bicycles ,the longest lived items ?

[mikee]

i regularly see an old bloke (mid 70's i'd say) pedaling a carlton 10 speed
around our town , he just looks like your dad (or grandad) panniers stuffed with dog food and bread etc . he makes me smile ,he looks as if he used the bike to commute to the mill or the pit or whatever
tho he probably only retired 10 years ago so maybe an IT manager
sometimes he has a mac on and sometimes a fleece jacket
basic cheap transport

got me thinking , of all the stuff we have ,are bicycles the most constant
use things we have ?

most things last probably 10 years at the most ,by then they are obsolete
broken or just not fashionable ,so disposed of ,those that are kept tend to
be retro /collectable/classic /vintage etc so not used to the same extent
but if you go around a city center bike park you'll see all manner of old bikes in daily use
the only comparable thing i can think of in my household is cutlery and crockery ,most of which i've had for the past 30 odd years

what do you think , is the bike the most enduring thing on the planet ?

 

[dbmtb]

No. It's not.

The Wok is.

 

[suburbanreuben]

Volvos.

 

[Deleted member 13859]

similar guy in my town on an old bsa that dosnt look as if its had a service in its life! also he smokes a pipe whilst riding said bike. trooper

 

[My_Teenage_Self]

Underpants.


:shock:

 

[tintin40]

Agree

 

[jimo746]

There's a he'll of a lot of bikes about tbh, law of averages suggests plenty will survive for many years.
Bikes don't often break or rust beyond repair, most parts can easily be sourced and replaced, unlike cars for instance where rot often kills them or the engine goes kaput and renders it beyond economical repair.
Bicycles do have great longevity, especially if looked after.

 

[t-stoff]

prly doc martens LOL, I still wear some things from the 90s and early 2000s.

seriously, now about bikes, I love saying I ride something with 15 years and I have no intentions on selling it.

 

[doctor-bond]

Fire, pots, glass etc are pretty enduring human technologies. But the bike has a shot at the most enduring transport technology. What could beat it - horse and cart; dog sled? True but they are really niche and anachronistic whereas the bike still thrives.

Skis and surfboards are probably older: though less effective for nipping down to the shops on ....

 

[Ally]

Hmmm, you might be correct. It hard times, the bike come to the fore as a means of nessesity, in affluent times, it becomes a leasure item.