boze

This is in no way unique to cycling, but what do you think the best way to deal with this is:

I love first hand impressions and user/owner testimonials for products, but everybody who has spent what to them is a considerable amount of money on something will tell you they're happy with their decision. It's just a psychological thing at that point.

It's an inherent flaw in the way I'm wired to weight their opinions and also in our shared tendency to justify and rationalize our purchases and behaviors.

One of the Freds touched on this before in a thread called "Let's be honest..." or something like that. But still, of all the posts you didn't see anybody saying, "I spent $3400 on this bike and three months later I know it was a mistake."

moppeddler

I bought a nice sexy Colnago for $3000 that I've just never taken to. My other bike is a Trek 1.5 that cost less than $1000 and I enjoy riding it much better. I know I can keep tweaking and adjusting until its right, but there are enough
little things that bother me about it that I really don't want to put the time & money into doing it.

boze

And then suddenly I was wrong... =)

Nice confession, Moppeddler! I've really never heard anyone say anything remotely like what you just said.

That Colnago isn't a 61cm by any chance is it?? ;^)

Seattle Forrest

Test rides, whenever possible, and other ways of getting firsthand experience. When that's just not going to happen, see what else people you're having to rely on have had to say, and see if any of it will tell you more about their taste and how well it parallels yours.

manutd

I'm very happy with my SL3 Roubaix but I wish I didn't sell my 2006 Allez (105)....it was a great bike and wish I still had it around.

I also wouldn't have bought the Mavic Carbone SL wheels I have. Not because they aren't fine but because they were a waste of money for me. they don't make me any faster and having to use the extended valves are a pain. Basically they just hang in my closet in their wheel bags and collect dust.

DaveWC

People should start giving testimonials on bikes they don't own & haven't ridden.

lohump

I bought a set of carbon wheels, Reynolds DV3K Clinchers that I couldn't stand. I wasn't expecting to go any faster, I don't compete but I thought they looked very cool on my Litespeed Archon T1. They were very rough riding, came out of true very soon, had terrible braking and were noisy. When I put my Fulcrum Racing 1s back on, it was bliss. I dumped the Carbons for a song.

Bacciagalupe

You'd have to look into research on behavioral economics to figure out how this works.

For example: Some research indicates that the more options you review, the less satisfied you will be with the resulting product. E.g. if you test ride 10 bikes, and read about the features of 20 more, you might be left with the impression that there is some other bike which is the "truly utterly perfect one" -- and for some reason you didn't buy it.

Other research indicates a type of "ownership effect," where owning an object -- even for a moment -- increases its value in your estimation. This can cause issues when you're trying to value a used object, because it may seem more valuable to you than it does to a potential buyer.

There are expectations, relative judgments of value, branding... Lots of psychological elements are at work.

I'm not familiar with anyone who has done research on how the price of an object, relative to one's opinions of what is cheap or expensive, will alter one's opinion of an item you've purchased. I expect that such a study would focus on cars or dishwashers rather that bicycles, though.

KoolAidnPizza

My first bike was/is a defy advanced. Wishing ever so much i would have bought an aluminum race geo frame as that was my original desire, but i didnt realize the difference between touring geometry and race geometry.

BillyD

It's been my observation for years here that carbon owners are disproportionally reactionary toward any attempt to question or, God forbid, malign the integrity of their bicycles. Whats really interesting is that often it's a conscious defensiveness, but I think many times it's subconscious.

tallmantim

Hey - that's very interesting. Made me think of the item below - Wade Wallace, a cycling blogger/journalist got to go to a Trek launch junket and they had a bike for him to ride:



https://www.cyclingtips.com.au/2012/0...done-7-series/

Putting the journalist's names on the bikes may (in theory) ascribe a level of ownership to them that will get better reviews?

Juan Foote

I think it is simply due to the repeated attempts of many people to claim that carbon is just going to explode when a pebble pops up off the street.
I am sitting here watching the TdF, and am watching professionals riding harder and faster than I ever will crashing worse than I hope ever to again hopping right back on the crashed (and by accounts here, ruined) bikes and pushing limits again....

timmy29er

My first bike was/is a Defy Advanced as well, lol, but with Tiagra components. As a newbie to the sport, I actually welcome the the more stable characteriscs of the touring geometry. I had test rode a bike with the race geo and didn't like the twitchiness. I'm sure I would have adapted to it with some seat time though. Maybe my next bike will have the race geo.

Looking back, I kinda wished I would have gotten a standard Defy with better components. The Tiagra isn't bad, but I'm really liking the idea of a 10 speed cassette with better componentry. I'm slowly upgrading, but it's gonna cost me more in the long run going this route. Furthermore, I was rather disappointed when I originally weighed the bike. It weighed in at a whopping 22lbs. Granted, I'm on an XL frame, but I was expecting a carbon fiber bike to weigh under 20lbs. A Fred-like mistake on my part I guess.

rebel1916

I've observed the opposite. Steel is real types, who refuse to accept that carbon is a viable frame material spewing misinformation at every turn. They rely on 20 year old anecdotes, prejudice, fear, and lies and brazen horse pucky. See the GD forum when a poor innocent noob asks a simple question for some of the most insane examples.

mihlbach

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance

John_V 

I'll get flamed for this, but lets also include clothing, especially bibs. Not everyone likes them, but you can't convince those that wear them of that. And before you ask, yes, I have tried them (several brands).

billyymc

I understand your point, but don't agree that it's universally true. Use my car for example...2006 Subaru Forester. I like some things about it, but I truly hate some things and am highly disappointed in the quality. Experienced the infamous Forester head gasket leak around 85k miles and was told by Subaru it was my fault for not maintaining it properly (I have a habit of throwing away service records since I typically drive my cars into the ground). The rear latch mechanism sticks and no amount of oil helps. The A/C needed a new compressor / sensor to the tune of $700 at about 90k miles. The heated seats stopped working a long time ago. I could go on.

I wanted so much to really like this car. I like the look of Subarus. But I won't buy one again. Going shopping for a new car soon - at the Honda dealer.

hhnngg1

I started that 'let's be honest thread.'

I'll be totally honest and have been in all my threads - I own a $3k+ DA Cervelo and a $700 Giant road bike, and in retrospect, I should NOT have dropped $3k for that Cervelo. Yes it's a great bike, and has huge sex appeal, but for someone like me who's not into bling, and def not a weight weenie for DA, it was total overkill. I should have bought a $2k bike with 105 and spent the extra $1k on a powertap or even race wheels if looks were important.

My $700 Giant Sora bike is awesome. It's ridiculous when I keep hearing 'you need 105' or 'you need ultegra' or all this 'Sora sucks' crap. I ride a fair amount, seriously too, so I'm not just a recreational rider. I trained 18 hours in mixed triathlon training last week alone, including put 150 miles and over 10,000 feet of climbing. Sora has perfromed excellently for me - and I haven't changed the cassette in over 3 years. (2 chain changes.)

The nice thing about the lesser priced bikes as well - parts cost less, and you're a lot less afraid to tinker with it. I'd only put top of line stuff on the Cervelo since it would have to match, but on my Giant, it could be a Frankenbike with mixed Shimano/SRAM, nashbar pedals, etc. Plus, you know you're kicking tail when you can hang on the A ride with it.

merlinextraligh

Currently owning bikes made of Steel, Titanium, Aluminum, Carbon Fiber, and Boron Carbide Ceramic Metal Matrix (fancy aluminum alloy) I don't think I have any particular axe to grind about CF, and tend to agree with the latter.

mprelaw

+1. Then there's the guy who rides a Worksman and hates clipless pedals, but has never ridden with them.

njkayaker

If you think the Defy has a "touring geometry", you still don't know the difference! (The Defy isn't a touring bike.)

patentcad

wut

Yo Spiff

I only blew $250 on a bike I didn't like. Back around 2001, I wanted something inexpensive to handle trails and some light off-road use. Bought a Gary Fisher Wahoo on clearance. Decent enough bike, but I never acquired a liking for it. I thought it was just me. More recently, someone gave a me a 1988 Trek 900 frame and last year I built it up into a complete bike. This bike I really like. I have them sitting next to each other right now and when I saw the difference in frame geometry I knew why. The GF is a more modern design with a seriously sloped top tube that puts the bars way up higher.

pallen

Buyer's confirmation bias - it gets magnified when you make a decision about something and then drop serious money on it.

On the other hand, I think its also evidence to the fact that the vast majority of bikes on the market right now are great bikes any of us would be happy riding.

Stickney

+1

I rode for years and put more miles on a used 1989 Trek 1200 with downtube shifters than any other bike I have owned. For a milestone b-day I bought a Litespeed Tuscany. Initially after the purchase of the Litespeed I was disappointed.

But, over time I came to realize that though it wasn't magically different than the Trek it was better in subtle ways (shifting, vibration, long ride comfort).

That said, the Litespeed was literally 10x the price of the used Trek and it is not 10x better (maybe 6.5 )

Most new bikes are so well made and so similar, truly discerning the differences is a study in hay & needles for the average cyclist.