Creating a durable bike

Having sold and fixed hundreds of bikes over the years, and ridden thousands of miles, we have a pretty good idea of what lasts and what doesn't.

The bike in the picture above is a good example of what the text below describes. It was sold for £750 to Mark Levy. After a year of commuting 12 miles a day, he brought it back for a checkover. It needed just routine parts. Mind you, Mark cleans the bike every day, which aids longevity.

To make a bike that lasts, start with a steel frame. The most durable are "overbuilt", that is a bit more metal is used than is really necessary, but not too much. A good grade of steel is necessary so that good threads can be cut in it for the bottom bracket and headset.

The wheels should be handbuilt using stainless steel spokes and box section eyeleted rims, like the Mavic 319 or 719. These rims are so tough that the brake blocks will wear through the sides before they buckle. There's no point trying for durability with small wheels, they just wear very fast. 700c or 27 inch are best.

Good hubs have loose ball bearings, high grade cones and ideally replacable cups. Sachs-Malliard used to do these, and they are still to be found, salvaged from Raleigh mountainbikes. The very highest quality hubs are often less durable than the mid-market. Campag Record and Mavic suffer from cracked flanges and spoke holes.

Freehubs, where the sprockets slide on, have a design flaw in that the ratchet mechanism is not routinely replaced as happens with a freewheel, so eventually it fails and all drive is lost. The Campagnolo design is superior to Shimano.

A traditional bottom bracket with 22 1/4 inch ballbearings will last longer than a cartridge type with 18 3/16 balls. It will need adjusted occasionally and regreased annually.

In headsets, the double cup with replacable races made by TD Cross is the acme of perfection. Naturally it has been out of production for decades.

This is the crown race of a TD Cross headset, fitted from new to a 1948 Sun. It was in perfect condition.

Stronglight still make rollerbearing headsets, which are very good though the prudent cyclist will be laying down a stock of replacement bearings.

The Woodman company has recently produced a headset so finely engineered that those who appreciate such things have to go home after opening the box. We expect it to last at least ten years with annual inspections.

In choosing cranks, a time proven design is best. If just a single chainring is required, then there's  nothing wrong with cotterpins. Indeed, the humble cotterpin, being the smallest, cheapest and easiest bit to replace, acts like a shear pin or fuse, failing to prevent damage to other more expensive parts.

If you want multiple chainrings, make sure they are replacable and a standard size. The two sizes that look the best bet for the future are 110mm and 130mm bolt circle diameter.

Derailieur gear mechanisms, chains and freewheels all wear out. You just have to accept it. To prolong life, have few sprockets on the back. Six or seven are fine. You don't need nine or more, the chain is too thin and wears rapidly.

Hub gears are very durable. Well, most are. Good ones are all three speeds, Sturmey 5 speed Sprinter, all Sachs/Sram except maybe the 9 and definitely the 12, and the Rolhoff. Bad gears are Sturmeys original 8, bell crank link Shimano, Styria and some older Sturmey. Modern Shimano are OK for a while but spares are lacking.