"How much did your bike cost?"

[Bike Chick]

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????

[Cataboo]

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.

[Owlie]

Hee, no one cares. My bottom-end road bike attracts no attention.

[HipGnosis6]

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."

[abejita]

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!

[Trek420]

.... 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

[MomOnBike]

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.

[Crankin]

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.

[redrhodie]

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.

[Aggie_Ama]

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.

[Ann G]

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.