I say get a new bike if that will make you happy. To me, life is too short not to have nice things in life. I mean, I understand if you have a budget, etc. I am just saying that if you go out and ride on that new bike and it makes you happy, more motivated, and you have fun...then, why not?

There's not a set formula as to when or how many miles or hours in the saddle...oh yeah, you don't have to be a certain size/weight or fitness level prior to getting a new bike.

I was struggling back in 1995-1996 with a mountain bike that was too big. Back in those days, they didn't make women specific and many of the higher end frame companies didn't have any smaller sized frames (I'm 5'1 with short torso)...

So...did the best thing any girl would do...I told my husband to be that I'd rather have an 'engagement bike' than a ring. Well, he still wanted to get me a ring, so I have a 1/2 carat and ended up with a 12" Litespeed. My Litespeed helped me be more comfortable and have more fun on my bike. It made all the difference to me...I wanted to ride, and eventually I trained more 'cause I was more comfortable and then, I raced for a while

I still own that same Litespeed from 1997, my 'engagement bike'...It was a great investment...Sure, I had to get a new fork 'cause I love new gadgets, but I don't regret it at all