Protect those eyes, and should you replace a worn part or upgrade it?

Robbe Smith
October 02, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

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In today’s send I’m going to take a little break from basic maintenance talk. Instead this week, I am going to cover eye protection, and the age old question, should you repair or replace a part.

I also wanted to try something new this week. I sometimes feel like I am talking into an echo chamber, so I would like to open it up for questions. If you have questions, please reply to this email with the question. I won’t include the name of the person asking the question unless they specifically ask me to include it.

In the meantime, this newsletter is sponsored by 1440.

Glasses and goggle: Protect your eyes!

Your eyes are pretty important. It’s a good idea to put some effort into keeping them protected. I almost always wear some form of eye protection when I am riding. Over the years I have kept bugs, dirt, mud, branches, and plants out of my eyes by wearing glasses or goggles. At one point I lost my glasses, and I decided I would be fine without them. I bought new glasses after my cornea recovered from being scratched by a stick! Learn from my mistakes.

My choice for glasses or goggles almost always comes down to the helmet I am wearing. If I am in a half shell, I am wearing glasses. If I am in a full face helmet I am wearing goggles.

Most glasses will be one of three varieties. The first will be a traditional pair of sunglasses. These are a great option if you are riding on the road, or you live in an area where you mostly ride out in the open. My glasses for this type of riding are Smith polarized glasses. They are not a great option for riding in the woods. The next most common type of cycling glasses will come with 2 -3 sets of lenses. They will usually be clear, a low light color option, and finally a dark lens. My go to for this type of glasses are the Tifoso Tyrant. Over the years I have had seven or eight pairs of these. I have a bad habit of leaving them on the trail from time to time. The last option for cycling glasses have photochromic lens. That’s a fancy way of saying the lenses get darker in the sunlight. Honestly I am not a big fan of these. They take too long to get light again after they darken. This can be problematic when you ride from a field into the woods. Prescription glasses will also do all the things I mentioned above.

When I wear a full face helmet I wear goggles. Even though a full face with goggles looks awesome, my reasoning behind this based on function rather than form. Goggles nest well into the opening on a full face helmet really well. You can also leave the goggles in place when you take the helmet on or off. I really like the 100% Strata 2. I have two pairs of these goggles. One is clear, and one has mirrored lenses. Even on the east coast I wear the dark ones on sunny days. Downhill trails are much wider than most single track, so they tend to be sunnier.

No matter where or when you ride, protecting your eyes is a good idea.

Bike I’m Eyeing: Canfield Nimble9

Here’s why…..because steel hardtails don’t get enough love. Steel is a little heavier than it’s aluminum counterparts, but it has a ride quality that’s hard to beat. The frame also has sliding dropout which make single speed easy. I also like supporting small rider owned companies.

Nimble 9

Should you replace a worn part or upgrade it?

Bike parts and repair work is expensive. As some point if it hasn’t happend already, you will be faced with the question of whether you should replace a worn or broken part with the same level part or upgrade. There are a lot of factors that go into this decision. Hopefully the tips below will help you make the best decision when it come to spending money on your bike.

The first question you should ask yourself, is how old is the bike, or rather, how long do you plan on keeping it. If you know you are going to be replacing your whole bike in the next 6-12 months it doesn’t make sense to do anything more than keeping the bike rolling.

The next question should be, does the part make sense for the bike? For example, it doesn’t make sense to put a $1000 Fox Factory fork on bike that originally cost $2000. This doesn’t mean don’t upgrade your fork. It means there is a fork out there that will be an upgrade from the original fork without being the top of the line.

Next, you should ask yourself, can I take it with me? To this I am sure you are saying WTF are you talking about. Here I am really asking is the part nice enough to move to your next bike. The only think of two part that would qualify here. One is a nice carbon wheelset with some high end hubs. The other option would be something made out of titanium like a seatpost, handlebar or crankset.

The final question should be will the upgrade be noticeable? This question is a little more difficult to answer. To answer this you really need think about what the part does and why it’s an upgrade from what you have. If you go from a 2 piston brake to a 4 piston brake you will notice a difference in braking power. If you get a new brake that weighs 150 grams less than your current brakes, you likely won’t be able to tell any difference. If your goal is making the bike lighter, than is makes sense