I’m looking to purchase a bike (probably second hand) and I want to make sure that it’ll be easily repairable in the future for at least standard maintenance stuff.
Thing is, I don’t know anything about bikes- I’ve heard people say off hand that modern bikes might perform better but are less maintanable, is this a thing? What qualities/features in a bike tell me that it’ll be easier to maintain in the long run?
As long as you avoid complicated systems–like electronic shifting, hydraulic anything, and so on–anything that’s mid-tier and above, purchased from a bicycle shop (not a sporting goods store, not a dept. store) is going to be pretty repairable for the foreseeable future.
I can still easily find parts for my 2013 Fuji Cross. Honestly, the worst part has been pedals; I had Speedplay Frogs, and when the pedals wore out completely, Speedplay had stopped making them (and had been sold a few times), which leaves me with no pedal options that combine the ridiculous float with the feeling of being firmly locked in.
Anything proprietary is going to be harder to find parts for to repair, or to replace. For instance, Cannondale’s Lefty fork, and their old HeadShok system; good luck fixing those now. Simpler is usually going to be better; suspension may add comfort, but unless you’re mountain biking, I’d skip it in favor of rigid frames and forks.