So how much does a bike have to cost...
...before it's any good? OK, so you chose to spend £2000 - does that mean that £1800 bikes are rubbish?

Presumably there is a dividing line somewhere, and it's no more obvious that someone who puts it just below £100 is any more tightfisted than someone who puts it just below £2000 is gullible.
(ubergeekian, Thu 30 Oct 2008, 17:13, 1 reply)

Cost
£350 and upwards gets you a good bike with V-brakes and an entry level suspension fork.

£450 will get you the above with a reasonable fork or disc brakes

£500 will get a reasonable fork and disc brakes

£1000 will buy the above but with rear suspension.

£1500 will buy better suspension and a lighter overall bike.

Beyond £600 for a hardtail (ie no rear suspension) and £1500 for a full suss, the law of diminishing returns comes into effect - incremental price hikes yield a smaller improvement.

*edit* It depends also on the bike's intended purpose. Components designed to take a beating and reduce weight for competitive advantge cost more. All well and good if you hurl yourself off things a lot, but not worthwhile if you like a slow trundle through the local woods.
(Bicycle Repairman "you're also a bit of a wanker", Thu 30 Oct 2008, 17:24, closed)

That's a pretty good guide
I'd echo that after spending 400 quid on a mountain bike. I thought that was expensive until I started looking into it..

For that I got half decent disk brakes and forks (some people think the forks are a bit weak. I don't do huge jumps on mine, just offroading). However the derailleurs (things that shift up and down gears) were frankly shit, and packed in after dropping the bike a few times.

Add on 25 quid for the Deore derailleur upgrade, another 45 quid for half decent night time lights (ones to see with) and it all adds up. From scratch, I reckon you'll be looking at 600 quid for a new bike and all the gear (helmet, lights - both to see with, and to be seen by, saddle bag, new inner tube, pump, water bottle, trip computer, repair kit, fluourescent strip/jacket, lock, degreaser and lubricant).

Of course some road bikes are a bit cheaper than mountain bikes (need to withstand less abuse). It's possible to save a packet with the bike to work scheme too.

Then you need a road bike, because mountain bikes are comparatively heavy and slow. After that, you look at a second hand cheap bike 'so you can ride it to the shops and not care if it's nicked', followed by a spare bike in case your main bike fails just before an important event..
(EssY, Thu 30 Oct 2008, 18:21, closed)