Mr. Beanz

My entire bike was $1000 and available in increments of 2 cm, not only 3 sizes! You can get a custom bike for that?

Pamestique 

I have always wanted a Landshark... since as long as I can remember. I don't covet diamonds or furs, just this bike. Cycling is my passion as is this bike...

The builder called today - painting is finished and he is shipping the bike. I see it this weekend - can't wait!!!!!

TrojanHorse

No, I can't. And I tried. The Merlin guys agree that it's impossible, unfortunately, they used some weird (small) BB shell size, so until somebody makes one of those splined bearings that will fit inside my dinky little BB shell, I'm a bit hosed. I did buy new bearings and have them installed this spring when I overhauled the thing and put new components on. Oh well.

TrojanHorse

I was thinking of those fancy carbon bikes that come in S, M and L and they adjust the fit by sticking on a 4 foot seat post.

Are you saying your bike qualifies as a "reward" bike?

Mr. Beanz

No, these are my original words in the thread, otherwise translated as I wouldn't buy a reward bike, and would only buy another bike (not a reward bike) if my current bikes broke

Askel

The better fitness is the reward. If you don't value that above all else, you'll never make it. Fancy bikes are just a means to get there. Personally, I enjoy the cheap stuff now that I'm where I want to be. I needed the fancy stuff to get here.

Mr. Beanz

So true! You know I know a ton of people that insist on buying highend wheels, frames etc but never and probaly never will do a century or a big mountain ride eventhough they have paid $1000 for suprelite climbing wheels. I do these rides on wheels that I build for $15 and ENJOY it!

Pamestique 

OK I won't tell you how much I paid for my custom built wheels - but I have to say I really notice a difference. My bike rolls along almost without peddling! And the wheels are practically built for life. I should have them a good long while...

Mr. Beanz

So then you will ride up GMR with me when you get the bike?...I'm riding very heavy Velocity Deep V's. 520 grams alone for the rim and that's exaggerated cause other sites have them down at about 560'ish per rim (without spokes and hub). I only paid $15 for the wheel on the rear of my Lemond and $25 for the rim on the back of my Cannondale. I'll let you choose my bike for the ride. They ar both very heavy rotational weigth of the rims adds about 17 extra lbs to the bike form what I've read in the fourms:


Actually, you'd enjoy the ride! Ask Grrlyrida! I don't really hunt, kill and eat other riders' pets like some have claimed.

TrojanHorse

Listen to you sand bagging! We all know you can pedal backwards up GMR, no point in lying about it now.

I'd like to climb that thing one day soon when my legs don't turn to noodles just thinking about it.

Anyway, the title of this thread was "reward bikes", not "admit it, any $800 bike off the rack is probably better than you need anyway" even if it is true.

KrisPistofferson

I would get a Rivendell Atlantis with custom paint.


Yeah, I'm one of those guys...

Seattle Forrest

Ding ding ding! This sounds like the right answer. If it were me, I'd probably get a few carbon fiber parts, a very light tent, touring gear, and an air ticket to Norway. Then I'd spend a few months riding from the southern end to the northern, arctic tip. And since this is my fantasy, I'll have an easy time of stopping in the fjord towns and renting kayaks when I need to rest my legs. It's fun to fantasize, until I remember I'm at my desk, at work.

I'd still go with The Historian's answer, though; if you've got that kind of budget for a bike, it might be more fun to spend it on an experience that involves your bike.

velocycling

Beanz is right. You should split the reward 50/50 with our wife. She is the one who puts up with you now and she is the one who will have to put up with at your future weight. My wife and I get everything the same, bikes, xc skis ,snowbd, etc. It does not work if one get something and the other does not. So when you guys thinks you are spendin' a lot on your bikes, just double that price, that's what I pay. ;-) In other words OP I am talkin' $6k, not $3k.

txvintage

Regardless of what you call the bike or the reason you are getting it, I say half the fun is the hunt. One thing about the 3K price point, no matter what you get none of it sucks!

Mr. Beanz

Our wife? Okay, now that's a whole nuther thread!

But yes, I am right! If you look at my wife's bke, it's 3X the cost of mine. Got it on sale but it's till 2.25X the price! I did it to keep her riding on a comfy bike with every advantage to keep up. The better she rides, the better my ride goes!

This is her reward bike, I don't need one!

Absenth

I'm personally looking at three bikes, all of which are about a third of the money you're thinking about spending.

A Fuji Cross Pro (nicest equipment)
A Felt F95X (love the way this looks)
and
A Surly Crosscheck (It's steel!!!)

I'm leaning heavily towards the crosscheck. If you handed me 3grand to build/buy a bike with.

I think I'd leave with a crosscheck, with a SRAM Apex group. Two sets of "good wheels" one with Specialized Armadillos or Schwalbe Marathon Supremes. The other with a set of studded tires for Nov --> Mar
Anything left over (there likely would be.....) would go into the lights/racks/panniers fund.

irclean

I agree with many posters about the custom build, but if I had $3000 to splurge on a bike that I didn't want to wait for, and I had just broken the magical Clyde barrier of 200 lbs., it would be this:



This is not far off from the custom job that I would want anyway; Reynolds frame, Ultegra groupset, etc.

youcoming

That's one way of thinking about it. I however say go for the nice roadbike for $3000 you can a very nice ride, I'd go with something with full Ultegra maybe a $ series Madone, a Tarmac, Alliance, there are many out there. I do ride a MTB too but road is my first love and hey the Trek 1000 is alright but if road is what you like keep drolling on a roadie!!!

billyymc

OP - you didnt' really talk about what kind of riding you do, or aspire to.

BasicJim

She doesn't ride and doesn't want to. She sees that as 'my thing to do without her' and is happy to have me gone for a while!

Our Family reward is already in the works... a 5 day trip to Italy. We have been saving for it for 15 years! No riding there though. All family time, food, vino, and sightseeing.

BasicJim

I am a wannabe roadie. I'd like to get quick enough to do some road-racing. Until then it's solo rides, club rides, and a handfull of centuries. I'd love to tour, but the wife doesn't ride and I don't like to be away too long.

Askel

Looking at your bike journal, I'd say you're plenty quick enough for road racing now... Get out there and do it, it's a blast! You'd be far, far ahead of the back in our local citizen races.

And I'd take the old bike out racing before a fancy new one anyway. You don't want some citizen class racer drifting into your path and ripping all the spokes out of your fancy new wheels or something....

cyclist2000

Certainly not foolish, it just happens to be something that you desired and will use. I buy frames and build them up, thats because thats what I enjoy. I like try the ride of different bikes. But I still prefer steel.

I do have two dream bikes but they wouldn't fall in the $3000 price range. Pinerillo Prince and Waterford Sport Touring with a fully lugged frame and S&S couplers. Both totally different bikes.

bamacrazy 

Ridley X Fire frame and fork for $1500 street and use the left over cash to build it up.

bamacrazy 

You might want to look at a Bianchi Axis too at your price point. I just built one up and love the light weight aluminum frame and carbon fork.