Quote Originally Posted by Yen View Post
If a certain someone (a non-cyclist who just wants to know how much money we spend) asks how much my Sidi's cost, I'm ready to say "Much less than just 1 payment on your new luxury SUV."
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."

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.