Safe Useful Life for Wheelsets and Our Gear

[cd_davis]

Hello all - today I rode my 2000 Conalgo C40 fitted with DA 7800 and first generation Mavic Ksyrium wheels. As many of us in the Forum are young seniors and own vintage gear, I wondered how long are our frame sets and wheelsets consideredsafe to ride. For example the Mavics were purchased in late 2000, and have had zero maintenance. They are perfectly true, the bearings spin great and there is no deformation at the rim and spoke nibble interface. This bike is no longer my daily driver but when do we as cyclists need to become concerned about our bikes being safe?
Your comments are appreciated.
Chris

[buddybikes]

Like an old car and old bodies just keep aware, wash bike and inspect like you have been doing.

[jamesdak]

I really don't think of bike gear in terms of age, just condition.

Hardly any of my 25+ bikes are even as new as your 2000.

This wheelset is from around 1981 and I have no qualms about riding them for miles and miles.

[AngryScientist]

ksyriums in particular have a very common and predictable failure mechanism.

Inspect the spoke holes regularly, they will eventually develop cracks. It wont be a catastrophic failure, just a slow death from there.

The C40 is a robust frame. Keep an eye on it, but have no worries, without major trauma, that frame could last a lifetime.

[ridethecliche]

Yup, the brake tracks will wear out or the rims will crack at the spoke holes. Otherwise run what ya brung.

[rccardr]

As long as you properly maintain that stuff, it will probably outlive you.

As one example, today I completed a pretty exhaustive gravel ride on 40 year old equipment, including friction shifters. Kept up with the modern equipment just fine, wiped it down when I got home, ready for another bash.

In my world, the equipment you mention is modern, not vintage.

[mhespenheide]

Echoing other comments. Keep an eye on your stuff as you wash it or wipe it down and watch for any problems that might develop. But that "vintage" gear will last a long, long, long time under normal use. You could well have decades more before you see problems. People are still riding Campagnolo Nuovo Record and (the original) Super Record, and that was 30 years before 7800 came out.

The Kysriums are likely going to be the first problems.

[makoti]

Rims, cogs, chainrings, chains...in short anything that actually wears would have a "lifespan". Bearings in the hubs, but the hubs themselves may last through several re-builds.
The other stuff, as has been said, watch and take care of. Most parts will become obsolete or be surpassed in performance long before they actually wear out.

[Mark McM]

For the useful life of bicycle equipment, it just like the famous line from Indiana Jones:

[RFC]

Originally Posted by Mark McM

For the useful life of bicycle equipment, it just like the famous line from Indiana Jones:

You beat me to it.

[C40_guy]

With my carbon frames I will periodically give them a tap test -- tap each of the tubes and the fork in the center and towards the lugs and dropouts with my fingernail. I'm listening for a change in tone, a bit of a muted sound relative to the normal. It takes less than a minute to do, and potentially gives early warning of tube issues...

[avalonracing]

Also depends on what the components were built for. Many products are designed for lightness and probably under-built for multi-decade lifespans.