# Expensive lightweight bikes for commuting....is it worth it?



## BlackPanther (13 Mar 2011)

Having looked at dozens of potential steeds, are the more expensive bikes really worth it? I realise that lighter bikes also tend to have higher quality components, but for commuting on, when you're carrying panniers, tools, lunch etc, can it really be justified spending £1,000 instead of the same make bike lower down the range for maybe £4-500?If you're going for long fast rides with a bunch of other cyclists, the expensive, lighter bike would get you there a tad quicker, but surely fitness is more important than the weight of a bike? Also, it could be argued that if you cycle to work mainly for fitness (as I do), surely the heavier the bike, the more exercise you'll get, and the fitter and faster you'll become. That said, I'm looking forward to trying my new Specialised Allez 16 for a change from my Dawes hybrid (I get it next week)? I'm hoping that rather than just being easier and faster to ride than the Dawes, I will actually get the same (maybe more) exercise by shortening my commute time, and working up more of a sweat. I'm also looking forward to beating the Dawes' record top speed of 31 mph (set downhill with a tailwind)

Has anyone bought a really expensive lightweight bike just for commuting on, and is it really worth the extra cost?


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## Smokin Joe (13 Mar 2011)

The simple answer is that you don't have to justify it. It's your money, your choice, if it makes you happy then what's the problem?


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## fossyant (13 Mar 2011)

It's your choice - my commuter, with guards/rack etc comes in at about £1300, and it doesn't even have gears. Better components do last, and handbuilt wheels are a big plus for a daily ride.


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## buggi (13 Mar 2011)

yep, both my bikes to commute on were £1k plus. the first was 1k, my first ever road bike and i just went for it! LOL. The 2nd was a carbon £1800. 

Then again, i don't have panniers, i leave all my stuff at work, and i at the time i only had one bike (the 1st broke before i bought the 2nd one), so it wasn't just for commuting. 

As said, it's your money. i know people who have expensive carbon and bought a cheaper bike for commuting. 

i've now got 2 bikes, the 2nd is a cross bike which i use for commuting and my £1800 i'm now keeping for weekend riding and long leisure rides. but even the cross, although i got it 2nd hand for a bargain price, is 1k new.


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## buggi (13 Mar 2011)

personally, more than price, i think the colour is important. really i do. i need to look at the bike and say I LOVE THAT BIKE, because that is what makes you get on it, no matter how much it cost.


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## yello (13 Mar 2011)

Smokin Joe said:


> The simple answer is that you don't have to justify it. It's your money, your choice, if it makes you happy then what's the problem?



Indeed. Define 'worth it'. Very much based on your own values.


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## cyberknight (13 Mar 2011)

After you consider your budget it also depends if you have the insurance and are in an area where it is likely to be stolen .

I ride a £100 ebay bike that for the money was a very good buy, sure i am not going to win races on it but it has aluminum frame, sti shifters and can carry all that i need at a reasonable turn of speed.
Parts might last longer on higher spec parts but when i can get a new 8 speed cassette for £20 rather than spend a lot more for eg a 10 speed block .

Where i work we have had regular bouts of theft every timeC2W comes out, i had to suffer nearly 2 years of short time work with a family to support .As yello said it all defines what you call "worth it "
For me a 1k bike would be a no no but its all about perpective ........


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## iAmiAdam (13 Mar 2011)

Most of the people who buy the expensive bikes are racing/been cycling for years, so the fitness is already there, any advantage is then welcome.


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## Fab Foodie (13 Mar 2011)

I think it depends on the commute and where you get to store your bike. 

I don't see the point in flogging through stop-start London traffic, poor roads on £1000+ of lightweight bicycle as hugely advantageous when a £600 ribble winter-bike, good hybrid or a cheapish fixie would do the job admirably.
City commuting in all weathers takes it's toll on a bike.

On the other hand, a decent free-flowing Urban/sub-urban commutes where speed can be made over reasonable surfaces, a lightweight quick bike may be just the job (assuming it can be theft-proof at the end).


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## 400bhp (13 Mar 2011)

Smokin Joe said:


> The simple answer is that you don't have to justify it. It's your money, your choice, if it makes you happy then what's the problem?



Well, you have to justify it to yourself.  But I agree with your money/choice point. Largely no different than choosing anything in a capitalist society.

I have 2 bikes which I commute on-one is a reasonably heavy hybrid, the other is a lightweight racer. I probably get into work on average 5 mins quicker on the racer (over 9.5 miles) but that's missing the point. The hybrid comes out when the weather is rubbish and when i want to pick my daugher up from nursery. The racing bike is used for the rest of the time.

The racer was £1000. I use it at weekends too. at a rough guess, 20% of the bike's life is spent commuting. If I solely used it to commute then I probably wouldn't have spent £1k on it. C2W clouds the issue somewhat as currently I can rotate bikes annually.

The hybrid was £80 second hand. At a guess, 90% of it's life is spent commuting. I wouldn't be happy with this as a sole commute bike. It's too heavy and the parts wear out too quickly.


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## 400bhp (13 Mar 2011)

iAmiAdam said:


> Most of the people who buy the expensive bikes are racing/been cycling for years, so the fitness is already there, any advantage is then welcome.



I'm not sure that's true. Perhaps many would like people to think they race/are fit. 

Not dissimilar to many who buy a "sports" car but would never race/track it.


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## Alembicbassman (13 Mar 2011)

Some of the components on the cheaper bikes will actually last longer when used for commuting.

A Shimano 2300 chainset with steel chain rings and square taper bottom braket won't wear out as quickly as an Ultegra alloy chainset.

8 Speed stuff is cheaper to replace too.


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## snailracer (13 Mar 2011)

4x4 for the school run - is it worth it? Oops, wrong forum


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## DrSquirrel (13 Mar 2011)

You don't have to have an expensive bike to have a light bike... my "winter commuter" (full guards etc) weighs 8.5kg and cost me £350 new.

Has no gears though 



If you are lucky enough to have 2 bikes, one for summer (light weight racer) and one for summer (basic, possibly single speed clunker) means you have a bike that is "fast" for the nice days and weekends, and a work horse to take the wear and tear when you don't need the speed.


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## BlackPanther (13 Mar 2011)

DrSquirrel said:


> You don't have to have an expensive bike to have a light bike... my "winter commuter" (full guards etc) weighs 8.5kg and cost me £350 new.
> 
> Has no gears though
> 
> ...



I'm a bit worried that when I start riding an 'entry level' road bike, I'll like it so much that I'll be wanting to upgrade........that's how it started with the motorbike anyway, every upgrade got faster and more expensive!


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## kevin_cambs_uk (13 Mar 2011)

Well mine was not cheap at all, but I do think that if I had bought myself a cheaper bike, my 8,000 miles a year would have destroyed it by now.

I like to have nice things, I work hard and I look after it, so its going to last, but thats my own personal view.

I am having the same dilemma over a mountain bike for winter, as I have decided that the ice was tricky on the road bike.

I am a firm believer that things are cheap for a reason.


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## cyberknight (13 Mar 2011)

kevin_cambs_uk said:


> I am a firm believer that things are cheap for a reason.



People are lulled into the false sense that expensive /branded is always better 

(runs and hides from the fallout ...)


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## DrSquirrel (13 Mar 2011)

cyberknight said:


> People are lulled into the false sense that expensive /branded is always better
> 
> (runs and hides from the fallout ...)



Aye, it's neither "expensive is best", "cheap for a reason".

Expensive - R&D, QC, marketing, taxation (import etc), brand naming etc
Cheap - no R&D (or none needed, clone), lower QC, no marketing, no taxation (direct import from china etc)


I really hate the "buy cheap buy twice" phrase, as far as I am concerned - "buy cheap, buy twice (the cheaper item)... still save money".


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## BlackPanther (13 Mar 2011)

kevin_cambs_uk said:


> Well mine was not cheap at all, but I do think that if I had bought myself a cheaper bike, my 8,000 miles a year would have destroyed it by now.
> 
> I like to have nice things, I work hard and I look after it, so its going to last, but thats my own personal view.
> 
> ...



I agree with what you're saying about having nice things (although unlike you, I don't work hard). What I meant though was is it really worth spending loads of money for a lightweight bike for commuting, when any weight loss is cancelled out by work related weight gain (panniers full of stuff)? I bought my Dawes Tanami for £300 (rrp was £450) and it's been perfect....no probs after 12 months and 5,000 miles. I hope I have a similar level of reliability with the Allez.

Also, as a motorbiker, high price does not mean high reliability. I've always bought Hondas. You can spend a lot more on Italian exotica and it may be a kg or 2 lighter, and lap 1/2 a second faster........but only if you can get it started! Still on motorbikes, the lightweight bikes tend to be more prone to corrosion due to thinner plating etc in a bid to shave of a few grammes (the manufacturers don't actually expect you will ride your bike through the Winter!), where as a 'budget' heavier bike will not be built to compete with the latest sports bike weights, so they don't skimp on corrosion protection.


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## kevin_cambs_uk (13 Mar 2011)

DrSquirrel said:


> Aye, it's neither "expensive is best", "cheap for a reason".
> 
> Expensive - R&D, QC, marketing, taxation (import etc), brand naming etc
> Cheap - no R&D (or none needed, clone), lower QC, no marketing, no taxation (direct import from china etc)
> ...




Well were all different !

But I stick with what experience has taught me, cheap is cheap for a reason, its usually crap !


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## kevin_cambs_uk (13 Mar 2011)

BlackPanther said:


> I agree with what you're saying about having nice things (although unlike you, I don't work hard). What I meant though was is it really worth spending loads of money for a lightweight bike for commuting, when any weight loss is cancelled out by work related weight gain (panniers full of stuff)? I bought my Dawes Tanami for £300 (rrp was £450) and it's been perfect....no probs after 12 months and 5,000 miles. I hope I have a similar level of reliability with the Allez.
> 
> Also, as a motorbiker, high price does not mean high reliability. I've always bought Hondas. You can spend a lot more on Italian exotica and it may be a kg or 2 lighter, and lap 1/2 a second faster........but only if you can get it started! Still on motorbikes, the lightweight bikes tend to be more prone to corrosion due to thinner plating etc in a bid to shave of a few grammes (the manufacturers don't actually expect you will ride your bike through the Winter!), where as a 'budget' heavier bike will not be built to compete with the latest sports bike weights, so they don't skimp on corrosion protection.



I think there is a medium ground, I think an expensive bike to commute to work in would be around £3-4K, which I think is over kill.

Between 1 - 2K is I think reasonable for the mileage.

I certainly would not expect a bike of around a couple hundred quid to withstand the 8,000 miles a year commuting, but even I would say that a bike of £4K for commuting to work is maybe a bit excessive, but if thats what people want to pay the thats great. 

I see such bikes in the shop and they are lovely, if I could afford it I would have one, just as I would love an Aston Martin, even if it was only to go to Tesco in.

I think if you are doing a big mileage every year and you want the bike and components to last, then a bike needs to be up to the job and a more expensive one I think will do the job.

Thats my opinion !


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## DrSquirrel (13 Mar 2011)

BlackPanther said:


> I agree with what you're saying about having nice things (although unlike you, I don't work hard). What I meant though was is it really worth spending loads of money for a lightweight bike for commuting, when any weight loss is cancelled out by work related weight gain (panniers full of stuff)? I bought my Dawes Tanami for £300 (rrp was £450) and it's been perfect....no probs after 12 months and 5,000 miles. I hope I have a similar level of reliability with the Allez.
> 
> Also, as a motorbiker, high price does not mean high reliability. I've always bought Hondas. You can spend a lot more on Italian exotica and it may be a kg or 2 lighter, and lap 1/2 a second faster........but only if you can get it started! Still on motorbikes, the lightweight bikes tend to be more prone to corrosion due to thinner plating etc in a bid to shave of a few grammes (the manufacturers don't actually expect you will ride your bike through the Winter!), where as a 'budget' heavier bike will not be built to compete with the latest sports bike weights, so they don't skimp on corrosion protection.




Panniers don't get heavier or lighter with a different weight bike.

So you cannot say "what is the point in a light bike if I am going to put xKG of weight on it". Although from a practical stand point, light weight racers tend to have less rack mounting options etc.


I don't think £1000 is spending "loads of money for a light weight bike" anyway, that is up to the realms of 2k+ etc


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## cyberknight (13 Mar 2011)

kevin_cambs_uk said:


> Well were all different !
> 
> But I stick with what experience has taught me, cheap is cheap for a reason, its usually crap !



And others have had better experiences with shrewd buying you can get good value and good quality, if you have been stung then maybe you have been unlucky.


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## Christopher (13 Mar 2011)

A halfway house is a set of light weekend wheels for your commuter. Bit of a faff changing the cassette if the spare rear hasn't gears on it. My light tourer is postively lively with light wheels onit while it is a little staid with the bombproof commute wheels. I think the most important thing is a decent frame that you can upgrade piecemeal - a bit like Spesh do (or did) - same frame but better components as you go up the range. My Yates tourer was £700 for frame/fork/headset for example and the rest of the components £400 maybe. 

Also I think some on here need lightweight bikes as their commutes are quite long - buggi for example (IIRC).


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## MacB (13 Mar 2011)

If you have a lengthy commute then you can justify almost any price as long as you have secure storage. If you're doing 30+ miles a day then it's very likely that your commuter will cover the lions share of your bike riding. Having experienced a long commute I spent a fair bit(about £1500) on a dedicated commuter. This actually weighed 6kg more than the bike I had been using but I'd prioritised low maintenance, quality durable parts and comfort over speed. I think the problems can arise when people have to try and make a bike a do it all, you'll always end up with some sort of compromise. I explored options around second wheelsets etc but decided that I needed a weekend bike and a dedicated commuter.

I agree with the comments about saving weight on a commuting bike removing some of the training aspect. Cycling 200 miles a week on a bike that weighs in at 35lbs before adding panniers really makes the weekend bike feel light and fast. Yes you could always add bricks to your panniers on a lighter bike but I'd rather add the weight through bigger tyres, puncture resistance, hub gears, etc. Plus, by having the bigger tyres, comfy Brooks saddle, I also found the bike a lot comfier when I was tired. Those times when you can't, or don't want to, expend the usual effort so you need to slump a bit. 

It's interesting when you look at cycling forums, here included, and see what people use for the longer commutes. There's a lot of cross/tourer type frames chosen and steel or titanium are very popular. As are handbuilt wheelsets, generous tyre clearances, dynamo lighting and so on. If you cycle 10k miles a year and 8k of those are commuting then you'd be crazy not to spend whatever it takes to get you the ride that suits. Whether that's full Dura Ace and superlight carbon or some steel/ti solidity, is really up to personal preference.


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## BentMikey (13 Mar 2011)

I've got to admit my main commuting bike is a few times £1K in value. It's not the cheapest to run either, but I do love riding it.


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## dave r (13 Mar 2011)

Its up to the rider to decide whether they think the expensive bike is OK to commute on. Personally the expensive bike, Verenti Kilmeston, is for keeping up with the lads on summer Sundays. For every day riding and commuting I use a fixed, Pearson Touche.


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## cyberknight (13 Mar 2011)

It also comes down to budget , to some a £600 bike would be a dream bike .


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## MacB (13 Mar 2011)

cyberknight said:


> It also comes down to budget , to some a £600 bike would be a dream bike .



true, but in my instance I had been driving prior to cycling so my petrol savings alone were about £150 a month. I could also do some additional mental gymnastics to convince myself I didn't need to buy a gym membership either.

I accept that once the bug had bitten there was a fair amount of indulgence as well but I now have two bike frames that I expect to see out the rest of my life, I can't say that about a car.


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## Nebulous (13 Mar 2011)

I hardly know where to start on this!

I've cycled occasionally for most of my life - for the last 5 years or so on a hard-tail mountain bike. It's mainly been family rides on towpaths and disused railway lines and the bike cost me about £270. I had tried taking it to work a few times, but there is quite a climb and I really hated it. 

Over the last year I've lost a lot of weight, and on a weeks holiday last October I did over 100 miles, some of it with my family, but quite a bit of it on my own. I came back and decided I wanted a road bike. I met a lot of cynicism and concern about the cost from the people around me, but I must admit I kind of choked myself on looking in bike shops. The idea that a starter road bike would cost over £500 when the most expensive bike I had bought before was less than £300 really didn't compute. I still don't understand how they can charge the prices they do, other than because they can. I also have the idea that the cycle to work scheme has contributed massively to bike inflation. Just like 100% mortgages did to house price inflation. 

Anyway I bought an allez elite, pretty much unused, for £543 from ebay. I absolutely love it and have been frustrated by the weather since I bought it, but really regard it as a hobbyhorse rather than a workhorse. While it is certainly a favourite gizmo I had some difficulty justifying it, nevermind spending 4 or 5 times that. 

For a variety of reasons last month I decided to give up my car and had to work out an alternative way to get to work. Now I have 1.92 miles to go, up the aforementioned hill, so much smaller a distance than most people, but what I did was kit out the mountain bike with mudguards and buy new lights, high viz vest and waterproof trousers. I can wheel my bike in and leave it inside, so security isn't a worry, but it just wouldn't feel right to commute on my allez. At the same time although the distance is quite short I really attack that hill every day, so doing it regularly will hopefully improve my climbing and fitness when I am out on my roadbike. 

Now after having almost convinced myself how virtuous I am, anyone got any views on a good value carbon bike with 10 speed gearset? 

James


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## dave r (13 Mar 2011)

cyberknight said:


> It also comes down to budget , to some a £600 bike would be a dream bike .



That's a good point, I would consider both my Pearson, £630 three years ago, and my Kilmeston, £900 last autumn, as substantial purchases. In the past, with a mortgage and a growing family, I did most of my cycling, commuting, club rides and general running about, on bikes I had cobbled together from spare parts. Now the kids have left home, well one has, and the mortgage is paid of I've got a little money to spend.


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## brokenbetty (13 Mar 2011)

I total about 2K miles a year and my bikes cost between £100 and £400. I spend about £65 on a bike from ebay then upgrade various odds and sods to get what I want. My front rack cost more than any of my bikes


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## ufkacbln (13 Mar 2011)

I commute on a Rohloff equipped Catrike (due to security problems at work soon to be joined by a Rohloff HPVelotechnik Gekko)

The way I look at this is that I will do most of my mileage on the commute

Therefore I have no problem with a quality Trike for this purpose


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## cyberknight (13 Mar 2011)

dave r said:


> That's a good point, I would consider both my Pearson, £630 three years ago, and my Kilmeston, £900 last autumn, as substantial purchases. In the past, with a mortgage and a growing family, I did most of my cycling, commuting, club rides and general running about, on bikes I had cobbled together from spare parts. Now the kids have left home, well one has, and the mortgage is paid of I've got a little money to spend.



Thanks !

43 years old with a 3 year old and a mortgage that runs out 1 month after the old 65 retirement age , bad choice? nope more like ..

1, trying for many years for a kid including 2 self funded ivf courses , looking at over £8 k in fees

2, hit by the recession and had to sell my house and downsize ,effectively starting again to keep a roof over our heads due to the comapny shedding 30 % of the workforce and a lot of us who had a job still losing about 40 % of take home wages for nearly 2 years.

I will be living on the breadline till i die so i i have had to learn to be very shrewd when it comes to spending anything, heck i just made my own fence panels out off a dismantled gate.


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## buggi (13 Mar 2011)

good points about where you store your bike. i wouldn't use my carbon for work if we didn't have on-site security! No way would I lock a £1k bike at the train station! or anywhere else that didn't have security! 

If i had to do that, i'd be buying a £100 bike off ebay! 

Even with my old bike i gave to my brother, i went and bought him a really good lock as i knew he was going to lock it at the hospital. it might be old, but i love that bike and i want it to stay in the family. It's not worth a lot to anyone else, but to me it is.


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## zigzag (13 Mar 2011)

lightweight fast bike is nice to have, but i wouldn't use it for my commute (5miles with 27 traffic lights twice a day). i needed a sturdy bike with disc brakes so bought £150 bike and customised it for another £150. it's a perfect commuter bike which is also capable of longer rides - if i want to. i did about 4k miles on it last year. my faster/lighter bike would also be ok for commuting, but it's rim brakes are not great in wet and it's much more attractive to thieves, so not safe to leave unattended. i've done some long rides on this bike last year including 1600k randonee and covered about 2k miles in total.
each bike serves it's purpose well and i'll keep it like that until my circumstances or way of riding change.


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## shippers (13 Mar 2011)

I've never been convinced that spending a big chunk of extra cash on a bike is really worth it. I have a Specialized Secteur Sport- £650. To lose 2lbs would probably cost a couple of hundred quid, but as I weight 230lbs...

Here's a not-very-scientific-but-quite-interesting study done by someone. NOTE- not scientific. Lots of holes could be poken in his findings. Etc.

http://www.bmj.com/content/341/bmj.c6801

Ta.


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## dave r (14 Mar 2011)

cyberknight said:


> Thanks !
> 
> 43 years old with a 3 year old and a *mortgage that runs out 1 month after the old 65 retirement age , bad choice? nope more like ..
> *
> ...



I was fortunate with that one, the second mortgage I had finished a couple of month after retirement, but I was living in an area of Coventry with high property prices and was able to sell up, buy a property in an area where the property prices were lower and pay the mortgage off. The trouble with the situation your in is it wears you down. I vividly remember the end of month bills coming in and sitting down trying to work out who I could afford to pay and who I could put of till the following month.


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## BenM (14 Mar 2011)

Just a quick observation on bike price... I have a not particularly light 'bent... when speaking to the young chap on the phone about insurance (It is covered, both at home and out on trips, under the house contents insurance by those nice people at Aviva for a whole £9 per year...) the conversation went a bit like this

Aviva: "How much is your bike worth?"
Me: "£1800"
Aviva: "Gosh, that's a lot for a bike!"
Me: "How much did you spend on your car for commuting to work?"
Aviva: "I hadn't thought about that!"

Personally I can't help but think of Sheldon who's comment about light bikes runs to the effect of "Why spend a huge sum on the latest titanium confection when any weight advantage it gives you will be eliminated by a Mars Bar!" but each to their own; some people buy a Ferrari then insist on driving it in the west end of London, where it is much quicker to walk!

B.


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## Banjo (14 Mar 2011)

A lot depends on how secure your bike is at work. As for upgrading, keep your best bike for weekends and you then have a spare if the commuter is off the road for any reason.


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## MacB (14 Mar 2011)

As BenM says some people drive around in cars worth tens of thousands, if not more, and some drive around in old bangers. Looked after properly they'll all do the job. The financial variance from top to bottom of the bike scale is a lot smaller than the car scale.


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## threebikesmcginty (14 Mar 2011)

MacB said:


> ...but I now have two bike frames that I expect to see out the rest of my life...



Snork...rest of the week more like! Keep your eyes on the 'For Sale' forum folks


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## threebikesmcginty (14 Mar 2011)

The good thing about bikes is that there are good bikes new and second hand in all price brackets. Providing you read up, ask questions, etc. to make sure you get what's right for you at a price you can afford, there's a bike for you.


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## MacB (14 Mar 2011)

threebikesmcginty said:


> Snork...rest of the week more like! Keep your eyes on the 'For Sale' forum folks



No chance, the Vaya is great and I've got the Burls Ti one now as well...no wheels yet mind


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## GrasB (14 Mar 2011)

MacB said:


> As BenM says some people drive around in cars worth tens of thousands, if not more, and some drive around in old bangers. Looked after properly they'll all do the job. *The financial variance from top to bottom of the bike scale is a lot smaller than the car scale.*


I duno about that. You can pick up a cheap bike for £100 & spend well over £10'000 on a top-flight road or TT bike. Now the cheapest new car will set you back around £6'000 or so the same relative price would be about £600'000, that actually looks like a fairly similar price range to me. Remembering the mind works on a logarithmic scale (you'll put as much effort in trying to work out if you should go for the £40 or £60 shoes as work out if you should go for the £4000 or £6000 car).

Anyway are light high spec bikes worth the money, if you want to put it in pure cold financial terms NO, they never are. But it's not just pure cold financial terms we're looking at is it!


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## threebikesmcginty (14 Mar 2011)

MacB said:


> No chance, the Vaya is great and I've got the Burls Ti one now as well...no wheels yet mind



I really liked the look of the Salsa bikes - not sure if it was the Vaya, worked out a bit more than I fancied spending though. Lovely frame though, look forward to seeing the finished item in the gallery if you would be so kind!

I have no comment to make on the Burls other than you're a bastard and I hate you!


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## twozeronine (14 Mar 2011)

I do ride my expensive bike to work, but if I didn't have somewhere very safe to leave it, then I'd probably get a cheap/less expensive bike, and just ride my pride and joy at weekends.


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## BSRU (14 Mar 2011)

I am progressing to more expensive bikes, although probably will not go past the £1000 cycle to work limit.
Started off on a BSO, then bought a hybrid 4 times the price of the BSO and soon to have a new 2010 Specialized Secteur Comp which is 4 times the prices of my hybrid.
My hybrid is my main commuter bike and I upgrade components as and when when they need to be changed.
I will be commuting on the Secteur on dry days but extending my commute to over 50km a day instead of my current 30km a day.


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## Norm (14 Mar 2011)

MacB said:


> The financial variance from top to bottom of the bike scale is a lot smaller than the car scale.


I'm not so certain on that, Mac. Bikes, unless you look at really silly stuff, go from £100 to £5k. Using the same variance gives cars going from £5k to £250k. It's all about opinions but I bet I see more £5k bikes than £250k cars.


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## BentMikey (14 Mar 2011)

Norm said:


> I'm not so certain on that, Mac. Bikes, unless you look at really silly stuff, go from £100 to £5k. Using the same variance gives cars going from £5k to £250k. It's all about opinions but I bet I see more £5k bikes than £250k cars.



There is quite a lot of silly stuff in London, especially in the West End. I thought that at least one of the super cars of the new Harrods owners was £1m or so? I could be wrong though. Anyway, I passed it in traffic and talked down to the driver, even from my Fujin.


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## GrumpyGregry (14 Mar 2011)

All my bikes are expensive yet none cost more than £1200 to acquire, thus when I commute they sit by my desk*, and when I'm away, like last week, they share a hotel room with me. I rate them as expensive becuase I don't have that sort of lump sum to drop on a bike whereas the relative trickle of funds that is my C2W monthly payment is barely noticeable. Of course this all will change if son and heir graduates and stops having to rely on his parents to make ends meet.

*this will change when we move offices; but I'll be putting in some tidy secure cycleparking, and buying some huge locks on expenses. Fnarr, fnarr, it's either that or I exercise my right to a car parking space!


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## Moodyman (14 Mar 2011)

I'm lucky enough to have 2 commuters - one a midrange rigid mtb and one a £1k flat bar road bike.

The flat bar get used from now until September, the slicked MTB gets used throughout winter.

If I knew then, what I know now, I would have bought a £500 (ish) bike for commuting. Commuting bikes take a lot of abuse and parts wear quickly. A mid-range bike is easier to replace parts on.

I'd still get a nicer bike for the weekend though.


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## Smokin Joe (14 Mar 2011)

It's interesting how people's attitudes to bike prices are out of sync with their general observations on other types of kit.

Tell someone your Hi-Fi cost ten grand and it's "Wow, that must be a fantastic system".

Tell them your fishing gear costs that and they give the same very impressed answer. Ditto your home entertainment system, etc etc.

Tell them your bike cost £500 and they say you must be mad, theirs was only £79.99 AND it's got full suspension and 163 gears.

We're supposed to be cyclists, let's not go down the same route.


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## BentMikey (14 Mar 2011)

If I could persuade my Mrs, I'd have a £5000 bike, well trike, for commuting:


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## Jezston (14 Mar 2011)

Couple of my own opinions to add - cheap bikes can be fine, but bear in mind the more bells and whistles the lower the quality Will be. I bought a £400 kona dew which has pretty horrible no name disc brakes and rather poorly made front mech. Was fine for 10 miles a day but as soon as i upped it to 30 the flaws started to show - keeping it running well takes a great deal of work. I hear the £100 decathlon single speed bikes with their minimal components are actually pretty good.

Conversely worth bearing in mind a more expensive bike Will cost more to replace the parts that Will wear out. Anyone know how much a super record cassette and chain cost?


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## boydj (14 Mar 2011)

The answer to the OP is no - not if you are serious about commuting!

For me, the important thing is a good frame. After a couple of years of all-weather commuting you'll have replaced most of the drive-chain components at least once and other parts like headset and bottom bracket will be coming to the end of life as well. And that's on a regularly cleaned and maintained bike. Functionality and value for money is the basis for component choice - top-end equipment does not any last better in winter conditions.


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## GrumpyGregry (14 Mar 2011)

Presumably those who commute on expensive bikes do so because they can afford to do so. Tis their money after all.

I reckon to save a mimimum of £100 a month during my full bike commute months (basically when the clocks go back) over rail season tickets during the winter months. That could pay for a lot of shiny components if I didn't spend it on cakes and ale. (Fine wine and cheese in reality)


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## nickb (14 Mar 2011)

I currently have a choice of 3 bikes I can commute on. All cost over a grand and the Gary Fisher Sugar 1 was well over two grand. I'll take the Time carbon road bike 9 times out of ten, even though the Sugar will get me there almost as quick as I can plough straight through the potholes and hop over kerbs etc.

The road bike is also a shag to maintain, especially through the winter months, but it's by far the sweeter ride.

I don't save much money, if any, by commuting on a bike (I still need to own a car); I do it 'cos I love it and it keeps me fit.


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## Wobblers (14 Mar 2011)

MacB said:


> No chance, the Vaya is great and I've got the Burls Ti one now as well...no wheels yet mind



I'll have first dibs on that Burls when you come to sell it, MacB!


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## Wobblers (14 Mar 2011)

You don't _need_ to commute on a expensive bike, but it can be more fun!

My normal commuting weapon of choice is an old Dawes Super Galaxy. It's reliable and reasonably fast, if a little unexciting. When I plan on going home the long way, I'll use the VN Yukon: it's more engaging, nimble and simply more enjoyable to ride. But using it every day all through winter would be rather expensive in terms of the drivetrain that would inevitably need replacing. A sensible plodder like the Super Galaxy is the better choice for commuting. My next bike will be specced with commuting in mind: disk brakes and hub gears for all weather reliability and a more aggressive geometry to improve the ride characteristics in order to get the best of both worlds.


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## MacB (14 Mar 2011)

McWobble said:


> I'll have first dibs on that Burls when you come to sell it, MacB!



Have a heart, at least let me finish building it before you start on the dibs


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## DTD (15 Mar 2011)

I think there are so many lovely bikes about you should have something you really like, that makes you want to ride – whatever that is.

If money was no object (and I had a garage to put them all in) I don't think I'd have a superlight sports bike (not being very superlight or sporty myself). Would probably have something old school, steel, made to measure.


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## beastie (15 Mar 2011)

Smokin Joe said:


> It's interesting how people's attitudes to bike prices are out of sync with their general observations on other types of kit.
> 
> Tell someone your Hi-Fi cost ten grand and it's "Wow, that must be a fantastic system".
> 
> ...


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## threebikesmcginty (15 Mar 2011)

McWobble said:


> I'll have first dibs on that Burls when you come to sell it, MacB!



Oi, there's a queue here, mush!


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## cyberknight (15 Mar 2011)

Jezston said:


> Conversely worth bearing in mind a more expensive bike Will cost more to replace the parts that Will wear out. Anyone know how much a super record cassette and chain cost?



£180 off ebay up to £300 depending on the shop, conversely my 8 speed hg 50 cassette cost me £19....


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## Nebulous (15 Mar 2011)

I remember being in a garage about 15 years ago. The salesman was explaining to someone how you couldn't get a decent car stero below £1000. I pointed out I had only had 2 cars that cost me more than that. 

James


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