Fix the old bike or buy a new one?

[knonist]

I have a landrover athabasca, it is about 2 years old, and I’m currently doing a 5miles return commute with it daily. I understand it is not the best bike in the world but it does the job OK without too much issues for almost 2 year.
It is getting a little old now and it needs some servicing + replacement parts, the quote from a LBS is around £50.

I’m considering cycling the entire commute in the future (20miles round trip on country lane, fairly flat but unlit), so fixing my current bike is a must. However, considering a reliable bike is a must for the winter, would I be better off with a new trek? Perhaps 7.1 or 7.3fx?

Apart from the general terms that trek is far better then the landrover. What sort of difference would it make? I will need mudguards, racks and panniers for my commute, and some said the difference would be minimal after loading the trek with these stuffs.

Would it slow the trek a lot by fitting it with a pair of 38mm Schwalbe Marathon Plus from my old bike? it is only 3 months old and it seems like a waste to get rid of them.


Thanks for helping

 

[fossyant]

2 years old is not old......3 of my 4 bikes are over 15 years old, and are still expected to do 'full duty'..... the other is nearly 3 months old.....

Maybe fix (maintain) the current bike and/or get another as well......

Unlit lanes, you'll need to budget in some good lights - do a Tesco 3w torch seach on here....

How much is the trek.... £50 ain't bad to 'maintain' the current bike......

Don't bin the old bike....you may need it.

Marathons are heavy tyres......save them till the others wear out if you get the new bike.

 

[knonist]

2 years old is not old......3 of my 4 bikes are over 15 years old, and are still expected to do 'full duty'..... the other is nearly 3 months old.....

Maybe fix (maintain) the current bike and/or get another as well......

Unlit lanes, you'll need to budget in some good lights - do a Tesco 3w torch seach on here....

How much is the trek.... £50 ain't bad to 'maintain' the current bike......

Don't bin the old bike....you may need it.

Marathons are heavy tyres......save them till the others wear out if you get the new bike.

I had a snaped rear axial/ shaft from this bike last year.... I guess the build quailty is not great for this bike as it cost only £170 at the time of purchase.

I think I'll keep both bikes (if i buy the new one) as the old one will be for general purpuse, ie going down town.

the trek is abt £400 plus accesseries, may be insurance as well....would the tyres come with the trek be good enough in terms of puncture protection?

So is there a need of getting a new bike then?

 

[fossyant]

Not a wise adea to ask us on here about 'should I get another bike ?' - the answer is n + 1 (n = bikes you have, +1 is what you need)..... so YES.

I would have thought the tyres would be OK on the Trek. Certainly worth fixing up the old one as a spare....

 

[andylaw79]

the trek is abt £400 plus accesseries, may be insurance as well....would the tyres come with the trek be good enough in terms of puncture protection?

I've had the 7.3 for about 18 months now and never had a problem with it, the tyres on it are Bontrager RaceLite Hardcase 32's and I've found them to be great, I do roughly 120 miles a week and have had only a couple of you know what's since I've had it. You can easily fit full guards and a rack as well.

Components on it are pretty good. It's ready for an overhaul of the cassette etc but I'm holding off because for the last few months I've solely been on my ss mtb.

 

[knonist]

Not a wise adea to ask us on here about 'should I get another bike ?' - the answer is n + 1 (n = bikes you have, +1 is what you need)..... so YES.

I would have thought the tyres would be OK on the Trek. Certainly worth fixing up the old one as a spare....

But the question still remained, would the trek 7.3fx bring any significant benefit for me in terms of better rides and more reliable? Would be difference worth £430? (£400[new bike] +80 [accessories] -£50 [fixing the old bike])

My company does not offer cycle to work scheme so a new bike is quite expensive for me, but not unaffordable, so solid ground is needed before making the purchase.

 

[andylaw79]

But the question still remained, would the trek 7.3fx bring any significant benefit for me in terms of better rides and more reliable? Would be difference worth £430? (£400[new bike] +80 [accessories] -£50 [fixing the old bike])

Depends what you mean by better rides? If your LBS do a decent job on repairs and you can keep on top of basic maintenance and cleaning over the winter and you intend only to use it for the communte, then no, you won't get much more benefit from buying the Trek.

If you are planning longer rides at the weekend then maybe, I can quite happily to 60 or so miles on the Trek without issue. It really is down to you and what you intend to do. See how thing go on the commute after a month or two, then decide if you want a new bike. Gives to time to save up as well and then maybe consider a road bike if you intend on longer rides as well.

 

[knonist]

Depends what you mean by better rides? If your LBS do a decent job on repairs and you can keep on top of basic maintenance and cleaning over the winter and you intend only to use it for the communte, then no, you won't get much more benefit from buying the Trek.

If you are planning longer rides at the weekend then maybe, I can quite happily to 60 or so miles on the Trek without issue. It really is down to you and what you intend to do. See how thing go on the commute after a month or two, then decide if you want a new bike. Gives to time to save up as well and then maybe consider a road bike if you intend on longer rides as well.

There is no plan to do longer rides then 20miles per day at the moment.
It is really down to reliability and durability.

Perhaps a senation of a smooth ride is important too, these little enjoyments in life does make a differece!
Any way to get this feel from an old, £170 bike?

 

[iacula]

My experience of Trek tyres is not good, I pinch puntured both of my "Bontrager Selects" on the same occasion running over a largish stone. Though I may have been unlucky. No problems since with my Schwalbe Marathons.

 

[Trevrev]

I've got a trek 7.1fx that i do 80 miles a week on. Had it for nearly 2 years. First thing i did to it was change the tyres, as my first 2 weeks of owning the bike i had 7 punctures. I run Bontrager hardcase. They're brilliant tyres. Not the fastest bike, but it does me ok. The bottom bracket didn't last long either come to think of it. 6 months. It is only a cheapish bike afterall, so the components aren't great.

 

[knonist]

I've got a trek 7.1fx that i do 80 miles a week on. Had it for nearly 2 years. First thing i did to it was change the tyres, as my first 2 weeks of owning the bike i had 7 punctures. I run Bontrager hardcase. They're brilliant tyres. Not the fastest bike, but it does me ok. The bottom bracket didn't last long either come to think of it. 6 months. It is only a cheapish bike afterall, so the components aren't great.

How abt 7.3fx?

 

[dondare]

I've fixed so many things on my old bike that it is a new one.

 

[knonist]

I've fixed so many things on my old bike that it is a new one.

lol....that's one of the thing I'm trying to avoid...
I have already put in some new tyres, new wheel in the past 10 months, and the LBS now said I need a new chain and a new free wheel.

To me, it is pretty much a new bike, and I'm trying to work out the most
efficient way to commute.
I used to pay £70 a month for train tickets to work, and I will cycle to the stations, which is about 10km a day.
And I'm now planning to do the whole commute via bike and I have done it a few times, and I know my bike wont hold up for long, so a repair / replacement is needed quickly.
Cycling the whole commute could save me £70 per month; so I'm not TOO fuss about the paying for a decent bike, given it is reliable and would provide a good riding experience
I have done it in the summer, and it is not too bad, my other question is, it is worth doing in the winter?

 

[Gromit]

I have a 7.3 fx and it copes well with the 60 miles I do each week. One problem I have noticed though is that the spoke tension isn't to hot, it's got it's first service next Wednesday so hopefully things will get sorted.

 

[dondare]

lol....that's one of the thing I'm trying to avoid...
I have already put in some new tyres, new wheel in the past 10 months, and the LBS now said I need a new chain and a new free wheel.

To me, it is pretty much a new bike, and I'm trying to work out the most
efficient way to commute.
I used to pay £70 a month for train tickets to work, and I will cycle to the stations, which is about 10km a day.
And I'm now planning to do the whole commute via bike and I have done it a few times, and I know my bike wont hold up for long, so a repair / replacement is needed quickly.
Cycling the whole commute could save me £70 per month; so I'm not TOO fuss about the paying for a decent bike, given it is reliable and would provide a good riding experience
I have done it in the summer, and it is not too bad, my other question is, it is worth doing in the winter?

Good components last longer than cheap ones so treat every replacement as an upgrade and you'll eventually have a bike which won't need constant repairs.
Keep riding until as long as you can into the Winter, 'though it's a good idea to stay off the road the week after the clocks go back because thats the week when the most accidents happen. If the weather turns really nasty you can use the train but there are plenty of fine days in Winter when cycling is no problem. Just make sure that you have lights for the ride home.