[Closed] Hiding bike upgrades from The Wife

I tried pursuading mine that the white bike with big tyres and risers bars was in fact the same bike the as the white bike with drop bars and skinny tyres.

It was all going so well until she saw them both in the garage...along with the little black bike with huge green forks...

After getting caught out with the "same colour" trick I'm now running the "I swapped it on the internet" seems to be working at the mo. 😆

"Warranty replacement" - also works 😉

Telling the truth can often work too 😉

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Unreasonable bike buying was cited as a reason for divorce in a mates recent split. Don't do it.

The wife has the most expensive bike in the garage. So my bike buying excuse is "it wasn't as expensive as yours".

My wife will never tell the difference!

You probably won't either....

You probably won't either....

Sadly true.

My wife will never tell the difference!

You probably won't either....

HERETIC! GET OUT!
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i fully agree 😉

i like the idea that the poor OP will only ever be able to have yellow full sus frames for the rest of his married life 😆

'warranty replacement' love..... 😉

It's been said before, but I really can't understand the level of dishonesty some folk seem to think is natural in their marriage/relationship.

i like the idea that the poor OP will only ever be able to have yellow full sus frames for the rest of his married life

Or a series of "resprays"...

She didn't spot* a baby blue Inbred turning into a Ti Inbred 🙂

(*or maybe she did, but just didn't mention it.)

tbf - druid - with us its our own spending money and the "this old thing?" is almost a game. She buys god knows how many shoes / handbags / hairdo's and I prefer not to know how much - as that it obviously a total waste of money.

Which reflects her view on what I buy.

It's been said before, but I really can't understand the level of dishonesty some folk seem to think is natural in their marriage/relationship.

"Does my bum look big in this?"

'nuff said.

couldashouldawoulda - Member
tbf - druid - with us its our own spending money and the "this old thing?" is almost a game. She buys god knows how many shoes / handbags / hairdo's and I prefer not to know how much - as that it obviously a total waste of money.

Which reflects her view on what I buy.

A 2 year old pointing at Stif advert in magazine "Daddy new bike" 😯 .

As above, SO likes her handbags etc and we just buy what we, ahem, need.

Mrs GW-'Have you got new forks/bars/wheels/etc on that?'
GW-'Yes dear'
Mrs GW-'Thought it looked different'

Why the need to hide spending money on something you enjoy?

The wife has the most expensive bike in the garage. So my bike buying excuse is "it wasn't as expensive as yours".

Which is why my wife has a Ti 456 and I make do with steel. And why her 'other' Alps bike is a Turner 5-Spot.

Although I have been given a 1-bike-in, 1-bike-out ultimatum, based largely on the fact that there's no more space in the garage.

My girlfriend realises bikes make me happy...she leaves me to spend my own money how i want so long as i pay my half the bills and kids stuff. In fact she got so fed up of me on this forum looking at photo posts of new bikes she said 'look if you're not happy with the bike you've got then get one you will be happy with!'

And so much bike stuff arrives in the post every week whilst i'm at work that my three year old boy knows automatically that any parcel for daddy is bike stuff.

I think the 'official' agreement is that i'm allowed as many bikes as she has cats...which is currently 4, used to be 5 🙂

i like the idea that the poor OP will only ever be able to have yellow full sus frames for the rest of his married life

This +1 😀

i like the idea that the poor OP will only ever be able to have yellow full sus frames for the rest of his married life

+2

Mine thinks my new T120 cost £800 😀

Ask Winterfold he's been mincing around with a Bandit frame hidden up his dark place for some time now for fear of a pussy whipping from hell if he builds it..

we have a simple rule.. dont ask and you wont be misled.. it applys to how much i spend and on what.. as for how many bikes there are in the garage.. she would nt have a clue cant see them for the motorbikes / dust sheets/ garden furniture.. etc

What's a t120?

Wonders "Can I sneak one in without an earbashing"?

Also wonders - "where's that spare £800?" I wish! Jeez £8 would be good.

You should be more concerned with hiding the fact that you call her "The Wife" 🙄

One very good reason for starting your own bike company - "It's a business expense..."

I think the 'official' agreement is that i'm allowed as many bikes as she has cats...which is currently 4, used to be 5 "

Bloody hell, I'd be glad to get rid of some bikes...

So Sam - how many cats?

Not tried it myself,yet, but I know someone who left his new bike at his mates until it looks used enough to take home as a new "second hand bike"!
Will see how it works out before i give that one a try!

showed my wife pictures of the two bikes.

She said they looked the same to her so I reckon you wil be safe!

My girlfriend realises bikes make me happy...she leaves me to spend my own money how i want so long as i pay my half the bills and kids stuff.

My usual subterfuge is to leave it lying around the kitchen going 'Look, look at the looooveley shiny bike parts' until I am told to get my crap out of her way

bollox hugor - a relatinship built on decent values means not lying to your other half. 30 yrs together - never hidden a purchase from t'missus

I had a Trek 1.5 in white and silver which i upgraded in june to a 5.5 Madone in White and silver! The 1.5 now lives in an Evoc bike bag in the garage, but the wife did notice that i bought a new set of mavic Ksyrium elite wheels for the bike, but didn't realise it was a new bike! Genius!! (She would divorce me if she Knew how much i spent on my bikes and associated gear: No, i'm not in debt.)

sugdenr - Member
My usual subterfuge is to leave it lying around the kitchen going 'Look, look at the looooveley shiny bike parts' until I am told to get my crap out of her way

I was reading this, thinking, where is TJ?

never hidden a purchase from t'missus

never hidden a purchase from t'missus

God, I have - half the fun 🙂

Never bought anything that would break the bank, though, obviously.

hugor - never have, never would. Its not the way I work.

Are you typing with an extendable typing stick from all the way up there on your horse TJ? 😛

(She would divorce me if she Knew how much i spent on my bikes and associated gear: No, i'm not in debt.)

If thats actually true, you've got problems! I think as long as you can afford it, what does it matter? I think for a lot of people their issue comes from spending £2k plus on a new bike when a new kitchen has just been passed over on financial backgrounds, or similar.

Honesty is the best policy of course, but then some women are as unobservant as my ex GF, who never noticed anything at all when I upgraded her bike for her!

Used to get a lot more issues from nosey ex housemates that didn't understand biking but had keen eyes for detail. Used to just use the swapped it on the Internet excuse in that case myself...

Mostly I'm in the 'honesty ' camp. Zoe knows all my hobbies (bikes, archery, audio, cooking and a slightly odd fascination with pens and pencils) are centred around GAS and as long as I can afford it she couldn't care less.

My other usual suggestion is to get your GF/wife onto her own bike and get her hooked on the upgrade path too - this also worked for me and now after a couple of years all that's left of Zoe's little Hardrock is the frame and a couple of drivetrain bits. Leads to lots of "I'm just ordering a new 'part X' - I could order a nice shiny 'part Y' for your bike while I'm at it?"

slainte 😉 rob

The correct answer is..

Frankly it's none of her business.

She should just be grateful I'm still young and fit enough to want to own one, instead of retiring to the golf course to await death..

TJ's right though, it's bad to hide stuff from your wife, I learnt my lesson after spunking nine grand on hookers and champagne while I worked in London 10 years ago, that took some explaining I tell you!

A regular customer over the years used to phone in and pay for a good chunk of his purchase on the switch card. Often, in a muffled tone from the cupboard under the stairs..

He'd then come and pick up the parts or frames or clothing etc and pay the outstanding amount in cash in front of the missus.

I relayed this story to a few mates one of whom is a missus herself - based on her reply - go check your wifes handbag for a red pen - all the better for crossing out the full price and replacing with a half price or better 'in the sale bargain' prior to getting them home.

What goes around....

I accept TJ's point but its a white lie situation rather than anything serious. I know my missus does it and as long as it doesn't break the bank I'm really not that fussed. Its a bit of a running joke. Personally I have found it easier to grossly underestimate the value of purchases rather than hide them altogether.
I was taking the piss a bit with the girlfriend vs wife comparison anyhow. I'm a cynical divorcee who has a magnificent GF again too young for him. She can't really argue about my spending because I bring 95% of it in, and work too much to enjoy it anyhow.

Have hidden stuff in the past, but I buy second hand mostly anyway, rarely buy new (sundries exc).
Also she knows if we were in need of the cash I'd sell one without a moan. Sold my Pace 303 once to pay the nursery bill. Down to a single bike now, & sold all my posh kit & FS bike.

Whatever you spend its cheaper than smoking.

And Motorsport and Sailing, dont let her forget that!

but then some women are as unobservant as my ex GF, who never noticed anything at all when I upgraded her bike for her!

Did a Pearce uplift day at Bringewood recently. Got to the top and I was nearest my GF's bike on the trailer so got it off for her. She got mine off only to start riding off on it to the top of the track, the wrong way I might add to boot...

Never mind that hers is an entirely different colour and weighs twice as much..

Believe me once that understanding girlfriend becomes a wife, and your warranty expires, your ability to purchase upgrades will significantly diminish to the point where you are desperately seeking wisdom from more experienced individuals around here.

Bollox +1

Twice married for 10yrs each never lied about anyfink, especially money.

you shouldn't lie to your wife. surely she'll be able to tell it's a new one when she's cleaning it for you after a muddy ride ?

i just don't get how some relationships work

flip - Member

Bollox +1

Twice married for 10yrs each never lied about anyfink, especially money.

Typically I'd agree with you but being flippant, maybe in your case, if you had lied you'd not have been married twice 🙂

Someone I know (no, really, not me) did the following:

- used to draw £200/week out in cash as 'general spending money' then save it up to spend on bike stuff. He'd then buy on the company credit card, get stuff delivered to the office, and refund from his cash stockpile

- always bought identical bikes. Thus, he had a geared 26 and 29 version of the same very bling American Ti bike, plus a singlespeed 26 version. Then there were the other three bikes. And the road bikes.

- his bike shed had (and really, I'm not making this up) a false wall at the end, behind which the bikes were stored. Ostensibly this was for security reasons, but his wife had never been allowed to go in it. Probably wan't that bothered, to be fair, but eyebrows would have been considerably raised had she realised that far from having "a road bike, a suspension bike, and a hardtail" he had three of each.

Me? I just buy bikes as and when. When I said I was doing Mayhem, she just said (knowing what the weather would be like - she's done it twice herself) that I'd better get a singlespeed and mud spikes. So I did.

I have a mate who has a small room in a storage place where he keeps his 'proper' bikes and rides there on one of the two fairly cheap bikes he's had for years at his house before going for his actual ride... Funny thing is I reckon she'd probably be ok with the bikes if he'd not hidden them from her but now he reckons it's too late to stop... 😯

Anyone mentioned how nice that Yeti looks?

I honestly don't get the lying thing either.

I guess I'm fortunate in that my OH knows that bikes are a passion, and that as long as we have the room, and we can pay our bills it doesn't matter how many I've got or what they cost.

And we both trust each other to not spend more than we can afford. She actually *told me* to go an buy the Klein I picked up the other day on the grounds that:

"you haven't had a Klein before and it's a lovely colour!"

also...

How can you possibly hope to manage your household income properly if neither of you know how much money you actually have/don't have!

My OH knows bikes are my thing so doesn't batter an eyelid.......however she did moan at me before that while eyeing up a carbon lapiere in Afan......she quipped why haven't I got a carbon bike? I nearly fell on my a*se!

Plus the OH is happy as long as the house does not resemble 'Halfords' when people come over!

Be upfront and honest. If you are going to lie and deceive about a bike then what else becomes "fair game".

My OH is usually very understanding about what I spend my money on, but with 4 bikes already, she can loose her patience sometimes especially as my nice bike tends to live in the house rather than the garage.

However, I've got a new Titanium road frame and carbon forks hidden away in the loft which I'm itching to build up. I keep dropping subtle hints that I'd like a Ti frame as I've wanted one for years, but the usual response is "why do you need another bike?".

My current plan, as I've got a big birthday coming up in May, is to tell her that I've bought myself a birthday present. She can't complaing about that! Plus the fact that I'll need some time to put a few components together, May will be a good time to bring it out into the open.

However, I've got a new Titanium road frame and carbon forks hidden away in the loft which I'm itching to build up.

So, take the approach (I am convinced) my wife uses. When I say 'that's a (nice) new coat/top (meaning it looks expensive), she always sweeps me aside with 'oh, this old thing, noooh, I've had it in my wardrobe for aaaaages, its not new silly!

Water - Member
Are you typing with an extendable typing stick from all the way up there on your horse TJ?

Brilliant 😆

I am worse for buying bike bits than my husband tbh. We are mostly honest about these things and both spend too much on bikes.

He once however decided to buy an used enduro at the local shop, eventhough we had dicussed it and decided we could not afford it at that time. He then informed me if this fact while with collegues at a retirement do!! 😯 I was furius! If he would have just nagged a little longer I would have probably given in (my usual strategy), but what he had done really made me angry.

I made him go back to the shop and take it back! (they were very understanding, bless)

He now has a different enduro, bought after I spotted it in the same shop and suggested he'd buy it.

I think he got the message, he has not done it since....

Simone

Whenever my wife gets back from shopping she often tries to justify her purchases to me, "I saved X amount", "It'll save me money in the long run" etc.

I just say to her that it's none of my business, that she's a grown up and as long as she can afford to meet her financial obligations she can do what she wants with what ever is left over.

And when i buy bike stuff she generaly reciprocates.

We've come to a "one in, one out" agreement on bikes in the garage now, which seems fair enough as there's barely space for the seven (five mine, one hers, one son's) and a half (tagalong) in there already. As long as there's a good reason for spending on a new one she's not too bothered. The definition of 'good' is up for debate though... ride2work scheme helps a lot though, it paid for the bike I bought her for xmas a couple of years ago.

The thread title was very tongue in cheek by the way. Maybe the capital letters were a bit too subtle an indication?

@DezB - No! much nicer decals than last year, which I reckon were an unusually bad vintage for Yeti. I'm shocked more people haven't complained about the yellow.

Meh, losers.
My wife is buying my next bike.

I just wish the bloody thing would get here.

So you (Greece) are economical with the truth to your partner (Europe) about your spending habits?
I wonder where that will lead? 😉

First rule for success would be not to refer to your beloved as "THE" wife.

If the shoe (or handbag) were on the other foot, would you mind being refered to as "THE" husband?

It's better than referring to her as "my current wife".

...especially if it's in front of her.

😉

I have the opposite problem. If I fancy spending money on bikes or bits, I try talking to the wife about it. She just switches off. So long as her bike it clean and working, she doesn't care. She didn't notice the cane creak 110 headset I put on her commuter, or the fox forx, or the hope wheels. She's not noticed that I've swapped her bounce toy to stan's time and ust tyres either.

TBH she'd notice any big spends as she checks the joint account balance every other day...

generally I tell her if I'm going to spend on stuff and we have a sort of agreed budget for bike stuff...

That said I don't buy new items often if at all, if I was spanking £2-3K every couple of years on a brand new Dandyhorse like many of you seem to I don't think she'd be too understanding as we couldn't sustain that sort of spending and have agreed the Credit card is for Emergencys not shiny new toys...

She got mine off only to start riding off on it to the top of the track, the wrong way I might add to boot...

Never mind that hers is an entirely different colour and weighs twice as much..

*Psst...* I think she did this on purpose!

I'm usually very upfront with the missus about bike purchases, because I'm not known for spluffing a lot of money on myself. I tend to pre-empt big purchases and talk them through with her and her attitude is usually one of encourangement. Obviously if I tell her that we can't go on holiday because I've treated myself to a new carbon frame then it's out of order, but I wouldn't dream of doing that either, so it all works very well.

I don't begrudge her at all for spending her hard earned cash on books, handbags and clothes. She deserves the right to be able to do this too.

It's better than referring to her as "my current wife".

that reminds me of Geoff Goldblum line in Jurrasic Park - "I'm always on the lookout for the next ex-Mrs ....."

not needed to hide yet, but she has reservations about me bringing another bike from the uk to here, whilst we live in a 2room apartment. But seen as i've got a busted hand, it's not a priority atm 🙂

she does think it's a great idea for me to get holeshot tho, which i'm more than happy to oblige.