The right tool for the job
#52
Prefers Cicero
Right now I'm on my second backup bike as we have been bogged down with home renos and my two "main" bike both need some work and both are buried behind masses of construction and packing and appliance paraphernalia in the garage. Now, admittedly, if I didn't have backup bikes, I suppose I would have done the repairs by now, but I might also have lost a day or two of cycling and the public transit alternative sucks.
Last edited by cooker; 11-24-15 at 04:57 PM.
#53
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Everybody says you need a backup bike. I find a well maintained bicycle to be very reliable. I know a lot of people that have just one car. Seems like a similar thing. If you service your bottom bracket, keep a good chain on it, etc a bicycle is a very dependable ride I think.
The more bikes you have the more to maintain. I'd rather just ride.
The more bikes you have the more to maintain. I'd rather just ride.
Last edited by Walter S; 11-24-15 at 05:15 PM.
#54
Prefers Cicero
Everybody says you need a backup bike. I find a well maintained bicycle to be very reliable. I know a lot of people that have just one car. Seems like a similar thing. If you service your bottom bracket, keep a good chain on it, etc a bicycle is a very dependable ride I think.
The more bikes you have the more to maintain. I'd rather just ride.
The more bikes you have the more to maintain. I'd rather just ride.
#55
Full Member
I'm with you. I love the mountain bike. Planing on my next bike being a 29er single speed running a 3 speed IGH.
I always come back to this type of bike as my mainstay. I often go with 2 1/2 inch knobbies with studs in the winter, and 1 1/2 inch street slicks in the other three seasons. Sometimes in midsummer I throw on some off-pavement knobbies, and hit the trails.
I love the mountain bike--
versatile,
adaptable,
economical,
comfortable with semi-upright riding position,
easy to repair and find parts.
TEHO & YMMV!!!
I love the mountain bike--
versatile,
adaptable,
economical,
comfortable with semi-upright riding position,
easy to repair and find parts.
TEHO & YMMV!!!
#56
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I'm pretty sure most people will find cars are more reliable, unless they are beaters. Mind you, my bikes tend to be beaters, so maybe that's the problem! Certainly flats are a lot more common on bikes although usually quick and easy to fix. However if it is a slow overnight leak, I may not want to deal with it first thing in the AM and hopping on another bike is my preference.
#57
Prefers Cicero
#58
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Have you tried tire liners? That's what I used before I went over to the MPs.
#59
Prefers Cicero
Have you tried tire liners? That's what I used before I went over to the MPs.
#60
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I've been using Schwalbe Marathon (not Plus) tires for close to twenty years with the same results. Almost no on the road flats, and only rarely (once a year or so) getting overnight or during workday slow leakers.
#61
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Marathon, 32-630, Black-Reflex, Wire | Schwalbe North America
Enter this coupon code at check-out and SAVE 25% on all orders.
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Valid from 11/27/2015 until 12/01/2015.
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Valid from 11/27/2015 until 12/01/2015.
Last edited by I-Like-To-Bike; 11-28-15 at 11:57 AM.
#62
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Schwalbe // flat-less
#63
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Everybody says you need a backup bike. I find a well maintained bicycle to be very reliable. I know a lot of people that have just one car. Seems like a similar thing. If you service your bottom bracket, keep a good chain on it, etc a bicycle is a very dependable ride I think.
The more bikes you have the more to maintain. I'd rather just ride.
The more bikes you have the more to maintain. I'd rather just ride.
Bikes don't need to be fragile and finicky, but enthusiasts often want them to be that way.
#64
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Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires remove a huge amount of hassle and worry from cycling.
Sticks, stones, glass, debris......whatever, no worries, just avoid the big stuff.
#65
Prefers Cicero
Marathon, 32-630, Black-Reflex, Wire | Schwalbe North America
Enter this coupon code at check-out and SAVE 25% on all orders.
GOBBLEGOBBLE
Valid from 11/27/2015 until 12/01/2015.
Enter this coupon code at check-out and SAVE 25% on all orders.
GOBBLEGOBBLE
Valid from 11/27/2015 until 12/01/2015.
#66
Senior Member
It would be easy enough to buy a new fork and head set, set me back maybe $80. But I doubt I could get $80 for the entire bike on CL, even if it was in pristine condition. So I continue to pursue low $$ solutions.
#67
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That is my problem as well. My main commuter is a Bianchi Nyala, which, for reasons not ENTIRELY my fault, developed partially stripped threads on the fork. I used some red loctite on it over a year ago, and I thought I was home free, never to loosen that headset again. The last month or so, it started to loosen up again, and I dread pulling it apart to see the damage.
It would be easy enough to buy a new fork and head set, set me back maybe $80. But I doubt I could get $80 for the entire bike on CL, even if it was in pristine condition. So I continue to pursue low $$ solutions.
It would be easy enough to buy a new fork and head set, set me back maybe $80. But I doubt I could get $80 for the entire bike on CL, even if it was in pristine condition. So I continue to pursue low $$ solutions.
#68
Sophomoric Member
I agree. Toward the end of my motoring career, I owned a succession of beater used cars. They were always breaking down! Repairs were often more than the value of the car itself. But my bikes have gone years without needing major repairs. And when a nice bike needs repairing, the cost usually seems worth it.
__________________
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#70
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I always come back to this type of bike as my mainstay. I often go with 2 1/2 inch knobbies with studs in the winter, and 1 1/2 inch street slicks in the other three seasons. Sometimes in midsummer I throw on some off-pavement knobbies, and hit the trails.
I love the mountain bike--
versatile,
adaptable,
economical,
comfortable with semi-upright riding position,
easy to repair and find parts.
TEHO & YMMV!!!
I love the mountain bike--
versatile,
adaptable,
economical,
comfortable with semi-upright riding position,
easy to repair and find parts.
TEHO & YMMV!!!