@Losligato: What sort of groupset do you guys have on your bikes?
My bike has Shimano Deore LX and Amanda's Has Deore XT. Both from the 1980s
As for expensive bikes being more reliable or better, a few points:
- We've met two groups of cyclists on the road here in Southeast Asia who had custom made touring bikes with top of the line components and have had lots of mechanical difficulties. (not to imply that one caused the other)
- Many new top-of-the-line components are made with weight a priority, not durability. A cheap shimano set will work just fine in my opinion.
- Here is a link to a website about
a couple who have ridden around the world on self-shifting infomercial bikes. Yes, infomercial bicycles!
- It is often tempting to believe you can "buy" yourself out of difficulty. The things I learned while building up our bikes have helped me (a mechanical idiot) to keep them going and the fact that they were not particularly expensive allows me to take a wrench to them without worry of doing more harm than good.
-We met a nice girl who purchased a Chinese bicycle in Vientiane, Laos for $100, strapped on her backpack and pedaled to Vietnam.
- Most Important: There are some for whom the best is a necessity. Rightfully so. But for most of us, good-enough will do. The problem lies in the fact that many will not make a journey without the best equipment and others will be unable to afford the trip after buying the best gear.