Is this really how it is?

[limewave]

oh, and wait until the medical bills start coming in.

We've had a rough summer here. DH broke his pelvis and collarbone and I blew up my shoulder. I will know in a few weeks if it will require surgical repair or not.

Oh no! Take care of yourselves. Injuries are no fun.

I think I read in an earlier post about a "creaking" fork. My front suspension creaked for the longest time. It was so loud and embarrassing, everyone could hear me coming or going. I had the LBS look into it, experienced mtb buddies, and no one could figure it out. Then finally . . . it just went away.

I think the change had something to do with use. Normally I mtb just 5-6 times a year. This season I've made it a point to mtb at least once a week. All this to say the creaking may not be anything important.

[stephanie1129]

Working at a bike shop, I would have to say that the repair work sounds pretty typical of someone doing regular riding for six months. You should be lucky that that was all that was needed, pretty soon he'll probably need new brake pads, and suspension overhaul, and pretty soon after that he'll need a rebuild kit for his suspension which usually runs at leas $100 plus more for labor.

[fastdogs]

it sounds kind of like buying a used mountain bike might be risky, no? If these things are common after only 6 months of riding, probably you would have to plan on making all these repairs to any used bike you might buy?
vickie

[Irulan]

it sounds kind of like buying a used mountain bike might be risky, no? If these things are common after only 6 months of riding, probably you would have to plan on making all these repairs to any used bike you might buy?
vickie

To ANY bike you buy. It's just mountain biking. Dirt, dust, mud, miles, rain, grit, crashes---it's just hard on a bike is all. I have four mountain bikes, two of which I acquired used, two new. Level of maintenance is relative to how much each is ridden, and in what conditions. One of the used bikes I bought was pre owned by a shop owner and in cherry condition. To this day ( it's a 2001 formerly top line model) I have NEVER rebuilt the rear suspension, although I did replace a fork on it. That was from riding style and not failure. The other one - it did require a total rebuild but that was because it hadn't been maintained at all

There are great buys out there for used mountain bikes. I check CL twice a day, and I amazed at the bargains out there on really fine mountain bikes. New or used, a well ridden MTB is going to go through parts at some level whether you like it or not. One school of thought is the "ride it til it breaks" school but that can get you into trouble on the trail. Another school of thought is to do all your own maintenance so it gets done when you think it should be done and not what LBS suggests.

[stephanie1129]

it sounds kind of like buying a used mountain bike might be risky, no? If these things are common after only 6 months of riding, probably you would have to plan on making all these repairs to any used bike you might buy?
vickie

buying a used bike of any kind is always very risky, especially if you don't know a lot about specific components and brands. However, a lot of the people that I see that are selling their mountain bikes, have never really ridden it much off road if much at all and are still in decent shape. Bikes can be expensive to maintain, and just like a car, the more expensive it is, the more expensive it will be when things start to break down or need replacement.