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Halftrack_El_Camino t1_jdt6smj wrote

Any bike worth buying can be BIFL if you take care of it, that's one of the wonderful things about bikes! I do get why people are into Rivendell, though. For a particular cycling philosophy and aesthetic, they are really just the ultimate.

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MarthaFarcuss t1_jdv2285 wrote

I'd argue carbon frames are gonna go at some point

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Halftrack_El_Camino t1_jdv3nuz wrote

That thought did cross my mind. It'll surely depend some on the frame though, and ironically I bet it'll be the super high-end frames where every possible gram has been shaved off that'll go first. Steel or aluminum, though? There's no reason those shouldn't last 100 years with even halfhearted care.

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cptjeff t1_jdvuq3o wrote

Aluminum fatigues with every stress cycle, getting more brittle until it just snaps. Steel is much more ductile, meaning as long as its max strain loads aren't exceeded that repeated stress won't fatigue the metal at all. You can drive aluminum for a long time, sure, but eventually it will just snap. Steel won't ever just snap from cyclical loading.

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cptjeff t1_jdvu7og wrote

No, carbon frames and aluminum frames wear out with use and eventually break. Steel doesn't. You have to make sure to keep it painted so that surface rust doesn't go through the frame, but in terms of long term durability no other bike is close. I mean, I'm riding my mother's old college bike from the 70s several times a week, and it's still in perfect shape. Try that shit with carbon.

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a_pair_of_socks t1_jdvxoym wrote

This may be semantics but I’d say only bike frames can be BIFL. Basically every other component needs to be replaced with use

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