Bike Manufacturers Are Making Bikes Less Repairable
Just like cars, tractors, computers, and seemingly every other product category, bikes—and especially e-bikes—are going all black box on us.
Ifixit take on current bike/e-bike manufacturers.
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The great thing about bikes is that there's just... a shitload out there, especially vintage repairable units. And LOTS of vintage frames and parts that are often tossed to the road as trash, just cleanly available to take. It does of course require one to have the drive to do the repairs yourself, but that is another thing; thank goodness DIY bike repair shops exist.
My main bike right now is around 20 years old and is still trucking along. Cars usually don't even last that long lol.
My ~30 year-old MTB cost me $150. Good luck finding a car with that much value! It's already paid for itself twice over in the last year, just from not having to spend it on gas.
And the kicker? The components are dirt cheap compared to modern bike parts. AND I can fix the entire thing at home.
I bought a new cassette, chain and derailleur for my main bike; it's probably 20-30 years old in it's frame and has some signs of wear, but those parts are probably the most I've "invested" in keeping it running well. Compare to a car with new belts, filters, etc. It's crazy our cities are not designed more densely.
My city used to have a tram system until they ripped it out in the 1950s. We've been going backwards in time here in north america.
