Life span of your Mtn. bike

I've had my carbon Hightower now for 7 months and have bashed the fork, nicked the swing arm and have had multiple pedal/ crank strikes. I'm making this new bike into an old bike pretty quick. While I have started the process of building a bike for bikepacking, which will cost, it's not like I'm going to run out and replace my Hightower with another Hightower tomorrow. For me my bike is a tool to be used, taken care of but used and eventually replaced. Is your bike a tool to be used or a gem to be preserved? Maybe I should have bought metal bike for durability purposes seeing as how I'm a passionate mtn. bike nooby who can't turn left and who thrashes his equipment.

 

Ride, rinse, replace.

I used to keep bikes a long time, but am turning them over quicker than previously. I still prefer steel bikes though.

 

For me, maybe a little of both. I probably ride far less and less aggressive than many on this site so my bikes don't get beat up as quickly as they get obsolete. I'm easily distracted by new products and pretty pictures in magazines....a salesman's dream customer! I recently replaced a perfectly good road bike with a new one because I decided I wanted disc breaks on a road bike....the old bike was in pristine condition however...same thing happened with Mt. Bikes; I tried all kinds of new developing full suspension bikes when those first hit the scene, then 29" wheels and finally settled (for now) on a 29'er hard tail! I don't know what's next, but I'm sure it will be something. I don't have the fitness for single speed so thankfully, that's out. I do take really good care of the equipment I have when I have it, but I don't get emotionally attached. I'm kind of ADHD when it comes to things, maybe even a little "keepin' up with the Jones's" at play here....

 

My XC bike has a decent amount of money in it (for my budget), and I try to take as good of care of it as possible. Though I am hoping to replace it for next season, my next bike will last even longer (current XC is my first XC bike, now with three seasons). Relatively low miles as I only race it. 2700 miles which equates to roughly 250 hours.

My Enduro gets beat to hell, which is what I have it for. It has 2000 miles in a year, which is about the same amount of hours.

My old roadie (soon to be commuter only) has 6000 miles in about a year. Probably 400 hours. My new roadie I've had for a couple of months, it has 1500 miles.

My steel roadie is in pieces, but it has 10,000 miles under me (it is a 1985 bike), probably 666 hours

I have many more bikes. At some point, I might part with some of them...

 

I ride my bikes pretty hard though I do keep up on the maintenance as well as replacing certain items on a regular basis whether needed or not. I had my Stumpjumper for 4 years and beat the crap out of it and never had a problem. I should add I weighed 235 at the time. Carbon front and aluminum rear triangles. I sold it 2 years ago and it is still going strong. I've had my Niner for 2 years now and have close to 5k miles on it. I ride it pretty much the same way I rode my Stumpy. This frame is full carbon. Again no problems. I definitely don't baby my bikes but I do make sure they are always 100%.

 

I've had my plastic XTC since Dec 2014. I don't ride nearly as hard as many but I've crashed it a few times, hard enought to turn the bars; beat the crap out of the crank arms, gashed the chainstay with the brake disc (can anybody match that? ) and generally used it like a mtb. It's pushing 5,000 miles here soon. Still going strong.

I read somewhere once - grab the salt shaker - that carbon frames were good for about 4 years. I think it has less to do with time, myself.

 

I used to keep my frames usually a year, no more. But I have kept my Devinci for four years now and it is in great condition. I am also not as an agressive rider as some on here. I rarely ever break a part.

My bike is a tool that is a gem, that needs to be maintained but not preserved. I ride them but also take great care of them. It’s a bike and I know carbon is a tricky subject to talk about. Some ride them real carefully and others thrash the hell out of them. I am more in the middle of that line.

 

Fun thread! Since I have OCD to some degree, everything I own is a gem. That said, I have decided that as long as I can afford to explore, I will change frames as often as I find something interesting enough to try. I generally keep bike parts for a long time and replace them as needed. Moving old parts into a new frame is fun.

 

None of my bikes are younger than 6 years old, and I have no budget to change that. My Giant AC2 is 16 years old and still rips. I ride it like any other bike I own but would prefer it last forever since it is an antique by MTB evolutionary standards.

 

My pivot is 3 years old plus.. the spokes keep breaking.. pedal strikes so bad that one pedal shorter than other..jk..
Chipped everywhere...
Replaced eveything...
Yikes carbon last 4 years?!
Hope to ride it for a lot longer..

 

Just chked strava.. about 600k elevation .. 6000 miles..last three years..
Gotta get 200k n 2000 miles this year.. bit behind

 

• Steel el Mariachi... 1.5 years 3000+ miles... Death due to cracked chainstay just behind the bottom bracket shell.

• Aluminum Santa Cruz Highball... 1.5 years and somewhere in the neighborhood of 4500 miles... Death due to cracked seat tube. (Warranty replaced with Carb0n Highball- Only 250 miles so far)

• Aluminum Santa Cruz Chameleon... 13 months and around 3500 miles... Death due to cracked frame near the dropout. An area that has been reinforced on later model runs, one of which is on the way.

• mid 1980s steel Schwinn... Many many many thousands of miles on potholed country roads of NY. Still hanging in the garage waiting for me to do something with it. Grocery getter?

• 2011 plastic Schwinn Paramount- Strava says only 1000 miles. Still going strong.

I really didn't think I was that hard on bikes, but my track record doesn't look so great...

 

If you're a big guy, you're hard on bikes.

If you're bike is a SS, it's in for a life (probably a short life) of abuse.

 

Looks like at around the 3,500 mile mark, you need to start thinking back-up bike!

 

I've always been hesitant about carbon bikes. I'm not really worried about the safety aspect, but they definitely don't seem to have the life span of metal. I'm a big dude and can be hard on parts. I did move to Enve wheels on my trail bike, which I *think* I treat *slightly* more tender than my DH bike, but it still gets its fair share. I don't really worry about parts and replacement stuff all that much. Bikes and the 'major' components can be pricey, but maintenance stuff (rings, chains, cables) is pretty cheap IMO, so I tend to replace them often. I do all my own work, so parts are minimal compared to what shop work usually costs. My biggest beef if the wait time usually. I rode my Chromag for years as my only bike and only replaced it with my current Spitfire since the frame really was too small for me and I got such a smoking deal on the Spitfire. With standards and stuff changing so much lately, I get tired of trying to keep track of everything and usually like to buy heavily discounted new or like new-used and just replace a few things to my preferences, like cockpit and brakes.

 

I am closing in on 4 years for my current rig. I’m a one bike quiver guy and take good care of my shiat. I baby a new bike, treating it like a gem. Once it gets a few nicks or scratches(could take 2 months or 2 years), I’m over trying to preserve it. So, I rinse and dry it off after every ride. Keep everything lubed and running tight. Stay on top of wear parts and replace as needed.
My bike when new is a gem to be preserved until it gets a few scratches then it morphs into the tool to be used. Regardless of gem or tool, I ride it the same. It’s how I treat in between rides that make it different.

 

Ownership is dictated by riding locales and goals. As stated, they are tools for jobs. More than once I’ve bought a bike for one ride then sold it. I’ve bought and sold based on location and how I wanted to ride.

Never replaced a bike because it was haggard. I don’t believe CF frames are less durable than metal – the opposite, in most regards. Doubly so for rims. But now I own metal bikes MIUSA and have no desire or need for carbon. How long will I own them? More like, how long will my current riding goals and venues persist.

I will say that MTBs as a whole have gotten so much better in the last decade – that in itself slows down the upgrade cycle, despite what the marketing machinery feeds us.

 

My current commuter is a 1990 Merlin Titanium mtb with slicks and other adaptations to make it road worthy. So that's 28 years. This frame was raced and used as a messenger bike so it has never been babied.
Most of the mtbs I've owned never made it to the five year mark. That's due to breakage or boredom. I have broken steel and aluminum but not carbon. I ride my hardtails like they are Enduro rigs but they haven't broken, yet.

 

Wow, I am shocked by the use of such terms as "tool" applied toward a bike. Don't you guys know what love is? See images below for clarification.

 

Great topic! I’ve had my SC for just over a year and she already has some pretty good nicks, bumps and bruises. Honestly I never think about the fact that she’s carbon and that I should take it easy Before the SC I had a Specialized for 7yrs, she was ridden a lot and showed it too. I don’t baby any of my toys, but I do maintain them when needed.

 

I love my bike, but she sleeps in the garage

 

I don’t need a new bike yet, I’ve been riding an SB66 for what now, 6 years. Current sb for four years.

 

3-4 years.

 

Hmm I'd like to think I flog em with the best of em. Then I show em love and repeat. These are the recent ones...

'14 Kona Hei Hei deluxe bought brand new. Carbon front & rear. Rode the piss out of it for over 5k miles. It's an XC bike at heart but I rode it pretty much anywhere cuz I didn't know any better. Even rode it for a while with skinny go fast gravel bike tires. Was going to sell it then realized my kid sorta fit it so I gave it to him. When cleaned up you would think it's a brand new bike. Don't think there's a mark on it. I've thought about stealing it back from the kid many times.

V1 Ibis Ripley OG(2014 maybe) bought used with some serious abuse already in place on top of the 4k+ miles of hell I've dished out to it. Setup on the burly side with a 140 Pike and other worthy parts. This bike is hammered as all hell and I don't know how it has survived this far. Battle scars a plenty on this blue b!tch. It's not the best bike for any one thing but it's great for everything if that makes sense. I love this bike and hope to be burried with it. If I could only have one this would be the one I kept. Contemplating taking it to Kokopelli again next year. If I ever break it oh well...

16 Pivot Les 29. Used mostly as my commuter bike but as some know my commutes aren't average. Bought used and I've put well over 4K on it. Light & fast & stable for what it is. I'll ride it anywhere. Doubt I'll ever break it.

'18 Santa Cruz Hightower in Mango color ridden mostly in 27.5+ mode. This is just a sh!ts and giggles have fun bike. Frame was given to me as a x-mas gift. Prior to that I continually stole my stepdads white one and flogged it. Built it in January and has roughly 1K miles on it. Has a few marks but is holding up well and sure is pretty when it's all cleaned up. Thinking this one would be hard to break.

Had a Yeti 5.5 for a bit. Was real pretty till about 5 miles in to our first ride and then our relationship was over after that. I repeatedly cursed it and it repeatedly spit me off. Tried to like it but I didn't...

Broke @Mikie's Yeti without even riding it...

 

Great story, sis, but it seems that your bikes get less damage than you do. Just sayin'.

 

Maybe it’s time for me to be upgraded

 

I have my old Navaro Frankenbike it gets all the hand me down pieces. It replaced a Cyclepro that I rode into the ground. I ride them until they break or wear out. I did have a Trek flying V, it was my first FS and that puppy could fly. I broke it in half on a small jump in an Indian village/burial ground (which who knows). But it is Haunted ground for sure. I like Al Alloy it survives the many drops on sharp pointed rocks. It seems I mostly drop it climbing and when I exit the wrong side it follows behind me. I H8 double rings and will not even buy a single ring. So my next bike will need to be a custom build so I can get a tripple and a big 42.
Happy riding fast big ring drops.
I cannot believe how fast modern bikes top out, scheesh

 

I have found that my bikes last about 18 months then go belly up....at least my SS's. As long as SC keeps replacing them, I'll keep riding them.

My FS rigs have lasted for years....then again, they didn't get the mileage that the SS's got.

I do ride my bikes hard.....but they are well cared for, very well cared for.

Carbon hasn't been an issue, although I did break my Tallboy v.1 but SC took care of it.

Components wear out or break.....I will replace them.

 

Do you find the mileage of the broken frames in the 3-4,000 range similar to @Faust29 ?

I've never had a bike break on me yet. Once a chain (Shiman0) and once a derailer (operator error).

 

Some more....some less.