Originally Posted by
duckbill
Sometimes it comes down to the old adage, you get what you pay for. My Shimano 105 group is 15 years old and the only thing I have replaced is the chain. My Campy group is 16 years old and is still original. Once a year all the bearings get cleaned and greased. Average weekly mileage is about 50 on each bike except in winter. Wear and tear on tires, tubes and brake pads is normal. I buy tubes four at a time. I don't even patch tubes anymore, just replace. Good quality bicycles will always reward you beyond their ordinary equivalent.
Well, it's a specialized sequoia touring bike. Changed the wheels from the stock low-spoke-count ALX's to mavic trainers. Bike cost $1200 a few years ago. I am around 190lb and carry 10lbs of crap back and forth to work on it; 32 miles round trip each day. It requires way too much maintenance imo. But... last evening I put 2.5 hours into cleaning the bike, putting the chain through the ultrasonic, changing a tube with a bad presta valve, and adjusting the front and rear fenders (that were rubbing). So... I had a glorious ride into work earlier today. The bike was almost silent.