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

#281

Post by cko » Sun, May 03, 2020, 7:48 PM UTC

SECProto wrote: post #220

cko wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was in a suburban ward in Tokyo two years ago and it didn't look like any bikes had locks on them. They were all identical bikes with large kickstands.

They do use locks, they are just tiny things that lock the rear wheel in place. They look like the brake mechanism. For example: http://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/252774835823-0-1/s-l1000.jpg side note: the ubiquitous Japanese bike style you're referring to is called "mamachari"

Good to know. Here I was believing that Japanese society was so advanced they couldn't even conceive of theft.

I did feel a major sense of safety in Tokyo, however.

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

#282

Post by cultus » Mon, May 04, 2020, 1:56 PM UTC

ogre_codes wrote: post #239

cultus wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

If your bike chain breaks and you aren't hammering your bike on mountain bike trails, you've seriously neglected that bike for a long long time. Doesn't matter if it's 12 speed, 11 speed, whatever, bike chains are durable and last for years. Generally they are more likely to freeze up from rust and neglect than break. Clean the chain every few weeks and change it ~yearly (or every 2000 miles or so) and unless you are…

Wheel rims are aluminum, and spokes are stainless. They don't rust. Low spoke-count wheels are weaker and will go out of true faster, especially on potholed roads and with panniers.

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

#283

Post by SECProto » Mon, May 04, 2020, 10:21 PM UTC

cko wrote: post #281

SECProto wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They do use locks, they are just tiny things that lock the rear wheel in place. They look like the brake mechanism. For example: http://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/252774835823-0-1/s-l1000.jpg side note: the ubiquitous Japanese bike style you're referring to is called "mamachari"

Good to know. Here I was believing that Japanese society was so advanced they couldn't even conceive of theft. I did feel a major sense of safety in Tokyo, however.

Yeah. I think it's more likely to stop someone accidentally taking the wrong bike. Since they aren't secured to anything and the locks aren't beefy, defeating it would be pretty trivial.

I have a number of friends with anecdotes about forgetting items on a bus/train and the lengths to which individuals or companies will go to return them is pretty impressive.

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

#284

Post by thirdsun » Tue, May 05, 2020, 6:21 AM UTC

karatestomp wrote: post #211

cultus wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

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 you experience flats, especially when they happen repeatedly, you should always look for the cause. Check the inner tube. When you find the hole check that position on the rim as well as the tire. Make sure that there aren't any sharp edges or objects. Don't go too low on pressure. Buy quality tubes and tires from manufacturers like Continental or Schwalbe.

Flats happen and are inevitable, but they should be a rare occurence. As a daily bike commuter and road bike enthusiast I experienced 2 flats in the last 10 years.

Futhermore most maintenance tasks are quite easy to handle and Youtube has excellent tutorials ready. I understand that this isn't for everyone (I'm not interested in learning how to repair my car for instance), but channels like GCN [1] explain a range of basic maintenance taks for anyone who's interested.

I also think your expectations towards bike prices are somewhat unreasonable. Maintenance is required at any price category, but generally 1000 € bikes will give you a decent entry level experience with quality parts that should last for years. Lower priced options will have to cut corners and cause frustations at some point.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/user/globalcyclingnetwork

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

#285

Post by thirdsun » Tue, May 05, 2020, 6:38 AM UTC

vadansky wrote: post #77

ogre_codes wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Now you have me worried about what maintance I should be doing. Going to a bike shop once a year at the start of summer seems to have been enough for me. After a quick google search I got crazy suggestions that I should be changing my cables every 6 months.

You're probably fine with your annual tune up. If you want to do it yourself the drive train should be your highest priority in my opinion:

- Keep your chain clean. Every few weeks use a degreaser to clean it, wash it out with water and apply lubricant suitable to your weather conditions afterwards. There's a chain cleaning tool from Park Tools which makes the degreasing part particularly easy. I highly recommend it.

- Replace the chain every year. Chains will stretch and wear out the cogs on your cassette thereby deteriorating the whole drive train. There are distance recommendations and ways to mesure if it's time to replace the chain if you want to look them up, but doing it every year shoudl be on the safe side

- Replace your tires once they are worn out. I drive Continental Grand prix which come with a handy indicator on the tire itself, but you should be able to look up the recommended life span for your particular tyre

- Keep your bike clean. Cleaning your chain should be a welcome opportunity to also quickly clean the rest of your bike - doesn't have to take longer than a few minutes.

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

#286

Post by djrogers » Wed, May 06, 2020, 1:55 AM UTC

michaelcampbell wrote: post #207

djrogers wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> People in this thread are getting really hung up on the idea that someone with a bike == cycling enthusiast. I’m an American, and literally everyone I know owns at least one bike, and it’s rideable. I’m not even in a big city - in fact I live closer to cows and sheep than to anything resembling a skyscraper...

> I’m an American, and literally everyone I know owns at least one bike, and it’s rideable. You are, far and away, an outlier.

I really don’t think so - according to this 92% of Americans own one:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/693817/percentage-of-peo...