Are Expensive Bikes Worth It?

On social media and YouTube channels like mine, you can get the impression that you need an expensive bike to enjoy cycling, but that couldn't be further from the truth. In the wise words of friend of the channel, Eric of Spindatt: "every bike is a good time!" Sure, an expensive bike will be nicer than a cheap bike, but are expensive bikes actually worth it? In what world does a $660 fixed gear drivetrain make sense?

The bike I ride, channel sponsor, pretty cool people:

Mildly ironic Reasonably Dangerous cycling shirts:

60% of all vehicle trips were less than 6 miles:

What is the Total Cost of Owning a Car?:

0:00 - Bike can get pretty expensive
0:50 - How much does my bike cost?
5:17 - No, you don't NEED an expensive bike
7:47 - Are expensive bikes worth it?

Zane Kolnik
Scott Palangi
Ryan Witt
Robby Andaya
Kelvin Ho
Justin Javier
Julian Corona
Henry Grant
Gio Dezera
David K
Brandon Black

Young Architect
Todd Brannan
Simon Newton
Seungwan Kim
@nicodache
Nick
Michael Greif
MichaelRutchik
Martin Mohr
M.
Javier Lopez
Epilektric
Dominc Jones
Crash
Chris

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#fixedgear

[StephenWebb]

I think if you intend to ride a bike regularly, it's definitely worth it to spend as much as you can on a bike, however it's definitely true that you don't need super high end components

[waynehollard]

As a way to try fixed gear, I bought a cheap but run down bike from fb marketplace. A few parts, spray paint and some elbow grease and I'm ridin fixed (and lovin it btw) for sub £150 😎

[leemanwrong]

Nah not worth it for me. I still enjoy riding the $150 fixie i bought 10 years ago. I usually replace the tyres each year, i'm on my third seat and last year i replaced all the bearings and the chain for the first time. I find satisfaction in riding something that was cheap to buy, cheap to maintain and reliably gets me where i need to go.

[GordonMoat]

Some may say I spent “too much”, but I really like every I’ve changed/added to my fixed gear. I got some Cinelli items, because I like them. Got really nice Fabric (brand) grips, paired with Hope bar ends. Recently got some Pirelli P Zero tires. Nice Izumi chain goes with some expensive Silca Secret formula chain lube and an Omni Racer Ti Ceramic bottom bracket, for a ridiculously smooth pedaling experience. To me, all worth it.

[johnnysilverhand]

Sick. Rad you got that phil wood bb. For me dropping unnecessary $$ on my bike just makes me even more stoked to ride so it’s worth it, even if i’m always broke. I Havnt hit the $2k mark though. Yet.

[acoffeewithsatan]

As any other hobby (this one differentiating by the fact it doubles as a useful commuter / investment), the best bang for your buck can quickly turn into a leisure expense just for the sake of it. Although neither are fixies, I've ridden a steel frame road bike I've built around an old hybrid cycle that had been given to me on the absolute budget, using old, cheap parts. Only very recently I've bought a proper fitting and "legit" road bike, though still fairly low-end and second-hand, and it shows just how poor my old one is, weighing almost double and the frame geometry being all wrong for my size and riding posture. It still served me just fine and would continue to, wouldn't it be for the mechanical issues beyond adjustment that made it too unreliable for commuting, which I hope to do. Despite all that, the new bike still sports low-end Microshift gearing and a steel fork, among other frugal aspects. This to say, while it can be fun to have fully custom bikes that certainly pay up in enjoyment, even the most basic, inexpensive stuff can work for you.

[johnparedes]

Don’t ride fixed but I got a baller commuter bike, do I still get some cred? Yeah for sure, I got mid to high end components that are probably double the cost of the frame but man it’s a smooth and trouble free ride. Good components are worth the investment though in terms of reliability.

[xachiemissionedaugal]

The total value of my bike is more or less 25k pesos, I Know it's cheap but here in the Philippines it's alot of money and it's enough to make me happy

[sonymicronin]

I’m too scared to know how much I spent on my bike, all I know is that it’s enough for me not to spend on anything for months

[coreygolphenee]

My bike co op mks sylvan and beat up toshi doubles have been the best 35 bucks I've ever spent in my life

[manusplanet]

Hi, can I use fixie crankset for 1x11 conversion?

[Casual_BackPacking]

I'm glad you finally went brakeless. I was watching your videos back when you had that purple single speed

[EvendimataE]

the critical parts are those with cheap bearings wear out fast.... and you will be needing to tighten those parts all the short, just dont buy those walmart bikes that are around $100

[WesternUranus]

Bought an Unknonw Singularity in 58 to replace the 6KU fixie I fell in love with cycling on.

Not worth it as the reach and the stack make it too small for me ;(
Weird as my 6KU barcelona is also a 58, different geometries I guess

Any idea on how to make it fit ?

[sketchy]

I don't want to know how much I've spent. I love my bike and that is all that matters.

[sebastianlafont]

dam i want moosebars, been trying to get them for more than a year now.

[psychoaiko]

Well you do need to exchange chain and cog every once in a while, so there's a maintenance cost to riding a (fixed gear)bike
Oh and eventually bearings will wear out after a couple of years or so, depending on mileage

[cocotaco_]

Yo Zach! Is your toe cage's size large?

[MattSezer]

It's not a lot for a bike, but spending over 50% of the out of pocket costs on contact points is insane. You spent over double what you spent on your wheelset and more than what your frameset cost on contact points. It's fine if you want to spend that kind of money, but don't pretend that other than the saddle, there are significant tangible benefits to spending that much. There are other components that'll get your body in similar positions for way less.

[benjaminstevens]

Every time you can feasibly send your dollars to ethical companies and or support local or smaller manufacturers is worth any premiums you can afford to pay.