Buy it for Life

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A place to share practical, durable and quality made products that are made to last, with an emphasis on upcycled and sustainable products!

Guidelines:

Things that are well-made and durable (even if they won't last a lifetime) are A-Okay!

Unlike that other BIFL place, Home-made and DIY items are encouraged here, as long as some form of instruction is included in the body of the post.

Videos links are not allowed as post titles, but you may use them in a text post.

A limited amount of self-promotion is accepted, IF the item you are selling aligns with this criteria:

The item must be made with sustainable or recycled materials.
If electronic in some way, the item must be open-source.
The item must be user-serviceable (if applicable).
You cannot be a large corporation.
The post must be clearly marked with a [Self Promotion] tag in your title.

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Repairable Bike Tips (self.buyitforlife)

submitted 1 month ago by houseofleft to c/buyitforlife

23 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I'm looking to purchase a bike (probably second hand) and I want to make sure that it'll be easily repairable in the future for at least standard maintenance stuff.

Thing is, I don't know anything about bikes- I've heard people say off hand that modern bikes might perform better but are less maintanable, is this a thing? What qualities/features in a bike tell me that it'll be easier to maintain in the long run?

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[–] houseofleft 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Thanks for such a detailed response! I'm planning on mainly using it for smallish trips, say heading into my local town. I've recently move to being just outside walking distance but it's very short distance to drive for.

I also live around a lot of woods and it'd be good to be able to ride on a dirt path now and then.

From what I can see a 'hybrid' sounds like it'd be a good fit?

[–] JillyB@beehaw.org 2 points 4 weeks ago

A hybrid bike would be a great place to start. Your first bike is rarely your last. As you ride it, you'll gradually learn what you like and don't like about it. Some things can be replaced or upgraded. Eventually you'll have a better idea of what to get for your second bike. If you're buying used, make sure there are no signs of rust, the brakes and shifters work as expected, there are no squeaky or metal-on-metal sounds, and the bike is appropriately sized for you, and you should be good to go.

Also, you don't have to do all the maintenance yourself. Bike service is usually pretty cheap. Some things I do myself, but when it requires special tools, the bike shop makes more sense.