Duragrouch

$8k for me is a ton of money to play with.

My space is extremely limited to only one bike now, but I get the gist of the post. Still, even back in the day, nearly all of my riding was on only one bike for years at a time, though I still kept all past bikes (except for the junky bike I owned before graduation). First, a middle market road race bike (first quality bike), then a long-wheelbase recumbent (comfort, tours on flat land), then a hybrid bike with racks (townie), and now a highly modified 20" wheel folder.

So that $8k?
- Brompton 6 speed for travel, $2k (but more likely a Brompnot at $700 or less).
- A 20" wheel folder with 2X or 3X gearing and discs, preferrably 4130 steel frame, probably like $1k, plus full racks and panniers, another $500. Maybe a Bike Friday Diamond Llama or All-Packa for $2500 instead of a bi-fold, but it's not a simple fold. Maybe a Surley Disc Trucker if it rode better than 20", but I'm really liking small wheels, and I'd like it to be capable of self-contained touring at low transport cost. Otherwise, Masi had a gorgeous looking steel 700c disc tourer with racks at the LBS for about $1500, welds were amazing. Same for Trek 520. I think both are no longer made. That would be my daily townie, get the most miles by far.

Gosh I don't need more than that. Other bikes, if I had space, would be something artsy, like an underpriced vintage Italian road race bike, or Litespeed Ti of same.

Electric? I still ride for exercise, and electric would be impossibly heavy to carry up and down stairs, which I need to do. I think only electric if I was bike commuting and no good bike routes, so in places I would want to be able to keep up in traffic.

My needs are simple. There have always been expensive bikes, but I'm surprised at (my perception of) much more people willing to spend significant thousands on a bike. I think that was not the case 30 or 40 years ago or more, not the same volume of people, but I could be wrong. I think there are also more companies making expensive bikes.

bruce19

These days my 4 bikes are a steel GURU Sidero, GURU Photon, CAAD 12, and Canyon Aeroad. The actual cost of them was $8600.

squirtdad

8 K....I would get one bike from a custom builder and put the stuff I wanted on it

wait, I did... and it works for commuting, riding long and fast (relative) and credit card touring (in the future)

I think i am under 8k. (closer to 8300) ...at least that is what I told my significant other

base2 

The purple & green is very regal.

squirtdad

Joe Bell was inspired by classic british bike for the banding on the seat post

indyfabz

Y’all gonna make me finally post a photo of my super fly, custom ti bike?

+tax and -a 2% discount for paying with cash, it was over $6K without the tubeless wheels and tires around CK hubs, which I moved over from my IF. That price is in 2016 $$ and includes the Cerakote finish, which was not expensive at all.

squirtdad

absolutely....there are never enough bike pictures in General

Maelochs

It's not like we have ever seen an ivory cerakoted Elgin before ......

indyfabz

It’s Engin, and it’s sea foam green or pale pistachio.

Maelochs

See ... obviously we need more pictures, more frequently.

Duragrouch

Sure sounds awful close to celeste green like a Bianchi.

indyfabz

But it’s not. It’s a custom blend of Zombie Green and gloss white. Cerakote colors are a matte finish, but if you mix them with glossy white, you get a pearl finish.

Duragrouch

That does sound pretty cool. I guess when on a $6k bike, the cerakote is not that big a cost delta. I've never seen it in person, just know of it from use on other stuff.

I just looked up zombie green, expecting it to be 1990's bright green, but to me it says "sage".

indyfabz

The color in the photo isn't really accurate. It's more green.




This is closer to the actual color. Not pictured in the LOVE statue decal on the left chainstay.

Smaug1

That's almost as nice as the Sea Tourquoise on my Ride1UP Portola:

Eat your heart out, Bianchi and Engin! (I jest)

Smaug1

...

indyfabz

The Cerakote was applied by Paint by Todd in Sellinsgrove, PA.