Bike Snob - Anonymous [44]
It’s perfectly normal to want to upgrade. It’s human nature. Stuff gets old, and you don’t notice it’s getting old—until you see it next to some new stuff. Then the old stuff looks bad, and you have to have the new stuff. It spreads like a disease. You put a new part on your bike, then the part next to it looks crappy, so you’ve got to replace that one as well. Before you know it you’ve replaced every single part on the bike, but it’s still the same bike you had before, only a lot more expensive.
The upgrade bug is extremely dangerous because human nature itself is inherently dangerous. And what’s even more dangerous is that anybody with even the most rudimentary marketing skills knows how to prey on human nature, and how to create a frenzy of need. We all know what the frenzy of need feels like. It certainly isn’t limited to bikes. If you waited on line when the new iPhone came out, you felt the frenzy of need. If you’ve ever hovered over a computer keyboard in order to snag tickets to a show, you’ve felt the frenzy of need. If you’ve ever seen a celebrity wear a certain article of clothing, and then read certain style authorities anoint that article of clothing the next must-have, and then suddenly felt like you were a hobo wearing pants made out of burlap, you’ve felt the frenzy of need. And the frenzy of need is even more effective when it comes to bike stuff, because there’s that pretense of performance. After all, new technology is better, and bikes are meant to be efficient and fast. So a new component with better technology that’s faster and more efficient is a must-have, right? You’ve have to be crazy not to want it!
But it’s very easy to unwittingly downgrade when you think you’re upgrading. That’s because most components these days come out of the same handful of factories and are simply branded and marketed after the fact. Too often, you’re not buying a better part—you’re only buying a different color and logo. Sure, you’ve got to buy stuff for your bike sometimes. Parts wear out. Your riding style changes. You need something that fits better, or that works better than something you already have. But you can easily cross the line if you’re not careful.
That’s why, if you start feeling that frenzy of need and simply have to buy something, you should just buy the exact same component you’re tempted to replace. At least that way, instead of slowly transforming your bike into a more expensive one, you’ll eventually just have a replica of the one you already own. And that will come in handy when your bike gets stolen—and it will get stolen. It’s always better to have two $500 bikes than one $1,000 bike.
3. Don’t Fear Your Bike
Many people are actually afraid of their bikes. This may sound crazy, but if you’re one of those people who won’t ride your bike in the rain because you don’t want the bike to get wet, or who freaks out over a dent or a scratch, or who interviews bike shops like they’re day care centers before trusting them with your ride, then you’re probably afraid of your bike.
Just as you have to get over your fear of traffic in order to ride comfortably in it, you also need to get over the fear of your bike in order to ride comfortably on it. Firstly, unlike other luxury items, bikes are not delicate. Furthermore, there’s not an inverse relationship between cost and durability, like there is