keep as Winter Trainer or Sell

NITR8s
NITR8s Posts: 688
edited June 2012 in Road beginners
I am getting a new bike in the next couple of weeks and was looking at selling my current bike. Which is a Claud Butler Echelon. Surprising to me, last night my wife suggested keeping my old bike to use in the winter/wet to expand the life of my new bike.

However, I dont know whether having the option of my new bike or my old bike if I could bring my self to use the old bike even if its wet. My new bike is an Eddy Merckx AMX-1 so is still an aluminium frame. Is it worth having a seperate winter trainer.

Comments

  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    The question is "what is it worth" ...
    If it's not a lot of money (that is a relative term !) then why not keep it? You can use it when your new bike is out of action or for a rough ride where you wouldn't want to damage your new bike.
    Do you take your bike in for service? Well - if you do, you'll still have a ride ...

    What if you have an accident with the new bike and break something? Well - you've still got a ride until it is fixed ...

    If you sell it - you've got the cash ... that's it ... so - how much do you want the cash?
  • Flexisurfer
    Flexisurfer Posts: 249
    Keep it, you'll regret it if you do sell it unless its worth a fair bit.
  • NITR8s
    NITR8s Posts: 688
    Wow, you raised the same points as my wife.

    I dont know what its worth tbh, Im guessing £200 to £250 but thats only if there is someone looking to spend that much on a used road bike. The two main issues I have are

    a) Pedals. If i keep it I would wanna get another set of Time I-clic pedals so I wouldnt have to worry about changing them over everytime I wanna ride the spare bike. The cheapest I can find are £65 so thats an extra £65 on top.

    b) Storage. I currently keep the bike in our living room on a stand. My wife suggested getting another stand and having two bikes in their. But its not a very big living room and are not sure of this. Can I realisticty keep a bike outside under a cover, or will the condensation eventually rust it. I dont think i could fit it on our shed, without throwing everying away thats in it first.
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    good points !
    re pedals - again - depends how much it is worth to you ... so - to keep the value it is worth ~£300 - although as an emergency backup/winter trainer it is back down to the resale value as you can do the occasional swap of pedals.

    re storage - hmm - clear out the shed?! Bikes aren't that big really .. If the living room is the only option then you can get a double height stand (floor -> ceiling) and store one bike up high and the other lower - but again, that is adding to the cost of "the bike" - or you could just put some hooks in the ceiling. Saves on space but could be quite intrusive ...

    TBH if SWMBO is suggesting you keep it then keep it if at all possible - because when you want to upgrade again you've got an older one to sell on ... :)
  • NITR8s
    NITR8s Posts: 688
    edited June 2012
    Slowbike wrote:
    TBH if SWMBO is suggesting you keep it then keep it if at all possible - because when you want to upgrade again you've got an older one to sell on ... :)

    Very good point, what I might do is clear out the shed as I can always take the wheels off the bike so it takes up less space. Then just put the cheap caged pedals back on the old bike and the I-clics on the new bike as I would only being using it in really bad weather or if current bike is out of service.

    Might even see if the wife wants a go on it.
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    NITR8s wrote:
    Might even see if the wife whats a go on it.
    Perhaps that's what she's really after ... uh oh - this could get expensive!!
  • NITR8s
    NITR8s Posts: 688
    Slowbike wrote:
    NITR8s wrote:
    Might even see if the wife wants a go on it.
    Perhaps that's what she's really after ... uh oh - this could get expensive!!

    She does seem to know her stuff, "winter trainer" etc. hmmmmmm

    I dont mind but knowing my luck she will be faster than me.
  • klep
    klep Posts: 158
    You've got a wife who wants you to keep two bikes in the living room...
    You can make 95% of the guys on these forums extremely jealous with this fact and youre actually considering not doing it? o.O
  • snoopsmydogg
    snoopsmydogg Posts: 1,110
    Just keep it, you never know when you may need to use it or just need a spare part in a hurry.

    Until recently my garage had

    full sus steel mtb
    hardtail aluminium mtb
    magna jump bike (donated to me and used until hardtail was finished)
    Chromo Road bike
    assorted parts.

    the magna has been donated on to a worthy cause and the fs frame has been stripped of a few parts but other than that it isnt worth selling but has definatley come in handy when needed.
  • ianbar
    ianbar Posts: 1,354
    i think its very handy to have a spare bike for winter training, the wheels for when you have any issues etc just keep her she will come in handy
    enigma esprit
    cannondale caad8 tiagra 2012
  • jswalker
    jswalker Posts: 1
    If it helps, I kept my old one, and I actually do use it in the winter. I just hang them both from the ceiling in my garage, so they're both pretty much out of the way. (My car, however, has never seen the the inside of the garage:)
    Defeating Procrastination
  • anto164
    anto164 Posts: 3,500
    Keep it.

    My nice bike was damaged from racing the other week, and only today got it back on the road. The winter bike kept me on the road whilst it was in the shop, and also, when it's peeing it down, my winter hack has full length mudguards to keep me drier.
  • jmcc500
    jmcc500 Posts: 33
    klep wrote:
    You've got a wife who wants you to keep two bikes in the living room...
    You can make 95% of the guys on these forums extremely jealous with this fact and youre actually considering not doing it? o.O

    What klep said. You've lucked out there..!
  • chorlton chimp
    chorlton chimp Posts: 112
    Keep it. My gf actually suggested a two bikes in the living room storage strategy. I thought it was a good idea but now am not entirely sure that it wasn't the opening gambit of yet another round of expensive equestrian purchasing on her part. Never forget they are cleverer than us

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