Your bike looks fine
Your 2016 Bianchi looks fine. So what if you opted for the “edgy black” version by mistake? Don’t beat yourself up for missing out on Celeste. And just ignore the surface wear on the carbon frame. The 2021 Bianchi will only go out of date in 4 years too. Cycling isn’t about fashion! Is it…?!
I mean, buying something classic like this beautiful titanium-framed adventure bike from Van Nicholas Rowtag is extremely expensive. Sure, you save a lot of money building it yourself and, let’s face it, it takes up a lot of free time. You don’t need to waste precious time building a new bike.
Make do and mend – then treat yourself to an upgrade
Bike maintenance is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Every time I ride my 2013 Trek off the driveway I’m smug in the knowledge that I don’t need to buy a new bike because I degrease and regrease everything that needs degreasing and regreasing as often as is reasonable. Ask my wife.
Then I feel a warm glow when I remember the time that I upgraded my Trek’s groupset from Tiagra to 105, the wheelset to Aeolus Elite, before finally treating it to Primavera handlebars that I told the wife were on sale. But then, I remind myself of the money I saved by not buying a new bike. And smile smugly to myself.
Bikes are versatile
A friend of mine weaned himself off his mtb and bought gravel bike. Now he’s tried cleats, he’s after a full tarmac roadie. What a waste of money – I told him he could probably stretch the geometry of his gravel bike by adjusting saddle height and slamming the stem – but what do I know?
Another friend broke his shoulder descending Fort William on a gravel bike. His wife has forbidden him from doing anything that stupid again. He’s found a loophole because technically it’ll be safer trying the descent on a new mtb. I say listen to your wife. If you stick to your limits, you won’t need to buy a new bike.
