Sittingduck
Legendary Member
- Location
- Somewhere flat
Speak for yourself - I hate cleaning mine
Bikes are there to be ridden... not to be polished, imho!
Why don't modern bikes need less maintenance?
- Thread starter nickyboy
- Start date
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Speak for yourself - I hate cleaning mine
Bikes are there to be ridden... not to be polished, imho!
Arch
Married to Night Train
- Location
- Salford, UK
or a 14 speed Rohloff hub gear, which is perfectly doable.
There have been belts for years. Generally, I think, people don't like 'new' ideas, unless they think they are getting more of something - so they hail a 10 speed cassette as a great sporty advance, although it's not necessarily faster than a 9 speed, you still have to turn the pedals to make it work and most day to day cyclists won't use more than three gears anyway. Whereas a belt only offers 'sensible' advances, but seems like a weird step too far for some reason
It's possible that belt technology has improved enough to make this resurgence the one that makes it big time, but I think the conservative nature of many cyclists holds sway.
OP
OP
nickyboy
Norven Mankey
- Location
- You want hills? We got hills
you forgot the option of a+b+c
Shut Up Legs
Down Under Member
Considering all the positive aspects of a bike (cheap, enviro-friendly, good exercise, blah blah blah, I'm sure you've heard them all), I think the higher maintenance effort is a small price to pay 
. On my Vivente tourer which has done many miles over the last 4 years, there are numerous scratches and marks on the frame, classic signs of beausage, but I keep the all-important moving parts as squeaky-clean as I can manage, because it makes the ride much smoother and more enjoyable.
. On my Vivente tourer which has done many miles over the last 4 years, there are numerous scratches and marks on the frame, classic signs of beausage, but I keep the all-important moving parts as squeaky-clean as I can manage, because it makes the ride much smoother and more enjoyable.
lulubel
Über Member
- Location
- Malaga, Spain
I don't think this is true. In the case of household appliances, they're not becoming more reliable. In the "good old days" household appliances lasted for years and years and years, as long as they were given a bit of a service every now and then. Nowadays, they work until they break (usually when they're just out of warranty) at which point they're unrepairable, or not worth repairing from a financial perspective because the part that needs to be replaced is sealed and expensive, so they're thrown away and replaced.
It would be interesting to compare the money and time spent maintaining an old washing machine (for example) during its lifetime with the money and time spent replacing modern washing machines over the same time period.
I think it's good that bikes need regular maintenance. If you do it yourself, you learn a lot about your bike and how it works, so you're more likely to be able to repair it yourself if it breaks (possibly even at the road side). Modern cars that just run without any maintenance for the majority of the time leave their owners dependent on expensive repairs and/or roadside recovery when something does go wrong.
GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
Nope. When all is shiny and new and perfect they work like a dream and it's all downhill from there. By which I mean there is a wealth of anecdotal evidence that over time the performance of modern belt drive systems degrades in cycling applications, largely I think because the belt and drive cogs are exposed to the elements.
snorri
Legendary Member
- Location
- East coast, up a bit.
Or is it that they are not made readily available in the UK because the industry can make a lot more money promoting sporty bikes and selling replacement parts for the expensive lightweight soft materials from which they are made?
OP
OP
nickyboy
Norven Mankey
- Location
- You want hills? We got hills
I wonder what progress could be made in making the whole drivetrain more of a sealed unit? Of course there's a weight issue but, frankly, for fatties like me an odd kg here or there makes no difference
Imagine something fully sealed with a little oil reservoir that you could top up every now and then, and then change the oil every year or so. Fully sealed bottom brackets have taken over so why not?
Imagine something fully sealed with a little oil reservoir that you could top up every now and then, and then change the oil every year or so. Fully sealed bottom brackets have taken over so why not?
MacB
Lover of things that come in 3's
- Location
- Farnborough, Hampshire
I think Gates now spec a belt equivalent of a pushing up chain tensioner for this very reason. I think the lack of long term reports and ability to retrofit are probably enough to steer me away from belts for the foreseeable future. I just don't see chaindrive hub gears as something that's crying out for an upgrade to a belt. The longevity of parts is already good and they work just fine with cheap and cheerful bits.
sidevalve
Über Member
Several point I see here. Cars are now disposable utility objects with a planned life of 8 - 10 years [ask a dealer if you doubt this]. The industry has engineered them on that basis, everything is designed to last a fixed time with a specific "maintenance routine" then more or less all die at once. Bikes will last as long as you can be bothered keeping them. The derailer is a crude and terrible way to change gears in an engineering sense but it works and it's lightweight, a trade off between convenience and longevity. There were bikes [may still be] with shaft drive and enclosed hubgears but they were very heavy and not cheap to make.
The belt is a problem, although it can be light it doesn't like the wet remember very early m/cycles used, [and discarded] the belt drive. Modern toothed belts may solve the problems but they will require internal gears, again an expense for, in 99% of cases, very little gain.
The belt is a problem, although it can be light it doesn't like the wet remember very early m/cycles used, [and discarded] the belt drive. Modern toothed belts may solve the problems but they will require internal gears, again an expense for, in 99% of cases, very little gain.
simon.r
Person
- Location
- Nottingham
There are quite a few current motorbikes that are fitted with belt drives. Mainstream manufacturers as well - BMW and Triumph amongst others.
G3CWI
Veteran
- Location
- Macclesfield
I agree. It's the same with horses.
Ningishzidda
Senior Member
Three of the most common complains about a new car are:-
Trip Comp./Navigation Systems Diff. To Understand/Use
Unusual Transmission Noise
Poor Performance/Lacks Power
Bikes are the same then.
Trip Comp./Navigation Systems Diff. To Understand/Use
Unusual Transmission Noise
Poor Performance/Lacks Power
Bikes are the same then.
snorri
Legendary Member
- Location
- East coast, up a bit.
These things you mention are available throughout Europe, but they are not "cool" in the UK..
Blame it on the Armstrongs and Wiggins of this world, unfortunately our cycle industry, national press and opinion formers would have us believe that we should be following the examples set by the pros and be flying about the place at high speed ignoring the fact that pro sport cyclists have a back up team keeping their bikes in tip top condition regardless of expense, and the pros don't carry their work clothes in their panniers or tow a dog in a trailer behind them.
sidevalve
Über Member
As I said the belt was discarded [it slipped too easily in the wet for a final drive] and although the modern toothed belt is sometimes used on both primary and secondary drives [Kawasaki, H Davidson, Norton as well as Triumph and BMW] it is still in a minority even when the power is there to drive it and weight is not the factor it is on a bicycle. The problem is that a seperate gearbox is required, fine on a m/cycle but IMHO not really needed on 99% of bikes. Only customer demand can drive the manufacturers and as snorri says customers want [or are told they want, and believe it] lots of gears and sexy looking bicycles. We live in a throwaway society and that, sadly, includes bicycles.
