I expect that 99 out of 100 bikes on earth are treated like your son's, with the assumption that there is no difference between infrastructure and components, and the expectation that the chain or the tires or the grips will last as long as the frame or handlebar. That's the way bikes are treated (tho' I can think of 2 very notable exceptions) by practical riders in what is foolishly called the Third World. Of course, many of these bikes are not subject to Michigan winters.
For fool proof tire protection, these are said to work well; all you have to do is add air occasionally: https://tannusamerica.com/products/tannus-armour They do require you to install smaller tubes. Next thread: what would *you* (in the sense of "all y'all) do to make a bike as maintenance free as possible? Me: fixed (no finicky and delicate ss freewheel, prone to malfunction and breakage) with full chaincase and wee oil port on top -- or, better, get a little lube tube brazed from side to top of underside of chain so you can dribble lube onto the working side), single front drum brake, plastic saddle, Tubus rack (black anodized Fly for me, for best cost + weight to load value) for easy-on and -off Ortlieb panniers for volume, weather-proofness, and security, SKF bb (or Greasuguard), GreaseGuard clips and straps, Planet Bike fenders with foot long front mudflap (bc PB fenders are criminally short, but they're cheap and strong), and a Shimano dynamo hub with one of the cheap but very bright German plastic led headlights that I've used but whose name I can't recall. Perhaps Plasti-dip the frame? On Fri, Mar 6, 2026 at 6:59 PM Leah Peterson <[email protected]> wrote: > > Isn’t it amazing the abuse these bikes can take? That whole “tough bike to > love” slogan turned out to be true for this Clem, anyway. I wish he cared > more about maintenance; I think until he really has something go wrong, he > won’t. And maybe not even then. I converted him to tubeless for our bike > tours and I’m so glad I did - we stopped at one point and all these > microscopic pinpricks were oozing sealant. And they sealed right up. He’s > never had a flat! He has always been reluctant to take the bike in for > service because he loathes giving up his only transportation. As of > tomorrow, he will be a vehicle owner, so maybe he’ll start taking the bike > to the shop when it needs it. > > Oh, also the pedals are new. He hated the lime pedals on his bike. We got > them because his originals malfunctioned on our first tour. We had to find > a shop and we took what they had. He hated those pedals. I knew he loved my > oil slick ones so I gave him a pair. He is torn between feeling bad that > they are an extravagance but also loving how they look on his bike. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CALuTfgtTQ380jUW5uL2y0Q6HWybNNBQTV5w_8TvUKk58QJcUqA%40mail.gmail.com.
