I seem to be spending money on spares right now. Not just on my bike either. Had a mates bike in a few weeks ago and it has cost him £100 ($160) in parts so far. Just spent another £50 for him as the bike was in a right state. But he has admitted that since he had the bike 2 years ago- all he has bought are 2 tyres. Not bad for a 240lbs Mountain biker doing about 5,000 miles a year.
My bike(s) have cost me a lot more than that this year. I have a night ride planned and my old lamp is just about to pack in so £210 for a new one.
Same lamp but 6 years difference. twice as bright at 680 lumens- Half the weight- Double the battery life and about 2/3rds the price. The new one is on the right by the way. Same time as I bought that I got a new lock and Hawser- Had to be a Kryptonite as They are one of the best but are worth it----I hope never to find out if they work though.
Then last Sundays ride- 2 new Michelin PR3 tyres for the Pinnie. Already have a box of 10 tubes so hopefully wont need them for a while. And a new Wedge. Wish I didn't buy this online now as although I chose the medium size out of 3--Will it be too big or too small? And as I don't have one in stock---Ordered a spare chain as they have a good price on them.
So since January I have spent nearly £600 (Around £1,000) on bike bits With chain Reaction. Luckily only about £400 is mine and I should be able to recover the cost of the other parts as they are for other peoples bikes. I don't bank on that though as we seem to operate a barter system round here- If I play my cards right I shall be getting the Electrical problems sorted by my neighbour- Get a load of Plants and Fertiliser for the garden and The wifes car will get a free service. Just get the feeling that I would rather have a new set of wheels. Nice set of Dure Ace Carbons would be nice.