16 Year Old Bike

I had first thought about buying one with front and rear suspension, but based on my intended use, willingness to pay, and the quality of rear suspension in 2004, I settled for a hardtail with a rigid fork: a Peak Cycle Port Douglas 2004.

The first "modification" happened courtesy of a ditch near Eggeby Gård. The front fork was bent backwards enough that it had to be scrapped and replaced with a new one. (I went flying over the bars, but luckily no part of me needed replacement.)

Of course the bike joined me in Vienna.

A bit later I realized that I took better photos the more I moved around and I started optimizing the bike for photography. Since I was living in the center of Stockholm I no longer took the bike for rides around Järvafältet for exercise, and using it as a way to carry my camera and the lenses seemed like a better idea than keeping the bike stripped down to a minimum.

I added a kickstand and rear rack to the bike, and found a cheap quick-release bag to go with it.

Then I replaced the by now very worn tires with a pair of Continental Contact Travel 37-622, trading some off-road ability for greater speed on-road.

By 2019 the bike was showing its age. The gear shifters didn't work well - the front gear could not go above the middle chainring and the rear not below the fifth. Expecting that the whole groupset (gear shifters, sprockets, the whole lot) would have to be replaced, I decided to turn the bike in for maintenance. If I could get it fixed for less than 3000 SEK, that'd be worth it. I found a nearby bike repair shop - Cykloteket Service Store - booked a time for maintenance online, and when the day came I rode the bike over there and turned it in.

One day and 1200 SEK later, I had what was basically a new bike. That's less than $10 / year in maintenance!

I was very impressed by the service. For example, I expected the gear shifters to need a complete replacement. In reality, they just needed a bit of cleaning and some oil. Cykloteket could have replaced them, charged me for it, and I would have been none the wiser. But they did right by me.

When covid-19 hit in 2020 public transport went from routine to something to avoid, and the bike stepped up. It was now that I really started using it regularly, and to go longer distances. As a result, I did some comfort upgrades. First I replaced the seat post with a damped one, and added a padded seat. Together these made the biking shorts I had previously worn unnecessary.

Then I did the most complex operation so far: I replaced the front fork with one with shock absorbers. This took a lot of measuring and guessing, as mountainbikes had gone from the threaded forks and quill stems of '04 to the threadless forks and Ahead/threadless-stems of today. Unlike the first fork replacement, I had to replace part of the top headset bearing and the steering stem. The measuring and guessing worked out in the end, though, and after a couple of failed attempts I was the proud owner of a hardtail bike with front shock absorbers.

This change really made a difference to the ride comfort. Biking over roots, rocks, and bike path curbs suddenly felt very smooth where before I'd feel the bump in my hands.

I also bought a new chain lock that I could easily transport (unlike my old u-lock that I had to carry in a backpack), so I could lock the bike while out and about.

The final additions to the bike as of now are two bags that hook on to the rear carrier and that I use when shopping groceries or having to transport other heavy things.

These past few months of regular biking have both re-ignited my joy of biking and taught me a lot about how customizable a bike is.

Looking forward to another sixteen years!