If you go into a bike shop, they may ask you your budget. If you say £200, they may say, if you spend £300 you can get a really good bike. If you say your budget is £100, they may say, if you only spend £200 you can get a much better deal. There is an old saying that you get what you pay for. With bikes this is quite true. For a town bike, I would want to spend £300. Yet, for some bikes I can easily spend £500 on just a wheel. These are some things to consider when deciding how much to spend on a bike.
How much will you use it?
Try and be honest with yourself. Some people get excited about cycling, spend £1000 on a bike then only ride it twice. If you are uncertain, buy a cheaper bike to start off.
Diminishing Returns.
The first £200 will get a decent bike. If you spend an extra £100 the bike will be quite a bit better – lighter, stronger, better components. But, it won’t go much faster. If you spend £1,500 rather than £1,000 the improvement in performance will be quite marginal. If you are an average bike user, you may not really notice the difference that much.
How Much would you spend on a car.
I know some people who happily spend £10,000 on a car; but, then are reluctant to spend more than £150 on a good bike. Bike’s are very good value compared to other forms of transport.
Is it likely to get stolen.
There is nothing worse than having a bike stolen. Consider where you will be riding and leaving it. If you are choosing a bike to commute into town, choose one which looks less desirable to steal. If you have a £200 bike stolen no harm – but, if it £1,000 you will always be nervous about locking it up.
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