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I paid about $1,000 for a steel-frame touring bike about 15 years ago. I commute/run errands for a few thousand miles a year on it. Every 2-3 years, I get it ov

I paid about $1,000 for a steel-frame touring bike about 15 years ago. I commute/run errands for a few thousand miles a year on it. Every 2-3 years, I get it overhauled at a cost of about $500. Other than that, I’ve replaced wheels and tires a few times and break pads on average about once a year, plus the occasional random issue. So for me, the cost of maintenance quickly outpaced the cost of the bike. But it’s still a pittance compared to the cost of car ownership. I would say don’t learn to do maintenance yourself unless it’s something you enjoy. I enjoy riding my bike but hate tinkering with and fixing things. My bike is to get me around, not be a source of grief and annoyance.

leemailll 4y ago
what kind of service cost you $500? that's pretty high unless you replace a lot stuff
- paulcole 4y ago
  Shop near me is $275 for an overhaul: > We’ll take apart your bike piece by piece, overhaul the bearing systems and put it together again. Then we’ll perform a full-tune up, install new brake and shifting cables if needed, and give it a thorough cleaning. It’ll ride like new. http://gladysbikes.com/mechanical-service http://gladysbikes.com/mechanical-service I always tell them to just replace anything you’d replace if it was your bike. Generally after 3 years there’s something they replace like rebuilding a wheel or something. I’ve always been very happy with the service and value because other than light cleaning and oiling I don’t put any effort into maintaining my bike. The mechanic (same guy I’ve seen for the past decade) told me (in a backhanded compliment sort of way), “This is really a testament to how well a bike can hold up with no maintenance other than an overhaul every few years.”
- samstave 4y ago
  Mikes bikes does a full service which is $500 - and yes bike techs have a lot of mechanical knowledge, like for example using various spacers to change the geometry to suit the riders body/grip/posture etc. And then for certain things you need multiple spacers, or you can only mate this handle-bar with this type of headset/stem etc... Bikes are fn awesome machines.
dylan604 4y ago
>But it’s still a pittance compared to the cost of car ownership. I'm not really sure where the unrealistic expectation of zero dollar expense on maintenance of a bike comes from, but it seems the norm. No matter what though, it is still pennies on the dollar for any kind of expense from a car. The most expensive thing I can do for an upgrade to my bike is to have hydraulic brakes installed, and that's <$400 with paying for the labor of someone else to do it. Like you said, brake pads get replaced, but the set for my biker are <$20. Yes, it's not free and definitely non-zero, but it rounds to zero when compared to car ownership.
- paulcole 4y ago
  I’ve never owned a car or even driven one. So I don’t have a good sense of the costs there. I guess I don’t even see the bike as having costs, it’s an investment in moving myself around and feeling good.
  - hollerith 4y ago
    >I guess I don’t even see the bike as having costs, it’s an investment Well, sure, if you want to ignore the standard an unambiguous meanings of "cost" and "investment" for poetical reason.
    - paulcole 4y ago
      Yes, that's what I was doing. Great job picking up on that!
- samstave 4y ago
  My bike cost more than my car. I have a $7,500 bike, a $3,000 bike and two $400 bikes... my car was $5,000 and I put more miles on my bikes than any car... Bikes suck for a few things - weather and only one person and no storage. I am a pro-dealer of Fox Shocks products and am looking to becoming an Orbea dealer - potentially opening my own shop. Also, I am designing 3D printable components based on my being a daily biker for two decades. -- Also - you can go to importYeti.com and look up bike suppliers supply chains, shipments and native chinese/taiwanese manufacturers (Taiwan produces a F-ton of bike frames.... You will see differences in pricing >$1,000 just based on the quality of components. Some modern bikes have apps to tune their performance, blue-tooth wireless shifters, brakes etc. I love bikes - but they arent as cheap as one may think (if their looking for performance on top of convenience... Then just look at the prices of spandex biking clothes.

leemailll 4y ago

what kind of service cost you $500? that's pretty high unless you replace a lot stuff

paulcole 4y ago
Shop near me is $275 for an overhaul: > We’ll take apart your bike piece by piece, overhaul the bearing systems and put it together again. Then we’ll perform a full-tune up, install new brake and shifting cables if needed, and give it a thorough cleaning. It’ll ride like new. http://gladysbikes.com/mechanical-service http://gladysbikes.com/mechanical-service I always tell them to just replace anything you’d replace if it was your bike. Generally after 3 years there’s something they replace like rebuilding a wheel or something. I’ve always been very happy with the service and value because other than light cleaning and oiling I don’t put any effort into maintaining my bike. The mechanic (same guy I’ve seen for the past decade) told me (in a backhanded compliment sort of way), “This is really a testament to how well a bike can hold up with no maintenance other than an overhaul every few years.”
samstave 4y ago
Mikes bikes does a full service which is $500 - and yes bike techs have a lot of mechanical knowledge, like for example using various spacers to change the geometry to suit the riders body/grip/posture etc. And then for certain things you need multiple spacers, or you can only mate this handle-bar with this type of headset/stem etc... Bikes are fn awesome machines.

dylan604 4y ago

>But it’s still a pittance compared to the cost of car ownership. I'm not really sure where the unrealistic expectation of zero dollar expense on maintenance of a bike comes from, but it seems the norm. No matter what though, it is still pennies on the dollar for any kind of expense from a car. The most expensive thing I can do for an upgrade to my bike is to have hydraulic brakes installed, and that's <$400 with paying for the labor of someone else to do it. Like you said, brake pads get replaced, but the set for my biker are <$20. Yes, it's not free and definitely non-zero, but it rounds to zero when compared to car ownership.

paulcole 4y ago
I’ve never owned a car or even driven one. So I don’t have a good sense of the costs there. I guess I don’t even see the bike as having costs, it’s an investment in moving myself around and feeling good.
- hollerith 4y ago
  >I guess I don’t even see the bike as having costs, it’s an investment Well, sure, if you want to ignore the standard an unambiguous meanings of "cost" and "investment" for poetical reason.
  - paulcole 4y ago
    Yes, that's what I was doing. Great job picking up on that!
samstave 4y ago
My bike cost more than my car. I have a $7,500 bike, a $3,000 bike and two $400 bikes... my car was $5,000 and I put more miles on my bikes than any car... Bikes suck for a few things - weather and only one person and no storage. I am a pro-dealer of Fox Shocks products and am looking to becoming an Orbea dealer - potentially opening my own shop. Also, I am designing 3D printable components based on my being a daily biker for two decades. -- Also - you can go to importYeti.com and look up bike suppliers supply chains, shipments and native chinese/taiwanese manufacturers (Taiwan produces a F-ton of bike frames.... You will see differences in pricing >$1,000 just based on the quality of components. Some modern bikes have apps to tune their performance, blue-tooth wireless shifters, brakes etc. I love bikes - but they arent as cheap as one may think (if their looking for performance on top of convenience... Then just look at the prices of spandex biking clothes.