Do components have an expiration date?

[claydough001]

According to my April 2011 issue of MBA "Mountain Bike Action Magazine" they do.

Say you bought a bike in April of 2011 then you would need to replace the......

Seatpost: Al- 2 years
CF- 1 year
Adjustable Height- 90 day rebuild

Derailleur Cables: 6 months

Rear Derailleur Loop: 6 months

Saddle: 4 years

Pivot Bearings- 1 year

Front Derailleur: 2 years

Chain: 4 months

Rear Shock: 1 year

Cranks: 2 years

Pedals: 2 years

Frame: Al- 4 years
Ti- 5 years
Steel- 7 years
CF- 3 years

Stem: 1 year

Brakes: As soon as pads wear past mf's limit (durrr)

Bars: Al- 1.5 years
CF- 1 year

Grips: As needed

Headset: 1 year

Brake Cables: 6 months

Fork: 2 years

Wheels: 2 years

Tires: 6 months

Of course it goes on to say this is an estimate based on you riding 10 hours per week year round and where and how hard you ride but you get the picture. What are your thoughts? What are some of your longest lasting components and how did you maintain them? Since pictures are worth a thousand words can those of you who have exceptionally long lasting components please share them?

[Berkley]

Where do these people ride? Krypton?

[ZUUL99]

if you take a whiff of your rear derailleur, or other abused components and it smells like rotting fish than you need some new components, if you have any questions on expired products call the FDA and they should tell you if your bike is safe or not.

[derby]

10 hours actual ride time a week year round is really much more than 90% of riders put in. That's close to 100 trail miles a week, 5000 miles a year. I used to ride near that much, except less during winter months.

Even doing major miles per year, many items in that list seem to be very short lived... unless crash damaged or not maintained.

[Glide the Clyde]

Say you bought a bike in April of 2011 then you would need to replace the......

I didn't buy the ragazine so I guess my components may go longer.

[Bro]

According to my April 2011 issue of MBA "Mountain Bike Action Magazine" they do.

Say you bought a bike in April of 2011 then you would need to replace the......

Yea.... I don't entirely plan on time-traveling to the future to buy bike parts just yet. Besides, the flux capacitor's been going wonky lately. I think it's been the weather.

[Ericmopar]

Good Lord! Is that really what they recommend?
Fix it when it needs fixin. Or when you have the cash to upgrade for fun.
I have to admit though. When it comes to aluminum bars, I like to replace them in about three years.
I've got a seatpost that's going on 5 years and two bikes... in rough desert terrain. Plus I'm 200lbs.
Carbon has no fatigue life, so as long as it's not damaged, it in theory has a much longer life than aluminum. That's what they've been learning with composite aircraft.
That schedule doesn't seem to take into account the type of terrain being ridden either.

I just thought of something. High Torque must be trying to sabotage the biking industry, so people will get back into their cars.

[ratmonkey]

Bearings and such should be inspected and lubed once a year. Most chains are stretched enough that they need replaced 2x a year, but most people just don't notice. shocks and forks should follow manufacturers service schedules. Which is usually oil and seals a few times a year and a major rebuild yearly.
Static components have a fatigue life, that can depend a lot upon your riding environment and storage conditions.


Some of the recommendations are odd, so look at the date of the magazine...

[deoreo]

Yeah, I kinda figured that article and the downhill bike for "closed course" labeling was an April Fools thing.

10hrs/wk actual trail ride time...remember folks...people tend to say what they think "sounds" right, and exaggerate a bit...(I'm sure there are some that ride that much though.)

The person to ask about how long parts last would be Craig Bierly...you know, the guy mountain biking all over the US.

http://runutsadventures.com/bike/

[frdfandc]

Bearings/pivot points should be checked periodically throughout the year. When I had my FS Kona, I checked the pivot points 3-4 times a year. Cleaning/lubing the pivot points would be done when the frame started creaking a lot. Once the pivot points were clean and free of dirt, I'd check the bearings for play/smoothness. This was done once a year, no more than 2 times a year.

Since I'm no longer riding the bike and selling the frame, I thought I would replace the pivot bearings/hardware. So I disassembled the entire bike - pull the shock, rear triangle, etc - and checked them. Still smooth. So I just re-greased them up and reassembled the frame.

Cables get replaced every year. Since I race XC for the M.A.S.S. series, I can't have any type of mechanical issues.

Everything else I say meh.

Seatpost: Al- 2 years
CF- 1 year

Adjustable Height- 90 day rebuild

Derailleur Cables: 6 months - Depends on riding conditions

Rear Derailleur Loop: 6 months Depends on riding conditions

Saddle: 4 years I can see this being legit

Pivot Bearings- 1 year If you check/clean periodically, no issues

Front Derailleur: 2 years If it ain't broke, don't fix it

Chain: 4 months Chain wear varies from rider/location/riding
style

Rear Shock: 1 year No need to replace, just have it serviced

Cranks: 2 years Again wear varies from rider/location/riding

Pedals: 2 years This is possible, pedals take a lot of abuse

Frame: Al- 4 years Maybe, depending on riding style/conditions
Ti- 5 years
Steel- 7 years
CF- 3 years I personally don't think that CF has a place in MTB, JMHO

Stem: 1 year meh, unless your crash prone/heavy jumper

Brakes: As soon as pads wear past mf's limit (durrr) Yeah, durrr

Bars: Al- 1.5 years Same as stem

CF- 1 year I'd go a little longer, going on 3 years on a set of Easton Monkeylites, but I don't jump/stunt/etc.

Grips: As needed Another durrrr

Headset: 1 year Keep it properly adjusted/serviced and it will last longer

Brake Cables: 6 months Again depending on riding conditions

Fork: 2 yearsKeep it serviced religiously and it will last longer

Wheels: 2 years meh

Tires: 6 months Depends on how many miles you ride, not time

[Moustache rider]

Hmmm. I have three bikes right now. If I went by these recommendations I would be left with one frame and a few components. Everything else would get thrown out.
Throwing out MBA sounds like a better idea.

[dead_dog_canyon]

Sounds like the 'Bike Manufacture and Repairmen Consortium' wrote the article and submitted it.

I have an 84' Fisher that I have put thousands (?) of miles on. As far as I can remember, the only parts that have been replaced due to ware are the derauliers and tires. I have replaced the rims due to damage (used old hubs). Point being - every thing else is still stock - brake and derailleur cables, hubs, seat post, etc.

If you maintain the bearings – bottom bracket, hubs, etc. - on a regular basis they will last a life time. I have to admit the hubs are little gritty when you spin them but they still work fine.

Sounds like junk to me….

Have you seen the expiration date on table salt now.
2yrs.
It’s been in the salt mine for 10 million years but it will go bad in the jar?

What is this world coming too?

[Shark]

They need to convince the readers to replace more stuff.....makes the advertising worth it for the companies that have ads in the magazine.

lol at that list. I ride it till it truly needs replacement.

[claydough001]

yeah i almost $hit when i read that article. I'm way too poor to mountain bike.

[Mr. Blonde]

MBA is possibly the $hittiest magazine on earth. I'd rather read Cosmo.

[claydough001]

MBA is possibly the $hittiest magazine on earth. I'd rather read Cosmo.

Why do you say that?

[Bikin' Bric]

WTF?!?!?!?!?!? Don't these guys do periodic maintenance and lubriaction to moving parts? All of my stuff has lasted much longer than their suggestions, and I'm pretty tough on my gear.

I am a little worried about the jar of Mayonaise in the back of the fridge........ can't seem to find MBA's recommended replacement timeline for it.......

[claydough001]

I wanna see some pictures!!!!

[nachomc]

Why do you say that?

Have you seen the chicks in Cosmo

[claydough001]

Have you seen the chicks in Cosmo

yeah they are stunning. i like the articles betther. "10 ways to make your man cream his pants"

[Moustache rider]

Cosmo ain't got nothin' to do with my selection.

[BigRuckus]

Now you know why the rag is lovingly referred to as 'Mountain Bike Fiction'. When you can't figure out what to write, just make something up.

[Glide the Clyde]

Cosmo

I didn't read the *story* but perhaps someone who did can confirm or correct.

Perhaps it was written more from a law of averages point of view rather than "it's worn out so scrap it."

We all replace components of some form over the life of a bike (like more durrr).

You buy a 2011 bike and due to breakage, general upgraditus, a breakthrough in shifters comes out in 2013, that Float R shock just doesn't have enough tuning capability for your improving technique at the end of the summer, you want to shave a couple pounds in wheels and tires sometime in 2012, a 33" bar is all the rage next Spring, 10mm more front travel in would be oh so nice for that Moab trip in 2014, and so on.

Playing the law of averages, with millions of bikers riding offroad and even more bikes out there, stuff get changed. Some more durrrrrrrrrrr.

Of course, tires, chains, cassettes, grips, chain rings, and other short term wear parts might need to be changed a few times a year depending on mileage, not the calendar. Durrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrr

[roxnroots]

Obviously, mountain bike magazines make money from advertising mountain bike component manufacturers. Mountain bike magazines want to keep their advertisers happy. Apparently, normal wear-and-tear and upgradeditis don't generate enough sales by themeselves so help out your best customers by cranking out an article now and then suggesting you're riding a potentially-lethal carton of milk down the mountain if you don't get those about-to-expire parts replaced pdq.

Oh, and conveniently, an ad for the part you're told needs immediate replacing is within a few pages of the article.

[aerius]

I wanna see some pictures!!!!

1996 Kona Explosif frame
Chris King headset - about 12 years so far
Time ATAC Carbon Ti pedals - 11 years
8 speed XT crankset - 12 years, outer chainring's original, middle & inner replaced a few times
Manitou X-Vert Super fork - 11 years, good as new
XTR rear derrailleur - 13 years
Wheelset's about 8 years, probably have a couple more before the back rim wears out

Buy good stuff, take good care of it and it'll last a heck of a long time. The odo on my bike computer's rolled over a couple times so it's not like my bike's been sitting in storage, it's out there getting ridden every week.