"How much did your bike cost?"

[snapdragen]

My best friend's son plays guitar, we were at Guitar Center to pick up his new amp. She showed me the sales receipt, expecting me to be shocked at what it cost. I looked at it and remarked "oh, that's what I paid for my bike!" So now she thinks both I and her son are crazy.

[MomOnBike]

Well, I ride a faired recumbent. It's a fairly unique rig, so I'm used to people coming up and asking all sorts of questions. ("Is it easy to ride? Comfy? Fast?" Wow!)

As for them asking the price, that's just part of the interrogation. I tell them that with diligence I've just about gotten the bike up to $3,000. If pressed, I tell them that it's cheaper than a heart attack. Both statements are true, BTW.

I think I'll soon add that the bike cost less than the gas I would have blown driving a car, but only in commuter-type situations.

I don't really mind questions about my bike. It's just a part of riding a 'bent.

[martinkap]

Well, I ride custom build fixie with Bianchi steel frame which was sold only in Europe 30 years ago. Cost me $500 initially. Since then, I bought fenders, dropdowns, new levers, new chain, new sprockets, several sets of tires etc.

It is funny that the ones who understand bikes usually ask me only if I build the bike myself or how did I get the frame. The ones who don't know anything about bikes, asks about price. People on Manhattan are all about money.

If I don't know them and I don't care about them, I usually say 1200 dollars. Why not? It is probably good estimate of how much money I put into cycling so far. And I am proud of it. Without hesitation I will tell them large sum for what seems to be a beat up bike without gears, because I earned the money by my hard work. I am single, live on Manhattan, and yes, I can afford what I want. Why to be secretive about something I deserve and earned. Thus, if they are rude enough about the price, I make sure to make them feel poor. They deserve it.

[Blueberry]

I don't really mind questions about my bike. It's just a part of riding a 'bent.

Ditto that with a Bike Friday (though sometimes the questions are a little inconvenient and/or intrusive...).

CA

[Skierchickie]

I don't like to talk about how much I spent on ANYTHING. I have a couple of friends who (in my opinion) are very nosy and always ask how much stuff cost (and then tell other people). I always fumble my way around the question, and then come up with a snappy response later. I was raised to not talk about such things (including how much money a person makes). One of these friends is always telling me how much he spends on stuff, in a show-offy kind of way (drives me nuts ).

I did run into this question several times over the weekend, since I just bought a new bike Thursday, and Saturday I was hanging around at a local tri that DH was doing. At least those were all bikers, mostly with at least comparable-value bikes. I still weaseled my way out of a direct answer, but some of them got enough info to do the math. Mainly, I pointed out what a great deal I got, and what a great value it was compared to the equivalent bike I always though would be my next.

The first person who asked, though, was one of the college students at work. He asked point-blank. That always startles me. So when he immediately rephrased it as "Can I ask how much it cost?", I grabbed the opportunity to say "Sure, you can ask, buuuuut...." And then said I got a great deal. This kid would think nothing of spending much more on snowmobiles & ATVs & dirt bikes & jet skis (as would a lot of the people in this area), so I guess I should keep that in mind. It boggles my mind how much people spend on motorized toys, but then I've never been into those. Whenever I look at the thousands of dollars worth of bikes and skis in the garage, I tell myself that it is still way cheaper than some of the toys people have.

MomonBike: I love the "cheaper than a heart attack" line! I'll have to remember that one!

[makbike]

I tell them my favorite bike (Univega Grand Turismo purchased in 1986) cost me $230 and I think I've gotten my moneys worth out of it. I tell them my 2007 LeMond Buenos Aires WSD was a lot more.

I had lunch with my best friend today and somehow the topic of bicycles came up in our conversation. I told her my new bike ran me around $2000 and the look on her face was priceless. She simply could not believe I spent that kind of cash on a toy. I smiled and told her it was worth every penny. I also told her that was why it took me so long to decide to purchase a new bike - sticker shock is alive and real in the cycling world.

[Trekhawk]

If pressed, I tell them that it's cheaper than a heart attack.

LOL - I love that statement too. Must remember that one.
I have a friend who plays golf and who I know has spent a fortune on golf clubs, club membership etc who was shocked by how much my bikes cost. When I mentioned that he spent a fair bit on his beloved golf he said but its just a bike. Hmm I guess for some people bikes will always be things for kids so they can not fathom an adult spending a fair bit of money on one.

[crazybikinchic]

I am usually an "enough" answer. I was thinking about this this weekend, I have about 4500 miles on my $2000 bicycle. When you look at cost per mile, it really isn't that much, especially when you consider that I will be riding it at least another year before I replace it.

[violette]

I tell them: "less than smoking"...

[Crankin]

I rarely get asked that question, one, because my friends know better, and two, people know that this is how I choose to spend my money. But last week, at the B and B we stayed at, the owner asked my husband how much our bikes cost. My husband was truthful in his reply, but he also added that you can get a really nice road bike for 2K and a good entry level one for $800.00. That was the end of it, I think because the person asking is familiar with what people spend on power boats and golf clubs. I think if you can relate the cost of the bike with the cost of something familiar, it's good.One of the few times I was asked about the cost of my bike, I just laughed and said " a lot."
I don't think people should make assumptions about how much others spend. It's personal. I relate to the person who said that some question whether she really needs to work, like that's anyone's business. When I go back to grad school in a few weeks, I hope none of the other students make assumptions about me because of my stuff. I worked for 30 years, can finally afford to do what I want (within reason) and if I want to change careers or spend x amount of dollars on a bike, it's my business.

[NbyNW]

I don't like talking about what my bikes cost because I'm just a year out of grad school and I don't like when people make assumptions about my financial situation based on what I'm riding or driving or what my DH makes. That leads to them making assumptions about whether I need to work at all, which I do, and it's quite annoying.

If they are asking about my Dahon, I tell them what it retails for, and if it seems that they're really interested in the bike, I'll use it as a segue for for how I have a friend at the company and that I like that the company is dedicated to promoting folding bikes as _part_ of the solution to making transit multi-modal, and that they have a whole range of bikes at various prices that are geared toward different types of riders/functions.

If they ask about my Rodriguez, I tell them that my insurance policy picked up about 2/3 of the cost, which is true. Rodriguez is pretty well known locally so we usually skip the "how much did it cost" part and go straight to the "how can you afford this" part. Which is odd, because as others have mentioned, there are FAR more expensive bikes out there. Rodriguez bikes are actually quite reasonable, given the challenge of finding a good fit for someone who is barely 5'1"

If people want to make judgments about me based on what I spend on my bikes, I tell them that as a petite person, I REALLY don't have a lot of options. I've since learned about a few more since joining this board (Surly LHT! Coveting it!), but I also don't need another bike right now.

My theft-proof GT Rebound (Doesn't matter what it cost, 'cuz I'm sure I can't pay anyone to take it off my hands, which is fine, because it is dearly loved) is crying out for some TLC.

[BarbaraAlys]

I don't mind telling people what my bike cost if it is a friend, but why answer that to a stranger? I'm not sure a stranger has ever asked me, though.

A couple of months ago I was over extended and declined going out to dinner with a friend. I found out later that a mutual friend, on hearing about that, said "what is she doing spending $3000 on a bike if she is so broke"...that really tee'd me off! One, I didn't spend $3000 on a bike. Two, I'm single, no kids, living on my own and paying my own bills....what buisness is it of hers if I spend all my money on a bike?! Really, it still angers me...

Barbara

[melissad]

...what buisness is it of hers if I spend all my money on a bike?! Really, it still angers me...
Barbara

I agree Barbara, that would make me mad as well! It's completely rude anytime someone makes a judgment on someone else's financial situation. Besides, financial situations can completely change in a matter of days...

[dachshund]

I still feel that "how much did you pay for..." is not a question I have to answer. I try to be vague and give a range, like "you can pay anywhere from $x to $y depending on what components you want."

[cyclingmama]

A couple of months ago I was over extended and declined going out to dinner with a friend. I found out later that a mutual friend, on hearing about that, said "what is she doing spending $3000 on a bike if she is so broke"...that really tee'd me off! Barbara

I'd be seriously PO'd at that one, too! Maybe it means you're a financially savvy person, who knows to skip an evening out when things are tight so that you WILL be in a position to be able to make the big purchases that are important to you, like a good bike.

I've never really run into questions about the price of my bike (probably b/c I don't have a really expensive bike). I did have a co-worker ask me recently what I had paid for mine, but I also knew he was considering buying a bike for around-town errands and such. So I re-directed, with a "well, my road bike was a lot [it wasn't, but in comparison to what I am sure he was expecting to spend it would have seemed like a lot to him], but you can get a nice comfort hybrid in the $250-300 range" and from there we talked a bit about different kinds of bikes and the purposes that would suit, etc.

Why IS it that people do not flinch at spending thousands on a television, yet scoff at spending the same or less on a bike? It baffles me, how warped our priorities have become as a society.