Originally Posted by Pat
Well, lifespan should be measured in miles and not years. blah...blah..blah.
The frame should last a very long time unless you have a severe crash.
Given decent maintenance most road bikes should get 20,000+ miles before things start to go and even then, it is probably economical to replace parts as they wear out rather then buy a new bike.
It is my observation, that very few bikes are retired because they "wore out". Even high mileage cyclists rarely ride a bike long enough to get much over 20,000 miles before they replace it. Generally people get the desire to get the latest and greatest bells and whistles or to get a more high performance bike in the usually mistaken notion that such a bike will make them a significantly faster rider.
My old steelo is 22 this year and has done 80000+ miles in training, racing, commuting, sitting in the garage
, etc. It is so full of fatigue that I'm waiting in nervous anticipation for the gooseneck to snap or a braize to fail. I've already snapped the crank axle (OUCH!) and had to replace many mech parts just to keep it going.
It is my belief that every frame will inherit some 'sag' or 'floppiness' over a reasonably short period of time, and it won't be detectable because you adjust to the feel as it slops out. I need to know whether that is true with modern bike technology (frame + groupset). That was the main thrust of my original post.