Idle question... how much use do most high-end bikes see?

[fritz katzenjammer]

Working at a bike shop I see a lot of high end stuff with crazy high usage coming in for routine service… and annoyingly frequent bottom bracket bearings ( they really are crap, that’s just my opinion, but I did spend 16 years in engineering & QA in automotive bearings so I do know crap bearings or improperly applied bearings when I see them )

Anyway, there seems to be two customers for these bikes with very little middle ground. The guys that buy them as status symbol bikes and put 300 miles a year on them going to and from the coffee shop and the guys who pound off 300 miles every weekend riding the wheels off of them and then put in 60 miles rides in during a few evenings a week for fun.

The trophy bike guys hate to spend a dime on their bikes, cleaning the hell out of the bikes with a high pressure hose while never bothering with maintenance. These bikes don’t show up at the shop until they don’t work. ( often due to rotted out BBs )

The heavy usage guys show up at the shop pretty regularly, handing over their well used rides with orders to make sure it works perfectly and install new rubber. These guys only question the bill if it isn’t large enough.

Both groups bring it in at 5:40pm on Friday and want it for the weekend.

 

[DogmaStu]

My 2019 Wilier Zero6 is a 6kg carbon bike that is on 30,180km so far. Several chains, one change of bar tape, and one set of brake pads are the only consumables replaced thus far. Bike looks in great shape despite being abused in hard training and racing with a few crashes, one at 55km/h+.

2019 KTM Scarp Sonic MTB has 7091km. Chains, basic servicing.

2020 Trek Madone SLR is on 28,341km. Again, just basic consumables like chains, brake pads and bar tape used. Bike looks nearly new.

My other bikes are newer so not a lot on them yet.

My 2023 Pinarello Dogma F has 4900km this year so far. Still looks brand new.

2023 Specialized Diverge Pro has 2200km so is new.

 

[StuAff]

The honest answer is 'It depends'. I honestly can't remember if the BB on my Viner has been replaced since getting rebuilt after frame repair in 2010. I don't have garage queens, all of my bikes have done high mileages, and high mileage rides, in all weathers (I've long topped keeping individual counts on bike mileages). The (PF30, so a red flag for some) BB on my Litespeed was done on its last service before the tour (and getting nicked) last year, but that had easily done 10k, possibly more, with no bother. Cassette was the one fitted at new, chains done regularly. Chains and cassettes: keep 'em clean and well-lubed and they last longer, that simple, and the chainrings should last way longer than those.

 

[Bollo]

You won't have much to say on here then.

 

[PaulSB]

How much use do use do most high-end bikes see?

I don't understand the question. I find it odd. High-end? Do you mean expensive? Price isn't a mark of quality. I ride a Cervelo that's 7 years old with something like 30,000 miles on it. Cost me £3200 new and I've budgeted £7000 to replace her.

She's like Trigger's broom. The only original parts are the frame, forks, seat post and saddle. How much have I spent on maintenance? Not a clue. Am I interested? No. Is it still a superb ride which gives me hours of endless pleasure? Emphatically YES.

My bike fits me like a glove. It's an extension of my body. Nothing else matters.

As for trophy bikes, I truly don't know anyone who thinks of their bike in this way.

 

[Jameshow]

How much use do use do most high-end bikes see?

I don't understand the question. I find it odd. High-end? Do you mean expensive? Price isn't a mark of quality. I ride a Cervelo that's 7 years old with something like 30,000 miles on it. Cost me £3200 new and I've budgeted £7000 to replace her.

She's like Trigger's broom. The only original parts are the frame, forks, seat post and saddle. How much have I spent on maintenance? Not a clue. Am I interested? No. Is it still a superb ride which gives me hours of endless pleasure? Emphatically YES.

My bike fits me like a glove. It's an extension of my body. Nothing else matters.

As for trophy bikes, I truly don't know anyone who thinks of their bike in this way.

Trophy bike owners probably don't hang out in cyclechat or talk to folk like us!!

 

[postman]

For some obscure reason i love your avatar,its brill.

 

[tyred]

I haven't got a high end bike!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I haven't got a high end bike!

A low rent bike is so goood

 

[HLaB]

My dura ace bike's bb has been replaced once so far (touch wood) and it's now done 43,000 miles on that bike. I think also my first Truativ bb lasted 30,000miles + but when it was replaced by a SRAM one ( who bought Truativ) the replacement only lasted 2,500miles. So it all depends :-/

 

[Jameshow]

I've got a team level bike from a decade ago but I generally don't ride it much, I take my Cannondale carbon for longer riders or a steel bike for touring. It's a firm ride which only really rewards you when you hammer round a route.

 

[DCLane]

It depends on the level and type of use, i.e. for us;

- A winter bike will be stripped and re-built each spring, probably with replaced bottom bracket, chain, cassette, etc. However it'll have done 2000-3000 hard miles.

- The race bike's have less time on each component; i.e. son no. 2's race bike will get new tyres this week after only 200 miles, although they'll go onto another bike. The chain's also done about 200 miles before being replaced.

- My audax bike's done 10000+ miles on the same bottom bracket and the components were last replaced in 2017 for LEL. They'll have done about 3000 fairly un-stressed miles since.

 

[Lee_M]

Working at a bike shop I see a lot of high end stuff with crazy high usage coming in for routine service… and annoyingly frequent bottom bracket bearings ( they really are crap, that’s just my opinion, but I did spend 16 years in engineering & QA in automotive bearings so I do know crap bearings or improperly applied bearings when I see them )

Anyway, there seems to be two customers for these bikes with very little middle ground. The guys that buy them as status symbol bikes and put 300 miles a year on them going to and from the coffee shop and the guys who pound off 300 miles every weekend riding the wheels off of them and then put in 60 miles rides in during a few evenings a week for fun.

The trophy bike guys hate to spend a dime on their bikes, cleaning the hell out of the bikes with a high pressure hose while never bothering with maintenance. These bikes don’t show up at the shop until they don’t work. ( often due to rotted out BBs )

The heavy usage guys show up at the shop pretty regularly, handing over their well used rides with orders to make sure it works perfectly and install new rubber. These guys only question the bill if it isn’t large enough.

Both groups bring it in at 5:40pm on Friday and want it for the weekend.

That's a bit of inverse snobbery isn't it?

I have two expensive-ish bikes, they've both done about 6000 miles over the last 5 years or so, one is on its original BB, the other is on its third. They've both been looked after the same, neither have been jet washed, and neither have been to the LBS except when the Domane went back to Trek for a warranty repair, mainly because my experience is that most LBS mechanics don't give a shoot about doing a proper job.

 

[Dogtrousers]

But what's the advantage of it? They are expensive items. I don't think 5000 miles is a lot when Shimano's utterly unglamorous UN55 lasts about three times as long and you get change from 30 quid.

You're right, it's all choice. It just seems like bad choice and deliberately poor design. Your money though!

I think I paid about £20 for my last RS500 BB. I'm not sure what distance or how long it lasted. Quite a few years.

You're right though, It's my money. I could probably save something like 50p a year with a more parsimonious choice of BB but I can live with that.

 

[Gillstay]

My brother bought two bikes recently in london. One was a £1200 bike and had done about 300 miles. He bought it for £600.

The other was similar money, but had been bought on line and never used. I wonder how many there are out there in the same position.