How often do you change your bike?

[rhinochopig]

I can't remember the last time that I saw someone riding an MTB older than about 3 years old. So is it just me or do people really change their bikes that often these days?

[skudupnorth]

Just changed my 1995 Muddy Fox for a Sprecialized Rockhopper and Sirrus Elite Hybrid (ride to work scheme).Nothing wrong with the old Fox,my brother is now the carer of the old girl.

[coupeboy]

I'm on my second year with my winter bike, had the prevoius one for five years, change my racing bike every couple of seasons.

[P-Jay]

Hmmm, well I've bought a new bike every year since '05 but hadn't really thought about it like that.

Bought my first bike for a decade in 05 a GH I Drive from halfords on a R2W. Horrible bike but got me really into it,

Changed that for a Spesh Endruo Expert in '06 which is awesome and I still have it.

Bought a Norco A-line in '07 when I have my mini-midlife crisis and took up DH at 30. Good bike, but lacked kudos (yes I'm a tart).

Bought a Cove shocker custom build last year to replace the Aline which is stunning.

I was going to replace the Endruo with ether a tracer VP, SX Trail or an intense 6.6 in the spring but the recession killed off my bonus so I'll have to wait.

Hopefully I'll be able to trade well through this year and change it next. I saw a bit about the new Evil DH bike that Steve Smith will be riding, looks amazing. They say they're doing a 6" allmountain frame next. If that plans out and it reviews well I think I'll get one of them.

It's like cars I guess, the GT was a st bike and had to go, but the Norco was fine, but I get used to them after a while and there's such a ready market for second-hand bikes there's always someone who'll take it off you for a sensible amount of money if it's in good nick.

[arryb]

Had my first racing bike (Dawes bottom of the range yellow and blue thing ) aged 12, kept that and it's still in the garage, got my second racing bike in 2006 (2005 Trek 1500) and ride that regularly still, just bought my first mtb (2008 Giant XTC A1) and will probably keep it for a good while yet, but then I am a student so can't really afford to upgrade bikes often

[gbbird]

I am a bit of a bike we and tend to add to my collection every two years or so. I never let the old ones go though

[vwsurfbum]

when i first got back into mtb i got throught 9 frames in the first year, and far too much money building each one up as not all bits are transfeable?
happy with what i have now but want to down size the frame as its its a large and i should really be on a medium.

[crossle]

I'm still on my 1991 Raleigh Amazon. It gets me three miles to and from the station every day, it comes on every family holiday and it even survived six years in Abu Dhabi & Qatar.

Why change it? It's all original except tyres, brake blocks and saddle...

[Jimbo.]

rhinochopig said:

I can't remember the last time that I saw someone riding an MTB older than about 3 years old. So is it just me or do people really change their bikes that often these days?

I'd imagine a lot of it is "Triggers Broom" i.e. older frames wearing newer parts. Newer parts = easier to ID = appears newer.

[Beyond Rational]

The age of bikes seems to vary a bit at different locations, I think I see more older bikes at the more locally known spots with people coming from much shorter distances. Well known sites further from conurbations seem to attract the more equipement centric in comparison.

[snotrag]

3 frames last year, will probably do another 3 at least this year.

Its impossible to count actual bikes, as they morph from one to another and take on different forms, its only possible to count frames. Sometimes i'll have 3 or 4 bikes built up, sometimes just one.

But then, I do pay trade price

ETa - that certainly does not mean there all new though - often flit between brand spanking next years models, to something half as old as me again.

Edited by snotrag on Sunday 11th January 20:24

[Mr_C]

I keep mine till I snap the frame usually, then I just get a different frame...

[mat205125]

Mr_C said:

I keep mine till I snap the frame usually, then I just get a different frame...

Same as that really. When something wears out or breaks, upgrade it for the next model up, and follow the Trigger's broom philosophy of bike shopping.

I do agree with the OP, there is a lot of "new bike bling" attitude out there. People seem to feel it is essential to have the latest bikes draped in the latest kit all the time .... Many magazines and forums pronouncing last years kit as st when the next years stuff comes out doesn't help, however unless you are improving in fitness and ability at an increadible rate, last years kit was perfectly adequate then and remains so now. I always chuckle when I overhear conversations between some bikers willy waving about how much they have spent since their last ride ... If their cars needed that much monthly expenditure they would have got rid of them months ago.

Brand-New-Bike-Bling addicts financial loss is our gain - lots of perfectly servicable and quality kit for beer money on ebay.

ETA

Being a green eyed monster, I'm always shocked at the number of school aged kids that appear to have delivered 1,000,000 papers a day since they could walk, to fund the latest DH rigs .... Can understand those lucky enough to have well off parents, however there are a fair few with these bikes that get delivered to the trials in their parents average joe eurobox. All in favour of people spending their cash on their own set of priorities, but still cuss and curse in jealousy Always take false consolation in the fact that I must be 10 times the rider they will ever be, having learnt my "skills" on a 50lb Raleigh Mustang with Cheng Shin bacolite tyres

Edited by mat205125 on Tuesday 13th January 13:53

[threesixty]

Once a year. They've usually had it by then.

Although im not riding so much these days so my M6 might hang around abit longer.

Got a nice collect of frames to make a wall display when i move into my new place!