Does how much you spend on a bike actually matter for most cyclists..?

[Upstream]

Hi all,
This would be my first post in the beginners section and it may not fit here but it seemed the most appropriate. On forums and when chatting with other cyclists, people talk about wheels, gear setups, frame, weight etc.
My question is this... For cyclists who do it as a leisure activity only - going out on the road two or three times per week and doing 30 - 50 miles each time and entering four or five sportive rides per year of up to about 100 miles (and averaging between 15 and 17mph on a run), dos bike choice make any difference or is it all just hype?
So for example if such a rider was on a £300 road bike, would their performance show any noticeable improvement if they for instance (without any increase in outings, change in diet etc etc) they bought a bike costing say £1,000?
Thanks.

 

[Hacienda71]

As long as the bike does what you need it to don't worry.
The gains against spend become more and more marginal the more you spend. A £7000 bike is not going to be 7 times better than a £1000 bike. It is likely to be quite a bit better, but the biggest factor is the rider. If someone has the money to by a high end bike then that is fine, the most important part imho is to enjoy riding, whatever the cost of your bike.

 

[Hill Wimp]

I agree with @Hacienda71 it's all about the enjoyment you get from your bike whether you got it in a boot fair for £25 or bought it for £2500. The more expensive one won't go faster unless you get fitter.

 

[madferret]

I don't think it matters too much, I like the small improvement I recently made with second hand Boardman Hybrid Comp > Trek 7100 FX and its nicer to ride, lighter and the gear change is better etc. Its not improved me greatly but then I didn't spend a lot of money either. I suspect I may want a road bike at some point as well, but just couldn't justify spending tons, so will probably also be second hand.

If its enjoyable then its worth it. I do fear some folk may buy a bike and be put off if its too heavy, set up wrong or whatever but any cycling is better than no cycling.

Its always tempting with a new hobby/obsession to throw a lot of money at it, but for me I have to prove that I am going keep it up before I spend silly amounts.

 

[MikeW-71]

^^ this really

I will shortly be able to answer almost your exact question. I've been riding a Giant Defy 2 so far and I am very happy with it, excellent bike. I've just bought a Defy Advanced 2. I can feel the new one is lighter and a bit more nimble, seems to accelerate better. But will it make me faster? I'll find out for sure on thursday when I can give it a proper ride. I suspect the answer will be "only slightly" I'm not expecting to suddenly gain 2mph. It should be a nicer ride though

Going from a £300 bike to a £1k bike, it will improve their performance, but only a little. Nowhere near as much as if they improve their fitness.

The amount you spend on a bike doesn't matter, whether it's £300 or £10k, the rider is what counts.

 

[Hill Wimp]

If i thought a £7000 bike would get me up hills a lot easier i would consider re mortgaging the house as i love cycling BUT it won't. My recent bike fit taught me that proper fitting, small changes and advice and just getting out there make the biggest differences plus according to a local bike pro most decent road bikes under £1000 have more than enough gears to get you up a mountain, you just have to have the knowledge of when and how to use them and good fitness.

 

[ayceejay]

This is a question that gets asked many different ways on this (and other) forums and predictably there are many different answers, a lot of them beginning with "it all depends".
I think it is a good idea to see if you enjoy cycling before you invest too much money but it seems as though you have passed that stage so be aware that if you upgrade now and you see an improvement (in whatever form that takes) you will likely want to upgrade again later on. Buying and selling bikes is usually a one way street and selling your old bike will not help much in financing your new bike so - my answer:
buy one with a decent frame and average components, wheels and so on and then you can upgrade gradually in the future. If you join a club you will meet other people doing the same upgrading tango so when someone moves up from his $500 wheels to $2000 wheels you could pick up a bargain, just be careful.

 

[Andy Smith]

I started on a Carrera TDF that cost me £250 and upgraded to a Giant Defy 1 that was £1000. There is a significant difference in the weight and standard of components used which is what the difference in money is for. I had been using the Carrera for 6 months so was reasonably fit and I can say that as a consequence of the upgrade my average speed went up by 3 or 4 mph over the 16 mile evening course I regularly ride. There is no doubt in my mind that you get what you pay for with bikes and I'm sure if I spent another grand to go for a decent carbon with good spec I would notice another step up in performance. There are some great bikes about now for well under the grand and would say to anyone buying a first bike or upgrade, spend at least as much as you can afford, or even a little bit more, to get the best frame, wheel and components as you are able. If your not sure what this means post some questions on this very helpful forum and you will receive sensible help and advice.

 

[biggs682]

i have found the biggest improvement on lots of the bikes i have owned comes from having the hubs serviced on a regular basis .

having never owned a new bike i dont know how much an improvement there would be over or 2nd hand

 

[Sillyoldman]

losing 3 stone and getting fitter has made much more of an improvement to my riding than upgrading/replacing my steed.

 

[vickster]

Spend what you can afford and justify to yourself, that's my motto

 

[User16625]

If i thought a £7000 bike would get me up hills a lot easier i would consider re mortgaging the house as i love cycling BUT it won't. My recent bike fit taught me that proper fitting, small changes and advice and just getting out there make the biggest differences plus according to a local bike pro most decent road bikes under £1000 have more than enough gears to get you up a mountain, you just have to have the knowledge of when and how to use them and good fitness.

You can. and for cheaper than 7k: http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/honda-cbr600rr-blue
However it makes things a bit too easy, you will get fat.

Seriously tho what the OP asked is something I often used to wonder myself. What would happen if I had a lighter frame, disc wheels and Duro Ace 105 carbon fibre everything else. I just get the best my money can buy and get out there. The bike I have now cost hundreds more than my previous one and in terms of actual performance improvement, I honestly could not say as I havent measured it beyong fitting a basic speedo to my bike. What I have noticed is that since having a nicer bike I have done bigger rides and my maximum speeds do seemed to have improved slightly. I noticed that I am now hitting 40mph on particular descents more often than I used to (I always go apeshit on good downhills).

 

[Saluki]

My husband has gone from a Carerra Vanquish to a Boardman Team Carbon Ltd and I have noticed a difference in his performance, so to speak.
He blasts past me on small hills, he is riding further and faster. I think that it has a lot to do with the fact he loves the bike and it fits properly. Its lighter so he is climbing better. The Vanquish was a tad small for him. It was the bike he wanted and could best afford - he got given the money for the Boardman in Halfords vouchers. Good job he didn't want a Cannondale or something.

 

[marzjennings]

Matters to me, I hate riding cheap crap that breaks. As a big lad with powerful legs, who has a tendency for abusive mountain bike riding (abusive to body and bike), I do not miss the days when I could only afford the cheap stuff.

And to the question, yes I would expect an average cyclist to see a noticeable improvement in performance jumping from a £300 to a £1000 bike. But not as big an improvement if they lost some weight, got a good fitting or just improved their fitness.

I'd say the rider contributes about 70% and the bike about 30% to overall ride performance, speed and efficiency.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Beyond a certain bicycle price tag, the only things that will significantly improve your performance are: lose any excess weight, and work on the leg muscles . I noticed a difference in speed when I bought my first road bike in November, compared to the touring bike that I'd used for everything (commuting + recreational) up to then. This was mainly due to the road bike weighing 8kg compared to 15kg for the tourer. I still use the tourer, though, for commuting, because it's ideal for it. I doubt that buying a more expensive road bike would make much difference to my performance, though.