How much did you pay for your road bike?
 

I would say, teach your kids to treat their bikes like trash, then they wont have money for drugs.
If the love their equipment, it will last years and years.

TEACH YOUR KIDS TO LOVE VINTAGE CARS and they will never have money.

I'm wondering at which point people would rather get something else.
For me it's about $2,000. I'd probably get a new graphics card and water cooling parts instead.

I'm trying to understand...If a bicycle is over $2000, you'd rather get computer parts?

Definitely. :rolleyes:

You don't have a limit?

My limit is what my budget will tolerate. I don't have the financial capacity to spend $10k+ on a bike, but if I did, I probably would. $2000 doesn't seem unreasonable to me for someone to spend on a pair of wheels. Behind taking care of the needs of my family and house, bikes are my current #1 passion, and I enjoy riding high-quality machines at the limits of what my body is capable of. Good bikes help me get the most from my fitness and skills, and that brings me joy.

If upgrading computer parts brings you more enjoyment that bicycles, have at it.

Why on Earth would anyone care what anyone else paid for a bike -- or for any other object?

A couple of reasons come to mind. Inverse snobbery has a long history on BF. In this case, it's probably more about starting an argument. :crash:

Were you not around for this thread? People care for some unknown reason.

https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycl...ht-wheels.html

I don't understand why there is a picture with [size=33px]15 mtb forks in the road forum.
I really don't understand why the pic is here at all, but especially considering all the mtb components in display.




As for what I paid- I have a lot of road bikes and they cost different amounts. All were built from frameset, and one was a frameset I built.
The range for my current group of bikes is $150 to $4000ish. I honestly don't know the full cost of one of em and don't have the interest in adding everything up to see. [/size]

I'm just wondering, you self-admittedly ride bikes to push the limit of what your body is capable of, but do you believe that a bike in your budget range, let's say $5,000, would help you achieve quantifiably better fitness results than a $2,000 bike could?
Did I say that?

For me it's not about enjoyment, but profitability and value.
I am talking about used bikes, but $2000 is a threshold where I believe that the performance levels of certain bike parts and their cost/benefit ratio starts to reach a point of diminishing returns.
Of course you can spend $10,000 on a road bike, but the question for me personally would be whether there is an actual, justifiable performance advantage compared to a more cost effective solution. And the answer is no, in my opinion.

Who is this "you" referred to in the above quote? Is it your imagining of the typical bf'er? People ride bikes for a whole variety of reasons, but you seem unable to acknowledge that.

Good for you. Others might feel differently, and their judgments are just as valid since they have different abilities, goals, and budgets than you.

You're entitled to your opinion, which is conditioned by your riding abilities, goals, and budget constraint. For someone who rides more than you, is faster than you, is competing regularly, and has more money than you, that $10,000 bike might make sense.


This topic has been done many times on bf. It's always (ALWAYS) initiated by an OP who thinks that no one "needs" a bike that is more expensive than the OP's. It never goes in the opposite direction, with posters trying to convince others to purchase more expensive bikes.

Each individual is the best arbiter of his/her priorities, preferences, and budget constraints -- and thus each of us spends our money differently than other individuals. Some people are mature and rational enough to understand this...And others make judgments.

Venge Expert (I forget the year) - $900-something. Team deal that I bought at cost at end of the season. This was pre-pandemic when there was enough supply for most elite teams to get team issued bikes. I've put another $1500 or so into it (used carbon wheels, narrower carbon bars). The bike is a total POS and rides like crap, but it's fast and holds speed wheel (latex tubes, aero bits all over)

2022 TCR Advanced Pro - $5k or so. Bought the frameset on a labor day deal, and a brand new complete Ultegra Di2 12-sp group from the shop. The other stuff I either already had or was bought used

I also have a track bike, a TT bike and a MTB. So let's just leave this at road :)

I'm just gonna add a couple of global notes here:

1) No one will argue that 10k (or even 5k) is past the point of diminishing returns for bikes. Peak value is a couple tiers below top component spec, 105 level for Shimano, Rival level for Sram etc
2) Performance is one (of many) reasons to spend money on bicycles

That's awesome! I can totally relate to upgrading with used parts, there is definitely great value in that.
Starting a build from scratch with a nice frame is the way to go, I was trying to do something like that as well with the ALR 5, but ended up getting the whole thing.
5K brand new isn't crazy, especially with Di2 groupset and carbon around the clock. Gotta look amazing.:thumb: Would you happen to have a picture by any chance?

Yeah, I totally agree. No reasonable person would argue that.

Much much more than my riding ability.....

I understand what you mean. :rolleyes:
What would you say is a reasonable amount to maximize value?

What you can comfortably afford knowing that you will spend more over the years on stuff you don't need but is "cool"....Listen I don't know a lot but I do know that everything but the frame is easy to upgrade.....

Yeah I agree, if you have a solid frame you're good. Everything else can be easily upgraded. Especially with used parts that's a nice way to go.

My most expensive Road Bike purchase was in the 70's. 375.00 USD plus a few other things in trade.

A "la migliore, tutti fatto a mano, tutti Compagnolo LIotto" built by Giovani Liotto himself in Vicenza Italy. The frame was built for my odd ball American dimensions and my older racing age. I was 22 years old. In Italy thats to old to start racing. Rats, some time in the mid 80's it was stolen...

Liotto
https://www.liotto.com/bici/gino-60

How much did you pay for your road bike?

More than what person A thinks is reasonable, but less than what person B thinks is reasonable. And yet, they're both sure that they're right.

Wait, is that one of those Vintage Italian bikes that sell for crazy amounts of money now? I've seen a bunch of Classic Italian ads on my sales platform lately and they always sell extremely well. Vintage road bikes that have been maintained and kept in good condition are generally a great investment opportunity, especially if they're rare.

Depends on the car. My Miata is 24 years old and it's extremely low maintenance. Watch it blow a gasket, now that I said that.

It also depends on one's standards. For example:

• the power windows are pretty draggy and slow on my Miata, but they keep working, so I left it alone.
• I think the shift boot is shot, as I can feel some heat getting through
• It weeps a bit from the front main seal; maybe a cup every 10,000 miles
• The oil temp gauge is frozen in one place.

If I started fixing things like these, I guess it could get expensive.

I guess you mean 'vintage [something besides Japanese] cars'. ;)

Here we go again. This discussion has spun around the drain more times that I can count, and I've only been on BF for a few years. I saw this coming from the first post. :twitchy:

The cost of one bike over another does not always need to be justified by quantifiable performance gains.

For me, my bike purchases are all about my personal enjoyment. They serve my needs for the way I want to ride, and the way I want my bike to perform. I buy bikes that are exciting to me (even just to look at), and inspire me to want to ride. My bikes excite me in the same way sports cars do. I have bought used high-end bikes because I can get a better bike (lighter, higher-quality components, better wheels) for a lot less money than buying new. This is primarily budget-driven. I have nothing against new bikes. I also could not care less about making any kind of profit, because I don't ever buy a bike with the intent to sell it.

My 3 most-ridden bikes were all purchased used, at less than half of their original cost. (EDIT: On my road bike, I've only changed the tires and cockpit. On my MTB, I changed tires, cranks, seatpost, seat, stem, and added a power meter). However, I didn't know what I didn't know about gravel bikes, so I jumped in on a used bike that was a very good deal, started to figure out what I liked and didn't like, and began replacing things. I eventually ended up replacing everything, including the frame, and spent new-bike money doing it, but I ended up with a bike that is perfect in all the little details that make a difference in my enjoyment of the ride. I don't care that I probably could have done it a cheaper way. The learning process that went on during the process is also valuable to me.