Fed up of fixing my bike

[Tin Pot]

Doing 4-5000 miles a year on the same bike for 4 or 5 years is taking its toll on my Giant Defy.
I am forever fixing stuff and the list gets longer and longer and longer.

The final straw today was finding the rear hub on my wheels is shot. I need a new set of wheels!

In addition, my Bottom Bracket is really noisy, I bought a dud, it was noisy from the start for some reason.

Some good news, my headset is now fully serviced so I don't have to steer into oncoming traffic when passing lines of stationery cars. Bonus.

My tyres are OK!
Oh, and I need new brake pads.

I do have another winter bike which is nearly finished.

Anyone else sick to death of fixing their bike ?

Kind of.

I had to do a lot of maintenance through winter and spring, and built myself another bike - all this did become a bit of a chore.

Once the second bike was finished and the good weather took hold, I haven't done any maintenance whatsoever.

The next rainy ride will probably change that, and once Autumn commuting takes its toll I suppose it'll all start up again.

 

[snorri]

Doing 4-5000 miles a year on the same bike for 4 or 5 years is taking its toll on my Giant Defy.
I am forever fixing stuff and the list gets longer and longer and longer.

Perhaps you need a different sort of bike, a model designed more for endurance and longevity rather than performance? A chainguard will increase chain life, as will hub gears.

 

[winjim]

I built one from scratch, to house my Laverda, at our last house.

It was an enjoyable process but, on reflection, it would have been quicker, easier, and cheaper, waaaay cheaper, to have bought a mass produced one and modified the door(s) to let the bulk of an RGS Jota in and out.

But much like bike maintenance, there's the satisfaction of a job well done.

Lol. This thread was about how much of a bother fixing a bike was, and somehow now people are discussing building sheds. I don't think this will be helping @Rooster1

Maybe if he built a nice shed in which to fix the bike, he wouldn't mind it so much?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

But much like bike maintenance, there's the satisfaction of a job well done.

But no where near as much as a job well done, done cheaper.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Just get a new bike or two

That's what I seem to be doing

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I'm riding 4-5000 miles a year split between two bikes, I do a weekly check then fix/adjust anything I find that needs fixing/adjusting, I spend very little time fixing and a lot of time riding.

 

[Blue Hills]

I am always amazed at how cheaply parts can be sourced, particularly if you avoid "bling" and whatever the latest fad is. And XTR*. And Campagnolo.

*And SRAM's equivalent. And Shimano's road equivalent,

Yes and they would be cheaper still if they didn't keep discontinuing perfectly good stuff - and just before finally killing it they try to shame folk into thinking it's only fit for granny down the shops bikes.

 

[GuyBoden]

I find maintaining, fixing and building bikes very pleasurable, I think it's the waterproof marine grease with zinc oxide...........

 

[User16625]

Doing 4-5000 miles a year on the same bike for 4 or 5 years is taking its toll on my Giant Defy.
I am forever fixing stuff and the list gets longer and longer and longer.

The final straw today was finding the rear hub on my wheels is shot. I need a new set of wheels!

In addition, my Bottom Bracket is really noisy, I bought a dud, it was noisy from the start for some reason.

Some good news, my headset is now fully serviced so I don't have to steer into oncoming traffic when passing lines of stationery cars. Bonus.

My tyres are OK!
Oh, and I need new brake pads.

I do have another winter bike which is nearly finished.

Anyone else sick to death of fixing their bike ?

Just to clarify the OP:

Headset = head

Fully serviced = sobered up

 

[biggs682]

I don't mind fixing bikes, I don't mind building bikes, I don't mind tinkering with bikes but..... I don't like the constant expense of buying parts

i just go and buy another retro bike

 

[SuperHans123]

Can be a pain if you are crap at fixing things, which I am!

 

[Blue Hills]

Can be a pain if you are crap at fixing things, which I am!

I reccomend the park big blue book of bicycle maintenance and just taking your time. Everything takes ages the first time (best to be careful and double check as you go) but it is satisfying, and gets quicker. Faster than the bike shop in effect.
Edited with link added - maybe best £20 you will ever spend.
(Small round of drinks in london


http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/...gclid=CLqusOXR984CFUWfGwod9AwCNQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[MichaelW2]

With a heavily used everyday bike there are things you can do to reduce maintenance.
Buy well made wheels with enough spokes and a rim thick enough to last, or with disk brakes. Use a Shimano cup and cone hub or one of the better and more common cartridge bearing units.
Use an old fashioned square taper sealed cartridge bottom bracket. You should get at least 3 years, if not more out of one cartridge. External BB units are not designed for long life but for extra "stiffness" and low weight.
A modern hub gear is good for low-med distance commuting. You just need an oil dip every year or 2 to keep them as new.
Change your chain before it wears out the cogs.
I selected my bike for low maintenance rather than speedy performance or ultra-low weight and I hardly need touch it.

 

[Dan B]

Fixies never need fixing.

If only

 

[swee'pea99]

If only

Really? What do you need to fix? I tighten the chain every couple of months (5 mins if that). Apart from punctures and new tyres & brake blocks that's it.