Time to bite the bullet and start another bike search

[Brett L.]

I’ve always been told: when you are buying a bike, you are buying a frame. All components will eventually wear out, but if you treat your bike right, it’ll be good for life. You will eventually have to replace your chain, or your cassette, or your cranks/bottom brackets/wheels/etc. if you ride it enough. But if you get to the point that you’re wearing out more expensive components (ie, not cassette or chain), you’re riding your bike a lot anyway (and not driving) and you’ve made your investment back tenfold. All components are replaceable, and managed properly, you can keep a bike going forever with minimal cost when computed over the lifetime of the bike.

[Harry Meatmotor]

@lordofthemark 150682 wrote:

Sigh. The Dew (just $500), was 3 years old. Just under 5000 miles. I had replaced a cable, the chain, and the rear cassette (also tires). Which people here said was normal (and the cassette would likely have lasted had I been better about checking the chain). As far as I could tell, it had lots of years left of use at my current level of commuting.

I get that – that’s why I said “barely”. The Dew is a really good value for component quality. It is relatively over-spec’d component-wise and the frame, wheels, and cockpit are where the cost savings are. Also, until you get into the multi-kilo-buck range, frames will differ in geometry and features (rack & fender mounts, etc.), but the quality is going to be practically equal across brands. Remember, even the cheapest bike store bikes meet specific CPSC and EN safety standards for things like front impact (read: headtube/downtube/fork strength), etc. There’s also only so many OEMs capable of handling the volume a manufacturer like Trek and Specialized (and ovbs. others) require for global market sales. so, differentiation in quality is not necessarily a major selling point or marketable part of a brand, i.e., at less than $1,000 retail everyone is building frames to very similar quality standards.

[Crickey7]

@Brett L. 150689 wrote:

. . if you treat your bike right, it’ll be good for life.

Well . . . I found that after 40k, there were severely diminishing returns in keeping a bike. For what I was spending every year in repairs and replacement of parts, I got a previous year’s model of nearly as good quality.

[EasyRider]

Food for thought: http://m.thesweethome.com/reviews/best-hybrid-commuter-bike/

The reviewers give a slight edge to the trek fx2 over the jamis coda sport, saying that the coda sport is smoother and has slightly more aggressive rider position than the trek, but isn’t as maneuverable and is a bit sluggish. That evaluation is at odds with rider position and fact that the jamis has a touch steeper a head tube angle and shorter chainstays, which are central to the definition of agile handling … So my guess is that it’s just appreciation for a lighter aluminum frame. On the whole, a good and informative read, IMO.

[americancyclo]

What about that Raleigh Roper on DC Used for $450?

[ShawnoftheDread]

@americancyclo 150712 wrote:

What about that Raleigh Roper on DC Used for $450?

Likely too big at 54 cm.

[lordofthemark]

@ShawnoftheDread 150714 wrote:

Likely too big at 54 cm.

Somewhere, somewhere, I must have recorded the size of the Dew. But I am not sure where. Maybe Bikenetics has it on file?

I am 5 feet, 5.5 inches tall.

[americancyclo]

What about that 52cm Fuji Sportif 1.0 DISC – 11 Speed 105 (5’5 – 5’8ish) – Falls Church on DC Used?

[americancyclo]

If you register here: https://dbcorp.diamondback.com/
you can get up to 40-50% off DB bikes.

So you could get this bike for probably under $300
http://www.diamondback.com/shop/bikes/city/dual-sport/trace/trace-st

[lordofthemark]

Thanks to all for the suggestions, I will need some time to digest them.

[Lt. Dan]

@americancyclo 150722 wrote:

If you register here: https://dbcorp.diamondback.com/
you can get up to 40-50% off DB bikes.

So you could get this bike for probably under $300
http://www.diamondback.com/shop/bikes/city/dual-sport/trace/trace-st

Is there a corporate code to use?

[KLizotte]

And please be sure to get a better bike lock! And use the Sheldon method for locking up your bike using the smallest size lock possible. Method shown below:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]12985[/ATTACH]

[americancyclo]

What about that Giant ATX 760 on D.C. Used?

[dplasters]

@Lt. Dan 150740 wrote:

Is there a corporate code to use?

I didn’t post the original link, but I have access to the DB site and also to Raleigh’s discount site through my employer. Both are owned by Accell and have a pretty widely used discount program. Worth an HR check at the office to see if your company does it.

Wilier has a discount program too.. its slightly less generous :rolleyes:

[Steve O]

@KLizotte 150742 wrote:

And please be sure to get a better bike lock! And use the Sheldon method for locking up your bike using the smallest size lock possible. Method shown below:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]12985[/ATTACH]

It’s also recommended, to reduce your bike’s desirability to thieves, that you strip the paint off your frame like that.

[Author]

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