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A customer asked me to fix their old bike last week and it hit different
This older guy brought in his 1980s Schwinn and said he just wanted it to ride around the neighborhood again. Made me realize I spend way too much time tuning up $3,000 carbon bikes for people who barely ride them. Anyone else feel like we lose sight of why people actually bike sometimes?
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drew79112d ago
Bro honestly that hits hard. I've been there too. A few years back I had a guy bring in a beat up 10 speed he bought for 20 bucks at a garage sale. I spent an hour just cleaning the chain and truing the wheels and he was happier than any of the carbon bike guys I deal with. The trick is to remember a basic tune up and some fresh cables can make any old bike feel smooth again. Dont overthink it, just get the bearings greased and the brakes adjusted and they'll be set for years. Sometimes the simplest fix is the one that matters most.
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the_evan12d ago
The frame geometry on those old 10 speeds is actually way more forgiving for casual riders too. Modern bikes have that aggressive race position where your back is flat and your head is down which is great for speed but terrible for just cruising to the store. Those old steel frames with the longer wheelbase and upright position absorb road vibration naturally without needing expensive carbon fiber bits. Plus if someone drops that old bike on its side it just gets a scratch instead of cracking a frame. That beat up garage sale find might actually be a better daily rider than something off the shelf at a shop.
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