Commodities of cycling

Cycling is an active sport. The rider is active.  The bike is active. There are items involved in the activity that see a lot of wear and tear.  One key difference between a novice to the sport and someone who is seasoned deals with these items, and the regular wear and tear on them.  In no particular order:

Clothing:

Jerseys/Socks/Shorts/Bibs.  These are the roadie’s clothing.  The jerseys are the easiest to deal with. They rarely have wear-related issues. There will be an occasional zipper mishap, or even a ripped rear pocket from an over-aggressive stowage of food or a spare tube. A good jersey should last for years and years. As an aside I find that many jerseys are made from some type of miracle space aged material woven by elves. In a crash a few years ago, I had severe road rash covering about 60% of my back and shoulder. The jersey survived somehow without even a popped stitch or pilling. On the other end of the spectrum, you have socks. For some reason, I tend to go through these more than anything else. The toes wear out, they get grease stains from chain contact, mud stains from some type of clay that can’t be removed though normal physics from rainy rides, and so on.  The good news is that they are very cheap and easy to replace. In the middle of the  maintenance road you have bibs and shorts. These items probably see the most movement, the most friction and the hardest wear. Three to four years of continuous wear might spell the life of a good pair of shorts or bibs. The chamois needs attention, the seams might rip, the Lycra might lose some elasticity. In the end, if there is wear, replace it. Having poor clothing on a bike can mean the difference between a good ride and a painful one.

Accessories:

Helmet/Shoes/Gloves/Glasses

There is no argument that the helmet is the most important piece of equipment a cyclist can wear.  The Snell Foundation (The certifying body for bicycle helmet safety) recommends that every helmet is replaced every 5 years due to a breakdown in glues and resins. Helmets aren’t generally cheap, ranging from $40 all the way up to $200+. That being said, do you want to be in a crash and say “Gee, I should have already replaced this a few years ago”. Your helmet is your insurance policy. You can’t be too careful. Shoe replacement is dependent on a number of items, generally around comfort, use, conditions you ride in, etc. There is no hard and fast rule for this, but a good pair of shoes should last 5+ years with moderate use. Gloves, on the other hand are relatively cheap and see a lot of wear and tear. I tend to go through a pair of gloves every two to three years. Glasses are at NOT cheap, and can cost upwards of $150 without getting in to name brands. Should you replace them? Are they scratched? Are they comfortable? Do you still look cool enough?

Bike Parts:

Tires/Chain/Drivetrain components

Tires are by far the most replaceable item on a bike. A soft and grippy race tire might get you 750 miles on good road conditions, but will likely fail before that due to deep nicks and cuts. On the other hand, a good training tire could last you 3000 miles or more under the decent road conditions. Either way, you are talking about replacing them fairly often. The chain should be checked for stretch and be replaced at 1000-2000 miles depending on its condition.  The chain replacement is tied directly to the drivetrain components. If you replace your chain before the stretch is too much, you minimize the impact on the other components. If you neglect replacing the chain, you will begin to put excessive wear on the rear cassette and will need to replace it. The chain is cheaper than a cassette.

Perhaps I am a little obsessed over some of these items, and keep a journal of the mileage when I replaced certain items, but I find it compelling to know that tire brand “A” gave me 2000 miles through various summer and winter conditions while brand “B” only gave me 800 miles on summer roads. Additionally, knowing it has been 1000 miles since my last chain replacement will prompt me to begin checking it every month or so.

If you are like me though, and put as many, if not more miles on your bike than you do on your car, why wouldn’t you care for the bike and the parts as much as you do for your car? Think of these items like an oil change every 3000 miles.

Disclaimer** This is advice based on my experience. I am sure others have a different experiences based on how and where they ride.