Once again, my bike is in the shop getting a couple of hundred dollars of repairs done to it. Once again I've busted a spoke, and once again the back wheel is doing suspicious things. But this time, I've apparently also got a crack through most of the bottom bracket (where the pedals go through). The vaguely good news is that it can be fixed rather than replaced - but I'm getting really tired of spending about what the bike cost each year on keeping it on the road. Its not like I take it offroad or anything - as far as I can tell, I'm just cursed.
I don't have the funds, unfortunately - its the usual problem of being able to scrape up enough to repair it, but not the much larger amount to get a new one.
And that's no guarantee it'll get better - I've had the same problems with other bikes. I have a suspicion that they are not rated for people 100kg+ at all.
Yeah, my ex-boss, Magnus, had the same problem. Same bike symptoms you're describing too.
He ended up buying a beefy mountain bike with suspension, and losing weight (mainly at the behest of his heart doctor) so his bike didn't freak out and die any more. Last I heard, so far so good.
I've got suspension on the front - the back is where most of the troubles come from. But the riding is the easiest source of exercise I have, so I've got this chicken-egg problem when it comes to losing weight.
Unfortunately, the easiest source of losing the weight is to ride :-| I'm walking back and forth to work, and to lunch, and even ignoring the extra hour out of every day this is costing me, my boots are disintergrating and old damage to my achilles is starting to act up.
Places like St V's and Cash Converters often carry rusty old claptraps for $10-$50. You could just buy some crap bikes and chuck 'em away when they die, for the losing of the weight until your 'good' bike will carry you.
... all up, prob 30 mins a day, with the occasional much longer trip.
I've got a couple of older bikes in the garage - i might haul them out and see if i can resuscitate one whole one up for going back and forth to work. The only flaw is that I get really frustrated at bikes that are clunky - i find its really distractign and offputting to have a non-functional bike (this is why I notice things like "oh, the axel is bent. Again"). And as much as I need to be concentrating more on "what's that clunk" rather than "mind that bus" up Blackburn Rd.... :)
And that's no guarantee it'll get better - I've had the same problems with other bikes. I have a suspicion that they are not rated for people 100kg+ at all.
He ended up buying a beefy mountain bike with suspension, and losing weight (mainly at the behest of his heart doctor) so his bike didn't freak out and die any more. Last I heard, so far so good.
Places like St V's and Cash Converters often carry rusty old claptraps for $10-$50. You could just buy some crap bikes and chuck 'em away when they die, for the losing of the weight until your 'good' bike will carry you.
I've got a couple of older bikes in the garage - i might haul them out and see if i can resuscitate one whole one up for going back and forth to work. The only flaw is that I get really frustrated at bikes that are clunky - i find its really distractign and offputting to have a non-functional bike (this is why I notice things like "oh, the axel is bent. Again"). And as much as I need to be concentrating more on "what's that clunk" rather than "mind that bus" up Blackburn Rd.... :)