Jim from Boston

Thanks for your reply, though I didn't see, or could find the uplink.

I have been noting and wrote to the Suggestions Forum, that MENTIONS no longer appear on my usual PC, but do on my I-phone, though I did note one when posting my reply.

base2 

"Normal" is defined by the people you are surrounded by. Gautier, Mississippi operates on a different scale than Manhatten.
5% of $50k is still a $2500 bike. Pretty squarely mid-range & close to the national average annual income. 5% (or $600) of a $12,000 annual income would in no way be valued less by that bikes owner. For that person, a $1200 bike would be the top of the 10% scale. We can gawk all day at the range of incomes for various professions in various areas of the country, but the question is purposely asked in such a way to scale to individual circumstances.

I see $10k bikes all the time. It's pretty common occurrence, ergo in my area "normal."

To draw a parallel: If I was in Silicon Valley it'd be Tesla's & in Monaco it'd be Lamborghini's & Bugatti's. In Nome Alaska or Austin, Texas, "normal" would be diesel F350's & Dodge Rams, both of which can be run up to $60k. Even if not the most common vehicle/variant, they are there & probably seen with some regularity.

base2 

Post #39 of this thread.
No worries.

DaveLeeNC

I guess the bikers in my area are relative paupers (me included). I had no idea. dave

philbob57

What's the population of Silicon Valley? How many people work there? How many own Teslas?

What's the population of Monaco? How many people work there? How many Lamborghinis and Bugs?

jamesdak 

jamesdak 

I would never spend $10,000 on "A" bike .

Wileyrat

I don't care if someone rides a 10k bike. I've conversed with several owners of 10k bikes, and ridden with a few (they're just people that like to ride). I don't care if people think I spent too much on my bike, and I've seen several here that think I did, some of them on this thread.

My bike, my money, my business. Your bike, your money, your business.

DaveLeeNC

This is like those old Sunday newspaper puzzles which would be something like "how many birds can you find in this picture". In this case I can at least see evidence of 19 bikes. What is the real answer?

dave

Happy Feet

I guess there are two ways to look at it.

From a luxury item/want perspective who's to say how much some one should spend. People buy $50,000 watches when a $100 Timex will do. Some people live frugally and save up for that one grail item while others spend a lot on all aspects of their lives.

From a practical perspective, unless you are a professional racer, a $10,000 bike is fairly ludicrous. It's also weak. There is nothing more pathetic than soneone who says they have fine taste and prefer expensive things - like no sh_t. How uninspired can you be. "I like the best this, and the best that.." is something someone with little practical experience often says because they have no real grounding to base specific preferences on. They want what they've been told they ought to want which in N.A. is excess.

For people who are serious it would be plausible to buy a level or two above their current skill level and appear reasonable but like someone above said; if you have crap skills and a champagne bike be prepared for some well deserved mocking related to the paragraph above.

In another practical vein, the technology for bikes is pretty mature and still not at a point to warrant $10,000 builds unless it's someone's grail bike. The law of diminishing returns dictates that, for the average rider, a bike in the 1-3K range provides all the technological advantage they can utilize. If you think you need to spend > 5K because of your skills... you don't.

The problem with bikes is that they are made to be ridden but can become status symbols wherein owners or lusters argue theoretical advantages of minutiae.

BlazingPedals

If riding a $10,000 bike pleases you and you can afford it, what's the problem? Just because the OP doesn't have the sensibilities to discern the difference between a cheap bike and an expensive one doesn't mean he's right and all those big spenders are wrong. I wonder how much, in his mind, is an acceptable amount to spend on a bike? $300?

Sounds like another anti-snob superiority thread.

flyjimmy

The key to understanding the original post lies with “if I had..”.

Machka 

Absolutely!!

Machka 

We're with you on that! Although we don't have the lovely room you've got them in!

flyjimmy

I find that with most nonessential purchases the critics acceptable maximum price is whatever they paid for their similar purchase.

MattTheHat 

Exactly, and very Carlinesque. Anyone riding a more expensive bike is a lunatic and anyone riding a cheaper bike is an idiot. Or some variation thereof. People are funny creatures.

-Matt

spelger

i do. but what the heck, spend your money the way you see fit. just have fun riding.

philbob57

To be clear, I don't see any problem with that.

The problem I see is the blindness to what is really normal.

wipekitty

$10,000 seems like a lot to me, but I'm not in the right income bracket to make those choices. In real life, I know people with $10,000 bikes and those bicycles seem absolutely delightful. I also know people with $60,000 vehicles, $500,000 houses, $3,000 dogs, and $120,000 university degrees. Of those things, I would choose the expensive bicycle and leave the rest. Other peoples' choices differ, and some people have to make more choices than others.

In the end, we are all morally blameworthy - at least according to this classic 1972 article that is taught in pretty much every freshman level ethics course in the US: https://www.utilitarian.net/singer/by/1972----.htm

TimothyH

Thank you for this.

Bookmarked for when I have time to read it slowly.


-Tim-

ridingfool

The way I see it is not really can u afford it as I have a few bikes some close to ten thousand and the others in the 5000 dollar range .but I also happen to ride alot so if I'm on a bike upwards of 25 hours a week .why not do it in confort and for the most part not have to worry to much about going down a hilll at speeds close to 50 mph. I have ridden cheaper bikes in the thousand dollar range . And too me at least not the same nothing like taking the f10;dogma out and knowing it can take much more than I can give it for years to come so for me it's money well spent. Not to mention all the money I save by riding so much as not having to see doctors all the time and be on all kinds of medicine.

livedarklions

I don't bloody care where either of you ride, I don't believe that even one percent of the bikes either of you encounter are worth $10k or more. It's just bs.

mattleegee

I have spotted a few $10k bikes on my trail riding, some very nice to admire
One of them was actually on his knees fixing another bikers wheel (tube) on the side of the trail, these are people to, just like "us"

Components, paint jobs, wheels, frame material, or brand can place you in your category quick... could be $100 or $10k easy

Some that spent more might answer with "buy right once" or "yolo"

I file most of my bike expenses under health both mental and physical, probably saves some people money spending $10k on a bike, thats a couple weekends in Vegas with hookers and blow

livedarklions

It's a stupid thread reacting to a stupid post in another thread.

Who cares what other people think is the right amount of money to spend on a bike? The feed the beggar bit is a red herring --likely no one is really considering it that way except for the universally ridiculed post quoted in the op.

CycleryNorth81

Hmmm..... A ten dollar bike with five thousand dollar rims. I have never seen one....pictures???