.

Re: Poor design

Post by Stew »

I can see why they call it the DOGS BOLX. It's spot-on. That right there is what a mountain bike should look like. Those are proper frame angles.
I'm sure you'll put many more miles on it in future.
I had a little mountain bike group going at the garage where I used to work, and we'd head the 15 miles up the road to Hamsterley forest every Thursday after work, come rain, shine, snow ice, light or dark. It was a tonic. Just the smell of the trees and the mist as you got your bike put together ready for the ride....Bliss. 2 or 3 hours of muddy heaven and then a pint and a plate of chips at the Cross Keys afterwards.
Unfortunately the reaper did for 3 members of our little group, and I sold my bike and all my gear in a fog of grief.
I'm ready to get back into it now, and at 45 years old and 17 stone (2 stone heavier than when I last got on a bike) I need all the exercise I can get. I have big plans for this year. I just need to find a nice bike. One of my mates had a lovely build around a Sintesi frame. It rode so sweetly. I would love to find one of those frames. On-One have always appealed too.


Stew.
NeilMac
Posts: 165
Joined: 04 Feb 2019, 22:07
Location: Nth Somerset

Re: Poor design

Post by NeilMac »

Ebay is pretty good if you know what you are looking for and how much you should be paying, also look at RetroBike in the classifieds http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/ .

I like hand made and British, although not exclusively. I also have a GT Zaskar LE which I built from a new bare frame, that was ordered from the USA by a dealer for me, that was in 1993/4 when I could not afford a Roberts, Yates or Lloyd, and also when I thought aluminium was where it was at. The GT still rides really well, but it's a bit of a nutter.

If you want to get proper fit, build a road bike. That was the advice my son gave me a few years ago, and he was right, I am 60, 1.8m tall, weight 74kgs and last month I managed 200 miles just in 30 to 40 mile loops. Every other year I spend a week cycling in Scotland where my family are originally from, a 44 mile loop up there will see you... well me, climbing a little over 4,000 feet. Nice.
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What size frame do you ride?
"I'm your huckleberry, that's just my game"
Stew
Posts: 495
Joined: 02 Mar 2018, 10:21
Location: Staindrop, Darlington.

Re: Poor design

Post by Stew »

I fit anywhere between 19 and 21". I just don't think I'd like riding on the roads. I haven't ridden a bike on a paved road for many years. I worry when I'm in the car, never mind on a bike!
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