How much is too much?

[matticus]

or bought fewer bikes

There are no signs of my father wishing this, and he is leaving it pretty damn late ...

 

[Rusty Rocket]

Did anyone ever go to their death bed wishing they had cycled less?

No!

 

[si_c]

I have nothing to contribute to this thread. I'd like a £10k bike though, but then I'd want the new model next year too.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Did anyone ever go to their death bed wishing they had cycled less?

Depends how they died. Maybe they wished they’d braked more 😳

 

[matticus]

Depends how they died. Maybe they wished they’d braked more 😳

NEVER!!! I concur with The Texan Cyclist's view on preferred way to die.

 

[Sniper68]

How much is too much?
How long is a piece of string?
I've built up my last 4 or 5 bikes so I've ended up paying more than I would off-peg but I've got exactly what I want.
Would I pay £12K for a new Dogma?Probably if I liked the look and it had exactly what I want.I would only spend what I wouldn't miss and would never get a bike on credit.
Buying a bike is like any other purchase really.If you can afford it yes,if not no.
I've just replaced my car.When I bought the last one in 2013 I paid £13k.That was the most I'd ever spent on a car and said I'd never spend more than that again........this time I had to spend almost £20K to get a newer similarly specced model.That's life though isn't it
My current 'best' bike is a Titanium Lynskey that I built with the intentions of it being a forever bike.It probably will be but I now fancy another Carbon bike.........N+1..........I knew I should have kept my Canyon Ultimate..

 

[rogerzilla]

You can build a bike the same weight and with the same tyres as a £10,000 one for a little over £1000, if you're clever. It will go pretty much the same.

Things that add lots to the price: Di2 (do you need it?), deep section wheels (nice, but not a benefit in all situations), disc brakes (have their pros and cons, really not necessary if you ride in the dry, which you probably will for a best bike!), fancy aero finishing kit (are you that fast?).

 

[PaulSB]

A friend of mine summed it up:

"Life's too short for shoot bikes" 🤣

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

A friend of mine summed it up:

"Life's too short for shoot bikes" 🤣

Or is it more a case of "life's too short to put up with others poking fun at me for not riding a mega expensive bike like theirs"? I just don't care how much pisstaking I receive, for being, shall we say, somewhat eccentric and non-conformist.
One slight problem with the shoot bikes argument is that once you exclude the outright junk quality BSOs from the equation, what remains simply isn't shoot, except in the minds of those afflicted with incurable cycling snobbery. I ride all sorts that range from the new equivalent of around £200 to just over £1,000 in todays money and if all are equally well sorted the differences really aren't that huge with a price multiple of five and a very low base. If you then increase that by a further factor of 10, so a total multiple of 50, the incremental differences will be even smaller.

 

[PaulSB]

Or is it more a case of "life's too short to put up with others poking fun at me for not riding a mega expensive bike like theirs"? I just don't care how much pisstaking I receive, for being, shall we say, somewhat eccentric and non-conformist.
One slight problem with the shoot bikes argument is that once you exclude the outright junk quality BSOs from the equation, what remains simply isn't shoot, except in the minds of those afflicted with incurable cycling snobbery. I ride all sorts that range from the new equivalent of around £200 to just over £1,000 in todays money and if all are equally well sorted the differences really aren't that huge with a price multiple of five and a very low base. If you then increase that by a further factor of 10, so a total multiple of 50, the incremental differences will be even smaller.

It's a joke, nothing else.

 

[rogerzilla]

One big fear with a £10,000 bike is that you'll look like the guy with all the gear and no idea. If you're twice the age of the average TdF winner, it just looks like a midlife crisis purchase. Of course, if you're a 25 year-old Cat 1 racer, go for it.

 

[12boy]

My primary use of a bike since I no longer work, and therefore no longer commute, is exercise and fun. One of my favorite rides is my no-Ti Brompton. Another is a Surly Steamroller. I've been so deprived I've never ridden a carbon or Ti bike in the 160k+ miles I've ridden in the last 60 years or so, but I have had a few that were light and I usually have them all working exactly as they were supposed to. I certainly cannot deny that there is something about handmade, well crafted steel frames that rings my bell. I can set one up with relatively lower tier components and get decades of cycling pleasure from it even if it might seem portly or even sluggish to you.
But, I set the bar low. When my ancient VW croaked one Wyoming winter and I got a 2 wheel drive stripped Toyota pickup, I was overjoyed to have a real heater.
If you can afford a 10 k bike, and you can tell the differences between it and a 5k bike, or simply want it, get it and as many more as you fancy.

 

[gzoom]

One big fear with a £10,000 bike is that you'll look like the guy with all the gear and no idea. If you're twice the age of the average TdF winner, it just looks like a midlife crisis purchase.

Although spending £10k a bike for a midlife crisis is much cheaper than buying a 911 or having an affair than follow up with a divorce.......the latter makes a £10k spend on a bike look like pocket change, the former really does stand you out as having zero imagination .

 

[Tripster]

Spend what you want and can afford. If its a short term purchase then spend wisely, if its a forever bike then buy what you want. Its like a smoker telling you you are foolish for spending X number of pounds on a push iron, I’d want an engine for that...... could have bought a high end motor cash for what they waste on cancer sticks over the years but its their choice, your choice, and we all spend money differently. We all have interests and see fit to indulge that how we wish.

 

[Tripster]

Its only too much if you cant afford it or never really use it or both.

If you can afford it bit never really use it, why would it be too much ? I have a motorbike that does maybe 1000 miles a year, last year I managed to use it once ! I have always had them since I was 16 and love the one I have. It costs me nothing other than insurance & service each year. The times I ride it I am never more happier, content and free of social anxiety and stress. For that its worth it. Worth it to me. Which is all that should matter to any of us. So I disagree if you don't use it, its too much