I know this has been asked in various ways before but I’m approaching my 50th and am facing a choice of what to do with the £4-5k I’ll have saved up by then:

A. Buy a nice full-sus bike

B. Take a trip to the Utah or Colorado

The states would be awesome, but also only 2 maybe 3 weeks long.  A new full-sus bike on the other hand may offer greater opportunity over here, only over a longer period – and I may be able to squeeze in some trips to Europe (or England) or for some dry conditions.

What would STW do?

For £5k I’d be looking for a bike and a holiday.

As above, a top spec YT from their outlet and a holiday

Special holiday; it’s a complete no-brainer.

I do Ski trips to US for under £2k all in for two weeks. Little over £1k flight and accommodation, then food, hire car (4×4), lift passes. That’s per person though and higher price no sharing a room. Self arranged stuff (usually Expedia) and go for hotels outside resorts or in city. Would be cheaper summer maybe, especially if doing lifts as passes are insane prices in winter now but dead cheap summer.

Leaves change for a bike then. Bike trip 😏

Or bike holiday and hire the bike.

Apparently, the pleasure derived from an experience (such as a holiday) actually increases over time.

In contrast, the pleasure of owning a material item usually begins to fade shortly after acquiring it.

I’m not sure how this relates to a new bike, since that should generate lots of “experiences”. Best of both worlds, maybe?

For me I’d buy the bike and a cheaper holiday, but I’m not a massive one for holidays. Experiences can be cheap, require time more than money.

What rene59 said

Holiday and cheaper bike.

You will always have the memory of the holiday and when the bike isn’t so shiny, new and is getting outdated, you’ll regret not taking that holiday.

For me a couple of each with 5000.

Both…

Holiday. Every time.

For my 50th last year I spent about that on a steam boat cruise on the Thames for my family and friends. It was worth every single penny. The year before was only full of awful memories, my birthday party washed those away and replaced them with nicer ones. The whole family remember it well.

Apparently, the pleasure derived from an experience (such as a holiday) actually increases over time.

In contrast, the pleasure of owning a material item usually begins to fade shortly after acquiring it.

Will be different for different people.  I get more pleasure from bikes and guitars for example than any holiday memories I may have.

Wow. I’m impressed by the responses. I had stw  down as a bunch of complete gear freaks who would go for the bike every time.

Cool to see I’m wrong

.

Definitely wouldn’t spend 5k just on a bike. Could get a pretty decent bike for 2.5-3k and spend the rest on a holiday.

With 3 weeks I would choose a bit of the world to explore.  Central America,  somewhere safe in Africa  or Bangladesh or Vietnam.  A real eye opener that can be cheap too.

If you actually need/really want  a new bike, I would definitely see if you could do both. YT/Canyon website for the win and look for flight and air bnb deals; I think money can always be saved.

Now assuming you want to go riding on holiday, you have picked two amazing places to go to (from all the inter web research I have done). I think the memories of that once in a life time trip will be worth it, long term you won’t care or remember how much it all cost. There is plenty of other non biking stuff to do as well.

I am booked to go away with Mrs Gribble next weekend and am very over excited. She had a trip (dirty weekend away riding in Verbier) combined with a basic Camber as a birthday present – although she is very pleased with the bike, having trip to look forward to has made it exponentially more exciting, (for us both I might add). I remember riding in some cool places on my basic old hardtail and have very good memories of those trips. The bike was of secondary importance to the place we were riding, but of course if you can it would be nice to have the best of both!

Wow. I’m impressed by the responses. I had stw  down as a bunch of complete gear freaks who would go for the bike every time.

Cool to see I’m wrong

Oops…

My new bike for my 50th cost me a LOT less ..(<<£1k all in – used frame and shock and spares). and was a few months late but if it were me I’d be trying to do both.  The bike would be a more enduring part of the holiday…  ideally then paying for some bike luxuries as part of the holiday.

Definitely wouldn’t spend 5k just on a bike. Could get a pretty decent bike for 2.5-3k and spend the rest on a holiday.

(stereo)typical STW would be to insist that you should spend 5k on the bike and 5k on the holiday but suggest a different style of bike and 3 months grinding gravel in outer Mongolia….

Don’t discount the drip feed model of buying a cheaper model of the bike on a good frame and the holiday then upgrade as you go.

STW is slipping 19 posts and no sign of coke & hookers or a MX5…

am sad.

Holiday.