New bike day is always a great day, but knowing when the right time to go out and grab yourself a new one is, might not be so obvious. A new road bike is something to be celebrated so Sam Gupta has rounded up 8 reasons why you should consider when deciding on when you should purchase your next one. Let us know, what was the reason that made you want to go and buy your last bike?
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00:00Recently I put out a video talking about the bike that I have sworn to never ever sell and I stand
00:06by that I genuinely never will but once that video went out it did get me thinking if I didn't have
00:13such a deep affiliation with that bike what are the things that I might otherwise be ignoring
00:17and are actually some pretty blatant signs that I should in actual fact change my bike.
00:23So here are eight signs that you should probably replace your bike.
00:30Much like cars bikes need maintaining and also like cars sometimes the cost of maintenance is
00:40higher than the value of the bike itself. It's at the point at which the repair costs more than the
00:46cost of maintenance that it doesn't really make too much sense to keep plowing money into something
00:51that is only going to keep costing you more money. The caveat to this is that if the cost of repair
00:57does exceed the value of the bike but the cost of maintenance means that you will get a decent
01:02number of extra years then it could potentially be worth it. Just be prepared for a similar service
01:08cost further down the line. Now how far down the line purely depends on how well you look
01:13after your bike and how much you use it. Depending on what is actually wrong with it especially if it's
01:19I think pretty fundamental buying a new bike will mean that you rid yourself of any pesky gremlins and
01:26you'll start with a blank canvas. This is also important to consider when buying a second hand
01:31bike. It may be new to you but it's not brand new so do be careful and when in doubt get some advice
01:38from someone in the know. In my early years of taking cycling seriously I absolutely loved racing.
01:49As such an aggressive geometry is all that I wanted. A slam stem with turned in hoods or narrow bars
01:56was the order of the day. However since I've now hung up my racing wheels and I've turned my attention
02:01to taking on longer rides and a fresh set of challenges a race bike is no longer the correct
02:07tool for the job. Instead something which is a bit more suited to my new style of riding
02:12is absolutely needed. A slightly longer wheelbase with wider ties and a bit more stack suited my
02:19needs perfectly. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that since road bikes have been created to
02:24be perfect for every style of riding out there then it's worth considering that you may be missing out
02:30on using the right tool for the job. For example you don't really want to be using an endurance bike
02:35for racing or vice versa. You'll get your most out of the time on the road when you're riding the right
02:41bike.
02:48Sometimes it's not your style of riding that changes but instead it's your body that does.
02:53It's no secret that as we get older we lose some of our flexibility. Of course if you stay on top of
02:58your stretching then you will be able to maintain most of it. However if you don't then try to stick
03:04with a bike that no longer caters for your new set of bodily limitations will just make cycling painful.
03:10Changes can be made to your bike fit. For example stems can be shortened. Depending on your bike
03:16spaces can be added to the steerer tube underneath the stem and you could possibly always roll the
03:22bars back. All of these things help reduce the reach of the bike. However do be prepared for all of
03:28these changes to result in your bike not feeling the same as it used to and maybe not for the better.
03:36Much like my last point if you can no longer ride comfortably and you're having to make lots of
03:40changes to try and get your bike to fit you maybe that's the ultimate sign that your bike just isn't
03:46right for you anymore. In this instance I would fully recommend getting a bike fit and learning the
03:51full extent of what your limiting factors are and then finding a bike which is perfectly matched to
03:56them. Plus when you go through that process alongside a bike fitter if changes do need to
04:02be made they'll be able to make them in a way that doesn't compromise what the bike is actually like
04:06to ride itself. N plus one is a pretty well-known rule in cycling. The N of course stands for the
04:18number of bikes you currently own and the plus one means that you always need another. However we might
04:24not always need another bike quite frankly sometimes we just want another bike and in my book that is a
04:31totally justifiable sign that you should get a new one. Perhaps a new model of your current bike has
04:37been released and you just want it that's okay go and get it it's your money and if you want to go and
04:44get yourself that new bike then do it. Nothing beats new bike day and if there's something out there
04:49that you just can't take your eyes off then do it. Treat yourself and go and enjoy it.
05:00There's no doubt that following a training plan is one of the biggest contributing factors
05:04to getting faster. However if you've been training away on your budget-friendly road bike and you're
05:11now hitting a plateau in your speed and not really making any considerable steps forwards perhaps it's now
05:18time to consider what you're riding. A new bike can make you faster in a number of ways this could be
05:24down to less weight improved aerodynamics increased efficiency or even just the lowering of your rolling
05:30resistance. Without knowing what your individual starting point is there could potentially be a rather
05:36large gain to be had. Of course it's not just the speed that may increase but better brakes will allow
05:42to stop later and improve gearing will mean that you can refine your cadence. Moreover if you find yourself
05:49climbing off a bike which wasn't really designed with speed in mind and then jumping on a bike that was
05:55it's very likely that you're going to be put into a much more aerodynamic position and that will make a huge
06:01difference to how much faster you can go. To reference some of my other points in this video though just be sure you're not
06:07putting yourself in a position that simply isn't right and if you're not sure what that is well then go
06:13and see a bike fitter. You will not regret it.
06:22It's a very obvious thing to say but people ride bikes literally everywhere on the road and off of it.
06:29Basically anywhere a human can go there's a solid chance that a bike can go there too.
06:33This then poses the potential situation of a rider wanting to change up where they ride their bike.
06:39Perhaps you first fell in love with mountain biking but now you want to partake in the best discipline
06:44in my opinion and join the vast number of lycra clad road cyclists.
06:51There's a chance that if you ever did decide to switch disciplines altogether that you may not want
06:55to ride your mountain bike for example on the road or maybe ever again. So that means only one thing
07:02a new bike is in order. Don't get me wrong though you can ride any bike you like wherever you like
07:08and it's of course possible to make changes to your steed to help it perform better wherever you decide to
07:14ride it. But using the right tool for the job is always best.
07:17If your bike has been reduced to a pile of snap tubes and scuffed up components then this is probably
07:29the most visible sign that you need a new bike. That goes without saying. Sometimes though in the
07:35unfortunate times when we do crash our bikes don't always just explode into a number of different
07:40pieces. They may dent, they may crack or they may just bend depending on what material they're made of.
07:46If your frame is made out of metal there's a better chance that it won't crack and any damage could
07:52potentially be repairable. This is obviously entirely case-by-case dependent however with carbon
07:57you have to be a little bit more careful. Cracks can sometimes be harder to spot and hairline fractures
08:04can develop into something a little bit more sinister if they're not dealt with very quickly.
08:10If you have crashed a carbon bike I always recommend making sure that you get it looked at
08:14by a carbon fiber specialist to ensure that it really is safe. This is why I'm personally a pretty
08:21big fan of metal frames. You know where you stand with them. My advice here really is not to take any
08:28risks. If you're unsure about the road worthiness of your bike then go and get it checked out by a
08:33professional. It's not uncommon for cyclists to own their bikes for a really long time. In fact I know
08:45for sure that a lot of you will have owned your bikes for around 10 years potentially even 20 plus
08:51and in that time there will have been countless innovations and upgrades to group sets, frames, wheels
08:58and tires. The list really is endless. This results in one thing, that tech does become outdated.
09:05Now I'm not here to say whether or not newer tech is better than what it's replacing but if you
09:11subscribe to the idea that cycling tech is getting better then you'll also agree that tech does get
09:17outdated. If you find yourself looking at your bike and wondering what the current crop of bikes
09:21really do offer people then head down to your local bike shop and give a bike a test ride. You
09:28might find that you like what you ride and you could be in for a surprise with how much things have
09:33changed. Perhaps those disc brakes that you've been complaining about but have never tried might not be
09:39that bad after all. This video really is just a bit of fun and it's totally up to you on when you
09:46want to buy a new bike. It's your money and you don't need me or anyone else telling you how to
09:51spend it. These are just a few reasons that are worth paying attention to that may indicate that
09:57it's time to consider your options. Let me know down below what was it that made you decide to buy
10:02your last bike. If you enjoyed the video then please do drop it a like, subscribe to the channel
10:07for more content and I'll see you again very soon.