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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: 0.763s | source
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acyou ◴[14 Oct 24 20:17 UTC] No.41841463[source]▶
Lithium ion batteries and battery modules are never ever gonna be user repairable. The main reason is that the electrolyte is a highly toxic, carcinogenic and extremely flammable organic solvent. AAs are user swappable because the electrolyte is water based.

Bikes started being less repairable when manufacturers noticed that steel frame 10 speeds were lasting multiple decades. If parts continue to be available, those frames are still going to be in use another 50 years from now. Particularly where cartridge bearings are used.

Carbon fiber bikes are part of the trend. Will we eventually see a straight up plastic adult bike frame?

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mschuster91 ◴[14 Oct 24 22:06 UTC] No.41842555[source]▶
> Bikes started being less repairable when manufacturers noticed that steel frame 10 speeds were lasting multiple decades.

Steel frames are heavy beasts. Aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys or carbon fiber is waaaay lighter in contrast, and weight is king at least if you're not running with electrical assistance.

It's exactly the same in cars, there we have exactly the same trend towards lighter but more brittle materials.

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1. AdrianB1 ◴[15 Oct 24 00:03 UTC] No.41843560[source]▶
I used to race as an amateur for almost 10 years. I saw people winning on steel frame bikes and for flat terrain the weight of the bike is not that important. Carbon is light indeed, but the frame as a percent of the overall bike can be quite low, as low as 25%. Half a kilo in a 12 kg MTB is insignificant except pro races.
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2. mschuster91 ◴[15 Oct 24 07:57 UTC] No.41846024[source]▶
I'm not necessarily talking about bike races... for commuter bikes that you have to lug up and down stairs into your basement, every gram counts.

My e-bike is somewhat around 20 kg, that thing is a tank in its own right, and it's hell to haul around when our beloved Deutsche Bahn once again manages to fuck up elevators.