Just ticked past 39 and my mind has started to drift towards 40. I’ve been considering what I’d like to get to mark the occasion and I’ve gone through epic holiday (maybe), watch (already have a nice one), classic car (meh, not my thing) or a custom bike.

I figure that the way MTB is going with the standards changing and just the normal wear and tear on what will be an expensive build, I’d rather get a relaxed touring style road frame I can have built up with nice parts, disk brakes etc which should, in theory, keep me going until I pop my clogs. Question is, where is doing lovely custom built, long lasting frames that are worth hanging onto for the second half (or more) of a lifetime?

I planned on doing something similar, I was 40 on Monday and never got round to it 🙁

feather

That’s why I’m starting thinking a week after my birthday. It may never happen of course, I really don’t have any “need” for a new bike

Good plan. Start now as there the process could take a while.

Ponder the frame choice -choose frame builder- arrange a fitting – await frame build- choose wheel builder and wheel spec – await build – ponder groupset/finishing kit, etc.

Best get cracking then.

I’m going for a Rourke when I’m 40 I reckon. Not a tourer – just a nice fast steel road bike for long days out.

Have you had a tourer before? If not, maybe buy something similar off the peg now and use that to figure out what you like etc, buys some time to find a builder. if you get a custom that’s the first of a type, you’ll probably find things you’ll want to change.

Shand, Mather and Rourke would be on many rider’s shortlists for something like that but there’s loads of good builders out there, just a place to start. Longstaffs and Paul Hewitt know touring bikes well, experience with all the fittings, clearances and options counts for a lot there.

I will be 40 in two months but don’t need another bike. Everything equal, ‘experiences’ last longer than ‘things’*, so I am going on a skills course.

*Of course, this doesn’t necessarilry hold true if the thing is a beautiful, bespoke frame that will last you the rest of your lifetime.
I’m not really helping, am I?

Dawes.

43 soon.
Still haven’t narrowed down the long list for the 40th b’day present.
Last bike (that counts) I bought when I was 37.
40 is just a number. Prime numbers are better, so maybe this year. 26er 140mm-ish do it all fullsuss that’s definitely rideable uphill.

Have you had a tourer before?

I was probably unclear. I want a road bike I can shove bags on and ride around Europe (or wherever I end up). MTBs and carbon road bikes could do it but I quite fancy something a bit more relaxed than the road bikes and a little more sprightly than the MTBs.

ok I know what you mean, less Galaxy and more Audax with added bags on at times.

Turned 40 the other day and still haven’t made up my mind about going steel or a new full sus (whichever is going to be be better for my aging knees really).

If you really want to splash out go titanium

45 next month, currently reading the article about Enigma bikes in current Cyclist mag. Etape looks a cracking comfy audax type road bike. Even MrsMC is not screaming about it yet as I pointed out they are based in her home county of Sussex.

But it still won’t happen 😥

And if you want a Rourke for your 40th, best order it when you are 38. One of the nicest half hours of my cycling life was spent upstairs in the bar area with Mr Rourke showing me his collection if memorabilia. I’d only poppedin when I was passing for work!

OP – that was exactly the process I went through about 9 months ago! I’d also considered the fact that a really special bike should be ridden lots, so dropping a fortune on a ‘high days and dry days’ road bike wasn’t (for me) money well spent either.

I went with a Kinesis Tripster ATR ti frame built with nice hoops, carbon bits and Ultegra. I use it at least four times a week, commute on it, ride it at weekends with the boys on their carbon bikes and love it to bits. Every time I ride it I enjoy the fact it feels special and I can just about live with wrecking the drivetrain through the winter… I’ve toured on it too – it’s a proper ‘do it all’ bike without feeling like there’s any compromise.

As previously mentioned, there’s probably mileage in checking its the type of bike you want first. I had an alloy Tripster before and knew it was going to be right, though I did consider a Burls custom as well as steel before I took the plunge.

Happy birthday when it lands – in my experience you’ll need something like a new bike to get through it, 🙂

I’m not fussed about birthdays really but everyone keeps telling me I need to do something for this one. I reckon a bike is about the right scale 😉

Just emailed Feather and a local bloke who made the following frame to get some idea of what I need to spend. Just added Shimano hydro disc (and therefore DI2) to the shopping list.

I’ve just turned 42 and still not got the cash for the special 40th birthday bike that I was promising myself..

Me to this year and have given the go ahead to get something fancy with 2 wheels. Considered a new road bike before realising I don’t actually enjoy it that much, just a means to get to work and stay a bit fitter.

So test riding carbon Santa Cruz’s, Intense etc at the minute. Quite a step up as I normally spend 500 quid on 2nd hand frames.

Me too in a couple of months time. Apparently the one-in/one-out rule applies even during your 40th year, and Mrs Thew didn’t think it was funny when I said I’d put her bike on ebay to comply.

So bye bye RT-57, hello new trainers. 🙁

Just added Shimano hydro disc (and therefore DI2) to the shopping list.

It’s your lucky day!

Yep, that’s why I wanted hydro discs 😉

road.cc article
“If you were hoping that Shimano would roll their Di2 technology down from Dura-Ace and Ultegra to 105, sorry, but that’s not happening – not for the time being, at least. Electronic shifting will doubtless filter further down the road groupset hierarchy at some stage, but not yet.”

Hmmm … I’ve got the big Four 0 coming up later in the year… Can I join the gang?

Loving that dark grey steel number up there… Classic yet modern.

I may be tempted

I’m on the way too and like many above, I’ve always had the idea of a 40th birthday bike but I can’t honestly say that there’s anything I really want – maybe in part because standards keep changing and I can’t see anything being a keeper.

I did consider a fat bike but I think that’s more just curiosity rather than really wanting one. If I can find one to try and love it, maybe I’ll change my mind.

Oh dear

I just made the mistake of looking up Feather Bikes.

There’s an indecent amount of bike porn on there… I’m in love with each and every bike I’ve seen on their site.

Gorgeous !!

I’m 39 next week and have already started talks for my 40th bike. Stainless 29r ht.

Yup, big 40 for me next year..

Was thinking of getting a Feather, as I live less than a mile from Ricky.

Sadly, even if I orederd it now, it wouldn’t be here in time, so thinking of getting an IF from Sideways Tim.

FAncy a nice steel Road bike for long days out..

I am 40 also next jan, planning a 4 country bike ride, from calais to dusseldorf in germany. Should be fun.

jekkyl – I reckon I could ride to Dusseldorf in a couple of days, maybe I’ll come hoist an ale with you to commiserate.

Teetosugars – I had a feeling that’d be the case which is why I’m talking to Nicolas from Noble and looking for some others. Cycle Exif has some inspiration 😉

40 soon, no thoughts of a special bike to celebrate* as i’m more prone to changing my mind now than i was 20 years ago and doubt it would last long before the n+1 hankering kicked in

*but then i should get a new bike for that India trip…

Mine is between Feather and Donhou. Donhou in the lead at the moment. I’m 36 though, so things may change.

😉

Been looking at Mercian for mine or maybe a Jones steel Spaceframe. But that may and has been changing. Only 7 weeks to go as well now.

As I approached my 40th last year I looked at all sorts of exotica – in the end I went for the simplicity of a Soul – new XT 2×10 transmission, transplanted my old Avid Juicys and Reba Race. Thomson stem and post and XC 717/XT wheels.

I’ve been thinking about “upgrading” the fork for a while, but had an absolute hoot around Cannock Chase today and honestly, there is no need to change anything. It just works. Really well. For what it’s worth, if I had found a spare £8 grand down the back of the sofa, I seriously doubt I would be appreciably happier with a Santa Cruz 50LO Carbon. The Soul is the bollocks.

(Although I was jealous of the guys with a van with custom made internal bike-rack as I fiddled with the strap-on rack on my Polo).

Anyway, today, in Cannock:

Feather is about 15 months, Demon about 18 months. However the Belgian bloke I mentioned has a 3-month waiting list so I’m going to nip over there one evening to see his stuff and have a beer and a chat.

So far I’m looking at steel frame, BB30 (reusing FSA K-Force Light cranks, almost new), Shimano Di2 with hydro discs.

I had very similar thoughts this morning while out on my bike, unfortunately I’m 2, 1/2 yrs shy of 50, and went with a road based bike.
But tourer/everyday work horse or a less used audax’esque beauty.
Nope I couldn’t decide either, and that’s before brakes/drive train etc.

Sad though that my first, cycling, love MTB’s got ignored purely because there isn’t a standard wheel size that I can believe willl be available for the next 30yrs.

A little less glamorous here. I was forty nearly 5 years ago, and I got a new 456 frame from the wife 🙂
Extra nice as it was a surprise, she new what I was hankering after.
It’s still my go-to bike, and I love it.

APF

Just had a quick look at the Feather Cycles page; now feel free to correct me, but am I alone in thinking classically styled thin tubes metal bikes look rubbish with chainsets with thick armed chain rings

Bought a Hewitt cheviot steel tourer for mine and did lejog.

I alone in thinking classically styled thin tubes metal bikes look rubbish with chainsets with thick armed chain rings

No

I’m off to Bespoked on Saturday to begin the process of getting a frame for my 50th next year.

Although I’m 4 years off, I’ve already hatched plans for a custom Nicolai. 😀