Bike Manufacturers Are Making Bikes Less Repairable

Bikes have sucked for a long time and they just seem to be getting worse. Even a bike that costs $5k+ will inevitably fall apart. I find that if you are a real serious cyclist the best option is to buy your own frame and then build your own rig with bespoke parts.

I've bought a lot of bikes in my lifetime and only twice have I opted to build a bike from scratch. Both times I was working on a bike shop. It was really the second time when one of our dealers had a "bike shop deal" where you could get a frame/fork setup for like $300. The Fox fork on the frame was worth around $700 so it was a really good deal.

The one thing I realized right away was all the stuff you take for granted on complete bikes that add up super quick. Oh you got some sweet disc brakes? You need brake lines, and brake fluid and have to know to set them up and bleed the lines, and you need brake levers. Oh, nice wheel set, you need tires as well, and you have to get the wheels trued before you put them on. You need a crank set, and pedals, and a chain and handlebars and a proper stem and grips and the list just goes on and on.

It took me about three months to get all the parts together. I kept everything in the box at the shop, in the basement. Once I got everything together, myself and two mechanics who love building bikes, sat around the shop putting it all together which took quite a while.

It was a pretty big wakeup call that yes, you can build a bike from scratch, but you also need a huge amount of knowledge and patience to put it all together. Even after I had put my bike together, it took several attempts to get the disc brakes dialed in which I've never had to deal with on a floor model. Same thing with the drivetrain and getting both derailleurs dialed in.

A $5k bike will fall apart way more quickly than a $1k to $2k bike. The only reason to get a $5k bike is if you are trying to win a race and have other people to do the maintenance for you. The lower end (but not absolute cheapest) parts are generally more reliable since they aren't nearly as weight optimized.

Building a road bike with a threaded bottom bracket, rim brakes and pre built brakes really isn't that bad. I was pretty unexcited when disc brakes were introduced to road bikes due to the increased maintenance burden.

Maybe? I am not really sold on bikes falling apart. They all have consumables. It’s no different than a car. Sure there are some hyper specific frame styles, thinking of you tri bikes, but beyond that they don’t feel less repairable.

Disc brakes make sense if you're riding hilly terrain or racing, but are otherwise overkill. They do have their place though, there's a particular descent around here that tends to melt carbon rim braking surfaces.

Yes, bikes built with race equipment need to be maintained like race equipment. Don't buy a $5k bike (or a Porsche) if you are going to complain about maintenance intervals.