bike shopping, part 1 of many

[adularia]

I'm pretty sure I should not buy a $1500 bike that will want another $1-200 worth of components to make it perfect. Right

Comments

[agate456]

Is it kind of sad that I would spend at least that much on just a frame?

Speaking of which, have you thought about just building up the bike that you really want? It's not that hard, and I can help.

[adularia]

I have thought about it. A coworker pointed me at R+E Cycles in the U-district as an excellent custom framebuilder. Especially if I had help selecting components, I might go that route.

I think (just for shopping-around purposes) I want to find at least 1 other stock bike that I'd consider buying, and if I can't find any other and I decide against the Trek, that's where I'm at.

[northernflights]

I'd tend to agree with agate456 -- if you really want to drop more than a grand on a bike, you'd better make sure that it's perfect for your needs and tastes. (After all, you can get a very functional yet imperfect bike for well under $500, but you've already decided that you want something else entirely...)

[adularia]

I am feeling very, very wary of "functional yet imperfect"; it's clashing badly with my remaining personal ethos around making do and buying cheap. I don't want to go through that all that crap again.

[northernflights]

Your discussion of expensive bikes rekindles my Bike Friday lust.

[heinousbitca]

you know, if i wanted flowery decals, i'd put the damn things on myself.

red and black. preferably with flames, which are the only thing on the bike that may be pink.

there's something just *wrong* with the le mond bikes. i keep hearing from the bridgestone freaks that "they're almost as good" and i'm all "what are you on?"

but as discussed below (and what i originally clicked to comment), you're probably better off building it yourself. less settling, more results, if you ask me.

[adularia]

Ow. "Almost as good" is more amusing since Le Mond tries to brand themselves as so smooth and perfect and à la française

[randomdreams]

My steel Gios had roughly 70,000 miles on it when it got hit by a ford. The frame is bent but not broken. My current steel Gios has about 50,000 miles on it.
In contrast, I have a broken Kestrel carbon frame, that lasted under 40,000 miles, a broken Cannondale aluminum frame, that made it about 8000 miles (very, very, very hard miles, mind you: repeated meter-high dropoffs and plenty of riding over park benches) and another Cannondale al that broke after about 18,000 miles of road touring and racing.
My dad broke a steel Schwinn, after about 95,000 miles (I believe.)
For touring bikes, I really do like steel, and there are places that'll make you a beautiful steel bike that'll last a long, long, long time. But if you find a frameset that fits you, as it sounds like the Trek did, consider rec.bicycles.marketplace or ebay, buy it at half the new price, and put on some really superior components. You can buy off ebay as long as you expect to replace some components.

[tylik]

Seriously? If you can afford it, and its the right bike (or can become the right bike) buy it. It's a bike. It will be functioning as an extension of your body. And your body is worth it and irreplaceable.