That, is really beautiful.

Co-Motion Cascadia: Because I wanted to build a new touring bike and wanted the best and knew they made a top quality product that was well reviewed by tourists. I picked that model because at the time I wasn't planning on using really wide tires and wanted something a touch lighter.

Foundry Chillkoot: I had never had a Ti bike and had wanted to dive deep and go 11 speed and just make a top notch roadie also it was a closeout from QBP so that helped.

Phil Wood frame: It was made by Phil Wood (or contracted by them and has their logo) it is steel and also features the vintage Apple logo and is pink. What more could one want?

Specialized Langster: My old mechanic was selling it and I wanted to go fixed and I knew it was well taken care of so I said let's do it. Then I proceeded to fall in love with it and now it is my baby.

The Cilo: That was a sparkly purple and had vintage Dura Ace on it and was pretty cheap, at the time I didn't have a road bike other than my old touring bike and so boom I went with it and then stripped it with the intention of putting it back together all fresh and then that Phil Wood frame popped up so now it is sitting around with a mix of 600 Arabesque, 9-10 speed era 105 and 9 speed Ultegra Shifters with the 7400 brakes. An odd mutt of a bike that will make someone happy when I finish and sell it.

Cinelli Mash Work: Wanted to build a nicer fixed gear but also wanted something that could go wider and be used a little more off road and take a front rack and bag for randoneurring. My first plan was a Nature Boy 853 but that was unavailable to me and I kept seeing that bike and loved the smokey raw metal paint job and said well let's do it baby. It also got me into dynamo as I also wanted to go full rando style on it. I wish I had done a few things differently but all in all I love that bike so much.

Klein MTB: That was pink had XT (pre XTR) and needed some loving. Plus it was free and I just so happened to have the proper rear derailleur to swap for the replacement Acera the previous owner had used. I am glad I rescued it but I wish I hadn't insisted on going with a suspension fork, finding 1" threaded for rim brakes that are long as heck and not super expensive or worn out ain't easy.

The Privateer: I had been gathering parts for a flat bar bike to build and had been looking for frames for a while and saw that one had decent Tange Steel and was pretty versatile and geometry looked right so I went for it. A small part of me wishes it had disc brakes but I am more careful in the wet now.

The last one was because it was handbuilt by a guy with a great rep, not something common, good price, a challenge, and the color. My pink bikes always make me ride harder to keep my "man card"! LOL!!

It was a challenge because it was a mess in terms of not working and missing components.



What it is now, short of the new Eurus Wheelset and better looking silver bottle cages.

The last one that I bought, the deciding factor was "would it fit inside of my car".

I had decided to buy a recumbent trike to match my wife's. We loaded her trike into my Honda Element and picked one out. After a short test ride I told the bike shop guy "If you can show me how I can make it fit inside of my car, I'll buy it." It took about three attempts, but we eventually found a way to make them both fit and I bought it.

Bike number 1: Rivendell. I liked how Grant Petersen thinks about bikes, so it really is about his philosophy on bikes. His book "Just Ride" spoke to me so I bought a pair for my wife and myself.
Bike number 2: Brompton. The absolute best fold in the folding bike market. Again I purchased two, one for me and my wife.
Bike number 3: Winter Bicycles. I wanted a bike where there wasn't any compromises, it would be exactly what I wanted. I could have chosen from a hundred different builders but when I talked to Eric Estlund, there was no doubt he was the one I wanted to build my bike. First he is a craftsman and second which is actually more important, he is a nice guy. If I am going to drop $10,000 on a bike, I want to like the person I am paying for my bike build. The wife doesn't get a custom, she has no interest. Sorry I should add the bike hasn't been built yet but it is getting started next week or so. The bike hopefully will be ready around Christmas.

1. I could get it at cost
2. It had what I wanted for my needs and more and looked good - Specialized gravel
3. and I wanted to try SRAM 1x and Carbon
4. I got it at cost

Prime reason was to add a different type of bike to add my collection, closely followed by looks, then followed by the biggest discount I could find.

Nice, from the pics I have seen he does great work.

Scott: got for Christmas when I was in middle school about 20 years ago. New components cause it makes a nice stout rough road tourer

Mazama: stupid cheap at a REI garage sale

Schwinn: cheap at the Salvation Army

Univega: stupid cheap on Craigslist

Fat Scott: decent deal and as such had Shimano shifters and hydro brakes instead of SRAM and mechs like everything else in it's price range.

For my three most recent, it was bang for my buck, within the category of bike that I wanted to obtain.

In two cases - my BH road bike (purchased used) and Blue gravel bike (purchased new) - I made out pretty well (decent frame, good components) by going with reputable but lesser known brands.

My 'new' (used) bad weather commuter was chosen because it fit, had been well-maintained, and came with full fenders already installed!

:-)

For me the frame has to have rear facing track-ends or horizontal drop-outs, because I only use FG and SS drivetrains. I also prefer the frame to be black or dark grey or some other stealthy colour.

Fit. The bike had just the right dimensions so I could dial it in with minimal effort.

Close ...

For me it was:

1. It had the features I wanted (including fit).
2. You don't see it every day.

After 20 years of riding a touring bike (Trek 520) but not doing much touring, I decided that if I lost 20 lbs, I would buy a road bike that was at least 10 lbs lighter than the 520 (Deciding factor 1).

Then I test rode several at different bike shops (Deciding factor 2, this was actually the primary factor)

The Trek Domane was the bike I rode that I liked the best. The final decision factor was how much to spend - carbon vs. aluminum, disc vs.rim brakes, which wheels, etc.

Since I hadn't bought a new bike in 20 years, and since I'm 61 years old and can afford to buy whatever bike I damn well feel like buying, I went with the SL6 disc, mostly to get the Vision 40 wheels on it which have been great. 2 biking seasons and about 4,000 miles on it and I would make the same decision again.

What was the deciding factor?
Including fit, it seems most of the replies were for non-technical reasons.

It was on sale, it's red and it was very comfortable on the test ride.

A new bike from a new manufacturer but not a new designer.
The co-founder of Cervelo: Gerard Vroomen.
Followed him in his new venture with Andy Kessler both Europeans
The new bike Open UP
Small (by comparison) company, by intent with very little advertising, maybe no sponsorship either (for now).
Not the color, not the particular bike shop.
$$$$, yes, because I can.

The last new bike, I had wanted an Orbea for some time, it fit, and was 45% off the MSRP.

Logic. I decided to ride a recumbent bike and trike. Why ride an antique bike that causes you pain.

Astute observation.
Cycling is a non-technical experience for me.

I had no choice when I got my road bike, it was issued to me by my team. It is a 1998 Gios Compact Pro, fitted with a Record 9 speed carbon groupset. I raced for one season on the bike, and loved it. Most teams were using aluminum or carbon fiber at that time, but there were still some steel bikes to be found in the European peloton. 20 years later, I'm still riding it.