Juan Kog
permanently grumpy
I’m growing increasingly concerned, 6 pages in to this thread . Where’s @SkipdiverJohn . Maybe some should pop round to see if he is OK .
I’m growing increasingly concerned, 6 pages in to this thread . Where’s @SkipdiverJohn . Maybe some should pop round to see if he is OK .
Shiny new retail therapy doesn't float my boat I'm afraid. New and shiny doesn't last long, and it's an expensive way of getting a short term feelgood factor.
Picking a decent priced frame and putting on quality components resonates with me. I did the same with my last 2 bikes. Also admittedly I do like tinkering.not about money - one of my self-builds (original core cost £21) has a brand new XT rear mech on it - I know it will last/give good simple reliable service. Another of my self-builds (original core cost £30) has an Ultegra rear mech - it is on its second bike though with new jockey wheels. Another (original core cost £30) has Spa handbuilt wheels. All have other quality components, some second-hand as they'd been discontinued. All 9 speed. All simple - don't see any serious maintenance issues with any of them - have spare bits ready for any that wear out.
I grew up getting hand me downs and the first brand new bike I ever bought was the Boardman on the cycle to work scheme two months ago.
I've just picked up a brand new Voodoo Marasa as a fun bike/ good weather commuter.
There's something about being the first person on Earth to ride a particular machine. Hard to explain.
Picking a decent priced frame and putting on quality components resonates with me. I did the same with my last 2 bikes. Also admittedly I do like tinkering.
I've never bought a new car. I tend to go for well maintained vehicles around the five year old mark.I've bought the odd wheeled vehicle brand new, but not very often. Two bikes and one car over a 40 year period. In all three cases the reason I went ahead is I thought I was getting a very good deal for the price I was paying.
I know what you mean: I feel the same about taking a frame others see as "junk" and making it into a useful bike, then going on adventures on said "junk" bike...
This ^^^
I'm getting such a kick out of riding Max the MTB. And get an even bigger kick when folks on posh bikes say "nice bike" to me.
Makes all the work in putting the whole thing together worthwhile. Not bad for a £25 clunker picked up at the local tip - although I did have to put in a fair bit of investment (time and money) into the project. But at the end of the day, I've a bespoke bike that's a hoot to ride. Just need to do something about the tatty seatpost and bars now, but that's not urgent.
My other two bikes are safely mid-range, though only the Rouen was bought new.
Grandad Arthur used to say "I'm too poor to buy cheap stuff" - and I agree. But on the flip side, I'm never going to be a strong enough / good enough cyclist to warrant spending silly money.
Funny thing though, my bikes always get admiring glances, so I must've done *something* right
I've had people stop and ask me about my touring bike fairly often and ask lots of questions, chief amongst them being "where do you get bikes like that?"
On the other hand I remember riding my tourer (of downbar lever fame) near Stuttgart, and passing a few erm... older people on very expensive looking Ebikes. One lady looked at me and said to her friend: "Gosh, that poor man even has those really old gear levers..."
Generally agree and is mostly my approach, but I guess we're fortunate that there are those who want to buy and keep buying new bikes, or there wouldn't be many superior quality secondhand bikes at cheap prices to pick up!Rather than just buy cheap low end bikes at cheap prices, I prefer to leverage my spend and get superior quality secondhand bikes at cheap prices, and the low end ones at pull out of skip prices or not very much more.
Grandad Arthur used to say "I'm too poor to buy cheap stuff" - and I agree.
This this! My bikes and my bass are like this, custom-built for me, by me. 'Tis the only way to go.This ^^^
I'm getting such a kick out of riding Max the MTB. And get an even bigger kick when folks on posh bikes say "nice bike" to me.
Makes all the work in putting the whole thing together worthwhile. Not bad for a £25 clunker picked up at the local tip - although I did have to put in a fair bit of investment (time and money) into the project. But at the end of the day, I've a bespoke bike that's a hoot to ride. Just need to do something about the tatty seatpost and bars now, but that's not urgent.
There's certainly an element of truth in this, that if you go for the lowest priced junk with the most features per pound, you will probably end up spending more overall than if you had gone up the quality ladder just a rung or two.
I recently bought a 1-2" micrometer, and the easy option would have been a cheapo new Chinese one as I'm only going to use it now and then, so I don't want to pay megabucks. However I bided my time until a very nice used Moore & Wright mic came up at sensible money, and bought that instead. Still in its original wooden box with adjusting tools, paperwork and it's 1" precision ground calibration disc. I'm pretty sure its pre-WW2 so over 80 years old but still better than a brand new one and its accuracy is spot-on as I recieved it. It will outlast me just like it outlasted its original owner, no doubt about it. Buy good quality, buy once.