Costs and complexities

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Some 3.5 yezrs back I bought a Dawes Duchess. I bought it because it was a low price, and that the ride was now more agreeable to the cycling I now do in the city. The bike is a step thru frame and I can leave it locked in the city not fearing it wont be there when I return.

Now 3 years on the spokes are beginning to break. I wondered what to do. I can always use lower gearing,and maybe I could have a new rear wheel built with cassette,q/r,new chain and new gear changer fitted. Costs? This I dont know,but balance this out against buying an exact same bike and model for some tad more? It doesnt seem right to throw away my old bike,maybe keeping one or two bits,but what do others with better knowledge and experience than myself think.

In the olde days I guess I would have done some of the changeover myself. But thesedays,no,I havent got the space,or time, and the aches and pains from servicing the machine follow 24 hours later.

I use the bike for going into and out of the city,shopping and the like

[PH]

I can always use lower gearing,and maybe I could have a new rear wheel built with cassette,q/r,new chain and new gear changer fitted. Costs? This I dont know,but balance this out against buying an exact same bike and model for some tad more?

A new wheel and cassette of about the same quality as the original will cost you £50 - £60 and is likely to last as long.  Or you could double the cost of that and get a wheel that's likely to last several times longer. 
Either way, what you shouldn't do is compare the cost of a decent wheel with the cost of a new bike with cheap wheels.

[Andyb1]

What wheel size do you have?   Your LBS may well have a secondhand spare, particularly if 26 inch - or try your local tip / recycling 😇 centre as they will get old bikes with some good parts.

[mickeg]

I agree with the others, get a low budget new or used wheel.

I am not sure why that would require a new chain or gear changer.  And I am not sure what you mean by "gear changer", that could mean derailleur or shifter, or both.  But chains are cheap.

If you have been using it for three years and are confident it won't be stolen, sounds like a keeper to me. 

I have a 29 year old bike that I use as an errand bike, I paid $5 USD for it over a decade ago, it took a lot of time and another $50 to make a great bike out of it. But it has so much rust on it that a thief would be embarrassed to steal it, which makes it a great errand bike.

[tyreon]

Thank you for all replies. Appreciated.

I think I will be going with a new wheel build. I dont know if I can then stipulate the rear cassette cogs. I want one lower gear if poss.but if its a great faff I will leave it. Would this new set up have me having to purchase a new trigger system for gear change? Or the present set up is goojng to be okay.

I.m purchasina new new rear Marathon Plus tyre. I got caught out with a ouncture the other day and had to walk 2 miles home...in the rain. When I got home I had to change the tyre outside,and with not so good eyes and it being cold,by the end of the procedure I had had enough.

I am not the man I sued to be!

The present bike I have suits me because it isnt 'a beauty'. I appreciate it,but in the city where I live I wouldnt want to leave any expensive bike out to be stolen. With this bike,I can go away and not feel stressed that it will not be there on my return.

At one time one Brompton would have suited me well. Still,to the contrary, I do not believe you can lug it around from shop to shop as I like to shop. Nor can you leave it without feeling stressed. My small bike collection is shrinking because I am not doing the cycling I once did,and want to rid myself of bikes I am not riding

[mickeg]

Thank you for all replies. Appreciated.

I think I will be going with a new wheel build. I dont know if I can then stipulate the rear cassette cogs. I want one lower gear if poss.but if its a great faff I will leave it. Would this new set up have me having to purchase a new trigger system for gear change? Or the present set up is goojng to be okay.
...

Some bike shops will be glad to help you figure out the most affordable way to make the bike work well for you.  Others might not want to spend the time on a low budget project, and talking to you about options is time.  If you are lucky, you will find the right bike shop.

[martinf]

I.m purchasina new new rear Marathon Plus tyre. I got caught out with a ouncture the other day and had to walk 2 miles home...in the rain. When I got home I had to change the tyre outside,and with not so good eyes and it being cold,by the end of the procedure I had had enough.

I have that reasoning for the 2 visitor bikes I keep at our island flat. Marathon Plus doesn't roll as well as the tyres I usually fit, but for the short distances on the island the advantage of avoiding punctures outweighs the performance drop.

Even more important, Marathon Plus virtually eliminates the possibility of visitors fiddling with the hub gears and Chaingliders when trying to mend a puncture,   

The present bike I have suits me because it isnt 'a beauty'. I appreciate it,but in the city where I live I wouldnt want to leave any expensive bike out to be stolen. With this bike,I can go away and not feel stressed that it will not be there on my return.

At one time one Brompton would have suited me well. Still,to the contrary, I do not believe you can lug it around from shop to shop as I like to shop. Nor can you leave it without feeling stressed. My small bike collection is shrinking because I am not doing the cycling I once did,and want to rid myself of bikes I am not riding

I have an old utility bike for local rides when I need to leave a bike locked up. This has unfashionable 5-speed hub gears dating from the early 1980's and a very old frame probably dating from the 1950's or 1960's. The only "attractive" part is the Brooks saddle, which is well worn after 35 years of use. If it gets nicked I could either replace it quite cheaply with a basic second-hand MTB (these sell for about 50 Euros locally), or repurpose one of my other bikes for this role.

Although I live in a low-theft area and nearly all my bikes are old enough not to be worth much now (the most recent dates from 2016, most are much older) I still try to avoid leaving my "best" bikes locked up on the street for long periods.

My alternative bike for urban use is a 2009 Brompton, now lightened to about 10.4 Kg, which makes it reasonably easy to carry into meetings, medical appointments and similar. As Bromptons seem to have become quite attractive to thieves and would be expensive to replace I generally try not to leave them locked up on the street.

[tyreon]

Thank you for all replies. Appreciated.

I think I will be going with a new wheel build. I dont know if I can then stipulate the rear cassette cogs. I want one lower gear if poss.but if its a great faff I will leave it. Would this new set up have me having to purchase a new trigger system for gear change? Or the present set up is goojng to be okay.
...

Some bike shops will be glad to help you figure out the most affordable way to make the bike work well for you.  Others might not want to spend the time on a low budget project, and talking to you about options is time.  If you are lucky, you will find the right bike shop.

That shop and that owner I am lucky to have and sometimes take coffee with him.

When I last popped into his shop to talk over a dynamo problem his shop was a bundle of tatt: old and dirty bikes of scrap value. My then wife's town bike looked like a Maserati. Old inner tubes and tyres littered the shop,but the bikes in for servicing or now attemping to be sold looked scrap. How run down his shop now all looked. I have known the chap and his shop for some years. Once-upon-a-time he carried a very reasoanble stock and many at reasonable prices for bicycles sold. Even his new stock looks cr-p, When in town and talking over cofffee he laments over the cycle trade and tells me what trouble its in. The number of privately owned cycle shops in the city where I live has gone down by 80%. Whats now left is out of town Halfords and Decathlon. I may be speaking OTT but my guess is you buy from such,use for 3 months,then throw them in the canal|!

They(retailers)tried out e bike shops here. I never see any locked down town. If they are bought they must be being bought for out bush riding. Now even the specialist e bike shops have gone,£3,000 bikes too much to be purchased by would be users who can buy a scooter or moped for £1500 or a used car or £800. Well,that's my appraisal. In an about face I have seem over time more ladies out on bikes in groups in the bush group riding. But thats' only in summer;) Then only for two years

All the above only my prejudiced and tired views

[JohnR]

I think I will be going with a new wheel build. I dont know if I can then stipulate the rear cassette cogs. I want one lower gear if poss.but if its a great faff I will leave it.

Can get a cassette with the same number of cogs but a larger big cog? Alternatively, get a new wheel that will take a cassette with more cogs (and wider range) and accept that you have to buy a new shifter and rear derailleur. 9 speed parts and flat bar shifters are relatively cheap. Or, if you've only got one chainring on the front then can you fit a smaller one on the cranks?

It would be advisable to work through the options before spending money on a new wheel.