hhnngg1

I can actually afford to buy a new $10k bike every 2-3 MONTHS in cash once my child goes to school and I have to stop paying for childcare. Even with finances not being a problem for buying new bicycles, it's frankly wasteful to upgrade a $10k bike every 1-2 years unless you're a pro rider. After 10 years that'll be like 7-10 identical road bikes in the stable. RIdiculous.

I could fathom many bikes when they're all different types, like tandems, mountain, commuter, etc., but anything over 5 of one type of bike, and especially at $10k each, is hard to defend unless you're collecting (and not riding) them.

gsteinb

You're paying 40k a year for daycare?

Rowan

Did you actually read her post, or did you just want to brag again about how much money your family earns?

catonec 

I will say the upgrade-itis does end. all it takes is a realization that a new wheelset or different shifters or whatever isnt going to make you that much faster or make pedaling long distances any easier. Of course you need to build a bike up to a certain level before this happens.

recently Ive been thinking about building an old classic steel frame (with modern components) just for fun, variety, and curiosity.

Aeolis

I could buy 5 gold bars a day, but its pointless unless you collect. Back OT: it never ends for people like me.

Machka 

It's not about going faster or making pedalling significantly easier ... it's about seeing stuff, liking it, and getting it.

For example, I've got my eye on a blue Brooks B17. Why? Because I like Brooks saddles and blue is my favourite colour ... and I think it would look really good on my blue touring bicycle. Pretty. But it's not going to make me go faster or make me any more comfortable than a plain ordinary black B17.

Rowan

The problem with this outlook is that speed is not necessarily part of the equation.

People post here all the time about how the OEM wheels on their new bike are running out of true, or breaking spokes, and asking what they can do. If there is an inbuilt problem with the way the OEM wheels are designed and built, then the only solution to longevity is to... upgrade to a pair of wheels that may be off-the-shelf or may be hand-built. Either way, it won't matter, because they will cost money.

Then there is that nebulous thing called comfort. A bike might be just the ticket in all the equipment -- it doesn't matter if it costs $800 or $8,000. But if the saddle or the stem, or the cranks or the bars aren't right, then it's going to be a bear to ride any more than, say, 10 miles. People upgrade various items to improve their comfort. Sometimes they will go through four or five or more saddles before they find the one that fits them and suits the style of bike they have. They will cost money.

A rider might buy a bike that is suitably geared for the flats, but then moves because of the job to a hilly area. Or their riding interests includes hills. So they start posting threads on what they should do. Buy a new triple groupset? Get a compact crankset? Get a new rear cassette or associated RD? Whatever, the upgrade will cost money.

Tyres? Some feel good, some feel like crap, some last, some wear out real quick, some are just puncture magnets. Are you going to stick with a cheap tyre if you have problems, or upgrade to something that might last longer?

Shifters? When you've done a few thousand miles on with a Sora or Tiagra groupset, then ride an Ultegra one, you do get a feeling that the shifts are crisper and more precise and more reliable. That's something that might make you go faster than the guy next door with Sora coming out of a sharp corner on a crit. Good groupsets cost more for a reason.

There is not much use racing a bike if it breaks something and you end up on the side of the road watching everyone go past, and waiting for the sag wagon. Upgraditis can help put you back in the pack... maybe not faster, but like most races, you've still got to be competing to have a chance of winning at the end.

Golfster

Not everyone upgrades for speed. It could be some cyclist is also a bit of a fashionista and stylish in their everyday . They find a new kit they like, and buy a bike to match. Whether it be for style, comfort, reliability, current bike or drive-train is getting a bit noisy or they think an updrade will motivate them to ride more, it's their money. More power to them.

hhnngg1

Funny how sensitive people get about money. If you knew me or where I live, you'd think nothing of the sort of me bragging about my money. Sounds like you're the one who's sensitive about it.

$40k for childcare is not unusual around here in Norcal. Nothing bragging about being able to afford that, at least up here.

Heck, the private schools for high schools are $30k/yr minimum, and many people have 2-3 kids per year going to private schools both up here and in Socal where I lived before.

Nobody's bragging about money when they say they pay that much for school/childcare - that's routine around here.

I also clearly was responding to Machka's post about "nothing wrong with that if you can afford it" - I think there's everything wrong with upgrading a perfectly good, pricey bike every 1-2 years 'just because'. That's just wasteful to me - even if I were making Mitt Romney money, I wouldn't do that.

Machka 

Some people actually ride their bicycles quite a bit. In one particular 2-year period, I put 25,000 km on my bicycle. Believe me, after 25,000 km there are things which need replacing. So, if you had actually read my quote, I said ... "why not consider upgrades after 1-2 years?" My drivetrain would have had 25,000 km on it ... why not consider an upgrade during the replacement process. My handlebar tape would have had 25,000 km of my hands holding onto it ... why not consider upgrading to better handlebar tape?


Of course if your bicycle just sits in the garage ...

hhnngg1

I ride over 110 miles per week, pretty much year round. (I also run about 40 miles per week in addition.) That's 9205 km per year on average. Not quite the 12+k you're riding, but not too much less, either.

I can't imagine ever having to replace a bicycle even with 2x as much use. The current bicycle that I've been riding for 4 years now is all-stock purchased for $650 dollars, and I have absolutely no justifiable reason to upgrade it, and I do all my outdoor miles on it, which is most of my miles. I've replaced then chain 3 times, change the bar tape 5 times, and the tires twice, but everything else is the same.

I still think even at that volume of riding, it's wasteful to replace or significantly upgrade a bike after 1-2 years 'just because you can afford it.' Even at $650 with Sora/2200 group. If you use 105+, it'll probably last 2-3x as long.

DropDeadFred

If you want it buy it. If it makes you ride more and enjoy your hobby more then it's justified. It's fun to tinker and toy with your bike, I like new things and I like putting my money into the economy, I can't take it with me when I die, that's for damned sure.

ragtag

Totally.. I'm not great cyclist but I often ride past people on bikes worth thousands more than my bike up the local climb. Get out, get riding, get slimmer and get faster. Upgrades won't make you stronger, riding will.

Machka 

Let's recap our posts here ... I'm not talking about buying a whole new bicycle after a couple years. I'm talking about upgrading. Upgrading the drivetrain. Upgrading the saddle, handlebars, handlebar tape, stem, pedals, rack, panniers, shorts, jersey, gloves, helmet, etc. etc. etc.



It's also rather unlikely I'd replace a bicycle. I tend to collect them. However, if a person wants to replace a bicycle after a couple years and puts Bicycle A onto Ebay to sell it, then buys Bicycle B ... what's wrong with that?


My bicycle history, since I've started buying bicycles ...

Bought Cannondale, rode Cannondale about 1 years, determined it was really too small. Sold Cannondale and bought Giant. Rode Giant a couple years, decided I wanted a triple, debated about buying triple components and putting them onto my exisiting Giant, or buying the new Giant which came with a triple. Decided to trade first Giant in on second, with a small money exchange. Rode Giant for a year, decided I wanted something with a smoother ride, decided to keep Giant to use as trainer/backup bicycle. Bought custom-built Marinoni. Customised/upgraded the Marinoni over the years. Marinoni was stolen. Bought titanium. Bought tandem. Bought touring bicycle. (Plus there have been some mtn bikes in the mix as well). All of that in the space of 13 years. And now we've got our eye on folding bicycles.

So yes, I ride a bicycle for a little while, and then decide if I want something different ... something more appropriate to my cycling style ... something that has better gearing for me, or whatever it happens to be. I decide if I can upgrade my current bicycle or if I would like a new bicycle.

And I figure there's nothing wrong with that because a) I only upgrade when I can afford it; b) I use the bicycles ... a lot.


It's the same sort of thing with photography ... buy small P&S, decide to get DSLR with a couple decent lenses, decide to get large collection of lenses ...
It's all good.

Machka 

+1

StanSeven

Yep. If someone has an income and does all the right things (pays bills on time, puts some away for retirement, give money to church and charity, build some savings, etc.), then they spend money for enjoyment. Then if you get your enjoyment by cycling upgrades and new bikes as well as riding, why not? What's the downside? Plus I also am helping the economy.

Drag

What I have observed is that some here have issues with the fact that other people have much more disposable income than they do.

MarkThailand

After posting on this thread a while back and occasionally checking back and then seeing how the thread has now ended up primarily about money, etc., etc., etc., it occurred to me that, no, I have not upgraded my first road bike that I got last year - my Lynskey Helix OS.

Every single component that I had chosen for the bike when I had it custom built is still the same. And, I then realized that this might be reason why some feel the need to upgrade their bike - theirs was not custom built.

I started my Helix OS odyssey last January 2011 after I decided that I wanted to ride a road bike. I tried many, many bikes - from Cannondales, to Specialized, to Giants, to the various Italians - both carbon and Aluminium, from sports geometry, to endurance geometry, to racing geometry.

By April 2011, on our annual skiing trip to the US, I tried my friend's Litespeed titanium bike and my interest was piqued. After hearing my buddy rambling on and on about titanium for years, I had to agree with him that I liked the feel. After I got back to the Thailand, I started talking to Don Erwin of Lynskey via email and he explained to me the various geometries. I was fortunate to find a Lynskey dealer in Thailand and was able to try the Lynskey Helix OS, the Helix, the R230, and the Cooper - I then decided I liked the Helix OS.

In July 2011, I started discussing the various frame and build options and then decided for a house blend custom Helix OS frame - stock geometry but with custom finish - hand brushed with etched logos. I placed my order in September 2011 and the frame was scheduled to be delivered in February 2012.

I also started reading the various forums and started choosing my components one by one. I tried Shimano, SRAM, and Campgnolo. I would like to say that I finally chose the Hollowgram SL with compact SI 50/34 rings crankset solely based on the reviews and crank stiffness attributes but the real reason was I liked how it looked. For the rest of the components, I chose SRAM. During this time, the new 2012 SRAM Red was about to be released - so I put in my order for the remaining 2012 SRAM Red components - to be delivered in March 2012. I also had my first bike fit done on the Juteau Cantin bike jig to determine the stem length, handle bar width, seat post height, saddle set back, saddle angle, and crank length. I got the Enve fork, stem, handlebar because they looked good and because the reviews were not bad either. The Enve set back seatpost was out of stock so I got the Fizik Cyrano carbon 25mm setback seatpost because I like the matte black finish that matches the Enve component finishes. I also tried various peddles and decided to take the plunge with Speedplay Zeros and also got DMT Prisma Speedplay specific sole shoes. I must have ridden on 30 different saddles before deciding on the Fizik Alliante saddle as my first road saddle. I also read about custom built wheels and ordered a custom-built HED. C2 rim, White Industries hubs, Sapim CX-Ray spokes from Prowheelbuilder.com with Richard Craig's help. Needless to say, this was very deliberate process.

The frame was delivered on schedule in March 2012. But, I was also scheduled to go on our annual vacation and skiing trip to the US again in April 2012. So, on the flight back, I brought all the components back with me. I also had a Retul bike fitting done to confirm all the component sizes again. Then, finally, I had my bike assembled in time for birthday on the end of April. I realize that this bike is really expensive, but our annual US vacation and skiing trip cost more and it was my first present to myself since my two sons were borne - for the past seven years, I have been busy vesting their 403b plan.

Since May, I have put on 3000 km on my bike. I now regularly ride 200km every weekend. I am slowly building up my base km's and each of my weekend rides are now non-stop 80 km rides at 30 kmh ave speed. I built up my top sprint speed to 45 kmh and can maintain 35 kmh for 30 min. I can now do metric centuries every weekend in 3 hr 20 min with only one 5 min drink refill stop. I can now ride for 4 hours without being in pain. I have been really focusing on riding faster and longer. I have not upgraded anything on my bike other than replacing the tires last weekend. During these past 5 months, I discovered that top grade bibs and chamois cream are important, that my anti-cramping and bonking drink is a 50:50 mix of Nuun+water and Poka drink, a Singaporean sports drink, and that dates, figs, and Honey Stinger wafers work for me. I have also lost about 20 lbs.

Of course, last month, I also bought another Lynskey frame, the R330. My excuse is that I wanted to ride with power with the SRAM Red Quarq power meter and did not want to modify/upgrade my Helix OS.

So, instead of discussing money, I just wanted to bring back the discussion about why we upgrade our bikes, or, in my case, buy another bike.

Mark

Machka 

+1

Machka 

As mentioned above, these are the reasons for my upgrades:

1) Cannondale - too small

2) Giant 1 - double rather than triple chainring

3) Giant 2 - aluminum frame

4) Marinoni - lots of upgrades ... changed handlebars to something more comfortable, changed front fork to steel so I could install a front rack, changed brakes to accommodate steel fork, changed gearing several times as my desire for lower gears increased, changed handlebar tape as desired, changed saddle to Brooks because it was more comfortable, changed freehub to something more durable ...... and many more. My Marinoni was custom-built, but the more I rode it for different purposes, the more things I wanted to tweak to suit me. And just when I got it about right ... it was stolen.

5) Hasa - I needed a new bicycle and have wanted titanium for many years.

6) Santana Tandem - Rowan and I wanted to ride together. I was not well (DVT), and Rowan was dropping me all the time. The tandem renewed my enthusiasm for cycling, helped to get better, and allowed us to ride together.

7) Thorn - Rowan and I wanted to do a Round-the-World mostly cycling tour. The Hasa, Giant 2, and Tandem (and miscellaneous other bicycles Rowan has built up from frames collected here and there) just didn't suit the purpose.

8) Folding Bike of the Future - We haven't acquired folding bikes yet, but our desire for them has come from travelling with our Thorn bicycles. The Thorn bicycles are great, no regrets for the most part and I envision we could use them for years to come. But they aren't as convenient as folding bicycles. For future travel, we're looking for convenience. (Who knows ... maybe we'll head to Thailand one year soon! )



(I'm also thinking I'd like to upgrade my current mtn bike. It's needs something. It either needs to be slightly larger or maybe have something done about the handlebars. I'm not quite sure. And over the past few years I've been riding road bicycles. But we have been talking about hitting some of the gravel roads and rail trails when we get back to Australia. And then I've got recumbent and Ordinary on my list of bicycles-to-get. )

Drag

I stopped reading when I got to Lynskey. You do not apply. LOL.

Drag - titanium bike lover

DaveWC

So after 120 posts the long & the short of it is no, it never ends.

Machka 

Yep!

And this is BF ... this thread could very well keep going for another 120 posts.

DaveWC

Oh I know, that never ends either.

mattm

Didn't read any of the other posts... but for me, it does end.

It ended when I started racing and got on a team that gives out team frames to peeps that race the most. And discounts on everything else.

So now that I have more than enough bike (Raleigh Militis 3, Chorus 11, PT on Open Pros or Zipps 404s), all I need to focus on is the engine. That's where any new improvements will be made.

I could upgrade some of it, sure, but it's certainly not holding me back in racing. It's all about upgrading the engine at this point.