A Bike is Not a Cell Phone - Upgrading to "Latest and Greatest" Syndrome
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I still have a Trek MTB I bought new in 2000. In excellent condition, not a scratch on it, and great for popping off out to the local shop for something.
However my 4 new bikes are a result of my rekindling my passion for cycling and getting back into the sport a year ago. I'd sold my last previous road bike, a Cannondale from 1998 a decade ago and never replaced it when I emigrated to the UK. A 17 year stint there that saw me nearly abandon cycling altogether due to my being a wuss, mainly. Hated the cold, dark days and miserable weather combined with long work hours. Just stagnated. Happily, my move to Portugal 2 years ago has been great for many reasons, not least cycling.
I don't like to pay RRP so got a good discount on my 2019 KTM e-MTB (now my wife's preferred bike) and my 2019 KTM Scarp Sonic 29er MTB that I race. My 2019 Wilier Zero.6 I got a 55% discount in a sale - the last two eventually sold for only a 20% discount so I was lucky. The 2020 Trek Madone SLR I collect next week I'm also getting a reasonable deal on. I expect these bikes to last awhile.
The e-MTB will last until it falls apart, which will be decades. The 29er I race and will last until I break it. The Wilier is my climbing bike, I really like it and at 6.1kg, is future-proofed for weight and I can drop that to 5.5kg or less with a few upgrades if I was inclined to do so. Finally, the new Trek will get upgraded next year - groupset and wheels - but will be around for some time I think. The upgrades are to go electronic and lower weight since I will be racing it.
However my 4 new bikes are a result of my rekindling my passion for cycling and getting back into the sport a year ago. I'd sold my last previous road bike, a Cannondale from 1998 a decade ago and never replaced it when I emigrated to the UK. A 17 year stint there that saw me nearly abandon cycling altogether due to my being a wuss, mainly. Hated the cold, dark days and miserable weather combined with long work hours. Just stagnated. Happily, my move to Portugal 2 years ago has been great for many reasons, not least cycling.
I don't like to pay RRP so got a good discount on my 2019 KTM e-MTB (now my wife's preferred bike) and my 2019 KTM Scarp Sonic 29er MTB that I race. My 2019 Wilier Zero.6 I got a 55% discount in a sale - the last two eventually sold for only a 20% discount so I was lucky. The 2020 Trek Madone SLR I collect next week I'm also getting a reasonable deal on. I expect these bikes to last awhile.
The e-MTB will last until it falls apart, which will be decades. The 29er I race and will last until I break it. The Wilier is my climbing bike, I really like it and at 6.1kg, is future-proofed for weight and I can drop that to 5.5kg or less with a few upgrades if I was inclined to do so. Finally, the new Trek will get upgraded next year - groupset and wheels - but will be around for some time I think. The upgrades are to go electronic and lower weight since I will be racing it.
#127
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I don't buy into the upgradeitis that so many have with their phones. I have an iPhone 7 with no intention of replacing it unless it stops working for me. Same goes for my bikes. I have two. One road, one mountain. The road I bought around 2000 or 2001. The mountain I bought in the mid 1990's and upgraded it over the course of about 5 years, and more than doubled how much money I had into the bike during that time. Both bikes put a smile on my face when I ride them. So, I see no reason to go out and buy new ones. Of course, my feelings may change tomorrow as I look at all the bike porn on this site.
#129
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I really don’t want to do an in-depth response to this thread because I’m waiting for the 2021 thread. It’s supposed to be better.
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#130
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Ive ridden this thread around the world. This thread can be repaired in the middle of Mongolia by any competent mechanic if it needs to be. Sure, it wont be compatible with next years thread, but that suits me just fine.
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We need to get this thread back on track.
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#132
carbon is too light
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Anywho... your thoughts? Are bikes that are more than a few years old worthy of the scrap heap? Is buying a brand new bike a psychological gain or a good idea? Should we all buy a new bike every two years to keep up-to-date along with our iPhones and Android phones?
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#133
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I totally agree. Buying new stuff makes us feel good and can result in small gains, but as you stated, real gains come from working on the "motor" which is something you can't buy and is much harder to do.
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You could take a picture of your cat with your latest and greatest cell phone, while sitting on your latest and greatest bike and post it in this thread.
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...-your-cat.html
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...-your-cat.html
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#137
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Me with my sister and a tiger cub, ~1988.
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They can upgrade their bikes to their hearts content, but they should also be prepared to have their @ss handed to them by someone who chose to invest in their body as a priority over their bike.
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Do you have to choose between investing in your body and in a new bike? Can't do both? If I spend money on a new bike, I can't afford to go ride intervals?
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Nope - you can't do both. Along those lines, you also cannot take a dump after you buy a new wheelset that saves you a dump's worth of grams.
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Even though it helps subsidize R&D for everyone else.
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Those new Zipps need to come with a warning: may result in life-long constipation.
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Well, that's enough of a reason for me I'll never upgrade again! I sure don't want my rear end handed to me by a complete stranger.
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@walnutz stick around, they haven't even brought the goat out yet.
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So basically people should not have anything that they cannot use to it's full potential. Meaning about 99% of people who own sports cars shouldn't have them because they don't have the skill to get the most out of them. And no one that isn't a elite wine professional should ever buy a bottle of wine that costs more than 20 bucks cause they can't fully appreciate them. You could go on and on.
Just because someone isn't an elite racer doesn't mean they can't appreciate a high-end bike. It also doesn't mean they are pretending to be an elite racer or believe that the bike on it's own, will make them faster.
I mean really. Who here doesn't want the best bike they can reasonably afford?
Just because someone isn't an elite racer doesn't mean they can't appreciate a high-end bike. It also doesn't mean they are pretending to be an elite racer or believe that the bike on it's own, will make them faster.
I mean really. Who here doesn't want the best bike they can reasonably afford?
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The binary interpretation of my original post as "Either you buy upgrades or you don't... there's no middle ground" is odd, yet is the path so many of you are attempting to argue.
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#150
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Here's the thing though: people will respond to the strongest, most outrageous part of whatever you say, in any venue. The bit of your OP I quoted above was that, so that's what people responded to.
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