How long before you got your 2nd bike?

upton

Been cycling for 7 months and have really caught "the bug". I've got a 5 year old, fairly low spec (aluminium) "Dolce". Like the bike, but i realise it's not amazing.
I was thinking to upgrade wheels etc, but now i'd rather hold on, save up and get an altogether nicer, new bike.

I'm going to try and get up to a "good" fitness on my current bike this summer. I'm happy to ride the Dolce "into the ground" as much as i can. After that i would be interested in having a go at racing (might even use the Dolce for that as i wouldn't want a broken bike!).

I'd be surprised if i hadn't got a new bike by this time next year or so. The lure of having a bit more cash around then (various reasons) means i probabally won't be able to resist!
Tbh, i'd probabally still go 2nd hand- just seem to get a lot more bike for the money- around the £1500 mark maybe.


Anyway, how long did you have your first bike before you upgraded/ spent enough money so original bike was pretty unrecognisable?
The thing is, i get the impression people are generally upgrading their bikes rather than getting whole new bikes. I guess it's cheaper short term as you can do it over time. I'm also sure there are others cycling for the same amount of time who haven't even thought of upgrading!
However, someone tell me i'm not mad for making an upgrade plan!

What a ramble, i appreciate anyone who actally takes the time to reply to this
Ignore the tongue in cheek poll wording!

elderone

Had my first bikes for six weeks then we was involved in an accident which damaged the bike.I still have it and its fixed up again,but as I got the bug i ordered the bike in my sig which will be summer bike.

canny_lad

11months. Ride the @rse off your bike this summer, read up as much as you can on BR and come the time you'll know pretty much which bike and what spec you want.

Oh, and get ready to spend a fortune, if you haven't already

pkngster

Nice question. When i went to buy my first,I was looking to spend £500 (bearing in mind my car had just died, and that is all the money i had and was hoping that,this would help me save some money and pay off some bills etc) i was therefore thinking that this bike would last me, 3 - 5 years and was therefore very surprised when the sales guy said that after 1 year I will probably use this one (the one i was looking to buy as a hack bike) and would get a carbon number (from about £1k) as my main bike. I just looked at the guy and thought, what planet are you on mate, said my thanks and left and never went back

I have had my bike 6 months now and guess what,not only am I looking for a carbon bike, for the lovely weather (yeah right) in the summer and relegate my (6mth) old bike to a hack, but I also really want a fixie.

I have been well and truly bitten by the bug and oh how he was right!.

hjghg5

First road bike to second road bike was just over a year (july 2010-september 2011). I seem to be struggling with stopping there though as additional bike purchases have since been made and I'm still plotting more...

Anonymous

2nd road bike (since getting back into road biking) will be bought as soon as I have paid for the current one :P

Mikey23

Entry level in nov 2011, spesh roubaix comp in jan 2013. Needed to make sure it wasn't just a nine day wonder and that I was confident and competent to ride a full carbon better quality bike. Handy to have two...

wavefront

I got my first road bike back at the end of August last year to compliment my hardtail MTB, and to use to commute to work, with the occasional Sunday ride.

I'm now very much hooked - my road bike is now my pride and joy and use it whenever I can. It's a Cannondale Synapse 6 which I bought thinking I'd only ever be commuting and wanted a more relaxed geometry, but I'm using it far more than I thought I would (I clocked over 600km in October excluding commutes!)

So I'm half toying with the idea of adding a second one to the 'collection' at the end of next summer in the sales, something thats a little lighter and more aggresive geometry. We'll see!

BigDaddyG

I started back in August 12 on a 2nd hand Trek 1.2 as a way of getting fit and seeing the wonderful Lake district (yep thats where I live) I had never ridden before and didn't know if I would like it.........oh I wish I had gotten into it sooner!!!

Started at 19st 11lbs, alot of hills, sweat, tears and 1.5 stone later I am loving it. I have bought myself a turbo trainer and some good quality bibs/Shoes etc and I get on my bike as often as I can. Down to do my first sportive in March so I took the plunge and upgrade the Trek to a full 105 upgrade and I am going to ride this all year then when either Xmas 13 comes or I hit 15 stone I will then treat myself to something a little more 'shiney'

The Lakes + on my bike = BLISS

mikeouk

BigDaddyG wrote:

I started back in August 12 on a 2nd hand Trek 1.2 as a way of getting fit and seeing the wonderful Lake district (yep thats where I live) I had never ridden before and didn't know if I would like it.........oh I wish I had gotten into it sooner!!!

Started at 19st 11lbs, alot of hills, sweat, tears and 1.5 stone later I am loving it. I have bought myself a turbo trainer and some good quality bibs/Shoes etc and I get on my bike as often as I can. Down to do my first sportive in March so I took the plunge and upgrade the Trek to a full 105 upgrade and I am going to ride this all year then when either Xmas 13 comes or I hit 15 stone I will then treat myself to something a little more 'shiney'

The Lakes + on my bike = BLISS

i hope you didnt start with the hill from the post office upto the top of kirkby moor?

willow71uk

Purchased my 1st bike last July and got my 2nd in October. You quickly learn you need better than what you have!

Akirasho

... in my adult life, I've never "ditched" a bike which is one of the reasons I now have about 20 or so...

OTOH, I Jones'd for a better bike for years after I got my first new one in nearly 15 years back in '88, but once I was bitten, I wanted the total experience.




... N+1= optimal number of bikes needed where N represents what you've got right now.

BigDaddyG

mikeouk wrote:

BigDaddyG wrote:

I started back in August 12 on a 2nd hand Trek 1.2 as a way of getting fit and seeing the wonderful Lake district (yep thats where I live) I had never ridden before and didn't know if I would like it.........oh I wish I had gotten into it sooner!!!

Started at 19st 11lbs, alot of hills, sweat, tears and 1.5 stone later I am loving it. I have bought myself a turbo trainer and some good quality bibs/Shoes etc and I get on my bike as often as I can. Down to do my first sportive in March so I took the plunge and upgrade the Trek to a full 105 upgrade and I am going to ride this all year then when either Xmas 13 comes or I hit 15 stone I will then treat myself to something a little more 'shiney'

The Lakes + on my bike = BLISS

i hope you didnt start with the hill from the post office upto the top of kirkby moor?

No Mike, thats a touch beyond me atm although I will try it in summer!!!

I go out over Chaples and then up over Gawthwaite and then into the lakes via coniston )

typekitty

First road bike is decent, but I'm so precious of it, looking to buy a cheap single speed I can throw around. So while I am skint, still on a casual look out.

Mikey41

I haven't got a 2nd roadie... yet. My mate at the LBS keeps tempting me with a nice carbon Bianchi. Very naughty. I dare say I'll end up with a 2nd bike, but I will have to resist for a while yet.

btiratsoo

After spending my whole life up until I was 27 on BMX and MTB's and refusing point blank to ever ride a roadie I bought an Allez in 2010 for physio. 1 year later and I had Rapha shorts and a Cannondale SuperSix. Having a mental battle at the moment as to whether to keep the SuperSix as a hack bike and move up to a SuperSix evo Hi-Mod as the posh bike.

I have well and truly been bitten. The MTB hasn't been out for nearly 5 months. Madness.....

80sMatchbox

The first road bike I bought was a fixie, about a year ago. It got me hooked on road cycling..but I wanted to go further. So I bought a Spesh Allez a few months later..
Now, I'm on the look out for a decent roadie, with a budget of approx. £1200. I'm in no hurry, as it will be a fair weather bike, and the weather is anything but at the moment.

TakeTurns

Crashed my first one 3 months in. Currently riding my second one (bit over 12months now). I've recently begun collecting new bits for my third bike, which will be my first building project.

stongle

Bought my first BMC SLc01 in May 2012, in the LBS "sale" (it was a 2011 model). My 2nd bike was ordered in Nov 2012, due to be delivered on the 3rd Feb a 2013 7 series Madone (frame took time due to vapor coat finish), but will be delayed to March as the Di2 9070 is still not ready. Bit gutted as hoped to take it too Grand Canaria on the 18th Feb, now though the the BMC gets a sunny swan-song before being retired to commuter / beater duties.

upperoilcan

Had my Bianchi bang on 2 yrs now,I've been looking at what will be my 2nd roadie,a massive step up from what I have at the moment,I had planned to get it this year ( still might) but if not this year then it will defo be next year ! Can't wait !

djm501

Bought a Trek Hybrid for commuting and some-off road stuff along with a ridgeback womany hybrid thing for the wife back in May (don't care about her bike that much ;-)). The plan was to just go our riding together and lose some weight, have fun and potter about on them.
I quickly ditched driving to work and commuted every day and started 'extending' my commute beyond the straight back and forth route. One thing led to another and I fell in love with the road and decided that - well - I needed a road bike - so only four or five months in I used the cycle-to-work scheme to get me a really nice BMC roadbike with full 105 groupset for less that a £1000 (just ;-)).

My pottering about has turned into >500 miles a month and I just completed an audax ride of 200 km this last weekend and am signed up for a 300 k event in March (plus a mere 150 km, but hilly ride in Feb). Oh how my life has changed.

My wife has got a bit fed up with the fanaticism with which I have taken this up and wants to come out with me more - so I'm now considering getting us a tandem (seriously) so we get the ride together and don't get separated all the time when we're out together.
The recent snow has persuaded me that I either need a mountain bike or cross bike to deal with ice/snow conditions and for the audaxing I think I really need a touring bike of some description at some point.
Help me- n+1 is on the way! Aaargh!

:-D

lotus49

I have promised myself that I shall get properly fit again before I buy my second bike. I haven't actually defined "fit" yet but I know that I am not fit yet.

There are frequent threads here started by people who think that replacing their £500 bike with a £3,000 one will turn them into Wiggo but of course it won't. I understand why people are tempted to spend a fortune on a new bike all the time but it makes little sense to do so if you already have a decent bike and a lot of room to improve your fitness. That's where I am now so I'm shall be sticking with my bike for a while yet.

smidsy

lotus49 wrote:

I understand why people are tempted to spend a fortune on a new bike all the time but it makes little sense to do so if you already have a decent bike and a lot of room to improve your fitness. That's where I am now so I'm shall be sticking with my bike for a while yet.

You need to go to your LBS and look at all the shiny things.

You need to immerse yourself in the marketing literature and soak up all the reviews in the glossy magazines.

You need to look like a pro, then you will ride like a pro.

You will have a new carbon bike with deep section rims and electronic shifting in the blink of an eye

marz

I can't answer the question as I've never bought a second bike (or third, four, etc) to replace a earlier bike, never ditched a bike. I have though broken a few which have required subsequent replacing.

Closest time frame between buying bikes was about a month, bought a new hardtail for racing, but then cracked my road bike and so had to replace that one. Currently there's about 10 bikes in the garage, 5 of which are in working order and I'm looking to get a new full susser for the summer. That'll be almost 18 months between bikes.

My name is Marcus and I am a cycling addict.

lotus49

smidsy wrote:

[You will have a new carbon bike with deep section rims and electronic shifting in the blink of an eye

I'll have a new carbon bike and probably a divorce too - no thanks. I shall use what little willpower I have to stay away from my LBS.

smidsy

lotus49 wrote:

smidsy wrote:

[You will have a new carbon bike with deep section rims and electronic shifting in the blink of an eye

I'll have a new carbon bike and probably a divorce too - no thanks. I shall use what little willpower I have to stay away from my LBS.

Look into my eyes, not around the eyes, in my eyes.....