New bike affordability

Please note that the following post may involve some financial input but please feel free to disregard that part if it makes you uncomfortable :) I am looking for guidance, not answers :)

After lots of riding around town on my Trek 830 which is cro-moly, I've decided to start looking for a more comfortable frame material, as my current LeMond frame is aluminum. I am thinking titanium or steel which will hopefully be the last frame I will every have to buy. I figure that it will take me quite a while to even find a bicycle I would consider purchasing so I plan to do lots of test riding in the mean time :)

I am curious to know what financial and lifestyle considerations you make to determine whether or not you are able to afford a new bicycle?

Thanks in advance :)

Mmmmm :rolleyes: let's see. When I think I need a new bike I usually start test riding them all. I find one I like, find a picture of it, print it out and put it up on the fridge. My DH gets so tired of me longing for it he says to buy it.
I know this probably did not help you very much. I am fortunate that we have good jobs and money is no consideration.
What is wrong with the bike you now ride? If you can not afford new, think about buying used. i know this probably did not help but I am sure the other ladies will join in.

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Originally Posted by Ana

After lots of riding on my Trek 830 which is cro-moly, I've decided to start looking for a more comfortable frame material, as my current frame is aluminum.

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I am confused. Are you referring to one and the same bicycle?

I couldn't find a listing for an 830, this was the closest thing I could find
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes...archive/820wsd

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Originally Posted by wnyrider

I am confused. Are you referring to one and the same bicycle?

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+1...isn't your bike mostly steel?

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Originally Posted by wnyrider

I am confused. Are you referring to one and the same bicycle?

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My apologies for the ambiguity.

I edited my original post: I'm considering an upgrade from my aluminum road frame (LeMond Tourmalet) and my steel hardtail mountain bike commuter (Trek 830--it is a very old Trek model so you probably won't find it in the Trek archives) has made me realize I might be more comfortable on steel or titanium. :)

My words just kind of got mixed up in my original post :p

Given the current climate, if you have to ask this question, my guidance would be to go with the piggy bank method instead of the credit card method. Find some monthly expense you can live without -- maybe cable, maybe the two latte a day habit -- and put that money into a sock under your mattress.

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Originally Posted by liza

Given the current climate, if you have to ask this question, my guidance would be to go with the piggy bank method instead of the credit card method. Find some monthly expense you can live without -- maybe cable, maybe the two latte a day habit -- and put that money into a sock under your mattress.

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Thank you for the advice. I would never purchase the bike until I had the funds :) It's one of the reasons I don't have a bike now ;) :D I think TE perpetuates bike lust ;)

I might start a separate savings account for it and put the money others would use for coffee and other expenses I do not have. :)

I'm not sure I would put anything on my credit card I couldn't pay off at the end of the month, especially with the current financial climate :p :(

For now, I'm just dreaming :)

Would you sell your current bike(s) to offset part of the cost? Anything else you could sell - unused equipment for other sports etc?

I basically just decided I wanted and deserved a bike:D, having thought about it for a couple of years. I looked briefly at new ones and decided the ones I wanted were out of my price range, so bought second-hand. That obviously has its pitfalls but I've got a better bike than if I'd bought new, and if I want/need to sell it for some reason I probably won't lose as much as on a new bike.

Oh, and the actual amount was determined by the size of my tax bill, which turned out to be less than the amount I'd put away to cover it. The leftover money paid for the bike :D

Ana, I'd say your piggy bank approach is the best. In the meantime, I'd just start doing your research. There aren't as many off-the-rack options in ti and steel, but there any number of really great builders who could build your dream bike, perhaps for less than you think (especially if you go with steel).

I just got a new (ti) bike of my own. Like you, I saved for it. It was still hard to swallow the cost, but I'm pretty sure it will be worth it. I pulled the trigger when I felt reasonably sure I had enough extra money that I wouldn't miss the money too terribly.

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Originally Posted by hilldweller

Would you sell your current bike(s) to offset part of the cost? Anything else you could sell - unused equipment for other sports etc?

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Yes, I would sell my LeMond, as the new bike would be its replacement. Unfortunately, I don't think it would offset the cost that much to sell it in comparison to the potential bike. :(

I would keep my Trek 830 because I love it to death :D The fit is very good, it's comfortable and I have lots of neat accessories on it :) One of the perks is that I can ride it and lock it outside without having to worry about it :)

As for selling other things...I don't really have much clutter. I usually sell/give away stuff I do not need :p The hobbies I do have are few and relatively inexpensive--cycling is probably the most extravagant one ;) :p :D

I would also like to try kayaking and mountain biking (list is still in progress) but those will have to wait for now :) I am very satisfied with cycling for the time being :)

As far as titanium goes, it is an awesome material. I sold an aluminum bike to help defray the costs of my Merlin. That being said, I did have a mental block about paying more than about $3K.

One nice thing about Ti for someone looking to buy is that resale prices are low.

Backcountry outlet also has some Merlin models it's getting rid of. The prices are good but not great considering they are being sold on an outlet site.

Before anything I say, it should be clear that I am biased due to the nature of my business. But my intent in posting isn't to gain business, but to offer some wisdom gleaned from making custom steel bikes these last 14 years.

When i first started doing this (framebuilding), I really wanted to get into titanium as a material for framebuilding. As I researched more and more it became clear, that on the custom end of things, there isn't much to be gained from building with titanium. It is much more expensive on the cost-end for a small-volume builder, there isn't a great offering of tubing for the custom builder, more tooling is required, as well as being subject to hazards I am not willing to be subject to (e.g., obsessively cleaning tubes with acetone before they are welded).

Also, again on the custom side, I found that I can create steel frames that match the weight and ride quality of titanium. Steel tubing is available in so many more tubing thicknesses and configurations than titanium, and for the small/light rider (for whom I build most bikes), that is important.

A Trek 830 is steel, but it is the kind of steel that does not suit a lighter rider well, because it is heavy and thick walled. This means, if you are not big and heavy enough, it will feel fairly dead and not offer a particularly plush ride. A custom builder can custom "tune" a steel tubeset to fit the rider's size, weight, and intended usage. I built an all-steel frame last summer that weighed 2.6 lbs (most titanium frames come in around the 3lb mark). This shocked me, but made me realize the incredible versatility and benefits of steel. Stock steel frames and bicycles, regardless of the manufacturer, will be more "burly" (i.e., heavier and stiffer) than anything custom, for cost and liability reasons.

Stock titanium frames/bikes can work very well for the small and light rider (assuming they fit well), and even overbuilt ones will probably ride quite nicely for the smaller rider, due to the material properties of titanium. It is a less "dense" material than titanium and more "flexy"--often a good thing if you are relatively light. However, as has been noted, even stock titanium frames/bikes exceed the price of identical and often better fitting custom steel bikes.

Finally, aluminum is usually a poor choice for smaller/lighter riders, especially stock aluminum (and there are very few custom builders who work with aluminum, but that is another topic). The reason it is not great is it tends to be very oversized in diameter, and the triangles on a small frame become very small, enhancing the rigidity of the frame and tubeset. This makes the bike, particularly in small frame sizes, usually exceedlingly "stiff" and a harsh ride. The reason aluminum is so popular for stock bicycles has to do with economics much more than it being the ideal or proper material for all bikes.

The only wisdom I can impart on this subject is in the form of an anecdote.

There is a hill in town that I have climbed on two different bikes.

The first bike was aluminum.
It's a low end model but I bought it new and the total price was about $430.

The second bike is a steel bike that I rebuilt.
The total cost for that bike was probably about the same.

When I got to the top of the hill on the stock aluminum, I was catching my breath.

When I got to the top of the same hill riding the steel bike I could only think of this

I should add that this frame was custom (though not for me) from a Canadian builder so it's probably somewhat high-end.

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Originally Posted by Zen

When I got to the top of the hill on the stock aluminum, I was catching my breath.

When I got to the top of the same hill riding the steel bike I could only think of this

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That is exactly how I feel when I climb hills on my aluminum frame! I thought it was me (I'm sure it is at least partly! :p) but I'm very eager to test ride some steel frames now :D You may end up converting me ;) I want to discover why steel is called the "plush" ride :)

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Originally Posted by lunacycles

A Trek 830 is steel, but it is the kind of steel that does not suit a lighter rider well, because it is heavy and thick walled. This means, if you are not big and heavy enough, it will feel fairly dead and not offer a particularly plush ride. A custom builder can custom "tune" a steel tubeset to fit the rider's size, weight, and intended usage. I built an all-steel frame last summer that weighed 2.6 lbs (most titanium frames come in around the 3lb mark). This shocked me, but made me realize the incredible versatility and benefits of steel. Stock steel frames and bicycles, regardless of the manufacturer, will be more "burly" (i.e., heavier and stiffer) than anything custom, for cost and liability reasons.

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I had no idea the tubing on my Trek 830 is too thick to be a plush ride :p I can't even imagine how different a steel frame for a road bike would be :)

But if I find one and fall in love with it then I will have to get it.... ;)

Ok so Luna just pretty much put her finger on it.

I'm just warning you Ana:
the moment you get on a spendy bike you'll decide that you need it. I am speaking from personal experience here!!!!!

Bikes are kinda like money, you always just need a LITTLE bit more. This is a slippery slope so figure out your budget before you get on that for that first test ride.

Remember, "plush" is a function of design as well as material. I ride a high end carbon fiber bike that has a geometry thats been tweaked to make it into a comfy ride. Don't get tricked into thinking material is everything...

The person who buys a bike with a frame that fits them poorly is wasting far more money than the person who buys a more expensive bike that fits them well. And the person who finds a bike that fits both their body and their budget is pretty lucky! :D

Keep in mind that you can swap everything on a bike for higher end/more expensive components as you go along...but you can't change the basic size, angles, and proportions of the frame. You can tweak things like handlebars and stems and saddles to make any frame feel better...but if the frame is a poor geometry/size fit to begin with, you may or may not be successful in making it comfortable to ride.
Basic frame fit is very important. If it feels good, it is good. :)

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Originally Posted by fidlfreek

I'm just warning you Ana:
the moment you get on a spendy bike you'll decide that you need it. I am speaking from personal experience here!!!!!

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Yeah, I am aware of the risks ;) For now, they are supposed to be informative test rides that should take a while ;) Just to see what's out there...which reminds me of the time when we got our first pet as a family. We went to "look" at a cat and then a dog. My parents knew that we weren't just going to look ;)

I almost feel like it's bike dating ;)

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Originally Posted by BleeckerSt_Girl

The person who buys a bike with a frame that fits them poorly is wasting far more money than the person who buys a more expensive bike that fits them well. And the person who finds a bike that fits both their body and their budget is pretty lucky! :D

Basic frame fit is very important. If it feels good, it is good. :)

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Thanks for enabling me ;) I think this forum feeds my bike lust more than anything ;)