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France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

cyclingweekly.com

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Re: France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

#61

Post by jamil7 »

SirLuxuryYacht wrote: post #23
GhostVII wrote: post #9

Do most people really need $50 for bike maintenance? I think I've spent about $15 on my beater bike over the last couple years, just to buy a new tube and maybe some wd40. For the vast majority of people I would imagine that they don't maintain their bike at all, modern bikes hold together pretty well.

You forgot the last few ingredients: time and know-how. Some can't be bothered to get their hands dirty, or are afraid of breaking something. Yes, most people don't want to spend the effort fixing a bike.

I used to do all my own work and repairs but with a few bikes in rotation plus my girlfriends bikes it gets a bit much for one person. I defer yearly tuneups and bigger repairs or upgrages to a proper bike mechanic now.

Re: France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

#62

Post by GhostVII »

xenocyon wrote: post #49
GhostVII wrote: post #9

Do most people really need $50 for bike maintenance? I think I've spent about $15 on my beater bike over the last couple years, just to buy a new tube and maybe some wd40. For the vast majority of people I would imagine that they don't maintain their bike at all, modern bikes hold together pretty well.

Your calculation assumes one never needs to replace brake pads, chain, tires; it also makes no allowance for lights, tools, incidentals, or the occasions one might need professional repair. Incidentally, WD40 is not a good substitute for lube.

Personally, I've very rarely needed to replace those consumables, and I ride my bikes very hard. Only time I have needed a new chain and cassette is when I let my bike rust because I rode it all winter without washing it. And I've got like one set of brake pads in the last 5 years for my 2-3 bikes, since disk brake pads last pretty well forever as long as you don't foul them with something. I do go through a lot of tubes though, but no tires yet. As for tools all my bikes need for maintenance is a couple of allen keys and a phillips screwdriver.

I could see people spending that money bringing it to a mechanic for a tune up though. Personally I think that is a waste of money since it's super easy to tune up bikes yourself, but I do know lots of people who spent years with their bike shifting like garbage when it would take just a couple minute tune up to fix.

Re: France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

#63

Post by GhostVII »

abyssin wrote: post #14
GhostVII wrote: post #9

Do most people really need $50 for bike maintenance? I think I've spent about $15 on my beater bike over the last couple years, just to buy a new tube and maybe some wd40. For the vast majority of people I would imagine that they don't maintain their bike at all, modern bikes hold together pretty well.

If you want working brakes and use your bike more than twice a year, you definitely need more than buying a new tube every two years. Working brakes will save your life.

I can lock up the front and back brakes easily with a single finger, and haven't touched them in a couple years. And I use that bike constantly.

Re: France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

#64

Post by tomcooks »

hk__2 wrote: post #27
zymhan wrote: post #6

Let's be honest, 50 Euros per person is a drop in the bucket compared to the subsidies governments give to other modes of transportation.

> Let's be honest, 50 Euros per person is a drop in the bucket compared to the subsidies governments give to other modes of transportation. And that’s largely sufficient. Having a bike doesn’t cost a lot per year: according to the FNAUT (Fédération des associations des usagers de transport), on average, bikers spend ~€0.21/km. An air chamber costs €5; an air pump (one-time purchase) is €10.

You can save further by patching air chambers with other air chambers, or better yet fit a ring of old air chamber between you tire and the air chamber, creating a thicker wall that it's harder to penetrate by debris, glass, nails, etc.

You can get your tires pumped for free at most bike shops, gas stations, public bike repair stations.

Use your saved up 50€ for beers or better yet give it to someone else so she can buy a bike!

Re: France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

#65

Post by egypturnash »

alias_neo wrote: post #17

It's a nice gesture but hardly solves a problem. If the payment is for a mechanic to perform some "service" on your bicycle to make it roadworthy again, and from it you gain neither the tools nor the knowledge to perform two simple, necessary tasks for a cyclist; replace a tyre/inner tube, or replace a chain; what's the long term benefit? How about put 50 euros per cyclist into a tool kit, a dozen inner tubes and som…

"Cycle training and temporary parking spaces will also be provided by the funds"

Re: France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

#66

Post by ogre_codes »

CalRobert wrote: post #11

People are focused on the relatively small amount here, and that's valid, but I suspect that some of the incentive here is to keep momentum in cycling going (from people avoiding transit, enjoying temporary bike infra, etc.) and trying not to lose that progress. There might be a lot of people for whom that €50 means a tuneup that gets them to take the bike out when before it would've just rusted. I mean, data would b…

Bikes tend to degrade slowly over time if you don't do regular maintenance. Most people don't notice the slow decline until it's quite bad when suddenly it feels like an unreliable POS.

Giving people who are just a little frustrated with their bike might go a long way to helping keep people from getting to that point at least once.

Re: France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

#67

Post by fluffything »

wolco wrote: post #55
ploika wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely. There are plenty of people who have a bike with a flat tyre and a rusty chain and no lights or whatever. They might go back to taking the bus or metro, but if they were offered a free service (effectively) to make cycling a viable option, they'll take it. I know loads of people who cycle to work because of Ireland's Bike To Work scheme. They can all afford a bike without help, but the extra incentive was…

Would they go through all of that in the hopes of getting upto $50.00?

Through all of what?

Walking your bike 200m to the closest bike shop?

With 50 EUR, every bike shop does the usual tear fixes: changing tubes, adjusting gears and brake levers, changing break pads, changing the handlebar tape, centering the wheels, and cleaning / oiling.

Those 50 EUR can't cover major damage, but lots of people in Europe have multiple bikes in their basement that are just "rusty" / flat tire / etc. and that they didn't needed during the winter.

Re: France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

#68

Post by adambard »

wolco wrote: post #55
ploika wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely. There are plenty of people who have a bike with a flat tyre and a rusty chain and no lights or whatever. They might go back to taking the bus or metro, but if they were offered a free service (effectively) to make cycling a viable option, they'll take it. I know loads of people who cycle to work because of Ireland's Bike To Work scheme. They can all afford a bike without help, but the extra incentive was…

Would they go through all of that in the hopes of getting upto $50.00?

On July 11, 7-11 offers a free slurpee to all customers. The free slurpee cup is a fraction of the size of any of the already-very-cheap options available for sale.

I have seen lineups out the door and around the block on this occasion. I think this illustrates very well people's well-known tendency to irrationally value free stuff.

Re: France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

#69

Post by cultus »

ogre_codes wrote: post #66
CalRobert wrote: post #11

People are focused on the relatively small amount here, and that's valid, but I suspect that some of the incentive here is to keep momentum in cycling going (from people avoiding transit, enjoying temporary bike infra, etc.) and trying not to lose that progress. There might be a lot of people for whom that €50 means a tuneup that gets them to take the bike out when before it would've just rusted. I mean, data would b…

Bikes tend to degrade slowly over time if you don't do regular maintenance. Most people don't notice the slow decline until it's quite bad when suddenly it feels like an unreliable POS. Giving people who are just a little frustrated with their bike might go a long way to helping keep people from getting to that point at least once.

This doesn't get enough attention in cycling promotion. One of the absolute biggest reasons that people aren't on their bikes is maintenance. Wheels go out of true, shifting gets wonky, and it starts to look like an unreliable form of transport.

Sturdier commuter bikes help a lot with this, but every commuter seems to think they need a bike with super-light wheels and a thin, weak 12-speed chain.

Re: France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends

#70

Post by zxexz »

wolco wrote: post #55
ploika wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely. There are plenty of people who have a bike with a flat tyre and a rusty chain and no lights or whatever. They might go back to taking the bus or metro, but if they were offered a free service (effectively) to make cycling a viable option, they'll take it. I know loads of people who cycle to work because of Ireland's Bike To Work scheme. They can all afford a bike without help, but the extra incentive was…

Would they go through all of that in the hopes of getting upto $50.00?

I would. I also want to point out that you seem to be trivializing what most people would consider a non-trivial amount of money. That's easily a month of groceries for one person.
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