Road Cycling - How to Finance What I Really Want??

I was looking at a Cannondale 700 (or something better)---but the budget is telling me something more like a Cannondale 400 or last years Trek 1200 and I would be stretching a bit just to get the lower end bike.

1. Should I just try to get another year out of the old road bike and wait for the season end sales---then wait till next year to actually ride my new baby?

2. Sell my 1st born??

3. Take all my old bicycles-tv's--firearms--etc to the pawn shop and see if I can come up with enough cash for the dream bike?

4. Just buy the 400 and be happy with what I have--while still admiring the higher end stuff??

Any other suggestions???


AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Thanks

OR

Sell your 1st born. You can always pop out another...

Buy the bike you really want. If you really do have some extra "stuff" to sell then sell it. If your current bike is in need of some major repairs try and get the new one. My favorite method? CHARGE IT :D

PS Don't sell your 1st born...........:)

I'm not so sure how set you are on a "new" bike
but there are some good buys to be had on the
second hand market (I checked e-bay and saw R2000 for
about $1500).
Other than that I'd opt for selling your firstborn :lol:

Marty

Everybody's situation is different, but for me there's nothing more important than having my bike be right -- and nothing more uneconomical than buying a bike that's wrong.

The right bike ends up costing next to nothing, because you keep it forever. The wrong bike starts causing regret the minute you start riding it, and ends up costing a bundle because you get rid of it as soon as you can.

So my position is to just do what it takes -- buy on credit, sell stuff, wait, whatever -- but make sure you've chosen a bike that makes you want to do nothing but ride it. Performance, fit, comfort... not style or status.

RichC

You sound a little too eager to drop a bundle to me. Dropping a bundle is fine, but lose the eagerness component... it'll cause you to make a mistake.

I agree w/RichC. And to that end, you don't want to be in a hurry or succomb to bike lust. Determine what it really takes, it may come down to several possibilities, and keep your eyes open. If you're willing to wait for fall/winter, and can live with the prospect of riding last years model, you can almost certainly get the right thing for significantly less than it would cost now.

My old road bike is in the shop getting a minor tune-up right now---but I still have the MTB to ride while I wait.

I have another question--my current 1989 road bike is ALL Shimano 105-----jump forward 13 years of refinement and better technology---Are my old 105's better than the current Sora and Tiagra lines?? Or would I even be able to tell the difference?? Or should I be looking at 105 or better components??

Just sort of thinking---if I can't tell the difference---maybe the lower end would suit me just fine. Both the lower end ones I'm looking at have American made aluminium frames----I could upgrade later.

Or start with a bare frame and add parts as funds allow??

Personally, I think that if you have a 13 year old road bike that fits you well (it must, if you've been riding it for 13 years!) and that's not actually defective, you should be saving for a much higher-end bike to supplement it.

The bikes you're looking at are not much more than today's version of what you already have. Sure, it'll be more refined in some ways, but probably not in any really important ones. a sub-$1k aluminum frame bike is not going to represent the state of the art in frame design and tuning.

What's wrong with your current bike that you're hoping a new one will cure?

An older, quality road bike in good shape is a great asset. For rainy days, for commuting, for backup. And most of all, because it puts you in the hugely advantageous position of being able to afford to wait for the perfect buy to come along... that tuned Italian steel Campy-equipped beauty you lust after, or that ti/carbon high-tech Dura-Ace wonder that makes you drool.

Why be in such a rush?

RichC

The old ride is really starting to feel old and tired(goes for the old and tired rider too)-the bike has thousands of miles on it and its not worth upgrading----while mechanically sound---that old steel frame is quite heavy----The older I get-the lighter I want things to be. It would be nice to have a new one to ride for this season---but its no big deal to wait for something I really want either.

I looked over the $3500 carbon fiber cycles---I just can't help thinking for that kind of money that it should say HONDA in the side.

Its sounding more and more like I should get a high-end frame and build her up piecemeal.

Originally posted by OmahaRider
Its sounding more and more like I should get a high-end frame and build her up piecemeal.
This will cost you much more than buying the whole bike. If you decide to do it over time, it'll cost the same amount, paid-out over time, and will take as long as waiting until you have enough money to speing for the whole bike at once. You have a couple of options:

1. Put it on the credit card, buy it now and suck up the interest.

2. Don't buy it right now. Put the cash you have on hand into an interest-earning account [money market account, term deposit, GIC, whatever they call it in the US] that doesn't tie you into a fixed term, but which you need to make an appointment to get at. Have your bank transfer $150/month, or whatever you can spare, into that account from your savings account. Ride the old bike for four or five months. Take out the money in September, when you have your original sum, plus $600+ additional, and when that $2000 bike is selling for $1800. All of a sudden, you can get a $2000 bike with the original $1200 you started with, or a $1700 with the $900 you started with.

Number 2 is delayed gratification, but you end up getting more bike for less... and considering that you'll probably ride this one for the next fifteen years, what's a few months?

Unless you race or just have to have THE very best, $3500 is just way too much to spend on a bicycle. About $2000 too much. My Kestrel Talon w/105 gruppo and Velomax wheelset weighs in at less than 19 lbs. It's high tech enough to sooth my chi-chi ego but it also happens to be a helluva bike for the money that I enjoy riding. At some point your just throwing money away for very little gain. Full on race components are gonna save weight, cost alot and wear out quickly. I think thats what you'd be getting with a $3500 bike. Sounds like the bike you have has served you well for quite some time.........

I think you should look at some other bike bompanies like Motobecane, KHS, etc. Motobecane offers a team champion with full Shimano DuraAce components at only MSRP=$1750.00, but it's most likely less expensive if bought at bikeshop. Motobecane also offers a Le Champion with Shimano Ultegra components at only MSRP=$1400.00, but the one at my neighborhood bike shop was only $1095.00! Both of these bikes are sub 20 lbs.

Another bike you should check into is called the Primal Heat Stroke, it is a special edition bike made by Primal Wear. It's like a 17lb bike which comes with ultegra components, velomax wheel set, selle italia saddle, carbon fiber fork, etc. I only paid $1171.65 for it at my local bike shop, and it's truly an awesome bike and a great deal. A bike with those components, frame+fork, and wheel set usually exceeds $2000.00.

Happy Hunting

How does the saying go... If you have to ask, you can't afford it. How about this one... The grass is always greener on the other side.

I'm a total bike junkie but I do get some mighty discounts and freebies because I race. I do disagree about cheaper stuff lasting. I gotta go with Chorus or Dura Ace because the cheaper stuff konks out after 1 season (granted that is 10-12K miles worth of riding).

I get stuff all the time thinking, "I'll only need to buy this once 'cause it's the best." But, next season I end up getting something else and selling last year's latest and greatest. It gets old, though and once you do find "the best" for you, it is really hard to part with it. I'm the last person to say don't get your bike just right because that's what I do. I gotta have it juussst right (you know what I mean!). But if I crash or dent it or whatever, I don't really care. It's just stuff afterall.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is... it's a bicycle. Spend to where your enjoyment doesn't turn into worry (like, I just spent a load of $, I'm worried i'm gonna scratch it, etc). Enjoy your bikes and parts. If it's too expensive, it's too expensive. I'm not sweating the fact I can't afford a Ferrari in the driveway. As a matter of fact, that comes right under fingernail dirt in my life's priorities.
Cycling is about having fun. If it turns into something about wanting stuff, I think you have to re-think your priorities. I think your questions are ones only you can answer- but I'm sure you can get top dollar for the 1sr born on ebay;)

Originally posted by OmahaRider
I have another question--my current 1989 road bike is ALL Shimano 105-----jump forward 13 years of refinement and better technology---Are my old 105's better than the current Sora and Tiagra lines?? Or would I even be able to tell the difference?? Or should I be looking at 105 or better components??
The biggest difference between current and '89 stuff is STI. It's a good thing. The brake hoods are more comfortable, you shift more often, and you can even shift while standing. And, as much as I hate to admit it, 18 gears are nice to have... a wide range of gears with relatively close steppings, without the sloppy operation of a triple. I do hate hyperlink chains, though.
I'd get 105 or Ultegra. Dura-Ace is great, too, but you pay a premium mainly for a few ti bits and pieces which save you a few grams of weight.

Originally posted by RacerX
Anyway, what I'm trying to say is... it's a bicycle. Spend to where your enjoyment doesn't turn into worry (like, I just spent a load of $, I'm worried i'm gonna scratch it, etc).
You know, I've always thought of things this way, but I've never been able to put it into words. You put it perfectly. Thanks.

a good 'opportunity-cost' question. i put off my purchase because of the good advice given on this thread. seems reasonable..... i was unfortunately put in a position where i got into an accident and busted my tube near the seat clamp (unfixable) and HAD to buy a bike. fortunately, it was sept. and there were deals, but i wanted to finish the season strong. i had the good fortune of having a great bike shop (Higher Gear, Highland Park, IL) that loaned me a bike, with no charge - didn't even take a credit card from me because i had been a loyal customer and he saw i was disraught over having to be bikeless.... anyway, i had been lusting for some time, so i knew what i wanted.....
so it never hurts to be prepared - and hopefully you can buy on YOUR time schedule and not because you need to buy. it is fun to ride different models - and talk to knowledgable people. enjoy the pursuit of the purchase.
i saved money by buying in the fall, had saved $400 in quarters over one and a half year's time, and my $2400 bike cost me $1800. almost 20% off. now it has costed me pennies a day years later.
bikes are like computers - as soon as you buy it -it is out of date in the industry.

I pretty much decided to go a notch or so below the all-out racing/custom cycle.

Ultegra equipped with a spending cap of around $2200------anything less and I would just be replacing what I already have and not stepping up.

Now to start saving my nickles and dimes and wait and see how much comes off the price in August/September--my old roadie will just have to do for another year.

My kids are still safe(for now---lol) and the trip to the pawn shop might still be in order at the end of the summer--depending on how much I manage to save up.

Some thing about using credit cards just bugs me----took me forever to pay them off when I went spend happy in my younger days. I try to pay in cash now---except for cars and houses. The plastic is still there in my pocket--mostly for emergencies and not my dream bike.

Thanks for all your help in directing my decision.

UPDATE:

I went to Lincoln (a more competitve cycle market) and ordered in a Klein Quantum-triple---- I test rode the 52cm they had in the shop--was just a touch too small--actually a wider set of handlebars probably would have done the trick------so I ordered in a 54cm frame.

I put $500 down and they have 3-month lay-a-way(the local dealers' idea of lay-a-way is 30 days)----so I should be able to make that----without selling any kids(lol). I saved a ton of money from what the local dealer was asking----need to double check but the savings was like $900.

Mostly 105 stuff---but that beautiful and upgradable frame---it was the sweetest ride out of all I test rode---even with the too small frame.

I can't wait for July or so to get it out. Probably won't even wait that long---there's always the plastic----but it won't be here for 2-weeks anyway.

Again----Thanks for all your help.