What would be the mileage of MTB bike before things get worn out.
11-10-18, 12:12 PM
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What would be the mileage of MTB bike before things get worn out.
Hello everyone,
After 14 years I'm again into biking. I would like know how many miles would my mtb bicycle complete before things get worn out like brake pads, bearings, chain, freewheel, bottom brackets,
cone bearings etc.
I would be riding my bike only on city roads and I won't be taking it out on a rainy day.
Would like to receive reply from experienced cyclists...
After 14 years I'm again into biking. I would like know how many miles would my mtb bicycle complete before things get worn out like brake pads, bearings, chain, freewheel, bottom brackets,
cone bearings etc.
I would be riding my bike only on city roads and I won't be taking it out on a rainy day.
Would like to receive reply from experienced cyclists...
Last edited by jonahmano; 11-10-18 at 12:40 PM.
11-10-18, 12:36 PM
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Interocitor Command
There's no way to provide an honest and accurate answer about any of those components.
11-10-18, 12:53 PM
#3
Senior Member
My 1984 Ritchey mountain bike runs as as well as the day it was made. It has survived 3 users in true mountain biking conditions, as epic journeys in the Rockies through rocky and muddy terrain maybe visited by one person per year.
In contrast, your standard full-suspension department store bike lasts about 75 miles from mass production at a 'political re-education camp' to a first world landfill.
on a good bike, assume that the chain lasts 2-3,000 miles. Cassette and rings maybe 10k miles. Unless you don't replace the chain, and then these will be eaten away in half of that. Brake pads... depends on what brakes you have, and where you ride. I've seen a set of pads worn down right to the metal holders in a single 10 mile mudfest race.
In contrast, your standard full-suspension department store bike lasts about 75 miles from mass production at a 'political re-education camp' to a first world landfill.
on a good bike, assume that the chain lasts 2-3,000 miles. Cassette and rings maybe 10k miles. Unless you don't replace the chain, and then these will be eaten away in half of that. Brake pads... depends on what brakes you have, and where you ride. I've seen a set of pads worn down right to the metal holders in a single 10 mile mudfest race.
11-10-18, 01:04 PM
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Okay, here's my thought. I ride under similar conditions, except that I commute year-round in all weather. My bikes are decent quality but old. Just doing the math, my daily commute is 8 miles round trip, plus I do some other things, so let's say I ride 2000 miles per year. I expect to inspect and inflate my tires every week. Brake pads, I check them maybe once a month, and see if they need adjustment. That might be excessive, but I like to catch small problems before they turn into big problems. Replace brake pads maybe every other year. My spouse goes through brake pads quicker than that for some reason, despite lesser mileage. So it may depend on riding habits. She deals with a lot more traffic, crossings, etc.
Checking tires for bits of glass and debris can be a good thing, to prevent flats before they happen.
Cup-and-cone bearings, I repack them maybe every 2 to 3 years, mainly so I can take a look at the bearing surfaces. Chain and freewheel, there are others out there with some decent numbers on this, maybe 3000 miles on a chain, and 2 chains per freewheel. (Do I remember correctly? I ride mostly single speed and gearhubs, so the conditions might be a bit different).
I expect bearings to last forever under my riding conditions unless something actually damages them such as running out of grease, or getting debris into the races. That's why I do preventive maintenance. I go through grease so I don't have to go through parts.
I agree with Doctor Mobius, that it's hard to predict, but that doesn't mean we can't share experiences to let you form some realistic expectations.
In my opinion, your first maintenance interval should be after zero miles. What I mean is, if your bike has an unknown past, or has sat for 14 years, or even if it's brand new but purchased from an iffy source, then you should check all of those things before putting very many miles on it. There are stories of new bikes with no lube in their bearings, or insufficiently tensioned spokes, and those things will show up as mechanical failures in the future.
If you're not doing your own maintenance, I suggest easing your way into it. I think that the cycling experience is greatly improved if one can be reasonably self sufficient for maintenance.
Checking tires for bits of glass and debris can be a good thing, to prevent flats before they happen.
Cup-and-cone bearings, I repack them maybe every 2 to 3 years, mainly so I can take a look at the bearing surfaces. Chain and freewheel, there are others out there with some decent numbers on this, maybe 3000 miles on a chain, and 2 chains per freewheel. (Do I remember correctly? I ride mostly single speed and gearhubs, so the conditions might be a bit different).
I expect bearings to last forever under my riding conditions unless something actually damages them such as running out of grease, or getting debris into the races. That's why I do preventive maintenance. I go through grease so I don't have to go through parts.
I agree with Doctor Mobius, that it's hard to predict, but that doesn't mean we can't share experiences to let you form some realistic expectations.
In my opinion, your first maintenance interval should be after zero miles. What I mean is, if your bike has an unknown past, or has sat for 14 years, or even if it's brand new but purchased from an iffy source, then you should check all of those things before putting very many miles on it. There are stories of new bikes with no lube in their bearings, or insufficiently tensioned spokes, and those things will show up as mechanical failures in the future.
If you're not doing your own maintenance, I suggest easing your way into it. I think that the cycling experience is greatly improved if one can be reasonably self sufficient for maintenance.
11-10-18, 01:07 PM
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11-10-18, 01:13 PM
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It all depends on how it's used and how much distance it's ridden. Also depends on the quality of the components.
11-10-18, 01:17 PM
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Okay, here's my thought. I ride under similar conditions, except that I commute year-round in all weather. My bikes are decent quality but old. Just doing the math, my daily commute is 8 miles round trip, plus I do some other things, so let's say I ride 2000 miles per year. I expect to inspect and inflate my tires every week. Brake pads, I check them maybe once a month, and see if they need adjustment. That might be excessive, but I like to catch small problems before they turn into big problems. Replace brake pads maybe every other year. My spouse goes through brake pads quicker than that for some reason, despite lesser mileage. So it may depend on riding habits. She deals with a lot more traffic, crossings, etc.
Checking tires for bits of glass and debris can be a good thing, to prevent flats before they happen.
Cup-and-cone bearings, I repack them maybe every 2 to 3 years, mainly so I can take a look at the bearing surfaces. Chain and freewheel, there are others out there with some decent numbers on this, maybe 3000 miles on a chain, and 2 chains per freewheel. (Do I remember correctly? I ride mostly single speed and gearhubs, so the conditions might be a bit different).
I expect bearings to last forever under my riding conditions unless something actually damages them such as running out of grease, or getting debris into the races. That's why I do preventive maintenance. I go through grease so I don't have to go through parts.
I agree with Doctor Mobius, that it's hard to predict, but that doesn't mean we can't share experiences to let you form some realistic expectations.
In my opinion, your first maintenance interval should be after zero miles. What I mean is, if your bike has an unknown past, or has sat for 14 years, or even if it's brand new but purchased from an iffy source, then you should check all of those things before putting very many miles on it. There are stories of new bikes with no lube in their bearings, or insufficiently tensioned spokes, and those things will show up as mechanical failures in the future.
If you're not doing your own maintenance, I suggest easing your way into it. I think that the cycling experience is greatly improved if one can be reasonably self sufficient for maintenance.
Checking tires for bits of glass and debris can be a good thing, to prevent flats before they happen.
Cup-and-cone bearings, I repack them maybe every 2 to 3 years, mainly so I can take a look at the bearing surfaces. Chain and freewheel, there are others out there with some decent numbers on this, maybe 3000 miles on a chain, and 2 chains per freewheel. (Do I remember correctly? I ride mostly single speed and gearhubs, so the conditions might be a bit different).
I expect bearings to last forever under my riding conditions unless something actually damages them such as running out of grease, or getting debris into the races. That's why I do preventive maintenance. I go through grease so I don't have to go through parts.
I agree with Doctor Mobius, that it's hard to predict, but that doesn't mean we can't share experiences to let you form some realistic expectations.
In my opinion, your first maintenance interval should be after zero miles. What I mean is, if your bike has an unknown past, or has sat for 14 years, or even if it's brand new but purchased from an iffy source, then you should check all of those things before putting very many miles on it. There are stories of new bikes with no lube in their bearings, or insufficiently tensioned spokes, and those things will show up as mechanical failures in the future.
If you're not doing your own maintenance, I suggest easing your way into it. I think that the cycling experience is greatly improved if one can be reasonably self sufficient for maintenance.
11-10-18, 01:22 PM
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Thanks for sharing your experience. My ride would be only thrice in a week and about 25 miles to the max on smooth roads and I hope I wouldn't be in any trouble if I do preventive maintenance as you mentioned. I'm going through many youtube videos and also reading the threads in the forums extensively. So there's lots of time till I start learning few things about servicing the bike myself. It's like starting everything from the scratch.
Also, if you keep an eye on things, you can buy parts and tools ahead of time rather than in an emergency.
11-10-18, 03:37 PM
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So, if you're riding a $200 MTB vs a $5000 MTB, results may vary.
I replace brake pads when they wear out. Perhaps 10,000 miles or so, but it depends on the riding. I get a lot of open road riding. Hill commutes can be different.
Chains, maybe 1000 to 2000 miles. Not all chains are created equal, and I'm doing some experiments with better rated chains now.
Cassettes and chainrings may well depend on your chains. A lot will depend on how proactive you are with replacing the chain. I have one bike that I'm pushing maybe 10,000 miles on the cassette, and others that I've blown up freewheels in about 1000 miles.
If you have a cartridge bottom bracket, it should last a good long time. For loose bearing, just make sure you aren't riding it loose.
Just like there isn't one bike, there isn't one answer that fits all.
Keep stuff adjusted well. Things like loose bearings/cones are bad.
11-10-18, 05:47 PM
#13
Senior Member
how much do you like your nice things working nicely & make an effort to keep it that way?i run a Bike Hospital. I see a lot of bikes that, geez, I'd be scared to ride even around the block
loose nuts, dried grease, rusted cables, orange chains with stiff links, derailleur idlers matted into hairballs... yet their owners still ride them daily. Methinks "wornout parts" is a problem only detected by firstworld keyboard cyclists
in my circles, they're more likely to have unscrewed themselves & fallen off, or damaged in an accident, or rust damaged... long before they're wornout - brakepads & tyres being the main exception (because everybody can SEE they're on the way out, right?). To many parts are wornout only when they break & bike totally stops working.
11-10-18, 06:03 PM
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Interocitor Command
11-10-18, 06:48 PM
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Of course, one option is just to ride the chain, chainrings, and freewheel/cassette into the ground, then replace all of them at once, of course depending on the relative cost of the parts.
I'm not experimenting with other brands/sources of chains, and doing well so far, but don't have a good inclement weather comparison.
Perhaps I'll try building a chain, half and half between brands and watching the difference.
11-10-18, 06:58 PM
#16
Interocitor Command
That explains it. I'm a fair weather cyclist so my chains only see sunshine and warmth.
No need to go that route and wear out a good cassette prematurely.
That's a very good idea. 
Half the chain could be Shimano and the other half SRAM or KMC. After 1,000+ miles measure each half and see which is wearing out the quickest. That's actually quantifiable, unlike so much other gibberish I've read.
Of course, one option is just to ride the chain, chainrings, and freewheel/cassette into the ground, then replace all of them at once.
I'm not experimenting with other brands/sources of chains, and doing well so far, but don't have a good inclement weather comparison.
Perhaps I'll try building a chain, half and half between brands and watching the difference.
Perhaps I'll try building a chain, half and half between brands and watching the difference.
Half the chain could be Shimano and the other half SRAM or KMC. After 1,000+ miles measure each half and see which is wearing out the quickest. That's actually quantifiable, unlike so much other gibberish I've read.
11-10-18, 10:31 PM
#17
Bicyclerider4life
I'm getting a new chain on my mountain bike, as well as new brake and shifter cables and housings, and a few other parts.
I've only put around 85,000 miles on the bike.
This will be the first chain, and second freewheel.
I ride year round in south central Idaho.
I've only put around 85,000 miles on the bike.
This will be the first chain, and second freewheel.
I ride year round in south central Idaho.
11-10-18, 11:10 PM
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Only way any drive chain lasts that long is if it's in a sealed case, with a constant oil bath.
11-11-18, 10:29 AM
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A long time.
Biggest factors are whether you leave your bike out in the weather and how bike theft prone is the area where you ride.
Biggest factors are whether you leave your bike out in the weather and how bike theft prone is the area where you ride.
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11-11-18, 10:31 AM
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11-11-18, 12:30 PM
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85k miles. That's great like a lifetime stats.......
11-11-18, 07:07 PM
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There are a lot of folks who take really poor care of their bikes but think their stuff is lasting really well because they slowly get accustomed to the poor performance of their bike and trick themselves into thinking it is still good. I see it all the time. Granted this story sounds like a big ole' load but it could be that classic delusion.
Bike components will last as long as they last. The good stuff typically lasts longer but if you don't take care of things they might not last as long. The cheap stuff isn't designed to last or work very well so poor performance out of the box is common. Keep things clean, properly lubed or greased and inflated and torqued, and you will likely get much better life out of things.
Bike components will last as long as they last. The good stuff typically lasts longer but if you don't take care of things they might not last as long. The cheap stuff isn't designed to last or work very well so poor performance out of the box is common. Keep things clean, properly lubed or greased and inflated and torqued, and you will likely get much better life out of things.
11-11-18, 07:42 PM
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Things I have not replaced:
Bottom bracket - the 40 year old Sugino cup and spindle BB is hanging in there great.
Head set - the original 45 year old set is still in fine shape although I have replaced the bearing balls in the last 5 years. It has 26 tpi threading so when it fails I will replace the fork.
Brakes - new 7 years ago and still plenty of wear left.
Hope this helps
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