I am not serious about bike riding. It's just something I'll sometimes do for fun on nice days with my cheap little Walmart bike. But now I have a really fucking nice bike that I don't know what to do with. And I am TERRIFIED. Apparently it's a 2018 stumpjumper expert 27.5, which originally had a retail price of ~$5000, so this thing is worth like twice as much as my car and I am honestly scared to take it anywhere.
How do I take care of it, and how do I make sure it never gets stolen besides keeping it indoors when not in use? How should I handle locking it up outside if I ever need to? Looking into theft proof bike locks has only told me that any lock can and will be cut and you just can't let a bike out of your sight and that's awful. Potential theft is my biggest fear regarding it by far. Help….
by PM_ME_UR_COYOTES
23 Comments
I get that you’re stressed, but the simple truth of the matter is that you don’t lock a bike like this up outside.
If you need a bike you can commute on in a relaxed way, you should sell this, buy a nice hybrid and a u-lock, and pocket the rest of the cash.
That thing is made to go down hill fast as fuck. If you’re not up for that maybe sell it.
Correct, dont let it out of your sight when out and about. Make sure to clean and lube the chain regularly, and if you take it out on trails make sure to wash it afterwards if it’s dirty ! I recommend a yearly service if youre doing serious trail riding (which you’ll start doing with this thing, trust me) the Park tool youtube channel has pretty much everything you need to know about bikes, bike parts, and maintenance
and if you don’t want to sell it and you just want it as a commuter you can use tire’s like the Surly ET’s or anything with a similar thread pattern 👇it offers a smoother faster ride
https://preview.redd.it/qqp5823oa80h1.jpeg?width=275&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2649d6fe2f33abf838f16860fc37433e01a9d707
you are correct that every single lock on the market can eventually be cut with an angle grinder but there are ones that take a damn long time to cut using multiple discs and multiple batteries for the grinder. The best lock out there is the Litelok X3 an independent tester ended up having use 20 discs, 3 batteries and it took nearly an hour for him to cut through it, and that was for just one side of the U-lock, for most U-locks you have to cut both sides. So we’re talking around 2hrs, 40discs, and 6 grinder batteries. The only downside is the lock costs $450. Also if it takes that long to cut the lock the thief is most likely going to just cut whatever the lock is locked to be that a bike rack or a metal sign post or hand railing.
meh … that bike isn’t really great and pretty trash. Since you have no interest or know much about bikes, just send it to me and I can figure out what to do with a junk bike like this one.
Hehe … ride it the way it’s supposed to be ridden and you won’t want to part with it
This is a pretty specific trial bike and won’t be particularly good for non trail use.
If you aren’t trail riding, use the Walmart bike. If you aren’t going to get into trial riding, sell it. It will get less valuable over time.
If you are going somewhere where you’ll be locking it up for extended period. Ride the Walmart bike.
Even the most serious riders keep a junker for situations where the bike will be unattended on a lock.
Whoever gifted that to you either really likes you or is very reckless with money.
This bike has a stash compartment under the bottle cage. I would recommend sticking a gps tracker like an apple air tag inside there. Another thing you can do to prove ownership, is to stash a piece of paper with some personal information, like name, number and address inside the handlebars. This can remove any doubt about truthful ownership if you are to reclaim your bike, god forbid.
U lock on back rim and around frame, on top of a cable lock or in my case a beastly chain with an all weather masterlock. The thing you want on your side is make it a headache and create time.
The good thing is that you can stop worrying about the price, as it’s an 8 year old, it’s lost most of it’s value. It’s now in the
1000eur ball park.
The bad thing is these kind of bikes do require maintanance, especially suspension components.
If you plan on riding it then good otherwise pass it on to someone who would use it.
Terrible bike for pavement, amazing bike for trails.
I live in Whistler and I see people without bike knowledge purchase full suspension downhill bikes all the time to use as commuters…only to regret it later. As sexy as it looks, this thing is HARD to move compared to other bikes. People who use these for their intended purpose often have chairlifts bring them to the top of a hill and only ride it downhill wearing full face helmets, body armor, and appropriate footwear. On flat land it’s a damn workout to keep the thing moving, and uphills of any kind are a pain. You can do it, it’s just going to be much harder than other ones.
Also, you won’t want to lock this up outside. Even with a good lock, people who know the value of these will absolutely make more of an effort to steal them. All the guys I knew kept them indoors and treated them like the multi-thousand dollar babies they are.
Cool thing to get, and I can understand getting attached…but using this thing outside its intended purpose seems like both an unnecessary amount of work and an insult to a purpose-built niche machine.
It WAS a $5,000 bike. Now its probably a $750 bike. It’s still a very good bike for the right uses, though. If you want to get into MTB it’s an excellent starting point. If you’re looking to commute around town you’re likely better off trading it for something more suited for that.
Sick ride! I used to daily commute on a dualie in the city, but my bike was safe inside a building.. Now I have to use a bike rack so I ride a cheaper bike to lock up.
Congrats on the ride! Get out and ride some trails 🙂
It shouldn’t be a commuter bike. Take it or ride to trails to rip around, then leave it at home. No in betweens. Only ever take it places with big windows like a cafe or something where you can either roll it in or keep a close eye on it. If you don’t want to get into mtb just sell it
Check out the websites for any local MTB clubs, MTB Project app, or other resources to find local trails and go explore.
Thank you all for the advice and the hard truths. I’m sure it’s frustrating for some of you avid bikers seeing someone really uneducated on bikes end up with a nice one that they don’t know what to do with. I’m going to try my best to educate myself and make the most of this opportunity by starting to trail ride and putting this machine to work the way it’s meant to be. It was such a nice gift that I really don’t want to end up discarding and selling it, so, might as well start learning!
the only time u commute with this is when the location you are going to allows u keep it next to ur side 24/7, for example, mcdonalds
OP, don’t listen to the folks telling you this is a downhill bike. It’s just a nice mtn bike. It will pedal beautifully on most any terrain, but yeah I wouldn’t use it for the street.
If youre at all interested in mtn biking, go rip that thing. Mtn biking is SUPER fun and that’s an awesome bike. It just isn’t a downhiller.
Looks like there is a hole in the frame on the seatpost, maybe it a sticker.
You also probably want to get flat pedals and not start with SPDs
Keeping nice bikes inside is totally normal and is usually the way.
This is a bike you ride find adventure and find yourself. It is a easy steal its never a commuter unless its next to you. They gave you a great bike learn or dont, but a nice specialized expedition or the like used