Has anyone ended up putting so much expensive bling on their bike that they then get worried about damaging it and hence losing the reason of having it in the first place?

Not me, but then I try not to be a knob.
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Not always succesfully, I admit.

Not from adding ‘bling’ but my current financial situation has seen me sell my bikes and replace with budget parts. My rear hubs creaking, I was going to to a jump yesterday but was worried it would break my wheel, I simply can’t afford to replace it. So I’m being careful with my bike.

Happened with my Patriot 66 a few years ago.Became so paranoid about breaking it I stopped riding it how you should ride a 180mm bike.i.e sending it off everything.Hit all the stuff I was avoiding (including a blind 20ft step down hip 😀 ) and sold it.

I have to admit doing it once when I got my dream frame a few years back, a yeti 303. I put so much time and effort, not to mention money, into it I couldn’t bear to see it wrecked, ended up selling it in mint condition 🙁

I sold a sweet Cannondale f1 – pimped out.. For that exact reason!

Nahhm screw that – these things are to be used, I don’t bother with bling much at all.

Yes. Had a Hummer, and got so paranoid about damaging it riding the FoD with a mate I sold the frame and bought a prototype Inbred 567, which I still have, which being steel, and unpainted, looks better as it gets older and ‘patinated’, and it doesn’t matter a damn if it gets dinged. Most of the kit on it is eight years old, and the Nixons were second hand. My damaged knee is the only thing that stops me riding it like I stole it.

Try making yourself ride harder to justify the cost of a new upgrade and tell yourself you wouldn’t be able to ride this hard with the old parts 🙂

Ha ha makes me laugh to know I’m not alone, being into bikes probably isn’t our only similar trait!

In a slightly different thread. Have you managed NOT to pimp your pub bike? My one is significantly better than my best bike of 15 years ago.
Xtr v brakes,ceramic rims xt hubs and a triple butted aluminium frame.
All bike hand me downs though.

He he Zippy, I know that feeling too. My old pub bike was just hand me downs. When I wanted something shiny and new I would justify it by thinking I can bolt my current one on my pub bike.

Nope, one bike is a Nicolai Helius CC with XT, Hope Hoops, ‘zocchi 44 Ti’s and it gets caned just as much as my Genesis iO.

The paint on the TT is dull from scuffing, chipped underneath from rock strikes, the Deus Xc cranks are scuffed from rock strikes etc.

Whats the point of building a bike and not riding it, they’re not meant to be pristine FFS. If you want that buy a road bike and wipe it down with baby wipes after every ride and keep it in your lounge – not that I do that in any way 😆

Nah, bikes are tools. Albeit sometimes very expensive delicate tools. But if you’re not going to ride it how you want to, why have it?

I love to ride, but also love to buy, build and see the finished bike in my version of how it should be, I guess we all do. I guess sometimes the lines get crossed and when the bike looks like new and faultless its hard to spoil it 🙂