I have two bikes, but one is an old mountain bike that is not used much (commutting occasionally>>no mountains in Chicago area!). My main ride is my road/tri bike, its a Kestrel Talon that I got new for $1500 with 105 in 2001. Since then I added some bontrager x aero wheels and Dura Ace 9 for the drivetrain, both at a big discounts. All well worth the money. The talon to me is a great ride; comfy, aero and fast. If I could afford two bikes my wish list would include a P3, Airfoil Pro, or Trek TT.
Calfee TetraTri Custom, AlphaQ fork, full DuraAce, optimized for weight, purchased at my LBS. Paid the right amount.
Sycip custom road bike, AlphaQ sub3, full DuraAce. Paid the right amount
Sycip custom cyclocross bike, AlphaQ cross, DuraAce, Empella brakes. Again, paid the right amount.
Ibis Alibi mtn bike. Scored a “bro” deal when they tried direct internet sales before going bankrupt. Steal.
Santana Tandem mtn bike, RockShox fork, XT from LBS. Maybe a tad high, but phenomenal service.
Viner V5 team, carbon fork, DuraAce/Ult mix, with fenders, commute bike. Frame cheap off internet, parts laying around.
Vitus Carbone9, Mavic SSC Simplex Modolo group. Coffee shop bike built from the old parts box of odds and ends.
Hi, my name is Charlie, and I have a bike problem. I like bikes with panache. Anyone can walk into their LBS and have an AMEX slapdown. I like unique bikes that 6 other guys on the ride won’t also have. Clean and classic set-ups. (Tom’s IMNZ bike is right up my alley!) I’m now lusting for a 2004 Campy Record group to put on the Viner and really let that frame enjoy what it was intented for. And last night I started talking timeline for getting another Sycip custom built with scandium tubing as my primary cross bike and the current one will become my pit bike with an Ultegra group. But I drive an old SUV with 145K (too many winter Tahoe trips) and I really don’t spend money on anything other than wine.
Mr. Tibbs, where are you going with this thread?
I could have spent a hell of a lot more than I did and have less bike.
I bought a “Martec Superbike” frame at Chucksbikes.com. It’s a carbon “copy” of the BP Stealth carbon monocoque frame. I’m almost ashamed to say how cheap it was, $385 for the frame and full carbon fork. Best deal I ever had.
Built it up with Dura Ace, Ultegra components. Hed 3 front wheel and Renn Disc. It’s not the lightest bike out there but for less than $2000 I think it’s a bargain.
I have 4 bikes----bought all of them either off ebay or via a pro deal with a friend in Canada. I am a 100% believer in buying the best parts possible for the least expensive price. My first bike had 1984 era Dura Ace components, and with the exception of the rear derailleur (rebuilt twice before died), BB (ditto) & cassettes, all the parts looked & performed like new when I sold the bike a couple of years ago. I know Ultegra is supposed to be about as good, but I’ve ridden it & it just feels softer on the braking & shifting.
Moots YBB Mt Bike: paid a bit high for the frame & built the rest myself. The perfect mb for me as I’m not going off any drops more than 2’. Climbs like a goat & is comfy.
Moots YBB Cyclo Bike: still building–this will be the bike I probably ride the least, as it will be my rainy day climbing bike. As I live in SoCal, it doesn’t rain much, but I wanted a bike I could use on the fire roads in the San Gabriels when I don’t want to deal with the roads.
Time VX Special Pro: this will be my 10 year bike (although the newest Time frames look ridiculously nice). Bought it via a pro deal out of Canada. I thought my '03 LS Vortex would be my 10 year bike until it got stolen. This is better. Completely forgiving & comfy on 5 hour rides–the LS after 4 hours was too much–this is just right.
Zipp 3001: I looked for 2 years before I found one in my size. It just looks ridiculously fast. Its pretty comfy–I rode some P3s & while the position is easily dialed in, you are still riding a rock. The '04 Blade also looks good, but still, the comfort + speed factor of a beam vs a traditional frame is unmatched. I just had it overhauled by Zipp (still under warranty until the end of 2004) so it should be good for some time. I will never get rid of this bike. It is the only bike I’ve owned where I would gladly have paid full retail price for the frame.
Did I spend too much on my bikes? No, I am, for the first time in YEARS, completely satisfied with my bikes. I don’t have any bike lust when riding or visiting shops. I built each of them EXACTLY the way I wanted them–you can’t do that with an off the shelf bike. Did I spend the $$ due to range??? Good question–I spent the $$ necessary to get what I wanted, but I certainly was careful on my expenditures–with the exception of cables, nothing was bought at retail. As arrogant as it sounds, $$ certainly wasn’t an impediment to getting what I wanted–I just had to sure to allocate the resources appropriately & thru the correct channels so I can justify my “needs”. I’m in the wine biz–I’ve got private clients that drop $10k on 12 bottles of wine–try justifying that to your significant other (much less yourself). It all depends on what a dollar is worth to you.
It’s hanging on the wall at the foot of my bed - 2001 Colnago C40 w/DA & Ksyrium SSCs bought at a small shop here in Switzerland. I added the Zipp carbon cranks and profile bars when my tri bike died and the C40 became my only ride. For races I throw on a pair of Nimble Crosswinds I bought a few years back and My Baby is perfect. I paid about CHF 7’000, which was about $5,000 with the exchange rate several years ago. Did I pay a lot? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes. From short rides to long rides, it performs like a star.
<<Ok look at your bike. Pretty ain’t it? >>
Yes. Depending on the angle of light, it’s either purple or green with silver or gold flake. It’s a '98 C’dale R800 in the “Purpleen” color. Full 105 group.
<<Think of how much you spent. Did you spend too much? >>
Nope. About 1300 I think (it was almost six years ago)
<<Would you have liked to have spent less?>>
Nope.
<< Did you spend the money you did because only bikes in that price range gave you what you are looking for? >>
Do I want “more” bike–yes. Do I need more bike–not yet. Will I get more bike–one day, just because.
Brett
I have an '02 soloist that I got for 1499. Never saw that deal come up again. So I think I got a good deal. I’ve grown to love cycling since I got that bike, so last year I got some 404 tubulars to diminish my bike lust! Of all things, it made it worse! I then upgraded the lowlife ritchey wheelset with Ksyrium SSC’s in hopes of dashing the bike lust to no avail. Now I’m constantly scouting for the perfect carbon bike, don’t know what it is yet. I’ve seen the R2.5 and it just doesn’t do it for me. I’ve heard the 5900 is a great bike, but that doesn’t do it either. The new Kuota Khan looks the part, but it’s pretty new so getting a good deal will be impossible.
The best education I got about bike maintenance was from buying a new ultegra build kit off ebay and getting a cheap frame from chucksbikes and slapping that thing together with the help co-worker. My wife has a great bike that never see’s the road, but at least no more $50-$80 “tune ups” for me because sloppy shifting, wheel truing, or recabling.