Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

Who has ridden the heck out of their sub $3k bike?

3K views 35 replies 28 participants last post by  Rev Bubba 
#1 ·
New bike prices seems through the roof. I bought my BMC Speedfox over 3 years ago for $2k from my LBS and put another ~$200 into it for a dropper and 1x set up. Since then I've put money into parts and upgrades, but I've ridden the thing pretty hard - thousands of miles, huck to flat on ~10' jumps, ~4' drops, dented it from a crash. It's still going strong and I hope to keep for at least a few more years.

Curious, who else got a great deal on a bike and is impressed with it and how well it's held up?
 
#13 ·
Apparently, the mountain bike industry marketing machine is very effective. While I won't say that I'm immune to the allure of the latest and greatest, I've never spent 3k on a bike in my 30+ years of mountain biking. The current pricing for high end (and even not high end) bikes seems ludicrous to me. I buy good stuff on sale and/or build bikes from the frame up. I beat the snot outta my bikes, maintain them myself, and keep riding. I find it laughable that people are upgrading their bikes to the latest model, tech, or "standard" on a regular basis. Damn, I sound like some old retro-grouch!

Text Line Colorfulness Font Parallel


Levitation by Brad Baker, on Flickr
 
#16 ·
Apparently, the mountain bike industry marketing machine is very effective. While I won't say that I'm immune to the allure of the latest and greatest, I've never spent 3k on a bike in my 30+ years of mountain biking.

The current pricing for high end (and even not high end) bikes seems ludicrous to me. I buy good stuff on sale and/or build bikes from the frame up.

I find it laughable that people are upgrading their bikes to the latest model, tech, or "standard" on a regular basis.
Bike companies gotta squeeze every last dime they can out of easily fooled customers. Mind you if you are rich, have the money and can afford a $3k+ bike then it dont matter if you ride it or not. Have that bike for a few years, get a couple scratches on it until its collecting dust in the shed, storage locker or attic. Most people would rather drive to the corner store then ride their bicycles. Grab their Dorito's chips and Coca Cola and eat in front of the TV.
 
#2 ·
I love to spend a quality time day with my bikes! Don't need an excuse either cause the bike is keeping me going! I didn't need to dump a ton into my Wildcat but the return on investment cannot be calculated. Unfortunately, I have scoliosis and cannot do the freeride thang these days however, I do love a good descent, a good flow trail and getting trialsy with the opportunity.

Bicycle tire Bicycle wheel Tire Wheel Bicycle frame
 
#3 · (Edited)
I don't know how well a bike will hold up hucking to flat, but I have a ten year old aluminum 29er that gets more mileage than any other bike. I'm just an XC guy though. It was my only bike for seven years.

I removed all the low end parts and rebuilt it when I purchased it. I added lightweight and reliable parts and it's basically been flawless during that time. I did replace the derailleur once.

It has been ridden and raced in 12 hour endurance events, XC races, regional races, and survives Pisgah, annually. It's now my family bike. I use to take my daughter on and off road riding with my wife. So far, it has 800 miles on it this year.
 
#6 ·
I rode a $2K Giant Anthem 29 for 7 years. Yes, I broke the frame twice, but Giant replaced it both times. I spent $30 on a "new" set of bars (one of the mechanics at my LBS took them off his Trance SX - so I replaced my 690 stock bars with his barely used 730) and I eventually spent some money replacing the stock wheels when I wore the rear hub out and wanted something that was actually designed to work tubeless. My son is now riding that bike.


Don't even get me started on my single speed. Bits and pieces of that have been around for 10 years...
 
#7 ·
My first "expensive" mountain bike was a used 2007 Stumpjumper Expert that I paid $2500 for back in 2008. At the time, it was considered fairly high-end with a Fox Talas fork, Fox Float/Brain shock, SRAM XO drive train, Avid Juicy 7 brakes, DT Swiss rims, etc. I rode that thing for 10 years and it was pretty great.

It was definitely sticker shock to see bike pricing when I was in the market for a new bike a couple of years ago. To get that same kind of build today you'd be paying $6k or more. I ended up buying a fairly low-end build with an aluminum frame on close out for $3400. I started selling take off parts to replace things with better quality parts I found on the used market. It still worked out to being well over $4k, but at least the hit was a bit more spread out.

In the last few years, the rise of direct retailers like Jeffsy and Canyon has meant you can get pretty decent builds for around $3k. One of the biggest expense points is carbon so if you're willing to go with aluminum you can save a lot. The Ibis Ripmo AF for $3k is a great deal, for example.
 
#8 ·
I've never owned a bike that cost more than $2k, and barely even that. first world problems. I understand why bikes cost as much as they do, but I don't know people justify these purchases. granted, most of the people I ride around make big $$$ in the tech industry in senior level positions, but what weirds me out is people who have huge debts, regular expenses, modest incomes, and high-end bikes that don't match their lifestyle.
 
#35 ·
I have a coworker that makes less then half of what I make and he drives a new car, has a new motorcycle that he loves to customize. He is always worried about the next paycheck though.
Last year I bought a new mountain bike that cost me over $1000 and I was thinking how glad I was that I had a "decent" bike going downhill. Then I look over and this old guy passed me, flying downhill in some beat up bike from the 90s. I was amazed.
 
#11 ·
Now that I think about it, the only bike(s) I have had zero problem with are my 2 BD fatbikes. Sold 1 to a friend who is still enjoying it. My current 29er is doing pretty well, but it hasn't been really tested yet. Behind those are 2 broken 29er frames since '07 and 3 broken 26er frames from the 90's, so I'm saying these rate pretty good right now.

-F
 
#12 ·
Two years ago next month I bought a 2008 Jamis Dragon 29'er hard tail used for $300. Since then I've put 2800 trail miles on it including a lift served park day at Trestle, the Monarch Crest Trail, the 401 in Crested Butte, several segments of the Colorado trail, a 3 day bikepacking trip on the Kokopelli Trail from Fruita to Moab, the 100+ mile White Rim trail in Canyonlands in a day, and many dozens of rides on local and regional trails. I figure by the time I've had the bike 2 years, my investment will be below $0.10 per mile. This isn't my only bike, but I love to ride it so I grab it at least half the time.

Wheel Bicycle tire Tire Bicycle wheel rim Bicycle frame


Bicycle tire Bicycle wheel Bicycle frame Wheel Tire
 
#14 ·
I’m still riding my 8-year-old, $900 Trek hardtail. It was my first “real” mountain bike and not sure I can ever part with it.

Done a number of upgrades over the years: fork, wheelset, 1x drivetrain, brakes and cockpit stuff. It’s feeling as dialed in now as any bike I’ve ever owned.

I’ve never added up the $$$ spent on upgrades for it, but I’m enjoying it more than ever so that seems like a pointless exercise!

Coming up on 2500 total miles on that hardtail, and while I now have a nice full-suspension bike (Yeti SB5C) I still love riding my hardtail on tamer, XC trails.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#15 ·
I've made upgrades as parts have worn out. I consistently put about 800-1000 miles on the fatty each year. I especially love the look of walkers on paved trails-they can hear you 100' away; and the kids always say "wow! that's what I want for Christmas".

In hindsight and if I would have known how much I love riding fattys, I would have bought the top of the line Fatboy $3k+. life is short. You aren't taking any cash to your grave. If you have it, spend your cash on something healthy and that you enjoy.

Otherwise, the last bike I bought new below $2-3k was a 1992 GT Rictor (forrest green). I think it was around $1k, came with a RS Mag10. That bike was decimated in 6 mos from wear-and-tear. I think I got it in June 1992 and replaced it with a Zaskar in Jan 1993.
 
#22 ·
Still riding my 2014 SC Superlight 29. MSRP was around $2000, I bought it when it was a year old for less. Had to replace the crap Avid brakes with some Shimanos pretty quickly. Over the years I've replaced the fork, headset, added a dropper, etc but still cheap overall. Not modern geometry but suits me well with the shorter wheelbase on our twisty trails.

Second bike is a 2017 Kona Unit, msrp was under a grand, also bought it used. I ride it rigid. Not the fastest bike on the trail pointed downhill but lots of fun and that matters more to me.

You don't have to spend a whole lot to have fun on a mountain bike.
 
#23 ·
Until now I've never owned a bike costing more than about 1500 but I upgrade parts. Frames have never failed me yet. Haven't found a need for high end parts for upgrades either. Never a problem. My fat bike I'm second owner, been beating it for years myself and other than upgrading drivetrain because stock one was wore out and rebuilding with better rims I just keep beating it. One day frame will die but I'll keep it till that day.

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk
 
#36 ·
My current road bike, a Cannondale CAAD 12 Ultegra, cost me around $1500 purchased through a military source and I ride the heck out of that. Aluminum is the new super metal.

I got a first generation Giant Trance frame for free because the rep wanted me on a Giant. I switched over most of the parts from another bike. Had that for seven years? Almost free is good.

Aside from weight, a $2000 bike should be fine. Performance wise, SLX works about as well as XTR these days.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top