Bike Shop A$$H0LE tells how you've been DUPED! 10 reasons your bike is WRONG (or maybe right)!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 มิ.ย. 2024
- In my decades of working in bike shops, I've seen and heard it all. Hell, I was totally DUPED into buying a fancy bike when I was 15, and now I literally make a living telling people their bikes suck (or not). So many people get so many things wrong about bikes. But IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT! There's so much snake oil marketing out there, it's impossible for anyone to get it right. Sizing, maintenance, frame material, your abilities, budget, etc. all make getting the right bike way too complicated to get it right the first time. I've got my own opinions, likely very different from yours, but mine are RIGHT! So, just because I don't know any better, I'm gonna tell ya!
Check out the other videos all sorts of bicycle repair as we refurbish and restore used bicycles or tune up customer bikes from all major brands including (but not limited to) Trek, Fuji, Specialized, Giant, Raleigh, Mongoose, GT, Schwinn, Rivendell, Waterford, Cervelo, Felt, Kona, Cannondale, Bianchi, Marin, Canyon, Scott, Salsa, Surly, All-City, etc. We will fix skipping gears, noisy chains, flat tires, presta valves, bent rims, numbness in hands, sticky shifters, squeaky brakes, uncomfortable saddles, upright handlebars by adjusting derailleurs, brake adjustments, new cables, new chain and cassette, freewheels, shifter overhauls, changing brake pads, lubrication, adjusting hubs, headsets and bottom bracket replacements, etc. or even just the easy way to tuneup your bicycle! - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
I worked in a very large bike shop in a major metro area throughout the 1980's. The owner's mantra was. "Sell them the bike they need, not the bike they want." Generally worked pretty well.
It often backfires
The customers are always right until they bin it and come back with a cracked carbon frame looking for a "cheap fix". Some bikes require deep pockets to maintain and repair. Whereas sell that same customer a chromo steel framed bike and it'll probably survive all the abuse a newbie rider can dish out!
I think my local bike shop have this attitude. unfortunately they have no idea how I ride my bike and don't know what I need. I tried to explain. either they didn't listen or they didn't get it.
@@hobinlobothe more you know about bikes the less you have to explain to the shop.
Conversely the owner of the (quite successful) shop I worked at said "Sell the people what they want"
Best line:
"as I pursued an English degree and became a bike mechanic"
Funny and so true!
I know at least one English major/bike mechanic.
I retired early, but wrench in a bike shop, just for fun. My wife and I dont have degrees. I worked in high end manufacturing.
Quality in the larger bike industry is a shameful joke. Yet marketing BS is so impressive......
Also, great job security! 😂🤑🤣 Were ALWAYS busy, almost any time of year. 20% of our business is processing warranties and recalls.
All my life Ive run small businesses and side jobs related to bicycles. Cycling is my lifestyle.
We just hired a young man who graduated from UC Santa Cruz with an environmental sciences degree. He cant find a job......
My daughter, on the other hand was an engineering student. She secured a 6 figure job offer before she even graduated.
Idealism vs. REALITY.
Now that's getting proper duped
@@dustind9242 the english degree probably has something do do with dude's ability to write content for youtube and to be an effective communicator. Not sure I'd call that getting duped.
I graduated with a degree in molecular cellular and developmental biology and became a bike salesman. See how valuable a STEM degree is?
Just love your honesty. My wife and I are in our 60’s and even though my wife wasn’t in favour of it II bought 2 e-bikes . She has done a 180 degree turn and absolutely loves them. Cycling slows the world down and lets you appreciate the landscape we speed past in our cars . You get a whole new perspective. We still pedal but the motor helps our older bodies .Your channel speaks the truths ,wish there were more channels like yours.
✨😊👍🏻
E-bikes are awesome! I'm in love with my lectric one of the cool features is when I got it in 2020 every guy from my age on up I wanted to ask me about it like I was at a car show! I spend a couple minutes selling them on the idea! 😅 I'm just trying to do them a favor I swear!
Thank you. "Comfort bikes " are rad. Not everybody wants to look at their front axle and hurt their back all day
I used to hate "comfort bikes" but I've been convinced. The only one I have though is an '88 Schwinn Woodlands mountain bike. But, the frame is more "road" in geometry and the upright Wald bars I put on it get me right into that relaxed comfort position. Some low rolling resistance slickish tires let it eat up miles easily. No wonder I ride it often...
I just love bikes!!
Your words are words of LOVE to all bicyclists.
Im almost 60 and I just keep buying more and more bikes. I love them all.
My favorites are 6 Italian ( with Campagnolo) bikes, no electronics, no computers, no disc breaks, no tubeless tires. Just pump the tires and go. All so beautiful, all very colorful, all very fast. I love my walmart beach cruiser. I have my Grandfathers Schwinn Suburban. I have a real velodrome bike. I have a Cinelli with racks and fenders. I even have a custom Tandem.
I love and ride them all. Some take more work to ride than others and some are not as compfy as others. But I love them all. I love bike so much I want everyone to feel the way I do about bikes. I even keep beautiful bikes in my home that dont fit me at all. They are for any guests that may be too small or too big to ride any of my personal bikes. Everyone that knows that if you come visit me, you're probably going to ride a bike at my house.
Started cycling again at age 65. Rode a lot in late teens and early 20s. I’ve learned pretty much everything you said in this video. Riding outside in fresh air and sunshine doesn’t require too much money. My small pack of tools, a spare inner tube, a power bar, a full water bottle, and a small hand pump together far outweigh the weight savings of a $3K carbon frame.
Thanks for sharing!
I too started to ride again much more when I was 60 (and had just recovered from a heart attack and a quad bypass). Similar to you, i rode and raced in my teens and up to early 30's then the family happened.
I went back on my 1982 steel frame bike (Koga-Miyata) but upgraded from 7 speed friction shift to 11 speed indexed shifting and flat handlebar.
After gaining fitness and speed over 3 years I then upgraded to a used Specialized Roubaix Carbon bike (made in 2015) and from then on my cycling became pure pleasure. I am now 70 and ride 200-300 miles per month on average and lots of climbing in the scottish hills.
It's the feel on the bike which makes the difference. When I sat on it the first time it felt like a rocket under me and I can ride for 12 hours without pain or getting stiff. The limit is when the legs start to fall off after 100 or 130 miles in one go but then that is to be expected. Next year I will aim for 140 miles and see if my former colleagues (20 years younger than me) will be able to keep up.
It's for what you want if you're honest with yourself. Only idiots or rich people buy new. Used 10 year old high end bikes are still high end and can get crazy good deals on them
@@jimsonjohnson3761and you don’t know anything about how they’ve been ridden or potential problems unless you’re X-raying the frame or the welds. I only buy used if I know the person who owned it.
Congrats on achieving the ultimate bike shop mechanic attitude !
Wish your TH-cam channel was around in 1991 when I started cycling again as an adult! That said, back then, recently divorced, with two small children and very little disposable money I bought a $99 Huffy ATB from KMart. That bicycle saved my life. At 6’1” the bike did not fit well, made a lot of noise shifting and was laughed at by many “true” cyclist on my rides. However, that bicycle got me back riding and became priceless. At twenty-nine it got me back in shape, taught me the basics of bike maintenance and enticed me to make cycling a major part of my life. This bicycle started me riding to work twenty six miles a day that would last twenty one years. The bicycles changed to mostly Cannondales (I lived in Connecticut at the time where they were made) and although painful at times learned and performed all my own maintenance. Kudos to your videos for they could of made my learning curve much more steeper; ). I know I am a special case, heck I took a short bus to school, but there is no “right” way to get into cycling other then getting on a bike and riding. Again great job on your videos, practical and entertaining!
Those “true” cyclists have no reason to laugh when they wear the most dorky lycra just for the aero haha
I, a philosophy major from the Upper Midwest, just found my perfect TH-cam channel. Your wisdom-and relatable accent-are what I need in this chaotic world.
I, a philosophy major from the southeast, enjoyed it as well.
I became "late-onset epileptic" in 2014 and went from a CAREER truck driver. NOT overweight or anything stereotypical for a "trucker," but I DEFINITELY wasn't in THIS kind of shape. It's like a saying I read, pretty profound, it goes:
"Behind every strong person, is a story of one who had no choice but to be!"
Pretty much my situation because of an ironic little "curse-turned-miracle" I'm just BETTER overall thanks TO, "having to!" LIFE is short and funny that way!🤘😊👍❤🚴♾💀🤘Pedal onwards fam!!👊👍🚴♾
After getting frustrated with local bike shops, I started working on my own bikes 20 years ago. Best move I ever made.
Two quick pieces of advice-
1) Press fit bottom brackets were designed by Satan.
2) If you have OCD, do not true your own wheels 😫
LOL. Just by watching some people true their wheels I could immediately see it was a whole day job for one wheel if I were to do it.
If I actually knew how to do it properly that is.
Me too. It’s always good to work on your own bike. Not just to save money but to learn how your bike works and be aware of things like wear, upgrades, bike fit
That OCD guy is exactly the person you need to true your wheels. Pay him Tip him ! An actual true wheel doesn't happen on its own...It takes time . There is just no way around it . A straight and round wheel isn't necessarily true...and usually Not !
@@stevengagnon4777 Except you usually get the "1-2mm is within factory spec, its fine" guy
I'm truing my rear wheel today. A few of my spokes needed to be cut off because the nipples were so rusted that it snapped a couple anyway trying to undo it, so I'm just going to take them all off and apply some copperslip or something to each end.
It's going to take me hours
I enjoyed this video. I'm 71 and started riding at 30. I rode on the road and started racing. I had my Cat 2 license within a few years. At that time all I wanted to do was race and go fast. The constant training burnt me out. I took a few years off and started riding more for fun. I was riding on the track and started mountainbiking in 2004. I have a fatbike and 2 mountainbikes. Riding on the trails and just enjoying being at one with the bike is peace for me. The problem is I am not fast anymore and dont care. I am very competent but NOT FAST. If I choose the wrong trail on the wrong day, I get caught from behind and I find I get intimidated by that. If I can get out of my own head and just ride like I can, I have a great time. So to your point-have fun and enjoy the bike for what it is. If you can do what you want on it and enjoy it, it' a great bike.
Comfy, well fitted, Reasonably priced bikes, bars high enough, good tires and a perfectly shifting and braking bike is clearly the ticket for most of the rides most of us do when we don't take the competitive side in consideration :)
Thanks for posting !
Agreed!
Honestly, unless $ is on the line, even then the bike only makes so much difference. Bought some cool looking new carbon wheels, and I can tell a slight difference in all out efforts (more in the weight when going uphill) but riding around with friends, it doesn’t matter much at all. Could keep up and have just as much fun with a much cheaper bike.
My friend Randy, wanted me to clean, maintenance and get his 25 year-old Walmart bike tuned up. I told him it was a POS when new. That bike was not worth new cables, chain, tires, and inner tubes.
Yep, too many people want to fix up their department store bike but they'd be better off investing in a newer brand name bike even if its a few years old. People give away some pretty nice bikes on graigslist,
@@connyconiglione I figured the new parts to bring Randy's bike to working shape would be $80. It did not make sense to spend $80 to fix a bike that was worth $120 new. the truth is if you have a nice bike it increases your chances of seriously riding and sticking with it. Same thing goes for all other hobbies, you need to upgrade as you gain experience to keep the hobby going.
@@dand3975did he buy it from new? Owned it for 25 years and then 80 dollars to tune up seems a good investment. Saves slinging into landfill. If it works for him it works, don't be a bike snob.
I became the “weak” rider, my husband bought me an electric bike that I love. I enjoy riding it so much that I have changed my life style to riding it for for my weekly errands. Which ends up being 3 out of 5 trips a week. So better, but, I would love to be able to do the other 2 trips by bike, the other two trips my special needs son is with me, and the type of electric bike I would need to take him is WAY to costly. I don’t understand why bike prices have become so high. Enjoying your channel.
Have you looked at a bike trailer? Fit it with fatbike tires for some extra comfort (if you want) and it'll work amazing for you! :)
@@swecreations thank you. I have a trailer for hauling “stuff” but my child is 15 and weights about 140 lbs. so no trailer will hold him.
@@colleenwright-kakkar6384 Actually the Wike Special Needs Extra Large trailer is probably perfect for him! It is rated for up to 150lbs and made for adults, so would definitely give it a look!
If you get a trailer for an e bike, you'd best upgrade your brake system to good quality hydros. Don't buy overpriced Sram. Low quality junk brakes. Most 'affordable' 😂
e bikes have 'compromised for cost' brake systems. Added weight will cause them to be further 'compromised'. Read weak and unsafe.
Even the most expensive E bikes eat drivetrains and brake components for lunch. E bikes are not cheap at all to own.
@@rollinrat4850 You can get $1500 e-bikes with good hydraulic brakes nowadays. They are extremely cheap to own.
I work in the industry and every time I watch one of your videos I’m less about drinking the company kool aid and more about giving my customers a reality check to what’s the best purpose bike for them.
The line about most people just needing a few speeds and an upright riding position was spot on. The bike industry is not catering to "most" people, which coincidentally, is the largest market share. Instead, they're focused on telling people they need hydraulic disc brakes, 29" wheels and a 1x12 drivetrain. All of which are the wrong choice for most people.
Sigh. Told myself I would never ride again after a 2 year Mormon mission (Giant Iguana). 15 years later bought one to go on rides with my son. When he aged out I was confident I was done riding and gave my Trek to him for college. This year, couldn't resist that inexpensive Schwinn hybrid at Goodwill. Rusty chain, spokes and a sun rotted saddle. And here I am, getting the pep talk as I return to cycling again. Appreciative of your channel.
I like your commentary. I worked in a bicycle shop for several seasons during the 80's. I also raced during the 80's and rode race-oriented and race-positioned bikes during that era. When I stopped I rode bicycles positioned and largely built the same way for a while. However, I gradually learned that, when my attitude is not about kicking ass, but about enjoying my rides, the experience becomes enjoyable. A comfortable, well-appointed bicycle is a pleasure to ride any distance. There is nothing wrong with racing, for people who want to do it. There is a lot to be learned and earned from racing. There is nothing wrong with expensive bicycles either. Even the comfortable ones are usually lighter and function better. For most people though, an affordable, but not cheap bicycle with a wide range of gears, wider tires and a comfortable position is the perfect bicycle. Bicycle designers seem to have figured that out too.
Inexpensive bicycles now function way better than the expensive bicycles of the 80's and are more approachable for casual and uninitiated riders. Learning how to use friction shifters alone was a barrier to bicycle riding during the 80's for some. Friction shifting was/is nuanced, it was easy to make mistakes and making a mistake oftentimes pushed the rear derailleur into the spokes which led to expensive repairs in addition to the frustration that came with learning how to do it. Even inexpensive bicycles now come with easy to use and reliable indexed shifting and a wide range of gears allowing casual riders the opportunity to pedal up hills. Most bicycles, particularly road bicycles, well into the 80's had gear ranges oriented toward racing on level the roads. The mountain bike influence changed that. Now, even road racers are riding bicycles with wider gear ranges. Great video.
this story rings so true. My journey started in about 1995 and I’m still wrenching today after four college degrees. I love these videos.
Man the video is so well edited and full of good info, it feels like you’re a 1M subscribers channel. Keep it like this 👍🏼
Here’s to hoping! 🍻🥂
I restored an English Triumph 3 speed about 15 years ago. It does not suck. Rode it today to the farmers market and back. I do not like new bikes because they suck.
Bought a Schwinn hybrid from Target in 2017. Replaced the bottom bracket and took it apart and reassembled it before riding it and the bike is probably the most comfortable and best bike I’ve been on. I do 1000 miles from April through October outdoors and bring it into the basement and mount it to my Wahoo trainer. I love it.
The mantra that dept store bikes all suck probably does need some reevaluation.
@@bobloblaw10001He didn't buy a department store bike, he bought a Schwinn bike at a department store. Big difference there.
@@bobloblaw10001Well if he didn't rebuilt the bike it would suck. And paying someone to fix it makes it a very expensive low end bike. If you know what you are doing you can cherry pick parts and bikes. If you just a human that wants a working comfy bike, it's not a strategy for you.
I even know good seasoned cyclists that can’t change a BB 😅
@@elefantrising to be fair: the old square bb are very forgiving for casual riders. The issues began with external bearing cups and sportive bikes where frame tolerances are much lower and weight is the main goal before durability. In addition several different standards evolved that are a PITA. Thankfully I only have threaded BSA frames but recently went from square to M30 and will soon have to go to Hollowtech II for installing my new power meter (yes, on my old steel bike)
Finally! Someone who has my take on bikes. comfort, practicality and durability. I think if the bike industry took your approach they wouldn.t be in the pickle they are in today. I personally ride a MTB from the 80s (with upgraded parts). I am sure I will love your content.
Yes, my take too. Cheers!
With Shimano going all in on the fancy high end electronic shifting and disc brakes, I wonder if they're going to give an opening to the Chinese groupset manufacturers to start eating their sales from the bottom up.
In 2019 I researched for about 3 months for a new bike. After carefully narrowing down I had decided on the Trek 920. Mind you, I've been a lifelong cyclist. You had to have new Treks assembled at the dealer so I went to my local Trek dealer. They said, oh no, you don't want a 920 you want a hybrid. No! Oh, you need the 1120. No!! Come to find out, the dealer hadn't even ever seen a 920 before. Rode that 920 up the CA coast, rode it around the Salton Sea & rode it from Southern California to Missouri. Best bike I've ever owned. I don't drive an automobile so it gets ridden every day.
I just went through my g-kids Huffy, it’s a load of terrible components (I didn’t buy it for her). Your videos showed me how to make the best of “what it is”. It now shifts decent and the brakes work.
Thanks for the videos with a layman in mind.
I’ve shared your channel with my friends.
Glad I could help
Nice video. Over the past 2 years, we have upgraded all of the components on our 10-year-old Fuji aluminum bikes to 105 and up and they ride great at 21-22 lbs!
Glad I found your channel this morning. I wish I lived in your town. Bike shops here suck. All corporate. I wanted to upgrade brakes on my DIY ebike. None of the bike stores would work on anything to do with my DIYer. Claiming insurance or some other bull****. I started building my DIYer a few years ago at the age of 65 after a lifelong love of cycling with over 200k road miles under my belt. I picked up a 12 year old Brodie Bandit gravel bike on Facebook marketplace for only $170 CDN here in BC. I added a CYC Stealth mid-drive motor, a Box Components eBike drive train, and a 21ah battery from Electrifybike in Utah. I chose the CYC Stealth motor because of the torque sensing pedal assist. It has been a dream riding my blue bomber. I could not get any of the local bike shops to give me any help as they would only work on eBikes they sold in store. None of them would even sell me and install $700 SRAM Code RSC brakes because of "insurance." Yeah, right. So I had to strip my bike of all things eBike and bring it in to a shop to get that done. I have built several eBikes since I started on my own. I built a couple of folding eBikes based on a 2021, brand new at the time, Giant folding bikes for a friend. I used the same motor, smaller battery, and my build crushed anything you could buy in a store. The motor swung up and installed in the tiny frame triangle with only 1mm to spare. Almost nobody on first look even realized they were eBikes. Same for my Brodie. I have to point out to most people that it is an eBike and love their shock and awe when I describe the performance. Best thing is I built the bike with transit in mind. It looks like a regular road bike and weights less than 55lbs which is the limit for transit buses. With 2" Schwalbe moped rated 50kph tires it fits comfortably on transit buses so I can use the bus to go the 100km into the city and then take off on my bike to explore. I am currently working on my dream build based on a brand new Soma Riff frame. I am porting my eBike components from my old Brodie to the new frame with the addition of hand built wheels designed for ebikes, a new eBike ready Rockshox fork, and a Shimano Linkglide drive train. The new parts combined cost me less than 2k but I will now have my dream eBike. And it crushes $5k to $10k eBikes in corporate stores. I also added a DIY bike trailer I built from an old Huffy tricycle that I can pull behind the bike at 50kph and not even feel when hauling. I have saved so much money on fuel, insurance, and vehicle maintenance that the bikes are basically free. And the best part is I can ride off into the sunset in the mountains here and feel like I did in my youth on my first Cannondale criterion bike. Closing in on 70 years old here and getting faster.
Lol, are you future me? I'm not in a small town but in Munich Germany, and the bike shops here are overpriced arrogant know it alls that only help you if you buy their stuff. So my cellar is now my personal bike shop and the classifieds is my source of bikes and frames. Built an electrified Bullitt Cargo Bike with CYC Photon and that thing outruns and out handles cargo bikes that cost 10k. And living in Europe there's actually some bike infrastructure, so it's been amazing having no car!
This man talks sense. I was obliged to start cycling to work at the age of 65 after finding myself in a new job which didn't provide employee parking and having an allergy to public transport. I found an old, well maintained Raleigh Pioneer for £20 on ebay and rediscovered the joy of getting cold, wet and fit for free.
I tried to be a bike salesman in the mid 90's just to pay the bills. Couldn't do it. Didn't believe in the product and couldn't sell people something they absolutely didn't need. I moved to the warehouse to do special orders of stuff pretend racers REALLY didn't need. Love this video.
Having a job you can’t believe in really sucks. Kudos to you for knowing this.
Best quote @ 2:10 - "I don't want you to end up like me either" Words to live by. I love all sorts of bikes, even hybrids and comfort bikes!
Nice video. It is funny that you talk about fixing up your old bikes, I rode when I was a teenager before a bought a Vespa. Now I’m back into bikes, but not new ones. I’m currently doing up an obsolete 1969 Raleigh Twenty. It’s not all singing and dancing, but it’s stripped. Needs everything greasing and I’m converting the old steel rims to alloy so I can stop in wet weather. I can’t wait to get out on it!
I rediscovered my old 18 speed after my newer hybrid bike was stolen. One thing I didn't like on the old bike was downtube friction shifters. I like engineering and electronics, so built a index shifting electronic derailleur for it. Works great, can shift now without moving my hands from the bars.
I used to buy all the fancy bikes. When I moved here, I bought a cheap walmart comfy bike that had 7 speeds. It's not the best, but does exactly what I need it to do.
My e bike transformed me at age 68. 3500 miles later I may be in the best shape 😂I’ve ever been in. Mentally and physically.
Andy tells the truth! I left a similar comment on another BikeFarmer video. I bought a Giant Defy Advanced 1 this year because I wanted to do road rides. I was waiting on a Contend AR 1 which would have been just fine for me. Even the shop owner said if I held the frame of each bike at the same time I wouldn't be able to tell a difference in the weight. Sure there are differences in those two road bikes, but I'm not a Pro. I was tired of waiting on the Contend so I bought the Defy. I was riding my Giant Escape around the neighborhood and on some paved trails. One trail is rarely used because it's nothing but hills. It was very uncomfortable at first, but I got stronger. The Escape is a great bike and I still ride it as well for some different riding. Like Andy said if you're going to ride a bike there's going to be some discomfort, but riding a bike of any kind is worth that small amount of discomfort. Riding a bike does wonders for your mental health as well as physical health.
He says he doesn’t sell bikes that cost more than $800, and the Defy is like $3500. I think you’re not really talking about the same thing.
2007 was the last time I bought a new bike, and I don't think I ever will again. If you know what to look for, you can find a much higher quality used bike for the same price (or less) than a new lower level bike, and with a little elbow grease, you can get it working as good as new.
I’m really glad you addressed the lightweight racing bike obsession. You aren’t going to be faster on a light bike if you pedal around like a grandpa.
Benny at Cycle City all he would do all day is put other people down and bag their bikes no matter what they were. Bike shops don’t need people like that.
Dude, you're awesome. This is the youtube channel the bike world needed!
Wow, thanks!
Your opinions and approach to bikes are very refreshing for a bike lover in bike sales. This channel is awesome! So glad I found it.
Welcome aboard!
Thank you for being so honest. I just went to a bike shop yesterday. They asked me how much I was looking to spend. They told me they didn't have any bike in that price range. Their bike prices start at $1300. I have to confess that I have never bought a bike. I have found all my bikes in the garbage. Living in Long Island it's not hard to find good bikes in the garbage. I have found a Cannondale Sr 300, Trek 510, 800 sport and 8000 slr. And a 1970's Rally, and a Fuji Roubaix. But, back then there wasn't Ebay. No one put's bike out much now, they put them on Ebay.
From one long-term wrench to another, I tip my hat, raise my beer, and salute you for preaching the good word!
Right on!
Great content. I have to say i love my two fixed gear bikes. One is a fast aluminum Cinelli tipo pista with a slammed stem and bullhorns that I sprint around the neighborhood .The other is a MASH work with a more upright position with a basket in the front for my small dog.
Damn…bought the the Trek 970 in ’92…it became my city bike for years…until it got stolen. That bike served me well.
you're cool bro, and you're right on, i'm 51 now and i finally figured out after a lifetime of BMX, road bikes, and mountain bikes, that the best bikes, by far, hands down, not even close, is a traditional, step through utility bike with a basket, fenders, nice kickstand, bell, lights, wheel lock, chain guard, upright handlebars, and cargo rack, IF a bike is your main mode of transport, and it is for me and all of those things i just listed make it an overall pleasant and practical day to day riding experience. i don't even notice all that extra weight from those addons, riding a bike has never been more pleasurable.
I own a bike shop (Trek Dealer) and a customer gave me flack for riding a 20 year old Cannondale road bike. I was like, "I don't race and it does what I need it to do. It works fine and if it was fancier I couldn't beat on it".
Truth
I daily a 30 year old Alan cyclocross to work , wouldn’t give it up for a new bike .
Haters gonna hate. I'm a home mechanic and have probably 15 or so bikes, mostly road. Don't have a single disk brake bike and few with internal cables. I have all frame materials, but Steel is still the first choice. Almost all purchases have been already fully depreciated, so basically I'm riding on the cheap. I do work on modern bikes, but for me 2005 and earlier was the golden era. I own a Soma rando converted to an ebike, but don't ride it much.
Since I got back into biking at 59, I decided to go for the most comfortable of the comfort bikes, an Electra Townie 7D. Love its comfort, rugged simplicity and it being just sophisticated enough that I didn't find myself needing a new bike after a few months. I have since supplemented the Townie with a Trek Verve 2 Lowstep. There were times I loved it and times I just wanted to park it out along a bike trail with a sign "all yours". Still, even during the worst times, it was nice to have a second bike to ride when the Townie was in the shop. I found a good mechanic and the Verve is doing a lot better now. Having a second bike is good.
Similar bikes. Townie is pedal forward. Comfy, but inefficient. The verve is a nice in-betweener.
@@bkefrmr Strange, I've noticed that the Verve feels a little more efficient, like it takes less effort to pedal it in certain conditions than the Townie. Any explanation as to why?
Having more than one bike is a good idea if you rely on a shop. My customers often complain when we're scheduling labor out a month or more. We're that busy! Many times I've convinced people to buy that 2nd or even 3rd. bike! I've been messing around with bicycles for 50 years. I've collected maybe 12 bikes in various stages of disrepair.
An Electra Townie is a pretty simple bike. You might be able to learn how to repair it or at least maintain it. I like Electras as long as someone skilled assembled them. Lots of bike assemblers have very little skill. Good bike mechanics are a different breed. I ride our shop Electra almost everyday for lunch!
QC, manufacturing process, marketing BS. and greed are the main problems in the larger bike industry today. DIY can solve most of those.
You really are living a dream I had. Owned a bike shop for 2 years to simply help people. I found out my market was a 50 mile radius. I always thought about doing videos too.
I bought a $300 bike from Amazon. Was it perfect, no. Of course, they greased nothing. But watching channels like this, I have learned how to break it down, and grease the parts, and then upgrade it as I can. Changed out and tuned the chainring today. It is good enough for me, and cost me less than $800. Oh, I am 55 and ride it every day to wirk and home.
Excellent presentation. I’ve been a roadie since the late 80’s. I still have my 1992 Schwinn Paramount. The frame itself is in great shape. No dents or dings or rust. I’ve updated it regularly with the components over the years, as they wore out, largely with used parts and new wheels and have never paid big coin. My latest update was to replace the groupo with used Dura-Ace 7800 that I purchased for $300. I had the good sense to have a fit test before I bought it and have had it fit tested as I aged and my riding changed from racing to touring and commuting with some sound advice from my LBS. So now it’s a 31 yo bike that weighs 21.5 pounds and is a sweet ride. I could even retrofit it into a gravel bike but we don’t have to many gravel roads or trails but plenty of chip and seal rural roads (I live in central Ohio).
In other words this bike doesn’t suck. Yea it’s heavy by todays standards but I’ll worry about that when I drop from my current weight of 190 back to my racing weight of 150. Which will probably be never. 😂
One of the cool things about my Paramount is when I take to my LBS for tuning and maintenance the young mechanics just gush over it.
Anyway thank you for your wise advice and your serious understanding of cycling in it’s entire scope and not just racing. Your the ANTI-GCN MAN! 😊
That bike doesn't suck. Except for the 10sp Shimano...that kinda sucks. 7700 is way better, mechanically speaking. But it's trickier to get compact cranksets to work...which sucks. Anyway, I've been down that road, and it sucked.
My primary bike is a steel bike made by a small German manufacturer around 2007. I bought it second hand in 2022 and to this day I have put over 13.000km on it (GPS, all on strava). Still same wheels and frame. I do all the maintenance myself but learned everything after 2020. I had not ridden a bike for like 25 years and never worked on bikes before. I do software for a living.
I've got a 2008 Jamis Aurora with a plethora of mods. Steel is great and stands the test of time!
Loved it! Number 4 is especially important for so many people; love that you're touting it!
As a 70 year old retired navy seal i have biked all over the world i have 5 bikes my favorite is the one i am riding
Best thing about the carbon bicycle is the void it left leaving me a chance to buy a steel road bike frame on clearance.
I’m going back 8yrs ago.
Put an old Campag group set on.
Now in my retirement I’m riding my dream bike
Great videos, looking forward to your next video.
All the best.
Right on man! I used to build carbon fiber satellite hardware. I wouldn't touch a plastic (carbon) bike frame or fork with a ten foot pole. QC in the production bike industry generally sucks the big one. I was a mechanical inspector and machinist. I know what well made carbon looks like. Very few big brands do a decent job. Nobody's fooling me! One of my customers at the bike shop where I wrench gave me the custom built frame I dreamed and drooled about as a teen 'dirt roadie' in the '70s. An Albert Eisentraut all road sort of rig. It's an old vintage bike, but it fits the larger tires I need for dirt and trails. I never thought I'd ever have a bike like this! I was patient and it fell into my lap! Obviously, one of my favorite customers!
Now I'm fully restoring it. There will definitely be some Campy, Sun Tour as well as old Dura Ace on there!
Mr Eisentraut is one of the Godfathers of US frame building. Lots of big races were won on his frames. He taught many of the current top dog builders here.
What frame did you build up?
I love this mentality. I have a garage bike shop and have been tuning up family and friend's bikes the past couple of years. Oh, and enjoying the heck out of my 5 year old "budget" hardtail.
Right on!
I bought an Opus Orpheo 1 "performance hybrid" from a garage sale for $30, must be from about 2010... Lots was wrong with it but it was all tuning and adjustments. Once I got it dialed in I decided: hey, it cost me so little and rides so good; let's throw a couple of bucks at it.
It's now a 1x10 with 50t front chainring and 11-46t cassette, has drop bars/road levers and is on GP5000 S TR tires and is an absolute beast for commuting. Did quite a few weight reduction mods to it and its now the best bike I ever had. I would be very hard pressed to find a used bike I would enjoy as much for the price I paid for it plus the mods, and it would be absolutely impossible to find anything remotely near as good in new market for that price.
I've just bumped into your channel, and I love it. Real things for real people. Thanks for such a nice work. You have a new sub from Spain.
Awesome! Thank you!
Just wanted to add: Worked as a shop mechanic since '81 and in the manufacturing industry. One of the best bike sales people I've worked with was just easy going genial and wanted to know what you wanted to do with your bike, what kind of adventures you and your bike were going on, of course with some customers his opening was "So how can annoy you this morning?" Breaking the intial sales ice with humor is an art, I'm a social klutz, but I did like to explain to regular non bike people what the heck was going wrong with their steed, and how spending a bit of money in repair would make them love their bike again. Frankly my idea of a comfort bike was an arm and leg powered front wheel drive recumbent.
As a guy who has been riding a 2011 hybrid commuter since 2012, a lot of this video was spot on.
Kept up with my maintenance.
Wanted to go faster, got faster tires.
Wanted it to be more comfortable, got mild cruiser bars.
Wanted to get groceries, got racks and bags.
Wanted to cover longer distances for my commute, sucked it up and just rode further.
Had a baby, got a trailer.
A shiny new e-bike would have addressed most of these things. Or a nice road bike for the speed (I did acquire a nice 2010 Bianchi for free). But there is nothing inherently wrong with a decent, older bike that fits your body and needs. And more people need to hear that.
I'll be honest. I wrench in the bike industry. Most new bikes are simply a compromised value. If you know what to look for an older used bike is a far better value. Given some proper maintenance it might last longer as well.
The larger bike industry is a consumer driven industry. It's full of marketing g BS.
N+1
Great video and very informative. I am 58 and just bought a Trek Verve 2. I am simply wanting a bike I can ride while camping and along bike trails here in Ohio. I bought a trailer for my grandson to ride in behind the bike. I pick everything up tomorrow and can’t wait to just ride around and enjoy the outdoors.
My bike does suck, but I've had it for about 25 years and I love it for who it is.
I loved this video! My first mountain bike was a Trek 830 that I purchased brand new in the early 1990s. Absolutely indestructible. I have since upgraded to a newer model, but I still have that old Trek. I have converted it to a “hybrid” - thinner tires, more comfortable seat - I use it for tooling around.
Would love to see a video on converting an old mountain bike to a comfort bike! I haven’t raised my handlebars yet but would love to know if it is possible and cost effective.
Check out some Jones H Bars.
I bought the exact same bike and years later made the exact same conversion.
mine was yellow. Loved my Trek 830.
My first mtb was a 1986 Trek 850. Loved it! So fun! It changed my life for sure.
I still have my old Trek 7000. Don't ride it anymore though
The "right" bike is the bike you'll ride 😉
I’ve been a bike wrench maybe longer than you’ve been alive. I’m 59, and most of your points hold true. I grew up riding my paper route cruiser down the mountains in Marin county in the ‘70s, and graduated to building the most advanced mountain bikes in the world in Santa Cruz in the ‘90’s until now. At the end of the day, it’s two wheels, handlebars, a frame and ideally a seat. Thanks for your input.
Great video. It spurred all sorts of comments I'm too shy to post. I ride for fun, exercise, freedom, speed, social interaction. Am tempted by marketing, shiny new stuff, & esoteric niche brands. Am older & weak but I don't want to damage myself doing it yet am resisting the ultimate ease of e-biking. I get so frustrated but your vids make me laugh, even if it's at myself.
I am absolutely learning with my bike, been commuting with it only for a few months and it's a blast.. But do everything you can to learn how to maintain it. Also ride hard when you got some energy, getting your fitness up will make riding way more enjoyable!
Well said!
Great advice. I rarely ride more than twenty miles in a day. I don’t need a super bike nor do I need broken spokes, wobbly wheels, shoddy indexing and seat posts that won’t stay still connected to saddles that are both hard and soft in all the wrong places. Plus the axles on freewheel bikes seem to break so much easier than they used to. Unfortunately what used to be the industry standard 30.40 years ago is now made with the cheapest possible materials. There are some exceptions ,like Velo Orange and Soma , but try explaining to someone that the high quality version of their replacement part costs hundreds of dollars. Someone who is willing to scavenge hard garbage and have trailer loads of metal recycling can get the part for ‘free’ but they still need the skills to install it.
that's what makes mid grade 90's mtn bikes so reliable give me a good deore DX or "XT 8 speed derailleur and matching shifter, or retro mod the hell out of them with 1x 10 or 11 drivetrains. even with retro friction shifters
Behind the blunt delivery is a really good message. Love your work.
I love my entry level giant endurance bike. I have made it my own and I have had a bicycle mechanic tune it perfectly, put slightly wider tires. It might suck to the large contingent of older folks who live here and go on big group rides with their 5000 dollar carbon bikes and who never go over 10 mph, but it has grabbed my heart in its suckiness. I ride it and after a minute I realize again that I am having fun and feel like a kid and it has begun to fix my hip problems and my emotional health. I really love your reason number 1 in this video. That’s the truth about it for sure.
Hey man, friction shifting is still great. I just installed some old SunTours on my townie and they immediately worked. Didn’t have to set my derailleur stops or anything.
Lol. Yes you do. Watch my custom bike build video.
I have Sun Tour Bar Ends (customized by me) on my 1981/2 Miyata Aero Pro and my 1984 SOMEC.
I have used Suntour bar ends since the late sixties.. luv em and have some back up sets.
Friction shifting is a don't care issue for me. You get used to it.
@@bkefrmr If the limits are already set I have never needed to re-set them.
I've been using a set of Shimano Ultegra 8 speed bar ends for years. They have a little lever to switch between friction and indexed. For any of a number of reasons (mostly that my parts are a mish mash of junk ranging from the the early 1980s to the present, and some laziness) I could never get it to index right so I learned how to friction shift. I'm so good at by now that my shifts are just as clean if not better than they were with indexed shifters. That being said, I would never recommend friction shifters to anyone who isn't prepared for them, and I'd never recommend cheap friction shifters to anyone period. Learning to friction shift isn't hard but it's a skill you have to learn and, lets be honest, you really don't need.
This is why I prefer Durability and comfort vs Weight and speed. My cheaper Aluminium Alloy bike is the perfect machine for me.
I'm glad Aluminum is making a comeback. I've never liked it, but it's growing on me for sure!
@@bkefrmr I ride an aluminum frame bike in the central Texas hill country. I really like how stiff it is, especially when I’m riding up hills. Iron frame bikes are more comfortable but the aluminum frame bikes are more responsive and frame is not a concern.. I like them both for what they are.
When my Smithsonian rare 1987 Sean Kelly Team Issue KAS Vitus 979 was stolen, I had to settle for a more modest replacement. I found a 2016 Fuji Roubaix that weighed the same as the KAS. The Shimano 105 11 speed setup is smoother than the Dura Ace 7-speed on the KAS.
I've been in bikes my whole life this guy's advice is perfect
Thank you! So many people, those who are new to bicycling and work in the industry alike, need to hear this message. What's the right bike for "most" people? A basic hardtail with quality parts and 26" tires. You don't need disc brakes, hydraulic especially, 29" tires or complicated suspension.
Dude no… 29 is far better.
@@Spamua13 Why, because the industry tells you so? For some people, 29ers are the right choice, sure, but that's not what we're talking about here. For "most" people 29ers are a disadvantage. 26" tires will always be the most common, least expensive and easiest to maintain. That's a better choice for most people.
@@ADAMJWAITE uh not really. The advantages of 29 already outweigh any cost difference. Pretty sure most modern good quality bikes don’t sell anything below 27.5 for adult bikes. So as long as you’re not shopping at walmart your looking at 27.5 at the smallest. Bigger wheels roll faster, for longer, and clear obstacles easier. A tube for 29 costs the same as 26 and if you have tubeless i have never seen a tubeless 26 wheel. And tires also cost nearly the same maybe like a $4 difference on the low end. So you really have no idea what you’re talking about saying it’s “easier to maintain”. Dude it works exactly the same it’s just a bigger wheel. I even recommend 29 wheels for kids and teenagers and they seem to love it.
@@Spamua13 I've restored and sold over 600 bikes. Twenty six inch tires are the most common in the world and always will be. Twenty nine inch, which is the same size rim as a road bike, is the second most common. Because of this, 26" tubes are the cheapest, 29" second and 27.5 the most expensive. I've literally bought hundreds of them. And I have several bikes with 26" tubeless wheels. I really hope you're a young kid who hasn't realized how much he doesn't know yet.
@@ADAMJWAITE i work at a bike shop and we charge the same for tubes regardless of size. I literally went on amazon and found 26” tubes and 29” for the same price as well as tires. 27.5 is no different. You literally do not have to take my word for it. If youre spending more on different size tubes you might be getting scammed. Last thing ill say is that there is that there is no single perfect bike for everyone. It would be stupid to suggest a 29 hardtail for someone who wants to bmx. But ill die on this hill that for anyone wanting a 26” wheel is better off on a 29 for reasons i already stated. I find most ppl who want a 26 are members of the older generation still thinking they know a thing or two about bikes. For casual riders it will literally not matter but doesn’t everyone want to go faster? Get on a 29”.
Most of the market outside of e-bikes tends to be focused on roadies and mtb'ers.
I ride a large frame fairly heavy relatively slow hybrid covered in racks and bags to commute mostly locally, do shopping and pull trailers for larger cargo as a car replacement or supplement.
I couldn't be arsed in riding a bike just for fitness or performance but I absolutely LOVE finding every opportunity I can to take the bike out instead of the car.
That's what cycling is to me.
I know roadies who put up thousands of kilometres on expensive bikes who have never ridden their bikes to work or picked up a litre of milk on the way home instead of using the car.
A bicycle is completely a different concept for them than for me.
Those 2 minutes or so that were spoken about in this video are what they spend thousands on high spec bikes to achieve.
My bike must look like a Frankenstein type abomination to these sports and fitness oriented purists.
They are also what the majority of the industry focuses on because they create the greatest profit margins.
One of the biggest myths and mysteries out there seems to be how long a bike should last. Why are consumers never told heading in how long a bike is expected to last, how long those components will be sufficient? They would be shocked that that little bike could last a lifetime. My humble low end components and bike have lasted tens of thousands of KMs and i know that is still on the low end compared to serious riders. The biggest problem with the bike industry is their products are entirely too reliable in their simplest form. So we are on the hamster wheel of new tech = gooder that old bike you have now should make you sad.
Spot on, its like you got inside my head, filtered out all the fuzz and said it how it is. I got my own small bike shop / repair shop in England.
the absolute gold in this video brings me tears of joy
from one bicycle mechanic to another, thank you!
I love geeking out on bikes and the tech. But there's a limit. I really love your saying of "practical bikes for practical people" because it just rings true in so many cases. I did a good overhaul of my Dad's bike with him a couple years, an old 90's Ross mountain bike, and thing was "better than new"! He fell in love with it all over again.
Ross.I remember they are cool. I'd like to find one.
I have a Jamis Trail x1 that I bought like 10 years ago without knowing anything about bikes, so they gave me that at the store. I liked it, then hated it, then loved it again when finally changed the crankset, cassette, chain and smaller tires. It's not super comfortable, shifting is a little hard, but having it for so many years makes me feell it like an extention of myself, I have total control.
Nice channel btw 👏
Great advice. I learned that talking to the right person and listening to them. Is of great value. I love the humor.
Got my first bicycle at 44. It sucks. But its mine. 🍭💯👍
If you love it but you know that it has some problems, you should take it to a real bike shop. Just talk about it with a mechanic and that person can probably give you some good ideas about your complaints and you can probably make that bike into something you love even more for relatively little money.
I work at a shop and it’s so hard not to tell people to just invest in a modern bike, feel terrible when it slips out a little bit
I still ride on old 90s Trek, and I enjoy just keeping it going. It's extremely cheap to fix and find parts for too.
@@JDGuitar82 they’re definitely fun bikes to have around, I have a late 80s Pinarello that I’m trying to restore, might rip it around town a little bit. But the hard thing if you’re trying to preserve it is finding parts from that time, my 10 speed Durace cannondale is very soon gonna turn into full tiagara
@@babybell5781Look in the right places and vintage parts aren't so hard to find. It's a labor of love! Lots of people have barely used high end old stuff collecting dust in storage. That's where you'll find some of the best deals. I get it free often.
Check out the oldest bike shops in your area. Talk to the old dudes. They know sometimes. They often have 'good old junk' squirreled away. Bike swap meets are good too. Lots of it is networking and meeting like minded people at clubs and such.
I keep lots of decades old bikes. They ride beautifully. Especially my old custom built frames by some of the top masters. I've been hoarding 'old junk' for years.
'if you can walk - you can ride an eBike' After I fell off the roof, I could ride before I could walk comfortably. Thanks.
A friend introduced me to your channel. Clicking on the first one to catch my eye, I realized I'm one of those assholes. Been fixing bikes in a small town for almost 40 years, started working in a friend's basement, went to a small shop downtown (part-time: don't know how I made that work), and now am working in my *twilight* years for a shop nestled in a hardware store. Chimed right in with your thoughts about bike inventory. I'm leaving fancy to the retentives out there. Might be we won't be able to keep our franchise, but, by gum, I'll fix your bike. That's the story in a small town. Love your channel.
I love your honesty and reality. I got back into the bike game this year and it is so true what you’re saying here. Love the channel. Thank you
It's funny. I was out of the game from about 2006-2014 and so much had changed - for the worse - in the post Lance bike industry. I've spent a good part of the past 10 years trying to get on board with disc brakes, internal cable routing, press fit bearings, carbon fiber shit bikes, etc. I just can't find any real world benefits. I guess disc brakes for daily commuters...but even so, rim brakes work so well and are way easier to futz with. Anyway, I feel like an old curmudgeon, but I've really thought this through.
I could not have put it better myself 🤣🤣🤣. With what you describe as the "wallmart bike" most people are realistic. They go from embarrassment bringing it to a "professional" , to being pleased as punch when I give them the choice of making it 90% right as is or 100% with the parts cannon locked and loaded. Few go for 100%, but 100%(ish) come back....
Lovin' the variety of topics/videos on your channel. I enjoy the rebuilding/refurbishing ones the most tho' cause I love tinkering with bikes.
Good video / tips! I got my bike to commute to work and my criteria was pretty close to what you mentioned comfort-wise. I am curious about your thoughts on things like leather saddles and other comfort-related gear, though.
Cross country trail bikes are my absolute favorite bikes to ride.
#10 there's usually ONE bike each model year in a particular department store bike offerings that doesn't suck. For Walmart there might be a half dozen as a large number of the controlling family members are cycling enthusiasts and it shows in the transformation of Bentonville where the brand was founded. Of course you may need to order that non-sucky bike from their website and have it delivered direct to your own home to assemble it yourself, as your local Walmart store probably didn't stock it, and as you said, the guy stacking paint cans is probably the one who assembled it, or they hired an outside contractor who's paid per bike assembled, NOT per hour spent assembling.
#7 What's amusing to me is that awful shortish (by today's standards) top tube 71/73 XC racing mountain bike geometry of the 90s, is now ideal gravel / adventure bike geometry, and no longer being stuck to running dildo length stems, narrow saddles without padding, and narrow flat bars, folks also get nice comfy riding positions on them just by updating the cockpits. Lots of framebuilders can even put disc tabs on your older good steel or titanium framesets (or aluminum ones if they're built from 7005 or 2024-T6 as they don't require the complicated oven re-heat treatments that 6061-T6 does), and 700x40 to 45 (or 650B x 50) tires will generally fit into frames that formerly were occuppied by 26 x 2.35s.
#3 The initial break in period... simply PRE-stretching the shifter and if present, brake cables before the bike leaves the stand it was assembled on, will generally avoid the customer needing to come back in a week or two. I've been pre-stretching them for a couple decades and the earliest i ever needed to adjust a shifter cable is after a few years of owning the bike.
I always pre-stretch cables when I install them, and most of the time, I don't have to readjust the derailleur until it's time to replace the cable.
Cables don’t stretch. Ferrules settle. And there’s no good walmart bikes. Also the bentonville infrastructure is built with the unpaid wages of walmart workers nationwide.
Getting past the nonsense and actually toxic marketing noises from the industry that tells you "YOUR BIKE IS INADEQUATE! BUY NEW ONE!" is avery healthy thing.
So wholesome to see!
BTW my bike list for comparison with what you said:
- 26" hard-tail MTB, self-rebuild, noname frame, approx. 10 years old tech - a decent XC bike, also looks cool.
- 28" Roadbike, self-rebuild on INTEC frame (seems like small asian brand), approx. 10 years Ultegra - old but looking stylish and being fast enough.
- 28" 2023 CUBE Hyde, fast commuter - too fancy for it's own good as a commuter... but just so FANCY I love it! 🥰🤪 The only bike I ever bought new and actually spend some serious money on.
Feels complete and reasonable to me - never spend much money on it, never gave in to stupid trends, got what I need, love to ride them all. 🙂
I absolutely love your philosophy. I’ve had everything from very entry level bikes to a $8000 custom built bike and after 35 years of cycling I learned to not spend so much money and simply enjoy the fun of cycling. I love messing with the idiots who buy extravagant “Superbikes” and don’t even have the stamina or ability to ride them efficiently. I have three bikes now and none of them are over $1000 and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my cycling life. Thanks for the awesome video and I will subscribe to your channel. 👍
Love this video, sent it to my fellow retrogrouch friend. A few quibbles : my two steel road bikes, 30 and 35 years old, showing a fistful of stem in the antique manner, and sporting broken in Brooks B17’s are superbly comfortable, even when I’m not fit. Electric bikes, which truly are electric motorcycles, can be fearsome to muscle powered riders. They accelerate alarmingly fast from a stop, are generally too fast for their inexperienced operators, who zip by me on the right, cut me off at corners, etc. I restored a Schwann varsity, a truly crude, primitive bike, and it was joyful to ride. I got a charge out of how it slammed into each gear with unramped, square cut gears, and felt comfort in its stodgy, heavy handling. Junk bikes, if solidly made, have their own charm!
Inexperienced riders are the main problem with e-bikes. They usually have little experience in riding a bike and just use the highest motor setting. Using a regular bike one can make experiences over time and crashes are usually not that massive. With confidence and knowledge one is safer . In Germany e-bikes are popular by elderly people and most deadly crashes are with those folks. They have not ridden a bike for 45 years then start hauling asses.
Most E bikes can only go 20mph with assist. The problem is there is little regulation at sale for the north of 750w bikes to have them be registered as mopeds or motorcycles. Big difference when they are over that 750w. Some are north of 7k watts.
Haha, a modified Schwinn Varsity was my first MTB long before MTBs existed. That is before I broke those weak ass forks!
We rode road race bikes off-road too. Never could resist the temptation of exploring an unknown dirt road to see where it went into the mountains.
Back in the day, the Varsity was a decent quality bike that all sorts of middle class people rode.
The lesser known issue of e bikes is how expensive they are to own and maintain. They eat drivetrains and brake components for lunch! I really dig that because it's my job security and there's a sucker born every minute! 🤑
I'll charge well over $200 to replace a single derailleur cable and housing or a brake line simply because I may need to 1/2 disassemble the bike to get to them. Some of these things are complex enough that the average consumer cannot DIY. So it's my way or the highway. After all, time is $$$$! Skilled e bike technicians don't work cheap!
Cheap (read affordable) internet e bikes are absolute garbage. Believe it or not. Truly, soon to be landfill. They're compromised in every aspect for profit and cost. They're literally unsafe. We refuse to work on cheap Chinese garbage mainly because we don't need to waste our time or liability on that sort of crap. Many shops are wising up and doing likewise.
Expensive E bikes are a fat rich man's toy. Lots of fun, that's for sure. But I get to test ride them for free. They're probably good for commuting if you can write off the cost. But to me, commuting is part of training.
You’re doing great! Totally agree on all of it
It's so great he's able to tell so many people that their BIKE SUCKS!
Fantastic! You speak the truth. I'm another "old guy" here. Comfort and easy is wisdom. I love your Walmart explanation. I have a little home shop and work on bikes for a select few people. I don't advertise or try to make a side hustle out of it. I found I have to explain the exact same things to people as you have in this video. In fact, I'll just share it so they can hear it from the "Professional" I describe the walmart bikes as "BIC" pens or lighters...disposable. It's a shame they can actually make and sell them. Borderline dangerous me thinks. By the way, one of my purpose built bikes is a Trek 750 Multi-Track still running with Suntour driveline and Dia-comppe Canties the only upgrade is more upright and comfy position. stem, bars and saddle. Thanks, subscribed for more. Best!
Lots of good thinking in the video - at least I agree with it.
I never met a bike I didn't like. Some were frustrating and inappropriate, but they beat walking and I really love bikes.
Over time I gravitated to pre-2010 steel frames. Not the fastest, but who cares?
While I agree any bike is better than walking, I also think a crappy bike can be a major factor in wanting to actually ride it.
As a young child I was always on my first bike. Some Kmart POS. That was probably 1969-70, making me 5ish. All the other kids had their bikes and we had a state park (miles of wooded trails) in Washington along the Puget Sound. Back in those days kids were allowed to have careless unimpeded fun, and we would get hurt, but we would recover. Leave the house after the cartoons were done, and be gone till lunch or dinner and back to the business of learning about our world.
We made jump ramps, raced down winding paths, crashed over severe hillside with a bottom still in sight, but usually the fall was broken by a kind tree or something else the angels used as disguises.
Approaching a decade later I was living in a different city and had a new environment to explore. This one did have beach access, but the hill was too steep and was literally a series of criss crossing bridges over a trickling ravine. And once on the bottom, it was either wet sand, dry sand or rocky. So the beach wasn’t a destination to repeat. At least not on our bikes, the reverse was a push only steep 1mile endeavor, not a mountain, but it may as well have been.
The woods were the best option. These days that entire 20-30 acre wooded area (actually two separate woods) is a neighborhood/s. But when the dozer first arrived, it soon became a series of wider trails that were, for a few years, abandoned and a couple of us would get motorcycles, so the bike riders among us did BMX and when the motorcycle arrived, we made better use of the bulldozer width paths.
This is where the good and not good bikes came to be. This was 1976-1980. Bmx was arriving in the Seattle suburbs. My first bmx was a cruddy steel frame with steel wheels bike. My closest buddy Randy (and his brother roger, whose father was a doctor) received a slightly better grade of two wheeler. (Previously, they both had the stingray Schwinn, a 3 speed with the testicle damaging stick shift option. So naturally whatever I had before, sucked)
Over the next few years, Randy and I both started riding to the nearest (2-3Miles) bike shop. I myself pestered the guy to do just what this video creator did, beg to be able to help in exchange for discounts. He was mostly a nice guy, but we were mostly just pests who distracted him from his work and didn’t have any money.
As the years progressed, I eventually gathered the parts to build a very respectable lightweight aluminum frame bmx with all the trick parts. Randy couldn’t fix a chain, but he eventually did become an emergency room surgeon. So I guess repairing bikes was always beneath him.
Forward to the early 2000s and I have a son. I very much wanted his first bike to be a good one. So I found a good used one, his mother didn’t like that I bought it used, so she bought him a new one that was a big step down with a higher price tag to make sure Andy would be able to be proud of his bike.
I took him out to ride trails when he was reasonably proficient in the road in front of our house. He was about 8. Way too late in my view. On that first venture along the trails, he had a very scary experience. Crashing and earning a respectable road rash to serve as a badge of honor. I sadly behaved too much like a modern parent and didn’t immediately enforce him to walk it off and get back on the bike. Instead I felt his fear and pain, carried him and his bike back home.
He never rode again. At least not enough to become a proper bike rider with much needed skills to navigate the world and presumably know what to look for and respond to when suddenly a blind car driver tries to take you out.
He walked pretty much through middle school instead of riding his (by this time mom had again bought him an even better bike) bike to school, same for high school. Now he’s in college, and while he left his car (moms old car) at home, he also opted to walk or take a bus over riding a bike.
So in my mind, a good bike vs a crappy one is significant. Though my story may not reflect the start of this writing.
I now have a killer 90s era 10speed type, one that at that time was a top shelf model, not as nice as the Raleigh I rode in the 90s, but compared to the $2-3k versions of this era, it’s the best bike around.
@@STV-H4H , great memories and a good point.
I rode hand-me-downs for years - heavy steel frame 10-speeds. They were okay, but I should have spent the money to get a good intermediate-level bike. I bought a Bianchi Eros in 1993 at the suggestion of the bike shop and haven't looked back since.
Yes a good bike makes a tremendous amount of difference if you're doing more than short distances.
I'm a young teen and was wanting to work in a shop after almost 750hrs of experience (can rebuild a shimano rd without a video, can fully rebuild a shimano rapidfire shifter just winging it, etc) there is an lbs near my house, do you think i should see about working there for discounts or minimum wage?
If you wanna end up like me, sure!
@@bkefrmr haha, definitely get that being a bike tech isn’t awesome but it’s pretty much my only option to make money because I’m so young
@@InsanercYT being a bike tech is awesome. It’s some customers that aren’t.
Just don't make it your career, you'll learn that most older mechanics and managers are quite bitter, for a reason lol. As a starter, it's totally fine and actually a good time, depending on what shop, location etc.
Btw rebuilding a shifter and RD is something you'll never do. You'll just replace the whole thing most likely as it's not worth the time.
Learn your bottom bracket standards, wheel building, setting up new bikes, adjusting all sorts of shifters, tubeless setups and all sorts of brakes..that covers most daily stuff..
Definitely don't work for free.
@@2WheelsGood.01 I know that you will never rebuild an rd on shop time, I was just using those as examples of my skill level
I grew up in the mtb craze and thought an MTB was the bike for me. I should have taken the hint when I bought tempo bars for my first mtb. I should have got the gist when my second mtb never saw more fancy trails than gravel. I should have really got the idea when my third mtb spent most of its life on asphalt. But I bought a full suspension bike. Two years later, I finally bought a road bike. And now 15 years later I got one mountainbike but three road bikes of various age, one that 2008 road bike which is still in use.
Becoming one of my favourite channels. Have always spent a bit extra on good practical bikes for our 3 kids. Especially helpful as they grow up and each one gets the ‘hand-me-down.’
Need a bike shop like this in Melbourne, Australia! 🇦🇺
Great to hear!