High Mileage Road Bike - what's bulletproof?

jimdennison

I bought a Giant Defy 1 brand new in 2016 for about £900.

It's a great fun bike and I've loved riding it. Trouble is - in the 22 months I've had it, I've covered about 10,000 miles and so much has gone wrong with it's transmission. Most notable the freehub has had to be replaced 4 times in that period so far, it gets through the (11-speed chain) really quickly, and I hardly get through 2-3 weeks without something in the transmission starting to creak or make weird noises.

Maybe it's partly to be expected given the relatively high mileage ... but has anyone else got experience of doing these sorts of mileages and know of a stronger, less fragile Performance/Sportive/Road Bike bike in the up-to-£1500 price range?

I'm getting a bit fed up with the maintenance hassle and cost and want to buy something different (and stronger)

Thanks! :-)

arlowood

jimdennison wrote:

I bought a Giant Defy 1 brand new in 2016 for about £900.

It's a great fun bike and I've loved riding it. Trouble is - in the 22 months I've had it, I've covered about 10,000 miles and so much has gone wrong with it's transmission. Most notable the freehub has had to be replaced 4 times in that period so far, it gets through the (11-speed chain) really quickly, and I hardly get through 2-3 weeks without something in the transmission starting to creak or make weird noises.

Maybe it's partly to be expected given the relatively high mileage ... but has anyone else got experience of doing these sorts of mileages and know of a stronger, less fragile Performance/Sportive/Road Bike bike in the up-to-£1500 price range?

I'm getting a bit fed up with the maintenance hassle and cost and want to buy something different (and stronger)

Thanks! :-)

Not quite sure why your blaming the bike. Freehub failures are down to the quality of the wheelset and also to the combination of weather conditions they are exposed to and the frequency of servicing/fettling.

If you like the Defy frame then consider upgrading the componentry. Wheels, chains, transmission items are all consumable items that will wear out over time. They will wear faster during winter riding conditions and if not serviced and fettled regularly.

I think you are really just looking for justification for spending on a new bike.

redvision

First of all, get this bulletproof idea out of your head. Really pisses me off when people on here talk about bulletproof bikes, wheelsets etc. It's a bloody bike and until one is made out of kevlar likely to be very vulnerable if shot by a bullet.

Now that's settled, the failures you describe are of the components which are just the consequence of wear and tear. It's easy to replace parts and you only need to change the frame if it's damaged, or you fancy a change.

The mileage you describe isn't massively high and I think you would be better off just replacing the parts which have worn and then carry out regular service/ maintenance. Will help keep things running a bit longer.

This said, if you do fancy a new bike just get one, just don't expect the components to last forever.

cooldad

Expensive can often mean more fragile. More expensive components often mean lighter.

I have some Shimano cup and cone stuff that's well over 20 years old and god knows how much distance that's still 100%, nothing needed but a bit of grease and some cheap ball bearings. Original freehubs. Period mechs etc. Good old 8 speed.

And they're mountain bikes, so been hammered through nasty sh1t.

jimdennison

Thanks for the the responses - sounds like my expectations were just a bit off and in fact bikes need more frequent servicing / replacement parts than I assumed. I was reading something today that said that servicing should be 3-4 times a year ... not the 1-2 times I was thinking :shock:

cooldad

Bikes don't need regular servicing, they're not cars, just need random fettling as and when.

webboo

My car gets serviced about once a year. It might get washed 2 or 3 times year and that’s about it unless it breaks. Bike gets washed and lubed about every second ride or at least the chain cleaned and lubed.
I’m not sure I’ve ever replaced a free hub, chain about once a year.

jimdennison

Well, I degrease and clean/wipe the chain and sprockets each week (I.e. every 200km or so) but I wonder if it needs something more. I think the seemingly weak component (Freehub ) is a sealed unit. But like someone else said - I’ll look to get it replaced with a better quality unit the next time ... the stock Giant part must be weak.

cooldad

Don't degrease the chain, it just flushes out lube inside the rollers. Which is hard to get back in again.

Use a decent chainlube, and just wipe the outside down

I use Squirt all year round, wax based.

imposter2.0

jimdennison wrote:

Well, I degrease and clean/wipe the chain and sprockets each week (I.e. every 200km or so) but I wonder if it needs something more. I think the seemingly weak component (Freehub ) is a sealed unit. But like someone else said - I’ll look to get it replaced with a better quality unit the next time ... the stock Giant part must be weak.

Depending on how you are 'degreasing' the chain & sprockets, if you are simply blasting them with a cleaning spray then it's quite likely that your freehub failures could be related.

As suggested above - just run the outside of the chain through a rag on a regular basis and re-lube when necessary. Sprockets are best cleaned/degreased ideally when the wheel is out of the bike.

cooldad

Please don't say WD40.

imposter2.0

cooldad wrote:

Please don't say WD40.

Wouldn't matter if it was, tbh. The effect of the spray leaking into the freehub is the same/similar, as they are all solvent-based...

cooldad

Fair enough. I know people who use it as 'lube'.

imposter2.0

cooldad wrote:

Fair enough. I know people who use it as 'lube'.

Well, technically it is a lubricant - it's a light mineral oil in a carrier solvent. Much like GT85 or any number of others. You don't really want it in your freehub bearings though..

taon24

You can reduce service intervals by switching to internal or single speed as opposed to derailleur gears, though road bike options are limited for internal gears.
Similarly I suspect that hydraulic discs will reduce the need for frequent maintainance as you aren't at risk of grinding down dirty rims.

something like:
https://www.evanscycles.com/genesis-day ... e-EV289570

But a reaonsable maintainence schedule may be:
Check tyres, brakes and drivetrain before ride (couple of minutes max)
Wipe down chain after ride and consider relubing (couple of minutes)
Full clean with wheel removal for rim brakes (30 minutes every week/fortnight)
Chain, brake pad and tyre replacement (60 minutes every ~6 months - mileage and use dependent) - or go to cycle shop
Recabling, new bar tape, wheel bearings and cassette replacement (+120 minutes every year) - or go to cycle shop
Headset, Bottom Bracket, Chainrings etc (every couple of years)

Have I missed anything?
Anyway it ends up being a 30 minute job every week/fortnight and then I try and do a longer service session as the clocks change to prepare for summer/winter

Moonbiker

Older bikes (quality ones not BSO) tend to have better quality/more durable components.

Cup & cone hub, square taper BB, 8 speed chains last longer etc.

So they requre less maintenace & are cheaper to run as parts are less expensive.

rick_chasey

Most bikes will last if you look after them.

Really high end components tend to sacrifice a level of durability for performance.

A well maintained bike will naturally last a lot longer.

Read up reviews of wheels; again, some are designed to be more durable (at the expense of performance) than others. Usually this manifests with high spoke counts, but that's by no means the only measure.

Other then that, a frame will last as long as you want it to last, unless you're unlucky; but that can happen to any frame really.

voodooman

What they've said above. CAADX now just ticking over 10000 km and still on the original cassette and chainrings. It's a workhorse so it gets cleaned every week (mainly the chain tbh) and I replace the chain about every 1000 km as that's the cheapest option. Most important are the mudguards which prevents so much corrosion and grot getting into every space. Still on the original BB30 (gets cleaned every so often after asking for advice on here) and Maddux Wheels (which get cleaned and a spot of grease every couple of months). Actually although I considered getting some Hunt wheels, I took the Maddux ones to a LBS who rebuilt them and properly did the tensions (shout out to perfect balance in Totton, just round the corner from Hargroves - excellent service). As an aside I am a big lad at over 105 kg so the bike does take a real hammering. I've only replaced the chain (a lot), the brakes (TRP Spyre for ease of maintenance), cables (once a year) and the bar tape.