The Bike of Doom

A thousand miles… yeesh. Seems longer than that!

In its first 1,600 Km (1,000 Miles) of service, the SuperCycle SC1800 Bike of Doom has undergone a number of repairs. Here’s the list. Costs associate with the repair (parts) are noted in parentheses:

• 1542 Km - Replace 3 spokes in rear wheel, true wheel, overhaul rear wheel hub. ($1.50)
• 1465 Km - Overhaul bottom bracket. Dump cages, increase bearings to 11 per side. ($1.00)
• 1324 Km - Replace brake pads, front and rear, completely worn out. ($7.50)
• 1227 Km - Replace front and rear tires due to damage from low air pressure. ($0.00 - tires donated)
• 1107 Km - Overhaul bottom bracket after large puddle, full immersion.
• 1018 Km - Replace 2 spokes in rear wheel, true wheel. ($1.00)
• 885 Km - Replace 2 spokes in rear wheel, true wheel. ($1.00)
• 725 Km - Overhaul bottom bracket to stop clicking, grinding.

It’s clear that the bottom bracket and rear wheel have been problem areas for me. Based on the experiences of other SC1800 riders, the bottom bracket is the bike’s weak spot. The wheel’s are my own personal weak spot, a combination of my weight and careless cycling, combined with poor quality rims. They didn’t stand a chance. But, they’re still rolling, so I can’t really complain.

Cost of these repairs was $12.00 in parts. I don’t include the cost of tools because I use them for all my bikes.

As well as the repairs above, I also conduct routine maintenance every two weeks: clean the bike, clean and lube the drive train, adjust cable tension as required, adjust air pressure as required. These are things I do on all my bikes, even the good ones.

I am now keeping track of all repairs in a repair log. Please see the Info links in the left sidebar.

Related posts:

Repair limit for a Department Store Bike

SuperCycle SC1800 Toolbox

1018 Km — 1,000 Kilometre Maintenance