How expensive is expensive??
08-12-14, 10:53 AM
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Entirely subjective to what you can afford to spend and/or what you feel is a justifiable amount to spend.. I think of 1k entry level road bikes as inexpensive even though I'd never buy one.. and probably anything over 2k in my book is "expensive". Luckily for me I'm into vintage steel.
08-12-14, 11:06 AM
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Entirely subjective to what you can afford to spend and/or what you feel is a justifiable amount to spend.. I think of 1k entry level road bikes as inexpensive even though I'd never buy one.. and probably anything over 2k in my book is "expensive". Luckily for me I'm into vintage steel.
08-12-14, 11:23 AM
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It's about diminishing returns. The difference between a $1000 bike and one costing $2000 will be significant and noticeable. The difference between a $6000 bike and one costing $7000 will be barely discernible. At some point on the spectrum, unless money is really no object, we'll each conclude that we aren't prepared to pay a big chunk of money for a very marginal improvement.
08-12-14, 11:24 AM
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Really depends on what you can afford or afford to put on a credit card! For me $2,000+ is getting expensive. If you're not a pro what's the use of spending more? And if you're a pro you don't have to pay for your bikes.
08-12-14, 11:28 AM
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I don't know about road bikes, but $400+ for a beach cruiser is expensive.
08-12-14, 11:31 AM
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"How expensive?", IMO, is the wrong question. "Will I be satisfied?" may be the better question.
A seasoned rider I know summed it up:
We know many people who got great deals on a bike, and ended up not liking them. Value won out over desire.
We know many people who overpaid for bikes, and ended up loving them. Desire won out over value.
Long term satisfaction seems higher in the latter category.
A seasoned rider I know summed it up:
We know many people who got great deals on a bike, and ended up not liking them. Value won out over desire.
We know many people who overpaid for bikes, and ended up loving them. Desire won out over value.
Long term satisfaction seems higher in the latter category.
08-12-14, 11:41 AM
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"How expensive?", IMO, is the wrong question. "Will I be satisfied?" may be the better question.
A seasoned rider I know summed it up:
We know many people who got great deals on a bike, and ended up not liking them. Value won out over desire.
We know many people who overpaid for bikes, and ended up loving them. Desire won out over value.
Long term satisfaction seems higher in the latter category.
A seasoned rider I know summed it up:
We know many people who got great deals on a bike, and ended up not liking them. Value won out over desire.
We know many people who overpaid for bikes, and ended up loving them. Desire won out over value.
Long term satisfaction seems higher in the latter category.
true, but its still technically an expensive bike, even though it may be your dream machine lol
08-12-14, 11:50 AM
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A key problem that many have in regard to evaluation of prices of bikes, and lots of other items, is thinking about price rather than value. Obviously, they're related, but depending on a person's budget and goals, the a cheaper bike may end up being a terrible value.
To wit, if you buy a typical $800-$1,200 mid-level aluminum bike but find that the wheels and other accessories on it aren't to your liking and pour another $800 or so into it, many would say that while that bike was cheaper, it wasn't a great long-term value. Contrast that to a $3,000 to $4,500 bike that has the frame of your dreams, much better wheels and groupset, a better saddle, etc. If you buy that, ride the hell out of it and only spend money on it after things wear out, one could say that bike was the better value.
People are different, and I have some friends who cycle 12,000 miles a year. But the vast majority of people out there won't find themselves spending lots of money on their bike because things wear out given the lifespan of wheels and other components that are the priciest to change. Given that, for most it's important to buy something that will work for you over the long term.
To wit, if you buy a typical $800-$1,200 mid-level aluminum bike but find that the wheels and other accessories on it aren't to your liking and pour another $800 or so into it, many would say that while that bike was cheaper, it wasn't a great long-term value. Contrast that to a $3,000 to $4,500 bike that has the frame of your dreams, much better wheels and groupset, a better saddle, etc. If you buy that, ride the hell out of it and only spend money on it after things wear out, one could say that bike was the better value.
People are different, and I have some friends who cycle 12,000 miles a year. But the vast majority of people out there won't find themselves spending lots of money on their bike because things wear out given the lifespan of wheels and other components that are the priciest to change. Given that, for most it's important to buy something that will work for you over the long term.
08-12-14, 11:55 AM
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Expensive today? Probably over 5k for new. Really good mid range bikes can be had in the 2,500-3k range.
08-12-14, 12:04 PM
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$2500-$3000 is about the cutoff point IMO.
08-12-14, 12:18 PM
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08-12-14, 12:20 PM
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I have 2 newer models bikes and in the future if I ever do buy again it will be in the park ball of 1400-1700 Max. I find frames in that price range to be plenty good, higher than that its just paying for a more comfortable frame like high end carbon.
08-12-14, 12:25 PM
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i scored my devinci silverstone frame (tripple butted alu) for 300 new from factory 0_0 they wanted 700 with the fork... i said for 400 i can buy a really nice fork lol. cost me almost 2k for the build in the end
08-12-14, 12:29 PM
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It all depends. I plan on spending 3-4k on my next road bike. It'll be new, and be a nice bike that I will be able to keep and upgrade as I see fit.
