[Closed] The price of bicycles and “moving up”

What will the new bike allow you to do the old one doesn’t?

Who "taught" you to piss your money away exactly?

I'd suggest it was mostly mags and websites funded by bicycle company's advertising money? And/or other bike enthusiasts caught in their own little spirals of aimless consumer lust and self justification, it helps people to feel ok about buying stuff if they feel like other people are doing the same...

I'm not going to be buying a new bike any time soon, a few parts maybe mostly those that need replacing, and typically the cheaper versions. I have enough (more than enough) for my needs.

Perhaps treat yourself to a fresh set of cables/chain/cassette and perhaps some tyres? And put the rest towards a family holiday or just brace yourself for the heating bills.

But yeah bicycle prices seem too high right now, much like cars you wouldn't choose to buy one if you don't have to.

I've reached the point of riding in the rain and mud is just not viable when drive train wear is taken into account along with 1) high prices 2) low stock.

Actually considering a second groupset as spar as that seems to be the only way to get a cassette.

I also want to upgrade road & off road drop bar bikes to hydro disks. But again cost and stock levels are a barrier.

Finding the same with tyres, used to be able to get a pair of tyres for £50 maybe less if lucky, now that's one tyre. When and bought some more sealant a few weeks ago the shop had tyres marked at £80!

Edit: oh for what it's worth I'm still of the school, good shifters/ average mech.
So xt shifters with slx mech, is usually what I've run on the MTB.
I've 105 shifters on the drop bar bikes but that's a strange mix of xt 9speed mechs with 10speed shifter all bought years ago.

I know someone like that. He can afford to though. Top of the range stuff all the time then replaces with the next top of the range stuff.
He must've lost a fortune selling his old gear on.
I struggle to buy anything new, not financially, I just hate spending money on anything that isn't in the bargain bucket!
Must be the Yorkshire part of me.

I always buy a frame and build up from new/nearly new/discounted parts.

It almost always ends up cheaper than a whole bike even when discounted. I also get EXACTLY what I’m looking for.

My Carbonda was <£2k all in, all new with the exception on the Chris King hubs.

<£2k for a Carbon frame, fork, wheels, CK headset/hubs/BB, GRX Di2 gearing on RX4 brakes, and Bontrager XXX finishing kit. That was March/April 2020 - height of lockdown.

I know a couple of people who seem to have a bottomless pit of money when it comes to bikes. Some years, 3 or 4 high end bikes a year.  I don’t think it’s on the never, never, they are just considerably richer than me.

If you can really afford then then why not.

What’s wrong with 105/Deore? It works “almost” as well as something costing x2, x3, x4 as much. The performance isn’t that many times more though.

I’m a firm believer of it’s all about the ride, not about what you’re riding.

Is this really where we are

Yes.

Or is just the era of short supply and things will return to normal in time?

When have prices ever came down, on anything?

I'm also priced out of posh bikes but I'm not even bothered any more. There's too much other stuff competing for my money and there's other things to enjoy. It is disappointing that mid range bikes seem to be unreasonably expensive.

When I bought my gravel bike last year I got a steel frame with a Sora group set and mechanical brakes. I was thinking I was “slumming it” as I was used to XT/Ultegra level kit but a) I couldn’t afford it at the time b) nothing else was available and c) I didn’t know if I’d like the gravel bike style.

Not being able to source or be able to afford to upgrade to GRX made me think I’ll just use the Sora until it wears out then upgrade. And you know what, yeah its 3x9 but it works faultlessly , I got the brakes to be better with some bigger discs and I’ve ended up most of the time not even thinking about it.

The low level group sets by Shimano are just amazing nowadays, and as long as you aren’t blinded by the need to have the latest tech they are perfectly ok for nearly all the riding most of us do. Serious racing? Yeah you might benefit from slightly snappier shifting or less weight but for most of us the low end stuff is great.

I don’t know what the lower end SRAM stuff is like but I’ve heard it’s pretty poor, I don’t like their shifters so never used SRAM myself.

A lot of improvements on bike stuff seem to involve spending lots of money to save a pointlessly small (if you’re an amateur) amount of weight. However, more expensive tyres and suspension tends to work better and some more expensive gear lasts longer and is more maintainable (Hope brakes for instance) so costs less in the long run.

I know little about road bikes and other than tiny weight savings I can’t see the point of spending huge amounts but I’m curious to be educated otherwise. I imagine good tyres are still worth spending on.

I’m at the point where my triggers broom trail bike is so good I would be looking at £6k plus to purchase something I would consider an ‘improvement’

Various scratches and old standards and I’d be extremely lucky to get 1.5k for the current bike.

I’m on team self build all the way now.

The low level group sets by Shimano are just amazing nowadays

105 and lower cranks are far superior to Dura ace and Ultegra in that they aren't made of cheese.

The low level group sets by Shimano are just amazing nowadays, and as long as you aren’t blinded by the need to have the latest tech they are perfectly ok for nearly all the riding most of us do.

Trickle down is definitely a thing. Modern 105 is superb. If you're not chasing the latest groupset every year then doing the likes of 10 speed Ultegra to 11 speed 105 is an upgrade anyway.

Isn’t there some kind of diminishing return that sets in?

I imagine if I spent the time and effort needed to buy an amazing bike on training I’d get much better gains than buying spiffy components.

When I got my last full sus bike I wondered whether to go carbon or Al. I went for Al reckoning it was cheaper and already significantly more modern than the bike it replaced. Figured it was ‘good enough’. It continues to be so.

Plus, what you get for your money even with the current inflation/BREXIT/COVID/ complications these days is so much better than back in the day is there much need to go top end?

I’ve always been taught to “move up” e.g. upgrade as you can afford it. Maybe this advice is wrong, but my bike history is a long line of one component or bike better than the last and selling to help fund an upgrade.

Has it increased your enjoyment of pedalling or made you better?

I can't remember the last time I bought a bike for any other reason than it looks nice. Nice looking things make me smile.

Trickle down is definitely a thing. Modern 105 is superb. If you’re not chasing the latest groupset every year then doing the likes of 10 speed Ultegra to 11 speed 105 is an upgrade anyway.

This is true but the other benefit of trickle down technology used to be lower prices for better performance. Now mid range bikes keep going up as the manufacturers try to find where the upper limit for the top tier stuff really is.

I know it's a complicated mess of global circumstances and not just a bike industry conspiracy but it's still a bummer.

The best thing to do is to stop worrying about what Groupset you've got and what your frame is made of and just carry on enjoying riding your bike!

Its all 99% marketing and 1% incremental performance upgrades anyway

£2700 for an Alu Deore bike… Wtf.

When I started MTB Deore stuff was considered entry-level/budget. The prices don't seem to reflect that any more. Colleague spent £500 on a Ghost hardtail from CRC recently. It honestly felt horrible, flexing all over the place, like it would struggle to stay in one piece along the local farm tracks.

There’s definitely a sweet spot, whereby, to move up a groupset costs massively more, but offers relatively few extra benefits.
I’d wager this would be deore/105.
I have 105 on my road/turbo bike, it’s flawless.
I have deore/slx/xt on the mtbs, all flawless.
I don’t bother replacing something till it’s totally worn out, and there’s no point worrying about saving 20 grams when i weigh 125kg.
I see plenty of people out on bikes that are 1 step up from a bso, but tbh, they look like they’re having just as much fun as me.
Maybe they’re the ones doing it right.

Maybe it matters more for road bikes where weight is more if an issue, but latest Deore is so ridiculously good quality that being honest, does anyone, NEED to go for higher end? Hard to justify top end stuff if you objectively look at cost to benefit ratios

Look at different brands. The mark-up on fashionable brands is huge. Vitus, Ribble, Dolan, , Cube, Canyon etc. all make good bikes and you get a lot more for your money.

Look at where the benefits lie. The differences between group sets is marginal. Yes electronic stuff is nice and XT is light but deore still works fine. It won't stop you riding.

I've got a couple of very nice bikes but riding through the slop on the Scandal I still really enjoy the ride and don't worry about knackering it. I could probably buy a new one for the price of dropping my full suss off for bearings and drive chain at the shop!

What will the new bike allow you to do the old one doesn’t?

Be shiny and new 😀

Wasn't it just a case of boys with their toys and a healthy disposable income? Now that bike value/availability has changed a little for the worse there's a bit less to spend on the side for the fancy bits.
That said, for new bikes, there are still good value set ups without too excessive lead out times. I'm looking into buying a Spectral al6 in size M for the offspring, it should be with us within 3 months and will cost me 200€ more than the bike I bought for myself direct from a manufacturer with similar spec 4 years ago.

I just do the frame thing and build up to how I want it. Recently ditched all my AXS stuff from my bikes and with the money got a new 22 Patrol frame and went Advent X on the other few frames (even a gravel bike). On drivetrains and droppers I will never go big money again up here in Scotland.
Been very impressed with brandX and advent X so far. Also tyre wise. Dropped Maxxis for MSC and never looked back. The Hotseat works really well. Better than the Shorty/Dhr2 setup I was using around Dunkeld/Aberfeldy and Pitlochry.

Econo options and riding every other day it makes sense. Over the summer will just pack a spare Advent X mech in the toolbox. I did put money into suspension and brakes.

Some good posts. I’ve lost the point of my op now but I think it’s about the cost of bikes and parts. I just calculated that the £1250 I paid for an SLX Treq Liquid in 2002 is £2166 now, add brexit etc and the better nature of parts and maybe that Giant is comparable.

The points above are correct needs some perspective about exactly how much enjoyment £3k would bring whilst shutting any sense of entitlement into a locked drawer.

I just calculated that the £1250 I paid for an SLX Treq Liquid in 2002 is £2166 now, add brexit etc and the better nature of parts and maybe that Giant is comparable.

Brexit added a chunk to the European brands but if we are talking the big American brands and components then
Don’t forget how the pound to dollar conversion has changed over the last few decades.

Save your money and rejoice in the fact that an average groupset perfectly setup adjusted and maintained may feel better than a high end groupset that is neglected. The skills needed to set up a road bike to absolute perfection are easily learnt and very satisfying. Barring the advent of electronics - that no-one actually really needs, shifting on road group sets hasn't moved on that far from the arguably pinnacle of smooth shift quality of the 7800 series group sets that were current from back when Armstrong was doping his way to victory.

The hobby is meant to be riding bikes not shopping.

Plus the family are around now but won’t be one day. Go for a nice holiday. Dream of a crazy bike when they are no longer your financial responsibility

Just got in from a quick recovery ride on my 10 speed aluminium gravel bike with mechanical discs. I could afford more but and maybe one day I’ll upgrade. But it does the job

I keep my bikes, newest is a FS that's 6 years old. The other 3 are about 30 years old... two road bikes, one Ultegra and one Dura Ace, and a rigid MTB with XT and LX components.

The FS has SRAM X9.

I don't get this 'swapping bikes', especially road bikes.

I remember when I first started and the low end group sets were rubbish. 300LX was on £300 entry level bikes, and it was ok for entry level riding. You had to go all the way up to Deore DX to get something durable and reliable for extended riding - back then it was only XT higher in the range. Very different to nowadays.

Just built this up taken me 4 months to get the parts I needed at reasonable prices  last 3 bikes have been frame only options I find it more cost affective and more satisfying does help when your daughter works in the trade 🙂

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I can't really afford to buy new bikes, and yeah, forking out £3k for a mid range MTB is just not justifiable for me in terms of other commitments to the family.

The last few bikes I've had, I've put together using mostly used frames and parts. I've recently put together a steel FS bike for a total cost of £1700 with a nice spec ... RS Pikes, Hunt wheels, XT brakes, SLX drivetrain ... but sold 2 bikes, some other stuff, and asked for money for Xmas & birthday, so the net 'hit' to the family budget was around £200.

So, riding decent stuff doesn't HAVE to cost a small mortgage.

I've promised myself a dream bike when I hit 10% body fat as otherwise saving weight is useless (thus ensuring I don't need to spend more as it isn't going to happen), as noted by others my gx hardtail and 105 gravel bike are fine, can keep up with mates on 7k dreambike and not too worried about crashing/scratching them. Also heavier bikes must make me stronger right? For the moment only climbing UK hills not Apline climbs so bikes suit my needs cycling to work and not getting out on the mtb much due to family and living in Manchester. I'd probably spend more if I lived in peaks/lakes/wales/Scotland with awesome rides on my doorstep, prefer to spend on family hols.

I have a lot of fairly expensive road bikes, and a number of relatively cheap ones. Stick the expensive wheels on the cheaper bike and it’s just as good.

When I buy expensive stuff it’s because it’s nice to have, but functionally it’s no better than mid range. Well set up tiagra shifts every bit as well as my di2/etap set ups

Just built this up taken me 4 months to get the parts

That Evol is cool. How does it ride? You get a lot of bike for your money there. Looks really capable.

The switch from rim brakes to disc on road bikes has surely had an effect on the starting price?

Unless you're racing; why do you need to upgrade / buy anything but comfort, contact points and tyres, and replace wear parts? Your experience will be much the same.

All of riding is a luxury good. If your income allows you can have slightly more of a luxury good. If it doesn't, then you can't. Not sure the fact that my bikes drip carbon, xtr, and titanium makes me any happier though - if anything the rampant consumerism leaves me feeling dirty. There is nothing particular about "todays' world" (much as I find that fetishistic term tiresome) in it.

To 99.9% of the population a £1000 bike is a ludicrous amount of money to spend. It’s all relative.

I don’t spend big money on bikes because I don’t have that level of disposable income. If I did, I probably would. As I said earlier, I know of people who seem to be able to drop tend of thousands a year on bikes without batting an eyelid.

But I’d say if you’re choosing between stuff for the family and a drivetrain upgrade, then you can’t afford it.

But I’d say if you’re choosing between stuff for the family and a drivetrain upgrade, then you can’t afford it.

As I said, I don't think I worded my OP well - I'm not choosing between the two, I just don't think its justified to spend £3k+ on a 105 to Ultegra upgrade when there's other things that can be done with the cash, at the same time bemoaning at the price of bikes/components these days.

@kryton57

I think you might be misunderstanding him. If you think that "there are other things that can be done with the cash", by default you are not in a position to choose both - you can't afford it.

The other thing you're bemoaning is the "price of components"; and honestly, I think this is just poor decision-making. You can have these things, you just have to be patient and canny and buy secondhand or in sales.

As an example: my main mountain bike atm is a carbon trance with carbon wheels, xx1, dvo, carbon saddles, ti bolts - the lot. After I sold and swapped out parts to get it how I want, I think my total base outlay on the bike has been about £1700 (2100 secondhand minus the bits I've sold and made money on). I sold the bike before it (a gen 1 evil following that was knackered) for £2600. So I've actually made nearly £1000 just there and at the same time got a bike that is 5 years newer, nicer, 3lbs lighter etc. The Following was put together with parts from an Intense Spider 29 Carbon, which I bought on STW for £700. I then sold the Intense frame for more than I paid for the following so that was money neutral as well.

I genuinely think if I did the maths, all of my bikes (four atm) would be at least money neutral, if not have made me money. So why begrudge it? Just be patient and flexible.

I was slightly shocked the other day when I saw that a Trek Remedy 8 was now £3.4k as opposed to £2.7k for exactly the same spec between 2020 and 2022 models (as far as I could tell). Bloody hell.

My endurance style road bike was two grand, I think they are 2.2k now. The wheels are heavy, so I could spend a bit more on those but apart from that there is absolutely nothing wrong with any of it. There's no point in upgrading anything else.

The more expensive bikes are aero racing machines and less comfortable. If I were racing seriously then maybe I'd buy myself a few tenths of a mph in a sprint.

Point is that yes, bikes are more expensive but cheaper bikes are far better than they used to be. So just relax and realise that you could spend a serious chunk of money and make absolutely no difference to your life. Especially not on road bikes!

I think you might be misunderstanding him. If you think that “there are other things that can be done with the cash”, by default you are not in a position to choose both – you can’t afford it.

I wish people would stop judging my financial position. Trust me, I can afford it. I just don’t want to, I don’t think the value is justified and would prefer to use my money wisely.

I don’t think the value is justified and would prefer to use my money wisely

Well do that then

this is consumerism for you.

You can get a bike a few 100gm lighter with more shine and fancier labels or buy your family a holiday.

I wish people would stop judging my financial position. Trust me, I can afford it. I just don’t want to

So is this thread just a humblebrag then?

Christ, this place is getting worse. Enjoy the thread, I’m out.

al- don't think so; kryters appears to be saying he can do both.
It's not consumerism - it's discretionary spending.
From his posts on other threads he takes his cycling seriously so why not think about improvement (or increased pleasure).
I understand what he's saying but, if if was me, I wouldn't have posted as some of the responses have been entirely predictable.

Full Deore with an XT shifter. Nearly all the reviews say you can hardly tell the difference going any higher. And with modern mechs hanging down so low with such wide range cassettes there’s no point.

I understand what he’s saying but, if if was me, I wouldn’t have posted as some of the responses have been entirely predictable

The more days that pass on here the more I feel like this.

If this were a school playground, I'd be expelled by now

"I just calculated that the £1250 I paid for an SLX Treq Liquid in 2002 is £2166 now, add brexit etc and the better nature of parts and maybe that Giant is comparable."

That's true , but what's hammering the affordability/increasing perceived pain for a lot of people is that wages growth hasn't kept up with inflation for the last 10+ years.

@Kryton57

It's not everybody. I know exactly where you're coming from.

Looking at Trek as an example, it seems an Ultegra equiped bike is £700 more expensive than 105.

But when you look at the detail, you get better cockpit and a carbon seatpost as opposed to aluminium.

Is it then still worth the £700? Nope, not in my opinion. And that’s from someone who buys every watt he can (including oversized pulley wheels and ceramic bearings….)

My winter bike has 105 from 2017, it gets refreshed when necessary, but doesn’t get upgraded. Still rides smoothly and changes gear effortlessly.

My summer bike is the same model as my winter bike but the lighter higher spec frame, lighter wheels and Di2. It’s about £5k more expensive than the winter bike. Completely not worth it in subjective terms. But I like it. I’d rather spend my money elsewhere, but it’s the price I’m happy to pay for the bike I want.

A friend recently bought a new bike (last summer), paid £3200, Ultegra, carbon wheels and a really nice frame….just a shame Bowman have gone under! I’m also in the market for a crit bike, don’t want to race on my good bike and my winter bike is a bit heavy. I’m also looking to spend £3k, but there’s not a massive amount of choice out there. A couple of years ago that budget would have got a decent enough Ultegra bike, weighing about 8kgs. So if anyone has any suggestions please shout….happy with Alu.
I did think about the Spec Allez Sprint but they’re like rocking horse poo.

As I said, I don’t think I worded my OP well – I’m not choosing between the two, I just don’t think its justified to spend £3k+ on a 105 to Ultegra upgrade when there’s other things that can be done with the cash, at the same time bemoaning at the price of bikes/components these days.

I'm with you. Looking at at least 3k, possibly more, to get a noticeably better road bike than I have now (2015 giant tcr, ultegra, carbon wheelset). I've been priced out. Such is life. No more posh bikes unless circumstances intervene and force it. Even things like 200 for a pair of sti shifters means I'm looking at Ali express.

Anyway, first world problems. I've found not reading the Cycling websites and magazines a great help. You don't want to buy upgrades (so called) if you don't know they exist.

I've reached the stage where I can afford just about any bike I want. But I don't see the need to go higher than slx. For the amount I used the bike verses the gains I'd get from going higher I don't see the point - it doesn't offer me any more.
I've downgraded my commuting and road bikes because the better bikes weren't getting the use they should have had. The niceness of having a great bike was overshadowed by having spent more than I needed to.

I can afford much more expensive bikes that I ride and riding bikes is my primary hobby.
I find that mid level frames, wheels, groupsets such as 105 are completely good enough for my needs so that is what I use. Current bike cost me about £800 all in and has a Ridley CX frame, Mavic Cosmic Elite wheels and fill 105 groups. I will ride it 5,000 miles a year as always.

@kryton57

I wish people would stop judging my financial position. Trust me, I can afford it. I just don’t want to, I don’t think the value is justified and would prefer to use my money wisely.

If you are in a position where your choice is "spend money on frivolous bike item" or "use money wisely" then you have defined your financial position for us. Nobody has assumed anything.

The fact that you started a thread complaining about the price of upgrading your 105 bike to ultegra with brand-new off-the-shelf parts does not imply a wise use of money either.

It's a forum. You come on to moan and vent your irrational negativity, are you so surprised you get some perfectly rational negativity in return?

😉

@kryton57 - I think I know where you are coming from. I would love a DI2 groupset. I've used it and it's amazing. However the upgrade cost isn't insignificant and, while I could afford it, the benefits are justifiable to me / in my opinion. There are other things I prioritise before that.

I'm sorry that I dropped in the 3k bike* comment earlier, I just didn't realise that some people would turn this into a question of wealth. It isn't and Kryton is right to point that out. Value isn't exactly what it was especially when there's a bit less choice and CRC aren't throwing out OEM parts at silly prices anymore. I only replace consumables nowadays; the last upgrade was a pair of brakes second hand. When I bust my GX mech six months ago, I replaced it with an NX mainly down to availability, but also because it's hard to justify forking out a ton on a mid-range derailleur. It's a bit clunky even for Sram, but it works good enough.
*We'll be buying the bike through finance, as per usual.

Admitedly not the cheapest bike but it illustrates one issue well, all european bikes are dealt with in either Netherlands or Germany.

Supercaliber 9.7 | Trek Bikes (GB)

4600gbp

Supercaliber 9.7 | Trek Bikes (DE)

4800eur.

The UK price is about £600 more than the German price, why Brexit and getting hammered for import duty.

I've always used the buy an upgrade / sell the old to part finance the upgrade approach, same as the op.

I've done this on my MTB and road bike and now have two damn nice bikes (imo) and spare/alternative wheels for both.

I personally can't justify spending thousands on a single purchase of a mid or high end bike, like the op family comes first on larger spends. However this approach has got me two unique bikes that are comparable to high end off the shelf and are exactly what I want.

Every part purchase is calculated on what I can reasonably get for selling the part I already have and also what the 2nd hand value of the new part should be a couple years down the line. Generally I try to buy sale or discounted parts to start with and quite often I get back the same as the initial outlay when selling on.

I've now got two bikes that can't reasonably be upgraded any more past where they are at the moment. That is unless some new technology or revolutionary part comes along. The last time that happened was in 2012 when I sold my 26" MTB which was covered in high end bits for a 29r.

I also use things like cash back apps to gain additional funds I wouldn't otherwise have to directly fund my MTB parts habit.

Also have to say road bike parts are horrendous in cost in comparison to MTB - I've AXS on the MTB, for a similar 1x set up on the road bike would cost me at least twice as much. My road bike is my more left field as a result.

A bike is only as good as the person riding it. I have several Strava KOM's on or near the family trail in the Forest of Dean, all done on my Cube cyclo cross bike fitted with Shimano 105 that I picked up second hand for £500.

am very happy with my planet x spitfire titanium road bike that i bought feb last year.

as i'm not rich it was at a price i could pay off/afford (a huge thanks to my localish bike shop who actually ordered the bike for us).

it came with sram force 11 groupset and good components also.

tbh it's all the road bike i will ever need and i loves it.

total cost £1799.00

i also bought a kinesis sync ti ht mtb about 3 years ago that is fitted with slx 11 speed groupset,hope enduro wheels 27.5", a 2nd hand rockshox yari fork,renthal bar/stem,and a ritchey seatpost,dmr v12 pedals.

i think the total cost for the build was about £2500 (again a huge thanks to my localish bike shop for buying the frame etc and building it for us).

i wouldn't have been able to afford the bikes/order them without the bike shops help tbh so am very grateful to them.

tbh even if i did have the money to buy a top of the range bike i wouldn't do so. the cheaper bikes are more than good enough for my riding/fitness etc.

I keep thinking I would like a new mtb, I do the odd xc race and nimble around easy local trails. My 2001/2 rock lobster cost £1200 it has hope hubs etc and now a 1x10 desire drive train. To replace it with something as good but more modern and lighter would cost about £2000 and I can't be arsed. My main road bike cost £400 off eBay and I can run with the local fast shop ride (when feeling good) and that's all Aethos's and Pinarellos, being a bit more aero would help me on the flat bits. I get bike envy now and again but a £7000 road bike is just bonkers

I work in a bike shop and every time we book something in from the supplier it's gone up a couple of quid. It's constantly creeping up.

OP may have bailed but I'll add this anyway.

I think there's a few reasons people buy expensive stuff and it's our money, we can do what we like with it. I guess it comes down to what we really value and what our relationship with products was about. I value knowing exactly what my bike does and why, not what anyone looking at it would think of it or what it says about me. That's just me, I don't expect others to have the same experience. But if bikes are about consumption or projecting something, if you spend more time shopping for kit than mapping out rides or doing routine maintenance for the sake of clockwork running, I don't think it's as positive as it could be for you.

I've been in the bike industry in some way on and off for 25 years and I guess it has a predictable effect on most of us. Like many others in the trade I really DGAS about top end kit. I suppose I've been through the 'moving up' process on fast-forward. I used to get Shimano either free or at import cost, most other parts on demo terms if requested. You get the stuff cheap, you XTR and Black-Box your bikes and off you go.
After a few years with a few bikes kitted out like this I realised things change faster than well used and well-maintained stuff wears out. The trails or roads don't really change, I wasn't having more fun because I just fitted new kit. The thing that moves the gears, yeah whatever.. I want great geometry and tyres and ergonomics. Deore's fine. All up bike being a reasonable weight and never actually weighing it, fine. A £200 ti seatpost 'cos its comfy and it'll last a long time, fine. Not suggesting this is some kind of superior attitude, simply that I'm a happier rider for being this way, my riding enjoyment isn't dependent on kit level or consumption.

I wish people would stop judging my financial position. Trust me, I can afford it. I just don’t want to, I don’t think the value is justified and would prefer to use my money wisely.

How much did you spend on your watch?

The trails or roads don’t really change

I disagree with this. The available trails near me have changed dramatically since I started riding here over 25 years ago. There are new trails appearing all the time and they are getting much more technical and challenging.

Bikes have gone up seriously but as ever the price of a bike is decision whether you think it's worthwhile or affordable. I guess our problem as generally people who have been cycling a long time is that we benchmark today's elevated prices against yesterdays prices and some of the prices are insane. Extreme example - My local bike shop had a £14K Specialised eMTB.

To the OP. I change MTB every couple of years but road bikes move on very slowly since road designs don't change much. I'd maybe upgrade my existing bike rather than buy a new one (new tyres, wheels, drivetrain) unless there is something wrong with my existing bike. Or wait until the market realigns and oversupplies (2023?2024?). Or buy the new bike and get some better tryes. Oh and 3.5K for an Alu frame 105 bike seems very expensive.

Extreme example – My local bike shop had a £14K Specialised eMTB.

Not as extreme as you might think.

I used to spec Ultegra on road bikes because I rode in cold wet conditions and the carbon brake levers didn’t chill my hands as much as the 105s that were aluminium at the time.
Not sure that adds to the thread, but really was my reason for buying an Ultegra equipped bike. Getting 105 and upgrading the STIs would have been more costly.

I stepped off the upgrade ladder many years ago and now spec the bike for reliability and ease of maintenance (i.e. not having to do it). I spent this week doing the annual strip down and rebuild - new bearings into the 14 year old Hope hubs, seven years since the last time; new grips to replace old On Ones planed smooth, and new front pads. That was it. I replace stuff when it breaks.

I find it depressing that I'm seeing many young, healthy but clearly inexperienced cyclists who appear to think it's necessary to drop thousands of pounds on an ebike to access cycling. I don't think that's a positive trend.

Is this really where we are, where 105/Deore shod bikes requires something akin to a six figure salary or lengthy loan these days?

No you don't need to be on a six figure salary to be able to afford a bike that costs £2700.
When I was working it would have taken me a few years to earn six figures.
I've still got some nice bikes thought.
We all make choices. It's entirely up to you how you choose to spend your money. It's no big deal.

Either buy a bike or go on holiday.
There's no right or wrong answer.
I don't think anyone is trying to judge your financial situation at all.
On a personal level I don't mind spendy money on stuff that makes a difference to me like good suspension/tyres.
I'd never spend out on XTR drivetrains as it's not going to make any difference to me.
I still like to see top of the range everything on other people's bikes thought.
If it makes them happy it's fair enough in my eye.

The truth is that most improvements in biking are marginal/incremental. Only a few things are real game changers. Many “improvements” are actually worse. The bike industry constantly has to find new ways of convincing riders that what they have isn’t good enough and we need to upgrade. As a manufacturing industry it needs to do that so it’s businesses survive. Sports companies are notorious for having “new concepts”. every year. If they don’t they just tend to change colour schemes. It’s another version of the fashion industry.

We now have the era of £300 cassettes £200 mechs which are disposable items. Internal cable routing to give us more fun. Hysteria over wheel sizes , elliptical chainrings and new bike geometry which isn’t all good. Some would have us riding penny farthing sized wheels. Not great over jumps or for manuals etc!

Frankly if you have a bike that you enjoy riding it’s worth doing just that until you feel it’s really holding you back or you can’t keep up with your mates or it breaks. Don’t let the idea of new gear stop you enjoying what you already like.

I still am using 105 10speed shifters on my road bike that have done thousands of miles. They get well looked after and lubed but just keep on going. I’m also running two 26 inch 10sp MTBs which are still great fun and keep up fine with those I ride with. I was warned “you won’t be able to get good 26 MTB tyres anymore “ , but I have found no problem recently and have bought spares.

For many of us spending thousands to have the latest kit isn’t worth it/possible. I have tweaked my MTBs geometry with wide bars and short stems and it’s great , and cost loads less than new bikes.

The trails or roads don’t really change

I disagree with this. The available trails near me have changed dramatically since I started riding here over 25 years ago. There are new trails appearing all the time and they are getting much more technical and challenging.

What I'm getting at is in the 2-3 year period most will cycle through bikes they don't really change esp if the type of riding we do is fairly constant. If you start racing Enduro races when before it was XC you might but a new bike. Or locally there can be periods of development that push your riding on, as would travel to new places, otherwise / overall the rate of change isn't that fast imo.
Some need a new bike to hit a feature that they already had the basic skills for, then a 13 year old on an old hardtail shows then it's not about the bike.

new bearings into the 14 year old Hope hubs, seven years since the last time

What spec bearings do you use? Since I know you do some miles.

the 2-3 year period most will cycle through bikes

That is insanity to me. What the hell is wrong with a bike at 2 years old?

That is insanity to me. What the hell is wrong with a bike at 2 years old?

Really, insanity?

Loads of people swap out bikes that quickly (or, shock horror, even quicker) me included.

I sold two last year, both less than a year old. Lock me up! 😆

Maybe it matters more for road bikes where weight is more if an issue

The difference between Dura Ace and 105 is 480mL. If you want Dura Ace performance on 105 components, take one bottle not two. How many times do you arrive home and look down to see that you didn't drink all the fluids you carried?

https://ccache.cc/blogs/newsroom/2020-road-gravel-groupset-weight-comparison

That said, I have mechanical DA and it is lovely. But old 10 speed DA shifts better and I have that too.