Bicycle is only unsustainable because the probability of theft is high. I switched to Baywheels. Massive QoL improvement.
Can we make bicycles sustainable again?
21–30 of 91 posts
Re: Can we make bicycles sustainable again?
#22Earlier quoted context omitted.
At least some of the big name bike brands have lifetime warranties on the frames. Everything else can be considered a consumable item. Not because it's designed poorly but because you'd rather your bike weigh 10kg less than increase the lifespan of some parts from 5 to 50 years.
Proper maintenance and quality parts last 50 years (my commuter bike and most of its components are 40 years old. Tires, chains, cogs, brakepads, saddle and bartape are the exception). Anything but the cheapest of components would last years with proper maintenance (which has cost in service charges: good bike mechanics don't come cheap)
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Re: Can we make bicycles sustainable again?
#23Earlier quoted context omitted.
At least some of the big name bike brands have lifetime warranties on the frames. Everything else can be considered a consumable item. Not because it's designed poorly but because you'd rather your bike weigh 10kg less than increase the lifespan of some parts from 5 to 50 years.
Proper maintenance and quality parts last 50 years (my commuter bike and most of its components are 40 years old. Tires, chains, cogs, brakepads, saddle and bartape are the exception). Anything but the cheapest of components would last years with proper maintenance (which has cost in service charges: good bike mechanics don't come cheap)
If you ride your bike a lot, and some point the bearing races in the hubs will wear out and you'll need new hubs, same for the bottom bracket, the rims will either get ground down by the brakes or get a dent that requires them to be replaced, fenders will get bent and / or rust off, screws corrode, brake / shifter cables need to be replaced every few years...
Bikes that get ridden a lot are like the ship of Theseus...
Re: Can we make bicycles sustainable again?
#24I view my carbon bikes as a form of carbon sequestration. Esp. when I ask to be buried with them.
Re: Can we make bicycles sustainable again?
#25All the numbers given here seem tiny in comparison to the emissions from manufacturing or using a car. It seems like premature optimization at best, and might even be counterproductive by implying that because some bikes are more sustainable than others, bikes are somehow unsustainable as a whole.
>Reynolds, a British manufacturer known for its bicycle tubing, found that making a steel frame costs 17.5 kg CO2, while a titanium or stainless steel frame costs around 55 kg CO2 per frame – three times as much.
For the uninitiated: that is less than one tank of gas (ca 70 kg CO2) in my Toyota Prius.
Re: Can we make bicycles sustainable again?
#26Are there any brands that are specifically known for having highly compatible parts of long lifespans of products?
From what I've observed, moderately priced bikes tend to be more sane in terms of adhering to mainstream component standards. For instance I bought a fairly generic "sporty looking hybrid" in 2006 for which I've had no problems sourcing parts -- although very few parts have been needed. Outside of competitive or off road use, good bike parts are actually quite reliable and last a long time.
Trek, Giant, Specialized, Raleigh, Fuji... Some of these have become "just a brand name" under new ownership.
I also have a bike that I threw together from 40 year old parts, and can still get any replacement that I need from Amazon or eBay. I suspect demand from overseas may be keeping some parts for older bikes available.
I think you can contribute a lot to the lifespan of a bike by learning to do a bit of your own maintenance, so you can spot minor issues before they turn into component failures.
Re: Can we make bicycles sustainable again?
#27Are there any brands that are specifically known for having highly compatible parts of long lifespans of products?
Surly.
Re: Can we make bicycles sustainable again?
#28There's nothing wrong with continuous improvement but when you are trying to fine tune something in the flat portion of an exponential scale, and lets face it, even the most expensive bike shown here is 1/2 the burden of an ICE engine car, you have to ask yourself: is this optimisation really the core problem? I argue: it's not. It's polishing. It's functionally a bit time-wast-y compared to reductions in the cost, a…
What kind of weird brakes do you have on your bike? I can easily buy Shimano Ultegra (which is pretty high-end) brake calipers on Amazon for roughly USD$65, and a big bottle of brake oil is less than $15. Cheaper-brand or lower-end calipers are of course, cheaper, easily less than $50 each. And brake calipers aren't something you normally need to replace anyway. Pads are easily available too, both name-brand and Chin…
> What kind of weird brakes do you have on your bike?
Apparently hydraulics, instead of cables. Cf. https://www.bicyclehabitat.com/how-to/disc-brakes-101-pg362....
I have hydraulic brakes on one of my bikes too. They feel great (so accurate and responsive!), but I'm glad I haven't had to get them fixed yet...
Re: Can we make bicycles sustainable again?
#29Are there any brands that are specifically known for having highly compatible parts of long lifespans of products?
Probably the best and simplest indicator is to look for 8 or 9 speed on the back wheel, or a premium rear gearbox like a rohloff, or either a 3 or 5 speed sun gearbox like a sturmey archer or shimano 3 speed.
Brands will vary both in servicability between models and which hrands are available.
Avoid any integrated electric parts that the frame is builtaround (but a bolt on motor and battery is fine whether the motor is fitted to the wheel or pedals).
Re: Can we make bicycles sustainable again?
#30You think this generation is going to be riding more bicycles? Likely far far less, the roads are insanely dangerous and toxic now. I don't know what it is like in other cities but in mine at least one out of ten vehicles is now one of those new ridiculous monster sized trucks that not only cannot see you, they wouldn't care if they did. The bicycle lane line is now something to cruise over for these drivers while th…
You're a generation behind. Those things all happened and now people are fighting to regain the right for humans to occupy outdoor space.