Would a new bicycle be more energy-efficient than an older, high mileage bike?

[acemcmac]

I?m thinking about it in terms of wear and tear. I have? what I?m guessing to be a ten year old bike with about 10,000 miles on it. Things break on it all the time and with the commuting I do, if it was just 10% easier, I?d bike instead of drive every day. It?s to the point where when I?m in my best shape, I can pinpoint where I will break a sweat within 30 feet along my route?. Breaking sweat @ 7:45am = not acceptable.

With regards to wear and tear of my current bike and the evolution of bike technology, would a new bike be easier to commute with in terms of efficiency?

 

[Koing]

YES.

A bike that is newer then a 10yr bike MAKES a lot of difference.

Nicely pumped tyres lighish frame and oiled parts will go much better then what you are on.

My bike is faster then compared to my old one.

Koing

 

[Koing]

For reference I have a Cannondale Bad Boy 02 bike. Hybrid between mtb and road. Thin tyres and some good parts. I like it a lot. £700 for me and worth every penny on my commute.

Koing

 

[Armitage]

I dunno. If your 10 year old bike is of good quality, and I suspect it must be for you to have put 10K miles on it, then I doubt you'll see a huge improvement. While a new bike might be marginally lighter, the the basic drivetrain efficiency just can't get much better then it already was decades ago. What it might get you is a wider range of gearing, but if you've got a triple on your old bike, it's probably more then adequate.

Have an overhaul done on your old bike - repack the bearing, true up the wheels, put a new chain on., etc. I test rode some new bikes last summer, and honestly didn't feel all that much difference from my well maintained 15 year old Trek

 

[acemcmac]

Originally posted by: Armitage
I dunno. If your 10 year old bike is of good quality, and I suspect it must be for you to have put 10K miles on it, then I doubt you'll see a huge improvement. While a new bike might be marginally lighter, the the basic drivetrain efficiency just can't get much better then it already was decades ago. What it might get you is a wider range of gearing, but if you've got a triple on your old bike, it's probably more then adequate.

Have an overhaul done on your old bike - repack the bearing, true up the wheels, put a new chain on., etc. I test rode some new bikes last summer, and honestly didn't feel all that much difference from my well maintained 15 year old Trek

Giant Yukon. Formerly a beach bike. Has new shifters, cables, breaks, tires, tubes, front derailer... I'd replace the chain since a link snapped about a year ago, but the chain and sprockets are too streched... I'd have to do the whole thing.... the thing is a freaking money pit.... the head and crank case are probably metal confetti inside...

 

[OffTopic1]

10K miles is nothing on a good frame, however the moving parts should be recondition or replace. Take it to a bike store and ask them what need to replace and recondition, or just spend a day and do it yourself. Replace the hubs aren't worth your time because retuning them with out the tunning fork is a pain (most people purchase new wheels instead of replacing the hubs).

 

[Armitage]

Originally posted by: acemcmac

Originally posted by: Armitage
I dunno. If your 10 year old bike is of good quality, and I suspect it must be for you to have put 10K miles on it, then I doubt you'll see a huge improvement. While a new bike might be marginally lighter, the the basic drivetrain efficiency just can't get much better then it already was decades ago. What it might get you is a wider range of gearing, but if you've got a triple on your old bike, it's probably more then adequate.

Have an overhaul done on your old bike - repack the bearing, true up the wheels, put a new chain on., etc. I test rode some new bikes last summer, and honestly didn't feel all that much difference from my well maintained 15 year old Trek

Giant Yukon. Formerly a beach bike. Has new shifters, cables, breaks, tires, tubes, front derailer... I'd replace the chain since a link snapped about a year ago, but the chain and sprockets are too streched... I'd have to do the whole thing.... the thing is a freaking money pit.... the head and crank case are probably metal confetti inside...

IIRC, that's a relatively low end mountain bike. In that case, yes, get a new bike. A decent road bike, or even hybrid will make a world of difference. It's not so much that 10 years have made that much of a difference, but rather the style & quality of the bike that makes the difference.

 

[theblackbox]

Nothing wrong with old bikes.

My mountain bike is 4 years old, and i just renewed it's life with new shifters, seatpost, and a new saddle. I sold my old frame, a s-works m2 i had since it was new in 94.

the bikes of today are too fancy schmancy.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: acemcmac

Originally posted by: Armitage
I dunno. If your 10 year old bike is of good quality, and I suspect it must be for you to have put 10K miles on it, then I doubt you'll see a huge improvement. While a new bike might be marginally lighter, the the basic drivetrain efficiency just can't get much better then it already was decades ago. What it might get you is a wider range of gearing, but if you've got a triple on your old bike, it's probably more then adequate.

Have an overhaul done on your old bike - repack the bearing, true up the wheels, put a new chain on., etc. I test rode some new bikes last summer, and honestly didn't feel all that much difference from my well maintained 15 year old Trek

Giant Yukon. Formerly a beach bike. Has new shifters, cables, breaks, tires, tubes, front derailer... I'd replace the chain since a link snapped about a year ago, but the chain and sprockets are too streched... I'd have to do the whole thing.... the thing is a freaking money pit.... the head and crank case are probably metal confetti inside...

Probably be best to replace it then. When you start replacing worn components you can quickly reach a point where it makes more sense to buy a new bike. Still, if the frame is worthy you could probably just replace the worn components with newer stuff that would be better quality than it came with.

I would have a bike shop go through it and see if it can be refreshed for about half the cost of a decent new bike. If you like the frame and don't want to upgrade to a newer model this might not be a bad route.

It really depends on your needs and the condition of the bike.