Bicycle maintenance costs

[vexed87]

If you ride, how much do you spend on bicycle maintenance annually? How often do you end up buying a 'new' bike? (doesn't have to be brand new!)

I just totted up spending for 2015 and I have spent £192.61 last year, although that includes consumables such as batteries, lube, degreaser, cleaning supplies, tubes and other things that should hopefully last me many years, so annualised costs will drop over time.

Curious to compare my spending with others. I'm doing about 6000 miles a year. That works out about £0.032/mile excluding the cost of the bicycle

The question crosses my mind as I just had to replace an expensive tyre* that I bought last autumn, I'm clearly spending too much on transport! :roll:.

(*)Just replaced a Continental Grand Prix 4 Season tyre (£32ish), supposedly hard wearing tyre lasted less than 3000 miles, so out with that brand and in with a £10 schwable lugano (in go faster red! ).

EDIT: After two years, my road bike has cost me £0.05 per mile and dropping fast!

[jacob]

Whoa! Did you include beer and cookies in that consumables budget?

I use the cheapest tyres ($10) and tubes ($5) I can find and get them when they're on sale. I've replaced them once and I'm guessing 10k miles on the road bike so far.

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10 ... 1___204729 (not on sale)
http://www.niagaracycle.com/categories/ ... ader-valve

I'm still on my first bottle of lube and I've used it on more than a dozen bikes (fix-uppers). Ditto degreaser. Cleaning supplies is dish detergent. Shouldn't cost more than $20 to replace that?!

http://www.niagaracycle.com/categories/ ... n-lube-4oz
http://www.niagaracycle.com/categories/ ... -oz-liquid

[vexed87]

Whoa! Did you include beer and cookies in that consumables budget?

Haha, OK, I should probably explain that I bought a park tools bicycle mechanics stand (£100 ish?) plus assorted one off tools.

There was also a failed experiment with rechargeable CR123 batteries which are damn expensive, and I ended up having to buy twice because I accidental put the wrong size in my cart and couldn't return them. (2 x £20)

I hadn't thought of trying dish detergent to clean the bike, how does it cope with road grime on alloy rims?

I was using car shampoo and this which is much more expensive but just for the rims, works really well: £12 for 4 litres.
https://muc-off.com/clean/10-bike-clean ... &ref_cat=2

And for the consumables, I bought 10x tubes, £2 each here in the UK:
http://www.innertubeshop.com/products/r ... -700x44-64

How often do you degrease and re-lube your chain? My 120ml bottles of lube last a year if I am lucky, I use it at least weekly more often if it rains.

Re-run the calculation minus the stand/batteries, that's about £0.009/mile. I still have some improving to do there then!

[jacob]

About every 30 days of riding in theory. In practice, somewhat less. I never ride in the rain. I'm too lazy to clean the bike, so I walk instead if the roads are wet. I put one drop of oil on each link on each side of the chain. A bottle contains many thousands of drops and I only need 200 drops or so each time. I reuse my (diluted) degreaser until it gets too ugly.

Never had an issue with dish detergent. Maybe I just don't know what I'm missing.

[black_son_of_gray]

I'm an all-weather commuter coming in at ~1500 mi/year. Paid ~$200 for my current bike about 4 or 5 years ago... I figure I will probably get a couple more years before something expensive like the wheels need to be replaced (at which point I'll try to build some myself). My maintenance costs about about $40 a year - essentially tubes/tires/lube. My employer gives me $20 per month in bike shop vouchers for bike commuting, so I end up making money...

My bike is a single-speed road bike, so I'm probably saving some maintenance due to the simplicity... but unfortunately I think I make up for that with annoying flats due to the 700x25 tires and lots of crappy roads/construction debris. Next bike I'm going fatter tires.

[Miss Lonelyhearts]

@jacob are you saying you've had one flat in 10k miles? Or replaced tires once in that time?

[vexed87]

I expect he just repairs his punctured tubes. Unless you get a blow out, your tubes should last until the rubber perishes in a weak spot, usually around the valves or patch repair.

[Miss Lonelyhearts]

Aha. Wasn't trying to seem troll-y; will investigate patch kits!

[jacob]

@ML - I use Mr Tuffy liners in my wheels and I think I've had one flat that I can remember---that was due to a shard from a piece of concertino wire. Those liners are tough but not completely impenetrable. I replaced my tires once over 10k. I get the cheap heavy ones ... not the fancy light racing ones that vexed87 rocked/s Also, I don't do a lot of stop and go, so there's that.

But yes, I patch my tubes. I'll give you some patches on Saturday (remind me). 100 patches bought in bulk only costs a few bucks. You'd still have to go and get the vulcanizing glue. I don't think I have extra glue.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bike-Tire-Repair-Kit/11065240
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bell-Sports-1 ... t/23503140

Fun note: In CA I often picked up [cheap Walmart style] "broken" bikes for free because they had gotten two flat tires and the owner didn't want to pay the bike shop 2x$15 to patch them. (Actually bike shops don't bother spending 10 minutes patching the tires when they can just exchange the inner tube in 2 minutes... they have fancy tire lever widgets and they pay their mechanics.)

[vexed87]

Oh wow, I had never heard of those puncture protection liners. What a great way to improve basic tyres.

I wouldn't buy the more expensive tyres again having just been very disappointed with their useful lifespan and actual effectiveness with puncture protection. You find the heavily armoured tyres actually hold on to glass and flints that gradually work their way through the rubber and into your tube and puncture them anyway, so unless you religiously inspect your tyres for debris and remove the offenders, you'll still get punctures, albeit with some delay.

[tommytebco]

about flat prevention:
They sell a little device that brushes the tire free of debris on the first revolution. This prevents most puncture flats.

https://janheine.wordpress.com/2012/06/ ... re-wipers/

The ones I saw personally were simpler than those in the link.

I never used them, but people I rode with a lot with swore by them. One would think that coat hangars or old spokes and ingenuity could fabricate if twiddling/ whittling stuff is your cup of tea.

[TopHatFox]

If you ride, how much do you spend on bicycle maintenance annually? How often do you end up buying a 'new' bike? (doesn't have to be brand new!)

I think I've spent $50 this past year on bike maintenance, usually small parts. That said, I'm usually near enough to walk to most places. Most of the cost is up-front w/ bicycles. I haven't gotten a flat in years (thank you tire liners).