Originally Posted by mschwett

i have one of the bikes being bandied about here - an s-works aethos with 12 speed DA. i ride it to and from work a couple days a week, three or four rides for riding’s sake every week, around 500 miles a month. i don’t “baby” it (it sees rough roads, some gravel, dirt, sand, rain, etc) but i don’t bang it around or lock it up outside the grocery store.

at the rate it’s going, i’ll probably sell it in 5 or 10 years, and the difference in life cycle cost per mile will be a nickel or something. i enjoy the hell out of the bike almost every day, love riding it, it makes me want to ride more, so it’s “worth” it to me. i’m sure i’d also love the less expensive trims of the same bike, but the difference in cost is really marginal over the life cycle of the bike.