Modern Cyclist Magazine Issue 3, November 2014 | Page 48

MC tech talk

The BIKE WHISPERER asks:

Have you ever driven
past a used car
dealership, where you
saw, let’s say, a Golf
and a Beamer from
around the same era,
selling for the same
or only marginally
different price? I’m
sure you have and
for a split second, you
asked: Why? Here’s
why…

T

he one vehicle is in an almost problemfree condition with regular services and parts
replaced. The other has just been driven and been
fixed as and when needed as the vehicle would
otherwise not be able to operate without the
necessary being completed.
Owning a bicycle is like owning any mechanically
operated machine. The only difference is your engine.
But it has wheels, brakes, gears and road holding bits
too. So I suggest treating it as a vehicle. Not only
are there safety issues … but there are performance,
reliability and resale value issues as well.
It seems to appear that many first or second time
buyers assume that buying a more expensive bicycle
means less problems and everything should last
longer. Why should it? I’m paying more and its “just”a
bicycle? Well in fact the opposite is true. The more
expensive machines are manufactured with lighter
materials with much more precision engineering.
This means that parts will wear out more frequently
and require more tuning and taking care of. Sure,
the bike performance is great when it’s new, but

48

you want to keep it performing that way, after all
that’s why you spent the extra cash to get a cut
above the rest.
Look, I’m not saying buy the cheapest yard sale
bike you can find and suffer on, but, just know
that if you spend big bucks on day one, you’re
going to frequently spend on services. If not,
your pride and joy will slowly deteriorate to a
worthless, malfunctioning heap of material.
We are all aware that there are hungry sharks out
there who just want to ramp up a bill as high as
possible at service times, but, not everyone is that
way inclined.
My suggestion to you is get involved and know
your component condition and compare it to your
milage and riding conditions. Find a bike store guy
you can trust. Build a relationship with the person.
Like with any friendship or relationship, you will
soon detect if something is fishy or suspect, and
if so, move onto the next person or shop around
until you are comfortable and trust someone with
your ride.
Right, let’s look a bit at what service intervals
should be expected. Road bikes and Hybrids are
the friendliest in this deparment, as they don’t
usually get dragged through the mud and they
have a lot less movable parts as opposed to
mountain bikes. I’d say it is safe to set intervals
at 1 000 kilometres or twice a year for a full
service. This is obviously if you’re not a pro-rider
or a high miler which would then make it a bit
more frequent.
Road bike drive trains and components also last
a lot longer. You could easily get two to three
thousand kilometres out of a drive train and
almost double that on your wheels and cranks,
before replacement is required.
Moutain bikes, on the otherhand, are a completely
different story. Because of the sheer nature of the
sport, the presence of dirt and constant shudder
as well as the short bursts of intermittent torque,
mountain bikes unfortunately don’t last very long.
On average, a chain and sometimes sprockets
and rings barely last 1 000 kilometres. Headsets,
bottom brackets and hubs also wear out rapidly
due to constant knocks. Then there’s the most

ISSUE 3 NOVEMBER 2014 / www.moderncyclist.co.za

overlooked and neglected suspension fork,
rear shock and linkages. Its best to consult
a bike store or go check out manufacturers’
recommended intervals online y