:D everybody has a learning curve.
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:D everybody has a learning curve.
Extra bikes?
Pshaw!
He'll learn :p
Funny thing with the Sidis...our LBS owner is also a friend. DH has no qualms about dropping $$ at his store (any other store, heh...boy does his Dutch blood show *snort*). So when we ordered my bike I was fit for shoes. LBS owner highly recommended Sidis. I looked at the price tag and about fainted. Mike (shop owner) very wisely said "you don't think twice about dropping $100 every few months for running shoes, right? These cycling shoes will last you for years."Quote:
Originally Posted by Yen
Cycling seems like such a $$ sport up-front, even with a basic bike (shoes, pedals, shorts, helmet, gloves, jerseys, tools, tubes, etc.). But long-term I would estimate that it's not much more expensive than running, and I point this out to people. It's definitely cheaper than gym membership.
Several of my runner friends who had initially been startled by the price of my bike (relatively lower-end Cannondale) have ended up buying bikes of their own after seeing how much fun I am having, plus they see the value in cross-training.
I've used the "cheaper than gym membership" comment to others who have asked (I've done this with running, too, when non-runners have scoffed at the thought of paying more than $40 on athletic shoes and more than once every couple of years). I think putting cycling into perspective without using #s can give people a way of considering the purpose of cycling without getting hung-up on $s.
Some of DH's coworkers asked one day how much his bike(s) cost and nearly had a heart attack when he told them the very honest truth. He then pointed out how much cheaper a bicycle is than their bass boats, graphite rods, pickup trucks or harleys and how much healthier it is for you. (You can easily get $30 to $40 grand tied up in a bass boat) They saw his point. Most hobbys are expensive---golf, boating, bass fishing, motorcycle riding, sewing---you just have to decide what you want to do.
Nobody has asked. My measly $570 hybrid bike doesn't exactly catch attention :p
I am shocked at how much some of you guys have spent. I would love to spend that much but my other half would freak. I've been drooling over an Eddy Merckx that would come in at $1500 then thinking... nahhhh he'd kill me :D He has told me he wants me to buy one at around half that. Who thinks he's being unreasonable :D
Heh. Our "extra bike" is off with one of the bf's co-workers for that reason - he wanted to do a bike race or triathalon or something for cancer 'cause his best friend was dying of it or something. So what initially started as us trying to help him find a good used bike (with him continuously getting sticker shock and cold feet and not buying) has somehow evolved into an indefinite loan of the spare bike - which while a good bike, is aluminum, slightly too big for me, slightly too small for the bf - but a good light, solid components road bike that has stayed around 'cause we got a great price for it and it does in a pinch if either of us needs to ride and has an issue with our other bike...Quote:
Originally Posted by Trek420
So he borrowed this bike to train while looking for a bike to buy. that was about 5 months ago, so I think I need to nag the bf to nag the coworker to give the bike back, 'cause that's a bit much.
Mostly I've bought my bikes used at great prices which still probably seem a bit much to spend on a bike to normal people, but I usually say "this is what this bike is worth, this is how much I spent on it" if it's someone that I think actually warrants an answer on how much my bike costs.
They've asked me! My commuter cost in the range of $375-420. For my 50th b'day my Mom and sister (thanks, Duck on Wheels) gave me new wheels. Actually a gc to my LBS with which I got new wheels. The wheels are so nice she deserved a new paint job. The bike, not my sister. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Lesley_x
I've been chased down by riders and stopped to ask "Hey! Where can I get a cool bike with no decals?"
They might be wondering if I stole it and painted over the decals. But wouldn't I have done the traditional uglification wrapping the frame with electrical tape? :rolleyes: ;)
I said "ride your bike till it needs new paint and go to my LBS, get it powdercoated".
Recently Knott installed a rear rack with folding Wald basket for the anniversary of the day she proposed. :cool: Now the bike works so well for errands or a quick run to the store and looks great.
I love this old, heavy, cheap bike as much, maybe more than the molto expensive road bike. This may have been what my boss thought of as my "extra bike".
No way would I sell it.
In fact I think she deserves new bar grips. The ones she has are over 10 years old. They're still comfy but I saw yellow grips with blue stars at the shop that would just complete the look. :cool:
If you replace stuff on a basic schedule... and let's say an average person rides 2-1/2 times as fast as they run, so we're comparing hours of activity and not miles...Quote:
Originally Posted by zoom-zoom
Say one $100 pair of running shoes every 600 miles, and, oh, I don't know, the only running shorts that have ever worn out on me are ones where the elastic has got brittle after YEARS of washing.
Versus (and these are mid-level specs, I know a lot of people spend a whole lot more on their short-term wear items) one $50 chain every 2500 miles, one $80 cassette every 3000 miles, one $60 rear tire every 2500 miles, one $60 front tire every 4000 miles, one $40 cable and housing set every 4000 miles.
So, say 1500 miles on the bici takes you as many hours as 600 miles running, it's still $143.50 for wear items on the bike vs. whatever a pair of shoes costs you. About the same, or a little steeper, excluding the up-front investment, and assuming you do the basic labor yourself.
There are a number of us here who run and ride bicis and ride motorcycles and belong to gyms and, and, and. :rolleyes: It's all how much disposable income you have and how you want to spend it. I think that people's reaction has more to do with the general contempt for cycling than with anything else.
It's no one's business really. I figure I'm going around once in this lifetime and I will spend what I want and what I can afford. I ride my bike almost as often as I drive my car in a week. The bike costs a lot less than my car and I enjoy it a whole lot more. If the bike was sitting in the garage gathering dust and never ridden, that would be different but it's not. It's an emotional attachment with the bike--I really don't know how to describe it.
Catriona, I think 5 months is a bit much too............and who says we aren't the "normal" people and everyone else has a wharped sense of a bicycle's worth????
Yeah, 5 months is a bit much for a coworker who wasn't really a friend.
As for bike worth - I think the "sport" has become entirely too yuppified. Go through craigslist or whatever where old mixtes sell for $200, or bikes that were low end in 1980 and sold for $150 now sell for $250.
There's no reason a wicking jersey should cost $60-120... Or bike shorts should cost $250... the only reason is that people are willing to pay.
I was driving the other day with a fiberglass kayak on my car and 4 titanium bikes on my bike rack and started calculating what the retail value of all the stuff was on my car vs. the price of the car.
600 miles on a pair of shoes...that's generous. Most folks replace every 300-500 miles (I'm on the low end, since I wear lightweight performance trainers). So I think cycling could end up cheaper. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by OakLeaf
I have to wear a better/$$er bra for running than I do for biking, too.
Hee, no one cares. My bottom-end road bike attracts no attention.
When asked just the other day, I told my co-worker that my bike had paid for itself just in the cost of bus passes I did not buy during the year I bike commuted. I let her do the math - around here a bus pass is about $70/month, so a year's worth is just over $800. (That's actually more than I paid, but I didn't see fit to mention that.) She looked totally shocked, until I reminded her that she had just proudly announced that she had bought a designer handbag on sale for $400! So what's a better use of the money.... a purse that will be out of fashion in six months, or a bike that I've gotten a thousand commuter miles on and years of use out of?
I also have gotten "you paid that much for a TOY?" to which I respond, "It's no more a toy to me than your car is to you."
I hate that question so much! People ask how much my camera stuff costs, how much my dog costs, how much was my bike. And a lot of times, it is really creepy people asking...except about the dog...the creepy people don't come around him, LOL!
.... just "car light" ;) But I enjoy my low-milage discount on insurance. Tempting though. If I gave up my car this is a lot of bikes ;)
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com...e-for-you.aspx
Come to think of it, I've also told people that my bike costs considerably less than the second car my family would need to buy, fuel, maintain, and insure if I didn't ride everywhere.
We aren't car-free and some would question if we're car-lite, but we most assuredly are not car-bound.
I agree with Oak. If I was going broke, spending on cycling, then it wouldn't be right. I can afford it and I don't really care what anyone thinks. Most hobbies are expensive and not all of them keep you healthy, like cycling does.
No one has ever asked me how much my bike cost. People have asked me how much it costs to get an entry level road or hybrid. They have usually been at the point where they realize the K Mart special bike they have is not really going to do it for them and so $7-800.00 seems worth it. My one friend who started riding about 2 years ago, bought a Specialized Vita Sport, with little complaining. She fussed about the cost of shorts, jerseys, etc., but I told her where to get them cheaper, and now she has a few nice ones. She said she would "never" go clipless, but after liking the strap things that act just like clipless (can't think of the name) she bought the pedals and shoes.
I did give up the health club, after belonging to one since I was around 26, but I have everything I need at home or outdoors. If I join another one, it will be a cheaper one.
How's this for an answer--less than a pack of cigarettes a day for 1 year. That should shut a lot of people up.
I am of the "why are you asking" camp. Some people have this attitude of talking about how much they make, how much they spend and like to size up how much you spend. I was raised in the way that asking those questions is rude. Now a friend of mine recently got interested in riding because her boyfriend races with DH. She asked how much my mountain bike was an I was very comfortable telling her how much I paid, how much a comparable one costs, even how much my pedals were. I knew why she needed to know. I also loaned her my extra bike for a month so she could decide if she liked riding before rushing into a purchase. But most casual friends I wouldn't loan one of my bikes to for more than a ride. I have only known her since April.
Other than maintenance cycling is as free as I want and I like that. I could ride to at least two mountain bike trails and do countless routes in all directions from my house. I am fortunate that my riding style usually means I get way longer out of my chain usually around 4,000 miles (shop says I must pedal light), cassette and even tires. In fact I am more likely to cut a tire than wear it out. On the flip side DH has to replace his bar tape 2x a year, chain at 2k, tires sooner than me, grips on his mountain bike 2x a year. Already has had to have a shock rebuilt on his 2 year old mountain bike, the list goes on. So no you can't ride forever on stock parts but getting in good with your LBS can soften the blow. I am fiercely loyal to mine and it has helped me before.
Oh and my Sidis? I balked at the price but I have had them since 2007 and they still perform great. I know plenty of people who need the latest and greatest cycling stuff, getting new shoes, helmets and even bikes yearly which doesn't appeal to me. But if that is how they like to spend their cash I am happy for them.
There is really a price difference between basic and quality equipment in any s sport or hobby - cycling, photography, audio equipment, golf, boating, etc. Most people are willing to spend more on a something that is important to them, and are willing to settle for something basic that gets the job done when it's not a priority. I don't have an expensive camera, but I'm satisfied with the photos I take. When other people are surprised at what a cycling enthusiast spends on a good bike, they are experiencing the difference between something for an occasional user versus an enthusiast. I would guess that almost everyone who asks the question has an area where they have spent money on products that they don't sell at WalMart.
I am really happy to have found this thread. I was having a hard time wrapping my head around how much a new road bike might cost, but with all the justifications and comparisons made in this thread, I am having an easier time with it. :D
We're happy to enable you :D :rolleyes:
Whenever anyone asks about the tandem Brewer says "We don't have a boat."
I just got a new bike and was having feelings of guilt until the first time I rode it. It was more that I thought I'd ever spend, I'll say that much, and some non bicycling people would think I was crazy.
When I'm asked about the cost of my bike I am honest. If they are shocked, well then they are shocked.
My sister spend $3000 on her cat, he was in a coma in an oxegyn tent.
My other sister had to go out and buy her kids and husband the new apple Iphone when it came out
I know people like a lot of you do who spend 4 figures on TV's
I've had a few women comment that they'd rather spend that kind of money on a designer purse
My bike shoes cost more than any other shoes I own. My first set of shoes lasted me 5 years, well worth the expense.
My shorts and jerseys cost more than my regular clothes.
I think it is all relative, you spend money on the things that are important to you.
I usually reply to questions like that by saying "whyever would you ask that?" If they are truley interested then I can give them the appropriate information, and if they are being rude or nosey then they usually have the sense to back off. I guess mine doesn't look all that expensive as I have only been asked a couple of times.
marni
You spend on it, what it is worth to you. If you don't think it's worth spending a lot, you don't. If you do, you do. :D
:) I think certain things are worth paying quality for and others, well you don't have to. My clothes don't need to be expensive, nor do my shoes. I don't know, it's all relative.
It depends. I've lied to some and told the truth to others. No one knows how much my custom bike cost... especially after they had to repaint and rechrome it.
But people swarm me when I am on my Dahon, and I try to give them an honest answer because I can see they really are interested.
I get the question about my Bike Friday because people are genuinely interested. So I tell them that there are different models at different prices. Then I give them the website. If I tell them how much mine cost, the focus shifts to the price and the fact that I paid it (OMG, you paid that much for a bike??!!), not the bike. I want the focus to be on the bike--if they are really interested, they can determine what model they can afford. It has nothing to do with my bike at that point.