Grant Fondo
Guru
- Location
- Cheshire
My 1995 Cannondale MTB has cost me £29 a year so far, not factoring in tyres and bits 
How much do you need to spend on a new bike to get best VfM?
- Thread starter Cycleops
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
You have to imagine the price/performance curve and the steepest part of the curve: the part where extra cash buys the most extra performance.
This may be around the £300-£500 region. You dont get The Best bike but one up to the task of everyday commuting for several years.
Most non cyclists under estimate the location of optimum VFM in the mass market and go for cheapest. Strangely they dont often opt for cheapest anything else eg shoes. Hence the market for £99 BSO.
Most enthusiasts over estimate the VFM and pay huge premium for little advantage, but if it makes you happy and keeps your local bike shop afloat I approve.
Niche users such as folding , cargo and touring bikes would have a higher point of optimum VFM than mass market hybrid or MTB.
This may be around the £300-£500 region. You dont get The Best bike but one up to the task of everyday commuting for several years.
Most non cyclists under estimate the location of optimum VFM in the mass market and go for cheapest. Strangely they dont often opt for cheapest anything else eg shoes. Hence the market for £99 BSO.
Most enthusiasts over estimate the VFM and pay huge premium for little advantage, but if it makes you happy and keeps your local bike shop afloat I approve.
Niche users such as folding , cargo and touring bikes would have a higher point of optimum VFM than mass market hybrid or MTB.
Profpointy
Legendary Member
Like a lot of others I tend towards £1200 to £1500 as the best bang for your buck. I reckon £300 to £400 is the point at which you get a usable bike, and much less than that is likely junk, then it's incremental improvements up to £1500 or so. Much more than that and it's into quite marginal gains, bling appeal or perhaps simply niceness rather than being better.
That said, if I ever get another bike it'll be a pretty lugged-and-brazed nice steel bike, likely bespoke, exactly how I want it, so would presumably be £2500 or more, but that would be because I want it rather than it being objectively better than an off the peg £1500 bike.
That said, if I ever get another bike it'll be a pretty lugged-and-brazed nice steel bike, likely bespoke, exactly how I want it, so would presumably be £2500 or more, but that would be because I want it rather than it being objectively better than an off the peg £1500 bike.
Oldhippy
Cynical idealist
For me were I buying new I would say 1500 quid would get me a do it all (for me) bike. My 500 quid Rayleigh Royal now at least 15 years old with many miles on it, has been a tourer, shopper, daily transport, moved house using it as the removal vehicle inc fridge freezer and double bed on trailer and the bike is still going. Done upgrades along the way. More than value for money I'd say. Last year I got an expensive Koga touring bike from a lockdown purchaser who used it once and have done 2000 miles on that so far and it will easily be vfm.
All uphill
Still rolling along
- Location
- Somerset
When I look at new bikes I start to get interested from around the £750 mark; below that I'd rather have a used bike.
I can't imagine spending more than £1500 on a new bike, so that's my comfort zone.
I can't imagine spending more than £1500 on a new bike, so that's my comfort zone.
Tail End Charlie
Well, write it down boy ......
- Location
- In green and pleasant hills.
Given that my legs appear to have given up, I've gone for the lowest price.
slowmotion
Quite dreadful
- Location
- lost somewhere
Whatever bike I buy is going to be compromised by a clapped-out motor so, for me, going above £750 is really just pissing into the wind.
Jenkins
Legendary Member
- Location
- Felixstowe
Is the answer "as much as you want"?
I spent £300 on one of the old Trban 3s and that was great VFM for what you got for your money at the time.
I have also spent £1000 on the main commuter bike and consider that great VFM for the amount of mileage it's covered
I spent £300 on one of the old Trban 3s and that was great VFM for what you got for your money at the time.
I have also spent £1000 on the main commuter bike and consider that great VFM for the amount of mileage it's covered
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Depends what kind of bike you want and what you want it for.
CanucksTraveller
Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
- Location
- Hertfordshire
All of this!
Actually something like a base level Carrera MTB from Halfords could be smashing value for money at £350. Not necessarily pretty, not sexy in terms of componentry, and not the very best bike out there, but decent quality overall and they'll last. So good value if your needs are basic.
Of course that bike will be a very poor value purchase for a club road rider, a pan-Euro tourist or a achingly cool hipster.
For me personally, and my wants, I'd say 1k to 1.5k would get me something I'd get a lot of value out of. My tourer was 1k but that was before "the event" and prices have risen.
KnittyNorah
Über Member
- Location
- The Frozen North (of England)
And then there are those of us who, due to our odd shapes or sizes, physical limitations/conditions or home situations, are unable to get any use out of the many bikes which are easily available and accessible, regardless of their price, and must thus get the only one, or one of the very few, which suits our specific needs.
How does one quantify VfM in that case, when there is no realistic choice to be made?
But it's certainly not VfM in anybody's judgement to buy a bike which is physically impossible to ride/store securely; if there is only one available cycle which fulfils all your requirements and you can afford it, then it's VfM even if a person who does not have your limitations, and hence requirements, considers it to be ridiculously overpriced and a waste of money.
How does one quantify VfM in that case, when there is no realistic choice to be made?
But it's certainly not VfM in anybody's judgement to buy a bike which is physically impossible to ride/store securely; if there is only one available cycle which fulfils all your requirements and you can afford it, then it's VfM even if a person who does not have your limitations, and hence requirements, considers it to be ridiculously overpriced and a waste of money.
galaxy
Guru
- Location
- Middleton On The Hill
I payed £495 for a Dawes Galaxy in 1999, its had a few sets of tyres and tubes, and changed the cables a few times and a set of brake blockes. Its done untold amounts of miles and still looks like new. For me personally thats vale for money.
bonzobanana
Guru
I guess the best value for money would be a bike that a person has kept a very long time and needs very little maintenance. I saw an old chap in Taunton a year or so back and he had a black Raleigh Traveller type bike with fully enclosed chain with a 3 speed sturmey archer gears. It was probably bought in the 70s or 80s and was exceedingly well worn but still in a good working state. He probably could ride it for 1000s of miles before doing any maintenance on it.
You can pickup a decent working bike on freecycle and get riding for pretty much no money at all. I don't think there is any minimum spend to get a decent bike.
I saw a high end bike the other day probably cost thousands it was a glossy red frame and it was going at a fair speed but I could see the rear wheel was out of true and the wheel probably only had about 16 spokes and the rider was probably about 60kg. I wondered if it was extremely hard to true a wheel with only 16 spokes or it just is very easy to knock it out of true or maybe a combination of the two and I thought what a awful design. You could hardly see the tyres at all, there was a lot more rim to see than actual tyres and wondered if that was a factor for the rear wheel being out of true. The cyclist didn't look comfortable on the bike. Just seemed a rubbish bike but to that person it could be their pride and joy with speed being their number one priority. To me it looked like something that would need constant maintenance as a very weak design.
You can pickup a decent working bike on freecycle and get riding for pretty much no money at all. I don't think there is any minimum spend to get a decent bike.
I saw a high end bike the other day probably cost thousands it was a glossy red frame and it was going at a fair speed but I could see the rear wheel was out of true and the wheel probably only had about 16 spokes and the rider was probably about 60kg. I wondered if it was extremely hard to true a wheel with only 16 spokes or it just is very easy to knock it out of true or maybe a combination of the two and I thought what a awful design. You could hardly see the tyres at all, there was a lot more rim to see than actual tyres and wondered if that was a factor for the rear wheel being out of true. The cyclist didn't look comfortable on the bike. Just seemed a rubbish bike but to that person it could be their pride and joy with speed being their number one priority. To me it looked like something that would need constant maintenance as a very weak design.
