How Much Would You Spend?

shortfall

It was peeing it down today and as I had the day off I was looking at bike related websites in lieu of being able to go out and ride. What struck me was the amount of bikes out there costing in excess of a small family car. Now I'm not knocking anyone who wants to blow 10k on their dream bike if that's their thing, but it makes me wonder what they're hoping to get out of their purchase. I spent just North of 3k on my own dream bike a few years ago which is a custom titanium with mechanical Record. I've experimented with a few wheelsets in the 3 years I've owned it, including Zondas, Bullets and currently some handbuilts, but because I've sold the old ones on at not much of a loss each time it doesn't owe me much other than tyres, a set of brake pads and some new cables. It was an awful lot of money to me when I bought it but I plan on keeping it for many more years and there's nothing out there that tempts me to swap it yet. My mates think I'm insane for spending 3 grand on a bike in the first place but spread out over a number of years it's actually not silly money. I'd be interested to hear other people's opinions. I've heard people say that you can get all the bike you'll ever need for 2 grand which puts some of those £10,000 Treks into perspective. I'm certainly not good enough to do justice.

Matthewfalle

Have a search for the "do people really buy this stuff" thread I did - answers all your questions.

sloppyschleckonds

Matthewfalle wrote:

Have a search for the "do people really buy this stuff" thread I did - answers all your questions.

Ditto

pblakeney

How much do I have?

shortfall

If that was the thread about carbon bottle cages then I posted on it myself. There's obviously a market for ridiculously expensive bikes and kit, but I'm interested in who buys it and why? If you're a stockbroker then blowing 10 grand on a Madone RSL for club runs and another 5000 on a Pegoretti for the cafe is loose change, but do ordinary mortals max out their credit for stuff like this? And if they do, I wonder what their motivations are?

shortfall

PBlakeney wrote:

How much do I have?

It's not a dream bike no budget thing, more, how much would you spend based on your current income and expenditure. My own dream bike was a month and a half's take home pay but I had it saved up.

londoncommuter

I wonder how many get sold though. Have you ever seen these £10k bikes out on the road? I guess some of it is the halo effect where manufacturers put out something uber high end to make their brand look better and sell thousands more £2k bikes as a result. They probably don't care whether they sell the handful of £10k bikes.

Matthewfalle

Shortfall wrote:

If that was the thread about carbon bottle cages then I posted on it myself. There's obviously a market for ridiculously expensive bikes and kit, but I'm interested in who buys it and why? If you're a stockbroker then blowing 10 grand on a Madone RSL for club runs and another 5000 on a Pegoretti for the cafe is loose change, but do ordinary mortals max out their credit for stuff like this? And if they do, I wonder what their motivations are?

If you're really into it then yes, you will spend everything.

Look at petrol heads - some people on lower earnings spend everything they have on their whatever - I can't see bicycles being any different.

Whether you are good enough to have the bike is another thread.

Whether you would benefit from a cheaper bike and some riding in the sun/coaching as again another thread.

shortfall

londoncommuter wrote:

I wonder how many get sold though. Have you ever seen these £10k bikes out on the road? I guess some of it is the halo effect where manufacturers put out something uber high end to make their brand look better and sell thousands more £2k bikes as a result. They probably don't care whether they sell the handful of £10k bikes.

You might be right I hadn't thought of that angle. I had a go on an 8 grand Ridley Noah a few years ago when the Rep brought it to the LBS rideout. I got off it and thought "it's not all that". Maybe I'm not good enough to do it justice, but then who is this side of the pros?

shortfall

Matthewfalle wrote:

Shortfall wrote:

Whether you would benefit from a cheaper bike and some riding in the sun/coaching as again another thread.

Absolutely this for most people I would've said.

Matthewfalle

Shortfall wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

Shortfall wrote:

Whether you would benefit from a cheaper bike and some riding in the sun/coaching as again another thread.

Absolutely this for most people I would've said.

Smithy is proven right again ........

pblakeney

londoncommuter wrote:

I wonder how many get sold though. Have you ever seen these £10k bikes out on the road? I guess some of it is the halo effect where manufacturers put out something uber high end to make their brand look better and sell thousands more £2k bikes as a result. They probably don't care whether they sell the handful of £10k bikes.

I see quite a few when I am in Mallorca.
Less here. As in none. Quite a few £2-4k though.

pblakeney

Shortfall wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

How much do I have?

It's not a dream bike no budget thing, more, how much would you spend based on your current income and expenditure. My own dream bike was a month and a half's take home pay but I had it saved up.

Current actual, 1/6 salary replacement value, not spent. And yes, saved up.
However should it need replaced then I be looking around there.

teebs_123

Surely it all depends on your disposable income, priorities etc.

What I've spent on a bike this year, some of my mates will blow on beer in the same time. That's their choice, buying a ££££ bike is mine, each to their own.

My new bike was twice the price of my last one, is it twice as good, no.

homers_double

I'm a firm believer of buying a solid frame to upgrade from. That said the frame I first looked at was twice the value of the one I own and part of the reason I didn't buy it was that it was Di2 specific which would then have doubled* the required component outlay.

Both my mountain and road bikes are better than I need but if you get to a point where you want something nice and you can get it, then get it.

I'm no builder but I have a £200 cordless drill and the boss didn't complain about that when I've saved £400 by hanging my own doors.


*roughly...

norvernrob

Shortfall wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

Shortfall wrote:

Whether you would benefit from a cheaper bike and some riding in the sun/coaching as again another thread.

Absolutely this for most people I would've said.

Not many people buy a Ferrari and get some advanced driving lessons either, they buy it because it's desirable and they want one. What does it matter if the bloke with a £10k Trek isn't very quick.

I spent £3k, that was a previous seasons bike with an RRP of £6k (realistically it could be had for £4.8 though). It's all relative though, my current car cost half as much as my bike so I've spent under £5k on both which is very little compared to most people who pay more than that to lease a car they'll never even own.

pblakeney

Teebs_123 wrote:

Surely it all depends on your disposable income, priorities etc.

Looking for justification? Commute. Don't offset the savings against the commuter though, offset against the good bike and trickle down.

turbotommy

Sometimes I do laps of Regent's Park in London as I live nearby. If you spend enough time there you'll see plenty of very expensive bikes and you wonder who has maxed out the credit card to feed the habit! It's probably no different to any other walk of life. Some people live within their means and some don't...

daniel_b

I'd probably currently max out at 3K, but it would have to be something pretty special for that, and I'd never do it on credit - only thing on credit is house, everything else I have to have the cash available to buy it, or save up.

milemuncher1

I don't intend replacing the car I just sold. So the 15 grand I set aside for a replacement car, isn't now going on a new car. I looked at a few bicycle related websites. 15 grand would get some very very nice bikes. However, Fcuk spending that sort of money on a bike, for a game of soldiers. I could get a really nice bike for half that, then spend a bit of what's left on going somewhere nice to ride it. However, screw spending that sort of money on a bike, for a game of soldiers as well. I just can't square spending more than a couple of bags, on a bike.

itboffin

I spent 1k then 1.5 then 2.5 and then 5k now about to spend about 3k on another build, wasnt really planned it just kinda happened I'm shocked as my first halfords BSO was £200 and i thought that was outrageous expensive, I'm not even prepared to talk about wheels

ben@31

Theres worse things to spend my money on. I work with people who quite easily spend £100s a weekend on alcohol and have zero to show for it (well, except a beer gut and being unwell). But that's their choice.

In my case, cycling is my number one hobby / sport. So when we look at it £ per mile I definitely get my moneys worth out of an investment. Its no different to other people spending £1000s on their hobby such as golf, skiing, computer gaming, car/ motorbike. Each to their own.

What does is irritate me is this inverse snobbery in cycling where some random stranger thinks he has the right to tell me what to spend my own money on. Why cant anyone have a nice bike that they like ?

The only negative to gradually upgrading my bike with new wheels, new groupset. Is if I were to buy another bike with the same spec, it becomes expensive unless I buy just a frameset and then transfer the components across.

but it makes me wonder what they're hoping to get out of their purchase?

Spending 100s of hours on it per year. Including holidays, touring, weekends away on sportives.

pblakeney

ben@31 wrote:

but it makes me wonder what they're hoping to get out of their purchase?

Spending 100s of hours on it per year. Including holidays, touring, weekends away on sportives.

Yup. Easy figures used as an example.
£4k @ 4k miles per year over 10 years = 10p/mile or £1.50/hour. Much less than spent in the pub.

lincolndave

its a very enjoyable hobby / sport , Im probably like most keen cyclists and spend to much

shortfall

Some interesting answers. Mostly logic and reason don't come into it. If I ever got a windfall I could see myself spending big bucks on a custom Pegoretti and justify it to myself on the grounds that it'd be built by a legend of the sport and be a unique thing of beauty to own and ride that would probably last me till the day I died. Conversely I could never countenance spending a similar sum on anything made by Trek , let alone the 10 grand p!us they're asking for their flagship Domane. Logic dictates that the Trek would be the better bike in almost every area but they just don't float my boat.

fat daddy

Lincolndave wrote:

its a very enjoyable hobby / sport , Im probably like most keen cyclists and spend to much

yeah I am with you on this !!! ... if I was more financially successful in life I would have no qualms about spanking £10k on a Trek .... might even stick my hand in my pocket and pull out the money for some coaching as well .. after all this is cycling its not an either or hobby you CAN do both.

it comes down to disposable income, the more you have the less you see it as an issue.

the guy with the £10k bike, hell he probably has a Porsche Rs3 as well .... now if his car costs 10x as much as my car, then why would he bat an eyelid at only spending 5x as much as me on a bike ............. its all perspective

And as Shortfall said, his mates think he is nuts spending £3k on a bike, ..... he could have spent 1/2 that much and got some coaching and been quicker :?

shortfall

fat daddy wrote:

Lincolndave wrote:

its a very enjoyable hobby / sport , Im probably like most keen cyclists and spend to much

yeah I am with you on this !!! ... if I was more financially successful in life I would have no qualms about spanking £10k on a Trek .... might even stick my hand in my pocket and pull out the money for some coaching as well .. after all this is cycling its not an either or hobby you CAN do both.

it comes down to disposable income, the more you have the less you see it as an issue.

the guy with the £10k bike, hell he probably has a Porsche Rs3 as well .... now if his car costs 10x as much as my car, then why would he bat an eyelid at only spending 5x as much as me on a bike ............. its all perspective

And as Shortfall said, his mates think he is nuts spending £3k on a bike, ..... he could have spent 1/2 that much and got some coaching and been quicker :?

I mostly agree with you but as someone who doesn't race I'm not too interested in outright speed. I want to be able to keep up with my mates and I ride bikes as an aid to fitness and as an excuse to get out in the countryside. In my defence I spent a smidge over 3k but I got a titanium frame and Record equipment both of which should last indefinitely, whereas had I spent 1.5k it would still be a decent bike but more disposable. I dread to think what my bike would cost me now with inflation and the fall in the pound.

bernithebiker

You can buy an excellent frame for £2000, excellent wheels for £2000, and full Di2 for £2000, giving you a bike that is already better than most of the 10 grand one's out there.

When you look at their huge price tags, it makes no sense, the sum of the parts just doesn't add up to it. They're relying on silly bankers that can't turn a screwdriver, or indeed use a calculator.

And in my first example, if you go nearly new, you cut all the prices in half, so you could build a super bike easily for 3 grand.

meanredspider

bernithebiker wrote:

You can buy an excellent frame for £2000, excellent wheels for £2000, and full Di2 for £2000, giving you a bike that is already better than most of the 10 grand one's out there.

When you look at their huge price tags, it makes no sense, the sum of the parts just doesn't add up to it. They're relying on silly bankers that can't turn a screwdriver, or indeed use a calculator.

And in my first example, if you go nearly new, you cut all the prices in half, so you could build a super bike easily for 3 grand.

I built the Foil exclusively from parts that were discounted by 50% or more (excluding the saddle) and, with the exception of the group being Ultegra Di2 rather than DA Di2 and the wheels being RS80 C50s rather than DA C50s it's pretty much exactly the team-issue spec but cost me south of £3k.

sloppyschleckonds

meanredspider wrote:

bernithebiker wrote:

You can buy an excellent frame for £2000, excellent wheels for £2000, and full Di2 for £2000, giving you a bike that is already better than most of the 10 grand one's out there.

When you look at their huge price tags, it makes no sense, the sum of the parts just doesn't add up to it. They're relying on silly bankers that can't turn a screwdriver, or indeed use a calculator.

And in my first example, if you go nearly new, you cut all the prices in half, so you could build a super bike easily for 3 grand.

I built the Foil exclusively from parts that were discounted by 50% or more (excluding the saddle) and, with the exception of the group being Ultegra Di2 rather than DA Di2 and the wheels being RS80 C50s rather than DA C50s it's pretty much exactly the team-issue spec but cost me south of £3k.

#CSB

ryan_w-2

I think as others have said, it's all down to disposable income.

I would never rack up debt for an expensive bike, you're living beyond your means if that's the case. I also think if a fat city cat with zero cycling knowledge wants to go out an buy an S-Works, then let them. All the more fun passing them on your £200 single speed!

As for my personal experience, it started four years ago when I got into road cycling. I bought a £700 Cinelli SS, however, before that, I was into my MTB'ing big time and had a £7,000 Mondraker Foxy RR and a £4,000 Whyte B19C.

Once I realised lycra was for me, I upgraded to a Scott Addict Team which set me back around £6.5k. I wanted it, so I bought it and upgraded a few bits on it. I've always been into cars and tinkering with them, so this bike malarkey was a cheap alternative for me.

Bought a CAAD12 disc for a commuter and upgraded that, and then had a large itch for a Cervelo S5, so got one, and that now owes me north of £10k.

Could the money have been spent elsewhere, yes. Do I regret spending it on bikes, not at all. This is my hobby, it's what I enjoy doing. I've met some great people through it (not you w**kers), and it's a fantastic stress reliever from the daily grind of work.....

Does the Mrs know how much I've spent on my bikes... not a clue! :P