How long does stuff last?

ghsmith54 said:

I've seen bits of this scattered over various posts but thought I'd start a thread specifically on this topic to get the "definitive" answer. Given reasonable maintenance, normal riding conditions and no abuse (crashes) how many miles can you expect components on a bicycle to last? I don't necessarily mean squeezing the last possible mile out, I mean performing well, smooth shifting, riding, etc. To simplify, I'll also assume good quality components, not the cheapo bargain basement knock-offs.

So here's the list:

Wheel bearings
Bottom Bracket
Pedals
Cleats
Headset
Cassette
Chainrings
Chain
Tires
Shifters (integrated brake/shifters)

Greg

Simple, there is no 'difinitive' answer.Anyone but a total newb knows that. So why waste time and bandwidth on on it? Oh yeah, alot of idiots will tell ya a chain and casette only last 1000 miles and should both be changed at that mileage...Don't buy it!.

If ya ride 10mph on flat roads rarely changing gears and never hammering a sprint your stuff could last foreever.

This question belongs in the same category as "What Bike Should I Buy?"

ghsmith54 said:

I've seen bits of this scattered over various posts but thought I'd start a thread specifically on this topic to get the "definitive" answer. Given reasonable maintenance, normal riding conditions and no abuse (crashes) how many miles can you expect components on a bicycle to last? I don't necessarily mean squeezing the last possible mile out, I mean performing well, smooth shifting, riding, etc. To simplify, I'll also assume good quality components, not the cheapo bargain basement knock-offs.

So here's the list:

Wheel bearings
Bottom Bracket
Pedals
Cleats
Headset
Cassette
Chainrings
Chain
Tires
Shifters (integrated brake/shifters)

Greg

Judging from one of your previous posts in another thread I would think you already have a pretty good idea of when to replace what. With that much annual mileage and regular tune-ups (either at home or your LBS) you will be able to tell when to replace something.

As for myself I have a 1993 MTB with Deore LX and XT mix that I still ride regularly. It's seen 7 seasons worth of use and abuse. Other than the obvious, such as a couple sets of brake pads and a couple sets of tires, the only things I've replaced are the rear wheel and the drivetrain. With the exception of the pedals, everything else still works well. Although it's not in pristine condition, it serves well as a commuter/beater.

On my newer bikes (one road, one MTB) I'm one of those that has replaced my chain at the 1000 mile mark. The chain has the most moving parts on a bike and is one component that if not replaced when worn will trash the more expensive parts of the drivetrain. Also, I bought a bunch of chains on ebay cheap so replacing them isn't a costly option. However, I've recently purchased a cheapie Park Chain Tool so I won't be replacing them until they are worn now.

Neither of these newer bikes has enough miles on them to have anything replaced with the exception of a few minor items. I replaced the bottom bracket on the MTB as it was junk. And I replaced a single spoke on both rear wheels. Both bikes have approx 1400 miles on them so they're practically brand new. I hope to get years of use out of each bike without any major overhauls.

ghsmith54 said:

I think the answer depends largely on your level of conditioning and the conditions you're riding in. I've averaged above 10k miles/year for the last several years, generally ride one or two long rides (75-100 miles) per week and am in pretty good shape so my answer will certainly be different than someone who is new to riding or is limited to shorter rides.

boudreaux said:

Simple, there is no 'difinitive' answer.Anyone but a total newb knows that. So why waste time and bandwidth on on it? Oh yeah, alot of idiots will tell ya a chain and casette only last 1000 miles and should both be changed at that mileage...Don't buy it!.

Although I'm certain it wasn't your intent, you may have actually provided someone with useful information. There may well be someone out there who has been advised by their lbs or friends to replace their chain and cassette every 1000 miles. Reading your post may cause them to at least question whether this is necessary so you may have saved someone some money. Well done!

And yes, I am a total newb. I've ridden a little less than 30 years and have done my own maintenance most of that time so I admit I have a lot to learn. I agree though that there is no "definitive" answer and will edit my post to delete that.

Greg

capwater said:

If ya ride 10mph on flat roads rarely changing gears and never hammering a sprint your stuff could last foreever.

This question belongs in the same category as "What Bike Should I Buy?"

I'm probably wasting my time but, what the heck. Humans learn in many ways. One way is through experience. Another is by hearing the experiences of others, either written or oral. We tend to filter the latter through our own experience to determine its value.

Given that, if someone "wastes their time and bandwidth" replying, readers (including me) will evaluate that response against the knowledge they already have. So, for example, is someone says they routinely replace their chain and cassette (to use Boudreaux's example) every 1000 miles, this runs counter to my experience so I would either conclude their riding/maintenance habits are different than mine or that they don't know what they're talking about. Either way, I would tend to discount that answer. On the other hand, if someone elses answer on items that I know about matches my own experience, I would tend to use their answers on items that I've never replaced as a rough guide. To use your example, if someone says they replace a chain every 10k miles I would conclude they "ride 10 mph on flat roads never changing gears", regardless of whether they explicitly said that, and discount other mileages they said since this doesn't reflect my experience.

If the concensus of opinion is that wheel bearings should be replaced every 10k miles and I weigh 300 lbs or do all of my riding on really rough surfaces, I can use that information as a guide to suggest "my mileage may vary".

Greg

Doctor Morbius said:

Judging from one of your previous posts in another thread I would think you already have a pretty good idea of when to replace what. With that much annual mileage and regular tune-ups (either at home or your LBS) you will be able to tell when to replace something.

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I do have a pretty good idea of when to replace most things, I thought it might be useful to others besides myself to share experiences on this topic and collect the information in one place. To this point though, the information content has been pretty low.

Also, even though I've ridden for a while, there are some things I've never replaced either because their wear interval is longer than I've ever kept a bike or because I've replaced them for other reasons than they're worn out (such as upgrading or changing components, different gear ratios, crashes, etc). For example, I've never worn out a headset (though I have changed a few) so if there were a reply that otherwise matched my experience and that person said their headset usually needed replacing every 20k miles, I'd think about doing the same.

Another reason I started this thread is that I hate it when stuff breaks, especially on a ride, and prefer to replace things before they're worn out. Having said that, I don't like wasting money any more than the next guy so other people's experiences on items I've never "worn out" is useful to me and, hopefully, to others.

Interesting that you have replaced your chains every 1000 miles. I usually begin testing mine at 2k miles and replace them at 2500 along with changing the tires and truing the wheels. I am "reasonably" fanatical about maintenance though, I clean (wipe) the chain after every ride and lube it every other ride.

I also realized I didn't answer my own question (I also omitted derailleurs and freehubs) so here are my responses in the hope they're useful to others:

Wheel bearings - never (always replaced wheels before I wore them out)
Freehubs - never (same as wheel bearings)
Bottom Bracket - 15k miles (Dura Ace). I regrease every 5k miles and have found they get a little "grabby" (don't rotate smoothly) at about 15k.
Pedals - never. I currently use Shimano SPD-SL's on 3 different bikes with 18k miles on one, 8k the second and 3k the third. I previously used looks and put 25k on one set with no problems.
Cleats - about every 15k miles.
Headset - never.
Cassette - this is something I'm admittedly not very careful about. I change cassettes pretty often (not because they're worn out but because I want different gearing) and don't do a good job of tracking how many miles I have on a particular cassette. These I do replace when they wear out (start to have shifting problems) but unfortunately I don't know how many miles that is. I'd be interested in better data from others. I generally use Dura Ace cassettes though I do have a few Ultegra.
Chainrings - same answer as cassettes.
Chain - every 2500 miles
Tires - every 2500 miles unless I get a "catastrophic" failure (big hole) or they show signs of abnormal wear which is rare. In the last 12 months I've used Hutchinson (which I didn't like), Michelin Pro Race (which I liked except in rain) and Conti Attack/Force (which I like).
Shifters (integrated brake/shifters) - never replaced them due to their being worn out. I suspect they wear and that this wear negatively affects shifting but don't personally know what rate that happens at.

Some I left off my original list but will add:

Front derailleur - (Dura Ace) these seem to last pretty much "forever". At least as long as I've kept any bike.
Rear derailleur - (Dura Ace) about every 20k miles. I don't know that I've ever worn one out though. This just seems like a lot of miles on a part that gets a lot of use and is reasonably inexpensive (9 speed) so I just replace it.

Greg