Lifespan of a road bike?

Jace
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Lifespan of a road bike?

Postby Jace » Thu Aug 15, 2013 8:34 pm

Just wondering how many Kay's one would expect a road bike to last for in a reasonable condition? Obviously it depends on a range of factors but just as a ball park?

Does one usually "outgrow" their bike before its retired?
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mick243
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Re: Lifespan of a road bike?

Postby mick243 » Thu Aug 15, 2013 10:06 pm

Lots

My roadie is from 1992..... And there are plenty older that have done more k's

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winstonw
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Re: Lifespan of a road bike?

Postby winstonw » Thu Aug 15, 2013 10:32 pm

will ultimately depend on time, cost, and ease with which you can get replacement groupset bits.
will also depend on cost of respray vs new bike. I had a professional repaint costed at $700 recently, for a carbon bike.

I don't tend to think carbon bikes would be safe for as long as steelies. My max for a carbon would be about 100,000km, which is 10 years at 200km/week. For a steelie, maybe double that. I'd want to be sure rust wasn't eating away at the steel though. I've seen a few guys in hospital after buying retro steelies that failed due to rust +/- metal fatigue.

the other consideration is you tend to ride less k's and less aggressively as you age. I've never seen a guy on a 40yo restored roadie hammering it down Brisbane's more challenging descents.

ironhanglider
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Re: Lifespan of a road bike?

Postby ironhanglider » Thu Aug 15, 2013 10:46 pm

Usually longer than the warranty period. Manufacturers don't want to just give stuff away en masse.

Cannondale say they expect only 5-7 years out of a road bike (even though their warranty says for the lifetime of the original owner). That means the middle of the bell curve is probably closer to 10 years. They rejected the claim for a friend's 11 year old bike purely on the basis of age (fatigue is normal wear and tear apparently).

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Marty Moose
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Re: Lifespan of a road bike?

Postby Marty Moose » Thu Aug 15, 2013 10:56 pm

Just buy a new one every couple of years :)

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Dimis
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Re: Lifespan of a road bike?

Postby Dimis » Fri Aug 16, 2013 5:57 am

If unmolested, a bike is for life.

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DoogleDave
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Re: Lifespan of a road bike?

Postby DoogleDave » Fri Aug 16, 2013 7:21 am

I think there are way too many variables to give a ballpark figure that you could rely on being close to correct.

YMMV

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Comedian
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Re: Lifespan of a road bike?

Postby Comedian » Fri Aug 16, 2013 7:44 am

Marty Moose wrote:Just buy a new one every couple of years :)

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Depends how often and hard you ride it. And what it's made of. ;)

For a social/occasional bike rider who only rides two or three times a month it would likely last 10 or 20 years. Other people I know who ride a lot - and ride hard tend to replace bikes every couple of years. They also tend to crack carbon frames a lot ... so they may get longer out of a bike if the frame has had a replacement. Even if the bike is still operational people that ride a lot tend to upgrade every few years anyway. In the group I ride with maybe only 1 in ten would have a five year old bike as their regular ride.

Most people will be somewhere in between those two extremes. :)

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foo on patrol
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Re: Lifespan of a road bike?

Postby foo on patrol » Fri Aug 16, 2013 3:09 pm

I still have my road bike from 1981 and race wheels that are still in perfect nick. :mrgreen:

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The 2nd Womble
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Re: Lifespan of a road bike?

Postby The 2nd Womble » Fri Aug 16, 2013 3:44 pm

My recently acquired Concord ( IHAVEACONCORD IHAVEACONCORD IHAVEACONCORD!!!) is an '86, but if my kid wants it when he/she is old enough it'll most likely be just as loving to them :)
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ProCelebrityGolf
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Re: Lifespan of a road bike?

Postby ProCelebrityGolf » Wed Aug 21, 2013 9:52 pm

distance travelled is largely irrelevant.

most important is when spouse gives you the green light to consider buying another :)

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The 2nd Womble
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Re: Lifespan of a road bike?

Postby The 2nd Womble » Thu Aug 22, 2013 8:09 am

ProCelebrityGolf wrote:distance travelled is largely irrelevant.

most important is when spouse gives you the green light to consider buying another :)
You married a "when", I married an "if". You win.
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DaveOZ
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Re: Lifespan of a road bike?

Postby DaveOZ » Thu Aug 22, 2013 8:10 am

I know a bloke that had an ali Cannonade. He road 100,000km on it over 10 years when it developed a crack in the frame. They gave him a new frame under the lifetime warranty.

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Duck!
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Re: Lifespan of a road bike?

Postby Duck! » Thu Aug 22, 2013 2:11 pm

How long is a piece of string.... That's what it boils down to.
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

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jules21
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Re: Lifespan of a road bike?

Postby jules21 » Fri Aug 23, 2013 10:59 am

Jace wrote:Just wondering how many Kay's one would expect a road bike to last for in a reasonable condition?
a road bike isn't a uniform entity - it's made up on components, which will last varying distances. tyres and chain - 2-4000km, wheels - 20,000km if treated well and maybe a bearing replacement, cables - 5000km? - it varies. frame may last forever if you're lucky.

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