PickleRick

I just need to find a hobby where the crap I purchase appreciates in value.

WizardOfBoz

Nah, you're absolutely right. What I said, which to me was obviously not real, was to others not so obviously impossible. So I shouldn't even talk about the 20mm Bofors mounted to my front rack?*.


*

livedarklions

Don't even joke about such a crime against aerodynamics.

J Palmer Cass

Some people's hobby is the doing and some people's hobby is the gear with which the doing is done. Some people are satisfied with one good bike, gun, hi-fi, camera---whatever---and then get about using it. A good musician will sound good on any guitar.

ramzilla

Modify a perfectly good drop bar bike? Who, me? What on earth would ever give you that idea?

MRT2

Pretty much true. In addition to an interest in cycling, I used to be into high end audio, currently somewhat into shoes, watches, and lately, pocket knives.

Every hobby has people that take things too far. And it makes sense why. If one bicycle is good, two must be better, and so on to the point where you start thinking about needing a bicycle for every possible riding scenario, never mind that you probably ride one or two bikes 99% of the time. Same goes with shoes. Shoe collectors obsess over getting just the right shoe for the rotation, say something between a dress and casual boot, or whether a blucher or derby is appropriate to wear with a suit, or the opposite, whether you can get away with wearing a black or dark brown oxford with khaki pants. Then there is the world of watches, where collectors worry about whether they can wear a sport watch with a suit, or dare to wear a dress watch with jeans. Or god forbid, wear a cheap quartz watch to an important business meeting.
Now I am learning about pocket knives, and it is odd how many people obsess about this type of steel vs. that type of steel. Or flipper type tactical knives vs. traditional slip joint knives. And again, most people need a pocket knife or pocket multitool for light cutting tasks and pretty much any decent knife will get the job done, and there is no need to buy more than one or two, or to spend more than $50, and yet there are people who spend hundreds of dollars on a knife and own dozens, of pocket knives. At some point, the collecting becomes the point.

livedarklions

Actually, to the extent that any hobby is rational, that kind of collecting makes sense to me--you acquire as you learn more and you expand your capabilities to take advantage of different features. Where I think marketers make the big bank off irrationality is when someone who is new to the hobby jumps in thinking they have to start with expensive "connoisseur" level stuff (no matter what the activity) with differentiating features they won't be using and/or wouldn't have the capacity to notice the difference with a cheaper version. In some cases, they would actually be better off getting the "entry level" version as it might actually be easier for the beginner/casual user to use. For example, I've had several people tell me that their bike stays in the garage because they don't want to take the time to change shoes and put on kit. In other words, they're very well-equipped for a type of riding they really don't want to do.

horatio 

It’s easy to get carried away with what one enjoys. Let’s face it: We all like toys! My wife has gotten into sewing. She’s “collecting” fabric for projects. I won’t tell what she’s invested in machines and supplies, but it ain’t cheap!

Looks like I’m going down the photography rabbit hole again. I bought an old 6x6 slr “system” for under $200 so I can shoot B&W film again. I’m not planning to have a darkroom again, but I’ve found an enlarger for $50...

Phil_gretz

"Normal Things that are somewhat weird" include: walking sticks, aboriginal masks, boomerangs, chess sets...

"Not-normal Things that belie a mental disorder if collected" include: empty cat food tins, toenail clippings, broken dolls, things found on the roadside...

livedarklions

Grievances. Some people get 6 months bans for having that collection.

badger1

... or committed ... indefinitely (or as we say up here, at the pleasure of the Governor-General in right of Her Majesty the Queen).

Jbo26

Best Hobby I know. Great way to see new places. I think best form of exercise (very low impact on bones and joints). Great for the environment. Ride On!

DMC707

I went over the top on RC cars for a while. You are correct -- the new school Velineon electric motors can make almost anything too fast to drive competitively

Darth Lefty 

You can always install more power in an R/C car. That's why there were stock motors, and a lot of people ran those classes even though no one loved them. Right around the time I was giving it up, someone - Trinity, maybe - had introduced a 19 turn fixed timing ball bearing motor as an alternative. In a 4wd buggy it wasn't quite enough power but in a stadium truck it was a lot of fun. You could make the jumps the modified cars could but it wasn't so bonkers on the straights

wipekitty

Music gear is, in many ways, even worse. My SO plays guitar and I play drums. Sure, you can only play one guitar at a time, but those pedals are a rabbit hole, and I try not to think about amps and mods. Don't even get me started on cymbals. With an instrument that is a bunch of instruments, the only limitation is the size of the practice space.

At least I can only ride one bike at a time, which keeps things in check a bit. Five bikes seems sufficient...so long as I don't take up MTB, BMX, fatbiking, or cyclocross...

livedarklions

Now I'm going to trigger you into buying lots of toms:

ultrarider7

Throw Photography in the mix and you have the perfect trinity of expensive hobbies where you're always trying to get the 'next best thing'.

smoore

This thread got me thinking. In the 60s I was a paperboy with a rural route. Lots of bike riding every day on my Huffy. I also caddied at a golf course on the weekends and that required a ten mile ride one way and back again. I did all that riding a 35 lb bike with 26" ballon tires and I probably weighed less than 90lbs myself at barely 5' tall. How did I do that on a bike that wasn't "road, gravel, mountain or CX"? At 13-14 years old...there is no pain. Except when Charlene wouldn't even look at me...I suffered greatly.

J Palmer Cass

Often, the better the drummer the simpler the kit; many of the best used 4 and 5 piece kits.

smoore

Many, if not most hobbies turn into collections. Hence we collect one more piece of equipment that is a "need". However think of hobbies that are "collections" to begin with.

Baseball cards, coins, stamps, roses, Civil War relics, etc. Those hobbies never, ever end....and can really mess you up if you're not careful.

joel1952

Marketing 101---"Create a Need"
Not just for hobbies, it applies to every product or service. Cars, phones, 3000 mile auto oil changes

Marketing 102--"Create Customer Confusion"
Present consumers with multiple options and invariably they will be confused by the benefits and opt for the more expensive models

Mr Carl

I keep telling my wife, "no more bikes". Then I drag home something that resembles a bike saying it won't take much to fix it. I now have several custom made bicycles that I made thanks to eBay and my LBS.

Duragrouch

OP: This is the mindset that gave way to "crossover" vehicles; Part station wagon, part sport ute. My feelings are, you can go a little bit toward compromise, but not for serious applications; That crossover will have AWD and be good in snow and a dirt road and better fuel economy than a truck, but don't take it off-road. My Dahon folder has been retrofitted with big racks and panniers to hold as much as a touring bike for local shopping, but I don't think the frame has the durability of a dedicated touring bike. My sailboat is an open 15'er, comfortable to sail and roomy, but it doesn't have the speed of a lighter dinghy nor the accommodations of a keelboat. The F-35 is supposed to be both a fighter and an attack aircraft, but does neither as well as existing dedicated aircraft like the F-22 and A-10.

TheLizard

... and the best drummers hold the sticks by the small end...