Cycling UK Forum

Alan O wrote:

pwa wrote:£1600 isn't much for something that could last a decade or more. Compare that with what you would spend on a holiday and it seems quite reasonable. If you expect to be living with the bike for a long time spending a bit more makes sense. Upto about two grand. Beyond that it becomes a bit fetishy, with expensive options that don't add much to the ride.

I don't think the length of time something lasts is a good measure of its value - the complexity, the cost of materials and labour, etc, surely make the biggest difference. For example, I've still got some cutlery which belonged to my grandfather and must be at least 60 years old - but I wouldn't pay £1,600 for a spoon.

I wouldn't pay that for a spoon either. But a typical silver spoon is one piece of metal. A bike must have dozens of individual parts, most of which can be had in varying levels of quality. Even the tiniest ball bearings and spoke nipples matter, and if you want them to last it makes sense to pay a bit more. And if something lasts longer, you have more time to get the value out of it. Paying less than what it takes to get well made parts is a false economy.

A bike must have many hundreds of components, 72 spokes to start with, and how many parts in my seven-speed hub?
Anyone counted how many exactly?

Most good touring bikes have 74 spokes surely? 36 on each wheel and two spares attached to the chainstay.

Increasing cost does not mean better value components after I point. There's going to be a point where improvements generated by more expensive parts aren't significant and aren't worth it. That is lower value for increased cost. That's my opinion but I've never ridden a £2000 bike let alone a £12,000 one. If you want to loan me a "super bike" to play with and a £2,000 bike then I'll report back with my revised view based on more experience. I'd need an xl size, 440 bars and I tend to go for 175 cranks.

There is a combination of 1) reduced weight, 2) improved ergonomics and 3) better performance in terms of components. Sometimes you get all three, sometimes only less weight.

There is something to be said for going cheap & upgrading. I'm happy with an upgraded rear shifter & derailleur. Buying a bike with the same equipped would cost more money.