Hows your bike holding up ?

[gbb]

It's mildly depressing...2008 Bianchi, TBF its done two years commuting almost every dry day (winter excluded), i don't treat it with kid gloves, but do clean and maintain it well mechanically and its done a good few miles.

So, a bit of maintenance today, its scary when you look close at the nicks, scratches, filthy bartape, FSA cranks that have long since had their logo's worn off by shoe rub, pedals that are scratched, handlebar and stem logo's just look scrappy now, etc etc.
The paintwork is most depressing. Loads of little stone chips, ive used some similar colour touchup paint, it looks like a rash now .

I knew it was far from perfect and was that close to ordering a 7046 Sportive off Ribble and treating myself, then common sense took over and i had second thoughts, then thought maybe i'll just upgrade to a Veloce groupset, then thought, what the hell, it won't do anything the existing xenon won't...so i talked myself out of a new bike.

It's mechanically very sound, it's got many many miles in it yet, but blimey, its getting a bit scruffy.....is yours ?

 

[growingvegetables]

Scruffy? Mine's so scruffy the potholes refuse to let me in!

 

[ianrauk]

I take great pride in mine...and since retirement last summer, spend too long polishing them....help it's becoming an obsession...OCD

Help is not what you need.....encouragement maybe, not help.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

My fixed, pearson Touche, is looking a little bit scruffy, but it is almost 41/2 years old, has done 12-15000 miles and has been in daily use since I brought it, the paint work is holding up well, a few scrapes and chips, its the mudguards, carrier, wheels and transmission thats showing signs of hard use. The thing is we are coming to the end of a long winter and bikes tend not to look their best this time of year.

 

[Orange]

Mine's 6.5 years old but virtually all of the aging has been since I started commuting at the start of December less than 3 months ago. Paintwork is OK - I hope, once I clean off the road grime - but rust is showing on the chain and a few other bits I didn't realise were steel, one of the bar end pieces disappeared during an ice crash, the new (in January) pedals have a lot of scratches, tyres are looking tires and every pot hole creates a cacaphony of shakes and ratlles. It needs some TLC. Maybe not the ideal commuting bike.

 

[DCLane]

The Carrera's looking bad, but then it looked really bad when I bought it. So that's an improvement.

My other bikes are both under 4 months old, so still look good apart from road dirt.

 

[briantrumpet]

I'm afraid I have a bike just for commuting that gets proper punishment, and little TLC. Basic replacement of worn out parts, and I don't really care what it looks like. I'm quite happy with it looking scruffy. It still goes fast enough if I take the right legs with me. It's under no illusions that my love belongs to another.

 

[Candaules]

My Diamondback hybrid has just died, after 5 years. I remember hitting something solid, concealed by a drift of leaves, before Christmas. Soon afterwards I started getting noisy chain rub, looked down and saw the front chain ring wobbling from side to side. My LBS diagnosed a worn out crankshaft, and replaced it. It improved for a while, then the chain started to skip. Took it back to the lbs, who diagnosed a broken rear axle, and couldn't understand how I had ridden it like that. There was damage to the chain, cassette / entire drivetrain, which wasn't worth repairing, given the low value of the bike.

Sadly (well, not very) I have been obliged to buy a new, better bike, without my wife being able to object.

 

[steveindenmark]

My road bike stays in bed for Winter but my Tonaro electric bike comes out for a blast every now and again if it is nice.

Jannies street bike and electric bike are always out in winter and she rides the 5 miles to work every day regardless of the weather. She has even pushed it through the snow to work and then pushed it home. She tells me "It likes to get fresh air on a daily basis". Danes, they are all nuts.

The winter plays havoc with her bikes, especially the chain.

We are about to solve the problem as it is our birthdays in May and we are getting one of these to see how we get on with it. If we like we will order another one. No chain or gears..............luxury.

Steve

 

[gbb]

My road bike stays in bed for Winter but my Tonaro electric bike comes out for a blast every now and again if it is nice.

Jannies street bike and electric bike are always out in winter and she rides the 5 miles to work every day regardless of the weather. She has even pushed it through the snow to work and then pushed it home. She tells me "It likes to get fresh air on a daily basis". Danes, they are all nuts.

The winter plays havoc with her bikes, especially the chain.

We are about to solve the problem as it is our birthdays in May and we are getting one of these to see how we get on with it. If we like we will order another one. No chain or gears..............luxury.

Steve

If you happen across my mate Kenny Knudsen in Jordlose, give him a wave for me Steve

 

[steveindenmark]

Gbb.....is that a bit like "Do you our from Beverley"?

Steve

 

[mickle]

It's called 'patina', some people pay a fortune for it!

 

[gbb]

Gbb.....is that a bit like "Do you our from Beverley"?

Steve

The irony is, i have relatives in Beverley

Yep, its a 'ah you come from England... you must know blah blah'
Couldnt resist it...i'll get my coat