MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
apologies for the stupid question
i have a ti planet x spitfire road bike (rim brakes) that i do love to ride BUT i hate riding on the road as it is always busy with traffic just about everywhere and i only ride at night due to that.
i also know that it won't be worth much now because of being rim braked and older 11 speed groupset (sram force 11 speed).
part of me says yes as even a small amount of cash would be used to upgrade my mountain bikes with (as what i am doing atm saving up to upgrade my sync ti ht and chisel fs. part of me says no as i do love the bike and enjoy riding it when i do.
what might you do if in a similar position?
thanks and happy new year also to you all 🙂
Do you need the space and/or the money?
Keep it, they ride beautifully and discs on road bikes are overrated.
If it were me it would depend how much I thought I might want/expect to ride on road in the future.
If I thought I might get some sensible use out of it I would keep it because the cost of replacing it with something as nice but more modern would be significant.
If it's gathering dust and that is not going to change then I would get rid. The best case is it's not going up in value and more realistically the more old/out of date it gets the more it's going to devalue.
Get rid, let it go to use for someone else.
Nice riding rim brake road bikes still have a strong fan base, so you'll likely find buyers even if not get top dollar, especially if it will take proper mudguards. Surprised how many club riders have bling disc brake bikes for nice weather and still use an "old" rim brake bike in winter.
what might you do if in a similar position?
This is probably the most middle-class question possible on here but... do you have a holiday home / a regular place you visit / a friend in a nice location abroad where you could re-locate the bike to?
I agree with your comments about road riding; UK roads and traffic just make it generally unpleasant in a lot of places now, I actually think an all-road / light gravel bike is more appropriate than a pure road bike and using rim brakes in crap weather and listening to the rims gradually disintegrating is awful. But riding abroad in warmer, sunnier places on smoother roads with more considerate drivers... That's a win!
A friend often goes out to Mallorca, he stays in a friend's house when he visits so he's moved an older road bike out there. Saves a fortune on transporting the bike overseas each time, it basically just lives there and being rim brake / mechanical it's relatively maintenance free, just ready to go whenever he's out there.
Otherwise if you like it, I'd keep it. It'll cost a lot to get even a vaguely decent newer road bike and I doubt you'll get much from selling it. Maybe if it was a Moots or Van Nicholas titanium but a Planet X, not so much!
Nice bike. Keep it. Even for occasional sunny day road rides it will be lovely to ride. It’s probably worth £5-700 if that helps with upgrading decisions. Ti road bikes have never really gone out of style.
And yes, I’ve also noticed that old rim brake bikes seem to outnumber new disc brake bikes on some of our winter club rides! I’m still rim only on my eight road and TT bikes and trikes.
Surprised how many club riders have bling disc brake bikes for nice weather and still use an "old" rim brake bike in winter.
Doesn't surprise me, I could never get mine to stop squealing in cold wet winter conditions, was just unpleasant, and I know from seeing the winces and hearing the muttered apologies that others hate the noise their brakes make also.
I sometimes wonder if there's a cottage industry to be created by investing in one of those roller operated disc brake burnishing machines and offering to bed people's rotors and pads in for them...
I'd keep it as an indoor bike 95% of the time then use it once a year for a special ride you really enjoy. It's costing you nothing to keep and is probably worth even less tha you think to sell.
If it were me it would depend how much I thought I might want/expect to ride on road in the future.
If I thought I might get some sensible use out of it I would keep it because the cost of replacing it with something as nice but more modern would be significant.
If it's gathering dust and that is not going to change then I would get rid. The best case is it's not going up in value and more realistically the more old/out of date it gets the more it's going to devalue.
This is the answer imo.
I sold my road bike after buying a gravel due to hating riding on the same roads as idiot car/bus/lorry/etc drivers. Have never missed it and in the end the gravel bike was replaced by an XC MTB as off road is much more fun than on road.
I'd say keep it if you had no use for the money but sounds like you've already spent it upgrading something else so improve the bike you actually use.
I had the same dilemma OP. Had a gorgeous Look 595 Ultra that I didn’t use too much anymore but decided to get some miles in with friends when the trails were particularly mucky. 3 uncomfortably close passes within a couple of miles of home and I stuck it on eBay where it sold within a week.
Replaced it with a gravel bike and it gets more use, and is more versatile & much more comfy too!
ps - Disc brakes are great for the road if you live somewhere hilly!
Surprised how many club riders have bling disc brake bikes for nice weather and still use an "old" rim brake bike in winter.
Weird - my summer days best road bike has rim brakes and probably always will. Discs are for wet days, go with guards, are better in winter.
Nocturnal road biking is a bit niche - sell it.
Surprised how many club riders have bling disc brake bikes for nice weather and still use an "old" rim brake bike in winter.
Weird - my summer days best road bike has rim brakes and probably always will. Discs are for wet days, go with guards, are better in winter.
On second thoughts this is just about uses for old bikes and new bikes isn't it.
I also have an old rim brake bike I use a lot in winter, mainly because I'm going slower anyway so the brakes are adequate and I'm only wearing a set of rims on basic RS20 level wheels every 3 years or so.
I've got a Defy that's done no more than 3 rides in 5 years that I need to do something with. I don't need the money I'd get from selling it and I don't really need the space but I've got a gravel bike now which will do everything I might want the Defy for. My motivation for moving it on is just to think it might get ridden
If you have a turbo but don't have a dedicated turbo bike that can be left on it, chuck the road bike on it? On a nice day, you might fancy taking it off the turbo to ride outdoors.
My confidence on rim brakes nosedived after my Xmas '13 RTA, I ended up selling the Specialized Tricross Singlecross that needed some repairs to get on the road again to TimP on here, sometime around then I also ended up selling my Felt F5C. Bought a Voodoo Wazoo fatbike Feb '16 which gave me confidence again and the following May bought my first hydraulic disc brake road bike, a Cube Attain GTC, then discovered the hills around Old Winchester Hill after being in Southampton for almost 25 years!
The local roads, even living near the eastern edge of Southampton, can be pretty hostile to ride in. I quickly adopted a set of guidelines for myself about generally avoiding heading out or getting home around rush hours and school run times. Heading north to east, beyond ~3 miles, the roads/lanes are usually deadly quiet and a joy to ride in the middle of nowhere.
BUT i hate riding on the road
Then you should probably sell the road bike and ride off road.
I was out the door at 6am and out the city by 6.20am.
I chose the quiet roads.
9.30am heading home there is no choice from where if been but a busy road back. I took the bike path which is much slower with loads of junctions to stop at. It is much better that getting close passed on the busy road and being home 5 min earlier.
I also very occasionally go for a night ride on my road bike if I can't get anyone to ride off road at night. It's very quiet and peaceful out in the villages near me between 7 and 10pm
So why not trying and finding quieter roads to ride your nice bike on? Extreme examples could be close roads sportif, a warm holiday in Spanish islands or the wrap du tour.