Adam's bike challenge. Stage 3: Do I need a new bike for long distance?
Adam Bradbury
21 October 2011
What links Theseus, Trigger and my bike?
Minotaur slain, Theseus (right) returns to Greece. There the Athenians preserve his ship by replacing timbers as they rot - until over time none of the original ones are left. Beardy philosophers spend centuries fretting over whether it's really the same ship.
Rewarded for saving the council money by maintaining his broom for 20 years, Trigger ("Only Fools and Horses") explains it's had "17 new heads and 14 new handles" Sid: "How can it be the same broom then?" Trigger: "There's the picture. What more proof do you need?"
Well here's a picture of my bike before I had it preserved for Friends of the Earth's Big Green Bike Ride.
I hadn't done much work to it for about 5 years. It's a hybrid, designed for urban riding, lives outside through the winter, and doesn't boast a single milligram of carbon fibre.
I wanted an expert opinion. Would it make 500 miles from London to Edinburgh in 6 days?
So while the nation watched a wedding earlier this year I sneaked into my nearest bike shop.
Do I need a new bike? I asked the mechanic.
He listened to what I was planning - the build-up in training to around 300 miles a week, the cosy 80 miles a day in one week.
He took a good look, wiggled things, even took it out for a little ride up the road.
"No it's fine."
"Oh great."
"But you need to replace few things."
"Oh."
"Back wheel, cassette (the cogs at the back), chain, brakes, saddle..."
"Oh, my bike."
"The frame's still good."
He costed the parts and I left with a print-out.
Online I found a couple of suppliers whose prices for components saved me around £50 in total.
A few weeks later a bike that looks quite like mine was wheeled out of the workshop.
"Your trusty steed, sir." Really, that's what he said.
I glowed as I glided away on a bike that feels very different from mine, but whose soul is the same as it ever was. And at half the price.
In my next few blogs I'll talk about which handles, heads, and timbers I replaced - and why.
Adam Bradbury, Publishing & New Media team
PS Check out the mother of all revamps from eco-friendly bikes specialists Racer Rosa - who are also donating a fantastic prize for Big Green Bike Ride participants.
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