I think they’re quite tough bikes, my son and I bought this one locally in the summer for a tenner. We stripped and rebuilt it and then sold it on. It didn’t take much to get it back to being a nice useable bike.
I need a reason for a new bike
- Thread starter BrumJim
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
I think they’re quite tough bikes, my son and I bought this one locally in the summer for a tenner. We stripped and rebuilt it and then sold it on. It didn’t take much to get it back to being a nice useable bike.
Quadratica
Regular
10 years is a long time so well done, you have got your use out of it even though it is good for another 10. I suggest either keeping it or selling and buying a used (1,2 yr) bike. Number 1 in your list is a powerful motive for hanging on to current bike.
SkipdiverJohn
Deplorable Brexiteer
- Location
- London
That's definitely my sort of bargain, even if it's a bit too modern for my tastes. Having said that, compared to some of the latest ugly disc braked stuff with dropped seat stays, it's still a relatively "proper" looking bike. If I'd picked one up for a Tenner I think I'd have kept hold of it, and reasoned that I'd saved myself several hundred quid which could be put to other uses. Secondhand bikes really are in another league to new ones, value-wise. I can't ever see myself buying another new one. Even if something new really caught my eye, I'd just wait a year or two until heavily-depreciated used ones appeared on the market.
Seevio
Guru
- Location
- South Glos
The reason for buying a new bike is that you don't have a new bike.
Now I shall read the thread and possibly post something more constructive.
Now I shall read the thread and possibly post something more constructive.
slowmotion
Quite dreadful
- Location
- lost somewhere
Fast forward many years. Imagine you are lying in your deathbed. Are your last words going to be...…" I'm just so glad I didn't buy that new bike..."????.
Well are they......?
Well are they......?
Seevio
Guru
- Location
- South Glos
Having read the thread, I'm none the wiser. OP says nothing to suggest his needs have changed or the old bike doesn't fulfil some function. Basically, as someone else said, if you want a new bike and can afford it, buy a new bike. Alternatives include getting some flash new wheels or getting a custom paint job on the current bike.
gavroche
Getting old but not past it
- Location
- North Wales
Oh dear, my Allez only has 6 months left then so better make the most of it.
Out of curiosity, planes are made of aluminium and many are well over 9.5 years old, just saying....
SkipdiverJohn
Deplorable Brexiteer
- Location
- London
Out of curiosity, planes are made of aluminium and many are well over 9.5 years old, just saying....
Mission-critical aircraft parts have to be inspected regularly and changed after a certain number of flying hours as a precaution. The reason you don't tend to hear about many aircraft failures is the parts get replaced before their fatigue life is exhausted.
Personally I will only ride steel bikes. I am not a fan of either carbon fibre, aluminium, or titanium. The latter seem to have quite a high reported failure rate considering how rare they are. I suspect this is mainly due to weld defects introduced at the manufacturing stage, as successful Ti welding requires a very tightly controlled working environment.
StuAff
Silencing his legs regularly
- Location
- Portsmouth
n+1. It's the rule.
Oh dear, my Allez only has 6 months left then so better make the most of it.
Out of curiosity, planes are made of aluminium and many are well over 9.5 years old, just saying....
I can’t understand someone saying that their 10 year old bike has fallen to bits, they’re very easy to strip and rebuild, bearings need changing, group sets wear out but it’s very simple to bring a bike back from the brink. The Allez in my post above looked as if it had been pulled out of the bottom of a lake and it wasn’t a huge job to resurrect it, the total parts Bill was about £30, most of it was time and effort.
Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Rottenburg am Neckar
Reminds me of the lament heard (apparently often) in Japan, where someone says they had to throw their bicycle away after only six months, because it had a puncture...
SkipdiverJohn
Deplorable Brexiteer
- Location
- London
Unless you get a frame failure due to crash damage or metal fatigue, the only way a bike can really "fall apart" is down to inept or non-existent maintenance. The frame is the one part of a bike that shouldn't really ever wear out. That's why you see lots of bare frames for sale on online auction sites, and they tend not to sell unless priced very cheap. The mechanical bits wear out but the frames don't.
My one stayed in a cold shed and did a lot of miles. It was a £900 bike, a 2010 Allez elite that I bought at 6 months old, barely used for £540. I got £130 for it, and was happy to let it go. There were two main problems with it. It had a combination fork, carbon blades with an alloy steerer. There was a lot of cracking around the join between the alloy and the carbon. I’m an enthusiastic descender and was concerned they would part company on the way downhill at 40+ mph. The alloy was also showing signs of corrosion, possibly because of doing a lot of winter miles with salt roads and being kept outside. I had just bought it a set of new wheels - zondas, that are still up my loft, and went to change the cables. The cable ferrule had welded itself to the cable guide, and in trying to separate them I snapped the cable guide on the top tube off. I’d just had a minor windfall, decided I deserved a new bike, so I stuck it on EBay with all its faults described and got £130 for it.
vickster
Legendary Member
Sounds like it was a candidate for one of Specialized’s regular fork recalls!
Probably. I had done around 15,000 miles on it, had enjoyed every one of them, and decided it was time to move on. I wasn't the original owner, which would have made warranty complicated, and have absolutely no regrets I got out when I did.
