How many miles to justify expensive bike?

flyer

I am looking to spend around £2000 on a road bike, however my conscious says I need to be doing some serious miles to justify this.

I had been doing around a100 miles a week until I injured my back last year and I thought I may not ride again, however with good treatment I want to get back on a bike.

I need to buy a new one as I sold my Roubaix.

However I may only start by doing say a 20 miles and build it up over next few months, as such if I am not riding in a group or racing etc.

Is buying a 2k bike just showing off or do you think it's not untypical ?

After all will I notice how good carbon and Ultegra is on a 30 - 40 mile country ride?FLYER

Matt the Tester

if you can afford it buy it, i would

lots of people buy super expensive bikes! i know someone who recently bought a 1.6k bike and he NEVER rides the bloody thing.

MichaelW

As long as your children and pets dont starve you are on morally sound ground..
Damnit and hell man, feed your pets to your children and buy it.

MountainMonster

Just echoing what other people have said, if you have the cash go for a good one. No reason saying you shouldn't buy nice things just because they won't be used much. You only live once!

gkerr4

as the others have said - if you can, then go buy it!

if you can, why not - you only live once and you will get so much enjoyment out of it - celebrate that you are back on the bike again!

if you buy a £400 cheapie you will wish you'd bought the better bike and then buy an expesnive one anyway - costing you even more!

gilesjuk

You're not a professional rider and your career isn't affected by having a competitive bike.

Buy a bike with middle of the range parts. These are durable and reasonably light in weight. Replacements won't cost so much.

antikythera

gilesjuk wrote:

You're not a professional rider and your career isn't affected by having a competitive bike.

Buy a bike with middle of the range parts. These are durable and reasonably light in weight. Replacements won't cost so much.

-1

threshold for justification = 0.0km's

Duffer65

Buy the bike build up the miles!

Chilterncyclist

Duffer65 wrote:

Buy the bike build up the miles!

+1

Go on treat yourself!

Alibran

If YOU feel the number of miles you're going to do justify it, then they do. If you feel they don't, then they don't.

Despite the answers you've had, you're the only one who can really answer the question.

Daddy2Coull

i've just spent £1300 on a bike, plus all the other bits that go with it. i do roughly 150 miles per week. i'm happy and thats all that counts

Herbsman

Ignore these idiots ^ there is a simple formula, divide the cost of the bike by 5. You need to be doing at least 400 miles a week. That's what it says in the rules of cycling. If you don't believe me, it's on the British Cycling website.

Herbsman

Ignore these idiots ^ there is a simple formula, divide the cost of the bike by 5. You need to be doing at least 400 miles a week. That's what it says in the rules of cycling. If you don't believe me, it's on the British Cycling website.

plowmar

This is simple you are doing 5200 miles a year, plenty of miles you NEED the quality and comfort a £2k bike will give you.

Go for it to hang with the kids and pets the government will look after them. :twisted:

ride_whenever

If you can afford it do, there's nothing quite as satisfying as expensive bikes.

Sure cheaper ones work well but that's not the point. The expensive ones are nicer, the shifting slicker and if looked after stay that way longer. If you can afford it then go for it.

gmb

gilesjuk wrote:

Buy a bike with middle of the range parts. These are durable and reasonably light in weight. Replacements won't cost so much.

So, a £3,000 bike then?

Downer

When I was trying to justify spending 2 grand on a bike I did this: £2000 divided by 365 = £5.48 per day, why thats less than a packet of fags a day that some folks spend and I don't see them justifying that.
And a bike should last longer than a year and your keeping fit so I reckon bikes should be on prescription Hey, if that doesn't convince you there's 366 days next year

MountainMonster

gilesjuk wrote:

You're not a professional rider and your career isn't affected by having a competitive bike.

Buy a bike with middle of the range parts. These are durable and reasonably light in weight. Replacements won't cost so much.

Silliest sh!t i've ever heard. If you can have nice stuff, buy them. I wear addidas gear because I like it, but i'm not a runner, footballer or sports man other than cycling. By your point, I should have bought the cheapest stuff I find for clothes. I bet you buy from bargain bins!

anto164

If you can afford one, get one.

If you don't do it now, you possibly never will.

rolf_f

Downer wrote:

When I was trying to justify spending 2 grand on a bike I did this: £2000 divided by 365 = £5.48 per day, why thats less than a packet of fags a day that some folks spend and I don't see them justifying that.
And a bike should last longer than a year and your keeping fit so I reckon bikes should be on prescription Hey, if that doesn't convince you there's 366 days next year

The only problem with this argument is it works just as well on a £4000 bike - and seeing as you'll keep it for at least 3 years, that probably justifies you an 8k bike!

mouth

We only have one car between us in my house and I basically justify the cost of my bike on the basis its my main/only real form of transport.

Combine the following cost factors:

Car, car insurance, tax, MOT, cleaning it, petrol, servicing, maintenance when the bloody thing breaks, gym membership, towel for gym, clothes (including trainers) for gym, petrol for going to the gym, your post workout refreshment.......

Add all costs up to make your budget and start with Wiggle.

Downer

Rolf F wrote:

Downer wrote:

When I was trying to justify spending 2 grand on a bike I did this: £2000 divided by 365 = £5.48 per day, why thats less than a packet of fags a day that some folks spend and I don't see them justifying that.
And a bike should last longer than a year and your keeping fit so I reckon bikes should be on prescription Hey, if that doesn't convince you there's 366 days next year

The only problem with this argument is it works just as well on a £4000 bike - and seeing as you'll keep it for at least 3 years, that probably justifies you an 8k bike!

Oh bugger if I had thought of that I could have gone wild! Still best I didn't as I could afford no more.

carl_p

flyer wrote:

Is buying a 2k bike just showing off or do you think it's not untypical ?

After all will I notice how good carbon and Ultegra is on a 30 - 40 mile country ride?FLYER

Anyway back to the OP's questions...

No, you probably won't turn any heads with a £2k bike. Some are just the same as a £1.3k bike with upgraded wheels and groupset. You can't really go wrong at that price point (other than the size, re your other thread )

Oh yes.

Go for it.

CiB

How many miles to justify it? 3, I'd say. If you ride it, it's justifiable.

Go on... You know you want to, and having something a cut above the run-of-the-mill will make your cycling that much more enjoyable. One thing is an absolute nailed on cert; you won't ever regret it. Not once.

Go to it fellah. Live the dream. Buy the bike.

Will that do?

cougie

Entirely up to you. But a 2k bike won't be twice as good as a 1k bike.
So rather than buy a bike at that budget - get some rides on a fair few bikes and buy the bike you like best. More expensive isn't always better.

CiB

Diminishing returns set in at any price point, but it probably will be nicer.

StillGoing

Seriously does it matter how many miles you do? If you can afford it buy it. Who gives a stuff what others think. It's just inverted snobbery anyway by those that can't afford to buy a high quality bike.

Thelittlesthobo

Mate of mine bought a Ti mountain bike a couple of years ago. He justified it by equating the £2500 price against the amount of miles done.

He reckoned if he got it down to about 10pence per mile within a set period he would relax about the substantial cost. Seemed fair enough to me.

I know the score with 'if you can afford it then buy it' argument but we live in a wastefull society so if you are gonna spend big bucks on a bike then having a little justification in it doesnt hurt.

Personally i paid £750 for my Trek 1.5 and i am closing in on 1000mls since April so i have a pretty good balance on my bike.

Dunkeldog

Generally if I find myself trying to justify a purchase I know I don't really need to make it. Cervelo S3 frameset arriving today - most expensive thing I've ever bought (car and house nothwithstanding) and not one second of doubt. Do I really need it? Probably not. Will I feel a million dollars every time I go out on it - you bet! All the justification I need.

shane r

Reminds me of the formula for calculating how many bikes one should own which is

N+1, where N is the number of bikes currently owned.

Cycling is like any other sport/hobby. If you enjoy it you should feel free to spend as much as you can afford on it.

markos1963

People spend thousands on other hobbies, look at the price of serious cameras, computers, fishing gear, boats motorbikes etc.
When you look at it from that point of view a couple of thou' on a bike is peanuts especially when you weigh up the health benefits.
Go for it and don't forget to tell us what you got and show us some pics