how often do you
 

upgrade your bike? a few years?

i bought a specialized hardrock pro disc 2003 in feb 05. Would you think that its good enough to upgrade? Or should i wait till i get a fullsuspension or better hardtail?

thanks

madman

i have been cycling for 3 years, i had an alrite but not great bike for 6 months by the itme i started cycling it was a plain amuminium mtb no suspension quite light aswell. After buying some cheap manitou suspension and a deore chainset i decided to sell it and i bought a high spec mtb (specialized stumpjummper 2001) i have had it for 2 years, i just bought a high spec racing bike a few weeks ago, my mtb is a really great bike and i have no intetions to get a new bike any time soon, when i eventualy do i just cant sell my stumpjumpe, it has so much sentimental value to me and is a lovely bike.

I've only been riding in my adult life for 1 1/2 years now. So I'm still on the same bike, but I have added side bars, new seat, new tires, gone through two computers, two helmets, two bike racks, and a plethora of other miscallaneous items (tools, bags, clothes, etc...). Probably spent about twice as much as I did on the bike on miscallaneous accessories since.

Now I'm thinking of going for a road bike. :D

should i keep my hardrock for a while and upgrade parts or just ride it out till i get a new one?

I say keep it and ride it if your happy with it. Heres a sweet upgrade story. A fried of mine owns a bike shop and he needs some work done on his house. It will take me a couple of saterdays and I'll wind up with a new Enduro and a new Allez road bike.pretty sweet.

Buy the be$t you can afford . . . a lot cheaper than 'upgrading'!
We keep our custom tandems for a minimum of 50,000 miles.
Good stuff lasts . . .

Heh, it's looking like something on the order of about every 7-8 years for me, not counting my very first bike when I was a kid. I had my Huffy I bought when I was 13 until I was 21, then I had my Trek (mtb) from 21 through age 28, then at 28, I got my Burley(road bike), and I know I'll get at least 8 years out of it, and probably many more!

Almost constantly. Some (rarely) are frivolous. Some are because of a true upgrade need, eg changing out a fork for a better one, and some are breakages.

Frivolous - 10%
upgrade - 50%
breakage - 40%

I buy new parts at minimum monthly. I have been lucky that I have enough parts now that I don't have to buy as often as I used to :)

True but not as much fun. I dont regret low balling myself initially at all. I learned a lot, and in the long run have saved that money by never having to pay a mechanic :)

You've started down a slippery slope, maybe. I bought my first bike out of college 20 years ago. Bought something newer about 4 years ago. Got another bike last year. Now I seem to want a new bike every five minutes.

I wait until the first one wears out or hits thirty years old. Whichever comes first.

I'll wear it out till it seeps down and creaks when i sit on it

:D

thanks for the advice

madman

Sounds like your talking about my personal life. :eek:

One of my bikes is about 25 years old and I seed no need to upgrade. The frame fits me very well and everything works.

If it works why upgrade. I you got the bucks and just want a better bike go for it.

I did get a MTB in April.

Joe

Parts do wear, so upgrading is a natural option. I just replaced the original RX100 rear derail on my '91 Peugeot Success with a new 105. Chain too. Shifting is much crisper & easier, feels like a new bike.

Replaced the steel fork with aluminum (on sale from the LBS) about 8 years ago after a wreck. Put on a triple crank about 6 years ago, & a new Mavic wheelset (the front wheel had also been trashed in the wreck). Keeps the thrill alive!

I get a new bike every time the old one gets stolen.

thanks for all your responses!


madman

I've been riding seriously now for 15 years. For the first 7 years I had one bicycle which I only just barely maintained (oiled, got the spokes fixed, changed the tires, changed the cables). In the last 8 years, my collection has grown to 6 bicycles, and there were two others which I sold or traded in. So ... I guess you could say I've been upgrading, or at least changing/adding pretty regularly.

My newest bicycle, and the one I ride the most, is just over two years old. While I haven't bought a bicycle in the last couple years, I have done quite a few upgrades to that one to customize him even more and taylor him to what I want.

So I'd say that especially once you know what type of cycling you like to do, upgrades of some sort or another (new bicycles, new parts for the bicycle, etc.) are a normal part of a cyclist's life.

Why that's easy. The key word is FUN! Whichever you think will be the most fun for you - do that. Personally I'm constantly changing or fiddling with one thing or another on my bikes.