When do you replace your bike (Page 2)

I've replaced both my road bikes and my tri bike in the last two years. One of the road bikes because I finally got the funds to build my dream bike and the other bike because I stumbled upon a great deal on the frame and had all the components/wheels etc. already. The tri bike was bought as I was sold a frame previously that was too small (the dealer did the fitting and ignored discussing my riding style, and I was too inexperienced to ask... result=couldn't stay in the aero position for entire races). Got refitted and now I'm faster than ever.

With these bikes, I'm set for at least another 3-5 years (maybe longer unless something amazing comes along)

3 years is nothing.  I replaced my my 1992 Bianchi last year, and mrs gearboy's 1985 Shogun this year.  My mtn bike is about 11 years old, and if I rode trails more often, I would justify an upgrade to have disc brakes. 

If the bike fits, and it works for you, no need to replace it.  If you want to justify it for upgraded frames or components, go for it.  But realistically I don't think there is some new technology that has come out in the last year or two that completely blows away the "old" system, the way that index shifting replaced friction, or integrated shifters on road bikes replaced downtube shifters, or the advent of disc brakes on mtn bikes, etc.

And people who replace bikes every couple of years are (sometimes) putting out on the market some really nice bikes for people getting into cycling (my one friend got a used Giant OCR with 105 components for around $400 - needed some wheel truing and a smaller seat post, but he couldn't touch a new bike for that price.  And being a cheap b*stard, he would have kept struggling on road rides with his 12 year old mountain bike.) So I'm not putting down the practice, just saying you don't need to feel that a 3 year old bike is ancient history.

Agree completely with adding rather than replacing.  I've got a Nishiki that I bought in about 1990, still mostly stock (except for a couple of things that broke & couldn't be fixed) that used for my first 1.5 seasons of triathlon and still ride sometimes.

Last year I got a Ti frame Motobecane.  I figure I might upgrade some of the components over time, but I expect the frame to last forever.

If I found myself with money to spare, I might add a carbon tri bike or maybe a mountain bike.

But if I worked in a bike shop (especially on commission), I might try to shame people into replacing their bikes every two years at most...

Edited by tjh 2009-09-13 10:03 PM