@longone how do you transport your bicycles to start the tour? Assuming it’s a flight or something - do you go for a cardboard box, or an expensive sleek bag thing that you have to pay to get stored somewhere?
I like your friends xD
So, after keeping an eye on the local forums for the last months, I finally found a silver Shimano 5700 crank.
Spent 2 hours cleaning & polishing them up (after which the crank was shiny, and our kitchen a mess).
With a new 50T chainring, that will look way more classy than the 5800 on this wanne-be old girl.
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I get a cardboard bike box from a shop. Take off handlebars, wheels, crank arms. (Hollowtech Deore great for this, all you need is an Allen key.) I pack some other gear inside the box, like tent and sleeping bag, cook pot, knife, toolkit…
Usually, for the summer holiday trips, I try to find a guesthouse willing to hold onto the box till I get back, as I usually return to the starting point to “fly back”…In many countries of course you can find boxes at shops.
Airlines require bikes be in boxes… Many airlines usually won’t charge extra, counting a bike as “a piece of luggage”. I carry on my two 20 litre bags because they weigh 7 kilos only. The bike weighs 14 kilos and the tent, sleeping bag, 2 or 3 – as long as the bike box and all is under 23 or 30 kilos, you will be okay…
Depends on what you mean by good deal 
.
This is what I was going to buy before I knew I would be going to Taipei for a while:
and the S-Works version:
Either available in Taiwan (their birthplace!)?
Edit: other thing I forgot to mention is that it is really hard to find these bikes in US right now. Always out of stock here.
The prices of that Specialized bike is ludicrous… 11,000 !?
Back in 1970s my elder brother had a nice Colnago with all best Campy parts… Cost maybe 1,000 CDN dollars… Nowadays, I don’t even think any Colnago handmade frames exist, and they are not made of metal anymore; they’re probably outsourcing their carbon frames to some factory in China…
What is the point? As I am too old, and too old school, I cannot abide by all this expensive shit. I can build a new bike on a frame for just less than 1000 dollars with very nice parts and it will last forever.
…I think perhaps the real issue here is the value of money in America has been stretched so thin that nobody knows how much a bicycle, or anything else, should cost…
Yep. Apparently they are made in Taichung. I’ve seen stickers on the S-works frames say “Handmade in Taiwan”.
Even if I could purchase just an S-works frame I would be happy. But yeah, $11,000 USD is insane. But you would not believe how many S-Works I see around where I live here. It’s crazy.
Edit: btw, Cannondales are still made in USA. Hence, I have friends from UK who when they visit pick one up here since they are so much cheaper than in UK. So, I was hoping same is true on the Specialized in Taiwan.
I used to go to the Taipei bicycle show and buy parts directly from exhibitors, like sprockets, an Italian chain. You might be able to buy a frame at cost from a manufacturer if they were in a good mood. But maybe times have changed and that isn’t done anymore… You can always try…
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Yeah. That’s a good idea. Perhaps I’ll go to a bike show on last day of the event at end of day and suggest i can “take a frame off your hands to save you loading it up in the truck” 
It’s not a bad idea. Would keep me busy when I’m over there assembling a new bike. I don’t like to sit around 
It’s not and they don’t go on sale as often.
Actually I’ve never been to a place where so many people ride so expensive road bikes like Taichung. In Europe most people are on bikes around 3000-4000€ - and that’s the rather dedicated people. In Taichung an S-Works would just mingle with the rest. For standing out you need to buy lightweight wheels or similar really expensive stuff.
I’ll for sure never buy a specialized again. That 2020-2022 Speci Enduro series (no matter if S-works or not) is like the most heavy but most fragile frame ever. Didn’t get to ride it much but only awaiting for it to crack. Know plenty of people on their second or third replacement frame.
5000€ bike that I needed to exchange virtually every part because it was only cheap rubbish parts mounted.
Exchanged that RockShox suspension bottom of the line Lyrik/Super Deluxe with Manitou Mezzer Pro 180mm, rear shock splurged for an Ext Storia Lok v3. Custom built up wheels with light bicycle carbon rims, Stram XX1 10-50 gold cassette and shifter, GX derailleur (I tend to break them quite often so GX is good enough), NX cranks (yeah they have to be changed at some point but besides the weight they are okay), Galfer 223mm disks, Magura MT5 calipers with Shimano Saint brake levers, Fizik Tundra M3 saddle, Answer AM 50mm stem, Answer Carbon Protaper SL 780mm bar (shortened to 765), Sram Race Gripshift Grips, One Up 180mm dropper 30.9 plus shim (to save weight vs 34.9), spank oozy pedals, Maxxis DHR II 2.4 WT DH Maxxgrip up front with Schwalbe Procore at 0.85bar, Maxxis DHR II 2.4 Maxxterra Exo @ 1.3bar back with Ghetto Procore with 2 valves. Garmin Oregon 600 / or Edge Explore v2.
Recently exchanged the shock extender to get the bottom bracket up by 1.2cm. It was simply too low.
So the only parts that I left on are the NX cranks and the headset. Everything else had to go. Stupid me not knowing that this Speci frame is kinda a pile of shit when it comes to durability even though it’s 3kg carbon… I was happier before with my BMC Trailfox X01 but it was too small with 440mm reach (had an reach extender headset) - the Enduro with 485mm reach actually is too long - it’s 129cm wheelbase.
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1000 dollars is still an eyewatering amount for most people to spend on a bicycle (as most bikes never top more than 500 miles) Personally I think the entry-level base spec Specialized/Trek/Cannondale bikes are fantastic value for money, the whole thing for less than a grand, typically.
You don’t need anything else, that’s true. But then, you don’t need to drink anything other than water.
I don’t condone buying shit we don’t need by any means, but it happens, typically when you’ve got the money but nothing to look forward to.
@volv1992 - it does seem that way for most people.
If I just wanted to cruise around town I wouldn’t pay more than $500USD for a decent entry level bike.
But, I like to race along long country roads and then climb steep mountain roads. A cheap bike wont take that kind of punishment every week. It will literary fall apart.
Even worse if you go to some serious mountain trails or even gravel roads. A cheap bike wont hold up. I see people all the time suffering on their Walmart-specials on the trails and I never see them again.
At the other end of the spectrum are the elites - guys riding S-Works bikes costing over $10,000USD. Personally, if I had the money I would buy one of those bikes. Why?
Well, there are few sports or pastimes where you can have the latest and greatest technology that professional athletes have (in motor sports or sports involving expensive equipment).
For $10,000 USD I can have the exact same bike a tour de France rider has.
To me, that’s pretty cool!
100% agree with this. I’m not really one to buy things that I don’t really need. However, when I do buy things, I tend to spend a bit of extra cash on it knowing I’ll be using it for awhile.
To go along with the thread subject…
I do have that 10k bike that you guys are talking about. I would trade every penny I spent on it for the great memories and people I’ve met. This bike has literally changed my life.
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Sorry, Cannondale frames are Made in Taiwan.
This is from my 2019 Topstone.
This is from my 2011 Caad 9. Last one build in Pennsylvania.
Wow. Fantastic bike and beautiful scenery!
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Oh no! Say it ain’t so @pikabon !
My R800 is a CAAD 3 frame (I think?)
HandMade in USA. Definitely will now never let that baby go…
Hmmmm but why would you care about that? I don’t know man, there are so many things in this life that are interesting and fun and unfortunately all of them cost or require some money. Maybe I just can’t focus on only one thing (that would partially explain why I don’t stand out at any of them or why I suck at all of them) but I don’t give a shit about having the best of the best of one type of product. And I love bikes! I mean, I’ve riding them most of my life, they are a defining part of my life style and all but I don’t have the need to experience and own the most expensive machines out there. I don’t care. Same with other vehicles, and it’s not that I cannot quite vividly imagine better performances and responses. But my resources and time in this life are limited, and the object of my envy is usually something else, perhaps less materialistic.
Damn, I would still like to restore and perhaps even respectfully modernise one of those classic Giants getting rusty in some asshole’s house…
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Association with winners of bicycle races for more competitive mindsets (not to demean or belittle in any way)