The ride did not go as planned, but it was still memorable. They don't make bikes as durable as they used to. This bike has Reynolds carbon wheels, one of their best in 2014 when it was new.
On the other hand, I have a Santana tandem from 1999 which is all original with over 20,000 miles. Even the bearings are still smooth like new. I've serviced them but never had to replace them. Only tires and brake pads. Same with a '99 Trek road bike. Same with an '88 (I think) Trek 330. Etc. etc. That stuff just goes forever when you take care of it.
- Some of you have read about the SRAM sticky brake levers. They used a nylon-abs like material for the brake pistons, that gradually expands in contact with brake fluid and jams up in the lever cylinders. The first time, I completely disassembled the levers and used emery paper to shrink the piston diameters so they moved freely again, then reassembled. The brakes worked fine for about a year and got sticky again. So I replaced the pistons with aftermarket metal ones - permanent fix.
- The first time I serviced the bottom bracket (SRAM XX1), when I was putting it back together the crank arm bolt head sheared off at less than 30 ft. lbs. of torque - the spec is tighten to 38 ft. lbs. They make it from aluminum alloy, not steel, so consider it "single use" and buy a new bolt every time you service it. Why? It's maybe 5 grams lighter than a steel bolt.
- 3 years ago, spoke nipples started breaking with spokes popping free. Turns out they use aluminum nipples, which is a no-no with carbon wheels because it causes a gradual (in my case 5 years) redox reaction that corrodes the nipple heads, causing them to crack and break. I rebuilt the wheels with brass spoke nipples.
- 2 years ago, the freehub pawls sheared, stranding me in the desert near Moab. Freehubs with pawls of steel (haha) last forever, but these pawls were made of aluminum alloy. So the wheel can be 5 grams lighter but fail and strand you in the middle of the desert. They're warranted only for 2 years. Just long enough so the planned obsolescence doesn't backfire on the company.
- Last year, the rear carbon rim delaminated. Reynolds, to their credit, sent me a new rim under their lifetime warranty and I rebuilt the wheel.
- Yesterday the axle broke, stranding me in podunk halfway between Beverly & Othello, WA. What's this axle made of, you might ask? Some kind of alloy. I'll tell you what it's not made of: steel!
On the other hand, I have a Santana tandem from 1999 which is all original with over 20,000 miles. Even the bearings are still smooth like new. I've serviced them but never had to replace them. Only tires and brake pads. Same with a '99 Trek road bike. Same with an '88 (I think) Trek 330. Etc. etc. That stuff just goes forever when you take care of it.
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