rydabent

Economies of scale should work for bike tires. They must sell tens of million every year.

A lot of boys toys like boats and airplanes and their parts are obscene. One friend says a boat is an object that makes a hole in the water that you fill with money.

spectastic

don't blame the oil companies for the lack of innovation. blame the fact that coal and fossil fuels are still way cheaper and more practical than any alternatve/renewable energy source out there today. And in a free market, it's all about the bottomline. It's funny how oil companies always gets blamed, when they're just filling in the consumer demands. They're not unlike any other businesses in the free market.

PlanoFuji

You were the one mentioning the 'historic middle class' or something like that. I was just pointing out that the large middle class (particularly the self perception thereof) may well be a historical blip.

The middle class is an interesting concept. A number of sociological researchers over the years have conducted surveys of Americans asking them to place themselves in one of three categories; poor, middle class, or rich. In most of these surveys, the respondents have overwhelmingly placed themselves in the 'middle class'. The term has a popular meaning, which changes over time, and a mathematical definition, specifically the second and third quartiles according to income. I haven't seen any changes to indicate the quartiles are changing with any long term trend. However, if you mean that the poor may actually be realizing that they are actually poor, then I would agree with that.

Two items for you to consider; auto complete and dragon dictate, well those and simple laziness in informal communications.


You are mistaken that NY roads are paid for without federal funds. Indeed NY receives some of the highest transportation funding of any state. Just start including things like MTA funding. Of course there is also the 1975 federal bailout of NYC...

Oh, much of the income in California is now being paid for with public tax dollars (public employees) which means the income level is artificially high. They have caused a pretty significant exodus of private employers.


You are illustrating my point above about people's perception of being middle class. According to the data on the following table; https://www.census.gov/compendia/stat...es/12s0706.pdf

the four income quartiles for NYS are approximately as follows:

1 poor less than $25,000
2 lower middle class $25,001 to about $35,000
3 upper middle class about $35,000 to about $100,000
4 rich over about $100,000

cafzali

First off, MTA funding from the federal government covers largely capital construction projects, not operating costs. Secondly, tolls that drivers pay on MTA bridges are diverted to operating costs. Those aren't paid by people who don't live here. Lastly, the federal government was repaid with interest.

As far as overall transportation funding, we're one of the richest states in the country, so we should get our share. That said, you should also look up the New York Thruway system and see how it functions. It's supported by tolls and extends for hundreds of miles and has various sections throughout the state. Can't say that about Texas.

If we decided we were no longer going to support the oil industry with the preferential policies we currently do, Texas would be in big trouble.

PlanoFuji

MTA receives almost all capital costs from the FTA (federal transit agency) as well as significant portion of operating costs are also covered by the feds. Further, no transit system in the U.S. is able to cover its operating costs solely with local funding, much less its capitol costs. When including all of the transit transportation funding NY has historically received far more federal transportation dollars then it contributed. In large part because of the strength of its political base.

You are also neglecting the vast number of non-toll roads in NYS. All of which require maintenance which also costs. Much of which is subsidized by federal funding.

I used to live in NYC, so I am somewhat familiar with the area.

As for Texas. Historically, Texas has received about an even balance between transfers (mostly do to their political power, a president and two speakers of the house that covered about 40+ years) of transportation dollars to the feds and what they received in return, though in more recent times that is no longer the case since most of the federal transportation disbursements have been largely of borrowed funds.

Oil isn't as significant to Texas as it was. The economy is quite diverse.

SpeshulEd 

*Cough* bulll**** *cough*


Oil/Coal isn't cheaper than cleaner forms of energy, it's the fact that innovation is being put on hold so oil/coal companies can get rich. But hey, war over oil is fun and makes a few americans rich while Faux News force feeds bull**** to the ignorant masses. Who needs the tops of mountains anyway? **** nature!

Cat4Lifer

I don't mean to sound like a jerk here, but it's you're, not your. I've seen so many people get this wrong and I just don't see how people confuse the two.

Germany_chris

Hey lets talk about pseudo expensive bike tire..

Intractable political debate on a cycling form is both tasteless and unnecessary.

@OP Tires aren't to bad if you shop a bit yoiu can get your run of the mill clincher for ~$40 the prices really start to elevate when you get into tubulars and boutique tubulars. Try looking at some FMB's Challenges, Clements etc. it'll help lessen the wallet pain

kmv2

Is it a free market though?

spectastic

where do you think the electricity from electric cars come from genius? clean energy?

Mr. Beanz

I think it's meant more like "your right". It's a hip phrase used by many younger people. This would be opposite "my bad".

SpeshulEd 

And you do realize that an electric car with an electric engine uses far less energy/fuel than a car with a combustible engine?

Leave energy out of it, look at our cell phone market. Locking a user into a two year contract doesn't drive innovation. Consumers should be able to buy a phone and switch carriers as they see fit. Compare are consumer electronics with Japan's and be prepared to be blown away.

Cat4Lifer

That would be: "ur right"
ya feel me?

spectastic

are you assuming they get 100% energy conversion by burning coal to produce the energy in your electric car?

SpeshulEd 

Why don't you use google and figure out the benefits of an electric car yourself? I never said what you're claiming.

****, keep gas powered cars. We just bought a new car and it shuts off when you come to a full stop to save gasoline. This is a simple innovation that gives the user a higher mpg rate that could have been easily implemented years ago.

AdrianFly

Bike parts and accessories cost money. The sky is the limit on what you wish to spend on the sport. Some people may say to go get more college to make more money to buy more stuff. I advise to prioritize, budget and practice frugality so as to not waste money.

Just because humans are bombarded by sales media 24/7 telling them their lives are and always will be unfulfilled doesn't mean we need to blow ungodly amounts of money needlessly in some vain attempt to identify ourselves to others as "successful".


Wait for cycling deals, learn to work with what you've got until what you really need goes on sale.

Patience kids.

terrya

I'm so glad I wasn't the only one feeling this way.

Thank goodness for Craigslist! New Continental Attacks 700x22c (front) $25, new Continental Grand Prix 4000s 700x23c (back) $25. As AdrianFly stated, patience is a virtue, just hard to resist sometimes.

fietsbob

Face it you are getting screwed by your Bosses . thats why you sweat the cost of a few Bike Parts..

bought in other places than a bike shop so they have to screw their employees too ..

its a downward spiral, called 'the race to the bottom'. and guess who loses..

PlanoFuji

I wouldn't count on those craigslist tires to actually be new... possible yes, but I would suspect that the sellers are using the word 'flexibly'...

terrya

They were in their respective boxes folded neatly.

ThermionicScott 

Cleaning off and re-folding tires isn't very hard.

sonatageek

I think part of the reason bike tires cost more, is the level of engineering that goes into making a high performance, durable and flat resistant package that weight so little. Light weight and no flats make expensive

SpeshulEd 

Forget tires, let's play this game with pedals...

105's


Dura Ace ($200 more expensive than 105's)

License2Ill

You're trippin' if you think decent car tires only cost $75 anymore though. My last set of Pirelli A/T's were $130/ea on sale($160 regular price), and that was only a 16"-wheel size. You get into 19's or 20's with anything and you're over $200/ea no matter what.