I can’t afford to ride!

[Greg Heil ✓ supporter]

My bike is in the shop AGAIN! It was just in last week to get some work done on the back brake to the tune of $40, and a week ago my tire pump fell out of a hole in my old dilapidated pack at a cost of $35, and a new pack at $110. and now i think my derailleur is all janked up, and a new x-9 runs close to a hundred. what the crap??? how is all this happening right now when i NEED to be saving money the most, and i’m trying to pinch pennies like crazy???

and that doesn’t even begin to mention the flat tires, broken chains, and other smaller repairs.

and my bike was running so well for the last several months… i guess i should have known it couldn’t last…

i may need to take up running. i can’t afford to keep fixing my bike.

[steve32300]

Man,I know what ya mean dude,shhhheeeeshhhhhh,it should be called "money biking instead of mountain biking somtimes".hahahahahaaha.I suffer from money saving chellenges as well,I mean everytime I turn around there’s somthin else to buy for mtn biking that I need and it’s not extra stuff either.I want to start traveling more to trails around the country and eventually around the world,or at least as much as I can……So now that I want to start doing that,I need to buy a bike case so I can take my bike with me.And I’m buying another camel bak tomorrow that has alot more storage space than the one I have now so I can carry extra water,food,and stuff for the longer rides I want to do.Not to mention the expense of traveling by plane,train,or automobile.Then today I bought a set of those K-Rad tires for commuting around town and to work and they cost me about $80 for the pair.Oh man,I got an extra rear wheel that I want to buy a matching front wheel so I have an extra set of wheels.I want to buy a frame and rigid fork so I can build a rigid bike so I can ride like I want to.Oh,that reminds me as well,I need to rebuild my suspension with new seals and oil,new brake rotors are needed pretty soon,front rings are needed as well pretty soon,I’ll probably wait till the cassette wears out and at that point I’ll need the rings,chain,and cassette.
I could go on,but I’m hopin all this might get ya to brainstormin some motivational thought processes to get you to think of a way figure out how you can find a way to keep riding,I mean,that SUCKS if you cant ride dude,I cant tell you how that sounds.Maby I could help you out somhow,I got a older bike with 07′ Diore derailer that’s practically brand new I bought for like $15 online.and it works just as good as any decent derailer.Let me know how your doin dude,that just sucks.

[jrymasz]

Sorry to hear about all of your financial troubles Goo!!!!! We all got ’em buddy!!! One way or another, we all have ’em!!! Just gotta remember why you love to ride and hopefully that will keep you going!!! Good Luck bro!!!

[Syd Patricio]

It tough…But it’s not just mountain biking, it’s everything nowadays. Heck look at hockey or golf. A club or hockey stick can run you up to $300+ dollars. Nevermind everything else. A round of golf $150+..It can get crazy..

[Greg Heil ✓ supporter]

"steve32300" wrote

I could go on,but I’m hopin all this might get ya to brainstormin some motivational thought processes to get you to think of a way figure out how you can find a way to keep riding,I mean,that SUCKS if you cant ride dude,I cant tell you how that sounds.Maby I could help you out somhow,I got a older bike with 07′ Diore derailer that’s practically brand new I bought for like $15 online.and it works just as good as any decent derailer.Let me know how your doin dude,that just sucks.

thanks man. i’m going to try to find a way to jurry rig something up so i can reach as many gears as possible, and just go with it. we’ll see what happens today, the guys will give me a call back with an official verdict.

but like, 90% or more of my mtb costs are all just to keep me going… its not to buy new tires because i think mine are worn out, its to buy new tires because my tire’s sidewall totally blew out, you know what i’m saying?

it’s rough.

[CraigCreekRider]

Goo – hopefully its just a run of bad MTB luck. 😢 MTBs are amazingly tough considering the abuse we give them, but like one of my riding buddy says they start wearing out as soon as you buy them. Hope you can keep yours pieced together and ride on brother. 😎 Don’t want you to switch over and become a full time roadie. 😕 I hear they don’t wear out near as much, but can’t be near as much fun.

[seenvic ✓ supporter]

Get a SS and put Stans in your tires.

That takes care of your derailler issues and flat tire issues.

[cujo]

When it rains, it pours.

[Greg Heil ✓ supporter]

so here’s the update: the shop was able to bend it back to something manageable, but they had to replace my shifter cable because it was shralped, and apparently its only going to run about $20. i’m going to pick it up today, and tomorrow i’ll see how it rides!

"seenvic" wrote

Get a SS and put Stans in your tires.

That takes care of your derailler issues and flat tire issues.

i’ve thought about a single speed for the shear simplicity of it, but i don’t have money to go out and buy one, and that would eliminiate the epic climb for 3 hours, descend for 1 type ride. i like the versatility and speed of gears 😃

"cujo" wrote

When it rains, it pours.

isn’t that the truth!

[Corey Maddocks ✓ supporter]

I reached the point you are at a while ago and decided to take matters into my own hands.

Look online for video and written tutorials about doing your own repairs.

Scour Pricepoint, Jensen and Performance for deals and sale items, and also keep an eye on Craigslist. (for example I got my barely used XTR rear derailleur on CL for $50.00, the guy went single-speed, I just ran into him on the trail a couple weeks ago)

Once you get up to speed with common repairs, you’ll also find yourself doing better at preventative maintenance.

Now I only use my LBS for stuff that requires special tools that I don’t feel like buying.

[brianW]

might want to spend more time cleanning. I have probally saved a lot money cleaning out my drive trail on a very regular basis.

[IATyler]

im gad knock on wood that the dinosaur of a fisher i ride is still going strong

[Greg Heil ✓ supporter]

thanks guys, some good advice that i need to look into.

so rode some yesterday, and the derailleur is performing better than expected! awesome! thinking about getting out and riding this afternoon, but the 95 degree weather plus humidity is putting a little damper on my excitement, haha!

[JSurratt ✓ supporter]

You can’t afford not to have fun…..anything in life that is worth it is always going to cost you $$$$. Remember you can’t take it with you so you might as well spend it while you got it. I tell my 2 kids all the time……."I spending your inheritance like MAD!!!!" & my daughter just looses it…….I call it "Paybacks" for all trouble they were growing up which was just "Acting like Kids"…….now that’s funny! 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆

[Andrew_Gilbert]

"element22" wrote

It tough…But it’s not just mountain biking, it’s everything nowadays. Heck look at hockey or golf. A club or hockey stick can run you up to $300+ dollars. Nevermind everything else. A round of golf $150+..It can get crazy..

i must ask where on GODS green funky earth is costing 150.00 + for a round of golf cause i could guess but i wont. Hell i thought 65.00 was high for 18 holes at the high end public course in my area.

[Author]

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