Originally Posted by
Herzlos
How often are you likely to be without your main bike? Is it worth spending big money on another one for that? Would learning to service/repair it yourself reduce the down time?
There's nothing stopping you getting an identical bike if you need, but why not look at getting something different to give you some more variety?
Thanks Herzlos! This is some food for thought. I have bought a bike stand and I've started doing some simple things but I've not pursued it as I should. I signed up for maintenance classes in early summer but came down with Covid and had to cancel. Since then I haven't had the time (with helping kids move around the country, riding nearly every day, and trying to figure out the bewildering options of Medicare - this country does not make it easy to retire). I have been frustrated with the hydraulic disc brakes on my bike - much less intuitive for me to take care of then the good old rim brakes. I will look for some classes in the fall and try to learn off Youtube.
This does raise another issue for me - about frame longevity. My current bike is about 14 years old. Most of the time it was a commuter bike to the tune of roughly 100 - 120 miles per week (my current riding intensity is a retirement thing). I am a heavier guy (200 - 220 lbs depending on the year). My previous bike was a Cannondale aluminum hybrid that I had from 1998 to 2015 (overlapped with this one) - used for commuting at times but more road and gravel rides. In 2015 the mechanic at the LBS recommended that I stop riding it due to a number of hairline fractures in the frame. Given my current bike (also Al frame) is 14 years old should I expect frame issues in the coming years? Should I be thinking about my new bike as the primary bike and retire my Gary Fisher for just occasional rides? Thanks for your thoughts!
A number of commenters are suggesting a road bike - I need to look into that.