About two years ago I came to this forum with a quandry. I wanted to get into cycling but wasn't prepared to pay what the major bike shops were asking and didn't want to go with a "big box" bso either.
The advice I was given here was that there was a third option - look for something used but good.
Thank you for the advice.
I did exactly that, bought myself a good used XCR. I thought It had all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a new big ticket bike (
air suspension fork, Shimano 27 speed gear system, triple chainring Shimsno crankset, alloy disk hubs with Wienmann rims, hydraulic disc breaks).
Since I got it I upgraded the bike to a hydraulic fork, suspension seat post and carbon fibre wheelset, besides giving it a good paint job etc.
Today I went into a cycle club Id like to join. They took one look at my bike and described it as a "
beginners bike" and assumed I wanted to join the beginners section of the club. I also met some of the clubs execs and they all had
BIG ticket bikes.
I had hoped that with the original bike and the modifications I made, I wouldn't have to buy a new bike, (unless I wanted to take part in some serious ultra marathons - which I don't atm
).
Does my bike really have to cost $$$$$ to be a serious cyclist?