View Full Version : Bike expenses are killing me
We talk about being carfree to save money, and that's usually the case. But in the last month I've spent way over $200 on bike repairs and maintenance. And I only paid $160 for the bike, less than a year ago!
new rear derailleur and cable
new bottom bracket
adjust hubs
new chain
2 new spokes and true rear wheel
new tire
3 inner tubes
brake pads
I still need new pedals, the mechanic says the chainring is "ovalized" (whatever that means!) and I'm not crazy about how the brakes look.
:(
Nycycle
05-20-08, 07:35 PM
sarcasm
S'ARCASM, n. l. sarcasmus; Gr. from to deride or sneer at, primarily to fly or pluck off the skin.
A keen reproachful expression; a satirical remark or expression, uttered with some degree of scorn or contempt; a taunt; a gibe. Of this we have an example in the remark of the Jews respecting Christ, on the cross, "He saved others, himself he cannot save."
$200? We just spent $400 on our 1 year old car. 2 new tires and a steering alignment that got expensive because we dared take it on a dirt road once that threw out the rear alignment and blah blah blah blah.....
If it's getting that expensive why don't you look at a new bike?
"Ah, humor - it is a difficult concept"
Spock
sarcasm
S'ARCASM, n. l. sarcasmus; Gr. from to deride or sneer at, primarily to fly or pluck off the skin.
A keen reproachful expression; a satirical remark or expression, uttered with some degree of scorn or contempt; a taunt; a gibe. Of this we have an example in the remark of the Jews respecting Christ, on the cross, "He saved others, himself he cannot save.":wtf:
????
Mr York
05-20-08, 07:52 PM
Ya tell me about it. Since buying my bicycle last year, I have replaced the pedals, bought a rear rack and a pannier, rear light and front light, and every few days have to spend unknown amounts of money recharging the AA flashlight batteries. Add to that the cost of the WD40 that gets squirted on the chain periodically.
Sure my health is improving, my strength and endurance, and that self satisfied feeling that you have a measure of freedom, but that all pales to insignificance when you consider that none of this come free. What kind of a world do we live in?
If it's getting that expensive why don't you look at a new bike?
I practically have a new bike, with all the parts I just put on it. ;)
(Now that, nycycle, really was sarcasm.)
roseskunk
05-20-08, 08:07 PM
hell, i took the car out to the hardware store today, for stuff too unwieldy to bike. on the way home the cops stopped me. didn't have my seat belt on. $150.00. just another reason to ride bikes.
i spend a lot on my bikes. $75.00 for a raleigh sports. 135.00 for a brooks saddle. 100.00 for a carradice bag. 200.00 for alloy rims and new tires. cost for riding around town without having to wear a g*ddamn seatbelt, priceless.
We talk about being carfree to save money, and that's usually the case. But in the last month I've spent way over $200 on bike repairs and maintenance. And I only paid $160 for the bike, less than a year ago!
new rear derailleur and cable
new bottom bracket
adjust hubs
new chain
2 new spokes and true rear wheel
new tire
3 inner tubes
brake pads
I still need new pedals, the mechanic says the chainring is "ovalized" (whatever that means!) and I'm not crazy about how the brakes look.
:(
$200 sounds like a reasonable price for the repairs. Although it sounds like there's a new rear wheel in your future. Two spokes generally grows into 2 more down the road. Your chainring might be worn out and will wear out your new chain. You can generally hear a worn chainring by the grinding noise you hear when you stomp on the pedals.
I try to get around $200 repairs by either a) fixing a few things myself or 2) spending $50 at a time.
But $200 for a year's transportation sounds OK to me.
It's hard to believe a chainring can "ovalize". It's probably designed that way eg. Biopace.
It's hard to believe a chainring can "ovalize". It's probably designed that way eg. Biopace.
:wtf:
????
While I feel your pain, this is what I have spent on my car this month:
gas $120
insurance $60
clutch $407
rear main seal $55
oil change $39
Total for this month: $681
Very soon I will also need:
Timing belt
Oil pan seal
Valve adjustment
Shocks
Alignment
Front tires
Cars are expensive, and I have a cheap old Toyota Corolla.
2manybikes
05-20-08, 08:30 PM
How many miles on the bike? Do you ride in the rain often? Some of those things need a lot of wear to really need replacing. Did you buy the bike new? What is it ?
Did they say the teeth on the chainring are ovalized? If someone shows you a new one and a really old one you can see the difference yourself just by looking. A really worn chain and a lot of miles can do this. It would be hard to do in a year with anything new.
Car insurance is $200 a month for my daughters used car.
Car loan payments are about another $200 for her. :)
coldfeet
05-20-08, 08:33 PM
sarcasm
S'ARCASM, n. l. sarcasmus; Gr. from to deride or sneer at, primarily to fly or pluck off the skin.
A keen reproachful expression; a satirical remark or expression, uttered with some degree of scorn or contempt; a taunt; a gibe. Of this we have an example in the remark of the Jews respecting Christ, on the cross, "He saved others, himself he cannot save."
Ya' know, I almost missed that.
But only because I can't figure out how he spent so much on so little.
Geez, did you pay someone to do all the work? What sort of cyclist do you call yourself?
ObjectAgnosia
05-20-08, 08:34 PM
Buy a bike repair book and some tools. It'll be a worth while investment.
Do em all at once, that timing belt's gonna cost ya...
While I feel your pain, this is what I have spent on my car this month:
gas $120
insurance $60
clutch $407
rear main seal $55
oil change $39
Total for this month: $681
Very soon I will also need:
Timing belt
Oil pan seal
Valve adjustment
Shocks
Alignment
Front tires
Cars are expensive, and I have a cheap old Toyota Corolla.
Ya' know, I almost missed that.
But only because I can't figure out how he spent so much on so little.
Geez, did you pay someone to do all the work? What sort of cyclist do you call yourself?
Really? Here is what I would have chosen if I was repairing my bicycle, and how much you could expect to pay for them:
* new rear derailleur and cable
Shimano Ultegra 10 RD-6600-GS Triple Rear Derailleur $115
* new bottom bracket
Shimano Ultegra SM-FC6600 Bottom Bracket $50
* adjust hubs
free
* new chain
Shimano Ultegra CN-6600 10-speed Chain $40
* 2 new spokes and true rear wheel
$2
* new tire
Continental Ultra Gatorskin Road Tire $40
* 3 inner tubes
$8 at my local LBS
* brake pads
Shimano Road Brake Pads $10
Total: $225 and I didn't even include the derailleur cable or any labor (I do my own work).
Do em all at once, that timing belt's gonna cost ya...
I will break it up over two months. I will do all the engine work next month and then the tire/suspension work later in the year (bald tires don't bother me in the summer).
coldfeet
05-20-08, 08:55 PM
Really? Here is what I would have chosen if I was repairing my bicycle, and how much you could expect to pay for them:
* new rear derailleur and cable
Shimano Ultegra 10 RD-6600-GS Triple Rear Derailleur $115
* new bottom bracket
Shimano Ultegra SM-FC6600 Bottom Bracket $50
* adjust hubs
free
* new chain
Shimano Ultegra CN-6600 10-speed Chain $40
* 2 new spokes and true rear wheel
$2
* new tire
Continental Ultra Gatorskin Road Tire $40
* 3 inner tubes
$8 at my local LBS
* brake pads
Shimano Road Brake Pads $10
Total: $225 and I didn't even include the derailleur cable or any labor (I do my own work).
Errr.... Sarcasm? You know, the English disease? ( Before you all jump on me, I'm English. )
Having said that, 10 speed rear derailleur? I upgraded to an 8 speed rear.
$200 sounds like a reasonable price for the repairs. Although it sounds like there's a new rear wheel in your future. Two spokes generally grows into 2 more down the road. Your chainring might be worn out and will wear out your new chain. You can generally hear a worn chainring by the grinding noise you hear when you stomp on the pedals.
I try to get around $200 repairs by either a) fixing a few things myself or 2) spending $50 at a time.
But $200 for a year's transportation sounds OK to me.
I agree that $200 is reasonable, but it's a lot of money!
My wheel is fairly new. The spokes broke because the rear derailleur somehow jammed into them. I don't know what happened, but the hanger somehow bent while I was riding.
I don't know yet what an ovalized chainring is. The chainring looks like it's moving from side to side while I'm pedaling. It doesn't make any noise that I can hear.
While I feel your pain, this is what I have spent on my car this month:
gas $120
insurance $60
clutch $407
rear main seal $55
oil change $39
Total for this month: $681
Very soon I will also need:
Timing belt
Oil pan seal
Valve adjustment
Shocks
Alignment
Front tires
Cars are expensive, and I have a cheap old Toyota Corolla.
I know. A friend pointed out that I basically had the entire drive train and transmission of my bike replaced--would cost thousands on a car, or you just wouldn't do it at all.
My last 5 cars cost less than $400 each. I would drive them a few months until they broke down, then sell them to the junkyard for $25 and a free tow. Then buy another one that same day. I'm glad I'm done with that circus!
How many miles on the bike? Do you ride in the rain often? Some of those things need a lot of wear to really need replacing. Did you buy the bike new? What is it ?
Did they say the teeth on the chainring are ovalized? If someone shows you a new one and a really old one you can see the difference yourself just by looking. A really worn chain and a lot of miles can do this. It would be hard to do in a year with anything new.
Car insurance is $200 a month for my daughters used car.
Car loan payments are about another $200 for her. :)
I bought the bike used for about $150. It's a Trek hardtail MTB. It's the winter that almost killed this bike. I rode it every day through a hard winter. It would get nasty dirty!
He didn't say the teeth were ovalized. He said the chainring was ovalized. I can't see it.
axelfox
05-20-08, 09:10 PM
I just paid $500 to get my EGR vacuum valve assembly & vacuum switch from the dealer. Labor was 3 hours @ $100/hr. My independent mechanic, after paying about $400 to him, couldn't figure out why my check engine was still on after his own work.
That was a real kick in the nuts.
Ya' know, I almost missed that.
But only because I can't figure out how he spent so much on so little.
Geez, did you pay someone to do all the work? What sort of cyclist do you call yourself?
I call myself a fantastic cyclist...and a lousy mechanic. :D
Most of the charges were for parts. I don't have the tools (or the desire) to do the labor myself. I did put the brake pads on. I could have put the chain on, but I didn't.
Oh...I forgot, I also got a new freewheel. No way I'm going to mess with freewheels, BBs, hubs, all that crap. I just don't have it in me. I see people bringing flat tires to the LBS. At least I fix my own flats. (and fixed three in 2 days before I got the new tire)
Car expenses: In the last year I have spent over 6k in car repairs and maintenance. I plan on driving the car into the ground at this point. That means putting another 100,000 miles on it.
Bike expenses: you have three choices in how you spend you bike money:
Buy a cheap bike and replace it every 6 months when it breaks
Buy an expensive bike and replace it 5years later when it breaks.
Buy a bike (expensive/cheap whatever) and pay the annual maintenance on it. In the long run, the maintenance will be cheaper than a new bike.
I call myself a fantastic cyclist...and a lousy mechanic. :D
Most of the charges were for parts. I don't have the tools (or the desire) to do the labor myself. I did put the brake pads on. I could have put the chain on, but I didn't.
Oh...I forgot, I also got a new freewheel. No way I'm going to mess with freewheels, BBs, hubs, all that crap. I just don't have it in me. I see people bringing flat tires to the LBS. At least I fix my own flats. (and fixed three in 2 days before I got the new tire)
Get Lennard Zinn's book "Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance" or "Zinn and the art of Mountain Bike maintenance" not to be mistaken with Howard Zin the political commentator. He'll walk you through all the basics of road side repair (tires, tubes & spokes) and then work you up to pulling headsets and bottom brackets. The illustrations are clear and concise.
Bike expenses: you have three choices in how you spend you bike money:
Buy a cheap bike and replace it every 6 months when it breaks
Buy an expensive bike and replace it 5years later when it breaks.
Buy a bike (expensive/cheap whatever) and pay the annual maintenance on it. In the long run, the maintenance will be cheaper than a new bike.
I usually go with Option A, just like I used to do with cars. But I really like this bike. It fits well, I have no pain when I ride it. I'm planning to buy a nice BRAND NEW bike this summer, and still abuse this old Trek on rough rides and all next winter.
All together, I've spent over $300 on this bike--more than twice what I paid for it.
2manybikes
05-20-08, 09:44 PM
I bought the bike used for about $150. It's a Trek hardtail MTB. It's the winter that almost killed this bike. I rode it every day through a hard winter. It would get nasty dirty!
He didn't say the teeth were ovalized. He said the chainring was ovalized. I can't see it.
I forgot about you riding all winter, now it all makes sense to me. Now I remember talking about studded tires and riding on the ice in Michigan, a long time ago. The mind is the first thing to go. :o
I never heard of the diameter of a chainring becoming oval from wear. If he makes it easier to see or understand next time you see him, I would be interested to hear about it.
You'll save a lot of money spending that bit extra in the first place to buy quality parts, especially anything with a bearing in it.
Get Lennard Zinn's book "Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance" or "Zinn and the art of Mountain Bike maintenance" not to be mistaken with Howard Zin the political commentator. He'll walk you through all the basics of road side repair (tires, tubes & spokes) and then work you up to pulling headsets and bottom brackets. The illustrations are clear and concise.
Thanks for the suggestion. I have the Zinn book. It is helpful, and how could you not own a book with such a great title? I do the road side repairs and I carry a little tool kit. I do brakes. I do chains. I smile and nod when the mechanic talks to me. That's about all. I just never had the mechanical bug. Wish I did!
I usually go with Option A, just like I used to do with cars. But I really like this bike. It fits well, I have no pain when I ride it. I'm planning to buy a nice BRAND NEW bike this summer, and still abuse this old Trek on rough rides and all next winter.
All together, I've spent over $300 on this bike--more than twice what I paid for it.
Is $300 a lot of money to you or is it the principle of the issue?
Novakane
05-20-08, 09:48 PM
I do all the work myself on my bike. If it's not something I can afford to replace, and I can't get it off a bike someone threw out, I live with it; wait, and ride a different bike for a bit; or hack something together.
Bicycles are simple machines.
I forgot about you riding all winter, now it all makes sense to me. Now I remember talking about studded tires and riding on the ice in Michigan, a long time ago. The mind is the first thing to go. :o
I never heard of the diameter of a chainring becoming oval from wear. If he makes it easier to see or understand next time you see him, I would be interested to hear about it.
Yeah, it was a harder winter than most for bike and rider, but a good time was had by all. If he can make me understand the chainring thing, I'll try to explain it to you. But don't get your hopes up. BTW, I love the morphing bicycles in your sig. I sat here and watched it for about 5 minutes. Did you create that little gem?
We talk about being carfree to save money, and that's usually the case. But in the last month I've spent way over $200 on bike repairs and maintenance. And I only paid $160 for the bike, less than a year ago!
new rear derailleur and cable
new bottom bracket
adjust hubs
new chain
2 new spokes and true rear wheel
new tire
3 inner tubes
brake pads
I still need new pedals, the mechanic says the chainring is "ovalized" (whatever that means!) and I'm not crazy about how the brakes look.
:(
$200 for the work you describe seems pretty reasonable to me. As you say, you basically had the entire drivetrain replaced, and I'm willing to bet that your bike rides much better as a result. And this is pretty much a once-a-year type of maintenance issue. It's not like you're going to do this type of thing every month. Most car owners, by contrast, will probably have to spend $200/month just to buy gas. It would of course cost less if you did your own work, but even if you pay to have it done, it's not prohibitive.
A few months ago, I did a bunch of work on my bike. I replaced the handlebars, got new shifters, got new grips, replaced the cassette, replaced the chain, and had the wheels trued at the bike shop where I bought the new parts. (Truing wheels is an art, and I won't even try to do work at that level.) It was kind of a pain, with a bit of a learning curve, and it ended up costing me about $200 and most of a weekend. Had I simply had all the work done at the bike shop instead of doing most of it myself, it would have cost me $275, and I would have cursed a lot less and spent a lot less time walking to and from the bike shop to buy more cable and yet another chain. In the future, I've decided I'm either going to hire the work out from now on, or register for a maintenance class. :o
Is $300 a lot of money to you or is it the principle of the issue?
I'm not sure what you mean. I think $300 is a lot of money. But my bike is my transportation and my fun, so it's very much worth it. It surprised me to be spending so much, because usually I don't have to. Does that make sense?
$200 for the work you describe seems pretty reasonable to me. As you say, you basically had the entire drivetrain replaced, and I'm willing to bet that your bike rides much better as a result. And this is pretty much a once-a-year type of maintenance issue. It's not like you're going to do this type of thing every month. Most car owners, by contrast, will probably have to spend $200/month just to buy gas. It would of course cost less if you did your own work, but even if you pay to have it done, it's not prohibitive.
A few months ago, I did a bunch of work on my bike. I replaced the handlebars, got new shifters, got new grips, replaced the cassette, replaced the chain, and had the wheels trued at the bike shop where I bought the new parts. (Truing wheels is an art, and I won't even try to do work at that level.) It was kind of a pain, with a bit of a learning curve, and it ended up costing me about $200 and most of a weekend. Had I simply had all the work done at the bike shop instead of doing most of it myself, it would have cost me $275, and I would have cursed a lot less and spent a lot less time walking to and from the bike shop to buy more cable and yet another chain. In the future, I've decided I'm either going to hire the work out from now on, or register for a maintenance class. :o
I'm not particularily mechanical, but I trued a wheel last year and it is still straight. There was one section that was slightly but obviously bent to the side. I left it in the bike, used the brake pads as a guide, and gradually tightened the spokes on the far side. To my amazement it straightened right up. I also checked the musical pitch to make sure it was approximately the same all the way around the wheel.
I'm not sure what you mean. I think $300 is a lot of money. But my bike is my transportation and my fun, so it's very much worth it. It surprised me to be spending so much, because usually I don't have to. Does that make sense?
Three hundred dollars is a lot of money for six months of winter transport? That comes down to $1.67 a day. If you think that is excessive perhaps you need to re-evaluate your financial position.
EDIT: Actually it will be a lot less than $1.67 a day as you will have a lot of future riding after repairs.
Three hundred dollars is a lot of money for six months of winter transport? That comes down to $1.67 a day. If you think that is excessive perhaps you need to re-evaluate your financial position.
You set me up with a vague question, and now you imply that I'm either a cheapskate or a pauper. Is that nice?
You set me up with a vague question, and now you imply that I'm either a cheapskate or a pauper. Is that nice?
I really don't understand why you say $300 is 'killing you' for what will most likely be a year or more of transport. That price seems very reasonable to me. Why do you feel it is 'killing you'?
Cerberusgl
05-20-08, 10:38 PM
you could take the bus. $2 each way. 52 weeks in a year, 7 holiday days off, 2 weeks vacation for a total of 243 work days = $972
I'm not particularily mechanical, but I trued a wheel last year and it is still straight. There was one section that was slightly but obviously bent to the side. I left it in the bike, used the brake pads as a guide, and gradually tightened the spokes on the far side. To my amazement it straightened right up. I also checked the musical pitch to make sure it was approximately the same all the way around the wheel.
You're either much more mechanically inclined than you claim to be, or a very lucky man. :)
dynodonn
05-20-08, 10:48 PM
I'm not sure what you mean. I think $300 is a lot of money. But my bike is my transportation and my fun, so it's very much worth it. It surprised me to be spending so much, because usually I don't have to. Does that make sense?
It makes sense to me Roody, you're used to a certain percentage of your budget going to the bike, and suddenly the bike needs several times that for a needed repair. It's just good old fashion sticker shock, and it'll subside once you put a few miles under you.
I really don't understand why you say $300 is 'killing you' for what will most likely be a year or more of transport. That price seems very reasonable to me. Why do you feel it is 'killing you'?
Sorry, that was hyperbole, exaggeration for effect. I was talking to my dad tonight about how much I'd been spending on my bike lately, and it suddenly struck me that this is much more than usual. You're right that it's a great bargain to spend only $300 for half a year's transportation (and hundreds of hours of good clean fun).
But jeeze, it's still killing me! :D
you could take the bus. $2 each way. 52 weeks in a year, 7 holiday days off, 2 weeks vacation for a total of 243 work days = $972
But I only work 9 days in two weeks, I have more than 5 weeks of vacation, and the bus only costs $1.25 each way. But I guess it still would cost more than $300, wouldn't it?
mstrpete
05-20-08, 11:26 PM
The $300 probably felt like more bc it left your pocket all at once, rather than $5 or $10 at a time. you're on the right track with getting a second bike, though, bc then the wear and tear get dispersed over multiple machines. Plus, if one needs work, you can ride the other until the first gets fixed. I've got two in rotation right now.
scattered73
05-21-08, 12:59 AM
That's not to bad expense wise, this year on my cyclocross bike I had to replace the shifters ($300+) and a broken crank ($150+). That's not including the mechanics I had last year with this bike one of which was a similar situation of the rd going into the spokes because a stick flew into it. Stuff just breaks and wears out I guess kind of sucks though when it does.
cradduck
05-21-08, 02:20 AM
If the $300 went to quality parts from a mechanic that can provide you with quality repairs then I think that what you paid is reasonable.
I have a skewed view of transportation costs. The money I spend on parts I need to repair my bike or splurge on the occasional upgrade are well worth it to me. I know how they work, I have some sense of their quality and limitations, and I when I fix things correctly with good quality parts they remain trouble free for quite some time. So for me dropping $300+ to get my bike in a condition where it will provide worry free transportation/fun/entertainment/exercise isn't too much of a killer.
wahoonc
05-21-08, 02:55 AM
I usually go with Option A, just like I used to do with cars. But I really like this bike. It fits well, I have no pain when I ride it. I'm planning to buy a nice BRAND NEW bike this summer, and still abuse this old Trek on rough rides and all next winter.
All together, I've spent over $300 on this bike--more than twice what I paid for it.
That is really pretty good...that is about 2 fill ups on my big truck:o and only about 1,100 miles of driving...all repairs on that truck are $600-$1000.:notamused: Need to park it and find a new job where I can cycle more:roflmao2:
Aaron:)
I usually go with Option A, just like I used to do with cars. But I really like this bike. It fits well, I have no pain when I ride it. I'm planning to buy a nice BRAND NEW bike this summer, and still abuse this old Trek on rough rides and all next winter.
All together, I've spent over $300 on this bike--more than twice what I paid for it.
the moral of the story: you get what you pay for.
I-Like-To-Bike
05-21-08, 04:11 AM
You set me up with a vague question, and now you imply that I'm either a cheapskate or a pauper. Is that nice?
Sounds like an observation of reality. Truth is a devil, ain't it?
Five $400 cars driven to the junkyard? Whining about spending $300 for basic transportation for yourself? Have you priced your alternatives? Perhaps you should save your money; stay home and watch TV all day. Wouldn't cost much at all and TV's will run 20 or 30 years, winter and summer without any repairs.
vBulletin® v3.7.3, Copyright ©2000-2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.