Excessive wear & tear?

[MarkyMark292]

Wiping rims and pads regularly with baby wipes is quite quick and easy pampers from pound land do the job

Not sure wiping my brake pads with a oil based wipe would be a good idea. I have brake pads & discs. Not the rubber brake pads I think you think I have. :-)

 

[Dave 123]

Trek 1.5- 3 years use. I would estimate 10,000 miles plus. Bike gets ridden in all weathers. cleaned once a week.
2 sets of Bontrager racelite hardcase tyres
2 chains
1 cassette
1 new gear cables.
3 sets of brake blocks
1 new set of gear cables.

This bike certainly gets a lot more hammer than my Cube Sunday bike.

 

[vickster]

Not sure wiping my brake pads with a oil based wipe would be a good idea. I have brake pads & discs. Not the rubber brake pads I think you think I have. :-)

You can certainly clean the rims though

 

[fossyant]

Sounds OK to me. I assume the old rail line is a grit based trail then.

Depends upon your maintenance routine too as to how things wear, and of course riding conditions

 

[MarkyMark292]

What is the surface like on the railway line? How much grit and muck is being thrown up on to your bike?
I have also found I wear out stuff quite quickly, but I have found the road to be much kinder on the bike than the mucky trails I was using previously. My plan now is road during winter and trails during the summer.

The railway line track is gritty with plenty of puddles on wetter days. I do think that it is this trail that is probably doing the most damage as the grit seems to get everywhere now that I think about it.

I do keep the chain and derailleur As clean and greased as I can each week especially after a wet ride.

 

[Kestevan]

I occasionally ride on an old railway track, the subsurface is a mix of oily grit that turns into grinding paste as soon as it rains. This destroys drivetrains/brakes without regular cleaning.

Oh and if you're using the cheaper organic brake pads they can wear out very quickly. Sintered metallic pads last much longer.

 

[MarkyMark292]

I occasionally ride on an old railway track, the subsurface is a mix of oily grit that turns into grinding paste as soon as it rains. This destroys drivetrains/brakes without regular cleaning.

Oh and if you're using the cheaper organic brake pads they can wear out very quickly. Sintered metallic pads last much longer.

That's the stuff. A grinding paste!!! :-)

I have been using the organic pads yes. Sounds like I need to upgrade to the metallic ones.

 

[SomethingLikeThat]

Consider some mudguards if you haven't already. That would protect your drivetrain a little bit. You've probably already thought of that though.

 

[totallyfixed]

I am always bemused to hear that anyone who rides their bike through winter does not have mudguards. A normal front will save your headset, one with a good mudflap on will protect your pedals, front mech, rear mech, chain, bottom bracket etc etc. No brainer.

 

[Custom24]

I am always bemused to hear that anyone who rides their bike through winter does not have mudguards. A normal front will save your headset, one with a good mudflap on will protect your pedals, front mech, rear mech, chain, bottom bracket etc etc. No brainer.

I ride a hardtail MTB. What would you recommend?

I currently use this

http://www.crudproducts.com/racepac_/
Or something similar.

I suspected that the front mudguard, which is tied to the downtube, was not giving enough protection to the headset, so I replaced the front with this;

http://www.topeak.com/products/Fenders/defender_m1_26in

That seems better, but I still think I could do better on the back, what would you recommend?

 

[totallyfixed]

I ride a hardtail MTB. What would you recommend?

I currently use this

http://www.crudproducts.com/racepac_/
Or something similar.

I suspected that the front mudguard, which is tied to the downtube, was not giving enough protection to the headset, so I replaced the front with this;

http://www.topeak.com/products/Fenders/defender_m1_26in

That seems better, but I still think I could do better on the back, what would you recommend?

I think that more depends on what you use the bike for, if it is mostly off road then for practical reasons they would clog up with mud if you had anything more complete. If you are riding more on road then I would be putting semi slicks on and longer guards, but it has to be said full length 'guards on MB's are pretty rare things as many bikes do not have the fixings for full length 'guards.

 

[Custom24]

I think that more depends on what you use the bike for, if it is mostly off road then for practical reasons they would clog up with mud if you had anything more complete. If you are riding more on road then I would be putting semi slicks on and longer guards, but it has to be said full length 'guards on MB's are pretty rare things as many bikes do not have the fixings for full length 'guards.

Thanks. I've only been commuting a couple of years, and although it sounds obvious now, I'd never equated the high level of wear and maintenance which my MTB requires with the lack of decent mudguards on said MTB.

I do use the bike for various things, including some trail riding, so you've helped me realise that I probably do in fact after all need a proper road bike as well.

 

[MarkyMark292]

Consider some mudguards if you haven't already. That would protect your drivetrain a little bit. You've probably already thought of that though.

Haha. Yes I have mudguards fitted as standard. :-)

 

[alex_h]

I've just found this post so thought I would sign up and write some blurb!

I ride a Specialized Carve Pro, nearly 2 years old and getting close to 10k miles. An unusual commuter to work but I ride the canal which is a pretty mixed surface, all weathers, all year so it gets a real hammering and so do I.

So far i've had to repair pedal bearings, replace 1 set of front and rear brake pads, 2 rear tyres and 1 front and its still going strong. I don't clean the bike that often so it spends its time very muddy and dusty but do regularly wipe the chain and spray WD40 on it.

Honestly, it's now probably due a service so debating on just buying a new bike to replace. The saving I make on not paying for travel in London make this option still very attractive!

I've had cheaper bikes over the years and I do believe paying a little extra certainly improves the longevity of components even when you don't take as much care of them as you should!

 

[Globalti]

It's ridiculous to blame the bike manufacturer for the bike wearing out. It may be a Specialized but Spesh make only the frame. Which parts have worn out? Brakes, transmission, grips etc. And who makes them? The component makers like Shimano, not Specialized.