Hey single-bike people - how often do you get a new bike?

Posted by: ReductiMat

Thanks shoreboy, I forgot about Princess Auto.. probably the same one that KMS sells.  Would you agree that for the amount it's needed for bikes, it'd make no difference than buying "a good one"?

I have the exact same one and for the number of times it gets used each year (even with three bikes and helping friends who don't own a bearing puller) it is more than well enough built. RRP and RWC make far sexier ones but they are also 3-4 times the price.

Hah, good timing.  Just went to KMS.  "On-sale" for $139.  It's heavy... and like you mentioned, for the number of times I'm going to use it, even a shit-shop in China can't fuck this up.

Posted by: rnayel

This thread made me curious about how many bikes I've owned since I moved to BC and started taking MTB seriously in 2007. My tally is 21 bikes, I think that I have a serious problem.

Hooly, that is quite a lot.

How do you folks who regularly buy new/used bikes/frames/parts actually finance all these shiny things?

Own 1 car, bike/bus to work, dual income family with 1 kid. I’ve calmed it down since the kid showed up, and I’m pretty happy with the current stable of 2 MTB + drop bar steel commuter/road bike. (Although I do love tinkering and am toying with the idea of a part swap for the hard tail to a fs frame).

Posted by: Mic

Posted by: rnayel

This thread made me curious about how many bikes I've owned since I moved to BC and started taking MTB seriously in 2007. My tally is 21 bikes, I think that I have a serious problem.

Hooly, that is quite a lot.

How do you folks who regularly buy new/used bikes/frames/parts actually finance all these shiny things?

The desire for bikes pretty much drove my education and professional goals. 
I think I've had around 20 high end bikes since I started in the early 90s. I cringe a bit when I think of the money spent on all this stuff. Not to mention spare parts, customization, clothing and wearables.
I've typically been a 1-bike guy but a couple of recent gear failures have got me looking at second bikes.

I've reached that point where not riding due to waiting on spare parts is just not an acceptable option.

Posted by: craw

I've reached that point where not riding due to waiting on spare parts is just not an acceptable option.

You and me both.

Posted by: craw

I've reached that point where not riding due to waiting on spare parts is just not an acceptable option.

Same here, it has always been important for me to have at least 2 mtb in perfect working conditions. In the good old days of fewer standardz, I always had a backup bike that was just collecting the parts from the main bike as it was being upgraded. Fun times...but that's not possible anymore.

I've reached the other limit now: Adding another bike in the garage is not an acceptable option either. :( I now have my main AM bike + hardtail + BMX + road bike + commuter + GF's road bike + GF's BMX + kid's bike. That's 8 in total. Of course there's always room for another one, but that would be pushing it.

I’ve been on the same 26” Santa Cruz Blur TR for three years now. Have demoed a few bikes but just not seeing the need to upgrade across the board. If one keeps their bike well maintained there is no reason an alloy frame can’t last many years. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">I’m a tinkerer and do incremental upgrades every year during rebuild and keep it fresh. Got a bunch I did this winter after selling my DH bike. </span>

<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">I do have a fully rigid Cove Stiffee to keep things interesting. </span>

Big debate now is how long do I push the 26” wheels. Get a stock of rubber or upgrade to 27.5 (he frame takes the size with room to spare). Also the option of getting wide 26 and going plus. 

I told my wife I’m getting a “super bike” for my 40th. That’s five years away. I see no reason to not be on my current ride at that time.

Posted by: Mic

How do you folks who regularly buy new/used bikes/frames/parts actually finance all these shiny things?

I think that's the reason for the common 1.5 yr cycle? A good price can be still be fetched for last years (properly maintained) model, and the money is rolled over into the new hot model. 

If you're on some kind of team pricing, etc you can just about break even on the new bike. Even if you're not, the hit is bearable if bicycles=life.

Plus I bet some of us here are tight wads in every way, except with bicycles where we completely lose our fucking minds.

I just got my bike back with a freshly serviced Reverb and shock and it feels awesome. The mainstream brands seem to just be catching on to what Evil was doing two years ago geo-wise and in some cases exceeding them. The Wreck used to be a big bike but now not so much. I'm going to try a Transition Sentinel this week to experience first hand a bike with 500mm of reach, super slack HA, steep ESTA and long WB to see if it's worth upgrading into. I'm kind of hoping I won't like it so I'll be free to sit tight. Which of course I was always free to do.

Posted by: JBV

i'll be curious what your take is on the S. will you get to try it on trails similar to those you ride regularly on the W? i got to ride one around the street for a few minutes when a dude was just picking up his new xl. felt amazing and essentially like a slacker Smuggler in handling feel. no idea how that translates to trails, meaningless really.

Me too. I want to figure out if I should upgrade my Wreck to something physically bigger and longer. Or maybe get a Smuggler or Vanquish as a second bike. A test ride should sort that out.