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Bike Manufacturers Are Making Bikes Less Repairable

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207 points LorenDB | 2 comments | 14 Oct 24 19:27 UTC | HN request time: 0.417s | source
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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.

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1. criddell ◴[14 Oct 24 20:46 UTC] No.41841801[source]▶
> shop prices are absolutely disgusting

Do you think they are high because that's what it takes to pay for labor and rent, or are they high because the owners are greedy and are getting rich?

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2. soared ◴[14 Oct 24 22:14 UTC] No.41842649[source]▶
Simply high from a consumers perspective. Some shops certainly are greedy (PE owned, multiple locations, like evo). But for the truly lbs I don’t know the cause.