Nine Years with My Mountain Bike
I’ve had this mountain bike for quite some years now. I got it around 2015 - a Merida Duke 600, cost 2500 CNY with a lock included. I’m still riding it today.
Here I’ll summarize the accessories I’ve purchased and my thoughts on the bike/brand
Accessories
Here are the ones I commonly use:
Folding combination lock
Xiaomi portable air pump
Half-finger/full-finger gloves
Tire valve caps
The valve caps will get damaged over time, so you can buy these third-party ones - they’re good quality and look better too
Bicycle chain lubricant
Seat cover
Bell
Companion Apps
Cycling often needs apps to make it more interesting.
- Route tracking: I still recommend Xingzhe, although I’ve stopped using it myself due to
ads and bloat, and now just use Apple Watch Workout directly. - Daily navigation: Gaode Maps, of course
Brand/Bike Quality
After riding for 9 years, the quality is indeed quite good. Apart from changing tires, I haven’t done any repairs. However, I will consider switching to other brands in the future for two reasons:
There are too few brand stores in Beijing - at least none near me, which makes bike maintenance inconvenient. Many shops only service their own brands.
Of course, for minor issues, I still recommend tinkering with it yourself to exercise your hands-on skills
Official accessories are not abundant
Common Problems
Wheel falling off
Quick-release lever loosened and not properly tightened
Final Thoughts
- When the weather warms up, I’ll continue cycling to and from work…
