Should I buy a new bike?
How many bikes are too many? N+1
N + 1 = How Many Bikes
N is the number of bikes that we’re allowed to have, which gives us a simple equation to answer the weighted question.
But really…
When it comes to N+1, wanting another bike can immediately turn into a mental scramble to figure out how to get that bike.
Am I right?
Let me know in a comment below or DM your thoughts on social.
Can you relate? You’re in the right place.
Say you have a good mountain bike and want to tackle some long-distance adventures but don’t want to ride a knobby-tire flat-bar bike for days on end, or you have a road bike and want to get lost in the woods!
The trendy answer is to get a gravel bike.
So, if you don’t already have one, what even is a gravel bike, and which end of the spectrum should your new bike favor?
Gravel bikes aren’t a miracle option. Not everyone needs or even wants the versatility. Also, with versatility, we often lose specialization.
- Mountain bikes could cross the country, buzzing down smooth highways or across midwest gravel backroads.
- Road bikes can be ridden down forest roads, although they will be jarring and get more flats per smile, and most people won’t take them down singletrack trails.
- Gravel bikes can do all the but they’re not the best at any of them.
Questions I cycle through (pun intended):
- My current gravel bike (Giant Revolt 2) is really great, but is it fast enough for triathlons or group rides?
- Should I get a new wheelset that has road tires, to swap depending on the route?
- I have a turbo trainer and don’t want the hassle of mounting and dismounting all the time.
- Can my gravel bike *really work for an extended bike tour?
- Why not get a dedicated road bike for the trainer and summer group rides and triathlons? … But then what if I want to dip onto a gravel road with the road bike, and now I’m limited again?!
- … *Insert scream and hair pull here.
When Should You Upgrade and Buy Another One?
Another fast answer provides two options:
- If you’re rich, do whatever you want.
- If you are a normal person, let’s talk about how to prioritize buying a new bike.
I, myself, am a person with frivolous paradigm shifts, for any given season.
Spring and Summer, I constantly daydream about bikepacking trips and touring Europe. In fall and winter, my ambitions are all about indoor training blocks and fantasizing about finally blowing through an Ironman (which I have yet even to attempt) or some multi-stage road race.
Take Inventory & Assess
I have a gravel bike (Giant Revolt 2), an old steel road bike (Early-90s Diamondback Centurion), and a mountain bike (Specialized Rockhopper Expert). Do these cover most bases? Objectively, yes, they do.
I also have a Wahoo Kickr Core, but the old steel frame doesn’t fit, without muscling the rear open. This throws off the derailleur angle and obviously puts a heck of a lot of stress on the rear triangle(s).
Not great! Now what? The Revolt and Rockhopper fit, but I want those left as is, to be ready to go anytime I want to ride outside from Spring to Fall.
The Dilemma
Should I get a road bike, which lives on the Wahoo 98% of the year and I use for triathlons and pavement-specific events? If so…
- Do I go cheap, which functions totally fine on the trainer but is heavy and lacking for races, which would make me reconsider getting new wheels for the Revolt anyway, making everything twice as expensive?
- Do I get a more affordable road bike I’d honestly really like (Specialized Allez or Diverge E5) even though it’s a little more spendy, but I’d race with it?
- If I got the Diverge, is that TOO redundant with the Revolt?
- If I got the Allez and something happened to the Revolt, am I stuck riding pavement?
- Am I actually going to do triathlons and road races?
- WOULD a cheap bike on the trainer and (later) upgraded wheels for the Revolt be the actual better choice, and I can swap tires for events?
- If I don’t get a bike, what else can I get? Putting that money toward other gear and equipment I’ve been wanting, I could really check off the wish list and empty the ‘save for later’ basket on REI and Amazon.
- … *Insert scream and hair pull here, again.
My Advice, from Past Poor Decisions…
Get what you want, even if it means waiting.
Step 1: Tackle ten rides on your current bike and dig in.
Mix it up, ride far, ride new roads, ENJOY riding your bike, and take notes.
- What do you want to change?
- Why do you want it to change?
- Is the upgrade for a practical function or a personal feeling?
Step 2: Window shop. Browse around, a lot. Be patient and play like a kid!
- Test ride if you can, I know it’s awkward.
- Dive into forums, participate, and ask questions.
- Put money aside, as if it’s a loan payment, and you will be more intentional about how you spend that cash.
Embrace the INVESTMENT you are about to make. $1000+ is a lot of money that could pay rent, fly you to other countries, or help pay down other debt.
Take your money seriously, and don’t just get something shiny.
Step 3: Treat buying a bike like you treat buying a car.
- Do not settle just because a clean bike at a shop is sitting in front of you.
- You are going to spend countless hours, days, maybe years on this bike.
Why settle now, only to want the next step up next year?
Step 4: Compromise.
Yes, I am back peddling, but bikes worth buying are expensive!
This brings us back to Step 2: Window shop.
The Weight Debate
The weight, frame material, and shifting/functional nuances of drivetrain components are the primary difference between price tiers.
If you are riding for enjoyment (touring or as a means to improve overall fitness), then the weight of the bike shouldn’t matter. 1–3 pounds will be so negligible, and it isn’t worth the extra $1000–2000 unless you’re racing a clock.
I know that stirs emotions, I understand, I can be a weight weenie too.
Let’s be realistic, not all of us have the expendable income to justify paying more money to lose a pound off the bike. With exercise, we’ll lose it off our mid-section anyway, right?
If your goal is to race, of course, the weight makes an incremental difference over the course of an hour or five!
Just be aware that there are people who spend hours of their lives — developing keyboard warrior internet personas — arguing about the weight debate. Unless your goals specifically include going fast and racing a clock, the pound or three between the $1500 bike and the $4000 options are negligible. I digress…
Step 5: Pick something and have fun riding your bike.
I’ll type it louder for those in the back, HAVE FUN RIDING YOUR BIKE.
What Goals Have I Defined for Myself?
I want my quiver to do these things:
- I want a drop bar bike that can handle anything a ride through unknown areas or a literal ride around the world someday, might throw at me.
- I want the option to mountain bike on singletrack or technical bikepacking routes, a proper mountain bike.
- I want my indoor trainer to always be ready for me, with no barriers or effort in the way of starting a ride when the weather sucks.
- I want bikes I enjoy looking at (superficial, I know) and feel good riding because they fit my body well.
Event goals that my quiver should be able to tackle, without faff beyond just packing it up and getting to the start line:
- Tour Divide / GDMBR (USA) — Mountain bike or big tire gravel bike
- Transcontinental Race (Europe) — Road bike or gravel with road tires
- Pacific Coast Bike Race (USA) — Road bike
- Colorado Trail (USA) — Mountain bike
- Triathlons — Road bike
Should You Get a New Bike?
If you need one or want one and have the resources: yes.
Buy a new bike! Just know it’s an investment that you shouldn’t settle on, and be sure to share it on social media because everyone loves #newbikeday
Comment below and let me know how you process these predicaments.
I guarantee someone else will benefit from your $0.02
