General Cycling Discussion - Anyone ever feel betrayed / discouraged by their bikes? (explanation inside)

Hey guys,

So recently I've been wrestling with my current bike. I sold a few of my beaters etc. in order to consolidate my funds into one bike. However, as I've posted in another thread, I found a crack on my headtube/lug that I didn't know was there.

Sadly enough, it's on my only currently functioning bike... well aside from a few old folders, which aren't really meant for real riding.

Anyways, I'm at the point where I get close to getting a new frame, but feel like I'll just be let down and it won't work out or something will go wrong.

Maybe I just need to find the right one, but I really have the itch to ride.


Being in the hole money wise with my current bike and it now having little resale value / a fix being almost equal to it's worth is discouraging.

So tell me, how can I get over this and ever trust a bike again?:(

I suggest you stop fretting about the frame that's busted & just start looking forward to getting a new one & riding again. Sorry it's not some "Tibetan mountain top philosophical Neo it is not the spoon that bends" answer but it really doesn't get much simpler than that. Oh & ride your folders until you get the new frame, even if it's just for a couple of miles.

I suggest you stop fretting about the frame that's busted & just start looking forward to getting a new one & riding again. Sorry it's not some "Tibetan mountain top philosophical Neo it is not the spoon that bends" answer but it really doesn't get much simpler than that. Oh & ride your folders until you get the new frame, even if it's just for a couple of miles.

That's pretty much my only choice, but it's hard having that perfect fit fail on me.

I've been searching, I just have to get it out of my head that there won't be anything that I would rather have (within reason).... it also doesn't help that I can't sell it to get money towards my next.

[QUOTE=DavidLee;12546228]I suggest you stop fretting about the frame that's busted & just start looking forward to getting a new one & riding again. Sorry it's not some "Tibetan mountain top philosophical Neo it is not the spoon that bends" answer but it really doesn't get much simpler than that. Oh & ride your folders until you get the new frame, even if it's just for a couple of miles.[/QUOTEi notice road bikers spend too much time in bike shops working on bikes talking about bikes and planning rides than actually riding.go out get yourself a great bike not a good one a great one because we only live once and time is flying by.i financed my new cervelo r3 with no interest for 18 months from ge capitol.we can come up with many excuses for not buying this or that or we can just make it happen.turn off your computer head over to your lbs get a bike now and live life to its fullest.riding a cracked frame is really not a good idea at all.spoil yourself silly !

Tuned up, a folder can do some decent riding. I used to commute on my 16" Curve...

Even those gaspipe 1960's deals should be good for a 5-10 mile ride if not more.

I do 33 miles/day on my dahon espresso sometimes.

Tuned up, a folder can do some decent riding. I used to commute on my 16" Curve...

Even those gaspipe 1960's deals should be good for a 5-10 mile ride if not more.

I do 33 miles/day on my dahon espresso sometimes.

Yeah, but these are a little different... They are far from anything more than around town riding, even tuned up, they are smaller than 20" wheels and relatively rickety.

what kind are they? you'd be surprised to read what some people have done with old folders-- there's a folder forum on bf.net. I bet if you posted photos of your folders, you'd get some ideas on how to use them more fully. That 16" folder I had was enough to commute on for almost a year. And I'm 6'4"!

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d188/s34s0ns/photo1-1.jpg

I would rather keep it original, but this one goes a tiny bit faster than the other one. I still ride them to work, but I could probably jog faster.

...and excuse the bad picture / lowered handle bars / slack.


Either way, I miss really riding. I can get 'by' right now though.

but it's hard having that perfect fit fail on me.


Measure "that perfect fit" and buy another bicycle with the same measurements.

Or meanwhile, set the folders up with those measurements.

Craigslist. Find a bike somewhat similar to your current wounded warrior, concentrating on the frame. That way you'll either find a frame you can transfer your current bike's parts to (and have some spare parts left over!), or find a nice bike for cheap that you can start riding.

Since you say its a cracked lug on the headtube (so I'm assuming steel or aluminium), why not take it to a welding shop and see if they can redo it for you. You might have to strip it down yourself before they'll weld it, but it might be a cheap fix to get you back on the road.

You can swap in a spare set of wheels on your folder and change the feel and speed of it pretty quickly. I have a lightly modified Raleigh Twenty that is one of my primary go to bikes when I need one to haul along on the road, it also sits right inside my shop door and is the quickest bike to grab and roll on. Longest ride to date on it was around 45 miles, actual riding time was a bit over 3 hours, the rest of the time we were eating or drinking...tea.

Aaron :)
http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/43984/2869220980066886751S600x600Q85.jpg

Is the crack just in the lug, or is it in the tube too? I don't see why a decent welder couldn't braze on a new lug as long as the tubes are okay.

Is the crack just in the lug, or is it in the tube too? I don't see why a decent welder couldn't braze on a new lug as long as the tubes are okay.

It's in the tube as well and the lugs are chrome, just a high-cost project...

ouch

I can feel for you. I had one bike's frame come apart where the bottom bracket meets the downtube two weeks after I started riding it. For the short term, I had to use baling wire and turnbuckles to keep the frame together. But take heart, most bicycles are more dependable. You don't tell us how long you've had the bike, but your attachment to it says it's given you some very good service.

This is also a cautionary tale about not keeping a good beater around for just such an emergency.

Do not assume the fetal position under your desk ... hope springs eternal...:thumb:

Shimano Sora, 16 Speed Mini Velo 2011 Mercier Nano $269
CrMo Aero Fork, CrMo Frame, Aluminum Rim Wheels 20"x1.5x32H
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/nano.htm
http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/images/nano_blk_500.jpg

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/images/nano_blue_500.jpg

You can swap in a spare set of wheels on your folder and change the feel and speed of it pretty quickly. I have a lightly modified Raleigh Twenty that is one of my primary go to bikes when I need one to haul along on the road, it also sits right inside my shop door and is the quickest bike to grab and roll on. Longest ride to date on it was around 45 miles, actual riding time was a bit over 3 hours, the rest of the time we were eating or drinking...tea.

Aaron :)
http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/43984/2869220980066886751S600x600Q85.jpg

This looks so much like my better half's R20... these are a great folder for all kinds of riding as they are well made and rather tough.

My super modified P20 gets used for touring and routinely gets ridden 100 km a day but lesser folders aren't up to this kind of work.

When the bottom bracket shell cracked on my Raleigh BMX , I stripped off the parts, and chucked the frame over the back yard fence.

Metal Fatigue happens.

The post hit a nerve..HAD to respond.
There were two 'screwed and glued' aluminum bicycles back in the early 70s that had what became known as 'death forks'
I had the Alan.
Yep..forks came apart during a criterium in Ithaca NY (very steep climbs and drops)
Yep, fork came apart on a downhill at about 40mph
Guess you could say "I was disappointed in the bike"