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Old August 13th 03, 09:03 AM
Peter Clinch
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Default Cheap Bikes vs expensive bikes - what are the real differences?

Pyromancer wrote:

Having read quite a few threads (well, glanced through them when time
permits, anyway), I've noticed that the "wisdom of the group" appears t=

o
be that an entry-level machine should cost between 350 and 500 quid


It depends what area you're looking at. For someone starting off with a =

general purpose bike just to get about on I'd personally put a good=20
entry level at around =A3200, for which you can get a sound basic bike=20
that does the stuff as long as it's sensibly specced (i.e., no full=20
suspension or disc brakes at that price). In that area you've got mass=20
production economies of scale and supply competition is intense to keep=20
prices low. OTOH, if you want good sports machinery (on or off road)=20
you'd probably be better off spending the =A3350-=A3500 mentioned above.

that spending well over a grand for a good upright or 'bent is perfectl=

y
reasonable.


Yup!

Anyway, the thing I'm wondering is what, exactly, do you get for the
extra money? I'm not knocking it, just curious as to what is the real
difference between a 100 quid ex-catalogue hybrid from the bike shop
down the road and the kind of (to me) esoteric hardware that gets
mentioned here?


Everything just works better, smoother and more easily for longer.=20
Adjustments tend to be more infrequent, and when they need doing they're =

generally more painless. Things don't break off because they're poorly=20
made. The whole riding experience is a more pleasurable one, with your=20
bike almost coercing you to get out and use it.

Pete.
--=20
Peter Clinch University of Dundee
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

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