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Like Want & Need
#426282 08/08/17 10:59 PM
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One of the hardest parts in life is being able to separate the Like's and Want's from the Need's. Sadly in life, we are bombarded with all these likes and wants that tend to eat up quite a bit of time and a whole load of money. But how do you justify or work to make a case for a like into a want and then a need?

I am stuck with a conundrum. I am not sure if I have a like, want or a need. I have an old mountain bike. I use to ride a whole lot when I was younger. it was fun and I would go out 2-3 times a day. Even with a busy work schedule, i could fit in a real early morning ride before driving in to work, then another one when I got back. Weekends I would get out whenever possible.

Then I got into a major accident that seriously injured me, and wrote off my bike. It was replaced by the insurance company, but I never really got to ride it as much as I use to because of the injuries and then the court case where they were trying to prove that I didn't have cognitive injuries because I could still ride a bike.

So now my bike is 13 years old. it still works for the most part. Well, it is full suspension mountain bike, but the suspension is shot. The wheels are 26" and getting harder to find parts for. The gears of mostly warn out and need replacing along with a new chain, but again due to age, getting parts that will fit to fix is getting harder and harder. But in a sense it still works.

I would really like a new Advanced XC carbon fibre bike. I know it costs way too much to really justify. (ie 5-6k). Knowing that I do want to replace the old bike with something newer and comparable in the sense of getting something around the same spec level as what I got 13 years ago but just newer. This helps bring the price down to the 2.5-3k mark. This will give me a much better bike that what I have now.

The need part is a bit harder. As I have said, the bike well, sort of mostly works if you are willing to look past the problems. As the gears and chain is worn, when I ride it hard (as there is no other way to ride) the chain skips and sometimes just falls off. Not great when you are going up a hill, or peddling through a corner. The shocks are shot for me as they can no longer support my weight (by their design) and tend to bob when I ride losing speed and efficiency. The tires and tubes need to be replaced along with the grips and saddle. (old age dried out and cracking). So buying replacement parts to bring it back to good condition working would set me back 1.5k to make a frankenbike. But in a different look, the bike sort of still works, so it's not like my bike that was written off because it was bent after getting run over by a mini van.

So it is at the level like when you get 10 years into a car and have to decide is it worth spending constant money in break fix or just give in and spend the money to buy a new car.

Is it enough to say it makes little sense to keep on trying to keep an old bike that has had a good life and pay the piper to get something better. It really is an incremental cost to get a much better bike. But then it's the slippery slope from the Want to the Like knowing the two sides that as time goes on new technology will keep on moving forward, and the side of inflation were the same spec level bike won't cost the same next year and the years going forward as what you are paying today. For example, how much did the M80 v1 speakers cost compared to the newer v4 of today. Sure the newer speaker is better, but it still costs quite a bit more in $ than what you paid 15 years ago.


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Re: Like Want & Need
MMM #426285 08/08/17 11:22 PM
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LOL... I just came up from the basement staring at my old road bike trying to get motivated to finish fixing it up. I have had it since the late 70s, but it's one of the very few bikes I have seen with a frame big enough to fit me. The tires are shot and I'm a lot less skinny than I was back then so first step is replacing them with the fattest tires I can find that still fit the frame.

My first though would be to replace tires & not much else as a first step and ride that around until you *know* what to do for a new bike. Is the suspension shot in terms of just riding it around casually on the street, or shot in terms of taking it on rough roads ?

My understanding is that carbon fiber is a bit of a different world from a maintenance POV so that might be an argument for something more comparable to what you had 13 years ago but newer.


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Re: Like Want & Need
MMM #426286 08/08/17 11:48 PM
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From the side of what condition it is in: the bike can ride around on the street and down the casual bike trail. I have ridden with my wife and daughter and it works fine to that capacity.

But to be totally honest, that sort of riding rather bores the hell out of me. it is like listening to 64kb MP3 on an old ipod with $20 ear buds. yes you get the sound and it can be a distraction, but it doesn't give me the same level of satisfaction like listening to FLAC on my LFR1100's at 150watts.

I prefer to ride in a technical offroad single track with ruts, roots, rocks, drops, steep climbs, fallen trees and you must keep your wits about you. The bike when new could do that sort of thing, but I have since gained 80lbs that I am still trying to loose. So I now mostly ride for a vigorous 45-90 min and leave with a smile. before I would be going for a good 2-3 hours.


Anthem: AVM60, Fosi DAC-Q5
Axiom: ADA1500, LFR1100 Actiive, QS8, EP500, M3, M3comp, M5
Re: Like Want & Need
MMM #426287 08/09/17 12:21 AM
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If you were to fix up your older one with say Shimano Deore Or SLX parts you could save quite a bit, they're marginally heavier than say XT or the XTR carbons.
And the trickle down tech over the last say 5 years is quite substantial to say that tech of the 90s.

If you went Shimano Deore or SLX 3X10 you could probably get a whole new drive train for say $400 including Cranks and brakes and all. Compared to $1200 and up for the same XT or XTR components to which the difference in weight would only be around half a pound for the entire set.

If you'd like to start riding heavy DH {Whistler or North Shore}
Maybe Ont. winter. you'll be best with at least SLX for durability. Can take a lot of muck.

I ride everyday. Rain or shine.

Picked up a Kona29er last year totally love it.
If you look at more aluminum you can find life time frame warranties with really light weights { My Kona 29er is 20LBS. and aluminum} . Where the same frame in carbon has 1 or three years warranty. And really little weight difference maybe 2 or 3 pounds to the frame.

Re: Like Want & Need
MMM #426292 08/09/17 04:43 AM
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I've always been a "know it when I see it" kind of guy...



Re: Like Want & Need
MMM #426295 08/09/17 03:47 PM
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Right now the bike that I have is in the old LX and XT comp set. It's an old Trek Liquid 30 bike.

What you were expressing Brendo is to effectively strip down the bike to the frame and start over again. The sad part is that the suspension is probably the most expensive part of a new bike setup. The old Fox forks that I have are no longer made and parts are not available for them. I would also for my weight and type of riding that I do need to move from the older spring damper setup to the more reliable and easier to setup air oil design. The cost of a new front fork can easily be $600-900 unless I want to press my luck and order unknown from Tiwan. For my frame I will also need to get a new rear shock, but that is limited by the frame design and such. I am guessing it will be in the $3-400 range. I know that looking at replacing the whole group set with a 1x11 slx setup is about $590.

What is not mentioned in any of these numbers is who is also doing the work. I am sure that many people could save a bundle by purchasing replacement automotive parts and doing the work themselves. But it would involve learning how to and tools etc to get the job done. When you buy a bike, you have paid for someone to assemble it for you and that comes in with the price that you have to pay.

Sadly, I don't think there is any easy answer to the problem.


Anthem: AVM60, Fosi DAC-Q5
Axiom: ADA1500, LFR1100 Actiive, QS8, EP500, M3, M3comp, M5
Re: Like Want & Need
MMM #426298 08/09/17 05:36 PM
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I think I'd go for a new bike, myself. Maybe last years model(of whatever) to save some money. It sounds like a lot of work, time and money to fix up your old bike and my guess is, a newer bike will have benefitted from a dozen or more years of advancements in design vs your old bike. If you're patient, it's getting later in the season, stores are starting to think about moving their remaining product. Also, never been to it, but the fall bike show in Toronto might have some good deals.


Half of communication is listening. You can't listen with your mouth.
Re: Like Want & Need
MMM #426302 08/09/17 06:16 PM
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I know what you are saying Adian.

There is the side that you might get a good deal at a bike show. Wether you are going to get the exact bike that you'd like is unknown. I have never gone to the fall sell off so I can't say.

Right now my local bike shop has a Giant Anthem 2 that I think would fit me perfectly. This is the 2017 model and they are willing to take $350 off the list price. I am told that markup is not that large with some bikes and they will not budge for hell or high water from that price.

The 2018 model will be out soon ($400 more expensive list), and it is effectively the exact same bike except it comes with different tires that are tubeless ready, and the 2018 SLX group is 11-46 vs this years that is 11-42. I did take the bike for a ride earlier in the year and I had a problem with the front crank being 30 tooth, makes the top speed a bit slow and at the largest rear gears, I can flip myself backwards as my leg strength to gear ratio is just too much. With the 2018 version it just makes that problem even worse.

I personally can't figure out why anyone would need a 42 tooth gear in the back, let alone a 46. It's not like you'd even be climbing a steep enough face that you could use it, and you'd be riding so slow, balance would be an issue as you need forward momentum to stay upright.

Last edited by MatManBobbleHead; 08/09/17 06:17 PM.

Anthem: AVM60, Fosi DAC-Q5
Axiom: ADA1500, LFR1100 Actiive, QS8, EP500, M3, M3comp, M5
Re: Like Want & Need
MMM #426311 08/09/17 11:27 PM
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Sorry on my earlier post Matt I did mean doing the work your self.

When I've purchased my bikes I usually maintain them quite a bit myself. Which usually ends up in upgrades, If you already have good basic tools aside from Crank pullers or Bottom bracket tool and brake bleed kits.

Metric Allen Keys from 1.5mm up to 12mm, Phillips screw driver is all you really need most of the time.

Re: Like Want & Need
MMM #426312 08/09/17 11:43 PM
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The Sram top 1 x 12{50tooth} is supposed to give the same ratio on gears as 2 or 3 by 10 or 11.
personally I would take a 2x before a 1x as the fronts are all 28 to 36 teeth and the 2x gives both and can take 50 tooth rear as well.

Your shocks are another story it might be easy replace seals new fluid reset. or full overhaul not to expensive either.

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