Will my bike always be a "beginners bike"?
03-25-21, 06:59 AM
#101
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I’ve driven a stock microbus. Getting up and down hills reminded me of driving a 5-ton on the autobahn. “I think I can I think I can.”
Have a coworker with a VW that I think does 9’s. Big turbo, wheelie bars, spoiler.
Definitely somewhere in between those extremes would be for me.
Have a coworker with a VW that I think does 9’s. Big turbo, wheelie bars, spoiler.
Definitely somewhere in between those extremes would be for me.
03-25-21, 10:15 AM
#104
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I like old beetles and microbuses.
My brother owned 3 newer VWs in a row.
AWD Passat that wore the tires funny and handled goofy. When it needed a cat, it was cheaper to get rid of the car.
A8. He said it was stupid fast. Some kind of injector problem. Fixed under warranty and got rid of the car before more problems.
1.8t golf. He moved where a golf makes no sense. I think he traded it for a 4door f150.
I’m not a car guy. My thoughts are it seems like VW is Dodge longevity with Honda or Toyota price tags.
To me sports car and daily driver are incompatible ideas. All the cars go the same on the 405 driving home from work.
The best sports car would be a shifter cart. No tags. No insurance. Fast. Drain the gas at the end of the day and hang it out of the way on some MTB hooks- doesn’t take much garage space.
03-29-21, 07:32 PM
#105
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i would say starter bike , s a bike that if fitted with parts and tech that isnt required ot be specialized to the specific task or discipline , and as you out grow the bike with skill and ability you will notice you need a bike that can handle more , you cant really throw a road bike down a mountain without being extra skilled , you dont tow a truck with a small Honda , even if you can it wont last long and will break , so if you know your frame , and the frame doesn't seem like ti will hold you back , just start making the meaningful improvements to your bikes ability , like tubeless , and better wheels , 1x drive train , better quality parts and then people will look at you and see you put that extra time into the bike , even if its starter frame , you swap out the crank and drive train and it show !
03-29-21, 10:14 PM
#106
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About two years ago I came to this forum with a quandry. I wanted to get into cycling but wasn't prepared to pay what the major bike shops were asking and didn't want to go with a "big box" bso either.
The advice I was given here was that there was a third option - look for something used but good. Thank you for the advice.
I did exactly that, bought myself a good used XCR. I thought It had all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a new big ticket bike (air suspension fork, Shimano 27 speed gear system, triple chainring Shimsno crankset, alloy disk hubs with Wienmann rims, hydraulic disc breaks).
Since I got it I upgraded the bike to a hydraulic fork, suspension seat post and carbon fibre wheelset, besides giving it a good paint job etc.
Today I went into a cycle club Id like to join. They took one look at my bike and described it as a "beginners bike" and assumed I wanted to join the beginners section of the club. I also met some of the clubs execs and they all had BIG ticket bikes.
I had hoped that with the original bike and the modifications I made, I wouldn't have to buy a new bike, (unless I wanted to take part in some serious ultra marathons - which I don't atm
).
Does my bike really have to cost $$$$$ to be a serious cyclist?
The advice I was given here was that there was a third option - look for something used but good. Thank you for the advice.
I did exactly that, bought myself a good used XCR. I thought It had all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a new big ticket bike (air suspension fork, Shimano 27 speed gear system, triple chainring Shimsno crankset, alloy disk hubs with Wienmann rims, hydraulic disc breaks).
Since I got it I upgraded the bike to a hydraulic fork, suspension seat post and carbon fibre wheelset, besides giving it a good paint job etc.
Today I went into a cycle club Id like to join. They took one look at my bike and described it as a "beginners bike" and assumed I wanted to join the beginners section of the club. I also met some of the clubs execs and they all had BIG ticket bikes.
I had hoped that with the original bike and the modifications I made, I wouldn't have to buy a new bike, (unless I wanted to take part in some serious ultra marathons - which I don't atm
).Does my bike really have to cost $$$$$ to be a serious cyclist?
03-30-21, 07:26 AM
#107
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Couldn't force myself to read past the first page.
-if this was a road bike group and you showed up on any mountain bike, you needed to be in the beginners group, and even then, you're basically punishing the whole pack for having a no drop rule. They should have politely told you that it was a road ride.
-if it was a mountain bike ride, you probably have no idea yet how fast that fast can be. I remember being a young (under 20) hotshot and hero in my mind. Faster than literally everyone I rode with. I entered a sport (beginner) class mtn bike race and got ruthlessly smoked.
That last point is true for road too. Only the absolute fastest of the recreation group ever decide to race. They all start at the bottom. I've only met a couple rec riders in my life that can keep up with racers who are giving it effort. Even experienced triathletes struggle for the first half season of riding with roadies.
-if this was a road bike group and you showed up on any mountain bike, you needed to be in the beginners group, and even then, you're basically punishing the whole pack for having a no drop rule. They should have politely told you that it was a road ride.
-if it was a mountain bike ride, you probably have no idea yet how fast that fast can be. I remember being a young (under 20) hotshot and hero in my mind. Faster than literally everyone I rode with. I entered a sport (beginner) class mtn bike race and got ruthlessly smoked.
That last point is true for road too. Only the absolute fastest of the recreation group ever decide to race. They all start at the bottom. I've only met a couple rec riders in my life that can keep up with racers who are giving it effort. Even experienced triathletes struggle for the first half season of riding with roadies.
05-05-21, 10:13 AM
#108
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Oh no. My wife just ordered new carpeting and bathroom flooring. Does that mean a new touring bike, a racing bike (I don't race, but they look cool), another old vintage project or a bike trip? Kinda like the arms race USA vs USSR in the 1980's.
05-05-21, 10:24 AM
#109
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Wonder if OP (or any of his alternate identities) ever found a club to ride with?
05-05-21, 10:27 AM
#110
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05-05-21, 10:35 AM
#111
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I'm not the guy who bumped it, but yeah. A thread as amusing as this deserves a revival.
05-06-21, 06:05 PM
#112
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Is it better to be an experienced rider on a beginner's bike, or a beginner on a high end bike?
Discuss.
Alternatively: Old guy on old bike vs old guy on new bike, vs new guy......you get the idea.
Discuss.
Alternatively: Old guy on old bike vs old guy on new bike, vs new guy......you get the idea.
05-06-21, 07:11 PM
#113
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Y'know, I had much the same experience when I brought my zeppelin to the fighter squadron.
05-07-21, 09:22 AM
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If someone has the means and the will to buy a $20,000 bike and $500 kit and $500 shoes but only has the time to ride 1x a month and is 40lbs overweight... that's fine. Not sure whom that's hurting except people who are salty that they're poor.
05-07-21, 06:36 PM
#115
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There is literally no such thing as "too much bike" and I get irrationally mad every time anyone says anything like that. There might be the wrong bike for certain people or certain applications. Someone who's 100lbs overweight probably can't fit onto a race geo bike. But that's not "too much bike". That's just the wrong bike.
If someone has the means and the will to buy a $20,000 bike and $500 kit and $500 shoes but only has the time to ride 1x a month and is 40lbs overweight... that's fine. Not sure whom that's hurting except people who are salty that they're poor.
If someone has the means and the will to buy a $20,000 bike and $500 kit and $500 shoes but only has the time to ride 1x a month and is 40lbs overweight... that's fine. Not sure whom that's hurting except people who are salty that they're poor.
Thank God senseless rich people have you to protect them from nasty remarks and snickers. You really would get "irrationally mad" if someone made a crack about the ostentatious conspicuous consumption that would represent? Poor persecuted rich people!
If you spend money like that, expect people to talk behind your back. It might even be why you bought the damn thing in the first place.
05-07-21, 07:02 PM
#116
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Thank God senseless rich people have you to protect them from nasty remarks and snickers. You really would get "irrationally mad" if someone made a crack about the ostentatious conspicuous consumption that would represent? Poor persecuted rich people!
If you spend money like that, expect people to talk behind your back. It might even be why you bought the damn thing in the first place.
If you spend money like that, expect people to talk behind your back. It might even be why you bought the damn thing in the first place.
05-07-21, 07:32 PM
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Your example was a guy spending $21,000 on a bike and kit he was going to use for 12 bike rides a year. That's conspicuous consumption. And I'm pretty sure rich people who knew anything about bikes would think it was pretty funny.
05-07-21, 07:36 PM
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That was obviously an exaggerated hypothetical. I doubt such a rider exists. So where exactly do you draw the line between conspicuous consumption and just buying nice things? $10,000 for 100 rides a year? $5,000 for 50 rides a year? What's the formula? Pray tell. I wanna know which side of the line I'm on.
05-07-21, 07:39 PM
#119
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Just because someone has an expensive bike, don't assume they are "rich"
Just yesterday I was at the LBS and taking to one of the sales people and another customer in the parking lot. She said she thinks spending $2000 on a bike is ridiculous. The sales person said that $2000 is where you just start getting into the higher end bikes and some cost as much as $15,000. She said who spends that much on a bike, I said well.. I sort of did. And then pointed out to her that my "expensive" bike along with my 2018 Subaru is still $20,000 less than the Mercedes SUV she drives.
We each decide on what is important and what is not.
Just yesterday I was at the LBS and taking to one of the sales people and another customer in the parking lot. She said she thinks spending $2000 on a bike is ridiculous. The sales person said that $2000 is where you just start getting into the higher end bikes and some cost as much as $15,000. She said who spends that much on a bike, I said well.. I sort of did. And then pointed out to her that my "expensive" bike along with my 2018 Subaru is still $20,000 less than the Mercedes SUV she drives.
We each decide on what is important and what is not.
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05-07-21, 07:40 PM
#120
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That was obviously an exaggerated hypothetical. I doubt such a rider exists. So where exactly do you draw the line between conspicuous consumption and just buying nice things? $10,000 for 100 rides a year? $5,000 for 50 rides a year? What's the formula? Pray tell. I wanna know which side of the line I'm on.
No, cuz I don't care.
05-07-21, 08:50 PM
#122
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I'd make fun of someone who spent $20,000 on a bike he almost never rode, but you would too, apparently, because that was an "obviously an exaggerated hypothetical." It's an exaggerated hypothetical because it's ostentatiously wasteful spending and ridiculous.
I get the feeling you're trying to troll someone into saying you spend too much on your bikes. Are you craving salt? Like I said, I really don't care what your bikes cost but I do find your protestations of irrational anger in defense of an exaggerated hypothetical pretty funny.
05-07-21, 08:59 PM
#123
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Just because someone has an expensive bike, don't assume they are "rich"
Just yesterday I was at the LBS and taking to one of the sales people and another customer in the parking lot. She said she thinks spending $2000 on a bike is ridiculous. The sales person said that $2000 is where you just start getting into the higher end bikes and some cost as much as $15,000. She said who spends that much on a bike, I said well.. I sort of did. And then pointed out to her that my "expensive" bike along with my 2018 Subaru is still $20,000 less than the Mercedes SUV she drives.
We each decide on what is important and what is not.
Just yesterday I was at the LBS and taking to one of the sales people and another customer in the parking lot. She said she thinks spending $2000 on a bike is ridiculous. The sales person said that $2000 is where you just start getting into the higher end bikes and some cost as much as $15,000. She said who spends that much on a bike, I said well.. I sort of did. And then pointed out to her that my "expensive" bike along with my 2018 Subaru is still $20,000 less than the Mercedes SUV she drives.
We each decide on what is important and what is not.
In your case, it's not like your bike is an unused wall hanging. I would say it's a pretty good bet that someone who wasted $15k on a bike he barely rode is either completely nuts or rich (or both).
05-07-21, 09:01 PM
#124
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I doubt anyone spends $20,000 (or even $10,000 or $2,000) on a bike (especially if it's their only bike) with the intent of only riding once a month. If someone actually uses the thing they bought then its of value. I thought I was overspending on my TV but it's awesome and it's on a lot and its quality makes watching it more enjoyable. On the other hand, I have Lego sets that cost 1/20th what my AV system cost that I haven't put together yet so their value to me so far is basically zero.
If I constantly see you uploading rides to Strava then the cost of your bike is of no real concern to me. Well, if it's expensive I want to see pictures of all the bling.
If I constantly see you uploading rides to Strava then the cost of your bike is of no real concern to me. Well, if it's expensive I want to see pictures of all the bling.
05-07-21, 10:56 PM
#125
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I'd make fun of someone who spent $20,000 on a bike he almost never rode, but you would too, apparently, because that was an "obviously an exaggerated hypothetical." It's an exaggerated hypothetical because it's ostentatiously wasteful spending and ridiculous.
I get the feeling you're trying to troll someone into saying you spend too much on your bikes. Are you craving salt? Like I said, I really don't care what your bikes cost but I do find your protestations of irrational anger in defense of an exaggerated hypothetical pretty funny.
I get the feeling you're trying to troll someone into saying you spend too much on your bikes. Are you craving salt? Like I said, I really don't care what your bikes cost but I do find your protestations of irrational anger in defense of an exaggerated hypothetical pretty funny.
Also: you can see what bike I ride. Not one person has ever accused me of having "too much bike".
Last edited by smashndash; 05-07-21 at 11:00 PM.