Bike Manufacturers Are Making Bikes Less Repairable
Bike Manufacturers Are Making Bikes Less Repairable
Just like cars, tractors, computers, and seemingly every other product category, bikes—and especially e-bikes—are going all black box on us.
Ifixit take on current bike/e-bike manufacturers.
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This is extremely frustrating. For individual bike shops, this now means business is going to be forced into large corporate owned shops just for simple things like rebuilding a hub. Really hoping the bike community pools together and offers a generic, simple bike that is useful for stuff like touring or grocery runs, without a bunch of specialized parts. Something like the buffalo bicycle
I think we already have that.
Bikes, at least non-electric ones, have an immensely long service life and there's not much margin, and thusly not a whole lot of incentive to deviate from standards unless you're willing write very big cheques to machine a million copies of something custom--and there's not really that much improvement year to year. Manufacturers are trying oh so very hard to balkanize the market, but doing so just increases their costs and allows someone else to come in and make a steel-framed 700c with Shimano whatever-they-call-it-this-week for the same money or less.
We are seeing experimentation, usually in the cargo- and fat-bike markets, as well as at the very high end, but no one's having a ton of success. Even high-end road bikes still use a lot of common components.
I suppose that's true, bikes haven't changed much in the last 30 years. But maybe this is just my short term memory, but it seems like there has been a rise in specialized parts for bikes? Like thru-axles were originally only meant for high end mountain bikes, now it's standard. Same with hydraulic disc brakes, suspension, etc. Lately what's been scaring me is ebikes, which have software/controllers that aren't meant to be opened or repaired, just return to manufacturer. For now it's only high end bikes, but how long until the electronic shifters make it's way onto even the old used bike market?