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

[y2blade]

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.

Well said.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

When I was stretched on the sofa with ice packs on my knees, and had been told by a physio that I may never ride again, I promised myself a carbon fibre road bike if I got back in the saddle.
I'm not planning on spending a vast amount, but I think I can keep that promise now.

 

[y2blade]

When I was stretched on the sofa with ice packs on my knees, and had been told by a physio that I may never ride again, I promised myself a carbon fibre road bike if I got back in the saddle.
I'm not planning on spending a vast amount, but I think I can keep that promise now.

I like that^^^

 

[Upstream]

Hi all,

Thanks for the comments. I always understood that if someone was a pro or semi - pro rider then the amount spent on the bike would make a significant difference but I was really interested to know if a difference existed for enthusiasts such as myself and my friends and it appears that any difference would be negligible at best.

One thing that I was always curious about was when people would talk about stiff wheels, cranks and / or frames; Could an average rider for example put out sufficient power that a less than stiff wheelset / crank / frame would actually make any difference at all..?

Another is if for example someone was running a fairly budget level gear setup (say Shimano 2300 or SORA) which was in good working order and adjusted correctly - Would there be any discernible improvement in switching to say... Ultegra or Dura Ace? From what I understand, the difference in weight is in the order of grams and significantly less than say riding with one water bottle onboard instead of two.

I think I'm starting to conclude that at my level - any modern road bike in good condition is unlikely to result in any performance increases or decreases dependent upon which end of the price spectrum up to £1,000 they sit.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

@Upstream
A lighter bike would have made a big difference to me today. I can't comment on frames, but the wheel upgrade even though it's only an RS10 set made a big difference, in the order of 1mph on avg, but then my old ones where past redemption. I would love a lighter bike for rides like todays 62miles in just under 4hrs the bike will have weighed about the 13-13.5Kg, but as I would to spend £500 + 2nd hand its not a foreseeable option.

 

[jim55]

yeah ,theres a few really nice specced bikes for that kinda money (planet x full carbon for example ),for me ,i wouldnt spend beyond that level ,1000 pound is as far as i think i would go ,beyond that its diminishing returns for most
my main/good bike is a 753 steel framed bike (prob mid 80s woodrup) ,mainly dura ace and 105 good ?open pro rims and tyres and its been fitted with sora shifters (as this bike would have had downtube shifters i think when it was brand new ),would i notice a diff on a new whizzbang steed ?prob ,but its gona b marginal and placebo i think ,ill stick with what ive got

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

One thing that I was always curious about was when people would talk about stiff wheels, cranks and / or frames; Could an average rider for example put out sufficient power that a less than stiff wheelset / crank / frame would actually make any difference at all..?

Another is if for example someone was running a fairly budget level gear setup (say Shimano 2300 or SORA) which was in good working order and adjusted correctly - Would there be any discernible improvement in switching to say... Ultegra or Dura Ace? From what I understand, the difference in weight is in the order of grams and significantly less than say riding with one water bottle onboard instead of two.

It might be worth looking at the Triban owners club thread to get an idea of how and which upgrades were worthwhile on what was initially (very competitively) priced as a £300 bike. I think it was set up with 2300 and a none too solid crank. As far as I remember, the most noticeable improvements came with new wheels, a few seemed to have gone over to a Sora crank but I don't think many have actually changed the dérailleurs over to Sora.

Obviously, there's a limit to how much upgrading is worth doing - the frame itself would quickly become the weakest link - but the thread might help you answer your question. I suspect wheels might be worthwhile upgrading but if the Sora or 2300 is working fine, I suspect they won't be worth changing.

 

[screenman]

Remember, it is cheaper to lose a pound off of the belly than a pound off of the bike.

 

[screenman]

A nice bike will be easier and more enjoyable to ride than a crappy old bike, but miles on the crappy old bike will make you stronger when you get on the nice bike.

So would miles on the newer bike, bit like what is heaviest lb of feathers or a lb of coal.

I say a difference would be noticed, bit like going from a family saloon to a sportier hatchback.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Remember, it is cheaper to lose a pound off of the belly than a pound off of the bike.

Till you can't lose no more.

 

[screenman]

Then you start shaving hair off.

It is an old saying that has been going around for a very long time.

 

[GrasB]

What does money for you? Some money buys on-road performance gains but there are a whole host of things which will not be seen in performance but the rider will notice. The step from SRAM Apex to Force my save a few seconds in 100 miles but with SRAM Force or even Red I can just slam the gears around how I like. Laying the power down when sprinting or climbing doesn't phase Red & Force gives a hardly any objection, Apex however will quite happily cause a dumped chain due to a miss-times shift. Sure you can ride around Apex but it's less hassle with Force & Red. Frame wise a few £££ may not buy you a faster bike but you well find that on day 3 or 4 of that cycling holiday you're far less fatigued than on your cheap frame.

At the end of the day it's up to every rider to find their requirements & levels of compromise.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Then you start shaving hair off.

It is an old saying that has been going around for a very long time.

Remember Samson.

 

[screenman]

He was he guy trying to push the pillars apart, not go faster and be more hairodynamic. To be honest I think he was a bit before my time.

 

[screenman]

At the end of the day a bike or 4 in my case are just toys, as long as we only spend disposable income on them and get great pleasure from them then all should be good and bright in the cycling world.

Well maybe not the bright bit as one of mine is a matt shade of black, which as we all know is not bright. But there again bright cannot be used in describing me.