Blue Order

Already picked up my near-mint condition '91 GT Karakoram in the spring. $50.

jgedwa

Blue Order,

Just don't go selling on my street corner. This is my territory. Maybe one day you could find a bloody headset in your bed.

jim

Blue Order

metzenberg

I agree completely with Caruso, that physically bikes can last practically forever.

But practically and economically, the so-called "Wallyworld" bikes are built so cheaply and badly that it is more worthwhile to throw them away and buy another than do repairs. Whether you are paying bike shop wages, or imputing minimum wage for yourself (as a non-professional bike repair person), they are such crap that it really isn't worth your while.

Once you get up to the level of Giant or the low-end Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, and so forth, you have a real bike that is worth keeping up.

I also have to say, bike shops are a real bargain. I just had one of my front hubs rebuilt, with loose pack bearings. They did it on the spot, while I had lunch, and charged me $25.00. This was in a decent downtown neighborhood where a 2BR apartment goes for $1.5K-2.0K per month. I don't know how some of these bike shops even pay their rent. The pay that bike repair mechanics get is probably well below what car mechanics get paid. At least they get the satisfaction that what they are doing helps the world.

Howard

metzenberg

Most of the people who buy that stuff don't buy it to ride where you think they are riding, and most of them don't ride tens of thousands of miles. They buy it to look like people that do. They end up with a bike that is completely inappropriate for where they actually live and ride (which they do very little).

Early Sunday morning, i did the annual "All Night Bike Ride" which benefits the Friends of the Parks here in Chicago. Almost 10,000 of the riders were registered, and there were thousands of more unregistered participants. (Getting a McDonalds breakfast for free at 3:30 am was not enough to entice them to pay for the ride.) Of course, many of the serious bike crowd was out, so I saw some good frames.

At least half of the bikes were mountain bikes, mostly low end ones. Can you tell me what a mountain bike is for in Chicago? Potholes, maybe.

For many of the riders, it was obvious that a 25-mile ride in a completely flat city would be the longest ride they do all year.

When this generation of bikes starts to come out of garages in the year 2015, where are people going to find parts for them?

Howard

rajman

I for one have never actually worn out a bike. Occasionally I give them away (either to friends or thieves ), but I have not come to the conclusion that 'this bike is worn out and has to go'.

Of the five bikes I currently have 2 are more than 10 years old and one is 20 years old. My two newest bikes have about 5000 km each on them and the others have considerably more.

BTW what colour is the 1992 GT tequesta. I have a yellow one that I use as my winter beater, but I bought it used and don't know what year it is. I am already counting my millions

Velomancer

My mother (Early 70s) rides her Fathers bike that he bought in his teens. He was born in 1903.

alanbikehouston

A bike will last forever if given reasonable care. In the "Vintage" Forum, numerous members report riding on bikes that are fifty or sixty years old...and bikes that are twenty years old are extremely common. But, the bikes that last are good quality models from bike shops, not discount store bikes.

The bikes sold at K-Mart and Wal-Mart are designed to last for about a year of "hard" riding. Because the cost of parts and labor exceeds the cost of the bikes, it is common to see a two year old Wal-Mart bike in the trash.

Mike5777

The durability of a bike (i.e. the most central part of the bike: the 'frame' (and also the most overlooked)) is likely determined by how the bike is ridden, what terrain it is ridden in and what materials the frame is made out of.

I have had some very good steel frames which have lasted years. In recent years, however, I have started using aluminium frames. With the lightness and flexibility these frames are brilliant. Sadly however, I have noticed (at least with the two frames I've had) that they do not always seem to last (maybe these have been anomalies as they were both newish second-hand frames..). Both of my aluminium frames have formed cracks in the joint between the seat tube and the top tube (right at the top). I do however live in an area with a lot of hills and I'm wondering how much more jarring and wearing a frame gets under such conditions. Clearly one would expect components to wear faster in a hilly area regardless of material type?!?

Prior to my going aluminium, I had never had a frame break on me. And then I had two go consecutively, one after the other, and it has forced me to re-think the frame issue (which arguably I had never actually thought about before!) over durability. Thankfully both times, the cracks were noticed before they posed a riding hazard (and it is well-worth checking for cracks on a periodic basis).

Has anyone else had these sorts of difficulties? One suggestion to me was to have an aluminium frame with reinforced joints to firm them up a bit. Indeed that is one option, albeit with extra cost attached. Another option is to go carbon instead. I haven't tried carbon, although again, it is apparently more costly. For low cost durability with flexibility etc aluminium seemed to be the best option but now I'm reviewing my thoughts on that completely. In my mind I am picturing the sorts of stresses that go through a frame on heavy twisty undulations up and down in a very hilly area and I'm not liking what I'm picturing. Is my only option therefore to go back to steel? Has anyone else had these sorts of problems, and if so, what (if any) were your thoughts on the issue?

Thanks

rydabent

For some reason this question reminds me of the guy telling a friend that the ax he has belonged to his great, great, great grandfather. He said that the head has only been replace twice, and it has had only 4 handles.

But back to the question. Since we are talking mainly old, we are probably talking about a high quality lugged steel frame. In that case if the frame was never crashed, over stressed, and stored inside out of the rain, it can last decades. Of course components will wear out and will have to be replaced, but the frame is the bike.

Chris516

I am presuming that your paper is a thesis for an advanced degree?

This is entirely subjective for a number of reasons:

1. Age of bike(if it has no replacement parts)
2. Type of bike(road, dirt)
3. Type of riding
4. Maintenance(if parts are cleaned and/or replaced)

To sort of explain what I am getting at. While a car built for everyday travel could be modified for NASCAR or CART. The body frame of an NHRA dragster, or a Formula One race car cannot be modified to run on the street.

The analogy is this. There are different styles' and types of bikes. There are also specific places that they can/should, be used. A road bike is not meant for riding on a dirt path. A dirt bike is not meant for riding in 40mph traffic.

The lack of data is due to the fact that society doesn't feel it is important enough to keep specific stats.

genec

I'll concede your comment in that many older bikes also had various interesting special tools holding together some of the parts... I have at least 4 BB or freewheel adapters in my garage, along with some interesting spanners. Some 10 years ago I drug my favorite bike into a shop to purchase a new freewheel... the guy took one look and said "I don't even have the tools to work on that..." Fortunately I did... I was just looking for NOS freewheels, which I had heard they had.

Every time I bought a new bike (not often really) I also got the odd tools to work on it... Wrenching has been a hobby of mine since I was like 9 years old. (BTW this is not a family trait... my dad couldn't tell a Phillips screwdriver from a flatblade.)

BTW regarding VWs... I mean the real Beetles... the air cooled variety... not all the odd more recent spin offs. The old VWs were fairly easy to work on and rebuild the engines. A decent set of metric tools went a long long way, with few special tools needed.

genec

I have never been able to really repair a Wallyworld BSO... I can't get their parts, I hate to add better, even junk parts to a BSO that won't stay in adjustment due to tolerances being so poor... bottom line, they are throw-aways.

I hit with a hammer that which can be made to bend into operation again, but otherwise, they really are not worth repair... on the other hand, the heavy frames are probably worth more in the recycle bin.

ThermionicScott 

It's been 7 years since the OP asked, so hopefully he's beyond needing our help by this point.

genec

Or maybe he finally has the answer.

Heck I'd love to see the "papers" and "studies" done by the students that come here from time to time... too bad we can't hold them to some sort of arrangement where they hear nothing from us unless they guarantee to present here.

Chris516

rydabent

Im sure I will get static on this, but the older steel frame lugged bikes will last much longer than todays wonder bikes, the carbon frame bikes. IMO CF bikes are really plastic bikes with carbon fiber reinforcement. The problem being is that plastic ages rather quickly, becomes brittle, and is subject to sunlight deterioration.

calimtb

I have to admit, I have often been a little surprised, perhaps a bit more than that, by the number of low cost or zero cost repairs adjustments and services I receive at one of the local shops.

Yes, this does build a positive reputation and probably yields extra customers overall, but it largely seems to be motivated by the good will of the employees of the shop, and hence of the owner who trains them.

I hope they stick around for a long, long time.


Conversely, there's a second shop that I have visited occasionally, and have spent money at for a few adjustments. They charge for everything, even the smallest of adjustments. They don't even honor a verbal agreement over the phone when you actually come in. "Oh yeah, just come on in, we'll take care of it, no cost!"

I came in today, and there was in fact a charge. A modest charge ($10), but still, it wasn't what they promised.

It's really too bad, because this second shop does have first rate mechanics: the owner just isn't a straight shooter.

calimtb

As far as the question is concerned, there is no reason why a bicycle from a reputable manufacturer wouldn't last indefinitely.

As long as it's stored indoors, maintained semi-regularly, and used for it's intended purpose, you're good to go.

calimtb

Is the comparison between plastic and carbon fiber a pejorative? The major complaint about plastic is that it lasts forever and literally never decomposes.

Having said that, I'm sure all of the major manufacturers conduct fatigue testing of frames on an ongoing basis and probably have exact data on how long frames will last and how much stress they can tolerate.

It's likely that all frames nowadays are built to exceed the type of use they will reasonably see by a typical recreational rider or amateur racer.

Elite pro racers are a different matter, but not many of us ride 2K miles in 30 days at an average speed of 25 mph.

Chris516

Wasn't it Giant just a couple of years ago, that had to do a major recall. Because, Their CF frames were collapsing, where the top tube meets the front down tube? When being ridden.

Worknomore

How long do bikes last? How long does anything last. This is a philosophical question. A determined person could destroy a anvil in short order.

My 1991 Lugged steel Serotta has over 50k miles and still looks like new.
Back in jr high I gave a Schwinn Breezer to my buddy so we could ride together, He promptly threw it off a rail road bridge in front of a freight train.

genec

I tend to agree... and for the sake of longevity, I have long thought a Ti frame would actually last forever... of course you'd still have to replace the components from time to time...

ItsJustMe

I can't think of a good reason to trash a bike other than a collision or a cracked frame. Everything that wears on the bike normally is replaceable. Wheels are going to need replacing, especially if they have rim brakes. Bearings in the axle wear out, but they're trivial to fix. Spokes break, again, trivial to fix. Bottom bracket and drivetrain, again, easy to fix, not expensive.

My first real bike for commuting was a $300 aluminum framed hybrid. I put 32,000 miles on it in about 10 years, I gave it away and it's still getting used.

Frames should last many decades, really.

rydabent

When you say major mfg conduct tests, it is really questionable.

Im reminded about the new LED light bulbs. The mfg make claims they will last 10 years or more. How can they say that when there is no high output LED bulbs that old!!!

What it amounts to is mfg can claim most anything, and few if any will call them on their claims.