Good bike vs bad bike??

[tortoise]

I recently converted to cycling from running (dodgy knees), and picked up an old secondhand road bike for $100 (Aus). This is a rough description
Steel frame (Apollo)
whole bike weighs 12-13 kgs
700*23 wheels
gears and front derailleur - Shimano 105
cranks - Shimano 600
Rear derailleur - Exage 300 (not sure what this is)

It doesn't look great as the frame is not in very good condition - lots of scratches and a few rust marks. Anyway, my question is whether spending $1000 on a new bike woud make a big difference to my cycling, or would I be wasting my money? I am not too concenred about speed or looks but more interested in the touring side of things and covering distance efficiently. I recently bought clipless pedals and can ride 100kms + reasonably comportably on this bike, so would I notice a big benefit if I replaced it with something for $1000??

Thanks

 

[ed073]

I recently converted to cycling from running (dodgy knees), and picked up an old secondhand road bike for $100 (Aus). This is a rough description
Steel frame (Apollo)
whole bike weighs 12-13 kgs
700*23 wheels
gears and front derailleur - Shimano 105
cranks - Shimano 600
Rear derailleur - Exage 300 (not sure what this is)

It doesn't look great as the frame is not in very good condition - lots of scratches and a few rust marks. Anyway, my question is whether spending $1000 on a new bike woud make a big difference to my cycling, or would I be wasting my money? I am not too concenred about speed or looks but more interested in the touring side of things and covering distance efficiently. I recently bought clipless pedals and can ride 100kms + reasonably comportably on this bike, so would I notice a big benefit if I replaced it with something for $1000??

Thanks

Yes, you will.

 

[OrbeaMike]

I recently converted to cycling from running (dodgy knees), and picked up an old secondhand road bike for $100 (Aus). This is a rough description
Steel frame (Apollo)
whole bike weighs 12-13 kgs
700*23 wheels
gears and front derailleur - Shimano 105
cranks - Shimano 600
Rear derailleur - Exage 300 (not sure what this is)

It doesn't look great as the frame is not in very good condition - lots of scratches and a few rust marks. Anyway, my question is whether spending $1000 on a new bike woud make a big difference to my cycling, or would I be wasting my money? I am not too concenred about speed or looks but more interested in the touring side of things and covering distance efficiently. I recently bought clipless pedals and can ride 100kms + reasonably comportably on this bike, so would I notice a big benefit if I replaced it with something for $1000??

Thanks

I have been a cycling fanatic for the past 15 years, up until two years ago my primary ride was a '70s Schwinn Paramount with very old school Campy drivetrain. The bike performed flawlessly on many centuries and double centuries. Two years ago I decided to go tech and bought a Orbea XLR8R with top of the line Campy record components, the ride characteristic and performance difference between the two are night and day. But the overall enjoyment stays the same.
If the current bike fits you well, I would ride it for a while to find out the type of riding you like to do, and also use the bike to fine tune the geometry so when the time come to buying a new bike you know exactly the type of bike you want and how it is suppose to feel..

 

[boudreaux]

Yes, you will.

That's so subjective I wouldn't go to the bank with it. My $10 garage sale Medici with a mix of campy and shimano 6 speed friction stff does not give up much to my better stuff for JRA.

 

[boudreaux]

I have been a cycling fanatic for the past 15 years, up until two years ago my primary ride was a '70s Schwinn Paramount with very old school Campy drivetrain. The bike performed flawlessly on many centuries and double centuries. Two years ago I decided to go tech and bought a Orbea XLR8R with top of the line Campy record components, the ride characteristic and performance difference between the two are night and day. But the overall enjoyment stays the same.

Exactly....unless one has a total POS Huffy type with a bottom of the barrel Hi-ten frame, $1000 doesn't really buy alot more..

 

[p38lightning]

My advice is to ride it and enjoy it as it is. It's the riding, not the bike. I've gotten ten years of enjoyment out of my $100 bike swap meet Fuji Sagres, which I still ride as a "commuter" transpo bike.

See if you enjoy bicycling enough to some day make a $1000 dollar monitary comittment to a finer machine. I know that I did, when I put down that price on my Serotta Colorado 2 with Campy C record group (bought after 10 years of storage in "as new condition") I also knew what I was buying, after having seen, ridden, and read reviews, on many bikes over the years.
I also learned fundamental bicycle maintenance, and was a lot less worried about screwing up because of my low initial investment.

Go out and get the wind in your hair, some bugs in your teeth, some sunburn, and a bunch of flats before you worry about upgrading your hardware!