polomanh2o

I bought my "good" road bike in 1995 and was content to keep it in good running order forever rather than buy new. A car collision forces a change in plans. Serviceability will be a factor in the replacement purchase.

So what's still serviceable by the home mechanic? I'm seeing lots of stuff I'm not used to. Versus the 32 3-cross lacing, are low spoke count wheels trickier to true? Headsets have gone integral to frames: issues there? Some hubs are cartridge bearings apparently. I'm hearing of a $300 tool for Campy 11 speed chains (somewhat cheaper on the interwebs, but still). Any real changes in shifters (I'm not going electronic) & derailleurs from a maintenance viewpoint? Have bottom brackets really shifted back to adjustable cones?

I'm used to periodic re-packs on bearings, grease ports on selected components, and occasional need to dial things back in. Can I still do this on current equipment? Has it all gone "no maintenance needed?" Do I need to forget about doing my own work?

My other aternative is to keep living in the past on my backup ride, downtube shifters and all.

FBinNY 

User serviceability is alive and well. Some more than others, but most are OK.

I'd avoid low spoke wheels, and integrated headsets, but just about anything else is OK. My objection to integrated headsets, is that I don't trust makers not to change dimensions, and so I still prefer pressed in designs, including some of the low profile or semi integrated offerings.

That said, the frequency of needed service seems shorter these days than before (let's not start an argument over this, it's only my observation), so you might want to shop around for bikes that are a bit more classic in design and componentry.

BTW- if you're shopping mid and upper end, you may find narrow tire clearances (sometimes not much more than 25mm) more off-putting than anything else, but that can be shopped around if you remember to check.

KevinF

As far as I know, all bottom brackets these days are sealed units; install it and forget it. There are horror stories out there regarding every brand / type of bottom bracket wearing out quickly and there are also stories of people who have never managed to wear one out.

I don't trust low spoke count wheels; I do enough solo rides in the boonies that a broken spoke could be a big problem. Getting 32-spoke three-cross wheels these days means getting somebody to build them for you (or building them yourself if you're so inclined) as I haven't seen those types of wheels on a new bike in a long time. I have wheels with tens of thousands of miles on them that have never seen a spoke wrench; get them built by a reputable builder and they should last pretty much forever.

There's no need to use the mega expensive Campy chain tools... SRAM chains come with power-links; just snap them together and it works great.

Home mechanics are still alive and well.

HillRider

It depends on the type of bike you want. A pure racing or serious "sports" bike will have the latest and greatest features like carbon frames, low spoke count wheels, integrated headsets, tapered steerers, snug tire clearances, etc.

If you want something a bit less unidirectional, there are still plenty of steel or aluminum frames available whose components you will recognize. As one example, the Surly Pacer is a welded steel frame that takes a press-in headset, standard threaded bottom bracket, long reach brakes and will clear 700-32 tires. It's not the lightest bike by any stretch but it is versatile and very reasonably priced. There are other bikes pretty much like it available from other makers too.

hueyhoolihan

my bikes range from lugged steel, to titanium, to aluminum, to carbon fiber. i probably will never (which may not be THAT long) purchase anything but CF or aluminum from now on. i like cartridge bearings, so no more loose ball or caged bearings, anywhere. threadless, integrated or traditional headsets, 1 and 1/8th or 1 and 1/8 to 1/4 only please. big improvement. i still use single pivot caliper brakes and don't intend to change any time soon. mostly because i find them less expensive and lighter and entirely satisfactory for me. rims in general have improved, and, i find, easier to build up. my latest carbon tubular rims were so straight that almost no truing was necessary. i like the one-piece cranks too. simple and easy to mount and adjust, just like the threadless headsets.

i run spoke counts from 36 to 24. only difference, that i've found, is negligible weight loss. IMO, the rigidity of the deeper rims account for the loss in spoke count.

the wider handlebar clamps i find superior too. shifting is a personal choice, and most of my bikes don't have any, but i think things went sideways, for non racing purposes, with indexed shifting and have never recovered.

i asked a guy the other day what gear combo he used to beat me up the local climb the other day. he said, "i don't know. i just find one i like and go.". when i asked him how he determined if it was more efficient or appropriate than the one he used the day before, he looked at me and said, "what difference does it make?", so i asked that if it doesn't make any difference, why does he have to have so GDmed many. he said, "that all bikes do.".

oh, and if i were to buy or build a multispeed bike, i might seriously consider DI2, but with a single chainring and only if shimano were to come out with a 7 speed version that came with a weightless dynamo (for battery recharging), activated only when the rear facing weightless camera (included) determined that there was no bicyclist gaining on me.

ThermionicScott 

Hope the rider is okay!

gsa103

In general, I would describe cartridge bearing as easier to work on that cup/cone systems. Replacement cartridge bearings do cost a few bucks, but are much cleaner to replace, and almost impossible to screw up (bottom-bracket creaks excluded). No more lost balls, cup/cone tension, grease, etc.

Bottom brackets tend to come in two variants: Shimano external, and press-fit (BB30/PF30, or many other virtually identical "standards"). Shimano is basically a zero maintenance part, when they wear out, you the external piece for ~$30. Press-fit style BB use cartridge bearings that are pressed into the frame (usually with Locktite). When they wear out, you replace for ~$5-10 parts.

Similarly, cartridge bearing hubs, you simply replace the bearings for $5 when the originals wear out.

As for low spoke wheels, wheel quality matters far more than spoke count. A cheap 32h wheel will go out of true faster than a quality 24h wheel.

polomanh2o

Thanks all.

Filling in a few blanks:

The rider is on the good side of the dirt. Mostly OK, but a broken hand leaves 4-6 weeks to consider options.

Type of bike I want: won't be racing, but I want fast & responsive. Need to hold my own in club rides. Old bike was lugged steel Record/Chorus mix, but I was not looking to start another material or component war here.

"In shape weight" is 185 for me, so the bike needs to take that or more on Michigan roads. Hence the concern on wheels and ability to maintain. All bikes on shop floors seem to have low spoke counts. If I can maintain them, fine. If they're touchy or "authorized technician only," less interested.

On chains & tools, I have a MTB with Sachs power link, and current SRAM is allegedly good so that's OK. Shimano I see has something similar. High $ Campy tool could be a deal breaker if no other option there.

I'll keep an eye here but think I at least know what to ask. Thanks.

CACycling

I've had a couple of sets of low spoke count wheels. Both were pretty low end and both held up to my 230 or so pounds over everything I threw at them. A Camry took out one set and a chain-into-the-spokes took out the other (but that one was rebuilt as back up set). They didn't need much in the way of trueing while in use and they weren't difficult to true. That said my replacement set is 32 spoke on Ultegra hubs.