Re: DNQs: Northampton, buying etc

Zog The Undeniable

PJ wrote:
> DNQs = Dumb Newbie Questions...
>
> I'm contemplating returning to vanilla, 'transport' cycling after a decade on
> four wheels. For the sort of journeys I need to make, a bike is the only
> practical and financially possible mode of transport (cars are too expensive,
> public transport is crap and it's too far to walk).
>
> I have done some general web and Usenet Googling and downloaded a PDF of the
> "Cycling Northampton," leaflet, which has answered most of my questions with
> regard to the area. However...
>
> For the time being, my bike buying budget cannot exceed 100ukp. Preferably
> less (heck - I'm slighty worried I can't even afford a bike! (: ). I'm tall,
> and need the 'off-road' capabilities of a mountain bike (lots of muddy paths
> to negotiate). Do I try and find something second-hand, or do I buy new?
> Brands to look out for or avoid?
>
> My preference is to buy from a 'proper' cycle shop, staffed by courteous,
> alert people who actually know what they're talking about. The leaflet lists
> ten cycle shops in the Northampton area - any particular ones you'd
> recommend?
>
> The leaflet also shows a fair number of 'cycle parking' sites around the town
> centre - again, any particular ones you'd recommend, or suggest I avoid,
> given that I'd quite like to find a space when I arrive, and my bike still
> there when I return?

Look for a secondhand bike at that price. Nothing sold new for £100 can
stand up to mud (or even rain).

David Martin

On 8/1/05 8:32 am, in article 41df9a8d.0@entanet, "Zog The Undeniable"
<hrothgar19@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Look for a secondhand bike at that price. Nothing sold new for £100 can
> stand up to mud (or even rain).

Everything will stand up to mud. The question is for how long. A good 100
pound bike [1] can stand up to mud if looked after. A good 1000 pound bike
will also succumb to mud if not looked after.

I would wager that those who want expensive MTBs for mud would probably
spend more than the cost of a cheap bike in maintenance.

My experience in using a variety of bikes over the years.

1. Frames. What you get for more money is less weight. You may also get a
nicer 'feel' though IME most of that is due to better wheels/tyres.
I have broken a cheap steel frame before but it was very old. It was also
easy to get a welder to braze the fractured joint and served the purpose for
many years afterwards.

2. Wheels. Most cheap wheels are poorly built. A good investment is a spoke
key and the time to learn how to tension a wheel (very easy, really) which
will more than pay itself back in reduced cost and better ride.
Hubs on cheap wheels will not last as long as hubs on good wheels but you
should still get several seasons (ie 10,000 miles) out of a pair of wheels
if you look after them. I am finding that the rims on modern wheels wear
faster than the hubs, if looked after.

3. Brakes. This is the first component to actually upgrade. Look for solid
metal brake arms and brake levers, not pressed steel.. The pressed steel
and plastic ones [2] are crap, period.

4. Transmission (gears). It will work fine when new. The difference between
cheap and expensive is that cheap will wear out much quicker. Fortunately
this is an easy thing to change when it wears out and can be replaced with
better quality ones.

5. bottom bracket/chainset etc. These will be fine when new but will not
last more than a couple of years of normal use. Higher quality components
can last almost indefinitely and should be a drop in replacement. This
assumes that the cheap bike has the standard size bb shell and not the cheap
'one piece' crank and oversize bb.


In summary:
Every bike costs money to run. More expensive components will have a longer
working life and to a certain point [3] are more cost effective in the long
term (ten year life span).
Every bike has standard components that will wear out. tyres, chain, cogs.
the replacement cost for these doesn't vary much between quality and crap,
it is not worth skimping as quality pays for itself in the short term (under
a year).
Doing basic adjustments will keep the bike happy = longer working life. This
includes: keeping things clean and oiled where appropriate, get the wheels
properly tensioned and trued. Get the tyres pumped up.

Unless you are buying the bike as an addition to lifestyle rather than to
replace existing journeys, it will save you money. That extra money can be
used to upgrade as you go.

Certain things should be upgraded immediately. If built to the size
specifications of good bikes, a £70 bike can be acceptable if the brakes are
replaced with ones that work sufficiently well. Everything else can then be
changed as it wears out.

My opinion is that it is a false economy to buy a cheap bike. If however you
can only enter the market at that point and are not happy in the secondhand
market, then it can be done successfuly, if you accept that you will have to
spend more money as you go to keep the bike running smoothly. It is a case
of pay now or pay later. You still have to pay. Martin has catalogued this
with his reports.[4]

And as you cycle you'll save money (except on tea and cake) and can afford
to upgrade the bike (and dream about shiny blue bikes and trikes)

...d

[1] good is relative to the price of course.
[2] obviously you do not get good composite levers/brakes on cheap bikes.
[3] IME for normal use, the best point to buy for the long term is about
105/ultegra. That probably equates to Chorus in Campag
[4] He has replaced varous parts and now has a much happier bike.

Zog The Undeniable

David Martin wrote:
> On 8/1/05 8:32 am, in article 41df9a8d.0@entanet, "Zog The Undeniable"
> <hrothgar19@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
>>Look for a secondhand bike at that price. Nothing sold new for £100 can
>>stand up to mud (or even rain).
>
>
> Everything will stand up to mud. The question is for how long. A good 100
> pound bike [1] can stand up to mud if looked after. A good 1000 pound bike
> will also succumb to mud if not looked after.
>
IME the killer with cheapo bikes is a lack of sealing to the
headset/hubs (BBs are cartridge these days except on the £40 horrors)
and a tendency for the bits and pieces to go rusty. Use them off-road
or in the rain, and you'll either be stripping the bike every month or
buying a new one. They're also horrid to maintain.