I believe that the longevity of a bike depends on the owner and on how well they take care of their bikes. I have seen people show up for mountain bike rides with bikes caked with mud from their previous ride. And parts that needed to be replaced ages ago. My bike is well taken care of. Both of them, the road bike and the mountain bike. My husband tears them down twice a year. In the spring and in the fall. I mean completely down where the parts are neatly lined up on the garage floor. Each piece is then cleaned and greased and inspected. Then he reassembles the bike replacing cables, chains, and anything else he sees that might need to be replaced. He loves working on our bikes as much as riding them. I guess I am lucky having my own personal "bike mechanic" in the house. He told me many times that when he eventually retires (from the job that pays the bills) he would love to work once or twice a week in a bike shop servicing bikes. He said they won't even have to pay him! Anyway, my mountain bike has seen some nasty muddy winters and it still looks new! People always comment on whether or not I actually ride it a lot. It's going into it's 6th year and parts have been replaced and upgraded but it's still a sweet bike to ride! I look at the new bikes each spring and think how wonderful it would be to get a newer bike and someday I will (as soon as my kids are through college ... my youngest is starting this fall ... so four more years) but for now this bike can still give me one great ride through the mud! Sue