Best, better, and more expensive - my myth busting view...

[stoatsngroats]

I have a bike which (today, to replace, would cost less than £500), and has technology from a while back. It's not the fastest, nor the lightest, and it manages to outshine my abilities.
It can manage 60+ miles without issue, and has remained reliable for 4 years without any issue, except the normal wear and tear which you would expect.
It lives outside, in all weathers, so looks a little old.

It has completed a LEJOG, and a trip to Guernsey, towed a trailer, and continues to provide a large amount of fun and exercise for us (it's a tandem btw!).
We are considering an L2P sometime next year on it.

My view is that there is often a large desire to replace things, or to buy the best/lightest/strongest bike and equipment all the time, and whilst I might agree that the initial bike purchase should be buy the best you can afford, more importantly, take time to consider HOW you will use the bike - marketing, and the opinions of others could provoke more cost than you actually need!

We have Acera 24 speed gearing, it's not modern nor up-to-date, but it works really well for us.... and is still currently available if things need replacing. This is just one example where newer, isn't necessarily the best, certainly not for us!

Please feel free to disagree with me, but this is directed towards those who are considering a purchase, and frequently look to this forum for advice.... new and shiny, bang up-to-date stuff might be your desire, but also can be a false economy!

 

[Drago]

I agree. As with everything from silly little mobile phones to shiny German cars, the gullible are far too willing to get their wallets out for no more gain that the smug feeling that comes with temporarily having something they perceive to be better/flasher/more up to date that that which their neighbours possess. It's a sad indictment on life and society that people attach so much importance to the pursuit of such things.

 

[Herbie]

I have a bike which (today, to replace, would cost less than £500), and has technology from a while back. It's not the fastest, nor the lightest, and it manages to outshine my abilities.
It can manage 60+ miles without issue, and had remained reliable for 4 years without any issue, except the normal wear and tear which you would expect.
It lives outside, in all weathers, so looks a little old.

It has completed a LEJOG, and a trip to Guernsey, towed a trailer, and continues to provide a large amount of fun and exercise for us (it's a tandem btw!).
We are considering an L2P sometime next year on it.

My view is that there is often a large desire to replace things, or to buy the best/lightest/strongest bike and equipment all the time, and whilst I might agree that the initial bike purchase should be buy the best you can afford, more importantly, take time to consider HOW you will use the bike - marketing, and the opinions of others could provoke more cost than you actually need!

We have Acera 24 speed gearing, it's not modern nor up-to-date, but it works really well for us.... and is still currently available if things need replacing. This is just one example where newer, isn't necessarily the best, certainly not for us!

Please feel free to disagree with me, but this is directed towards those who are considering a purchase, and frequently look to this forum for advice.... new and shiny, bang up-to-date stuff might be your desire, but also can be a false economy!

I'm a big believer in if somethings not broken don't fix it I'm sure your bike will serve you well for some time to come if you look after it....i'd keep it indoors though if poss...though difficult it being a Tandem they take up a fair bit of space

 

[Spoked Wheels]

I do agree with the gearing, I don't see the point beyond 8 speeds cassette / freewheel.

Other new / improved technology might be worth expending a little extra ie. brakes. Having said that, nothing too exciting for a tandem in that department in the last for years I think.

I also agree with having a good think on how you will use things. If I was buying a new XC bike today I would buy something decent that would cost more that I'd like to spend now, hence I don't own one

People do buy the lightest bike they can afford and I would do the same. On Saturday I carried my 7.5kg bike up the steps near my house, I was so thankful I wasn't riding my 12kg winter bike I do enjoy riding a light enough bike but I would not buy a full carbon fibre simply because I'm not very careful.

 

[steve50]

Totally agree, shiny and new isn't always better.i personally prefer reliable and trustworthy.

 

[Citius]

Surprisingly, I can't add anything to this thread, other than to agree with everything that's been said..

 

[cisamcgu]

I am of the "buy once and buy the best" school of thought. I had no worries spending a rather frightening amount of money on our tandem because I knew it would probably out last us, give us a huge amount of pleasure and was by far the most comfortable we tested. We could have spent 25% of that amount and still got a perfectly lovely tandem, but ....well....we didn't

I can never critisise people spending what ever they want on whatever they want as long as they can afford it.

 

[bpsmith]

I agree. As with everything from silly little mobile phones to shiny German cars, the gullible are far too willing to get their wallets out for no more gain that the smug feeling that comes with temporarily having something they perceive to be better/flasher/more up to date that that which their neighbours possess. It's a sad indictment on life and society that people attach so much importance to the pursuit of such things.

I totally agree with you, regarding those with the mentality stated, no question.

Have you considered that some people buy things for their own feelings though, and could care less what their neighbours think?

When I buy something nice, I really enjoy it for myself and tend not to make a big deal to others. When someone notices, I actually get embarrassed rather than brag about it.

Does this make me a mug?

 

[Milkfloat]

These are all totally rational thoughts - however, humans generally are not rational beings. I spend money on cycling, partly because it gives me enjoyment to research new things, partly because I love opening boxes and partly, because I can afford it and generally cycling is cheaper than my other hobbies. I guess I am in a great position in that I cycle because I want to, not because I have to.

However, I hate spending more than I need to - I don't think I buy anything at full price and I tend to keep my bikes a long time, especially if I have owned them from new.

 

[JMAG]

I do agree with the gearing, I don't see the point beyond 8 speeds cassette / freewheel.

Depends on the type of riding you do. I bought a hybrid with 8 speed Alivio groupset and struggled with the jump in cog sizes. I changed to a higher geared cassette (28T max from 32T max) but was still frequently unable to maintain a steady cadence on the flat.

I ditched the hybrid and bought a used road bike with 9 speed Sora gears and it works much better for me. However, the road bike had a damaged frame, some parts need replacing and I have the opportunity to get a new bike through C2W. Whilst £500 could buy a perfectly acceptable 9 speed road bike, £800 - £1000 will buy a bike that will exceed my current requirements meaning it will hopefully serve me longer. There's no denying there's a cost penalty though, especially when you look at the price of 11 speed chains/cassettes vs 8 speed. These are consumables after all.

 

[Drago]

Have you considered that some people buy things for their own feelings though, and could care less what their neighbours think?

Undoubtedly, but it can clearly be seen I was not talking about them.

 

[Spoked Wheels]

I am of the "buy once and buy the best" school of thought. I had no worries spending a rather frightening amount of money on our tandem because I knew it would probably out last us, give us a huge amount of pleasure and was by far the most comfortable we tested. We could have spent 25% of that amount and still got a perfectly lovely tandem, but ....well....we didn't

I can never critisise people spending what ever they want on whatever they want as long as they can afford it.

I take your point. I'm also happy to spend on quality. The problem I have and I'm not the only one with this problem, is that I could do with a cristal ball. I'd love to have a tandem bike right now but I have no idea if we would use it more than a few times. So do I spend big and regrete it later for not using the tandem enough or do I spend little and regret later not having bought something better - Tandems are an unknown territory for me hence the need for a cristal ball Now, asked me about a road bike and I think I know exactly what I would want to get..... £4000.00 would take care of it

Another view, it's very easy to fall into the trap of not wanting to spend on quality stuff when you don't know what you are missing, I have been guilty of it many times. The last one I remember was a couple of years ago when we bought a new hoover. We opted for something that I thought would do just a good a job as the more expensive option. Months later my son had to buy a hooever and as you can imagine, we soon realised what we had been missing on. That was my fault

 

[Dan B]

I like buying new things because it annoys Drago

 

[Spoked Wheels]

Depends on the type of riding you do. I bought a hybrid with 8 speed Alivio groupset and struggled with the jump in cog sizes. I changed to a higher geared cassette (28T max from 32T max) but was still frequently unable to maintain a steady cadence on the flat.

I ditched the hybrid and bought a used road bike with 9 speed Sora gears and it works much better for me. However, the road bike had a damaged frame, some parts need replacing and I have the opportunity to get a new bike through C2W. Whilst £500 could buy a perfectly acceptable 9 speed road bike, £800 - £1000 will buy a bike that will exceed my current requirements meaning it will hopefully serve me longer. There's no denying there's a cost penalty though, especially when you look at the price of 11 speed chains/cassettes vs 8 speed. These are consumables after all.

I'm not sure you understand the problem. 11t to 32t in a 8 or 9 cassette, any difference is hardly notisable.... you only get one more cog in between so maybe you have a .....21, 24, 26,28,30 and 32 with an 8 speed cassete and a 21,24,26,27,28,30,and 32 teeth on a 9 speed. I know that I would not be able to tell the difference anyway. You could get more technical and work out the gears in inches and probably achieve very close to what you get with a 9 speed cassette but just keep it simple.
If you were trying to maintain a steady cadence on the flat my guess is that you were probably using something like a 14T or 16T cog which means going from 28T to a 32T cassette makes no difference whatsoever. So the benefit you felt with a 9 speed was with the road bike and not with the 9 speed cassette. My guess is that if you fitted the 8 speed cassette to your new road bike you would have been equally happy.

10 speeds chains and cassettes are thinner than 8 so they wear out much faster and they are a lot more expensive to replace.
11 speeds, as above but also you need 11 speed hubs that have bigger freehub which makes the dishing of the wheel more radical, meaninng that affects the bracing angle of the spokes and the result is a less stiif wheel. In other words a 10 speed wheel is a little stiffer than a 11 speed, all things equal if that is possible with the hub designed for 11 speeds

 

[Drago]

I like buying new things because it annoys Drago

I think I've been confused with someone who cares what others do with their money.