People always say that Aluminium is impossible to repair but if you have a welder who isn't a complete monkey it's fine. The trick is to putting as little energy as possible into it, and using a high percentage of silicone like 5% so that the weld isn't super rigid. I've had numerous frames sorted this way and every time they've lasted significantly longer than the original. That includes the half dozen sets of Intense M1 seatstays I went through (I was getting warranty replacements and selling the re-welded broken ones).
I wouldn't want to have one as a daily but perversely I love driving them, you can always tell who can properly drive if they're in something like that and still hustling it down the road. I've driven a few that have been engine swapped with both a Cummins diesel, and a Chevy V8, and they're almost comical, as is the look on the faces of hot hatch drivers when no matter how hard they try they can't keep up with you. I think like bikes I bemoan things that make life easier and diminish the gap between those who have talent and those who don't. Big 50lb ebikes on modern trails take so little effort to still ride reasonably quickly compared to stuff from ten years ago, and these days even aunt Doris can go quickly in a straight line thanks to an auto diesel or even electric car where the only talent required is to mash your foot into the carpet. Very annoying when you're trying to get past them because they can't go round corners very well. 100% right on the ergonomics though, especially on the older ones with steering wheels that wouldn't have been out of place on a Scania! I do remember my dad saying he'd like a new one for up at the croft, but then LR gave him one to drive about in as a courtesy car for a few days when his Evoque was buggered and I don't think he'd even left the forecourt before he was reminded about how crap they are if you just want a car, and to scratch the itch that made him think he should get one!
One thing with sealing and mountain biking is very true that cartridge bearings are probably less wasteful in the modern age given the average person doesn't want to have to do the periodic maintenance. It was always funny reading the comments from salty Californians on my Pinkbike reviews if I mentioned the sealing was up to a seasons worth of jet washing, saying that 'you shouldn't ride mtbs in the mud because it damages the trails', or 'you shouldn't set a bad example to the kids, jet washing is bad'. Sometimes you just need to get on with it and accept the consequences. I actually find the worst thing for bearings is muc-off and other alkali cleaners as they seem to make bearings corrode significantly faster than just jet washing with water.
