Swapping one passion for another

clelanj
clelanj Posts: 68
edited December 2012 in Road buying advice
Hi all
I got into road cycling about 8 months ago and have not looked back since. I purchased the entry level Specialized Secteur triple having researched and decided not to overspend as I wasnt sure I would stick to it at the time. Now that I am hooked, I am looking at the carbon version of my bike, the Roubaix Elite (3x the price of my existing one).

And here lies the problem - to fund this purchase I will have to dip into my other passion photography and sell a rarely used but stunning lens (leica 21mm wide angle) which I am hoping will go for approx the same price as the bike.

My only question / concern is, how long realistically will a good carbon bike last? A Leica lens can last a lifetime and I am just wondering if I may regret this in years to come when the bike is long gone. I look after the bike I have now, cleaning it after most rides, lubricating etc, so what kind of lifespan can I expect from the new bike? I guess I also ought to be considering that fact that I might upgrade again before it dies a death anyway.

I am looking at this in terms of getting the most out of the things I love doing and as I said the lens generally sits in the camera bag leaving a far more practical lens on the camera and I see myself using the bike 3/4 times a week come the good weather.

It probably makes sense as well to hold on to the Secteur to use as a winter bike, as selling this alone won't come close to funding the Roubaix?

Cheers John

Comments

  • A bike is essentially a collection of parts that will all suffer from wear and tear on a sliding scale, with the frame hopefully lasting the longest...a lifetime probably if cared for. Most frames get replaced due to want of upgrading as technology moves on rather than it failing to last.
  • clelanj wrote:
    And here lies the problem - to fund this purchase I will have to dip into my other passion photography and sell a rarely used but stunning lens (leica 21mm wide angle)
    As another keen photographer (that has gradually got rid of all my gorgeous old lenses that were in all honesty, just gathering dust, in favour of a very few modern AF ones that I use all the time), let me gently remind you why the lens is rarely used...

    You hardly ever use it!!

    Seriously - when was the last time? :)

    (I ought to confess here, to utter hypocrisy. It's years since I played, but I still have an absolutely beautiful Paul Reid Smith guitar in immaculate condition. In reality, I'm never going to get back into it seriously enough to justify keeping it. But so far, the thought of selling it is too painful to contemplate :) )
    Is the gorilla tired yet?
  • p1tse
    p1tse Posts: 694
    I like photography aswell

    I've sold lenses to fund other stuff too but if its a rare item don't sell it unless you know you might be able to get something similar for similar price
    Wanted: Cube Streamer/Agree GTC Compact / Pro/ Race : 53cm
  • I sold a 500m prime lens to fund my Carbon bike purchase. I wasnt using the lens except on rare trips to Africa and the airlines are being increasingly difficult about carry on weight. So anyway I dont have the lens anymore but have a great bike that I get out on as much as I can and enjoy doing so. I havent yet broken into my Leica cameras or lenses but the way its going its only time! So anyway if you don't use the lens then use the money to get something you do use, whats the point in keeping things you dont use! The only reason I guess is as an investment, Leica lenses generally hold their value well, whereas bikes wont as much. The bike though can last many years if you look after it, the trouble is as you can see from this forum is that you will want to upgrade and upgrade, it just seems to be the way it is, whereas you can't really upgrade from a Leica.
  • FlacVest
    FlacVest Posts: 100
    Just because you aren't using it, doesn't mean it doesn't mean something to you, which is why it's hard to let it go (obviously).

    ALthough you don't use them, you've spent hours and days in the field with them, capturing things that made you happy.

    Why do you need the carbon bike? Just for a general upgrade? If you're into it, I'd say look at velobuild; get a carbon frame from china. They're the exact same frames, made by people working overtime and selling directly.

    Again: SAME FRAME. Pinarello, Dogmas, Venge, etc. Frame is generally around 500 bucks. Again, just go there and read around; don't be put off by ignorant people who would say something like, "no, it's not the real thing", or "it's from China".

    Go read, because you'd get what you want for a fraction of the price. WIthout the branding.

    You could also just get a frame and transfer everything over, saving money that way too. Or just the frame and groupset and transfer wheels, if you want to use both bikes.
  • gwillis
    gwillis Posts: 998
    FlacVest wrote:
    Just because you aren't using it, doesn't mean it doesn't mean something to you, which is why it's hard to let it go (obviously).

    ALthough you don't use them, you've spent hours and days in the field with them, capturing things that made you happy.

    Why do you need the carbon bike? Just for a general upgrade? If you're into it, I'd say look at velobuild; get a carbon frame from china. They're the exact same frames, made by people working overtime and selling directly.

    Again: SAME FRAME. Pinarello, Dogmas, Venge, etc. Frame is generally around 500 bucks. Again, just go there and read around; don't be put off by ignorant people who would say something like, "no, it's not the real thing", or "it's from China".

    You sure it's that simple .... Load of factory workers working overtime and selling direct !!

    I'm sorry but the frames your talking about are not exact copies geometry can be different along with grades if carbon . I'm not am disputing the whole china carbon frames are good value issue but unbranded dogmas they ain't !
  • unixnerd
    unixnerd Posts: 2,864
    I bought a Roubaix SL3 Expert this year for around 3000 and it was the best money I've ever spent (only spent 1000 on my last car!). Really superb bike. Comfortable, very light, very fast. Did six hours on it once and only my legs were sore! It just glides over bad surfaces and I run 120psi on the tyres with no road buzz. The stock wheels aren't super-light but they're OK and I love the Roubaix tyres so much my other bike also runs a set now.

    They've just changed to the new SL4 frame. There's a disc version of that but I reckon it's overkill (as does the guy in my LBS) and restricts wheel choice too much.

    One tip, make sure you know the score on insuring the bike first. My existing household policy wouldn't cover a bike over 2k unless it was in the house at the time and a separate policy wanted 280 quid!
    http://www.strathspey.co.uk - Quality Binoculars at a Sensible Price.
    Specialized Roubaix SL3 Expert 2012, Cannondale CAAD5,
    Marin Mount Vision (1997), Edinburgh Country tourer, 3 cats!
  • A carbon bike has no longer /shorter shelf life than any other material. I have just sold a few camera bits as I looked in a drawer and thought cant remember last time I even looked at it all so flogged it all. Do i regret not a bit. My 13 guitars I still have and have not touched for a good 9 years are still staying in storage thou They will go up in value. If you can afford to keep it, keep it. If you think you can put the money to better use then sell it on. I think we are all hoarders in one way or another.
  • unixnerd
    unixnerd Posts: 2,864
    Meant to add, a new Specialized has a lifetime frame warranty for the original owner, so don't worry.
    http://www.strathspey.co.uk - Quality Binoculars at a Sensible Price.
    Specialized Roubaix SL3 Expert 2012, Cannondale CAAD5,
    Marin Mount Vision (1997), Edinburgh Country tourer, 3 cats!
  • Really useful feedback guys - thank you.

    I would be very surprised if, come the summer, I still own that Leica lens and don't own a fantastic new Roubaix!

    Cheers John
  • unixnerd
    unixnerd Posts: 2,864
    Don't leave ordering too late. When I got mine at the end of May there were only 12 Ultegra bikes left in my frame size for the whole UK! I wanted Dura-Ace but they were sold out.
    http://www.strathspey.co.uk - Quality Binoculars at a Sensible Price.
    Specialized Roubaix SL3 Expert 2012, Cannondale CAAD5,
    Marin Mount Vision (1997), Edinburgh Country tourer, 3 cats!
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    I don't believe the Chinese frames are the exact same as Pinarellos etc...

    The bike brand would soon put a stop to that.

    That said - I'm sure most of the frames will be very good - but they won't be exactly the same.
  • ...slightly OT but interesting ( no, really!) none the less....there's an interesting parallel re guitars and Chinese frames....back in the 70's, the Japanese started knocking out superb quality rip-offs of Fenders and Gibsons as an aside to producing legitimate budget models for the big names (eventually the blatant copies were blocked due to Gibson being able to enforce copywright of their headstock...)..anyways, two things happened...production was legitimised as the quality was so good, much better than the US were making at that time, ..and the rip-off guitars are now collectors items in their own right....
    ....this is the guitar forum, isnt it? ;-)