What can I say?

**Berries** · 10th January 2016, 14:23

Originally Posted by nzspokes

34 years working in the bicycle trade as first a mechanic and now tech adviser says different.

Figured you were in the trade. I look at the quality of the cheap componentry on my kids bikes and realise they are not built to last. From dodgy QR fittings to cheap and nasty brakes and a seat that tears when you look at it - nothing like what I grew up with. I was one of many unpaid test riders for Raleigh in the late 70's and when I look at the crap they now produce off shore it looks cheap because it is cheap.

**nzspokes** · 10th January 2016, 16:08

Originally Posted by Berries

Figured you were in the trade. I look at the quality of the cheap componentry on my kids bikes and realise they are not built to last. From dodgy QR fittings to cheap and nasty brakes and a seat that tears when you look at it - nothing like what I grew up with. I was one of many unpaid test riders for Raleigh in the late 70's and when I look at the crap they now produce off shore it looks cheap because it is cheap.

Stop buying cheap bikes then. Amazes me how many people buy a $299 bike and expect it to be as good as a $2000 bike.

When I first started in the trade you would take a Raleigh or what ever out of the bike and it would take over an hour to put together as you would have to straighten the frame etc so it could function. Healings were shockers as you would have to bend the handlebars straight from new. Now days you can knock 3 out an hour and the frames etc are exactly straight.

**RDJ** · 10th January 2016, 16:38

Dredging my memories now, but yes, Healings were shockers. But affordable in thoze daze - for schoolboys well unto student daze.

**OddDuck** · 10th January 2016, 16:45

Just my (late) 2 cents...

Scooter riders get around in pretty much no safety gear because they are fucking clueless. Like an earlier poster said, once you see the A&E pics, it ain't a big choice any more. But if you don't know, it's just hot, sweaty, inconvenient crap that costs a fortune... so why bother.

Cycling: I've had the horns fired for a joke, haven't had anything thrown at me in a while, but getting shot with a BB gun (fuckers) wasn't high on my list of ways to have a good time. A lot of Kiwis treat cyclists like open season targets.

As to why people aren't on them any more... a stack of reasons. Cars got cheaper, tyres got cheaper. People got a lot more risk averse. Once you've been abused at random from some cowardly dickhead in a passing car, the fun kind of goes out of it. And drivers have got a lot of distractions in the car... we didn't have texting drivers when I was growing up. Just didn't happen. Distances got longer, too. More people driving means less local shops. More cars parked on the road verges means less room for pushbikes.

Bike makers haven't helped. Practical, real world bikes have mudguards, carriers, baskets even, relatively upright riding positions, and geartrains that don't need cleaning every ten rides. Don't see many pushbikes like that these days.

It's been a while since the helmet lady quit doing the rounds. I'm seeing a lot more people on bikes without a helmet. Without getting into the arguments - I heard that speech, so did all the hard boys at my high school, and the day afterwards we all had lids.

**nzspokes** · 10th January 2016, 17:22

Originally Posted by OddDuck

Bike makers haven't helped. Practical, real world bikes have mudguards, carriers, baskets even, relatively upright riding positions, and geartrains that don't need cleaning every ten rides. Don't see many pushbikes like that these days.

Try going to your local bike shop, these styles are getting more common. Reason these were stopped being sold was they ended up in the 90s not selling. Couldnt give a bike away with mudguards because everybody wanted to be a Triathlete or MTB rider.

Now things are swinging back to being more practical.

**JimO** · 10th January 2016, 17:36

Originally Posted by Big Dog

Giving the people back hours of their lives and families back parents who spend the equivalent of a work day each week or more sitting in traffic.

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not here they dont

**russd7** · 10th January 2016, 18:18

Originally Posted by rastuscat

Personal responsibility. And I know ACC pays for head injuries I suffer when riding my bike but I sort of feel entitled when I'm paying ACC levies on two bikes, two cars and a trailer, which are parked in my drive when I'm out cycling.

yeah but coming from your past life you should know that trailers don't incur ACC levies

as fer cycling, when i were a young fella always gettin told off by the local MOT for riding the footpaths delivering news papers and the having motorcycles cruise past as i was peddling (read struggling) uphill on my old single speed treadly, well i couldn't wait to get me a motorised cycle.

makes me laff these days, mums help their kids get jobs delivering papers and flyers then drive them round in the car to deliver them, but hey at least they are learning that they have to do the hard yards first.

as to another comment made about kids learnin road rules, well i taught all our kids to drive, living in rural areas the kids had f all oppertunity to ride treadlies, but my eldest stepdaughter was a shocker to start with, could cruise open road speed no worries, identify hazards, react to them etc but when i took her to town to drive around she put the shits right up me and didn't seem to understand that give way meant slow right down and stop meant stop, she very nearly T boned a friend by not slowing down for a give way enough. after that i just said treat every intersection as a compulsary stop.
took a bit to work out but i realised that the reason she seemed to be so unaware for driving in town was because she hadn't spent time on a treadly as a kid in town.

**rastuscat** · 10th January 2016, 18:20

This wandered off topic.

What was the topic?

**rastuscat** · 10th January 2016, 18:26

For the record I revere decent classic bikes but what you can buy now for 2k is better than what you could buy for 2k 20 years ago.

My fave is still my 853 Reynolds custom build l.

I'm 12 kg overweight. Feck all point in a lightweight Carbon treddly when you're a fat Bastard.

Helmets provide lazy bastards with another excuse for not cycling.

Back on track, the Ride Forever courses like the one in the OP never fail to deliver. Value for money for sure, given the big ACC subsidy.

The worst that can happen is a good day out on the bike with other riders and you just might learn something.

**JimO** · 10th January 2016, 20:05

Originally Posted by rastuscat

This wandered off topic.

What was the topic?

harley riders waving?

**awayatc** · 10th January 2016, 20:29

Originally Posted by nzspokes

No thats because you dont want to ride, not because you would have to wear a helmet.

A helmet is an excuse, not the reason.

How the fuck you know....?

I am Dutch and basically born on a pushbike....

the day helmets became compulsory I ditched my pushbike.

ridiculous law.

**steveworth62** · 10th January 2016, 20:41

Originally Posted by AllanB

. .

Road rash there would be a bitch

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**Big Dog** · 10th January 2016, 22:20

Originally Posted by nzspokes

No thats very wrong. Bicycles are made to much higher standards today. And people were rubbish at looking after them in the old days as well.

Perhaps they are made to a higher standard. That still don't last as well.
I have to buy parts more often.
In my youth the only reason anyone ever upgraded their frame was the last one was stolen.
when i bought my current one finding a bike that does not noticeably deform when I rode it was a major challenge.
Finding one rated to my ideal weight limited me to about 3-4 options. Rated to my actual weight limited me to 2 in the sub 2k range. Even then i had to exchange forks because nothing I found sub 2k cane with forks rated to higher than 90% my ideal weight.

Since then without any off road riding I have had to have pedals, crank set, chain and a few bearings replaced.

Similar level of investment 20 years ago got me a bike rated to my current weight without parts exchange... I blew 2 crank sets off road. Did significantly higher milage with no more maintenance than a bit of 3n1 on the chain at the beginning of each season and adjustment to the rear gears every 1000kms or so.

Brakes and tyres are significantly better but bikes have become far more consumable.

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**Big Dog** · 10th January 2016, 22:24

Originally Posted by nzspokes

Stop buying cheap bikes then. Amazes me how many people buy a $299 bike and expect it to be as good as a $2000 bike.

When I first started in the trade you would take a Raleigh or what ever out of the bike and it would take over an hour to put together as you would have to straighten the frame etc so it could function. Healings were shockers as you would have to bend the handlebars straight from new. Now days you can knock 3 out an hour and the frames etc are exactly straight.

There is a difference between precise and longer lasting.
Lighter seems to be the order of the day.
If you don't want to spend mega bucks on exotic metals lighter comes at the cost of durability.

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