[Closed] Fighting "shiny new stuff" syndrome

So, how do others fight the “shiny new stuff” syndrome (if they do at all, I know a lot of people don’t need to fight it?

Dont fight. Embrace.

*one of us, one of us, one of us....*

Join retrobike. You'll be like something out of the future 😁

There's no known long-term cure for upgradeitis. Even if you buy the most expensive bike out there with all the new ultraboost wheel size standards and 14-speed cassette, there'll be something "better" that comes along at the next Eurobike show, and then that'll be what everyone thinks they want instead.

I'd like to drive a new Bugatti, and park it outside my mansion overlooking Lake Geneva, but I make do with a 12 year old Skoda and the Severn Estuary.

Just enjoy your riding. The best bike is the one you are riding. Live within your means now and your future-self will thank you for it.

Work in the bike trade.  You are surrounded by shiny bike parts all day but no money to buy them.  You soon become immune to the shininess.

Ask yourself:

Do I need it?  Would anyone else in the family be getting less if I bought it?  Whats my main goal - pay off the mortgage perhaps - does it help with that?

Don't use credit, have either a) the cash available or if its advantageous to use a credit facility (earlier this year I bought a bike on 12 months zero percent but invested the cash for 11 months and made £30 off the interest) put the cash somewhere else helpful.

Don't be materialistic - I've been very bad at this in the past but have spent this year learning lessons.  Ultimately no one gives a toss what you have beyond a short car park conversation but you live for a long while with the debt, there are people doing well in races/racing/riding on "old" bikes still.

Can you sell something to help?  I just sold a Turbo trainer and used luck of the draw in Wiggle offers to together fund a dropper seat post.

If beyond all that you want it, can afford it and it will make you happier for several years, you only live once - buy it and enjoy yourself.  My old Nan used to say, "Save half, spend half.  Don't be miserable."

My 13 year old lad is on my 9year old spesh xc, 26 inch wheels and triple ring up front, like yours it's been tinkered with to keep it going, the bike does not hold him back in anyway, as several trips to bike park wales has proved, he flies past adults on the ups as well as the downs who are all on the latest bikes.

If it's not broke why fix it?

Im currently alternating one set of brake pads , between two bikes.

now thats tight.. (and a hassle)

I gave into this a couple of years ago. Believed that my bike with 26" wheels, straight steerer, QR drop outs and 3x9 gearing wasn't up to the job any more.

I'm not riding, further, faster, longer or with more smiles than I was before.

What it actually means is that I'm breaking 3 perfectly great bikes to sell the parts for buttons.

On the plus side, it means other folk can have a ready supply of forks, wheels, tyres, brakes and drivetrains without breaking the bank.

So, how do others fight the “shiny new stuff” syndrome

Meditate on it.  And ignore the media.

I'm in the same boat. I've got a 2013 26er of the Specialized flavour, and although it's a great bike I have found myself looking at zero percent finance deals on a new Intense.

I could probably do it (if the wife didn't chop my nads off) but I also want a paddle board and a kite surfing holiday so guess I will end up with the grand total of none of the above.

It is tough though.

Maintain what you have and save your spare cash for kids bikes. It's a proper joy riding with your kids and it's better that they aren't hindered by sub-standard kit than you having something shiny for the sake of it.

My shiny new* Marin was a cold hearted adding up of 2x new wheels, full drivetrain and new forks on my near 10 year old parts on HT frame. When I did this, then totted up selling three HT as 'knackered' for £200, I arrived at the price of the new bike.

Yes shiny is nice, but I stress more over service costs that can really add up..

*New is now 18mths

Of course you can afford it.

White slave the kids...

I still have a 26" bike from 2007 which I have been fettling, learning about and using to find new tech stuff even now.

My first 29er was acquired as a frame in 2014 and built up with second hand bits - the brakes and drivetrain are from 2007.

My road bike is from 2007

My most recent bike is a 2013 frame bought second hand two years ago and built with old kit.  I just upgraded it to 11sp using second hand kit, but the brakes are still 2007.

My clobber is mostly generic outdoor kit bought in 2005 ish from an outlet store in the US when the exchange rate was good, with the odd bit of Mountain Warehouse kit.  My Assos lycra was bought in 2006 and is just about wearing out now.  My baggies are even older, picked up at a bike event and don't fit me very well.

Last year was my best every year on the bike, and this year is going to be even better.  Riding is going really well and I'm enjoying it and am motivated more than ever.  This summer was utterly amazing.  I will remember the dusty trails and hot sunny days for a long time.  I don't even remember what I was riding.

Put an angleset in, and enjoy slightly more modern geometry? Relatively cheap

si77

There’s no known long-term cure for upgradeitis....

There is.

It's called singlespeed.

Which of course means that the money saved means you can now afford to N+1 to your hearts content because nothing is ever obsolete in singlespeed. 🙂

Mountain bikes only stay shiny and new for a short period. Embrace every scratch, paint rub and ding for each one has a story behind it. I’m in the same boat as you OP. Mortgage, two kids and no money. I need a new front brake, a coat and some shoes (neither of them are bike related). Not going to get any of them though and I’m fine with that.

Thanks all.

For the record, I'm not wanting a Bugatti, not even a Yeti, just a modern £3k alloy mtb would see me happy.

Anyway, thanks for the responses. I just need to remind myself of my very first world problem and how lucky I am really with a healthy and happy family. Easy to forget what's important sometimes I guess.

Too crappy to ride this weekend anyway!! 😁

Standards come and standards go.  The great thing about standards is that there's so many of them.

26" wheels aren't obsolete.  They still go round, right?  That's not going to suddenly stop happening just because some manufacturer's marketing machine has decided that they're going to start making wheels with a 3/4" larger spoke length.

Yeah classic first world materialism problem 😀

A happy, healthy, fed and clothed family would be a big deal for me and I'd focus on that (I am single mid 30s and wanting kids in recent years but not found a suitable breeding partner :)).  I don't think you require the latest shiniest kit to pass on enthusiasm to your kids.

Why would a new £3k mtb make you happy?  Would it fundamentally open up a new type of riding?

A modern geometry 29er with tapered steerer and through axles would be a different riding experience for sure but significantly more fun?  Not sure what era your 26" is but I guess not.

Anyway, about your #2 (avoiding mtb interwebz and riding mostly alone): I did this for a few years and it worked!  It was pretty nice in many ways.  I avoided trail centres and started doing longer solo rides with camping or youth hostels in Scotland and Wales.  Also I kept riding with a friend who is pretty handy on a bike but not a bike snob.  Caveat: I am a bit of loner and didn't really miss the banter/ post ride drink and curry.

Btw- there is so much 26" 9 speed stuff around I don't think you'll struggle maintaining it for years to come.  You need to look after your 26" straight steerer forks and maybe learn to rebuild yourself but seems the only "at risk" part.

2nd job?

I can’t imagine buying a new bike again, second hand bargains are where it’s at.  Especially the slightly less ‘cool’ brands that don’t hold their value.

2016 di2 equipped 11.5kg enduro bike for £1400? Yes please

2015 full carbon,  hydo equipped sub 9 kg CX bike that someone bought as a ‘spare’ and never took out of the box... £800 for a quick sale do ya?

MTB won’t have boost, CX will be QR only, head angle might be a degree or two off and nobody will write a review saying how it put a grin on their face from the very first turn of the pedal. But unless you are a two wheel legend you won’t be able to tell the difference, and neither will your mates

I'm certainly no two wheel legend, and in my head I know of course a new bike won't magically open up new riding or put a bigger grin on my face so none of it is logical.

Second job not really an option.

Think how happy you were when you first got your current bike. Reality is nothing has changed to make that bike any less suitable than it was when you got it. Think about all the people less fortunate than you who can only dream of having a bike like yours. Now give yourself a slap and stop acting like a spoilt brat.

Keeping up with the latest bike standards will be an endless chase so unless you have loads and money and enjoy selling old bikes and chasing the latest then its a lost cause. Personally I cant be arsed keeping up with all that so dont bother.

I switched from 26 to 27.5 a couple of years back since my bike, which was mid range and xc focussed, was getting long in the tooth and had been seriously abused.  I was a bit concerned about parts and decided I did deserve a new toy from a bonus (bike variant of the bangornomics for cars). I doubt I will be getting rid of the replacement bike anytime soon although I may get a full sus as well.

The replacement bike is definitely faster (looking at strava etc) and since it can handle everything I throw at it unlike the old one I do like it more. So depends on whether you think you are hitting your bikes limits. With my current one unless I suddenly improve a lot I wont be.

Its a bit like using modern bike lights. I can ride faster and so go further but I still had fun with the crap lights since not being able to see meant riding slower was more of a challenge.

Rene59, please read my previous posts about me completely acknowledging how lucky I am before getting personal. To repeat myself for your benefit, of course I know I 'm lucky, I just thought it would make an interesting discussion topic.

So, how do others fight the “shiny new stuff” syndrome

Procrastination. Done seriously. I want the shiney toys, but think, overanalyse and delay until I can't be bothered anymore. The things that make it through that point are the things I actually need or really, really want.

Enough time tends to mean you fit in a good ride where all the current stuff really clicks too, reminding you why you have it in the first place.

I am a big advocate of shiny--itus, having not long built up an Evil Following MB. I'm not going to feed you loads of BS about how more expensive bikes are better (they are but it's very very marginal), but what I will say is that having a bike you affiliate with makes you want to ride more, and that is probably worth the increase in cost if you can afford it.

If not, ride what you've got and you'll still have just as fun a ride.

Learn inverse snobbery. This works with bikes AND cars. The key is to find the USP for your bike/car and feel pleased about it.

Example; I drive a pickup; look at all those poor saps driving their euroboxes; if I need to move wood/chicken coop/sofa/cheap sideboard off of eBay I’m sorted, and it’s cheaper than all these PCP/finance slavemobiles to own.

OR

I own a Fiat Panda. This car is AWESOME. It gets me where I need to go, warm, dry, comfy, quiet, economical and reliably, and it only cost me £750. That’s a lot of spare money compared to the expensiverer cars out there (almost all of them) and what are they really getting for all their extra thousands spent? Very little <smug>.

OR

I Ride a 26” wheeled bike. Yep it’s ‘outmoded’ but we all know that’s mostly just marketing bullshit that the gullible public fall for. Plus, I’ve owned this bike for 10 years or more, and in that time, I’ve upgraded/replaced the frame, forks, wheels, drive train, stem, seat, post, bars, brakes. And it’s now got a titanium frame that was a bargain coz 26 is so passé 🙄. Let the ones with the £3k new bike think their bike is better; I KNOW mine is better, and unique, and entirely personal to me.

(actually I’d love a new car and a new bike, but 99% of the time the above brain training technique works just fine for surprising b the urges...)

One word... Powder coat your frame.

I've found a little new bike feeling can be had by a fresh colour on an old frame.

Old bike

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New bike (admittedly there are a few new parts too)

[url= https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4767/39966045662_f3992a1cde_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4767/39966045662_f3992a1cde_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/23TEqYN ]POka. Shutcastle. January 2018[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/79912681@N06/ ]kayak23[/url], on Flickr

 just a modern £3k alloy mtb would see me happy

Waaaay to much.

All our bikes are £600-900.

All but mine are modern, FS with longer, lower, slacker (ish) geometry. All Deore or SLX.

Get looking and hunting second hand, factor in £100 for new tyres n grips or a shock service each time, and you're on a winner...

Where do you find such bikes? Down the pub?

You only want things you haven't got.

Once you buy a new bike it just feels like riding a bike.

Just revel in the fact that you are keeping up with your mates on your "old" bike.

And being more eco friendly 🤓

Thats what I do on my 8 year old 26er with 10+ year old wheels, and even older tyres!

which goes on a 12 year old Pendle bike rack on my 14 year old (owned from new) Honda!

Yeah I think eBay / classifieds and some time are my friends!

Set your search on eBay to be within 25 miles and look at collection only.  Collection only immediately reduces the selling price.

If it’s on eBay as collection it’s usually also on gumtree or Facebook.  And the vendor won’t be paying fees on those so instant negotiating margin.

You'd be amazed at the bargains you can get locally, I’ve been lucky enough to get bikes I would never have been able to afford otherwise.

One word… Powder coat your frame.

That's a nice paint job but you need to work on your maths.

Your bike isn’t obsolete.

This year I bought a new bike, one I’d been procrastinating for about 3 years, but one that meant nearly all of my parts swapped straight on to. New “standards” meant silly things like boost and tapered headsets. With selling lots of hoarded spares it’s cost me less than £600.

So so a new bike can cost a lot less than 3K.

OP - I feel your pain!

I have a couple of nice bikes a grrrravel bike and Chromag Rootdown 29er which despite being short in the TT by current standards, steep in the head angle by current standards, having no stealth dropper routing and sporting a QR back end makes me very happy when I ride it.  I have a couple of sets of wheels and a even a spare fork and dropper for this bike so i have no excuse to WANT a new bike...

...I also have a spreadsheet of new bike options for next year... funnily enough about 2.5-3k alloy 29er full sussers...

I used to suffer badly from new stuff lust.

I decided if I didn't have the cash for something I wasn't buying it. I was riding a 26er and decided I wanted to modernise. I began scrimping and scraping to buy a new bike which I reckoned was going to cost at least £3,500 - £4,000.

I ended up spending £2,500 when a good deal came up. Not the bike I wanted and I do find myself looking at long travel 29ers as a 2 bike option to cover all the terrain I want to ride. However, the misery I went through to get the £2,500 as genuinely disposable cash puts me off.

Saving for a bike I think demonstrated how much sacrifice actually goes in to paying that price tag and when I look at shiny stuff now, if I don't have the ready disposable cash - it isn't being bought. Credit just makes it deceptively easy.

Where do you find such bikes? Down the pub?

Local bike club posted up for sale advert for a friend in neighbouring club. A known face on the race circuit.

Turned up to a neat house, complete with 'bike room' were the bikes were stored neatly with all his riding kit, tools and work stand.

Bike is a Radon Slide 150, about 18m mths old. Pikes, SLX and XT, Fox, Reverb. 2 months previous fork and shock TF Tuned serviced. Spare set of wheels, cheap Superstar ones. Tyres and grips quite worn. Bag of spare bearings ready to fit to frame. Immaculate and covered in protective tape.

RRP was North of £2.2k, bought in sale at £1.6k. He was asking £1k, my son offered £900 of paper round earnings and is accepted.

Being fussy on Facebook for sale groups, Pinkbike and STW has got us all our bikes.

Enjoy riding a bike that's already scratched. Seriously - trying to keep a new shiny MTB new and shiny is futile can suck the fun out of actually riding it.

An upgrade doesn't have to be to "new shiny".  I replaced my 2009 frame with a 2012 frame this year.  Fulfils much of the requirement to have something new (to me) and it came pre-scratched.

Even a new set of grips can be enough to lift a bike.

The fights against materialism isn't just a bike thing, its a way of life. As has been said by V8ninety, you have to turn the argument around and gain pleasure from keeping things going as long you can. Buying quality in the first place helps here and if you can get that second hand its a bonus.

As for bikes, the last generation of 26" FS bikes were amazing and won't hold you back. I ride a 26" Rocket with a 160mm Vorsprunged Pike and Pushed shock with an Angleset. I'm the only one left on 26" wheels amongst my mates but my 'place' in the pack hasn't changed when it comes to descending, and I don't give a bugger about scratches, dings or crashes. (on that note I have two mates who have broken there new carbon weapons on rocks recently).

I might even get it powdercoated next winter, then again, I might not...

As for parts they are out there and cheap 🙂

I think the bike I most regret selling is my 2012 26” wheeled trance that had a 140mm fork upgrade. It would be interesting to see how that now feels to ride after being on more modern stuff for a few years.

Although, I swapped bikes with a guy on a 2007 or 08 for a spell last week and it was reminder of all the bad things we’ve left behind.