Justifying your bike buys to non-biking SOs and trying to spread the addiction

[Kitsune06]

I'm wondering if anyone else out there has this problem...

When you're thus engrossed in an addiction (Let's call it 'biking')
there are often things you see that you 'need'. Like Disc brakes so you don't smush your skull on rocks or cramp your hands right off. Naturally you need a new wheelset (a disc-compatible one) to go with these brakes, and if you want to cut corners and get mechanical brakes, then go with Avids and then Full Metal Jackets to increase your braking power...

Well... but if you're in the saddle a long time, and your butt starts to hurt, you need a nice(r) saddle. How about a Brooks? People swear by them, they're stylish (c'mon, try to say no to black leather and rivets!)

And being on your bike thus long, you feel able to commute. Can you say panniers?

If you're training, or even just doing long rides for fun, you need fuel and electrolytes. That's Hammer gel, a flask, and endurolytes or elete. (or cytomax, accellerade, etc)

Then you want to maximize your power in pedaling. That says pedals, cleats and shoes.

You can see where I'm going here. If your SO is a non-biker, (s)he looks at the hammer gel and electrolytes and says "Why on earth are you biking so HARD when it's hot out?! Why not just STOP when you get tired?!" or the pedals "Why do you need clips!? You do just fine without them!" Saddle- "You don't HAVE to go 20+ miles in a day, for ***'s sake!" Panniers "Hello- Backpack?" Disc brakes "...Don't your brakes work well enough already? Why on earth are you going down hills like that anyway?! You might get killed! That's reckless endangerment!"

Is there any explaining it?
I tried valiantly to get her into it... and now just to get fit, she's taking short rides with me... but she insists on borrowing my bike and having me carry the locks, water, repair kits, etc.
Ugh.

[kelownagirl]

I'm laughing out loud at your post. It's so true. I guess I'm lucky (or maybe not depending on how broke I am) that my SO is equally obsessed. One of us buys something and the other needs one too. We feed off each other. I don't want to think how much money we've spent on biking gear this year. If it equals about $1 / km, then it's money well spent....

Good luck in getting her addicted though - it's nice to have something active to do together...

[doc]

My husband is immune to the addiction. Therefore I try to hide my new acquisitions from him. I was unsuccessful hiding the new road bike.

The upside of not sharing the addiction; He watches the kids while I ride. If we both were to ride, one of us would have to stay home and be annoyed. So it works out well for us. I just have to make sure to make time for him to go to the gym.

[Bad JuJu]

Yeah, good luck with sucking your SO into the madness. I've tried and tried with mine, but the most I've been able to get him to do is about 10-12-mile rides, in cotton tank, running shorts, and sneakers. ("Well, of course you're uncomfortable in that get-up!") He finally gave up his crummy discount-store bike and got a somewhat better ride in a trade--he wasn't willing to actually buy a new bike. He seems more comfortable now, but the bike still spends more time collecting dust than running the roads.

Lately, he's started to accumulate a little gut that he's not very happy with, so my next strategy is to persuade him that cycling is the way to get rid of it. Keep your fingers crossed!

[im4smiley]

I have tried to get hubby involved but...he would rather do his walking...which I dislike..so when I buy something new for biking..esp clothing...I always tell him I got it on sale and hide the reciepts.

[crazycanuck]

I don't give ian a choice when i want to buy biking items...For example, i love the lights he makes but i wanted something lighter & one which would last longer. I found one on ebay, worked my magic and now have some cateye double shots coming my way....

I must add though, we don't go to malls very often unless we have to and own tons of stuff. I'd much rather go biking or swimming or read than go shopping....

(Ian's a biker too)

c

[Kano]

I tried valiantly to get her into it... and now just to get fit, she's taking short rides with me... but she insists on borrowing my bike and having me carry the locks, water, repair kits, etc.
Ugh.

I know why THIS happens! I do it to DH (and I'm the one with the addiction) all the time! She's weighing you down so she can keep up with you!

Karen in Boise

[CycleChic06]

I substitute SO for non-biking friends. When I bought my new bike, they could not understand why anyone would spend that much on a bike. Then my roommate went out and bought a big screen TV for the same amount of money I had just spend on my new bike...and THAT they could understand, and I could not.

[Kitsune06]

I know why THIS happens! I do it to DH (and I'm the one with the addiction) all the time! She's weighing you down so she can keep up with you!

Karen in Boise

*cries* is that why she's always a speck on the horizon ahead of me?!

That girl has some legs and she never hesitates to put them to use...

...walking all over me.

[stella]

Kitsune,

I have the same problem, my s.o. is not a cyclist and will never be! I've tried, she just won't convert!

I used to have a disposable income and was able to purchase what I wanted/when I wanted. Then I returned to grad school full-time, now my s.o. pays all the bills. Here's what I do now:

1. prioritize my list of "most wanted bike stuff"
2. ask for the cycling stuff as anniversary/birthday/x-mas gifts.
3. She loves a good wine (I don't): I total up how much she spends on the wine and say: "Since I don't drink, how about we put the equivalent $$ towards (insert bike stuff here) I want?" Part of this rationale includes: "You still get to enjoy your wine and I get to enjoy my cycling, you get to enjoy the body cycling gives me..." OR: "wine is gone, the cyclng stuff lasts!"
4. hit yard sales, craigslist for good deals on stuff. I was able to get a used brooks saddle for $20.00 for my beater bike. It was on a bike in an outdoors shop as part of a Thule rack display. I bartered w/the owner and he sold me the saddle!

I was able to get myself a new brooks saddle for my road bike this year using #3.

I hope these tips help!

[mimitabby]

Kitsune,

I have the same problem, my s.o. is not a cyclist and will never be! I've tried, she just won't convert!

I used to have a disposable income and was able to purchase what I wanted/when I wanted. Then I returned to grad school full-time, now my s.o. pays all the bills. Here's what I do now:

1. prioritize my list of "most wanted bike stuff"
2. ask for the cycling stuff as anniversary/birthday/x-mas gifts.
3. She loves a good wine (I don't): I total up how much she spends on the wine and say: "Since I don't drink, how about we put the equivalent $$ towards (insert bike stuff here) I want?" Part of this rationale includes: "You still get to enjoy your wine and I get to enjoy my cycling, you get to enjoy the body cycling gives me..." OR: "wine is gone, the cyclng stuff lasts!"
4. hit yard sales, craigslist for good deals on stuff. I was able to get a used brooks saddle for $20.00 for my beater bike. It was on a bike in an outdoors shop as part of a Thule rack display. I bartered w/the owner and he sold me the saddle!

I was able to get myself a new brooks saddle for my road bike this year using #3.

I hope these tips help!

Stella, these are good. I used #3 a few years ago when I wasn't biking and husband was and i wanted to go to Italy ( "your new bike cost X dollars so how about if i go to Italy and 1/2 of x= 1 ticket to fly there and the other 1/2 of x pays for my room!" )

[stella]

Stella, these are good. I used #3 a few years ago when I wasn't biking and husband was and i wanted to go to Italy ( "your new bike cost X dollars so how about if i go to Italy and 1/2 of x= 1 ticket to fly there and the other 1/2 of x pays for my room!" )

Thanks, mimitabby. I know in our case, this tactic works b/c we each are getting something we want and enjoy + not being put down/or putting down what the other enjoys.

Funny you mentioned Italy, we plan on going back next year and the current compromise is: visiting a vineyard + the Colnago factory!

[SJCzar]

My husband, the non-cyclist, never questions how much anything costs that is bike related. Since he doesn't bike, he has no clue how much it can all add up to.....this is probably a good thing. If he really wanted to know he'd ask, so I think he prefers to live in ignorant bliss. One of his coworkers, who recently retired, died of a heart attack. This has definitely put my husband in a "live life now...don't wait to do what you enjoy" mood.