Posted by: RAHrider
Posted by: craw
I tend to replace mine before that happens. Usually after two seasons I start to get itchy for something new; at the end of 2 is a bit early, at the end of season 3 is a bit late. I think I put a special kind of wear on frame from a weight/leverage perspective so I try to swap them out early. My last few swaps have seen my bikes go to (obviously) bigger guys but they tend to be buying a bike like this for the first time (i.e. boutique frames like a Geometron in XL) and so are at a different point in their riding journey on the shore. I feel good selling a frame that's two years old versus 4 years old when it's super sketchy and clapped out. All these timelines would be a bit different for a hardtail in full time rotation.
I haven't broken a frame in ages. I think my gear attrition is naturally a bit higher because I'm big and strong and ride hard. But I'm also a pretty precise rider - I like my speed to come from accuracy not recklessness so in that way my gear tends to not fail. My gear tends to age gracefully - super high end, tons of loving wear from lots of mileage and daily rub, very little catastrophic failure. In the new era the gear is pricey as hell but it sure is tough.
I make sure to rebuild my dropper, shock and fork every season to minimize disappointment - also a good reminder to service stuff at Suspensionwerx to get the little running internal upgrades. I probably end up rebuilding my rear wheel every season too, front wheel as necessary.
That all sounds really reasonable. I'm surprised at the once annual rear wheel build though. I find wheels are pretty predictable when they are going to start to fail. My rule is first spoke replace, second spoke rebuild. I can always ride out with a single broken spoke, really no big deal.
It sounds like your maintenance is really top notch, your friends are lucky to buy your bikes from the sounds of things.
I try :) I find broken spokes to be the biggest pain. Like, why do you have to remove the cassette and break a perfectly good tubeless setup and tape to replace a spoke? Surely we could put our heads together to come up with something less intrusive. But yeah same for me: first broken spoke incident I just replace, but on the second one I replace all of them.
Inserts have really helped in this regard. Previously I would have to choose between support/survival and traction. Any pressure that prevents pinch flats or rim strikes was too high to ride well. Any pressure that rode well inevitably flats/pinches/snakebites/burps. Inserts mostly solved this. I found Cush Core Pro really good but excessively heavy. Tannus Tubeless is really good but not ride-flat at my size so I'm phasing them out too. I'm looking to try Octamousse next.
I think I'll try the Oct50S for ebikes on the rear and the Oct50 enduro for the front. Their site is a nightmare of inconsistent information. All the weights are on the home page and the rest of the details under Shop. In theory these should offer functional ride-flat capability and even lighter than Tannus Tubeless. Plus they're relatively inexpensive and relatively easy to install. Plus Cam liked them. I love the idea of not carrying a tube on rides, just water, a multi-tool, plugs and a small pump/CO2. I don't even know how you'd get some inserts out of a tire on the trail TBH.
