replacement intervals

[T-Crush]

As a preface, I'm your basic, middle-aged recreational cyclist. I've been riding since college, something like 30 years ago. I like nice bikes and good stuff, but work, family and life get in the way of big mileage. Given I'm the breadwinner, I try and understand the risks of the hobbies I pursue, and the wildcard in cycling for me is equipment failure. So my question is, what is this group's thoughts on replacement intervals and I'm interested in if you're thinking in terms of time or miles. The following parts come to mind, but feel free to expand the list --

Handlebars
Pedals
Stems
Seatposts
Forks
carbon parts
aluminum frames

Thoughts on if a failure is an inconvenience or a crash would be interesting too.

Thanks!

[Louis]

Pedals

For me this is easy - I ride them (Looks) until the bearings give out then I toss them in the "old parts" bin. If they spin smoothly they're good to go, if they're crunchy they are removed and replaced.

Some folks overhaul their pedals, I haven't gotten around to trying that.

[kramnnim]

A friend of mine recently broke his alloy handlebars. They were only a few years old, but apparently he sweats a lot and the salt soaked bar tape ate into the metal so much they failed under his weight. (not a crazy sprint)

He didn't crash and kept riding (weird), but it could have been quite bad.

[spartanKid]

A friend of mine recently broke his alloy handlebars. They were only a few years old, but apparently he sweats a lot and the salt soaked bar tape ate into the metal so much they failed under his weight. (not a crazy sprint)

He didn't crash and kept riding (weird), but it could have been quite bad.

Yikes! Good reason to change the tape in semi-regular intervals.

[AngryScientist]

the key is to stay "in touch" with the machine. give it a thorough cleaning and inspection every once in a while. keep an eye on everything. if you get used to focusing on the details, you'll be able to see things wearing out, degrading. replace when necessary.

in general, things like seatposts, stems and bars dont really "wear out". heavy corrosion could be a failure factor, but that is less likely, again, re-wrap the bars every season and keep an eye on what you're working with.

[Tandem Rider]

Also the sole breadwinner here, I just avoid buying any "critical" parts either used or superlight. By "critical" I mean any part that if it failed catastrophicaly the outcome would be very bad and failure isn't often gradual. Stem, pedals, crank arms, fork, and bars are my list. I inspect them often, and replace them at the first hint of a remotely possible problem down the road.

I started racing in 1977, since that time I managed to break almost every part on a bike at one time or another, crashes don't count unless the broken part caused the crash. The above list either caused me to crash or would if it broke suddenly. Make up your own list based on your own skills and riding, don't obsess over it and ride as much as you can.

[67-59]

Also the sole breadwinner here, I just avoid buying any "critical" parts either used or superlight. By "critical" I mean any part that if it failed catastrophicaly the outcome would be very bad and failure isn't often gradual. Stem, pedals, crank arms, fork, and bars are my list. I inspect them often, and replace them at the first hint of a remotely possible problem down the road.

Same here. Nitto NJS seatpost and stem, steel (Kirk) frame, solid alloy bars (Soma Hwy One), alloy cranks (Record), Record hubs with 32-spoke OP rims, etc. The only carbon bits I have are on non-weight-bearing parts, like the Record RD and such. I also check fairly often.

[christian]

Handlebars After ~10 years they go on the commuter
Pedals 7-8 years? When they get crunchy and bearings are hard to find
Stems As with bars
Seatposts Never. Set and forget.
Forks Never unless crashed hard.
carbon parts Inspect cranks every few months. Never needed to replace.
aluminum frames Inspect _all_ frames every few months. Never replaced one prophylactically, only after cracks have appeared.

In 20 years of riding seriously, I've had one handlebar fail, uncatastrophically. That's it.

[redir]

What about the chain? You brake a chain it can be real bad. I get a new one every year. That and cleats and pedals another point of failure that can be catastrophic and brakes down a lot faster than any of the other parts mentioned.

[christian]

Chains, cleats, etc. are wear items. They're getting replaced 2x per season.

[Likes2ridefar]

What about the chain? You brake a chain it can be real bad. I get a new one every year. That and cleats and pedals another point of failure that can be catastrophic and brakes down a lot faster than any of the other parts mentioned.

I replace a chain when my little chain stretcher tool tells me too. but for me, that's every 2-3 months.

Never had a chain fail but I'm not huge (155lb)

I rode a cracked carbon seatpost on my road bike for a few months and finally replaced it yesterday. Being able to peel layers from it finally moved me to replace it. I got aluminum this time:)

I rode a frame that had a cracked top tube from a crash on a focus izalco team pro for one stage race in brazil since I had no other bike with me, and a few weeks of training afterwards before I could get it replaced. No issues there either!

I had a cracked Easton SLX3 handlebar but it was at the end near the plug caused by a high speed crash. I rode that for a few months before getting a new bike!

Nice little stories that tell you nothing other than carbon is possibly a bit more tolerant to damage than you expect it to be. The seatpost did have me concerned but I figured what was the worst that would happen?? a nice plastic enema maybe?

[67-59]

What about the chain? You brake a chain it can be real bad. I get a new one every year. That and cleats and pedals another point of failure that can be catastrophic and brakes down a lot faster than any of the other parts mentioned.

One year might be fine...or it might be more often than necessary...or it might be too infrequent. It depends on your mileage, weight, riding conditions, etc. I go through 3-4 per year, with the average change interval being about every 2,000-2,500 miles. One of the measurment tools will give you an idea.

[CNY rider]

the key is to stay "in touch" with the machine. give it a thorough cleaning and inspection every once in a while. keep an eye on everything. if you get used to focusing on the details, you'll be able to see things wearing out, degrading. replace when necessary.

in general, things like seatposts, stems and bars dont really "wear out". heavy corrosion could be a failure factor, but that is less likely, again, re-wrap the bars every season and keep an eye on what you're working with.

+1.
This is why I change the oil in my car myself also.
It reminds me to think about other seasonal maintenance and gets me under there having a look see.

[retrogrouchy]

+1.
This is why I change the oil in my car myself also.
It reminds me to think about other seasonal maintenance and gets me under there having a look see.

Agreed. Oil-changes are now some of the few things I still do in the vehicle maintenance department. I used to do literally everything, including clutch replacements in the parking lot, engine rebuilds in the carport, etc. but now I mostly coordinate others that do the work. That regular oil change gets me to inspect/see other stuff before it becomes significant, in my opinion....