Bike envy

[cyberknight]

Dont worry im envious of @thunderlips76 bikes
My best bike is a 2016 boardman team carbon that has had "better wheels " in the form of no name 30 mm alloy rims and my other bike is a 2011 alloy boardman that is now a bitsa bike as the only original parts are the frame which i had to have resprayed and the handlebars , the rest have been replaced via second hands deals/ ebay as they have worn out .
Like you i turn up to club runs and im the only rim braked cheap bike so im envious and recently i have been so skint i was taking my own snacks to the cafe stop , luckily those i ride with are a good bunch so i know its my issue and not the guys on the 10k pinerello

 

[thunderlips76]

Dont worry im envious of @thunderlips76 bikes
My best bike is a 2016 boardman team carbon that has had "better wheels " in the form of no name 30 mm alloy rims and my other bike is a 2011 alloy boardman that is now a bitsa bike as the only original parts are the frame which i had to have resprayed and the handlebars , the rest have been replaced via second hands deals/ ebay as they have worn out .
Like you i turn up to club runs and im the only rim braked cheap bike so im envious and recently i have been so skint i was taking my own snacks to the cafe stop , luckily those i ride with are a good bunch so i know its my issue and not the guys on the 10k pinerello

I had a boardman team carbon but wrecked it. Decent bike.

 

[sevenfourate]

Thankfully I’m pretty thick skinned and give few f@%^s in this situation. I’ve always been a bit of a loner to some degree and aren’t too worried by others thoughts. Well: maybe a tiny bit - but that wouldn’t change me doing anything for me. I certainly don’t do / buy stuff to impress anyone.

Infact I’d go one stage further and probably actively enjoy being unique amongst your riding group. Especially if they imagine their 10k purchases gave them a god given right to be ‘fast’ - and this wasn’t / isn’t the case……😉

 

[Paulus]

Don't worry what others think or say, or infer.
If you are happy with your bike and it does exactly what you want it to do, and it sounds like it fits your needs, who cares.
You should be feeling smug that your bike costs less than theirs, and you can compete with them on equal, but cheaper terms.

 

[Profpointy]

I'm reminded of this gem


View: https://youtu.be/iZwnrS7XAU4?feature=shared

As an aside, when I started caving, there was very much a thing amongst the genuinely hard cavers to have the most battered and decrepit kit imaginable, such as the soles of boots tied on with the laces

 

[teeonethousand]

Perhaps you could drop into the conversation that you are loathe to buy a better bike as you would then be all by yourself out front and would get chilly waiting for them to catch up 😂😂😂

 

[Mrs M]

They don’t look down but they have some banter. There are more Pinerello Dogmas in my club then TCRs 🤯

TCR is a great bike 😀
Never mind them, just enjoy your ride 👍🏼

 

[Witzend]

I met a group of 15 club riders today, to a man wrapped up with only their eyes and noses showing, Gucci gear and Gucci carbon road bikes - I'm convinced they are waiting for the weather to turn to have a reason to wear it all (I doubt I'll see them out in December, though).

Unfortunatey, for some it's more about what bike/Rapha gear they have to over-compensate for weak legs - fast on the flat, but over-reliant on the bike. When they pass and I give them a nod, they don't look at me, they are looking at what bike I'm riding.

So what did I do? When the road went uphill, I got sick of waiting for them on my steel 105 equipped CX bike , T-shirt and baggy shorts and eased past them. I saw in my mirror they got in a line and took turns at the front to try and bridge the gap, but I never saw them again. Chances were I was going farther than them as well.

Don't get sucked in - it's all about the legs.

 

[Chief Broom]

A meditation on death sorts most problems

 

[roubaixtuesday]

So I’ve been riding for about 10 years. I’m currently riding a 2018 TCR advanced rim brake, and have a Cannondale CAAD 12 as a spare. Both 105 mechanical, and rim brake, both on 50mm deep section carbon wheels. Recent joined a local cycling club and everyone there has modern 5k+ road bikes. I’m the only one running rim brake and 105 mechanical. So how do you deal with coming up against this issue. I’ve no idea where anyone gets the funds to purchase kit like this. I’ve looked into buying a new bike but what I can get for the money seems ridiculous. Don’t get me wrong I ride the fast group and I keep up (not on the descents in the wet) but I feel a bit poverty shamed. How does anyone else deal with this?

Your bikes sound excellent to me.

The performance benefit of Di2 is zero, and hydraulic brakes indistinguishable from zero.

Laugh at them.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I feel a bit poverty shamed. How does anyone else deal with this?

As @Drago says, deal with it by not caring.

It's unlikely that your club mates care, provided that you can keep up. It's all in your head.

Practical advice: stop reading cycling magazines; stop watching GCN Tech videos

 

[All uphill]

As @Drago says, deal with it by not caring.

It's unlikely that your club mates care, provided that you can keep up. It's all in your head.

Practical advice: stop reading cycling magazines; stop watching GCN Tech videos

It's brilliant isn't it?

Videos and magazines that we consume and leave us wanting things we hadn't known existed!

 

[Paulus]

It's brilliant isn't it?

Videos and magazines that we consume and leave us wanting things we hadn't known existed!

Or didn't know we needed, or not.🤔

 

[wafter]

We all like nice things, however I think it's sad how pretty much every interest that involves gear has been hijacked to appease the gaping, insatiable gullet of consumerism and consumption.

It seems that by association many have been brainwashed into equating success and personal worth almost soley with the cost / perceived prestige of their equipment.

If you're a competitive cyclist who actively partakes in competition with other competitive cyclists there's a legitimate argument for buying every competitive edge you can. For most others IMO buying a new high-end bike every ten minutes just smacks of crass conspicuous consumption - especially if the individual fits the classic "all the gear, no idea" model.

Tbh I pity people who think this way; likely duped into spending ridiculous sums on arguably poor value kit in the quest to buy their way closer to ultimately abitrary, manufactured goals (speed, weight etc) in an effort to fill some indescribable hole in their lives when the pleasure of the activity in itself and legit personal development should be where the reward is sought and found.

It saddens me how divisive this mindset is too; anyone getting out on any bike should be seen as an ally; not looked down upon because it cost x amount less than yours did, or doesn't tick some box the marketing men blagged you into thinking mattered.

 

[Fredo76]

You are already dealing with it by keeping up, proving the old saying:

"It's not the bike; it's the rider."