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Cheap Bikes vs expensive bikes - what are the real differences?



 
 
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Old August 12th 03, 08:50 PM
The Real Slim Shady
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Default Cheap Bikes vs expensive bikes - what are the real differences?

Hi,
I am far from an expert on these things but will offer my opinions. I have
just got a bike for £1100 -an Orbea Liege. I am absolutely over the moon
with it. I used to have a cheaper £120 "racer" a Falcon Butler or
something. All I can say is that the difference is PHENOMENAL. That
cheaper racer might have been perfectly adequate for most folks pottering
about. However, I have road racing ambitions and want to get up to speed.

For a start the Liege weighs about 8.7kg, most quality bikes will be
something similar. The other bike was nearer to 20kg !! Not much of a
difference? Over 25 miles its a big difference believe me !!! Try carrying
two 15lb Christmas turkeys around with you a bit and you'll see what I mean.
It handles much better. It flys around corners and is responsive - it
almost tells if you are not riding properly

Secondly the gear changing and ratios of those gears are like comparing a
clapped out mini to a BMW M5. In another league altogether. The gear
changing is light, crisp and immediate - no clanking around whilst it misses
the change and you lose all your momentum!! I feel much more confident with
the braking system. I was always very nervous on my old bike when
approaching a down hill bend and I would be braking at the top of the hill
practically. Now I can sail around at speed and with confidence about what
the bike will do, no problem.

When on my old bike I sometimes got mingled in with a load of road racers on
Tueday evenings when cycling out on my own. These guys would just blow me
away. Now I can easily keep up with most of them and can overtake many of
them.

I don't think you have to spend quite as much as I did but I think you will
find that in cycling like many other things in life, you really do what you
pay for. The way I looked at it was that I wanted the bike to last me two
years. Okay, an "extra" £500 for a better bike over two years is peanuts -
less than a fiver or two pints of beer a week. If I was going to be
Armstrong/Ullrich material at the end of this period (not likely for a 36
year old, admitedly) then I would spend whatever necessary. If not then I
have had the enjoyment from a lovely bike. So far it has given me great fun
and I love it.

Good luck.




"Pyromancer" wrote in message
...

First off, thanks to all who answered my Brompton questions, I'll be
obtaining one at some point in the not too distant future!

Having read quite a few threads (well, glanced through them when time
permits, anyway), I've noticed that the "wisdom of the group" appears to
be that an entry-level machine should cost between 350 and 500 quid, and
that spending well over a grand for a good upright or 'bent is perfectly
reasonable.

I've never ridden an "expensive" bike, the last one I had (which got
nicked) cost me a tenner 2nd hand, and only cost the original owner
about 80 quid when it was new. Big, heavy, clunky MTB type thing, but
solidly put together and seemed to work pretty well. Prior to that I'd
various bikes in the 100 quid range over the years, except I did once
buy a racer off a cousin which had once cost about 400, and that was
noticeably lighter than some of the others.

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?

Btw, my first bike was by a company called "Vindec" (IIRC), and was a
clone of the Raleigh Chopper. 3 speed S/A hub gears, soft fat tyres,
great fun for a teenager though! I've not seen bikes like that for
years, does anyone still make them, or did the BMX craze kill them off?

--
- Pyromancer, speaking for himself.
http://www.inkubus-sukkubus.co.uk -- Pagan Gothic Rock!
http://www.littlematchgirl.co.uk -- Electronic Metal!
http://www.revival.stormshadow.com -- The Gothic Revival.



 




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