When is a bike too good?

rollingscone

Ahoyhoy,

Bit of philosphising going on here as I ponder how/if to use my Bike to Work scheme later this year.

Essentially I'm leaning towards not using it because:
1. I just bought a Croix De Fer last year
2. We have no space and I can't really have multiple bikes shackled in the crappy railings provided in our open air carpark...also having my €0 beater there hurts bad enough*.
3. My roadbike is probably excessively decent for a rubbish pseudo roadie like me (Budget alu frame, Carbon forks, Seatpost & Stem, Scirrocos & Veloce)**.

Which brings me to the philosophical question, when choosing a bicycle, how much should one let ones opinion (or less face it in my case, objective fact) of ones own capabilities limit the level of bike being purchased?

Although it mystifies me and makes me uneasy, I wouldn't judge someone for spending €6k on a bike (people on a 6k bike but not understanding how the shifters work I will fully reverse snobberize) and the bug has burrowed deep enough that a €2.5k roadbike seems completely reasonable.

But I personally amn't sure I want the burden of knowing that I'm dragging my lumpen self up a hill at barely upright kilometres per hour or chickening my way down a hill on a bike that deserves to soar and make whooshing noises etc.

While my self loathing is my own (and well earned IMHO) I do wonder how other people approach this question themselves?

Do you just follow your inner gucci monster, look to the better bike to encourage more cycling? It seems like a lot of people on here are pretty rad on a bike anyway so the contrast between bike and rider may not be so jarring.

Thoughts/feelings/interpretive dance?







*I did almost have myself talked into buying a hub geared porteur style utility beast...but then leaving it locked outdoors. NOPE

**For the record if I had €6k to spend on bikes I'd probably want 3 pretty nice bikes, instead of one that I could never hope to live up to.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Buy what makes you happy.

My cycling partner/friend rides a €6k bike. He's a leisure cyclist, not part of a club, has never raced and does maybe 2k kms a year (weather dependent) He has plenty of money and can afford it. He'll change that bike for something better next year. I have my bike 4 years and he's had 5 in that time and spent in excess of €15k 'upgrading' to a better bike each time. He's actually quite a strong cyclist and could do a lot more on the bike but he doesn't and so be it. No one judges him for it and it doesn't bother me one bit.

If you can afford it then buy whatever bike you like the look of and be happy. It most likely won't make you any better a cyclist but that's not what new bikes are for anyway.

Beasty

rollingscone wrote: »

Which brings me to the philosophical question, when choosing a bicycle, how much should one let ones opinion (or less face it in my case, objective fact) of ones own capabilities limit the level of bike being purchased?

My opinion of my own abilities have virtually nil bearing. However I am incredibly fortunate in that I can pretty much afford what I want, and have the space to store it

I think it is more down to determining what is "reasonable" in your own mind, both in terms of affordability as well as other practicalities. If after due consideration you are happy to go ahead then why not?

All My Stars Aligned

Funny that you should bring the subject up as I was only talking about same with some friends over the weekend.

A few years ago I bought a beautiful Felt F2, but having used if for a few months sold it as my level of cycling was just not up to such a machine. I was very self conscious being left for dead by guys riding bikes 1/4 of the value of my bike. I also felt that I hadn't earned the bike yet. I ended up buying a lovely second hand aluminum Cube and as a result found that I actually cycled more.

That's just me though, each to their own.

Beasty

Cee-Jay-Cee wrote: »

It most likely won't make you any better a cyclist but that's not what new bikes are for anyway.

I would slightly caveat this specific point. It may encourage you to get out and improve yourself in a way that a cheaper, possibly older bike that may need a bit more attention may not. I'm certainly not saying this applies in the majority of cases, but certainly my enthusiasm for getting out and doing a bit more, a bit harder for a bit longer has perhaps resulted in me splashing out on nicer bikes and probably helped me improve as a cyclist (as has reading and contributing to this forum over the past 7 years or so!)

triggermortis

I recently bought a bike that is far better than my ability dictates I should be riding, and I totally love it. I've gone from an alloy framed Sora spec machine to full carbon with Ultegra Di2.
I decided to physically save some cash since giving up smoking a few years ago to see some actual result, so I saved the cash to buy the bike and paid it in one go. Best thing I've ever bought. Only thing was it took longer than I thought because each time I neared my target I saw that for a few euro more I could get the slightly better bike...
Last year I was ready but the bike I wanted was sold out, so I finally decided on the one I got (Rose Xeon 3100) and I'm very happy with it.
I'm working abroad so can't use the BTW scheme, but if/when I can get a job here I'll be using it to upgrade my commuter or maybe a decent winter bike..

OleRodrigo

In a way, it's nice to think you have ' earned ' a bike but it's just as satisfying go out and get one of you want it. Preconditions are entirely up to you. You can always ' earn on the job'.

Am hoping to get an N+1 later on this year and I'll definitely have done nothing to deserve it - unless ogling translates into brownie points.

doozerie

As a kid I aspired to own a bike of a standard that the pros rode. I could never afford one, but that was fine, it remained an ambition and I was happy with that.

By the time my daughter was born my (fairly) decent bike at the time had been gathering dust for a few years. For a variety of reasons I needed a new focus around that time, something that would give me some escape from everything (job, house repair, the anxiousness of being a parent for the first time, etc.). My wife suggested a new bike.

I struggled with the idea of spending money on a brand new bike. My existing "good" bike had seen very little mileage by then so buying a new one seemed an extravagance, but then again the shine had gone off that bike for me (almost certainly due to it not being a good fit/size for me, something I didn't discover until later). I hummed and I hawed, and I hummed and I hawed some more. I took my existing bike out for a spin and it reminded me how much I enjoyed just being out on a bike - I've always commuted by bike but that's a purely utilitarian version of cycling for me so it stopped being real "fun" a long time ago.

After a lot more humming and hawing I decided I'd get the new bike. I settled on a budget of €2k, far more than I'd ever spent on a bike before. I looked at various options and settled on a Canyon. The model that had the groupset I wanted was a little over €2k so I hummed and hawed more still but I was already on "the slope" by then so the outcome was already certain it was just a question of when I'd accept the reality of it. By the time I did accept it though, the bike was out of stock and wasn't due back in stock for several months.

My inner patient adult took a back seat and let my impatient child take over. Before I knew it I'd ordered the next model up. It was around 50% more expensive, wailed my inner adult. But, there's the BTW scheme said my inner child and, more importantly, it's in stock and you'll have it within 2 or 3 weeks. And the internal arguments stopped. And the bike arrived. And my first ride on it made me want to get back out in it again and again.

I re-discovered my love of cycling. I started getting out regularly for spins. I toyed with the idea of racing again, something I'd done briefly many years ago (I was crap). I hummed and hawed about that too, but eventually bit the bullet and really enjoyed it (I was a lot less crap than I used to be). I was now riding around on what was basically a bike that one of the pro teams rode a few years ago. On a rational level I can't possibly justify having bought such a bike, it cost an arm and a leg and I'll never push it to its potential. But what it has given me back I couldn't put a value on, it has paid for itself over and over again at this stage.

So I share the view that the cost of a bike doesn't matter. If you can afford it, and you want it, go for it. "Afford" is very subjective of course, for me it means that you can buy the bike without you and your family having to live on bread and toast (for more than a few months anyway!).

One caveat though, if you are anything like me you'll find more and more reasons over time to protect your "good" child bike. Winter is harsh on a bike for one thing. Mudguards are a wise choice for winter but who wants to muzzle their "good" bike with mudguards. Etc. Long story short, you may find yourself wanting a new "winter" bike so that your shiny "good" bike can be protected from the elements. And having been spoilt by your "good" bike, anything less than a decent "winter" bike seems like a hardship. And if you now have a very good bike bikes then it wouldn't be fair for your wife's new bike bikes to be anything less than decent too. Or your daughter's bike (...bikes?) too. Etc. Once you are on "the slope" there is no way off it, it seems, you just gather more speed - but speed is good, right?

smacl

rollingscone wrote: »

Which brings me to the philosophical question, when choosing a bicycle, how much should one let ones opinion (or less face it in my case, objective fact) of ones own capabilities limit the level of bike being purchased?

A bit Machiavellian perhaps, but maybe that's the wrong question. Maybe a better one would be 'Is there an investment that I could make to make my cycling more enjoyable?' Like yourself, I went with a CX bike as my new bike last year, on the basis I could easily mix in a bit of on and off road stuff, and get out cycling in conditions I wouldn't fancy on the road bike. It works to a point, and I've different tyres for different occasions, but currently involves either changing tyres the night before a ride, picking my route based on what's on the bike already, or more often than not, struggling along with a sub-optimal set-up. Next investment for me will be a spare set of wheels, so I can have light slicks on light wheels for days I know I'll be mostly on roads and hills, and knobblier CX tyres on days that are likely to be muddy. Spare wheels are a 2 minute change and will allow me to pick a route on a whim the morning I head off.

ford2600

First off, fcuk what people think.

It's your money buy what you like.

On a recent club spin in a group of about 20, one lad was riding his now winter bike; a specialized race machine with electronic dura ace. He has a new bike on order 8k ish.

Another man was riding some old sell frame with open pros with a rattly freehub.

One rider represented Ireland in Olympics (he was on the beater), the other is A4 pack fill. No one batted an eyelid.

On value, for 2.5k you could buy something in a sale reduced for 4k if your lucky. A friend of mine emailed countless German bike shops last year and picked up a top end Focus race machine with Sram Red for your budget. Patience and a bit of work needed for that move.

However why not buy something timeless? A traditional Italian steel frame, with 9 or 10 speed record and get wheels built up. Take your time and buy something really nice which will never age.

Bit of a heretic here but what will give you joy on road isn't moving from 9 speed sora to 11 speed electronic but a bike which is nice to ride, works perfectly and looks great.

For 2.5k you could get something magical.

Enjoy the shopping either way and smile and wink at the begrudders.☺

rollingscone

Cheers Ford but I really am more interested in hearing the various philosophies among Boardsies having decided that I'll probably not use the BTW for now.

FWIW I still like my Tifosi a lot and there's not a lot of stuff out there that appeals more and is anywhere near a putative budget.

Despite mixing professionally with the kind of people who wear flamboyant socks with sober suits I'm still not in the bracket that benefits most from the BTW scheme.

With the Croix de Fer, the Tifosi, my old mountain bike/beater and now possibly the Scott 509 based singlespeed I originally built up for my OH it's kind of hard to cry about lacking bikes.

Ryder

For me the question is at what point does cost no longer matter.....

My first road bike was a trek 1200 with aksium wheelset Great bike. Upgraded eventually to a self build with a titanium frame (planet x lynskey) mavic kysuriums and sram rival. Also great bike but if you blindfolded me I couldn't tell one from the other.

Years later....my winter bike is a genesis equilibrium with stock wheelset which is a nice comfortable ride and stiff. Do all my rides on it as it's easier to just maintain and clean one.

So I think once you spend over a 1000 you're getting a good bike and amounts over that may not translate into anything - feel or performance. So no need to justify anything if you want to spend the money or over think it either way.

Daroxtar

ford2600 wrote: »

First off, fcuk what people think.

It's your money buy what you like.

On a recent club spin in a group of about 20, one lad was riding his now winter bike; a specialized race machine with electronic dura ace. He has a new bike on order 8k ish.

Another man was riding some old sell frame with open pros with a rattly freehub.

One rider represented Ireland in Olympics (he was on the beater), the other is A4 pack fill. No one batted an eyelid.

On value, for 2.5k you could buy something in a sale reduced for 4k if your lucky. A friend of mine emailed countless German bike shops last year and picked up a top end Focus race machine with Sram Red for your budget. Patience and a bit of work needed for that move.

However why not buy something timeless? A traditional Italian steel frame, with 9 or 10 speed record and get wheels built up. Take your time and buy something really nice which will never age.

Bit of a heretic here but what will give you joy on road isn't moving from 9 speed sora to 11 speed electronic but a bike which is nice to ride, works perfectly and looks great.

For 2.5k you could get something magical.

Enjoy the shopping either way and smile and wink at the begrudders.☺

^^This^^
I was happy spinning around on my Hybrid and didn't even really want a road bike until I spotted the bike I have now and was overcome with Want. I spent months convincing myself to buy sensible and was just about to buy a lower spec model when I mailed a Dutch shop and they ended up offering me the one I wanted for little more than half what it was advertised for at the time. 14kg hybrid to 7.5kg superbike in one move. Utterly ridiculous for an unfit lad hurtling towards middle age.
Is the bike better than me? Yes and No. It's as good as I make it. It will handle far more than I'll ever be able to throw at it though. I'm fitter now too and I can throw more at it.
It makes me ridiculously happy. I often catch myself glancing lovingly past my wife at it. Best money I have spent TBH.

Now I'm having the same debate about buying "good" wheels..... I know already how it'll end up and I'll be even happier once I convince myself to get them.

nak

My answer - never. Get what you think you'll want to ride for a few years. Started off with aluminium and Tiagra and now riding carbon with Dura Ace - night and day and a lot more fun to ride.

I just bought a MTB that is probably way too much bike for my ability at the moment, but I smile everytime I go out on it and it makes me feel like a kid again.

Knowing that you won't need to upgrade when your cycling improves is an added bonus for me.

Civilian_Target

I encountered this recently. I was getting a new bike on the back of an insurance claim following an accident, I could basically spend as much as I wanted

For me the answer is - if it got stolen and I couldn't justify replacing it with a bike that costs that much, then it costs too much.

You need to take into account where you're parking it when you make this calculation. If it's staying at home all the time, you can spend more than if you park it in a bike cage at work. If you need to park it in town, then you have to be even cheaper.

This really gave me some good focus points, like going to the local bike shop and making sure I got a bike that truly fit me properly, rather than just guessing the size and buying off the internet.

Wishbone Ash

ford2600 wrote: »

....On a recent club spin in a group of about 20, one lad was riding his now winter bike; a specialized race machine with electronic dura ace. He has a new bike on order 8k ish.

Another man was riding some old sell frame with open pros with a rattly freehub.

One rider represented Ireland in Olympics (he was on the beater), the other is A4 pack fill. No one batted an eyelid...

I occasionally ride with a chap who has finished the Ras 12 times (coming 2nd twice) and is still competing at the business end of racing in his 70's. His winter bike is so 'ordinary' for such a talented rider. It looks more like a downbeat commuter bike. It actually looks like it was painted with a paintbrush and is bereft of any decals etc.

I also know a chap who has a beautiful bike with a full Dura Ace groupset which is used as a clothes horse in his spare room.

Luxman

KTM Poster in Richies window says "life is short. Buy the damn bike"

It's good to see exotic carbon on the roads, no matter who is peddling it.

Fian

triggermortis wrote: »

I recently bought a bike that is far better than my ability dictates I should be riding, and I totally love it. I've gone from an alloy framed Sora spec machine to full carbon with Ultegra Di2.
I decided to physically save some cash since giving up smoking a few years ago to see some actual result, so I saved the cash to buy the bike and paid it in one go. Best thing I've ever bought. Only thing was it took longer than I thought because each time I neared my target I saw that for a few euro more I could get the slightly better bike...
Last year I was ready but the bike I wanted was sold out, so I finally decided on the one I got (Rose Xeon 3100) and I'm very happy with it.
I'm working abroad so can't use the BTW scheme, but if/when I can get a job here I'll be using it to upgrade my commuter or maybe a decent winter bike..

I bought the same rose bike. I love it.

I have never (and never intend) to race. I am craven on descents and i weight just under 100kg so you can guess my uphill speed. I do a 60 - 100km ride each weekend, assuming I find a window to get out between dropping my four kids to various matches etc. I don't use this bike to commute, I use a hybrid. My previous road bike cost me €300 second hand, so this upgrade cost almost 10 times the price. Like tigermortis this bike is far greater than my ability dictates.

So what? I am not competing with anyone I am just enjoying my rides when I get a chance to get them in. Sitting in my office atm looking at the fine weather thinking how much nicer it would be to be out on my bike. Not for an instance does it occur to me that i haven't earned the bike or that I don't deserve it just because much better cyclists than I have much worse bikes.

Somebody who has a nice bike and doesn't appreciate or enjoy it might not deserve it, someone who is not cycling competitively shouldn't have a moment's pause. I couldn't care less that there are many faster cyclists out there than I, the only one I am trying to prove anything to is myself and all I am trying to prove is that I can get up a given hill at all, not that I can do it faster than anyone else (or even that i can do it faster than last time.)

Bottom line - whether you covet and will love a bike is the acid test of whether you deserve it, not how quickly you are going to move it around.

OldBean

Stemming from buying work equipment, I've always bought gear I could grow into, rather than having to sell it on and upgrade when that time comes, so I've never felt guilty about the amount I've put into my 'main' bike. But I was also lucky in so far as I decided to build it from the frame up, and change it around as my needs evolved. Unless anything happens to myself or the bike, it'll probably see me out too.

It makes me happy to ride it, it makes me happy to look at it when I haven't time to ride it. It makes me happy when others compliment it, and that's more important than €€€ imo.

The only time I've looked down on others bikes is when it's obvious they're after spending their money on the 'wrong' thing. A friend of mine spent over 3K on her first road bike which was full carbon after not paying me any heed. She wanted it for light touring and it didn't come with a single mounting point. Our spins consisted of her carrying stuff on her back and blaming the bike for being uncomfortable, or me carrying her stuff as well as mine.

Go enjoy yer bikes. As long as spending whatever amount doesn't affect other responsibilities, you deserve something that'll make you happy.