Cycling is expensive, what are your cheaper substitute products?
08-23-12, 08:31 PM
#26
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There was an 18" snapper a couple of years ago ..... I didn't pick that one up ...... gave it some pokes with a hockey stick to get it out of the road.
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08-24-12, 05:21 AM
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08-24-12, 05:50 AM
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Ti skewers - I've bought several sets of the cheaper ones below for <=$20 and they are nice.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-KCNC-Ti-...item564c02d513
https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Titanium...item27ca7589e9
https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-KCNC-Ti-...item564c02d513
https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Titanium...item27ca7589e9
08-24-12, 05:55 AM
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Don't eat crap. It's not good for you.
Candy bars are crap. Bananas are cheaper and are good.
Candy bars are crap. Bananas are cheaper and are good.
08-24-12, 06:31 AM
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When my cycling jerseys are dirty and I dont got time to do laundry, and i'm heading out for another run, I use my sleeveless adidas basketball shirts. I size down so they fit snug like a cycling jersey, and they are made of cool, breathable material (mock eyelet fabric). Only $12 from sams club.
I load up on good, nutritious food before my ride. But I eat a snickers for a convenient, quick boost to power me through the last 60-90 minutes of my ride. Get em by the box from sams club too.
Lemon pledge for cleaning my bike too.
I load up on good, nutritious food before my ride. But I eat a snickers for a convenient, quick boost to power me through the last 60-90 minutes of my ride. Get em by the box from sams club too.
Lemon pledge for cleaning my bike too.
Last edited by HBxRider; 08-24-12 at 06:38 AM.
08-24-12, 07:20 AM
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-Socks are absolutely NOT created equal. If you believe this then do yourself a favor and swing by target, or grab a pair of sockguy socks.
-Gatorade and Snickers taste good, maltodextrin and cliff bars do not. I enjoy taking a tasty drink from my bottle, which constantly reminds me to take a drink from my bottle.
-I will gladly pay $1 to save myself from the annoyance of hand pump. Just thinking about the few times I've sat there on the side of the road for 10 minutes jerking off a dinky pump hoping I can get 80psi makes my blood boil. NEVER AGAIN!
-I really should patch tubes. There is just something about a brand new tube...
For me, cycling is expensive. I am in college and I race road, MTN and cross. Between gas, race entry fees, and wear & tear on my bikes I can spend $100 in a weekend. I try to save where I can, without cutting corners.
-Gatorade and Snickers taste good, maltodextrin and cliff bars do not. I enjoy taking a tasty drink from my bottle, which constantly reminds me to take a drink from my bottle.
-I will gladly pay $1 to save myself from the annoyance of hand pump. Just thinking about the few times I've sat there on the side of the road for 10 minutes jerking off a dinky pump hoping I can get 80psi makes my blood boil. NEVER AGAIN!
-I really should patch tubes. There is just something about a brand new tube...
For me, cycling is expensive. I am in college and I race road, MTN and cross. Between gas, race entry fees, and wear & tear on my bikes I can spend $100 in a weekend. I try to save where I can, without cutting corners.
You'll spend $100 in a weekend on racing stuff but don't have a pump that works? My frame pump will pump a flat MTB tube to 60psi or a 700x32 tube to 80psi in less than two minutes. Maybe skip one race and buy yourself a decent pump.
For me I ride in regular socks. I've got padded cycling shorts and a couple of cheap jerseys, and usually carry cheap cereal bars that are tasty enough and a generic version of Snickers bars that cost the equivalent of about $2 for 8. For longer rides I carry jelly babies that are also stupidly cheap (about $1 for 800-odd calories) but taste much better than you'd expect for the price. I actually prefer them to other jelly babies costing many times more.
If you can't afford to race road, MTN and cross how about dropping one of them so you can afford to race the others? I keep my cycling as cheap as possible but then I'm not doing it competitively.
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08-24-12, 11:28 AM
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I use the same wool socks on thew bike that I use when I hike, kayak, climb, or go to work. It's not rocket surgery, folks; some of you just enjoy shopping.
08-24-12, 11:32 AM
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i never understood the need for cycling-specific socks. i just wear plain old Champion brand socks from Target, same ones i wear when i go running.
08-24-12, 11:45 AM
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^ You must never have touched good wool.
08-24-12, 11:51 AM
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I ride 3-5 time/week, it gets expensive. In order to keep me out of the red I use the following:
I buy Gatorade powder from Walmart. I use it in my bottles when I ride, and for recovery after a long hard ride. If I am doing a long ride that requires bottle fillup, I bring a ziploc with powder in it for round 2. Stick with the glacier freeze or lemon lime, trust me. Half a scoop for a standard bottle or full scoop for a 1L nalgene. It makes 6 gallons, $8.38.
I buy Gatorade powder from Walmart. I use it in my bottles when I ride, and for recovery after a long hard ride. If I am doing a long ride that requires bottle fillup, I bring a ziploc with powder in it for round 2. Stick with the glacier freeze or lemon lime, trust me. Half a scoop for a standard bottle or full scoop for a 1L nalgene. It makes 6 gallons, $8.38.
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08-24-12, 11:53 AM
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You're right. Cycling is too expensive. I think I'll sell my bikes, buy some DVDs, and sit on my couch in my underwear all weekend eating tortilla chips.
08-24-12, 11:55 AM
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I know a guy who rides with fruit snacks instead of gu's. I might try that out.
I used to be a "socks are socks" guy. Then I won a cycling specific pair in a race. They took away all the hot spots and numbness I occasionally felt and kept my feet dry. I can never go back.
I won a bottle of accellerade in my crit race last night, I guess I will finally get to see how it compares to my Gatorade. I hope it doesn't work super well because that stuff is like $40/bottle!
I used to be a "socks are socks" guy. Then I won a cycling specific pair in a race. They took away all the hot spots and numbness I occasionally felt and kept my feet dry. I can never go back.
I won a bottle of accellerade in my crit race last night, I guess I will finally get to see how it compares to my Gatorade. I hope it doesn't work super well because that stuff is like $40/bottle!
08-24-12, 11:56 AM
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- Gatorade -> Old fashioned home-made lemonade with salt and sugar
- Gels, and such stuff -> bananas, peanut butter, peanut butter/banana smoothie made in milk
- socks -> don't wear them. shoes get wet with sweat, leave it in sun to dry !
- chain lube -> don't skimp here. use quality dry lube
- cleaner -> remove the chain, and wash it with soap + dawn. rest of the bike doesn't need to be cleaned. I haven't cleaned mine in 13K miles, and it still rides as fast as it did on day 1
- spinach+banana+peanut butter smoothie usually works as pretty awsome recovery drink. very refreshing, healthy, cheap.
- Gels, and such stuff -> bananas, peanut butter, peanut butter/banana smoothie made in milk
- socks -> don't wear them. shoes get wet with sweat, leave it in sun to dry !
- chain lube -> don't skimp here. use quality dry lube
- cleaner -> remove the chain, and wash it with soap + dawn. rest of the bike doesn't need to be cleaned. I haven't cleaned mine in 13K miles, and it still rides as fast as it did on day 1
- spinach+banana+peanut butter smoothie usually works as pretty awsome recovery drink. very refreshing, healthy, cheap.
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08-24-12, 12:02 PM
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And I rarely use gels. Oatmeal raisin cookies from the supermarket work better. And really, you only need food on rides over 2 hours ... unless you've done something silly like have honey just before you go for a ride.
I have decent quality pumps with which I've been able to pump my tires to 90 psi ... even with a separated shoulder on one ride.
I like wool socks year round, and get them from Walmart or Sears ... beautiful thin angora or cashmere blend wool socks. And I pay roughly $1 a pair for them. I have a lot of these and wear them on the bicycle and to work.
And kitchen grade Simple Green is cheaper and just as effective as automotive grade Simple Green.
I have decent quality pumps with which I've been able to pump my tires to 90 psi ... even with a separated shoulder on one ride.
I like wool socks year round, and get them from Walmart or Sears ... beautiful thin angora or cashmere blend wool socks. And I pay roughly $1 a pair for them. I have a lot of these and wear them on the bicycle and to work.
And kitchen grade Simple Green is cheaper and just as effective as automotive grade Simple Green.
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08-24-12, 12:07 PM
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Wool is like anything else. A really thick sweater is going to be unbearably hot in the summer. A thin tee-shirt made from the same stuff is delightful. The fabric comes in different "weights" depending on how much insulation you want.
It pulls sweat (and other moisture, like if it drizzles) away from your skin, never feeling clammy. It's the most comfortable stuff you can have directly against your skin when it's 95 F and you're working your ass off.
I have several pairs of these. They tend to go on sale in the late fall. I wear them around town, on summer hikes, and other times when this is all I need. I feel like I get more for my money this way.
It pulls sweat (and other moisture, like if it drizzles) away from your skin, never feeling clammy. It's the most comfortable stuff you can have directly against your skin when it's 95 F and you're working your ass off.
I have several pairs of these. They tend to go on sale in the late fall. I wear them around town, on summer hikes, and other times when this is all I need. I feel like I get more for my money this way.
08-24-12, 12:11 PM
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A cashmere sweater is fantastic insulation on the bike in the winter, between the merino base layer and goretex shell.
08-24-12, 12:16 PM
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I ride 3-5 time/week, it gets expensive. In order to keep me out of the red I use the following:
I buy Gatorade powder from Walmart. I use it in my bottles when I ride, and for recovery after a long hard ride. If I am doing a long ride that requires bottle fillup, I bring a ziploc with powder in it for round 2. Stick with the glacier freeze or lemon lime, trust me. Half a scoop for a standard bottle or full scoop for a 1L nalgene. It makes 6 gallons, $8.38.
I buy Gatorade powder from Walmart. I use it in my bottles when I ride, and for recovery after a long hard ride. If I am doing a long ride that requires bottle fillup, I bring a ziploc with powder in it for round 2. Stick with the glacier freeze or lemon lime, trust me. Half a scoop for a standard bottle or full scoop for a 1L nalgene. It makes 6 gallons, $8.38.
I fill my hammer gel squeeze bottle with honey from Costco. I use it like anyone else would use a gel. 5 lbs, $12.
I recover with ice cold chocolate milk. It gives me the protein, carbs, and fats that my body wants after a workout. .5 gallon, $2.49
For longer rides I bring a snicker bar (or 2). They give me a bit of protein with carbs and don't upset my stomach. They also taste good, unlike cliff/power bars. Walmart 6 for $3
I buy "C9 by Champion" mens quarter socks at Target (white of course). They wick moisture and provide mild arch support. Most comfortable cycling sock I have used, and they look good. 6 pair, $12[
I buy unthreaded CO2 cartirdges from Walmart. They are only 12 grams but I carry 2 with me. 15 for $8.
10 pack 48mm road tubes on ebay for $40. I don't patch tubes, it's just something I don't do.
What do you guys use? I would like to find substitutes for the following:
-Chain lube
-Chain lube
-Chain cleaner
-Parts cleaner
-Any other suggestions you might have
Cheers!
Cheers!
08-24-12, 12:28 PM
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I drink water . . . from the tap.
08-24-12, 12:28 PM
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Clearance sales online from REI, Jenson, Nashbar, Bluesky Cycling and other outlets for tires, tubes, lubes, chains. Simple Green by the gallon at Home Depot for cleaning chain and bike. A salesman at Interbike was pimping his product saying that chain lubes were 99% Mineral Oil and then some secret sauce. His product was "Chanoil #5".
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08-24-12, 12:32 PM
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Clearance sales online from REI, Jenson, Nashbar, Bluesky Cycling and other outlets for tires, tubes, lubes, chains. Simple Green by the gallon at Home Depot for cleaning chain and bike. A salesman at Interbike was pimping his product saying that chain lubes were 99% Mineral Oil and then some secret sauce. His product was "Chanoil #5".