Replacing components on cheap bike - false economy?

sapper

I've been cycling around dublin city centre for about 10 years now. I bought my current bike back (a Falcon California 'mountain' bike) in May 05 for about EUR300 in Cycleways.

It served me well for my 10 minute hops around town but now I've moved out to Lucan and have been doing the 9/10 miles in and out of town every day for the past few months with two well stocked pannier bags....

I'm starting to get a bit miffed with all the little problems I've been having almost every week - punctures (bought new tubes/tyres), worn out brake pads (have now bought 4 sets since Oct) and lately I've gone through two (EUR30) wheels in rapid succession. Last week 2 spokes popped out on the latest wheel, I got the spokes replaced for a tenner and now another one has gone.

Now is going out and getting another new wheel just false economy? Is my problem just simply cheap wheels? Or should I just bite the bullet and put a more suitable/expensive bike on the credit card? How much protection is a pricier bike against little problems like worn out brake pads and buckled wheels?

Civilian_Target

Brake pads just wear, I have to replace tyres and brake pads about every 2000km. Decent components on a cheap bike will last, the important thing is to get a good service every 6 months/800km or so and get everything checked out and fixed that needs to be fixed. It'll probably cost you €70+ to do that each time but its worth it! You'd probably have to do this on a more expensive bike too, the upshot of a good bike is that it usually comes with a set of decent components, and weighs less... wouldn't be sure about €30 wheels being any good though, I spend €30 on tyres!

If it's any comfort to you, I had a service 3 weeks ago. I have a decent bike, but partswise I needed:
- New rear brake pads
- 3 new spokes
- New front tyre & inner tube
- Rear wheel truing
- New rear gear cable
- New front light
- Spare inner tube

Cost £70, and the previous service was at the end of August, doing a slightly shorter daily commute than yourself. That's life!

[EDIT]Never properly buckled a wheel, because I have internal gears I spent money on good wheels![/EDIT]

Zonko

See how you say to get it serviced every once in a while? Is it worth taking the bike maybe 50 miles or so for the service if there's no decent bike mechanics nearby?

randomname2005

Hey sapper,
like you i usually commute with a lots of gear on the carrier, I found that buying good wheels was the only way to go. I got a set of wheels from Merlin Cycles for €100 (during one of their sales) and they have put up with a lot of use and abuse for the past 2 years.

Im not sure about the components, the better components tend to wear out quicker, the materials are lighter and not as 'hard' as the cheaper components.

The ability to do some of the servicing yourself is very important. You should regularly clean the bike, chain, rims, and make sure the break pads are ok. You can also have a quick check of the spokes to make sure they are all the same tension

I think it would be better to replace the components as you go along rather than spending lots of money in one go when there is still life left in them.

A nice new bike is great, it feels nice, everything is smooth for the first while, but if you are happy with how the bike feels, I would stick with it and buy mid range components when necessary.

R

sapper

Thanks folks - just got a decent wheel instead of a whole bike. I'll be back on to you if I get another buckled wheel in the next 6 months!