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On Bicycles: I've ridden cheap bikes ( $<= 750 ) all my life. When you buy cheap, you probably aren't purchasing something that is designed for your height and

by eezurr 6y ago

On Bicycles: I've ridden cheap bikes ( $<= 750 ) all my life. When you buy cheap, you probably aren't purchasing something that is designed for your height and width. They also begin to fall apart after a year (handle bar wrap unwinding, beauty parts pop off, gears start to slip, chain derails). Tuneups dont last long. Yesterday I went to my local Trek store and rode a $2500 bike for the first time, and it was a joy to ride. I didn't know gear changes could be so accurate/seamless/instant. First time I rode with disc brakes: I feel way more in control when I need to stop at high speed. The frame fit my body perfectly. Obviously the bike will wear down like cheaper bikes, but the difference is night and day.

deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
dmurray 6y ago
The bike will wear down more than cheaper bikes, unfortunately. Chainrings, derailleurs, cassettes on mid-range bikes are made of lighter metals and to tighter tolerances than those on cheaper bikes. You'll replace them 3x as often and pay 3x as much for the parts, so maintenance is an order of magnitude more expensive per kilometre. There are some exceptions: higher-quality bottom brackets seem to last longer, and on a cheap bike it may not be worth replacing them at all. Maybe wheel bearings too. And some basic services like chain lube are going to cost the same (whether you do it yourself or take it to a bike shop). But overall, the cost of maintenance goes up faster than the initial price of the bike.
- eezurr 6y ago
  Thanks for the info! Could you give me an idea of the yearly cost to maintain a mid-range bike?
  - dmurray 6y ago
    Depends on so many things - principally the distance you ride, but also the riding conditions, how you store it, whether you keep it clean, whether you can do minor/moderate service yourself. Personally I budget about €200/year for my €1200 road bike for 2000 km/year. I store it indoors, ride it 20% in the rain, don't take great care of it otherwise, and take it to the shop for anything more than changing tubes/tyres.
  - FridgeSeal 6y ago
    The cost of some chain lube, grease, a citrus based bike cleaner and a couple of brushes should total less that $50/60 (they often come in bundles) and will keep you covered until they run out (approx 8-12 months, less for the chain lube). I clean and re-lube my road bike when it gets dirty or starts making noise (literally once every 3-4 months), and it gets ridden 3-5 days a week. I clean and re-lube my mountain bike slightly more frequently because it gets far dirtier and gets ridden far harder - usually if it starts making noises, or anything feels (too) gritty or it's just too dirty. Once a month it usually gets a quick clean. All in all, it's a fairly minor amount of time, money and energy. As for component wear, I'm going to disagree with the OP - my friends and I have found that better components _tend_ to last longer, up until the point of diminishing returns (race level componentry). For example SRAM GX would be preferable over NX/SX for quality and lifetime.
user5994461 6y ago
A brand new bike can be as low as €100 highly dependent on current availability and discounts. Cheap bikes are €100-200, maybe up to €250 for an adult man mountain bike. I'm shocked you'd call a $750 bike "cheap" when that's undeniably high end.
- eezurr 6y ago
  https://bicyclewarehouse.com/collections/road-bikes?sort_by=price-ascending https://bicyclewarehouse.com/collections/road-bikes?sort_by=... New road bikes start around $700. Im shocked you can find new bikes for 100 euros!
  - user5994461 6y ago
    See here, the first adult road bike is at €260. https://www.decathlon.fr/p/velo-de-route-triban-rc100-gris/_/R-p-305831?mc=8545769 https://www.decathlon.fr/p/velo-de-route-triban-rc100-gris/_... They must have skimped on everything else to get a 100% aluminum road bike so you're probably better off buying any other type of bike in this price range.
- Redoubts 6y ago
  I wouldn't ride a bike that costs less than $500, tbh.
- lmm 6y ago
  > I'm shocked you'd call a $750 bike "cheap" when that's undeniably high end. It's not. If we're talking about buying new, $750 is about entry level for a real bike from a name-brand manufacturer. If you go to an actual bike store rather than a supermarket, that's what you'll pay. High end is multiple thousands. That's just what they cost, and if you actually use the bike for more than a year then it'll be cheaper in the long run.

by eezurr 6y ago

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

dmurray 6y ago

The bike will wear down more than cheaper bikes, unfortunately. Chainrings, derailleurs, cassettes on mid-range bikes are made of lighter metals and to tighter tolerances than those on cheaper bikes. You'll replace them 3x as often and pay 3x as much for the parts, so maintenance is an order of magnitude more expensive per kilometre. There are some exceptions: higher-quality bottom brackets seem to last longer, and on a cheap bike it may not be worth replacing them at all. Maybe wheel bearings too. And some basic services like chain lube are going to cost the same (whether you do it yourself or take it to a bike shop). But overall, the cost of maintenance goes up faster than the initial price of the bike.

eezurr 6y ago
Thanks for the info! Could you give me an idea of the yearly cost to maintain a mid-range bike?
- dmurray 6y ago
  Depends on so many things - principally the distance you ride, but also the riding conditions, how you store it, whether you keep it clean, whether you can do minor/moderate service yourself. Personally I budget about €200/year for my €1200 road bike for 2000 km/year. I store it indoors, ride it 20% in the rain, don't take great care of it otherwise, and take it to the shop for anything more than changing tubes/tyres.
- FridgeSeal 6y ago
  The cost of some chain lube, grease, a citrus based bike cleaner and a couple of brushes should total less that $50/60 (they often come in bundles) and will keep you covered until they run out (approx 8-12 months, less for the chain lube). I clean and re-lube my road bike when it gets dirty or starts making noise (literally once every 3-4 months), and it gets ridden 3-5 days a week. I clean and re-lube my mountain bike slightly more frequently because it gets far dirtier and gets ridden far harder - usually if it starts making noises, or anything feels (too) gritty or it's just too dirty. Once a month it usually gets a quick clean. All in all, it's a fairly minor amount of time, money and energy. As for component wear, I'm going to disagree with the OP - my friends and I have found that better components _tend_ to last longer, up until the point of diminishing returns (race level componentry). For example SRAM GX would be preferable over NX/SX for quality and lifetime.

user5994461 6y ago

A brand new bike can be as low as €100 highly dependent on current availability and discounts. Cheap bikes are €100-200, maybe up to €250 for an adult man mountain bike. I'm shocked you'd call a $750 bike "cheap" when that's undeniably high end.

eezurr 6y ago
https://bicyclewarehouse.com/collections/road-bikes?sort_by=price-ascending https://bicyclewarehouse.com/collections/road-bikes?sort_by=... New road bikes start around $700. Im shocked you can find new bikes for 100 euros!
- user5994461 6y ago
  See here, the first adult road bike is at €260. https://www.decathlon.fr/p/velo-de-route-triban-rc100-gris/_/R-p-305831?mc=8545769 https://www.decathlon.fr/p/velo-de-route-triban-rc100-gris/_... They must have skimped on everything else to get a 100% aluminum road bike so you're probably better off buying any other type of bike in this price range.
Redoubts 6y ago
I wouldn't ride a bike that costs less than $500, tbh.
lmm 6y ago
> I'm shocked you'd call a $750 bike "cheap" when that's undeniably high end. It's not. If we're talking about buying new, $750 is about entry level for a real bike from a name-brand manufacturer. If you go to an actual bike store rather than a supermarket, that's what you'll pay. High end is multiple thousands. That's just what they cost, and if you actually use the bike for more than a year then it'll be cheaper in the long run.