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Just retired Trigger's Broom - a 9 year old hardtail with replacement parts chosen for longevity and minimal maintenance (spring forks, Deore level brakes and drivetrain etc.). Only real extravagance were Hope/Mavic UST wheels, but they've lasted 5 years with a single bearing change.
Just bought a discounted 2015 full suspension bike, and am amazed by how much the Deore groupset has come on when it went to 10 speed. A few changes (SLX brakes, Hope/Stan's wheels - the OEM brakes weren't Deore), and I expect it to last a good few years. Don't think it's that expensive a hobby.
Road biking on the other hand is much cheaper if you don't fall for the carbon bling - a friend must have spent £10k in the last two years, with another £5k next year to come. I bought a s/h good bike from a user on here. It's now 12 years old, and still on original gears/brakes. Normal stuff changed when it wore out (wheels, chains, cassettes, pads etc.). Costs me almost nothing per mile.
Count myself lucky I am easily satisfied and ride for free where I live...
Really? you ride without wear and tear, you must share your secret with us, especially the everlasting tyres.
Hmm, I've spent quite a bit this year
2 bikes this year, one new and one 2nd hand
Bikepacking kit
Diesel for a few bikepacking trips away from home (Wales a couple of times and Lakes)
Other bits - new lights, lots of new clothes
Hmmm, I hadn't planned on spending so much. I love cycling though so Im' happy with that
Oh hell yeah, it's worth it! Just had a great early ride from dark to sunrise with a mate. Great natural trails 20 minutes train journey away. Yeah it costs a bit but it gives so much back as well.
Worth every penny.
Really? you ride without wear and tear, you must share your secret with us, especially the everlasting tyres.
Rigid single speed, 2 sets of tyres, summer and winter. Even with spending on decent rubber (Speccy tyres really aren't that expensive and are pretty decent)
it's cheap. Deore discs, £5 sintered pads last a year if you don't touch them much 🙂
In answering this I will conveniently ignore the carbon hard tail and Ti grrrrrravel bike of course. I do also live right on nice trails - I'm not sure I'd persevere if I had to drive every time.
Christ, if you think this an expensive hobby don't ever buy a boat ! !
Almost guarantee that anyone on here saying "it's too expensive" has chosen to buy a massively expensive bike, really.
I reckon it costs me £25-30 per ride all in
Wow. I average 4 rides per week so at £25 that would be £5000 a year!Count myself lucky I am easily satisfied and ride for free where I live...
Not really the way it works, I'm averaging 2 rides a week and it's based on that, so if it was 4 rides it would be £12.50-£15. Since taking up MTB I've basically knocked going to the pub on Fridays after work on the head, so overall it's probably cost-neutral!
if my only option was rigid I probably would find something else to do
Bloody hell.
I like to cycle. I cycled on my £90 Emmelle when I had that, I cycled on my Kona Fire Mountain when I had that, I cycle. In the past I was able to afford some nice bikes, so I kept them, I still ride them.
For some people, cycling is a lifestyle in the true sense of the word, I guess for other people it's just something they currently fancy doing...?
Curiosity is what costs me. New things come out, but you don't know what they're like until you get them and use them.
I'm permanently trying to find the balance of stuff that works nicely, is easy to maintain and therefore lasts a bit.
Apart from that, it's about maintenance and replacement costs.
I have no desire to rattle around on a rigid bike with low rent kit that may or may not fail at any moment. That kind of MTB experience is not the one I'm seeking.
😯 I only have one bike with suspension...! (and it's only front suspension)
Most of my riding is local, as that's all I have time for (evenings once kids are asleep). But I enjoy it, it's fun, and I like riding my bike
cycling is a lifestyle
Eh?
A bike is just a piece of sporting equipment. Any old crap is fine if you're just exercising. If you're competing then you may need to spend some money (or you could train harder).
if my only option was rigid I probably would find something else to do
new/recent rider?
EDIT - no it's Mike!
would you really stop riding if you didnt have springs? I was under the impression you'd been riding for a while, surely it was rigid only when you started?
A bike is just a piece of sporting equipment.
Oh no it isn't 🙂
Some sports you just do, other sports are part of your whole outlook on life. Generally outdoor ones, it seems.
I have no desire to rattle around on a rigid bike with low rent kit that may or may not fail at any moment
Define low-rent? An £800 bike isn't low rent imo and won't fall apart. And given it could last you 15 years, it doesn't represent an expensive sport.
Zesty brought second hand in 2012 added a dropper post. New tyres and pads.
Cost about 1100 all in ÷ by 4 years not overly expensive.
Try snowboards and trips to the Alps if you want costly but absolutely worth the memories.
I ride twice a week (sometimes 3) and go away fro 2 weekends a year, I've no idea how much it costs but I'm fairly sure it's better value than my colleague who spends £80 per month to be a member of the gym and only goes twice a month sometime not at all! My costs possibly works out the same as £80 x 12 (or maybe more) but I enjoy riding and if it is £960 a year that's money well spent in my mind.
It all depends on what you can afford and how you choose to spend your money.
I have no desire to rattle around on a rigid bike with low rent kit that may or may not fail at any moment.
I 'rattle' around on a rigid TI framed, XT, Hope, Thomson etc,. equipped bike. It is neither low rent nor will it fail at any moment.
So initial cost of the bike would be high if purchased new but ongoing costs are very low as previously estimated at around £100 per year.
With around 200 rides a year that makes 50p per ride.
I've done 2k miles on mine now, including purchase and maintenance.. New tyres, wheel upgrade a few mechs and other bits I reckon I've spent a grand.. 50p per mile.
For me the cost adds up in pads, tyres, cables, cassettes, chains, BB's and occasional extras such as complete new bikes or bits like seatposts that bend. All multiplied by a family of five. And seven bikes between us.
Today was £50 just on pads, cables and some disc cleaner that was half price...
Christ, if you think this an expensive hobby don't ever buy a boat ! !
Easiest way to make a small fortune out of sailing?
Start with a large one.
Its all subjective I spend what I can afford in 25 yrs MTBing I've had 4 bikes none of which have worn out,trust me i've tried I've just kinda outgrown them as such
15 speed rigid (8yrs)then 27 speed hard tail (7 yrs)then single speed hard tail (7yrs)now carbon 30 speed full suss(3yrs to present)I've upgraded parts as required but not been sucked in by marketing trends the fun I have now is no different to the fun I had on my first bike ,so to answer your question "Is it worth the cost"my answer would be yes ,if you feel the need to buy into every new must have part then probably not ..thems yer choices
Yes. You can't put a roi in terms of the adventures you get.
Priceless. I actually don't know what else I would've done with my spare time.
It's all relative really,we'll fork out the best part of a grand to go surfing in Croyde in September for two weeks,if I'm lucky I'll get to surf half a dozen times in perfect conditions.
Biking off-road will always be on a par with owning a VW Campervan with regards the black hole that consumes any spare cash you may have. Did a ride once at a wet Afan Argoed, consumed a chain,cassette,two sets of pads thanks to the grinding paste that exists there.
I've done 2k miles on mine now, including purchase and maintenance.. New tyres, wheel upgrade a few mechs and other bits I reckon I've spent a grand.. 50p per mile.
Not exactly expensive..
If you have to have the latest shocks and designer bits then biking is as expensive as you want to make it, much like any other hobby..
My last hobby was moding cars.. Now that gets expensive!
Possibly amusing anecdote.. I was on a canal a while back and there's a row of people fishing.. With rods over the path etc. I approached one and slowed, he pulled his pole out of the way.. There was a brief friendly exchange and at some point I said 'don't worry I could hop over it.. His reply was something along the lines of.. This is a £400 pole.. I'd rather move it!
. That's a fishing rod.. £400!?
Brought new bike this year upgraded my old and the wife's and brought my boy a new hot rock! Prob spent best part of £8000!!! Worth every penny! As soon as u start riding it doesn't matter how much it cost! There's more important things to worry/moan about
Its cheap!
I have three bikes;
One was £400 (reduced Kona Explosif) new about 11 years ago, now a HT singlespeed with half decent kit. I think it had a BB last year, this year its just been treated to a new NW oval ring, chain and rear sprocket (about £55), oh and a £10 bell.
Another is a 10 year old Yeti full suss, frame bought secondhand, had a fair few upgrades but no real cash spent in the last 3 years except some new SLX brakes and a NW ring a couple of years ago. Drivetrain is very worn but doesn't matter as its got an Alfine. (second hand so again, cheap)
Then I've got a secondhand road/crosser bike, ebay bargain, again probably 5-8 years old, half decent 105 kit, last year I asked for mudguards and lights for Christmas, spent £30 replacing the hard old tyres with some Marathons, and its had some bar tape and a cassette with some lower gears on it. And some new Shimano brakes to get rid of the hideous squealing/lack of stopping.
Throw a few consumables such as tyres and disc pads into the mix, still cheap! Even a decent set of night lights (C&B Seen) is good value compared to the Hope/Lumicycle options you had a few years ago. Reckon the biggest expenditure I have is cycling clothes.
My wifes full susser was a bit more pricey, but at 8 years old it got treated to some new forks last year (doubled as a bday present!) and it got new cables (the front mech was still running the original inner/outer!) And there are £30 of new bearings for the rear swingarm on the side, thats all its had this year.
Now, compare that to owning a couple of horses... 😥
I think the physical and emotional benefits far outweigh the cost...its keeping me happy and healthy...what's not to like about that...
It keeps me sane and makes me happy - worth every penny. Not that I spend that much on it.
Yep pretty much. I get cranky and snappy if I don't ride mtb in a while apparently. Twice a month is enough though, road bike scratches the itch enough on days where I don't have time to drive to trails. The driving/fuel is the biggest cost to me, my bike was pretty cheap and nothing wears out quick on it, had the tyres for years and still loads of grip left! But then again I don't ride every day.
[quote=spooky_b239]Now, compare that to owning a couple of horses...
Try five... 😉
Try five...
H +1. How does it work for horses?
Got a racey one.
An old dobbin for riding to the pub
A shire horse for shopping runs and occasional ploughing
A long distance touring horse
A pretty one for dressage
🙂
When I lived on a cycle path with a good variety of natural/sneaky trails within 10 minutes i would have undoubtedly said yes. Now I'm a city I'm not so sure, running a car to and from the trails adds a massive amount of expense. I still enjoy it, but i cant help but wonder if i wouldn't be better off with gym membership and an additional cheap ski holiday instead
I'm only home about 20 weekends a year though, so that kind of skews the balance
Quite a hungry troll that Philxx1975 isn't he??
Can You afford it? Yes, it's worth it.
Can You ride it? Yes, it's worth it.
Can You enjoy it? Yes, it's worth it.
In the end of the day, we only live once and whatever makes you happy, do it or regret it.