Have you stocked up on bike parts in case of future shortages?

Handlebars

Well-Known Member
Region
Canada
I mean, what could go wrong? 🎶

So far I have a new set of tires, an extra chain, brake pads and rotors, and a spare battery.
 
I did quite some time ago, tires mostly since I needed some, but I got way more than I needed. I got other parts such as a chain, but I don't see supply issues with those, or didn't at the time. i got some other accessories that were constantly out of stock, but tubes, tires, and tire armour where the big things 6 months ago. I got several brake pads also, but there were no stock issues at the time. I just decided not to buy a new bike as I know I would not get it for the season, and so glad I did. I bought something else and just went back to planning my next bike and trying to get outside as much as possible working around less than ideal weather and a busy work schedule.
 
I always kept at least one full supply of consumable components on hand for my primary bikes even before this chaos. It's probably good practice just from a breakage and wear standpoint...especially for real mountain biking. I work part time as a mechanic at a friend's bike shop since I've been retired. I hear some dire warnings in the industry touting huge shortfalls of critical components for quite some time...not just this supposedly short term covid deal. True?...false?...gimmick to get people to buy unnecessarily? I tend to believe it may be real, and I'd stock up accordingly. If nothing else, prices have and will continue to go up, so I wouldn't expect prices to drop any time soon assuming you can even get what you want.
 
Yes indeed. The KMC chain I bought last year on Amazon doubled in price from the same seller. It went on sale though and I grabbed another one.
As well, I'm going to start using wax on the chain to see if that keeps it in shape longer. Learning how to make stuff last longer is another objective in these times. Learning repair skills is another.
 
I'm trying methods to hopefully prevent the worst of deterioration of the tires,as well. I'm keeping them covered from sunlight, keeping them at moderate temperature, rotating their positions, and kneading them when I do that. Not sure if the latter does any good.
 
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