Damn bicycles, okay. I'm not from Netherlands, I don't have any education about bicycles. All I know is that they suck and that they break often. Fuck bicycles. That's at least what I thought because I was only exposed to a single type of bicycles which weren't tuned nor built for the type of terrain me and my fellow citizens experience. Once I studied up on different types of bicycles and mechanisms which they are composed of, I started to understand the common problems we have with bicycles here in Dalmatia.
GEARS
Gears! Fuck the 3X gearing system! Everyone keeps putting the 3X gearing system into commercial commuter bicycles and I have no clue why! We drive around town, we need to get from place A to place B, we do not need 27 speeds to get there.
SPEEDS
Speeds are unnecessary! Cut the shit with 30 million different speeds! It's an extremely complicated system with no purpose. Commuter bikes need no more than a 1X system with gears only on one side and maybe a dozen or so speeds at most! More speeds means more headache with adjusting front and back derailleur! Minimize the complication and engineer the bicycle like it is a commuter piece of equpiment designed to be used everyday by everyday people. Holy shit fuck bike shops selling mountain bikes as regular commuter bikes. Nobody tells you this stuff the first time you walk in hoping to grab a great ride for a proper price.
CHAINS
Chains are actually a waste part! Yes, you need to change your chain semi-regularly! That's a big part of the reason why your million-speed shifter can't shift properly into the speed you want. Your chain is loose and you should get a new one. Changing it isn't too hard if you have a proper tool but you really need to have a proper tool for it so go to AliExpress and get yourself a chain detachement tool now! I'm sorry but that's just how it works. I learned the hard way.
TYRES
Okay cry about it, tyres puncture and you will need to replace them. Honestly I was laughing at how easy it was once I figured it out. This is obvious but hey, word of encouragement, it's easy and you don't really need special tools. Just follow any tutorial you find online, don't skip steps and you'll wonder why were you even scared to do it to begin with... Oh and don't forget to get the same-sized tyres/tubes.
DISC BRAKES
I've heard disc brakes are harder to replace than classic V-Style brakes but I didn't have the same experience obviously. I changed the pads on my shitty disc brakes which I don't even know the brand of and it was surprisingly easy. There really is no reason to worry about mineral oil and whatnot, that shit won't leak unless you're retarded. Just take the wheel off and pop the brake pads out. It's like a two minute job with a whatever screwdriver, easey peasey. The new pads click right in cause it's all semi-magnetic, whatevermajig.
These are the five most common problems I ran into while commuting with my average mountain bike that you buy at your average bicycle shop here in Dalmatia. Hopefully after reading this you can understand "simpler is better" when it comes to bicycles. Don't overcomplicate it and know what you're buying!
14.02.2023.
