Pleased to hear it’s going so well. Have to agree E-bikes really are a game changer. Even as a keen cyclist I couldn’t get into the concept of cycling as the default for commuting and short journeys as they can still be pretty hard work, and who wants to arrive at work/the pub/anywhere sticky and sweaty, but as you say an E-bike changes all that immediately. Always going to have the cost and storage/security challenges but in terms of urban transportation they’re fantastic.
The Velotard Thread.
- Thread starter Wombat del combate
- Start date
Pleased to hear it’s going so well. Have to agree E-bikes really are a game changer. Even as a keen cyclist I couldn’t get into the concept of cycling as the default for commuting and short journeys as they can still be pretty hard work, and who wants to arrive at work/the pub/anywhere sticky and sweaty, but as you say an E-bike changes all that immediately. Always going to have the cost and storage/security challenges but in terms of urban transportation they’re fantastic.
Was quite surprising how quickly components were wearing out on the trails so invested in equipment and upped my DIY skills to save in the longer term. Now changing bottom brackets, cassettes, chains, cranksets, headset bearings etc so pretty pleased with that.
Was totalling things up and made a quick list which reads quite scary, but anyway, if anyone’s interested in this sort of thing, in just under 2 years across 3 bikes:
Replaced as worn out - 2 new bottom brackets, 2 cassettes, 4 chains, 1 crankset, 2 rear wheels, 1 set headset bearings, 1 set pedals, 4 brake discs and more brake pads than I can remember.
Replaced to upgrade - 2 sets of pedals, 6 tyres to tubeless conversion
Then a load of stuff that you think you can do without but have to relent eventually- mudguards, several sets lights, saddle bags, track pump, mini pump, folding pumps, tubeless air shot, waterproofs, shorts, longs, long gloves short gloves thick gloves thin gloves… long socks thin socks waterproof socks, base layers top layers… summer shoes winter shoes…..
Then all the tools to carry out that work, torque wrenches etc, plus the cleaning stuff and lubricants finally a maintenance stand. Am hoping it’s just gentle tweaking from now on!
Might sound a lot but it’s probably only what is necessary if riding a lot and in all weathers and I don’t do all the expensive designer label stuff, but it does add up. I’d imagine those repairs would’ve cost a packet in a bike shop so have to be happy with those savings, but you tend to think of bikes as costing next to nothing to run but if used regularly the costs can soon add up.
Was totalling things up and made a quick list which reads quite scary, but anyway, if anyone’s interested in this sort of thing, in just under 2 years across 3 bikes:
Replaced as worn out - 2 new bottom brackets, 2 cassettes, 4 chains, 1 crankset, 2 rear wheels, 1 set headset bearings, 1 set pedals, 4 brake discs and more brake pads than I can remember.
Replaced to upgrade - 2 sets of pedals, 6 tyres to tubeless conversion
Then a load of stuff that you think you can do without but have to relent eventually- mudguards, several sets lights, saddle bags, track pump, mini pump, folding pumps, tubeless air shot, waterproofs, shorts, longs, long gloves short gloves thick gloves thin gloves… long socks thin socks waterproof socks, base layers top layers… summer shoes winter shoes…..
Then all the tools to carry out that work, torque wrenches etc, plus the cleaning stuff and lubricants finally a maintenance stand. Am hoping it’s just gentle tweaking from now on!
Might sound a lot but it’s probably only what is necessary if riding a lot and in all weathers and I don’t do all the expensive designer label stuff, but it does add up. I’d imagine those repairs would’ve cost a packet in a bike shop so have to be happy with those savings, but you tend to think of bikes as costing next to nothing to run but if used regularly the costs can soon add up.
Last edited:
lemonjelly
Housecoat, la
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2010
- Messages
- 20,553
- Reaction score
- 2,255
I get you @EpsomWolf . One fab thing we have at work is a cycle hub. it's a social enterprise, where they do really affordable repairs.
When I was a kid, my parents would buy me a bike, and punctures aside, that'd be it. They seemed to last. Nowadays, it seems some part of the bike needs replacing every 3 months....
When I was a kid, my parents would buy me a bike, and punctures aside, that'd be it. They seemed to last. Nowadays, it seems some part of the bike needs replacing every 3 months....
lemonjelly
Housecoat, la
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2010
- Messages
- 20,553
- Reaction score
- 2,255
Although heavier, it isn't drastically different in size to other bikes.
The big win for me is how enjoyable it makes cycling. I genuinely love my journeys to/from work now. They make cycling a really pleasurable experience.
Pretty sure I never really thought about it much and just rode bikes that were pretty knackered. I get a bit obsessive now and keep right on top but that’s no bad thing as far as safety is concerned. It’s good you’ve got access to affordable repairs as it’s frightening what bike shops are charging for maintenance these days.
Couldn’t agree more.
The wife’s off-road bike doesn’t get used much and was sat gathering dust as needed a bottom bracket. Couldn’t really justify the cost of a shop repair so it sat doing nothing, but with the help of the new tools, stand and YouTube finished the job this afternoon. Was a bitch getting the crankset off and had to order a tool for that, but once that was off the bb was a piece of cake. Quite a costly shop repair and all done for the part cost of £15! The tools have cost a few quid but looks like they’ll pay for themselves over and over quite quickly.
Absolutely love the stand, just a cheapie from Amazon for £33 but really does the job and it’s brilliant for washing the bike and getting into the nooks and crannies. As you say, you wonder how you got by without one.
lemonjelly
Housecoat, la
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2010
- Messages
- 20,553
- Reaction score
- 2,255
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crl873p51zro
understand peoples attachment. doubt i'd pursue anything in birmingham however, as it'd probably end my cycling days if i did...
understand peoples attachment. doubt i'd pursue anything in birmingham however, as it'd probably end my cycling days if i did...
Funnily enough in the club(s) we’ve just been having conversations around this sort of thing. We just had 4 nicked from outside a pub on a Wednesday evening 3 weeks ago. With locks pretty much a waste of time when up against a cordless angle grinder, and the Police barely worth the energy it takes to log a theft thoughts are increasingly turning to tracking and recovery.
Was chatting to one of the guys on a very nice e-bike today who subscribes to BackPedal. Worth a look and something we might all have to consider eventually:
BackPedal | Theft Protection & Recovery for Ebikes
BackPedal is a nationwide provider of theft protection services for ebikes. Using GPS trackers and dedicated recovery teams, BackPedal is the best chance of getting a stolen ebike back, recovering after 9 out of 10 thefts.
backpedal.co
