←back to thread

Bike Manufacturers Are Making Bikes Less Repairable

(www.ifixit.com)
207 points LorenDB | 1 comments | 14 Oct 24 19:27 UTC | HN request time: 0.199s | source
Show context
soared ◴[14 Oct 24 20:14 UTC] No.41841439[source]▶
Im going to disagree - bikes are incredibly more repairable because of e-commerce. I no longer rely on local availability of parts, and lack of documentation when doing repairs. YouTube has infinite knowledge and Amazon/walmart ship literally any part to my door. Bottom bracket as an example I don’t think is fair - I’m an avid cyclist and have never once heard of anyone working in their bottom bracket. Chain, derailleur, cranks/pedals, brakes, handlebars, seat, etc are all very reasonable to do but bottom brackets everyone takes to a shop.

Additionally, shop prices (at least in Denver) are absolutely disgusting. A brake pad is $15 in my lbs, but the same one is $6 online direct from the mfg. maybe 2 minutes of labor to repair, but the shop will charge $75 minimum. I was quoted $130 for a chain replacement when I went in to get my recalled cranks replaced.

replies(7): >>41841519 #>>41841642 #>>41841688 #>>41841780 #>>41841801 #>>41842104 #>>41842770 #
1. oulipo ◴[14 Oct 24 20:22 UTC] No.41841519[source]▶
It's true for mechanical bikes!

For e-bikes, some manufacturers try to lock users down with DRM. And the last part that's hard to repair is the battery!

But at Gouach (disclaimer: I'm one of the co-founder), we really wanted to provide a way for people and company fleets to have observability and agency over their batteries, so we've designed (took us 2 years haha) a repairable battery that's working very well now! You need nothing but a screwdriver.

Added benefit is that you can now decentralize production and repair: any shop can produce small batches of batteries, or repair them, without complex equipment or specialized training!