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Is it based on the cash you have available, what you can get past your other half, or something less concrete?
I want a new bike, I don't need one, even slightly. But I work in an unrewarding, tedious, stressful job which pays ok and I really enjoy cycling and do a lot of it.
I spend very little on clothes, going out, music, watches, cars etc
Currently looking at a plastic Occam but really struggling withe the enormity of spending that much on a toy. It just feels wrong. It's daft really, as I'm not going to give the money away to charity or something, and have the money available due to being fairly frugal elsewhere.
So really, I should just splash the cash and enjoy. But I can't.
There's clearly loads of people on her spending shit loads on bikes. Do you feel guilty about it?
Do you buy based on what you have available, or is that reduced somewhat by what seems reasonable.
Not really explaining myself well here.
I find the bike I want, then I pretend I can afford it. And then I try and find one used at the price I'm pretending I can afford, and I fail, and I either give up or pay twice as much because I've got so frustrated. And then I spend a bucket on parts. But usually I'm quite good at selling stuff so it does balance out a bit
(and when I give up, sometimes I post it on here and randomly someone sells me one for a great price!)
I just look at how much this years Remedy costs and decide I still have to ride last years.
Though this year I did think I could be dead in 6 months best spend it.
I would struggle to justify more than £1500 for a bike to be honest. It used to be £1000 a few years ago but prices have gone up. That is just a personal perception of cost/benefit. It is the same with most things - I won’t often go top of the range. Never really been able to afford it - now I have more disposable income my opinions haven’t changed just because I can afford more.
How much money do I have access to, without altering my current way of life.
That amount is currently bugger all. In the past it’s been 5 figures.
No guilt at all, bikes are my passion.
Despite having the means, I've never managed to justify buying a bike more than 2k and generally wouldn't even go near that. I prefer something cheaper that I can use and abuse rather than something expensive that I want to keep pristine.
I can't really explain why either but I procrastinate long and hard about every purchase and then typically cave in and buy something on a total whimsy. I totally do my head in over the whole concept of spending money that I work hard for but feel bad about actually enjoying.
Hmmm, this might sound strange. My wife is the person who tells me to buy what I want if it makes me happy. Back in 2017 I had an agreed budget of £7k, which was a self inflicted budget. I spent £3k.
This year wife has said spend as much as I think necessary. My tactic was to show her the new S-Works which is £11k, then show her a slightly cheaper bike - we agreed on £8k. I spent £7.5k....but now having buyers remorse and getting tempted by much cheaper bikes. I think its me I need to convince to spend rather than a budget or other half agreement.
I do have to sell a bike before a new one comes in. I was lucky enough to get a good sale price for my bike I sold so that goes towards it.
I'm with the OP - its the amount I can get myself to spend on a toy - I have only ever bought one new bike anyway - secondhand being so much better value
I’ve always withdrawn cash on a 0% balance transfer to purchase at something I can pay off over a “reasonable” time period like 2 years at an “acceptable” monthly cost. The acceptable figure differs, but my most recent bike was about £2k and I paid it off over 2 years.
My issue is now I want an e bike, and I believe I need to spend at least £4K to get what I want - I’m set on a YT Decoy, Levo (SL) or Canyon Neuron type bike. So I just need to sell my current bike for £1.5k ish and whack the rest on tick for a few years.
Can’t get my head over spending £4K on a bike but I’m going to need do just that soon!
It does feel wrong spending so much on a toy that's worth than my car. Ridiculous infact. Perhaps it's because I live frugally in other ways. I really have to convince myself to spend money if it's for something remotely expensive. I think it's all about how you were raised. Some people are able to spend money without thinking about it. Some of us need to talk ourselves into it.
Luckily I was able to get the last one on cycle to work which made the cost more acceptable.
For me it’s value rather than outright cost. I prefer to be able to have the spec I want not what the manufacturer has decided but it seems that’s quite hard these days for anything other than a frame only build. Rose don’t seem to do it anymore. Bird are the only ones I think that deliver that and with value.
That said, anything over £4K is boutique:)
Do I like the colour?
Just what I think offers value for money. Ironically this seems to be the inverse of how much cash I have, in 1999 whilst earning £3 an hour i bought a brand new 3 grand orange, I now take home more than that a month and haven't spent more than £1300 on a mountain bike in 15 years. I might be due an upgrade soon, but it'll definitely be something from the direct sellers rather than a shop brand
It’s been 0% finance for my last few bikes. The trick is finding the places that do 3 years o% on bikes in the 2k range.
Nearly finished paying for my Occam; bought from Tredz when they had a bonkers offer on. £2400 new bike was reduced to £2k and still available on 3 years payments.
I don’t spend anywhere near enough time off-road to justify anything better but this bike does everything and should see me through the next few years.
If I bought what I wanted, I'd gave a garage full of bikes. So instead I buy what i feel is reasonable for the effort I'll put in.
Weirdly I have the cheapest bike in the household.
Mrs Weeksy doesn't care what I spend, to an extent.
My g160 was £1100. I can't see me breaking £2000 any time soon.
When the Spitfire snapped I sold a lot of the parts on and claimed on the bike insurance for accidental damage, so technically the HB.160 only cost me a grand or so.
No way I'd have been able to afford one otherwise.
I'll happily spend what it takes to have a bike in 100% happy with. As in there is nothing on it which makes me think id be going faster or having more fun if I had something different. Way i see it, If I'm going to spend a fair chunk of my time doing something, I may as well be doing it on kit without any compromises.
That doesn't mean it's the best of everything however, as when you get to the higher end kit I don't really see any compromise between say ultegra and duraace. I certainly wouldnt notice the difference between the 2, same goes for the 1k carbon wheelset I have vs a pair of 3 grand enve.
If I rode a bit of kit that made me think 'wow, this is appreciably better than what I had' it probably buy it, regardless of the cost.
All that said, it also depends on the purpose of the bike. My gravel bike is used for pooling around country lanes. It cost less than a grand and has tiagra. It's perfect for what I use it for, and having better gears, being lighter etc would make no difference to my enjoyment of it..
I couldn't say the same about a 1k road bike.
I buy what I think gives the best performance for buck. It has to perform and be good quality, but without being all gucci and excessively spendy for no real performance gain.
I tend to know what kind of thing I want to buy, before I start researching the likely cost. I don't go in with a fixed idea of what I want to spend until I've thought about where the sweet spot is in price/performance.
I buy second hand wherever sensible/possible. That way, if I don't like it or don't use it, then I can sell on for little loss.
Aside from the Soul, which I just wanted so bought through a combo of finance for frame and C2W for components, my last two complete bikes have been bought with the money from the previous bike/bikes. My T130 cost what I got for my previous Mondraker and the sale of the T130, my road bike and a few other odds and sods have paid for the Spur. Generally though I try and think about what I can justifiably spend on a bike versus what I actually want. I’d have liked an X01 Spur but the GX is fine, likewise the T130, the works would have been nice but the C RS was plenty for me. I’ve done the pretty high end and generally don’t find the benefit is huge. Seems crazy to call the Spur the upper end of mid-range given what it cost but that’s the market these days! For me I’d put on a ceiling on it, I use the full sus bike the most so £3-3.5k is about my lot, hard tail was about £1.5k (I never did the full maths) and I try to justify similar for another bendy bar bike. I generally keep bikes for around 4 years so I feel like I get my money’s worth out of them. Technically speaking in selling bikes and their monetary value terms, the Spur is still funded by the Ibis I sold in 2015 and built in 2011!
How much money do I have access to, without altering my current way of life
This is the correct answer. Nearly 10 years ago I rode a Cotic Soul with second hand parts for 3 years; I'm currently building an Open UP with AXS that will cost >4x the amount, will it make the riding experience any better or more enjoyable? No.
Usually, how much can I spend to get a bike that will do what I want it to do, and what can I save, sell or borrow to meet that.
Been happy with C2W limit for a bike used predominantly for commuting, bought cheap and second hand to try something different, mainly spend around £2k on new bikes for decent spec without going silly on stuff my ability cannot justify.
Bikes are my hobby and my therapy. £ per mile over the 2-3 years I usually keep them it's really not a large amount.
Similar circumstance to OP. in not spending money elsewhere.
Also looking at a new bike. One I don't really need but I want.
Can't justify or afford a fully built new bike so plan to re-cycle what's on my current bike, buy a new frame and upgrade from there. Also moving from non boost to boost which complicates things a little.
Maybe spend £1,000 this way as I can't justify a bike that costs more than my car.
Happy though. I'd prefer to build then buy. Take my time and get the components I want rather than something off the shelf.
A smaller monthly outgoing on upgrades over a few months is much easier for me than a large one off payment on a new bike.
I’m old enough to have passed the stage where I really believe a better bike will provide some kind of joy for me.
Riding a bike provides joy. no matter which bike TBH.
Having said that, I do ride it pretty hard, so I need something strong without weighing a ton. This means I have to spend more than the average.
My current (trail) bike is a Specialized S-works Stumpjumper coil. It was reduced by 50% when I bought it, but still cost 3k. It’s fine, but I won’t spend that much against a number of years. I reckon I’ll get 6 years out of this current bike.
I can afford to buy what I like though, but still wouldn’t spend much more than this.
I tend to only spend what I can afford to replace. Most of my stuff is secondhand or heavily discounted. I don't need or really want the latest gear and tend to wait for new standards to bed in. However in the long run this can get costly and difficult. Esp trying to source straight steerer forks or 26" wheels.
I'd always wanted this certain bike.
It was half price in the sale.
It was 0% finance.
They gave me £250 off for trading in a £5 Hello Kitty kids bike.
How much I can afford from savings then value then how much it would hurt to break it. Diminishing returns on top end stuff (so wouldn't go XTR/Dura ace). I'd be reluctant to spend 4k on a mountain bike as previous bikes have broken or been thrown down rocky hills. Equally I love Di2 but the risk of mech breakages off road puts me off buying it for CX or mountain bike. Drive chain on a CX lasts a season of racing and gravel so again not top end.
Last CX bike was £1500. Last road bike was £3.8k. Currently thinking about a mountain bike and it might be £2k purely based on there not being anything from the likes of Vitus or Canyon available to come in cheaper.
I want a new bike, I don’t need one, even slightly.
Then £0 is the correct amount.
My budget is usually somewhere form £800 to £1.5k secondhand. Most of the budget comes from sale of the previous bike and the rest from cash saved or 0% credit card. Only have one bike at a time now (would like two) and my current bike is the first new bike I’ve bought for years and is also a bit over budget at £2k. Of that, £1650 was from the sale of the last bike.
What I have in the bank, or indeed a small payment I can afford for (maxim) a year as well..
The most expensive bike I've bought was my Sub5, back in 2001 and it was £1500+. Since then everything has been £1k or less, often second hand.
I also keep bikes until they are worn out, I don't do the upgrade thing either, I just replace parts.
Same as the OP, I'm more limited by how I feel spending X on a bike than anything else. My last road bike was £3500 in 2014, which I thought was a silly amount on money at the time. It was the top of the range (list price was £4K) - SRAM Red, 1450g DT Swiss wheels etc. But I've done over 25000km on it since then so it does get used.
Just looked at the same brand now. Top of the range is now £8K, with discs and SRAM Red eTap, carbon wheels.
Given I've added eTap (£1K) and Prime carbon wheels (£600), it's very hard to justify another bike just to get disc brakes and a slightly more aero frame.
Then £0 is the correct amount
Goodness, do you only buy stuff you need?
I'm impressed ( and a little sceptical)
It’s easy for me.I am a crap, fat and unfit rider - spending more on bikes and components won’t change that so i can spend the savings on beer and kebabs whilst enjoying riding my cheap bikes!
Not quite all true (apart from the rider description)
Basic MoSCoW analysis, geometry review, then massive distrust of certain bike brands usually leaves me with few options.
Big factors against that shortlist are where I can buy from (i.e. somewhere I trust if it goes wrong), availability and value for money.
In previous years this usually resulted in an old model in an unusual colourway or with a weird spec.
For example a bright yellow Scott plus bike. Geo was identical to the 29er, even had the same shocks, but it was thousands less. Have the plus stuff for pooling about bought a cheap set of 29er rims for hooning.
For road bikes it is simpler. Some key requirements like geo, tyre clearance, then because I dislike gloves it must have Ultegra as the composite levers aren't cold like the metal 105 levers.
Generally I spend loads under budget, can't see that happening again.
Would I like it?
Can I afford it?
Is it a niche I don't have covered already?
If the answer to all of those is yes, I buy it. That raises the question of what 'afford' means. To me, it means being able to lose that money without it putting the future of my family at risk. I don't think I'd ever borrow money to buy a bike, but then I've been lucky enough to be well paid for many years - and I don't really spend it on anything except bikes, craft beer and artisan roasted coffee.
I'd really like a Transition Spur, and I could afford one, but I thought that the niche between my Jeffsy and my XTC probably wasn't big enough - and it's heavier than the Jeffsy.
Maybe you're looking to buy the new bike partly to fill the void that's left from your unfulfilling and stressful work, which is absolute madness because material things will never be able to do that.
A top shelf bike will bring no more joy than one that just gets the job done adequately - as long as you stop comparing to others and stop reading about bike reviews.
Spend the money by all means if you have it, but be aware it won't fulfil you or bring about any lasting joy beyond the first couple of weeks. I think we all know this but sometimes need reminding and i've been guilty myself many times.
A top shelf bike will bring no more joy than one that just gets the job done adequately – as long as you stop comparing to others and stop reading about bike reviews.
All depends how you get joy/define joy I suppose but tend to agree. I have made it very easy for myself though by riding a very simple type of bike for the last 20 years and my current complete bike cost £700 to put together and I am very happy with it.
A top shelf bike will bring no more joy than one that just gets the job done adequately – as long as you stop comparing to others and stop reading about bike reviews.
No, it will be slightly better, not 2x as much better, but marginally better.
If you can afford it and are happy to spend that amount, then go for it.
I have two 2 bikes, one's a Trigger's broom that I'll just keep forever and keep going with second-hand parts.
With the other 'modern bike' my thought process is always how much I can sell it for i.e. depreciation. Same with other stuff too, cars, gadgets...
My last bike was £2.2k, but only cost me £200 quid over 2 years 'cos it made a very good price when I sold it. I always buy at around midrange spec wise, so running costs are the same for whatever a have.
Is it based on the cash you have available, what you can get past your other half, or something less concrete?
Rush of blood to the head, then bad man maths making me believe I can afford it, before sleeping on it for a few nights and not pulling the trigger!
I'd love a really fancy bike, but I just can't justify the price. I don't race, so again it's just a toy really and I don't ride enough to justify anything over maybe 2k.
I'm not loaded, but could afford more than 2k, but I just don't see the point. Apart from weight (possibly), the difference between a 2k and 4k bike will not change how I ride it. It would all just be about looks.
I’d love a really fancy bike, but I just can’t justify the price
This. I was a very long way through the process of a new Road bike on the basis of "what I wanted" and it was that / the specification that defined the price.
Only the price became too big, and I realised that beyond the first few rides which would be polished with "new bike syndrome" I'm getting 95% of what I already have for 5000 times the cost.
I bought a new chain and cassette for my current machine instead this weekend, and will ride that until the carbon rims wear out.
For me it's more about what I can justify than can afford.
I love my frame and would much rather buy nice bits to put on it than change to the new latest complete bike.
I also buy bits to make keeping riding easier/less stressful.
Probably (definitely) an inefficient way to get a good spec but feels less painful to spread it out. My "bike cost" spreadsheet is kinda scary and I wouldn't have splashed all that in one go!
My attitude to money and spending have changed massively in the last 10-15 years.
It wasn't so long ago I hated using cards, I used cash for everything and by cards I mean Debit Cards.
This evolved into using cards for everything, I've never got cash on me, about once a month I have to remember to take some cash out so I've got change for parking, but since a lot more of the places I need to park have contactless or apps, I don't even do that so much now.
In the last 2-3 years, the link between money in the bank and spending power has been completely blurred. In IT (which I believe 90% of STWers work in) we have SaaS - software as a service which means instead of buying a computer, a server, a copy of Office or Adobe etc, most of our clients pay a monthly fee for most of it, even the desktop PCs are becoming more of a 'service' either because so much more processing is done remotely they don't need anything other than the most basic ones, or they're leasing them anyway.
My personal life has gone that way - I used to buy Cars with cash, but now it's PCP and more of the things I used to buy, I now subscribe for.
I know a lot of people hate the idea of debt/tick/leasing or whatever, I was one of those people, but I've realised as I've reached my 40s, there's little point swimming against the tide, you'll just be left behind.
Anyway, bikes. What defines my new budget? What it's going to cost me over 4 years via our company R2W scheme.
My current bike cost £3600 for a nice spec Bird, but I actually paid £50-£60 a month for it on our r2w scheme. All-told it'll cost me about £2500 from memory, based on what people are asking for them s/h at the moment, it'll be worth about £1500 next year when it's done. It's a lot of money, or not a lot of money really.
I suspect, in the years ahead, we'll be buying a lot more stuff 'as a service' at the moment I think there's a little bit too much liability on the sellers to offer it on products that aren't things like cars, but that could change. My bike for example, if the R2W people were able to take a £1500 liability on it, then they could drive the cost down to about £25 a month. The first manufacturer who can do that, won't be able to make them quick enough.
Assuming I can afford it then my next question is what value and enjoyment and is it worth that for me vs spending the money on weekends away etc..
This is especially true for me on N+1 (as is storage space;) )
In general I seem to find that "new" isn't worth it for me. 2 weeks or 2 months later its not "new". That said I bought 2 "new other" frames lately. (£285/£100)
What I can say is I already had £285 worth of fun and enjoyment on the new hardcore HT but thast said 2 of my last 2 used FS frames cost less and the most expensive £350.
I really wanted a 29er but value wise this lets me use and swap existing wheels... and I decided the "value" wasn't there for me.
I don't look at complete bikes much now, over the years I have refined my choice of frames and parts, it’s now come to the point where I know what fits and works for me.
I do really like looking at new shiny stuff though. 🙂
I generally work on what I can justify in my own mind, and there is always the concern of obsolescence with so many new standards coming through (though this seems to have slowed slightly recently as Boost is still the go to axle standard).
I'm impressed that most of the replies fly in the face of what the STW demographic is? So maybe the mag is purely aspirational 😬 Back to subject matter, I find I prevaricate about the smallest of purchases, I spent a rainy morning last week trying to find the best value brake pads! 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
I follow in my dad's footsteps which is no bad thing I guess, though I'm not quite as bad. I remember being frustrated with him not spending money on himself when he was my age (64) said to him one day " If you don't spend it I will on things you won't approve of!"
As it happens one thing I did spend it on he definitely would have approve of was riding in Monument Valley, he was a massive John Ford fan.
As for bikes the last one I bought was an Onza Jackpot for £700 complete brand new and I love it! I did sell my gravel bike before I bought it though. Most expensive has been my E Bike but with a trade in and some careful negotiations 🙄 that came in under £3K.
How much cash can I spare without altering life too much. This varies but peddling keeps me sane, takes me on adventures, fun days out and a good laugh with the people I do it with all priceless in my opinion. If I had £10000 spare I’d happily spend it on a bike.
Generally it's no more than 1k for me on a hardtail. Even at that price I find I'm the limiting factor. Would feel stupid spending 4k on a gnarpoon bike and being a mincer 🤣
I've found it harder and harder over the years to justify expensive bike purchases.
When I was a student and then working in a shop and then in an 'entry level' graduate job I spend a significantly greater proportion of my income on cycling and new bikes in particular.
Now with 2 kids, mortgage, family holidays etc. to pay for I it's way harder.
It's lucky a spent a bit of £ on bikes previously as I've got something to build on an upgrade.
The last thing that caught my eye was a 2.5k Canyon Aeroad but my reasoning ended up being: even if I sell a bike or 2 for a very optimistic 1k I'm still over a grand short which is a nice holiday/family things/car bill/pension contribution/savings. A real terms minor upgrade is simply not worth it. I have the cash, I just don't feel the trade off worth it given I will be no happier over the long run.
No I feel pretty good if I manage to get through a month without spending loads on bike consumables!
I rarely buy new; in the last 10 years, I've bought a Boardman Team HT new (about £850), an On One 45650b (£1150), On One Pickenflick (£1299 - and that was a special, 50th present to myself, and part-funded by the sale of another bike).
All my other bikes have been second hand, or put together using a mix of used frames and new/used gear. The cheapest such bike was put together for about £180; the most expensive probably £1200 (including a fork service & shaft upgrade).
My 'limit' in terms of what I feel is an acceptable/reasonable amount to spend has crept up over the years, from eg £450 for a new Carrera Kraken (my first 'proper' MTB 15 years ago) to around £1200-1500 now.
I've never had the means to even consider spending multi £000's on a bike, so it's never been an option.
Would love something like a Transition Spur, but it would have to be a proper windfall that would allow me to spend that much on a bike.
Depends on how much I can get saved up, last mountain bike (2019) was £2,400. It replaced trigger's broom, it started as a £1,000 hardtail in 2002 and went through 4 different frames and 3 different forks. I'm gambling on standards not changing too much and Trigger II will see least see a decade. Once I've covered my living costs everything else is fun funds. That said I've also had times over the years where I've not ridden the mountain bike as I couldn't afford to repair or replace parts.
My full suss is 6.5 years old. Bought new. Changed forks and gone 12 speed. As a family we agree it has to last ten years before I can spend megabucks again but all in its cost £3500 not including tyres/pads etc.
On the other hand I've saved hard for a Merida big trail 600, just sold my voodoo bizango which had a £1k spent on it all in to get it to a better spec (including bike).
Waiting for my new hard tail which arrives mid Dec.
Kidding myself and wife when claiming I'm not spending on bikes by not buying a new full suss for a few more years....
i read a few posts, they are all good advice. personally, i’m still into replacing parts then when i begin to find fault with me frame i change that. i usually have the bike i want to ride and get to spread the cost of buying a new one over 4 years, or so.
to answer your question in another way, but an aluminum giant. good price and well made.
if you want that plasticky occam there is now a waiting list till april 2021, i ordered mine in August got it a few weeks ago, fantastic bike, the fox36 upgrade at £160 was a no brainer,
first ride meh, second ride fit like a glove,
in terms of price, i priced up my old bike for an insurance claim it came in £3k over the occam price, as did the same spec tallboy, hence the occam was easy to justify.
no kids, reasonable mortgage, no finance on car, hence live once may as well enjoy it.
liamhutch89
Free MemberA top shelf bike will bring no more joy than one that just gets the job done adequately – as long as you stop comparing to others and stop reading about bike reviews.
Some people just like nice things. I'm not that fussed, but I can understand why it gives people pleasure to have a really top end bike.
(I take a fair amount of pleasure from riding my bike from an outdoor supermarket... But then, I never admit that I spent as much on the wheels and tyres as I did on the whole bike. I just like that feeling of getting all the same value from a smaller spend. But, that's only a fairly small step away from getting that orange Foes I wanted and taking pleasure from that)
fox36 upgrade at £160 was a no brainer,
Tell me more. That's one of the things I'm flummoxed on. Keep wanting to buy the 36s, but then wonder why given that I'm into long rides rather than winch & plummet
If you dont spend money on anything else, I dont see the problem in getting whatever you want if you can afford it.
I'm not sure what else i'd do with my money if I didnt buy shiny bike crap.
Im using a redistribution of assets to pay for my next bike.
Spend years buying bits and pieces, which for me was more an emotional crutch rather than stuff actually needed.
So I've looked about the house and everything spare is on ebay. In all I've made about 2.5K thus far, mostly from my Hope collection.
The more I can glean from the spares the less comes out my savings.
Insurance payout.
I’ll happily spend what it takes to have a bike in 100% happy with. As in there is nothing on it which makes me think id be going faster or having more fun if I had something different. Way i see it, If I’m going to spend a fair chunk of my time doing something, I may as well be doing it on kit without any compromises.
That doesn’t mean it’s the best of everything however, as when you get to the higher end kit I don’t really see any compromise between say ultegra and duraace. I certainly wouldnt notice the difference between the 2, same goes for the 1k carbon wheelset I have vs a pair of 3 grand enve.
If I rode a bit of kit that made me think ‘wow, this is appreciably better than what I had’ it probably buy it, regardless of the cost.
All that said, it also depends on the purpose of the bike. My gravel bike is used for pooling around country lanes. It cost less than a grand and has tiagra. It’s perfect for what I use it for, and having better gears, being lighter etc would make no difference to my enjoyment of it..
I couldn’t say the same about a 1k road bike.
Yep, this is pretty much exactly my philosophy with bikes. Start with what I fancy doing aka what sort of bike I want next, then keep an eye open for a suitably equipped bike at a good price - helps of course that I generally don't need the next bike.
That said I do aim to ensure that each 'best' bike costs more than my last car (current base £2400), usually keeping them for a few years and souping them up a bit too. Case in point being I decided that it really was about time to give full XTR a go - XCMTB being the peak of cycling for me - so my 4 year old Highball has been treated this year. (Still picked up a barely used cassette on ebay for £80 of course - you seen the price of them new!?).
Start off with a bike I like within a budget of say, £1k
See another, better bike for £100 more
See another, better bike for £100 more
See another, better bike for £100 more
See another, better bike for £100 more
Try to buy a bike before I get to £2k
I think @liamhutch89 has hit the nail on the head - you're using retail therapy to make up for a dissatisfying job. However you don't feel you deserve a new bike/stuff; I've been here and know how much it sucks.
What you need to consider is the value of the bike, not the price - the price is irrelevant if it brings you comfort and acts as therapy to stop you falling towards depression.
Sorry if this got a bit dark!
My approach is to see what bikes I like & are suitable, then which of those are available as frames before discounting anything that I don't perceive as good VfM. The reason I look at frames is that I'm happy with 1x10, want the shiny suspension of the top end stuff and don't always like how full builds are spec'd.
My current bike (Chromag Rootdown) was about £2300 when I bought it in 2015...but it was the insurance company's money not mine and it was 2 stolen bikes being replaced by 1.
Not sure I could justify more than £3500 on a full suspension bike.
My level is pretty much "Deore/SLX with quite good suspension on an aluminium frame".
I paid £750 for my gravel bike but I think the RRP on last year's model was $1300 in the US. Not sure i could justify more than £1000 on a Gravel bike.
I could definitely afford more but I just can't justify it to myself.
The last 3 potential purchases have gone as follows.
Spec what the perfect (within reason) build looks like and price it.
Decide if I can really justify that amount of money.
If yes, proceed to next step, if no change spec and work out if it's a compromise I'm prepared to take.
Faff around with specs for a while.
Decide if I can really afford it.
If no, back we go, if yes proceed to next step.
Look at numbers on a spreadsheet and decide I can buy arguably the fastest running shoes in the world for under 1/10 of the price and buy them instead.
Hence I know own 2 pair of super fast Nike's and no new bikes.
Just built up a bike for £700 (based on a used £200 frame). Rigid single speed but I still bought lower end components, built up wheels myself etc,. to keep cost low.
Don't know why as I could easily afford to spend more but have a block on spending any more for some reason. Funny thing is I will replace the lower end stuff with higher end stuff over the next year and end up with a bike that has cost more but I won't notice it as much! All issues in my head...
I dont have kids, I dont drink alcohol or smoke but cycling is my true passion and therefore there's no real price tag on it. I generally pay using either a 0% credit card or 0% finance so it's what I can afford to come out of my wages each month. I dont relate it to things like 'you could have bought a car for that' because driving a car isn't my passion. The last full suspension I kept for 6 years before replacing a year ago and if you costed up all the parts it was probably around £7k. Always buy frame only as I like to spec them up myself. Take my bike all over the UK and trying to do one bike holiday a year so my gear has to be up to the challenge and I like pesky things like lifetime warranty on bearings and customer service and warranty that will still be there 4 years later. Similarly there's people out there who couldn't fathom spending £800 on a mobile phone or £500 on the latest playstation, we each have what drives us and for me it comes on two wheels and there's no price tag on what makes me happy IMO.
My current bike might be described as "premium budget" Bird, Mattoc, Deore. My previous bike was high end, XTR, BOS, Crossmax. I actually prefer having the cheaper bike as it works as well but costs half as much to keep running.
I could currently afford a more expensive bike (as in I have the cash) but I struggle to justify it as I still have a mortgage and would like to retire before 67(still a long way off). The only thing that really made me buy the bird was my previous bike was outdated geometry and a got a bit of a bargain.
I'd really struggle to spend "a lot" on a new bike, simply because there are so many other things I could/should be spending the money on right now.
Hence all my bikes (I have three) are second-hand frankenbikes. I think the most significant new part I have is my hardtail's frame which was around 200 quid in the sale from CRC. The entire bike built up for about 700-800 over time, and that's my most expensive bike.
But really, I'm not sure it'd make much odds if I spent a lot more. I currently ride the hardtail all the time, and it has a Yari, a 150mm dropper, SLX brakes, and a mixture of Deore/SLX/XT drivetrain. It's absolutely worth it's weight in gold, especially at the moment, in terms of mental and physical health benefits; but were it twice as well-specced I don't think it'd be commensurately better. I'd still ride the same stuff and have the same amount of fun.
I’ve just spent (well November) the most I’ve ever spent on a bike - a YT Izzo at £3600, in anybody’s language it’s a chunk of change.
It’s not arrived yet (thanks Brexit) but it will easily last 3-4 years based on my last FS, which amortises to under £100/month. Worth it to me.
Pretty much a case of: Do I like it? Can I afford it? I’m fortunate enough financially (or I’ve worked hard to get a job that pays well) so I can do the above.
I also lucky that I ride for a shop that sells a lot of brands, so I tend to buy what I want & usually bump it around 12/18 months & get into something else similar for little or no outlay.
It may mildly backfire at the moment with a total lack of availability though. I’ve just ordered my replacement eeb so I don’t get caught out - not due until December!
Always old bikes. Newest bike I’ve bought in 21 years has been a shop demo.
Nowadays, blag, beg, sell spares box items to buy bits to keep what I need offroadworthy
Me, and how much I can justify spending. Always with an eye to getting the best deal possible.
My Jeffsy (CF Pro race) was bought in a £1000 off sale and with a 10% off voucher, so rather than £4800 it was £3420.
I'm single, make decent money, don't drink or smoke, so have a decent chunk of money left over each month - MTB is my only real hobby expense after gadget (PS5, nice headphones that last 5-7 years etc), and I don't do normal holidays, all mine over the last 10 years have been 'activity' holidays - ie windsurfing to egypt, motorbike touring in Germany and the alps, or recently MTB holidays. It's also keeping me fit and active as I approach 40, and gets me seeing parts of the UK that I'd never go to otherwise. So IMO the justification is completely worth it. They're more than just 'bikes'.
My next bike will be around £4100 after selling my gravel bike, so I'll have about £7500 worth in 2 bikes soon.