Conspicuous spending on bikes

[pll]

I just read an article published earlier this week in the Wall Street Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/articles/rise-of-the-five-figure-bicycle-1408489679

I thought it would be fun to discuss it here.

I was reading the comments in the WSJ and was struck by how many comments are decidedly dismissive of buying any bike over a couple of hundred dollars (lose the weight!). A high end bike or high end components certainly do not make you faster or stronger in absolute terms, but if they make you enjoy your rides and ride more as a result, over time you will be stronger than you previously were. Now, a 5-figure bike is not in the cards in my current income bracket and the one example in the article that I think is egregious is drawing funds from your retirement account. Upgrades can make you faster... when I bought my Synapse, my average speed went up by 2-3 mph; when I upgraded the wheel set, I gained another 1-2 miles. Such personal improvements will never take me to a competitive level, but they were fun to me, they allow me to keep up with some groups I could previously not join, etc...

[Crankin]

A friend from my childhood sent me a text to read this article.
I just think that people who don't ride for recreation, fitness, or transportation have no idea about the price of bikes, the difference components make, and the fact that bikes are an engineering marvel. Bikes are seen as a toy, just like in childhood. While it is true that serious cyclists are generally from upper income brackets, someone who is really passionate about bikes can always find a good bike for a reasonable price.
They just don't get it. Just like not getting that cyclists should not be relegated to the far right shoulder of the road.

[Helene2013]

Funny to read this today as a man went to our LBS 2 days ago to get a bike. He wanted something inexpensive so the store showed him something that was around $350. The guy was totally freaking out because he thought it was way too much for a bike and he "just" wanted to ride.

He did end up buying the price when the shop told him he would have problems trying to find much lower than this, even in stores like Walmart, etc. Which is true.

We are "soaking" into bikes, just like some are into golf of hockey equipment or specialized tools, etc. When we are not really informed about a certain piece of equipment it is hard to understand sometimes. Just like purchasing cars. Some people will always buy used while others swears by brand new almost picking it up on the production lane. hihi

I don't say the price we paid our bikes (at least rarely) because people freak out - those who have no clue how much it costs. Yep, our bikes cost more than a lot of cars our friends have.

It takes all kind of people to make this world.

[thekarens]

When people squawk about the price I paid for my bikes (and they are on the lower end) I ask them how much they spend on their hobbies (electronics, golf, clothes, etc.) That usually works.

[malkin]

When anyone asks how much we paid for the tandem, Brewer always answers, "We don't have a boat."

[rebeccaC]

It seems you have to log in/subscribe to read the article....i don't care to subscribe to the wsj.

I can look at a hand built frame and extremely light weight high quality parts as works of functional art as well as a bicycle. Being expensive is a personal matter and I don't care what someone else has spent on a bike. Ride it!!!....or hang it on the wall :)


Upgrades can make you faster... .

I luv Merckx's quote...."don't upgrade, ride up grades"

[polly4711]

Um... Yeah, my mom totally flipped out when she heard that DH was buying me a single speed for my birthday and not the chair or bookcases that we need for our house. Yes, our books will sit in boxes or a couple of more months, but I'm the mean time we'll be out enjoying the fresh air.... So if you come to our house, you may have to sit on the floor.:p

People don't judge others on having a smart phone, tablet, ereader, laptop, computer, AND a huge TV.... So don't judge me on how many/caliber of bikes we own. It's my money.

[Crankin]

I used to buy cars more often, until I started riding! Kept the last one ten years. Probably will only keep this one 5 years, though, because I really don't like several things about it. But, now that I hardly drive since my job switch, it's not so bad.
I admit I judge about the huge TV. When I was doing home visits, most of my clients had huge screen TVs. Even the ones who didn't work. I guess people see it as necessary, the way we see nice bikes as necessary. It took me a long time to warm up to the idea of a Smart phone and I didn't text, until it became necessary for my job. I've had my Mac for 7 years, which in the world of computers is ancient.
I really want a beautiful in town type bike, but until I move closer into town, with no 10% grade hill, that's not happening. And I'll probably get a new carbon bike for my 65th birthday... that's 4.3 years away.

[shootingstar]

When people squawk about the price I paid for my bikes (and they are on the lower end) I ask them how much they spend on their hobbies (electronics, golf, clothes, etc.) That usually works.

Or what malkin's hubby said, "We don't have a boat".

In reality, we've never been pushed to respond to what other people comment. I have voluntarily told some people at work who approach me on bike advice, that I have 4 bikes (+ 5th 9-yr. old, well-used bike that I gave away to a sister. But I borrow this bike whenever I visit Toronto), but to any surprised look on their face, airily tell them that I have them in 2 cities, and rhyme off their different vintages with a comment that together they are still cheaper than owning and running a car.

Dearie is hunting around for a 5th new bike...probably under $900.00CAN. So this truly will be 5 bikes for him across 3 Canadian cities, where he and I have family in 3 cities where we go. He left his latest bike in Toronto where he used daily when staying in that city for several weeks this year. The bike used to be in Calgary where he rode it ..even in winter for last 4 yrs. So he's gotten great hard use on the bike.

You see, renting a bike for 1 wk. is over $100.00 on average anywhere...so visiting a city several times over the years, just adds up. Then there is the 1 time cost of shipping a bike by air, if one is not cycling part way across Canada.

However I do agree that several months ago, similar thread on this forum, but with a slant that really too many bikes where a bike hardly get cycled at all, is not necessarily a good thing long term. So, no I don't plan to buy another bike, until a current bike breaks down.

I doubt I would buy a 5-figure dollar bike. I would just be paranoid of having it stolen. That's just me.

[nuliajuk]

I've had many co-workers over the years who went to the bar every single Friday after work and probably spent enough in a year to buy a really nice bike. While they've had nothing to show for the money they've spent, I still have the nice road bike I bought the year before last. Barring a catastrophic accident, I'll still have it 5, 10, 15 years from now.
I think the same people who squawk about spending more than $200 on a bike probably don't think twice about spending that much and more on clothing every few weeks.

[Owlie]

I think it's a matter of people (especially those who don't ride, or don't ride much) not knowing what the difference is between a Wal-mart Schwinn and...basically anything else. If you only ride a few times a year and it's just around the local park or something, then you don't need anything more than a $200 bike, and while you know that the pros ride a lot and need expensive bikes, you really don't understand why anyone who isn't a pro would possibly need anything more than the aforemention Walmart Schwinn. (I used to work at a bike shop. I heard this sort of thing a lot. The same people also thought that riding 20 miles was crazy.) It is true that a nice, light, spendy bike by itself won't make you faster, but it certainly makes your ride more enjoyable, and a lot of people don't ride far/often enough to actually appreciate the difference. If you ride hundreds or thousands of miles a year, yes, you do get the difference! They also may not understand the componentry/frame material properties--it's not all weight savings, but again, if you're not riding much, you won't know this.

As for clothes/TV/technology...whatever. Each to their own. Hobbies of any sort can be really cheap, or really expensive. (There are knitters out there who will spend $50+ on yarn for small garments like socks and cowls. As pretty as the yarn is, I cannot fathom spending that much.) If you enjoy your bike or TV or fancy handbag, more power to you.