Is 15 miles a day too much?
trevorh
Posts: 87
Not for me but for a mountain bike in terms of wear and tear, usage etc. especially in the UK weather? I have a bike I use on the road to commute at the moment but do not enjoy road riding at all, it is purely functional. Getting an MTB at Xmas and the commute off road is quicker both in distance and time but will whatever I buy stand up to being used every day 48 weeks of the year as well as my pleasure rides 2-3 times a week in the evening. Anybody else got a high use MTB and what's your experience like? Also are there types of MTB that will be more "resilient" to this amount of use over others?
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If you ride an MTB 15 miles a day, it will wear twice as quick as if you ride it for 7.5 miles a day ... but half as quick as if you were to ride it 30miles a day
how quick that is though, depends upon the components and how much they get used n that time, constantly changing gear ? .... expect the gear cables to wear ..... riding through wet mud and rivers .... possible BB wear above average.
I personally would buy a mid range bike for longevity .... the cheap components are, cheap ..... the expensive "race spec" components are often very light, but can wear quicker due to lighter, thiner components used. Decent Mid range are more often than not, near enough race spec in operation, but with more durable components at the expense of weight.
Agree on not buying top end spec. And you want to be hot on your maintenance too.
It will last a lot longer if you keep up on maintenance, washing it, re lubing, adjusting ... it will reduce the wear rate dramatically, especially on an MTB that gets covered in mud.
Maybe one with a mid range 2x10 drivechain, will be cheaper for new chains and casettes etc.
Maintenance. Maintenance and new parts. That's all there is to it as long as you have a decent bike. This year summer, I was doing over 1000km a month. I was aware of the maintenance issues, but just then I realized their gravity.
Things to keep in mind:
10 speed cassettes require a quite pricey chain. Better to go with 9 speed if you want to save a bit. This is the one thing I could really do without on my bike. Some time in the future, I'll probably downgrade to 9 speed.
A MTB chain will last approximately 1000km (or 620 miles) Mileage varies. Buy one of those chain stretch measuring thingies. The basic ones are cheap AF and work fine.
Any chain maintenance other than cleaning with a rag and re-lubing is almost pointless if your chain doesn't last more than three months. Don't bother with de-greasing or expensive chain cleaning tools.
A cassette can last for more than 3 chains, assuming you change the chain soon enough. That's why I recommend checking the chain regularly. It's more economic to swap the chain sooner than later.
A choice of tires matters not just for the type of riding you do, but also for the miles you put into them. Some tires last longer than others, despite being similar price. That said, they'll also wear depending on where you ride them. Tarmac is hell for a lot of MTB tires, so if you ride a lot on it, better chose something similar to Maxxis Ikon for the rear tire.
If you're getting flats frequently, make sure you have 3-5 spare tubes on hand and keep repairing them. In the long run, it saves you considerable cash.
Other things are more of long-term concern. Cables will stretch out, but they're cheap, it's just work. Centering the wheel can be a major PIA. If you want to do it yourself, fine, but shops do it for dirt cheap. Bleeding and refiling brakes... well some brakes will be fine for many years in this regard. Generally, most components are fine until you screw them up. The most maintenace and parts is required around the drive-train and the wheels.
If you damage the fork, depending on price of the fork, it may sometimes be better to just buy a new fork. Not sure about doing it yourself, but from what I've gathered, shops charge horrendous money for any kind of maintenance involving fork disassembly.
1: A threaded bottom bracket rather than any pushfit stuff - way easier to replace yourself and arguably last longer than many pushfit options. Look for something with an external threaded bb or if looking cheaper end of the scale, a Shimano internal unit will last for years - Octalink or square taper.
2: Tyres - what works best off-road can be sluggish on road. Depending on what the off road bits are like, you could get away with a semi-slick or even something like the Halo twin-rail tyres.
3: Decent mudguards - they may look a bit naff but on wet days make a hell of a difference commuting.
4: Don't care about what speed, but whatever the cassette is, make sure it's on a standard freehub rather than an XD driver - more options when it comes time to replace making it cheaper than anything XD on the whole. Depending on the route/terrain, if you can get away with a 1x system (8/9/10/11) then that's less stuff to have to maintain. Again depending on budget, cheaper bike's will unlikely be 1x but it's easy and cheap enough to convert when the time comes to start replacing stuff.
5: you don't mention it but do you need to think about rack mounts for panniers? Not as common as they used to be on modern mountain bikes.
As others have said, keeping it well maintained is the key for longevity but bearing in mind the more expensive "consumables" like chains and cassettes, don't wait until you need them to buy them - keep an eye online (especially some of the German sites) and buy a spare when they have a sale on...
The pushfit bb can be replaced with one that essentially screws together to avoid having to use presses etc. They're just not that cheap compared with an external threaded job.
Just a thought but have you considered one of the newer breed of "gravel/adventure" bikes - bit like a cyclocross bike but a bit more beefy? Check out Whyte's range - got some very good hardtails too.
I had some cheapish suntour forks on a mountain bike I used for tow path riding and they were quickly ruined. Started filling with water which actually froze in winter.
Mudguards. Keep the mud and water off you and your components.
Bottle of oil outside your front door. Means you can just apply as needed on the way out or in.
Other than that you should be fine. You'll become adept at replacing pads.
Possibly a good option. I run a cx and my main issues are going through bar tape very quickly. Cable disc brakes being sub optimal and my rear derailleur quickly developed quite a bit of lateral play. Very capable for single track though.
I have two MTB's one is a old hardtail with 1x9 that is my commute bike, the gravel/mud tracks it spends most of it's life on chew though a chain in about 1000miles rain or shine seems to make no difference, brake pads seem to last almost indecently long. like wise tyres.
My other MTB that which I MTB on, milage is much lower so drive chain though no better takes longer to wear out. but tyres/pads get chewed up in no time.
I'd agree on the sweet middle spot, for parts.
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