Hello my commuting brethren, I am asking for your help. I apologize for the length of this (I'm rather verbose) but I need some input to help me make a decision.
I have five different bikes that I will ride on various days, depending on the weather and my mood. My commute is 8 miles each way, and when you tack on additional errands and such I log somewhere around 3k to 4k miles per year. If the weather is nice I like to ride my road bike, which currently is a vintage 1981 Panasonic Sport. Unfortunately, age and mileage is taking its toll and the bike is in need of having the original drivetrain replaced.
The rear derailleur has lost about half the teeth on both jockey gears, which causes a fair amount of noise while I ride. Upshifts to higher gears work reasonably smooth, but downshifts aren't very accurate. I will move the shifter (friction) farther and farther, and when the shift finally happens it generally jumps all the way to the largest sprocket and then I have to shift back up to get to the gear I want. It's always had a tendency to do this but has gotten worse. Adjusting the derailleur and replacing the cable and chain didn't improve the problem and I'm guessing it's just an old low-end derailleur that never was very good to begin with. So its time to replace this derailleur.
The front derailleur has started dropping the chain extremely frequently when shifting from the small to big ring. Usually it happens at least once a day, but sometimes more (four times on this morning's ride to work... grrrr.) I have adjusted it as well, and there seems to be a point in the adjustment screw where turning it in any further won't allow the upshift to happen at all, but just a barely imperceptible turn outward allows the shift to happen but then causes the chain drop issue. Again, I suspect this is a combination of wear and a unit that was never that accurate to begin with, so I need to replace this derailleur too.
So, I am looking at replacing both derailleurs. While I'm at it, the crank is pretty tired and kind of rusty and the bottom bracket occasionally is noisy, so I'd like to change that out as well. The pedals have started creaking, so those are due. The seat is pretty much worn through, so add that to the list. All in all it would probably cost a couple hundred dollars to fix everything (I'd do the labor myself.) In my market area, the bike in perfect working order is probably only worth $150 and that's probably a bit optimistic. Basically, the repairs would cost more than the bike is worth.
On the flip side, I have been wanting to purchase a new fancy road bike for a while. I had it in the back of my mind that if I ever drop 50 pounds I could reward myself with a carbon framed cycle, and this year I finally accomplished that goal. Bikes Direct has a pretty good deal going on right now for a
Kestrel Evoke 3.0. Carbon frame with a full Shimano 105 5800 groupset for $1199. I purchased my fixed gear bike through BD and had a good experience, so I have no issues with the company as some do. I do my own bike maintenance anyway, so I have no problem with assembling and adjusting a bike purchased online.
Benefits of buying new: A new bike would weigh nearly half what my current Panasonic weighs. It would have newer technology such as index shifting, brifters, better brakes and 22 speeds (versus my current 10). Hopefully it would last a while before it needed any repair. Also it would be shiny and new, which doesn't change functionality but is a bit exciting on an emotional level. I don't use racks or fenders on my road bike (I have other bikes with those) so not being able to attach them to a carbon frame doesn't bother me.
Benefits of fixing the old bike: Keeping my old bike would be $1000 cheaper once my repairs were made. It rides nice and is comfortable. It has a vintage mojo that is kind of cool. I've logged a lot of miles on it and have done modifications to make it "mine", so it does have a little sentiment attached. This was a low-end bike when it was new so there's really no collector value that I have to worry about preserving. I try to take care of it, but if it happens to get scratched I don't lose sleep over it.
The normal Bike Forums answer is N+1; buy the new bike and keep the old one too, but I already have five bikes of my own plus three more for the rest of the family and I just don't have the room. If I purchase a new bike the old one has to go.
I keep going back and forth on this decision, so I need some help. What would you do in my situation? Thanks ahead of time for any suggestions or input you have as I talk this out!
