Duragrouch

It used to be a few years, because the bikes were not great, built up from parts I could scrounge when I was poor. When I got my first good, new bike in my last year of college, it changed.

• The bike was a significant investment, and I took care of it accordingly.
• I rode 55k each day. Wheels, I wore out every few years until on my third set, I fit really durable double-socketed rims.
• These days I ride a folder with panniers and that race bike is in storage. But hard to part with it. Too many miles on it, too many good memories. Sentimental value. I hauled it to Germany in 1991 for my first business trip overseas for two weeks. My boss thought I was crazy. Rode 100k one weekend day. People thought I was a professional racer because I wore a helmet, evidently helmet use was not common then in those parts.

Other bikes since that one, I may trade out. But not that racer. It's also pretty. If I ever get a house with space, I'll hang it up somewhere for decoration. Perhaps eventually bequeath to one of my nephews, along with other things that would teach them things about me.

Cycle Tourist

Why replace a 35 year old Cannondale? It's got 14 speeds and it clicks from the barends instead of 12 speeds and friction shifts from the downtubes but I don't think a $2000 carbon bike would get me there any faster. I like innovation but I don't find much room for improvement in pedaling to create motion while trying to stay as comfortable as possible.

jjankie

Agree but if I a go through a puddle....man. I don't even try to find a dumpster. I just drop it there and get another.

SlowJoeCrow

I buy my bikes for the long haul and expect to replace wear parts and occasionally update as I go until either the bike doesn't suit my needs or something major fails.

wolfchild

There are also plenty of real mountain bikers who use single speeds without any suspension.

Kapusta

Yeah, they are badass.

dmanthree

Good discussion. Why I buy a new bike:

Tech upgrades, like discs, Di2, etc.
Old bike worn out or damaged.
Lust

Last bike was for tech upgrades, mostly. Love the Di2.

drlogik 

My opinion alone....

I won't buy a bike unless I think I can ride it for 20+ years. Part of the problem with today's products, not just bikes, is we live in a throw-away society now. Very few people are willing to pay premium cash for a product that is designed to last 20 years versus a fraction of that and it will last for 2 to 5 years.

Take shoes as an example. How many people here are willing to plop down $350+ dollars for a pair of all leather hand-made dress shoes? Not many? Would you buy the same style in a lesser shoe for $125 dollars? Ok. Assuming you wear those shoes every day to work, how many years will you get out of those shoes? One or two? Can they be re-soled? No? Then how many pairs of $125 dollar shoes will get you 20 years? Probably about 10 pairs, right? That's $1,250 bucks.

I have two pairs of expensive shoes and both are over 25 years old and they are both going strong, both have been resoled three or four times and they fit like a second skin. I paid around $800 bucks for both pairs, adjusting for inflation. I have a combined life of over 50 years on those shoes and they still have a lot of life in them....for $800 bucks, and they still look beautiful.

I have three steel bikes that are between 30 and 35 years old. Even my old mid 1980's Pinarello is still going strong. I ride it all the time...but I took care of it and it was built to last a lifetime.

What's important to you? Riding the latest "Unobtainium" superbike or riding a hand-made old-school bike for 30 years or more.

Sort of like this one, a Colnago Arabesque. It's not just a bike, it's a work of art and costs no more than a mid to mid-high end carbon bike.

https://www.colnago.com/en/bikes/arabesque/

indyfabz

Both.



And at what age will you no longer buy bikes because of mortality tables?

rydabent

If it aint broke dont fix it.

I-Like-To-Bike

A stitch in time saves nine.