How Much Would You Spend?

dinyull

Daniel B wrote:

My gf is a frustratingly good climber, and I recall watching her, on our first sportive, overtaking men and women on carbon exotica, whilst astride her £300 tiagra equipped Trek 1000
A proud moment

I think this is a genuine misconception about cycling: the bike means very little - it's all about the motor and you can't buy that.

If the blingy bike motivates you to get out more then so be it.

Wife's step father is constantly chasing speed, spending £000's on aero/lighter wheels and components because he can't break a certain average speed.

In all the convo's I've had with him about it, he's never considered losing the 10kg + of fat or putting in some work on the turbo he bought but has used only a handful of times because it's boring.

Joshgav

I did notice a huge difference in speed and enjoyment when I moved from a Hybrid to a Giant TCR, then again, I bought it second hand so it doesn't owe me too much. Now I know I just need to ride it more and more (without annoying the wife too much).

fenix

A hybrid is a long way away from a racer bike. It's like saying the fuel consumption on your car got better when you swapped to a 1L corsa from your Range Rover.

Once you're in the racing position - so much more aero- that's most of the improvement there. All of the talk of Kam tails and aero tubing for your super bikes - I doubt it's noticeable outside of a wind tunnel.

Joshgav

Fenix wrote:

A hybrid is a long way away from a racer bike. It's like saying the fuel consumption on your car got better when you swapped to a 1L corsa from your Range Rover.

Once you're in the racing position - so much more aero- that's most of the improvement there. All of the talk of Kam tails and aero tubing for your super bikes - I doubt it's noticeable outside of a wind tunnel.

I maybe didn't clarify my point, I spend as little as I can for the maximum value, I'm not sure I will see much improvement from upgrading from the TCR to anything more spendy. This stems from the fact that I am young and have a young family, so limited disposable cash. Great bike though!

fenix

I agree with you on that - you've a great bike there - you could spend treble the amount on a bike and not be any faster.

ben@31

Ryan_W wrote:

Acknowledged, was just stating a fact that many into cycling enjoy the competitiveness spirit of it all... #handbags

This has all of a sudden turned into the Strava narcissist thread.
It's a shame you need to cycle past someone who's taking their time commuting to work on a nice bike, to feel good about yourself.
Where I came from there's some segs with a few 1000 people on them nobody notices your time on page 24 of the leaderboard or probably cares for that matter.
Buy whatever bike you like, makes you happy and gets you out cycling more. I cycled passed some very old guy on a Colnago C60 the other day, the only thing I thought was "what nice paintwork. Good for him"

turbotommy

I'm no philosophy student but this thread does raise some interesting, somewhat universal themes. I recently bought a new set of Zipp 404's. A month before a bought a new p2m power meter. A few years ago I couldn't of imagined making these types of purchases as I've always lived within my means and I haven't always been in the position I am now. I have some property I let out and the zipps alone roughly amount to a months rent for one of my tenants in a south London flat. This isn't meant to sound braggy but just an observation. I dare say my tenant couldn't imagine spending a months rent on a set of wheels, but then I know guys who can spend the equivalent on one meal with wine and I don't put myself anywhere near that bracket either... it's all relative...

I have an s-works tarmac, a caad 7 that I commute on all year and a fixie I can't say goodbye to from my youth. The components vary amongst the bikes as you can imagine but I maintain them all equally.

daniel_b

ben@31 wrote:

Ryan_W wrote:

Acknowledged, was just stating a fact that many into cycling enjoy the competitiveness spirit of it all... #handbags

This has all of a sudden turned into the Strava narcissist thread.
It's a shame you need to cycle past someone who's taking their time commuting to work on a nice bike, to feel good about yourself.
Where I came from there's some segs with a few 1000 people on them nobody notices your time on page 24 of the leaderboard or probably cares for that matter.
Buy whatever bike you like, makes you happy and gets you out cycling more. I cycled passed some very old guy on a Colnago C60 the other day, the only thing I thought was "what nice paintwork. Good for him"

I'm very competitive, but predominantly with myself, ie I want to improve my power output, improve my strava segment times, and just generally be quicker up hills and everywhere I can possibly be.
Not purely for the fact it means I am getting faster, but most of all, if I have some power in my legs, I enjoy the ride more (less of a slog), AND I get home quicker too, which means more time with the family

I will be carrying out an FTP test tonight in fact!

ryan_w-2

ben@31 wrote:

Ryan_W wrote:

Acknowledged, was just stating a fact that many into cycling enjoy the competitiveness spirit of it all... #handbags

It's a shame you need to cycle past someone who's taking their time commuting to work on a nice bike, to feel good about yourself.

I don't, I look at my family, dog, 7 world records and quads to feel good about myself.

Cycling past people is just life, there will always be someone faster than you, don't let it get to you.

I enjoy the competitive nature amongst strangers and friends alike that cycling entails. I've actually met some really decent people through the sport.

I also think it''s fairly obvious if someone wants to 'play' or not. Good thing about it is that you could be against a weekday commuter warrior, or a Cat1 hero...

Rodrego Hernandez

Ryan_W wrote:

ben@31 wrote:

Ryan_W wrote:

Acknowledged, was just stating a fact that many into cycling enjoy the competitiveness spirit of it all... #handbags

It's a shame you need to cycle past someone who's taking their time commuting to work on a nice bike, to feel good about yourself.

I don't, I look at my family, dog, 7 world records and quads to feel good about myself.

Cycling past people is just life, there will always be someone faster than you, don't let it get to you.

I enjoy the competitive nature amongst strangers and friends alike that cycling entails. I've actually met some really decent people through the sport.

I also think it''s fairly obvious if someone wants to 'play' or not. Good thing about it is that you could be against a weekday commuter warrior, or a Cat1 hero...

Go on then, what are your world records in?

ryan_w-2

Rodrego Hernandez wrote:

Ryan_W wrote:

ben@31 wrote:

Ryan_W wrote:

Acknowledged, was just stating a fact that many into cycling enjoy the competitiveness spirit of it all... #handbags

It's a shame you need to cycle past someone who's taking their time commuting to work on a nice bike, to feel good about yourself.

I don't, I look at my family, dog, 7 world records and quads to feel good about myself.

Cycling past people is just life, there will always be someone faster than you, don't let it get to you.

I enjoy the competitive nature amongst strangers and friends alike that cycling entails. I've actually met some really decent people through the sport.

I also think it''s fairly obvious if someone wants to 'play' or not. Good thing about it is that you could be against a weekday commuter warrior, or a Cat1 hero...

Go on then, what are your world records in?

Powerlifting, absolutely f-all to do with cycling :!:

fat daddy

Obviously you have never put a dh bike on a roof rack .... that's a clean snatch and jerk right there

pblakeney

Daniel B wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

Anyway, for the purposes of this discussion I would have thought we were talking about best bike, so buy right, buy once. I could buy a "better" one but don't see the point as mine is as nice as nice can be.

Fair enough, and a good point, I think it derailed slightly, or at least diversified into other areas.

In that case then, my best bike is my Scott, and the only reason I have the Di2 Synapse, is a prize win, and a bit of a mess up by Evans.

Just so you can see my point of reference, this is my idea of a nice bike.

itboffin

Ryan_W wrote:

Shortfall wrote:

Ryan_W wrote:

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

That's some collection! When you switch between bikes is there any correlation between £££££s spent and how good they are?

There was obviously a big jump up from the Cinelli to the Scott, but I would say that my CAAD12 (upgraded to DA9000 and carbon Mavics) was a better bike that the Scott at around half the price.

My current two steads are the S5 and R3D. The latter is my commuter and a very good all round disc bike, however, I will be changing it out for the new R5 upon its release.

As for the S5 (full Di2 and Enve 4.5s), it's the best and most complete bike I have ever had / been on. Night and day between any other high end bike I've thrown a leg over. I have just done a 1,650km LEJOG trip on it, from buttery smooth roads to canal paths and trails in the Lakes. It was faultless, an absolute pleasure to ride. I will probably stick with this model for quite a few years...

cycling is so subjective, you prefer your S5 to anything else in a good stable of bikes and a friend of mine ditched his S5 for an R3 with di2 and enve for the same reasons you state, for me I ride my Scott SL more than any other (excluding commuting) including my R5 which is a super lightweight climbing monster but feels like nothing underneath me which is find odd, i'm yet to build up my CAAD12 so many i'll change my mind on the Scott.

I do love cycling

imafatman

Recently spent circa £3500 on new bike kit but I consider it important part of my health and happiness.

I've always been too heavy for a road bike but have been training 3-4 times a week in the gym since December and by April I had dropped from 55% to 30% bodyfat so I treated myself with a new bike.

I love my bike so much it's crazy. My wife is getting jealous. I'm doing 250km's every week and graduated up to 120km weekend rides. With any luck I'll be down towards the 20% bodyfat by the end of summer and finally be considered at a normal weight for the first time in 15 years.

When that happens it will be the best £3500 I've ever spent.

If I ever get <10% bodyfat I'm going to treat myself with a super lightweight carbon Di2 bike and then go and batter all of my POB's.

I do really love cycling too

Joshgav

imafatman wrote:

Recently spent circa £3500 on new bike kit but I consider it important part of my health and happiness.

I've always been too heavy for a road bike but have been training 3-4 times a week in the gym since December and by April I had dropped from 55% to 30% bodyfat so I treated myself with a new bike.

I love my bike so much it's crazy. My wife is getting jealous. I'm doing 250km's every week and graduated up to 120km weekend rides. With any luck I'll be down towards the 20% bodyfat by the end of summer and finally be considered at a normal weight for the first time in 15 years.

When that happens it will be the best £3500 I've ever spent.

If I ever get <10% bodyfat I'm going to treat myself with a super lightweight carbon Di2 bike and then go and batter all of my POB's.

I do really love cycling too

Great (no sarcasm intended) it's good that you've found something to enjoy which also makes you healthier. So much better than those who take up watching TV or drinking as a hobby. If all it has cost you is in the low thousands I reckon it will save more than that in future medial bills and potential unhappiness, seems like a bargain to me!

daniel_b

Joshgav wrote:

imafatman wrote:

Recently spent circa £3500 on new bike kit but I consider it important part of my health and happiness.

I've always been too heavy for a road bike but have been training 3-4 times a week in the gym since December and by April I had dropped from 55% to 30% bodyfat so I treated myself with a new bike.

I love my bike so much it's crazy. My wife is getting jealous. I'm doing 250km's every week and graduated up to 120km weekend rides. With any luck I'll be down towards the 20% bodyfat by the end of summer and finally be considered at a normal weight for the first time in 15 years.

When that happens it will be the best £3500 I've ever spent.

If I ever get <10% bodyfat I'm going to treat myself with a super lightweight carbon Di2 bike and then go and batter all of my POB's.

I do really love cycling too

Great (no sarcasm intended) it's good that you've found something to enjoy which also makes you healthier. So much better than those who take up watching TV or drinking as a hobby. If all it has cost you is in the low thousands I reckon it will save more than that in future medial bills and potential unhappiness, seems like a bargain to me!

Could not agree more, bloody brilliant
Money well spent imho - can't see how money spent on something you love, that also makes you fitter and healthier can possibly be anything other than that - I know some people don't see it like that, but I think that is because they have simply not seen the light, or do not have the capacity.

Question for the OP - how do you measure your fat percentage?

One of the scales that are meant to send a current through your body, one of these:


Or some other method I am unfamiliar with?

fenix

I'd not sweat over body fat percentage - Surely just looking in the mirror will give you an idea - and you can google for images of people with different percentages.

The electronic scales are rubbish too.

daniel_b

Fenix wrote:

I'd not sweat over body fat percentage - Surely just looking in the mirror will give you an idea - and you can google for images of people with different percentages.

The electronic scales are rubbish too.

Ah no I am not (Although sweating might help!) but love stats and figures (Just how I am programmed) and was curious what method the OP is using, especially as he will be using the figures as reward triggers.

I have the scales, but heard they are unreliable, so went for one of the £3 plastic thingies, seems to work ok, although I always wonder if I am putting it in the wrong place\not grabbing enough of my love handles.

DavidJB

I'd spend it all.

haydenm

My fitbit scales are broadly OK for body fat percentage in that I know it's roughly inline with the pictures on the internet, it goes down about 0.5% if I'm dehydrated and things though so it's best to look at long term trends...

Congrats on the weight loss by the way, really impressive

Also, spend everything on bikes.

imafatman

Daniel B wrote:

Question for the OP - how do you measure your fat percentage?
Or some other method I am unfamiliar with?

I've been having regular skin fold tests with a nutritionist. They measure 10 different sites on the body and put the readings into a computer which supposedly gives a relatively accurate reading.

I've found the tests to be incredibly useful. There were many periods where my weighing scales were stalling and I felt like I wasn't making progress. For every kg of fat loss my body is putting on a certain amount of lean mass which is very difficult to quantify unless you test it.

It might not be terribly benefitial for everyone but if you are starting as fat as I was it's sometimes very difficult to see the changes week to week and it's very easy to fall off the wagon. For me it's been a huge morale boost to see the results on paper.

And thanks for all the positivity chaps. At some point I'll be brave enough to show a before-after but still some way to go!

jasgill

Who really cares !

You work hard, you earn your money and you spend it how you like. Buy what you can afford and ride like the wind, just make sure it puts a smile on your face

svetty

Post-Brexit anyone in the UK will need to spend a significantly larger proportion of their income to have a nice bike - the prices are already on the increase for most cycle related stuff

Still at least 'we've got our country back' :roll: :roll: