Pertaining to the author's comment about bike owners not knowing the cost of ownership or how suspensions are supposed to work. I'd offer that cars are analogous to bicycles. Luxury cars, in particular, are usually fickle machines requiring dealer-specific parts, service, and diagnostic equipment. Much like a fancy high-end bicycle, owners are hard pressed to identify solid cost of ownership data before they make their purchase. Consumer Reports comes to mind as a fairly reputable repository of many appliances, electronics, and auto reviews that capture both quantitative and qualitative metrics. But these reviews are simply a starting point for cost of ownership. Maybe you've had a different experience, but I've never been presented with a total cost of ownership for a car (or a bike for that matter) before purchasing.
Regarding a bicycle's proper function, it's most common for folks to disregard the owners manual or recommended operation, until it no longer works as intended. Most will bring their bike in for service, much like their auto, when something's wrong. The exceptions (on each extreme) will either be infallible in regular service or absolutely never service and simply discard the bike/component once it ceases to function at all. Then there are the DIYers (myself included) who will have a varying degrees of confidence and competence, given a six-pack, some YouTube vids and a smattering of tools that may find success in restoring their bike to its proper functioning self.
Nov. 30, 2021, 7:50 a.m. - Rick M
Pertaining to the author's comment about bike owners not knowing the cost of ownership or how suspensions are supposed to work. I'd offer that cars are analogous to bicycles. Luxury cars, in particular, are usually fickle machines requiring dealer-specific parts, service, and diagnostic equipment. Much like a fancy high-end bicycle, owners are hard pressed to identify solid cost of ownership data before they make their purchase. Consumer Reports comes to mind as a fairly reputable repository of many appliances, electronics, and auto reviews that capture both quantitative and qualitative metrics. But these reviews are simply a starting point for cost of ownership. Maybe you've had a different experience, but I've never been presented with a total cost of ownership for a car (or a bike for that matter) before purchasing. Regarding a bicycle's proper function, it's most common for folks to disregard the owners manual or recommended operation, until it no longer works as intended. Most will bring their bike in for service, much like their auto, when something's wrong. The exceptions (on each extreme) will either be infallible in regular service or absolutely never service and simply discard the bike/component once it ceases to function at all. Then there are the DIYers (myself included) who will have a varying degrees of confidence and competence, given a six-pack, some YouTube vids and a smattering of tools that may find success in restoring their bike to its proper functioning self.