|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
bikes & parts - getting worse or better?
I bought a mid range priced mountain bike about 10 years ago. I use it a
fair bit but I don't actually thrash it either. The parts that are on it seem to be of a decent quality since mostly everything on it is original still. However, this bike is still 10 years old and after a decade of steady use, some parts are a bit roughed up. The biggest example the I can give you are tires. They lasted about 9 years. I went through quite a few tubes, but the tires themselves, in my opion, went the distance (so to speak). When I finally changed them, it was the sides of the tires that gave up first. (Not the tread!) These new tires, after about 6 months have lost about half their tread on the rear tire and I can easily say that I am not riding the bike any harder. I have talked to one of the guys in the bike shop where I purchased the tires and told him what I have just told you. Although there are more and less expensive manufacturers, a tire is a tire. It also seemed to him that tire companies might be making a softer rubber compound to sell more tires. Although, I do not find this to be out of the question, I wonder if this is actually the case. The questions now a -Can I buy an 'iron man' type tire similar to my original pair that will last me another decade? -Have other people noticed their tires lasting less and less? -Does anyone have any other experiences with other parts (ex. brakes or brake pads, rims, chains etc) - Are these parts lasting less time as well? -Is a bike made today less durable that 10 years ago? Finally, don't get me wrong. I still drool at the new bikes coming out and would love to buy one right now. I'm just wondering how long it would last if I did. Any thoughts? |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
ok wrote:
-Can I buy an 'iron man' type tire similar to my original pair that will last me another decade? Sure. They're about. -Have other people noticed their tires lasting less and less? Not really. I believe that the compounds and tread patterns have changed in most tyres because of advances in technology and new compounds being developed for specific uses. Believe it or not but a good tread pattern and a softer compound will grip better and deform over the terrain better. The disadvantage is that it will wear faster. You can still get hard compound tyres but it's like wearing old gumboots versus track shoes in a 100M race. -Does anyone have any other experiences with other parts (ex. brakes or brake pads, rims, chains etc) - Are these parts lasting less time as well? Yes and No. You can still get parts that last for years - but weight and performance has been more highly tuned over the years so a lot of components have sacrificed durability and strength for performance and weight-savings. More moving parts to wear out too e.g. suspension components. Is a bike made today less durable that 10 years ago? Generally I'd say Yes. Durability sacrificed for weight and performance. More moving parts e.g. suspension components Finally, don't get me wrong. I still drool at the new bikes coming out and would love to buy one right now. I'm just wondering how long it would last if I did. Any thoughts? As long as you look after it and maintain it well it will last for years. You may find that parts like suspension bushings, brake pads and tyres will need regular replacement of course. BTW, I'm impressed that you got 9 years out of a set of tyres. How often did you actually ride that bike? -- Westie (Replace 'invalid' with 'yahoo' when replying.) |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
ok says...
-Can I buy an 'iron man' type tire similar to my original pair that will last me another decade? -Have other people noticed their tires lasting less and less? -Does anyone have any other experiences with other parts (ex. brakes or brake pads, rims, chains etc) - Are these parts lasting less time as well? -Is a bike made today less durable that 10 years ago? Finally, don't get me wrong. I still drool at the new bikes coming out and would love to buy one right now. I'm just wondering how long it would last if I did. Any thoughts? I can't fault you for wanting to do things on the cheap, but is it really that important that a tire lasts 10 years? Softer treads don't last as long, but give much better grip. I would say that you can still get tires that wear like iron, but they will also comparatively weigh like iron and ride like iron too. You can get bike parts with any durability you want. You can get parts designed for downhill or freeride bikes that are built like tanks. It may be that the low-end stuff hanging on the wall at the LBS has migrated to more lightweight materials and construction, like more aluminum and less steel. The same may be happening with tires, since tire weights can vary by a pound or more. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
"ok" wrote
| The questions now a | -Can I buy an 'iron man' type tire similar to my original pair that will | last me another decade? A decade is a hard one, but the longest wearing tires I've dealt with are Serfas Gators - harder rubber, full coated sidewalls, kevlar mesh belting. Tough as nails and I sell a lot of them. The biggest problem for me is that once I sell a pair, I never see these folks for tires again! | -Have other people noticed their tires lasting less and less? Actually they're getting better in my opinion. There was a period in the 90s when they went *ultra* soft (Onza white Porcs anyone?) but that crud has passed. | -Does anyone have any other experiences with other parts (ex. brakes or | brake pads, rims, chains etc) - Are these parts lasting less time as well? Buy well and wisely for your conditions. I've never worn out a brake pad (I change them often during tinkering sessions) but I've seen two people buy the same pads, one chews thru them in a week and the other I never see again. | -Is a bike made today less durable that 10 years ago? I think so - yes. No easily obtainable full CroMo, everything LIGHT LIGHT or built like a freakin tank. | Finally, don't get me wrong. I still drool at the new bikes coming out and | would love to buy one right now. I'm just wondering how long it would last | if I did. Any thoughts? Buy a mid-priced hard-tail. Replace parts when they wear out with what you know lasts. --- __o _`\(,_ Cycling is life, (_)/ (_) all the rest, just details. The Nelson Paradigm =^o.o^= http://intergalax.com http://intbike.com Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.784 / Virus Database: 530 - Release Date: 10/27/2004 |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Ground Control wrote:
A decade is a hard one, but the longest wearing tires I've dealt with are Serfas Gators - harder rubber, full coated sidewalls, kevlar mesh belting. Tough as nails and I sell a lot of them. The biggest problem for me is that once I sell a pair, I never see these folks for tires again! sell them special order only? (prepaid in advance, of course) ;-) | -Have other people noticed their tires lasting less and less? Actually they're getting better in my opinion. There was a period in the 90s when they went *ultra* soft (Onza white Porcs anyone?) but that crud has passed. mine seem to last me a while, and I don't even run very expensive jobs. just your typical medium profile XC tread - generally get at least a year of riding out of them if not more unless an extreme rock or something gets the better of one. it took me even longer than that to wear out my first pair when I was just getting into the sport, and even then the sidewalls gave out faster than the rest of the tire...tread, etc. for racing I have a better tire in mind but haven't made the jump yet (which might last even longer under general use...or not, who knows. remains to be seen, if I ever decide to test out that theory). Buy well and wisely for your conditions. I've never worn out a brake pad (I change them often during tinkering sessions) but I've seen two people buy the same pads, one chews thru them in a week and the other I never see again. I have a hard time wearing out brake pads as well. they eventually do, but usually just replace them sooner if they're slightly less even than I want them. I can recall buying a pair of Kool Stops a couple months after getting my current bike and not needing them til quite a while later. I think so - yes. No easily obtainable full CroMo, everything LIGHT LIGHT or built like a freakin tank. I never owned a CroMoly MTB, but can remember having a BMX as a kid made of the stuff. didn't seem like such a bad material, but I had friends who managed to bend a frame or two (no racing or serious jumping involved but you know how kids are). always seemed like it would make a good application, when did they stop making bikes out of that anyway? I know it's lighter than steel but maybe not as strong, and not as light as aluminum or carbon but maybe a little stronger ... in theory. I'd prefer it over steel but my late '90s alum. hardtail has always worked well, if a bit finicky at times. bri -- * enjoying the karma * remove LKJSDFJSD from address to email |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
"bri719" wrote in message
... | Ground Control wrote: | | A decade is a hard one, but the longest wearing tires I've dealt with are | Serfas Gators - harder rubber, full coated sidewalls, kevlar mesh belting. | Tough as nails and I sell a lot of them. The biggest problem for me is that | once I sell a pair, I never see these folks for tires again! | | sell them special order only? (prepaid in advance, of course) ;-) Nah - it's my best seller after cheap Kenda "alpha-bite" copies. | I think so - yes. No easily obtainable full CroMo, everything LIGHT LIGHT | or built like a freakin tank. | | I never owned a CroMoly MTB, but can remember having a BMX as a kid made | of the stuff. didn't seem like such a bad material, but I had friends | who managed to bend a frame or two (no racing or serious jumping | involved but you know how kids are). always seemed like it would make a | good application, when did they stop making bikes out of that anyway? I | know it's lighter than steel but maybe not as strong, and not as light | as aluminum or carbon but maybe a little stronger ... in theory. I'd | prefer it over steel but my late '90s alum. hardtail has always worked | well, if a bit finicky at times. CroMo died out because *you* wanted aluminum. It's part hype, part what the customers want. CroMo has skinny tubing, Aluminum has burly, healthy looking tubing. People worry about rust, aluminum corrodes more slowly than steel. With all my bikes, I only recently got into AL. I just replaced my old steel (not CroMo) cruiser with a new AL unit. I've got a "Beater" bike in AL. Almost 2 weeks ago I bought a new road bike in AL, though it's hanging at the shop waiting for the composite fork. My primary MTB is a 94 Rockhopper Comp FS. Triple butted CroMo. I utterly love that bike - perfect for me in every way! --- __o _`\(,_ Cycling is life, (_)/ (_) all the rest, just details. The Nelson Paradigm =^o.o^= http://intergalax.com http://intbike.com Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.784 / Virus Database: 530 - Release Date: 10/27/2004 |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
CroMo died out because *you* wanted aluminum. It's part hype, part
what the customers want. CroMo has skinny tubing, Cromo frames hurt when parts of your body impact them. Aluminum imparts a lower stress to the body since the area is larger. -- Phil, Squid-in-Training |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Just a few observations:
Deore XT parts up to the end of the 7 speed era were fantastic. I've still got several parts, including thumbshifters and derailleurs working on most of my bikes. Deore XT parts in the 8 speed era were a huge drop in quality. In the derailleur, the change from a flat spring to a helical (coil) spring alone just about ruined them. There was even a cottage industry of stronger replacement springs. I've heard all kinds of stories about this. Shimano said it was to make shifting effort easier. More cynical voices said it was to defeat mixing SRAM Gripshifters with Shimano derailleurs. That makes sense, considering many folks added "Bassworm" spring enhancers to that setup. The 9 speed XT is, IMHO, a return to the good quality of old (with the exception of their V-brakes - the unholy howlers!) They still have a coil spring but it is much more powerful and works fine with almost any shifter. I can't speak for the new "Low Normal" STI XT setup since I haven't ridden any of it yet. --- __o _`\(,_ Cycling is life, (_)/ (_) all the rest, just details. The Nelson Paradigm =^o.o^= http://intergalax.com http://intbike.com Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.784 / Virus Database: 530 - Release Date: 10/27/2004 |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
"Phil, Squid-in-Training" wrote in
message ... CroMo died out because *you* wanted aluminum. It's part hype, part what the customers want. CroMo has skinny tubing, Cromo frames hurt when parts of your body impact them. Aluminum imparts a lower stress to the body since the area is larger. I never thought of it that way Makes sense. Not a really big issue since a crash bad enough to bruise with skinner tubes may hurt you in other ways on the AL. Nelson--yet to sing soprano |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Nelson @ International Bicycle wrote:
"Phil, Squid-in-Training" wrote in message ... CroMo died out because *you* wanted aluminum. It's part hype, part what the customers want. CroMo has skinny tubing, Cromo frames hurt when parts of your body impact them. Aluminum imparts a lower stress to the body since the area is larger. I never thought of it that way Makes sense. Not a really big issue since a crash bad enough to bruise with skinner tubes may hurt you in other ways on the AL. How so? Forces would always be more concentrated on the CroMo. Nelson--yet to sing soprano More specifically, my knees and the inside of my knees. -- Phil, Squid-in-Training |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Ghost Bikes | Garrison Hilliard | General | 0 | June 12th 04 06:31 PM |
Mutant Road Bikes | Dave Mayer | General | 29 | March 12th 04 05:48 AM |
First road bike: braking? | Alan Hoyle | General | 47 | September 28th 03 11:40 PM |
FAQ | Just zis Guy, you know? | UK | 27 | September 5th 03 10:58 PM |