France offers each cyclist €50 for bike repairs once lockdown ends • Hacker News Board

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

#271

Post by Jenda_ » Sat, May 02, 2020, 9:40 AM UTC

Too wrote: post #261

Jenda_ wrote: post #235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Regarding flats, try tires with Kevlar reinforcement. Flats went completely away since I switched to Maxxis Overdrive Maxxprotect. They are a bit heavy, but I think not having to care about flats is worth it.

Most flats come from not having enough pressure in the tire, causing friction between tire and tube when the inside deforms, especially when riding over curbs. Bad quality tubes and tires plus improper installation also contributes a lot. Reinforcement in forms of kevlar and such might provide some additional protection but these types of penetrating punctures are rare in the first place. It obviously doesn't make th…

I managed to find the cause of most flats - usually it was a small piece of glass or a small sharp stone (as used in winter on icy roads), still stuck in the tire. Maybe we have sharp roads and soft curbs in Prague :-)

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

#272

Post by loeg » Sat, May 02, 2020, 2:51 PM UTC

tomcooks wrote: post #269

loeg wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Where you live probably. Nah; I buy them shipped internationally for that price. (This doesn't help on the environmentalism angle, but IMO the impact here is pretty low, especially if it offsets car miles.) They've gone up in price somewhat but still are pretty cheap: https://www.wiggle.com/lifeline-road-inner-tube/

Please let me know where you get such amazing prices, because with wiggle you have at least 8$ plus in shipping within the UK (where they are located). I can only imagine outside EU. I also believe you are wrong if you think that sourcing internationally is anywhere within the "low impact" range. Happy cycling, to each one her own. [0] https://www.wiggle.co.uk/h/option/international

Wiggle delivers free to the US on orders over $60 USD; I throw tubes in with other orders when my supply on hand is below, say, a half dozen. If don't know about their policies to the UK or EU markets.

Even with $8 in shipping, if you buy 8 tubes that only adds $1/tube. Usually still well below shop prices, which can be as high as $7-8/tube (although less obviously so at $2.80 than their former price of $1.50).

> I also believe you are wrong if you think that sourcing internationally is anywhere within the "low impact" range.

I guess we have different ideas of what that vague term means, and that's fine! For what it's worth, the entire bike part ecosystem is international. The vast majority of bike frames are made in China and Taiwan; Shimano's parts are made in China, Malaysia, and Singapore; and very few brands (Look; I don't know of any others) make frames in North Africa, which is relatively local to the EU but not the US market.

Inner tubes are also made in Taiwan/China. Unless you live in Taiwan, there is international sourcing going on somewhere in the supply chain.

Happy cycling :-)

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

#273

Post by hk__2 » Sat, May 02, 2020, 3:18 PM UTC

aidenscott2016 wrote: post #103

tomcooks wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Is 'air chamber' the literal translation from French? I like it better than 'inner tube'

That’s what my friend Google Translation told me

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

#274

Post by hk__2 » Sat, May 02, 2020, 3:19 PM UTC

simlevesque wrote: post #44

hk__2 wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

Don't buy cheap air pumps. Those things need to be strong to last. They handle a lot of pressure. A 10€ air pump will break at the first fall and most have small bases so they tip easily. And when they break you must buy a new one. If you really use it, a 25€ pump will cost you way less over as little as 3 years.

Fair enough; I just wanted to point out that it’s cheap to own a bike.

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

#275

Post by Zenst » Sat, May 02, 2020, 7:32 PM UTC

def8cefe wrote: post #249

Zenst wrote: post #217

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you get GPS tracking systems that are reliable enough that insurance companies take note enough to discount if they are installed?

Where would you install them on the bike where they couldn't be removed easily? I've thought you could place one in the frame, but that would be difficult to do aftermarket and the GPS and WWAN antennas would need to exit it somewhere.

Shaft were the seat affixes, maybe use the frame as the antenna - dunno, was more interested in what is out there already in a way that is respected enough for insurance companies to make a difference. That's the true test of a security product - how much of a discount does your insurance get for having it ;).

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

#276

Post by throwaway41597 » Sat, May 02, 2020, 9:43 PM UTC

mb7733 wrote: post #262

karatestomp wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the only reason I don't ride anymore. I don't get why my complex car full of caustic liquids and burning them to drive a bunch of parts super fast can go tens of thousands of miles with nothing but oil changes and nothing breaks or doesn't work almost-like-new unless I run over a nail, but bikes? Ugh. Every time I go to get on it, something's broken. Flat tires constantly. Changing them sucks and takes foreve…

If fixing a flat takes a long time, I might suggest that your technique could be improved. Even though it seems like a simple task there really is a "right way" and many "wrong ways". There are great videos/articles online. It really shouldn't take longer than 3-5 minutes.

> It really shouldn't take longer than 3-5 minutes.

    - .5 min: flipping the bike
    - 1 min: finding the tools
    - 1 min: removing the wheel and chain
    - 3 min: removing the tire
    - 1 min: removing the tube
    - 2 min: locating the hole
    - 1 min: cleaning the tube
    - 5 min: applying glue and letting it dry
    - 3 min: installing the patch and holding it just to make sure
    - 2 min: putting back the tube
    - 1 min: putting back the tire
    - 5 min: putting back the wheel and making sure it doesn't touch any thing
    - 1 min: inflating
    - .5 min: flipping the bike back up

    Total estimated time: 27 min
    Actual time I take: ~60 min

Any advice, given that my bike is about 40 years old?

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

#277

Post by mb7733 » Sun, May 03, 2020, 2:23 AM UTC

throwaway41597 wrote: post #276

mb7733 wrote: post #262

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If fixing a flat takes a long time, I might suggest that your technique could be improved. Even though it seems like a simple task there really is a "right way" and many "wrong ways". There are great videos/articles online. It really shouldn't take longer than 3-5 minutes.

> It really shouldn't take longer than 3-5 minutes. - .5 min: flipping the bike - 1 min: finding the tools - 1 min: removing the wheel and chain - 3 min: removing the tire - 1 min: removing the tube - 2 min: locating the hole - 1 min: cleaning the tube - 5 min: applying glue and letting it dry - 3 min: installing the patch and holding it just to make sure - 2 min: putting back the tube - 1 min: putting back the tire…

My advice is to go to a bicycle co-op and ask them for pointers. Do not take this as an insult -- I really believe you could benefit greatly from some instruction or a demonstration. If there are no bicycle co-ops in your area, reach out to a knowledgeable friend. Or I can recommend some videos but they are not hard to find. There is _absolutely no way_ that it should take you an hour to fix a flat tire on a bicycle, given the right technique.

(For example, it should not take 5 minutes to replace a wheel. That should take about 10 seconds... I am genuinely curious what you spend your time doing over the 5 minutes and I am sure some practice / instruction could save you frustration. Likewise, even for a very tight tire you should be able to remove it quite quickly. A small tip I can give you for removing a tire is to make sure that the entire bead of the tire is unseated and sitting in the deepest part of the rim. This leaves a good amount of slack to pull the tire off. I usually am able to remove a tire without any tools, but a tire lever can make it even easier when used correctly.)

Certainly patching a tube adds to the time, I didn't include that in my 3-5min estimate. The usual practice is to pack an extra tube while out on a ride and patch the damaged tube later at home. Also worth noting there are modern patches that come with adhesive pre-applied that are very easy & quick to use, just peel and stick.

Cheers and good luck!

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

#278

Post by throwaway41597 » Sun, May 03, 2020, 3:15 AM UTC

mb7733 wrote: post #277

throwaway41597 wrote: post #276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It really shouldn't take longer than 3-5 minutes. - .5 min: flipping the bike - 1 min: finding the tools - 1 min: removing the wheel and chain - 3 min: removing the tire - 1 min: removing the tube - 2 min: locating the hole - 1 min: cleaning the tube - 5 min: applying glue and letting it dry - 3 min: installing the patch and holding it just to make sure - 2 min: putting back the tube - 1 min: putting back the tire…

My advice is to go to a bicycle co-op and ask them for pointers. Do not take this as an insult -- I really believe you could benefit greatly from some instruction or a demonstration. If there are no bicycle co-ops in your area, reach out to a knowledgeable friend. Or I can recommend some videos but they are not hard to find. There is _absolutely no way_ that it should take you an hour to fix a flat tire on a bicycle,…

No worries but to be clear, do you stand by your opinion for old bikes? The ones I maintain are decades old and those 5 minutes I mentioned easily turn into 30 minutes at times because of brakes and guards working together against me. I've always considered that time to be the price to pay to have a cheap, undesirable (to thieves) bike and your estimate is challenging my world views!

Regarding tire removal, I recently did it like three times in a single week. It was like 15 minutes in sweat and finger pain every time. To get an idea of what one can achieve, can you remove a tire without tools with fat tires only or even thin road tires? Mine were thin, 23mm (less than an inch). By the way, in this instance, it wasn't a beater but a high-end 1970s bike.

Thanks for the advice, I'll look into it because it sounds like I'm missing something.

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

#279

Post by mb7733 » Sun, May 03, 2020, 3:38 AM UTC

throwaway41597 wrote: post #278

mb7733 wrote: post #277

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My advice is to go to a bicycle co-op and ask them for pointers. Do not take this as an insult -- I really believe you could benefit greatly from some instruction or a demonstration. If there are no bicycle co-ops in your area, reach out to a knowledgeable friend. Or I can recommend some videos but they are not hard to find. There is _absolutely no way_ that it should take you an hour to fix a flat tire on a bicycle,…

No worries but to be clear, do you stand by your opinion for old bikes? The ones I maintain are decades old and those 5 minutes I mentioned easily turn into 30 minutes at times because of brakes and guards working together against me. I've always considered that time to be the price to pay to have a cheap, undesirable (to thieves) bike and your estimate is challenging my world views! Regarding tire removal, I recentl…

Don't worry, nothing I said is specific to newer bikes. Definitely, older bikes can present unique challenges but swapping tires hasn't changed. (Unless you get into tubeless... I wouldn't recommend it for road riding...)

How difficult it is to remove or replace a tire really comes down to the tire/rim combinations. Different types and sizes of tires can make a big difference.

Some combinations can definitely be trickier to mount, but with the right it can usually be down without too much physical strain. Mechanics in the bike shop do it many, many times each day after all.

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

#280

Post by GhostVII » Sun, May 03, 2020, 12:37 PM UTC

abyssin wrote: post #80

GhostVII wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

What type of brake is this? I've never heard of such performant and maintenanceless brakes. Drum brakes like Shimano Rollerbrake can go for thousands of kilometers with very little maintenance (although you're supposed to grease them), but they wouldn't lock up with a single finger. Disc brakes and v-brakes require to change pads every few hundred kilometers. How many kilometers do you ride every year?

Some generic Shimano disk brake, I think BR-something. Got BOS1 brake pads on it. I don't commute on it, but definitely ride at least a few hundred kilometers on it a year. They aren't particularly performant, you should always be able to lock up hydraulics with a single finger if they are adjusted correctly imo. Even my mechanical avid BB7 disks I could lock up with a finger when my brake cables were newer.