Buy the bike you already own. Figure out the absolute most you would earn for your machine on the used market (not much these days), look up what the new-new would run (it’s probably on sale), and then compare the difference to your absolute worst-case service scenario (or, best-case scenario if that money is feeling hot-hot-hot in your pocket) and you’ll know what it would cost to ride your dream bike.
If your rig is from the last five or so years the geometry is great, the suspension design* is solid, and it uses current standards from the hub spacing, to the headset sizing, and so on. If you bought wisely waaaaay back when then small parts and frame member support from the bike manufacturer is probably excellent as well.
*{ASS-you-me-ing it’s not a hardtail}
I’ve seen some extreme examples, but chances are for significantly less money than the difference between your old bike and your new bike you could keep riding your current bicycle, fully refreshed and nicely upgraded. Service the fork and shock, rebuild the hubs and dropper, bleed the brakes, and so on and so on. Heck, if you’re interested the budget may include tools to tackle some of the work yourself. Money Ball! Have you considered it might be time for some fresh wheels?
Excited, yet? Bike-nerding is supposed to be fun!
{Cover photo: I never want to FAAFO with the salmon syndicate, but I was spiritually impelled to use this sweet Matt Wragg photo of his Formula Selva. Not sorry.}
The thing is, none of this is fresh trail for me to skid down and that goes for many of you few folks reading MEATengines as well. I love my stuff that looks a bit beaten but still works like new, and if you’re here then chances are that you do too.
So, why am I so fired up as I’m typing this? Hang on tight with both hands, I’m not hyperbolizing when I state that Matt Wragg’s recent Pinkbike piece, Opinion: Keeping the Spark Alive, isn’t just the most important article they’ll publish in 2025 it’s probably the most important piece the site has ever processed. BAM!
{Drewitors note: it’s also very well written – link below}
It may be hard to true this wheel if you’re already in love with the idea of ‘forever’ bikes. Of repurposing your old hardtail as a commuter. Of buying an awesome old(er) model mountain bicycle to fix up for your friend, partner, or kid getting into the activity. Of grinding ‘one more year’ out of the mountain bicycle you’ve been talking about replacing since three sets of tires ago.
But, the fact is that the biggest, loudest, farthest-reaching voice in mountain bike culture (Pinkbike.com) so elegantly elucidating that it’s okay, even awesome, for everyone to consider riding our current rigs, for whatever reason makes sense, instead of buying the so fresh and so clean, clean and new is huge.
Anywho, this preamble is already thrice as long as intended and I’m not cutting anything else, so here’s a tasty quote I pulled to sink the hook, and then Matt’s piece is linked below:
“Yes, it is easy to talk about expanding the market and harder to do it. Modern capitalism makes it harder still – how do you explain to shareholders that you are pouring money into trail networks that might show a return in five to ten years’ time? It is certainly easier to add carbon, wifi and an exciting colour to return a nice quarterly profit.“
Opinion: Keeping The Spark Alive
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