Expensive lightweight bikes for commuting....is it worth it?

[threebikesmcginty]

No chance, the Vaya is great and I've got the Burls Ti one now as well...no wheels yet mind

I really liked the look of the Salsa bikes - not sure if it was the Vaya, worked out a bit more than I fancied spending though. Lovely frame though, look forward to seeing the finished item in the gallery if you would be so kind!

I have no comment to make on the Burls other than you're a bastard and I hate you!

 

[twozeronine]

I do ride my expensive bike to work, but if I didn't have somewhere very safe to leave it, then I'd probably get a cheap/less expensive bike, and just ride my pride and joy at weekends.

 

[BSRU]

I am progressing to more expensive bikes, although probably will not go past the £1000 cycle to work limit.
Started off on a BSO, then bought a hybrid 4 times the price of the BSO and soon to have a new 2010 Specialized Secteur Comp which is 4 times the prices of my hybrid.
My hybrid is my main commuter bike and I upgrade components as and when when they need to be changed.
I will be commuting on the Secteur on dry days but extending my commute to over 50km a day instead of my current 30km a day.

 

[Norm]

The financial variance from top to bottom of the bike scale is a lot smaller than the car scale.

I'm not so certain on that, Mac. Bikes, unless you look at really silly stuff, go from £100 to £5k. Using the same variance gives cars going from £5k to £250k. It's all about opinions but I bet I see more £5k bikes than £250k cars.

 

[BentMikey]

I'm not so certain on that, Mac. Bikes, unless you look at really silly stuff, go from £100 to £5k. Using the same variance gives cars going from £5k to £250k. It's all about opinions but I bet I see more £5k bikes than £250k cars.

There is quite a lot of silly stuff in London, especially in the West End. I thought that at least one of the super cars of the new Harrods owners was £1m or so? I could be wrong though. Anyway, I passed it in traffic and talked down to the driver, even from my Fujin.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

All my bikes are expensive yet none cost more than £1200 to acquire, thus when I commute they sit by my desk*, and when I'm away, like last week, they share a hotel room with me. I rate them as expensive becuase I don't have that sort of lump sum to drop on a bike whereas the relative trickle of funds that is my C2W monthly payment is barely noticeable. Of course this all will change if son and heir graduates and stops having to rely on his parents to make ends meet.

*this will change when we move offices; but I'll be putting in some tidy secure cycleparking, and buying some huge locks on expenses. Fnarr, fnarr, it's either that or I exercise my right to a car parking space!

 

[Moodyman]

I'm lucky enough to have 2 commuters - one a midrange rigid mtb and one a £1k flat bar road bike.

The flat bar get used from now until September, the slicked MTB gets used throughout winter.

If I knew then, what I know now, I would have bought a £500 (ish) bike for commuting. Commuting bikes take a lot of abuse and parts wear quickly. A mid-range bike is easier to replace parts on.

I'd still get a nicer bike for the weekend though.

 

[Smokin Joe]

It's interesting how people's attitudes to bike prices are out of sync with their general observations on other types of kit.

Tell someone your Hi-Fi cost ten grand and it's "Wow, that must be a fantastic system".

Tell them your fishing gear costs that and they give the same very impressed answer. Ditto your home entertainment system, etc etc.

Tell them your bike cost £500 and they say you must be mad, theirs was only £79.99 AND it's got full suspension and 163 gears.

We're supposed to be cyclists, let's not go down the same route.

 

[BentMikey]

If I could persuade my Mrs, I'd have a £5000 bike, well trike, for commuting:

 

[Jezston]

Couple of my own opinions to add - cheap bikes can be fine, but bear in mind the more bells and whistles the lower the quality Will be. I bought a £400 kona dew which has pretty horrible no name disc brakes and rather poorly made front mech. Was fine for 10 miles a day but as soon as i upped it to 30 the flaws started to show - keeping it running well takes a great deal of work. I hear the £100 decathlon single speed bikes with their minimal components are actually pretty good.

Conversely worth bearing in mind a more expensive bike Will cost more to replace the parts that Will wear out. Anyone know how much a super record cassette and chain cost?

 

[boydj]

The answer to the OP is no - not if you are serious about commuting!

For me, the important thing is a good frame. After a couple of years of all-weather commuting you'll have replaced most of the drive-chain components at least once and other parts like headset and bottom bracket will be coming to the end of life as well. And that's on a regularly cleaned and maintained bike. Functionality and value for money is the basis for component choice - top-end equipment does not any last better in winter conditions.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Presumably those who commute on expensive bikes do so because they can afford to do so. Tis their money after all.

I reckon to save a mimimum of £100 a month during my full bike commute months (basically when the clocks go back) over rail season tickets during the winter months. That could pay for a lot of shiny components if I didn't spend it on cakes and ale. (Fine wine and cheese in reality)

 

[nickb]

I currently have a choice of 3 bikes I can commute on. All cost over a grand and the Gary Fisher Sugar 1 was well over two grand. I'll take the Time carbon road bike 9 times out of ten, even though the Sugar will get me there almost as quick as I can plough straight through the potholes and hop over kerbs etc.

The road bike is also a shag to maintain, especially through the winter months, but it's by far the sweeter ride.

I don't save much money, if any, by commuting on a bike (I still need to own a car); I do it 'cos I love it and it keeps me fit.

 

[Wobblers]

No chance, the Vaya is great and I've got the Burls Ti one now as well...no wheels yet mind

I'll have first dibs on that Burls when you come to sell it, MacB!

 

[Wobblers]

You don't need to commute on a expensive bike, but it can be more fun!

My normal commuting weapon of choice is an old Dawes Super Galaxy. It's reliable and reasonably fast, if a little unexciting. When I plan on going home the long way, I'll use the VN Yukon: it's more engaging, nimble and simply more enjoyable to ride. But using it every day all through winter would be rather expensive in terms of the drivetrain that would inevitably need replacing. A sensible plodder like the Super Galaxy is the better choice for commuting. My next bike will be specced with commuting in mind: disk brakes and hub gears for all weather reliability and a more aggressive geometry to improve the ride characteristics in order to get the best of both worlds.