Is it worth it?

davidte1968

I've been cycling for a while now and still ride the Specialized Allez I bought 4 years ago. I guess I'd do 50-70 mile average rides in Northumberland. Hilly, undulating routes. I do a few Sportives a year, couple of century rides a year.

I want to step this up and start doing longer endurance rides, C2C, Newcastle to London 24Hrs etc.

I'm in a position to be able to spend up to £3K on the right bike, but I'm not convinced I'd see a benefit in spending that much. Not being able to properly test ride bikes, I'm concerned about spending this much money and not find the value. In short, is it worth spending the money? Will I love cycling EVEN MORE?

Any feedback? Much appreciated. Happy Cycling!

surrey_commuter

why not buy a bike for half the price but look for one with great frame but have saved the money on the groupset and wheels. That way you can upgrade bits on an annual basis and keep yourself motivated. I realise this isn't a good strategy for everybody.

PTestTeam

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19757535#p19757535]davidte1968[/url] wrote:

I've been cycling for a while now and still ride the Specialized Allez I bought 4 years ago. I guess I'd do 50-70 mile average rides in Northumberland. Hilly, undulating routes. I do a few Sportives a year, couple of century rides a year.

I want to step this up and start doing longer endurance rides, C2C, Newcastle to London 24Hrs etc.

I'm in a position to be able to spend up to £3K on the right bike, but I'm not convinced I'd see a benefit in spending that much. Not being able to properly test ride bikes, I'm concerned about spending this much money and not find the value. In short, is it worth spending the money? Will I love cycling EVEN MORE?

Any feedback? Much appreciated. Happy Cycling!

Hats off to stepping up in mileage like that. Main thing with that sort of challenge is being comfortable on the bike. Yes you want performance, but comfort and durability is key.

So for £3k, why not invest in a consultation with a bike fitter and at the same time get a design drawn up for a frame to suit your needs and body measurements? Then go for a modern steel frameset, something made with Columbus Spirit or Reynolds 853 would give you performance but also the comfort and durability of steel.

Up in Northumberland you do have builders like Dave Yates and Kevin Winter. Or if you venture South there is Woodrups, Ricky Feather and Bob Jackson in Yorkshire.

jordan_217

I spent slightly more than £3k on a Ti Enigma. It was a 30th birthday treat to myself. A lovely bike, that's for sure.

Last year I bought Ribble 525 on the C2W scheme and it cost me circa 1/10th of the Enigma purchase price. After a while it was apparent that the Ribble was a bloody lovely bike so I stopped using it exclusively for commuting and starting taking out on nearly every ride.

I no longer have the Enigma as it was surplus to requirement.

Bottom line - no you don't *need* to spend 3k on a bike. Test ride as many as you can and buy the one you like the most. Look past the spec and marketing bollocks. If you manage to come in on budget then save the cash or treat yourself to a bike fit, some quality bib shorts and shoes. If your contact points are happy then it's one less worry on those long rides you want to build up to.