Corsaire

I could explain it through this well known marketing axiom:

"Sell what people need, and you'll make money - but sell what people WANT, and you'll get RICH"

It addresses our human nature, we as humans, are motivated mainly, by what give us pleasure.

You don't need a $ 7,000.00 bike, but you may WANT it because it gives you a type of pleasure you and only you individually can define.

I, personally, don't need any more bike than what I have: my Bianchi Vigorelli at 19lbs. w/o tools bag and water.

Would I buy a very high end bike with all the lightest parts that exist IF money wasn't an objection? YOU BETCHA!!!

Corsaire

yzfrr11

I would prefer an old, heavy, broken-down, pile of junk.

caloso

It's an interesting question. In the original thread I said that I'd have a custom bike built for me by Steve Rex, right here in Sacramento. A couple reasons, I guess.

He works in steel and I haven't had a steel bike since my old Schwinn World Sport.
I've always wanted a bike that was absolutely custom made and unique.
I could get it in any color I want and have my kids' names painted on the top tube.
It would be made by a human being working in a shop a couple of blocks away, not by a robot in a giant Taiwanese factory.
The components would be the same as the best in the world use.
I'd know that a portion of the taxes I'd pay on it would go to road maintenance and improvement here in Sacramento County.

Trogon

Machka,

For me it's really about spending as much as I can justify (to myself) in order to get something that appeals to me based mainly on 1) looks and 2) top of the line parts. After many years and many wasted dollars in upgrades, I've learned that it's just smarter for me to start at the top. Beginning low and never being satisfied is a poor financial strategy.

But there are financial borders I will not cross and I don't really obsess about weight. Technology and paint jobs are the two most important factors in my purchasing decisions (after fit, of course.)

In terms of the worth or the value of the bikes I own - never factors into the decision. Insurance? That's what a homeowners policy is for. I never think about the money I have tied up in my collection. It's spent, it's gone and I cannot put a price tag on the enjoyment I've had in building and riding them.

DXchulo

I don't really get what's so snobbish about that. I mean, if I could afford it I'd have a something really nice, and when I get out of college and get a real job one of the first things I'll do is buy myself a bike I can only dream of now. If a guy has a lot of money, what do we expect him to do? Sit on it his whole life? As long as rich people with nice bikes (or poor people with nice bikes, for that matter) aren't making fun of my bike, then I won't think of them as snobs.

Anyway, wouldn't buying the best, most expensive bike you could buy be sort of anti-climactic? Part of the fun is admiring those beautiful machines that you just can't afford. Sometimes dreaming is more fun than doing. My bike is Al, has 105, and cost me $700. When I first got it I thought it was the best thing in the world. Whenever it's not the best thing in the world anymore, at least I have another level to go to. If you have the best bike out there and it's not so new anymore, what do you dream of? What do you keep working for? Maybe being poor is better than we make it out to be....

garskoci

So I can put my big, non-aero, heavy body on it, ruin all of the aerodynamics and pedal around!

Sawtooth

Well said as usual 55/Rad! This is my first post after cruising the forums for a few months. You seem to react like I would to most postings and help to create a great discussion environment. There are a few sports in which a hard working middle class guy with a family can have the best or even get really close to having the best. I have a much easier time justifying spending a couple grand on my "healthy lifestyle" and "ride to work" with my wife than I do spending that money on a new snowmobile or something. Plus, it is the area in which I can get the most pleasure per dollar spent. I don't ride the best, but I ride the best I can afford and love every minute of it.

telenick

This thread makes me think of this joke:

On the farm lived a chicken and a horse, both of whom loved to play together. One day, the horse fell into a bog and began to sink. The horse begged for the chicken to go get the farmer for help!

The chicken ran back to the farm. He searched and searched for the farmer, but to no avail, for he had gone to town with the only tractor. Running around, the chicken spied the farmer's new Z-3 BMW, finding the keys inside; the chicken sped off with a length of rope, hoping he still had time to save his friends' life.

Back at the bog, the horse was surprised, but happy to see the chicken arrive in the shiny new BMW. He managed to get a hold of the rope the chicken tossed to him. After tying the other end to the rear bumper of the BMW, the chicken then drove slowly forward and with the aid of the powerful car, rescued the horse!

Happy and proud, the chicken drove the BMW back to the farmhouse, and the farmer was none the wiser when he returned. The friendship between the two was cemented and they were the BEST PALS FOREVER!

A few weeks later, the chicken fell into the mud pit and soon he began to sink and cried out to the horse to save his life! The horse thought a moment, walked over, and straddled the large puddle. Looking underneath, he told the chicken to grab his "thing" and he would lift him out of the pit. The chicken got a good grip and the horse pulled him out and saved his life.

THE MORAL OF THE STORY?

WHEN YOU ARE HUNG LIKE A HORSE, YOU DON'T NEED A BMW TO PICK UP CHICKS.

Moonshot

A bicycle is a machine. Some bicycles are more efficient than others and often cost more. Of course, a strong motor will affect how well the machine performs.

zelah

i want one becuase that would tell girls that i am a winner and probably have a big penis without me having to say a word

lala

It'll make me look cool.

StanSeven

I did it for two reasons. Cycling is one of the things I enjoy a lot. I built up my dream bike based ona mixture of lightness and durability. It's something I want to ride every day when I can and not something to take out only whe the conditions are perfect. The second reason is I feel motivated to ride longer, harder, and faster because I made the investment. I want to become the kind of rider that warrants the bike.

In terms of insurance, I never even thought about it. I don't see the need. I keep the bike in my garage. When I ride other than from home, I put it on the roof rack and more commonly in the back of my Jeep.

Corsaire

Because why NOT. The way I see it you live only ONCE, if something gives you so much joy and fun and at the same time HEALTH, why not INVEST in it by buying the best of the best you can afford.
Corsaire

Tree Trunk

This is a joke, right?

jakemoffatt

I'm sure that most of the people here who actually DO buy those expensive bikes are like me: they have a modest income, and they save for what they want.

My peers are always scraping around for money and are surprised when they hear that I use my debit card for everything... they always ask "How do you know you aren't going to go over?" And the truth is I really don't. I never think to myself before a purchase "Do I have enough in my account to cover this?" because I meter my spending. I don't buy frivolous trinkets at every opportunity. I am so tight I squeak when I walk. So I "just know" that I have enough because I know it hasn't been spent on something else.

Back on topic, when I do make purchases its because I've saved for a long time. I like to buy high-end stuff in any category. I waited almost 6 months since I got the bug to get a laptop before I actually got one, for two reasons, one was money, and two, I wanted to be positive that I was getting the best bang for my buck and something that would last me a long long time.

I think its the same for the bikes with most people.

jakemoffatt

Ok now I'll answer your question with another question:

What is the best bicycle? Or more narrowly, what is the best road-bike?

What is the best hammer? The best car? The best coffee? The best wine?

If you came back to me with answers whose cost was within the reach of an average everyday Joe I'm pretty sure most people would laugh at you. Most people in the U.S. at least, and also some of the other more affluent countries. The reason is that from birth we are conditioned to think that Most Expensive means Best. Many people associate Price with Quality. I bought a Catalytic Converter for my car the other day for $69.99 and my mom asked me, "Isn't that too cheap? Won't it just break again?" Now to be honest there is some amount of truth in those words - very cheap products are usually more likely to break/fail. Or is that just the social conditioning talking?

92degrees

Buy the best you can afford and cry only once. I have yet to find a situation or hobby where that hasn't served me well.

2Rodies

I suppose I have one of those 'high tech' bikes, LOOK 481sl w/04 Record blah blah blah and I take it out all the time! I love riding this bike, it actually makes me want to ride it even more! After I build my TT bike (LOOK 486) my next bike will be decidedly lower tech. Bob Jackson Fixed gear, steel lugged and ABSOLUTELY NO CARBON!

AlanS

Lots of thoughtful replies in this thread. I like the analogy comparing high-end bike lovers to art aficionados because high-end bikes are esthetically beautiful. Some of the best cycling components look like fine pieces of crafted jewelry and I might buy a bike in the same way that I would buy a gold chain or wedding band.

But if that bike ends up preventing diabetes or heart disease, that $5000 bike might look like a bargain compared to missing years of employment or a $50,000 surgery.

bigskymacadam

as with any technological advancement ie: computers .... the newest, fastest stuff are bought by gamers and power users. my grandma would not need a new dual core $5,000.00 dell as much as ride around on a $5,000.00 racing bike ...

it's a hobby that applies to cars, boats, postage stamps, guitars, etc

'nother

Well, if you had said "need" instead of "want", I'd agree that few people *need* one.


But I certainly wouldn't mind having a lighter bike (more efficiency on climbs, less effort on distances -- no I won't fly up hills or do 4 hour Centuries, but maybe I'll gain a little edge).

And I certainly wouldn't mind having the better equipment that tends to also be higher priced.

Do I need them? No way, I barely "need" what I have. But there's nothing wrong with wanting, and there's nothing wrong with buying, if you can afford it.

H23

hmm... justification....

Its an art thing for me, but to put it in perspective, my $3000 dollar bike cost less than a useless bling-factor engine option that some co-workers get on their beamers or other expensive cars.

I guess you have to look at disposable income, too. DInK households (dual-income-no-kids) can afford to spend a lot more than PWK's (people w/kids), or students.

But whatever, I paid my dues. I rode bicycles I rescued from garbage for most of my teen and adult life.

d^2

this question has many levels:
1) are people who buy expensive bikes suckers who were fooled by the marketing of expensive bikes?
2) do you buy expensive bikes because you think they will make you a better cyclist?
3) is an expensive bike actually any better than a 1000 dollar bike, or is it all *perceived* because we know how much the bike costs?
4) are bikes art or jewelry, where you pay more for looks?
5) is functionality the only thing to consider when buying a bike?

etc. etc. etc.

i think it's funny how this question gets answered slightly differently depending on who is reading it and what level they interpret the question on.

Bontrager

Well put (except delete "wife and kids" and insert "strippers")

caloso

I was thinking about this thread recently, trying to justify the expense in upgrading my perfectly good Ultegra bike to DA.

I justified it to myself and, more importantly, to the Family CFO by arguing that the gruppo on the commuter was pooping out. By making this $1300 investment, I'd go from having a Very Good Bike and a Functional Bike to having a Excellent Bike and a Very Good Bike. And wouldn't she feel better about having her husband and father of her children commuting to work on a Very Good Bike?

But when it comes right down to it, I really wanted to have the best Go Fast bike I could afford. As another poster pointed out, a middle class guy couldn't go out and buy Michael Schumacher's car, but I've got the same frame and group that Lance won the Tour on a few years ago.