Bicycling

The bike industry has SERIUS diminishing returns as you go up in price.

Almost every component of a bike can be had for pennies at the cheap end, and hundreds if not thousands of bucks at the expensive end.

But really, it depends on what exactly you're doing. If you're competing, maybe shaving some grams off is worth an exorbitant sum.

But for me? I'll buy the cheapest part I can find, that isn't outright trash. I'll pay for ergonomics, or some parts in accent colours...

But at a certain point you start paying for things that effectively make little to no difference. An extra gear you won't really benefit from because it doesn't actually expand gear range.

More expensive bearings that'll gain you a fraction of percent in pedaling efficiency.

Heatsinks on brakepads that were never going to overheat.

When buying a bike, I start by looking at the frame. Everything else can be changed. A frame will last forever when taken care of, but if it has a problem, it's essentially impossible to fix.

After that, I look at the parts list and consider if it's a good deal, how much I'd have to spend on any changes I'd want to make.

Assuming I was to be using it a ton, maybe up to $1k. I don't, which is why my current one I got for about $250 (though I have had to pay another $200 for repairs over the last couple years).

Personally I wouldn't spend more then $400 for a top end bike. I think the industry has a culture of scamming and price gouging. They're still just bicycles, regardless of whatever special organic grassfed steel they use or w/e.

There's a price point where bikes ship cheap Shimano/Tektro/TRP hydraulic disc brake and a basic Shimano Alivio/Cues group set on an aluminum frame. Below that things are significantly worse in form, function and durability. I think this is somewhere between $600-$1000 these days. I wouldn't buy anything below it.

Above that the diminishing returns curve begins diminishing but it hasn't diminished yet. Next up you get to 105/SLX, and air suspension. Then returns really start diminishing. Personally I would pay for 105/SLX on a pre-built without hesitation. I don't ride suspension but if I did, I'd get an air fork for the adjustability and weight. With all that said, Cues kinda makes 105/SLX a bit less desirable. If I were equipping a new bike today I might use Cues and spend the remainder on other things like tires and brakes.

Speaking of weight, weight is worth paying for if you're going to be carrying the bike. Bikes starting in the $600-$1000 price band are already easy to carry. Going a bit above shaves off another kilogram or two.

Lighter wheels are something that is worth spending money on. And I'm not talking about carbon wheels. Just good, light inexpensive aluminum wheels from Shimano, DT Swiss, Mavic or even some AlexRims coupled with light tires. The difference in feel while accelerating is quite significant. Many bikes in the $600-1000 segment already come with good enough wheels in this regard. They sometimes need lighter tires.

You will not catch me paying for carbon frames! Carbon is too difficult to live with. You have to be careful with keeping it's surface intact. You have to avoid dings. You have to examine it after every cash for cracks, which you can't effectively do without ultrasound... Aluminum for light, steel for heavier loads. I do ride carbon forks though. They're much easier to replace when needed.

I think 2000€ ($2200) is about right. That gets you a Brompton C Line and all the accessories you need.

Or it gets you a perfectly fine road bike, gravel bike, or hardtail mountain bike, if those fit your riding style better.

With road bikes, you can spend obscene amounts of money chasing marginal weight savings. I will never understand spending $10000 on a road bike to save the amount of weight you lose by pooping.

I am willing to spend a lot more on a mountain bike. Good full suspension and robust wheels with high-engagement hubs hits $5000 easily.

Was looking at ebikes recently as maybe a car replacement. Holy hell those prices escalate quickly. Like Tern bikes going up to like $6.5k. Every car I've owned so far has been cheaper than that! And for something someone can just chuck in the back of a pickup and disappear with in seconds.

@plactagonic ~2x the minimum.

But as with most fitness gear, second hand can be a real bargain. Still spend more than the minimum, but get the 4x bike for 1.5x.

I dont know but i feel like there might be very drastic price differences between countries/continents.

If i wanted a high end bike, i would buy a used one for like 1000€. Often you can get 4k€ bikes for a fraction of the price.

For a city bike that rarely goes more than 10km at once, paying more than 600€ is probably a waste of money.

But yeah if you do lots of tours, a 1500-2000€ bike is gonna be more enjoyable but anything beyond that seems overkill unless you are doing competetive sports.

My current bike is a do-it-all touring bike, which I bought for $500 USD during COVID lockdown. I'd probably pay more now, but I think it's a lot of value for the money. Maybe I'd spend up to $1000 USD for a better groupset, but I honestly have been pretty happy with the Shimano Tourney set it came with. they get the job done and need minimal adjustment over several thousand kms. And let's be honest, my fitness level is the thing holding me back, not a few grams of weight on the bike.

I don't have a car and biking is my main form of travel so, like you, I decided to treat myself to something nice, as in new and not second hand.

190€.

In two years I changed a wheel and two tires: 45€.

Also, if you are into environmental impact, please avoid Aluminium: https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2023/02/can-we-make-bicycles-sustainable-again/