Perhaps I should have qualified that statement by comparing the cost of buying and running a bike versus the same for a car.
We have two cars in the family and one of them spends most of its time in the garage. We use it probably two or three times per month on average, but also for some holidays and trips that would be almost impossible or very time-consuming by train or other means. When used for holidays, it doubles as a bike transporter so that we can cycle at the holiday destination.
The other car is on almost permanent loan within the extended family and is used much like a car-sharing scheme. At least it is used regularly by various nephews and nieces who cannot justify the cost of a car for themselves.
The second car was only purchased for a commute to offices that we had to use for a couple of years. If it had had the resale value of Naim boxes, we would have sold it as soon as we stopped needing it.
A gravel bike for the winter is next on my list. One of the road bikes might be cannibalised for parts and its frame sold to fund the gravel bike. At least my other half will not be able to complain about yet another bike, although she has also expressed interest in something a bit faster in addition to her daily ride. I might suggest that she sells some shoes to help fund it, although I do not relish the consequences if she has a sense of humour failure. Never mind.
After a quick check, I realise that I forgot a couple of frames that are waiting to be completed and put on the road. That will increase the number of bikes and invite sarcastic comments from my other half. If the bikes are stored carefully, my other half loses count and does not realise how many I really have. To a certain extent, the same can be said for Naim boxes, which are superficially very similar. My other half now accepts that the Fraim stack needs to be taken apart and rebuilt at regular intervals. Consequently, she does not seem to notice that the number and sizes of black boxes sometimes change, too.
I deliberately avoid using the word ācollectionā to describe my bikes, although my other half would disagree. The only theme is that many of them are Cannondale Saeco team replicas and one original team bike. I have never felt the urge to take photographs of them, but I might make the effort when those that are less frequently used are taken out for their summer rides.
MTBs are still a mystery to me and I have only ever ridden one or two in the past. An itch for a gravel bike needs to be scratched first. Perhaps an MTB would be a project for next year.
An MTB bike is superb for when the terrain gets gnarly, other than that, compromised. For me the appeal has always been the adrenaline rush of singletrack enjoyed at speed on a good hardtail. No traffic and other road users, plus like the isolation of just being out there in the woods and hills.
I only have one contribution, when I set out in cycling I was persuaded by my āknowledgeableā work mates to buy a sporty flat bar hybrid, a Boardman. It wasnāt bad as bikes go, but once I started to commute with it I found that a road bike with drop bars (narrower) would have been more sensible for getting though the traffic and offered a wider range of hand positions for longer rides.
As for the bottom bracket issue you mentioned - I vowed to never buy another bike with pressed bearings (I had one with bb30). It was a never-ending nightmare with clicks and creaks.
Thatās the whole point of a forum like this. You start at just shy of a grand, and get friendly confirmation from those around you that two grand, or even three grand, can be justified and you will be soooo much better off !
Look at all those who started off looking at a Muso and ended up with a Statement !
Yes, well spotted. Easy to get carried away (ooh - shiny thing) and āman mathsā takes over, gets out of control and then end up with an ex works special. Itās just so tempting as oner dives deeper and finds so many advances (electronic shifting was an eye opener). Time to reign in expectations in relation to budget methinks.
If you add up the total cost of starting on and then climbing the Naim ladder, then it can be an expensive hobby. After many years of pleasure with a Nait 2, I had a lengthy hiatus from Naim and was enticed back into the fold by a friendās system that was based on a 282/300 combination.
With some careful comparisons and an honest review of what (I think) I really need, I went straight for a NDX/282/HCDR250 system bought as gently used single components. On balance, I have a great system that suits me, my room and my speakers very well. An LP12 would be nice, too. However, my RP6 cost much less, gives me a lot of pleasure and matches the rest my system.
Ultimately, I spent a lot of money on bike parts, tweaking and upgrades to arrive at my current bike stable.With the benefit of hindsight, I now know that some of those tweaks and upgrades were a waste of time and money. In relative terms, my poor choices on bikes were a lot less expensive than the journey that some people seem to make in the hifi world.
To avoid spending too much on bikes, you really need to know what you want and find someone who can help you make the right purchase decisions. A good shop or bike builder should ask you a lot of questions and ensure that your bike fits you well. Besides a good fit, test rides are also a must.
If you can, buy the right bike first time. Even if it costs a bit more than a special offer at your local bike shop, it will almost certainly cost less and give you more pleasure than buying, selling or abandoning bikes until you find the one that is right for you.
If you are looking for a comfy road bike spending a LOT of money is not a great idea. I used to race (track/TT and road) back in the day and I would say a good road bike is a bit like a race horse, they can be hard work and can be very twitchy/tempremental. I still have my old 753/Super Record that was built for me and it is soooo comfy BUT it is very responsive (it has tubs as well) so I would not want to do long rides on it now, but great for 30-50 mile Sunday bash. A friend of mine who still races has a top end Pinerello that was 14k GBP and I have ridden that, amazing thing so light and responsive, but I certainly would not want it for the kind of riding I do now.
Thatās true. A little cheaper than the others, perhaps.
The builder who made my Ti gravel bike basically recommended against SS, as he had had experience with cracking. He wasnāt super critical of the option in general, but cautioned that as heād had issues with his own stainless steel products, he no longer offered it. He felt that he hadnāt quite worked it out in terms of welding technique, and as he is a one-man show, couldnāt afford to keep experimenting. Basically, āIf you want stainless steel, Iām not your guyā. What was your experience?
I thought about it and realized that in 45 years of riding, Iāve never test-ridden any bike Iāve ever purchased. Iāve always picked the frame size myself, and tuned my own fit.
And manufacturers are now moving away from that back to threaded (or at least metal shell) systems. For many systems, after-market screw-in sleeves are also an option. But yeah, Iāve never forgiven Trek for switching to their cheap and cheerful press-in system. āWeight savingsā they championed. Nope. Just cheaper to make.
My new Tarmac has a press-fit system. Iām waiting-for/expecting issues, but perfect thus far.
We had a thread like that. Nice bikes. Roberts is a classic english brand. Maybe not yet quite as ācollectibleā as Colnago et. al. but for many itās close. And for brits, it obviously holds special appeal. The SR bike is mid 70s? Love the TT bike.
@winkyincanada Thanks. Chas Roberts was not that far from me and yes one of the classics (in my mind) I raced as a schoolboy and junior so stopped in 84 and all three I got 82/83. Reason I stopped is I found the finer things in life ā¦ man I wish I stayed riding my bike !
