The more you spend does that mean less will go wrong?

Deputydoug

I started mountain biking about a year and a half ago and after having a cheap halfords bike, I spen £500 on a mongoose bike with hydraulic disc brakes, front suspension etc can provide full list of components if required. I have enough maintenance knowledge to adjust gears bleed brakes etc. When I ride it's quite heavy off road, I find that my bike needs quite a lot of maintenance gears adjusting, wheels need truing, and the bearings have just gone on one wheel well I assume that's what the rattling noise is. Its costing me a bit to get the wheels trued or replacing them as nessecary.
What I'm wanting to know is if you spend more e.g £2000 on a bike will it require less maintenance? Or should I invest in better wheels any recommendations or is this just part of the fun and I need to learn how to true the wheels and clean bearings so I save a few quid and is it easy to learn or can it go horribly wrong.

Sorry for all the questions but if you don't ask you never learn.

Anonymous

Nah, maintenance is generally the same, regardless of price.

What you get for more money depends on what kind of thing you can buy. You can either get lighter and lighter the more money you spend, or you can get stronger and stronger.
Some things can be stronger and lighter, but the strongest will always be heavier than the lightest, and the lightest will never be as strong as the heavy duty parts.

Erm, does that make sense? I'm not sure it does.

bartimaeus

"Strong. Light. Cheap. Pick Two." - Keith Bontrager

miss notax

Deputydoug wrote:

What I'm wanting to know is if you spend more e.g £2000 on a bike will it require less maintenance?

No :?

I wish that was the case!

Beardface

Haha, if only that was the case!

I find the more you spend on a bike, the more expensive it becomes, as when a part fails, you naturally don't want to replace your broken XTR with Alivio, so you end up pumping more money in when you have a pricier bike.. still, it's all part of the fun!

Deputydoug

Cheers for that guys, at least I know I'm not wasting my time tinkering all the time.

dan shard

No but spending more makes you ride faster, jump higher and look cooler

FACT

The Northern Monkey

dan shard wrote:

No but spending more makes you ride faster, jump higher and look cooler

FACT

Same as with anodized red things!

Beardface

^^^ +1. Red makes you go much faster than any other colour.

diy

I think it can make a difference with wheels.. My stans flows have been amazing - no maintenance required in 18 months.

I think forx are the other way around. a set of Toras are tougher than Rebas due to the simpler design.

I typically spend £600-800 per year on bike bits and bobs of which 500 or so is "necessary"

mac_man

Some things do need less maintenance...

Hope sealed bearing hubs will need less mainenance than Shimano cup and cone.

However... with proper maintenance the Shimanos will go on for ages.

So good maintenance will mean you spend less in the long term.

The other aspect is to do with the type of riding you do and where... bouncing off rocks with light XC wheels ain't going to do them any good.

And weekends of riding through gloopy Pennine grit moors will leave shiny XTR chainsets looking knacked.

So to answer the question...

Less money doesn't always equate to a short shelf life and spending big bucks is no guarantee of longevity.

Buy what you need to do the job you want, at the price you are willing to pay. Simples :-)

paulbox

Generally, I think you do reduce maintenance (not replacement) levels/costs by buying better equipment.

But I would also say that there might be something wrong with:

1. How the OP is riding. In 18 years of mtb'ing I have never had to have a wheel straightened and I'm a big (18.5st) bugger. Yes I've had slight kinks in them, but never to the extent that I've had to have them seen to, even when using rim brakes.

2. How the OP is cleaning his bike. Using a jet wash perhaps? I have never re-greased a hub and have never had a bearing problem in a hub.

Anonymous

PaulBox wrote:

In 18 years of mtb'ing I have never had to have a wheel straightened and I'm a big (18.5st) bugger.

That's not something the OP might be doing "wrong" though, it might just mean you don't ride very hard.

MrChuck

As everyone else has said, your money isn't buying you more reliability.

But while stuff isn't necessarily less reliable than the cheaper stuff, I think your tolerance for niggling problems becomes less as you get into it more and so get into the position where you're spending bigger bucks.

When I'm out on my nice bike annoying creaks and lightly sticky gear changes drive me nuts, whereas when I was younger and just hacking about I wouldn't really care as long as everything basically worked.

I suppose there's an element of expecting more when you've spent more, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you're thinking of spending a significant amount of money on a bike it's likely that you'll be less tolerant of niggles than you were when you were less discerning, and so maintenance if anything goes up rather than down, and then you want to replace nice bits with equally nice bits.

diy

best investment you can make for avoiding niggles are these

Deputydoug

Mr chuck youve hit the nail on the head even at the moment the slightest noise drives me nuts, plus i don't like pushing it if I think something's not right. I do it for the adrenaline so like to really go for it. And I'm still learning but not afraid to go off drops etc. So it seems that a new bike should wait till a have more experience.

So Let's talk rims and tyres cos they could do with upgrading as there not gonna be great on a £500 bike and I do find my wheels go a lot it sounds from the above that if you invest in decent wheels they will be more reliable. So any recommendations on a decent set of rims & wheels that can take some stick on rocky terrain and are good in muddy conditions.

Anonymous

Well, true, but... after years and years, you learn which noises are fine, and which noises are "OHSHITOHSHITOHSHITOHSHITOHSHITOHSHITOHSHITOHSHITOHSHIT, MUST STOP NOOOOW!" noises.

I know the DU bush on my shock creaks like a motherfugger right now, but I know that that's what it is, so whilst I should really get it fixed, I'm in no panic or rush, since I know it's not going to cause any major issues.

bennett_346

Sometimes cheaper versions of components are built to be replaced and are non serviceable whereas a more expensive version can be rebuildable

tsenior

ahh yes that

"OHSHITOHSHITOHSHITOHSHITOCLUNKCRASH groan"

noise

you'll find your own preferences, somethings its worth spending money on others the cheap versions are better, i like steel deore chainrings 1/3 the cost of some offerings lasts much longer

paulbox

yeehaamcgee wrote:

PaulBox wrote:

In 18 years of mtb'ing I have never had to have a wheel straightened and I'm a big (18.5st) bugger.

That's not something the OP might be doing "wrong" though, it might just mean you don't ride very hard.

But I wasn't asking if you think I ride like a fairy...

I was just trying to point out that it might not be the cost of the equipment, but the way that obstacles are being tackled. Does he try and lift his wheels or does he just bounce over them?

Beardface

diy wrote:

best investment you can make for avoiding niggles are these

How would buying 2 buttplugs help you avoid niggles?

Danny-T

spending more tends to make you care more therefore you have that little bit more incentive to clean/fix/investigate which helps longevity.

For me also, spending out on the right tools and equipment is as important as what you spend on the actual bike itself. A cheap spanner made of soft cheese will do more damage than good and a good set of lights/waterproofs/whatever will give you much more enjoyment than a budget set from Tescos.

Directly spending more doesn't mean lasts longer but it can cause a shift in mindset which helps make you get more out of it.

Anonymous

I'd say upto a point spending more money DOSE save you maintenance, you'll still have to clean everything and oil your chain ect.

But a more expensive drive chain should need adjusting less, a decent set of brakes won't need adjusting/bleeding so often and a better/stronger set of wheels won't need truing/broken spokes repairing as often.

bennett_346

RichardSwt wrote:

I'd say upto a point spending more money DOSE save you maintenance, you'll still have to clean everything and oil your chain ect.

But a more expensive drive chain should need adjusting less, a decent set of brakes won't need adjusting/bleeding so often and a better/stronger set of wheels won't need truing/broken spokes repairing as often.

*Does?
*Drivetrain? Never seen a chain need adjusted.

True about the wheels though. Also things like sealed cartridge bearing *can* be more durable in a way than non sealed open cage.

paulbox

bennett_346 wrote:

*Drivetrain? Never seen a chain need adjusted.

I've had the odd stiff link over the years that has needed a tweak...

Anonymous

bennett_346 wrote:

RichardSwt wrote:

I'd say upto a point spending more money DOSE save you maintenance, you'll still have to clean everything and oil your chain ect.

But a more expensive drive chain should need adjusting less, a decent set of brakes won't need adjusting/bleeding so often and a better/stronger set of wheels won't need truing/broken spokes repairing as often.

*Does?
*Drivetrain? Never seen a chain need adjusted.

True about the wheels though. Also things like sealed cartridge bearing *can* be more durable in a way than non sealed open cage.

Stronger rims are also less likely to need attention.

*Adjusted? Surely you mean adjusting? - You see, that's the problem with pointing out peoples spelling and grammar mistakes on the Internet, you need to make sure you yourself are perfect first.

Anyway, never seen a single speed bike? They need the chain adjusting as it stretches. Stands to reason a better quality chain will stretch less and need less maintenance.

Anonymous

RichardSwt wrote:

*Adjusted? Surely you mean adjusting? - You see, that's the problem with pointing out peoples spelling and grammar mistakes on the Internet, you need to make sure you yourself are perfect first.
.

You mean "people's" surely?

couldn't resist

bennett_346

RichardSwt wrote:

bennett_346 wrote:

RichardSwt wrote:

I'd say upto a point spending more money DOSE save you maintenance, you'll still have to clean everything and oil your chain ect.

But a more expensive drive chain should need adjusting less, a decent set of brakes won't need adjusting/bleeding so often and a better/stronger set of wheels won't need truing/broken spokes repairing as often.

*Does?
*Drivetrain? Never seen a chain need adjusted.

True about the wheels though. Also things like sealed cartridge bearing *can* be more durable in a way than non sealed open cage.

Stronger rims are also less likely to need attention.

*Adjusted? Surely you mean adjusting? - You see, that's the problem with pointing out peoples spelling and grammar mistakes on the Internet, you need to make sure you yourself are perfect first.

Anyway, never seen a single speed bike? They need the chain adjusting as it stretches. Stands to reason a better quality chain will stretch less and need less maintenance.

f*ck off

Anonymous

yeehaamcgee wrote:

RichardSwt wrote:

*Adjusted? Surely you mean adjusting? - You see, that's the problem with pointing out peoples spelling and grammar mistakes on the Internet, you need to make sure you yourself are perfect first.
.

You mean "people's" surely?

couldn't resist

Haha, you've proved my point.

bennett_346 wrote:

RichardSwt wrote:

bennett_346 wrote:

RichardSwt wrote:

I'd say upto a point spending more money DOSE save you maintenance, you'll still have to clean everything and oil your chain ect.

But a more expensive drive chain should need adjusting less, a decent set of brakes won't need adjusting/bleeding so often and a better/stronger set of wheels won't need truing/broken spokes repairing as often.

*Does?
*Drivetrain? Never seen a chain need adjusted.

True about the wheels though. Also things like sealed cartridge bearing *can* be more durable in a way than non sealed open cage.

Stronger rims are also less likely to need attention.

*Adjusted? Surely you mean adjusting? - You see, that's the problem with pointing out peoples spelling and grammar mistakes on the Internet, you need to make sure you yourself are perfect first.

Anyway, never seen a single speed bike? They need the chain adjusting as it stretches. Stands to reason a better quality chain will stretch less and need less maintenance.

f*ck off

Well, at least you've learnt your leeson now, good boy.

Fully-sprung

Stav wrote:

diy wrote:

best investment you can make for avoiding niggles are these

How would buying 2 buttplugs help you avoid niggles?

It won't, but it'll stop you sh!ting yourself when it all goes wrong.