bragi

One of my motivations in being car-free has been saving money. If you don't have a car, that's a few hundred US Dollars that you get to keep for yourself every month. However, I've discovered over time that I'm more than willing to take some of those savings and indulge myself in order to make cycling a more pleasant experience. A few years ago, I replaced the Hybrid I bought for $75 with a $1200 touring bike. I got rid of the thrift store backpack in favor of expensive Ortlieb panniers. I've splurged for Schwalbe tires, a nice light, a durable rack, and a helmet that doesn't quite look stupid. Most recently, I ditched a perfectly functional $35 cassette and replaced it with another one for $125 just so I could shift gears more smoothly and efficiently. My first car-free bike and accessories were worth about $300. My current setup is probably worth about $2000. The new setup doesn't do anything that the old one didn't do, and I don't ride any more than I did before. Strangely enough, though, I feel pretty good about this level of totally needless luxury. Yes it's silly and self-indulgent, but my riding experience is orders of magnitude better than it used to be, I'm in great shape for my age, and it's still far less expensive than maintaining even a crappy used car.

If you're car-free or car-lite, do you find that you're totally utilitarian about it? Or do you use your increased disposable income to acquire a few bicycling luxuries?

Roody

I'm utilitarian and minimalist, but I do enjoy seeing beautiful bikes and well accessorized riders.

loneviking61

I don't see what you're doing as 'silly' or 'indulgent'. The Ortlieb panniers will work better, hold more, keep you from having a sweaty back than the backpack. As a full timer on a bike, why wouldn't you do things to increase the ease and enjoyment of your life? Replacing the cassette so you have smoother shifting, that can help in bad weather and on busy roads with lots of traffic. A better bike? Why not, your bike should be comfortable especially if you're full timing it.

I like aesthetics, but I also want those nice looks to be functional and make my life easier. If that's indulgent, bring it on!

bragi

Ouch.

wolfchild

I've spend money on extra parts and components which I don't really need at the very moment, but I like to have extra stuff in my parts bin. Right now I am stocked up pretty good on cycling parts/components/tools. I found out there is always a use for it sometime down the road... I also have a bit of an addiction to outdoor gear I have to be very careful when I go to an outdoor store to look at stuff..there is always a temptetion to spend too much money on too many things.

DTG

In regards to what you said, I see nothing wrong with your purchase of nicer things for your bike. My mom told me something a long time ago. She said if you buy something cheap and it breaks on you then you will buy it again and again thus purchasing something that's more expensive once that has a lifetime warranty may hurt up front but over the test of time it will save you money. So great bags, better bike, better gearing for the bike, etc.

wahoonc

This ^^^

I have been on both sides of the equation. At one point I was like Roody and only had the bare essentials to keep me rolling. As I earned more disposable income and the demands on my disposable income have gone down I have diverted funds to my cycling addiction/habit. In our family savings and tithing (not necessarily to a religious organization) come first, then everything else is allocated from there. As the kids have left home, mortgages have been paid off and all other obligations have been met there has been a bit of extra money for pleasure. We don't go to movies or sporting events so there is a huge savings for us there.

I buy bits and pieces for my vintage bikes as well as my newer ones. I just finished building up a bike for my son as a gift, it probably has a value of over $800, much of what went onto it wasn't the cheapest part available and we paid a lot of attention to aesthetics. In my past I would have never paid $45 for a chain guard, or $100 for a leather saddle. I just ordered a set of hammered alloy fenders for my city bike, the stock plastic ones work just fine, but I wanted something different.

My take is as long as your needs are provided for and you aren't taking hand outs it is your money and you can do what you want with it.

Aaron

zeppinger

This just came up for me too. I have always been a cheapskate. My first touring setup was laughably low budget. However, I did splurge on a basic North Face jacket that I found for 50% in South Korea. I wore it almost everyday commuting, and also through about 10 different countries while touring in Asia.

Now I am in Michigan and I noticed a tiny tear in the shoulder, about the size of half a dime. I took it into the North Face shop and they told me they would send it to warranty and see what could be done. North Face in CA hearquarters sent me a gift card in the mail for the full original purchase price, but I just bought another of the same jacket that was also on closeout for 50% and used the rest on a set of gloves that were on sale.

So, the one purchase seems like it will take care of that whole rain jacket thing for the rest of my life but also apparently provide with a nice little bonus (which also have a lifetime warranty) every once in a while. That was a great investment and I am now much less worried about buying expensive gear that is backed up by a good company. I am currantly blowing lots of money on expensive wool base layers and couldnt be happier.

cycleobsidian

I decided to go on the cheap a couple of years ago with panniers. Well, they came apart, got caught on my wheel, and just about sent me flying.

So I went with a backpack for a while. Being a small female, it ended up giving me shoulder problems.

So I bought an expensive Arkell pannier. OMG I love it. I'm getting ready to spend another $150-$200 for a matching one.

The moral of the story is, I think, just get good quality to begin with.

If you enjoy your cycling experience because of a good bike and good equipment, you are more likely to cycle more often.

Roody

Sorry, I didn't mean that as a zinger. I really do enjoy looking at nice bikes and their riders, even if it's not something I aspire for myself. I turn and look at bicycles the way most Michigan guys check out cars.

Drv1913

I don't think that your approach is silly at all, but then, I admit that self-indulgence is practially a virtue in my book.

I don't buy a lot of stuff for my bike nor for riding it. I do, however, place a high value on aesthetics in all areas of my life, so cycling is no exception. I don't necessarily feel the need to spend a lot of money on an item, and it doesn't necessarily have to be of the best quality - depending on what I'm buying, but it has to look just right (to me). I avoid buying things "until I can find something better", and will generally just wait until I find exactly what I want. I've wasted a lot of money over the years figuring out that if I don't like the way something looks or feels, it simply isn't going to get used. Ideally, I go for form and function, but if I have to choose between the two, form is going to win just about every time. But, when I have what I want, I keep it forever or until it literally falls apart.

Artkansas 

Look at it this way, our society does judge you by appearances. If you are riding a nice bike with equipment that seems to mesh well with it, so it seems like you have your act together, they may take you more seriously than if you are on a crappy bike riding in raggedy clothes. And as you say, the experience is better for you.

My current ride was just an old mountain bike when I got it 8 years ago. As I've gone along, I've spent over $1,000 on a bicycle that was free originally, including $100 on accessories like fenders a cheap rack and lights when I bought it, new chains and tires, a better rack, shopping panniers and lights, a trailer, and a complete overhaul a couple of years ago, all money well spent.

Newspaperguy

After the basics are paid, we spend money on the things that matter to us. For some, those things may be cars or home improvements or electronics or vacations or clothes. As car-free and car-light people, it makes perfect sense to spend on our bikes and their accessories.

Over the past decade, I've spent money on a better bike and better camping and touring gear than I had in the past. I could save this money if I abandoned bike touring, but I enjoy touring and I'm willing to spend on the things I need.

I've upgraded some of the gear I use for commuting, including a rack trunk and a small backpack. I'm also about to spend on a second bike for use as a commuter and winter ride. The reason for such purchases is simple. If I am going to use my bike as my primary transportation in town, I need to have it set up as a system which does what I need.

As far as the costs of bike-related accessories and upgrades, I'd rather spend a little more on good quality. It will last me a long time and in the end it will save me money because I don't have to replace or repair it as often.

Commodus

I get annoyed pretty quickly with bike stuff that doesn't work as it should, so I've slowly learned to spend money the first time and save the headache.

I do think my cheapo 8 speed cassettes work just fine though.

gerv 

Yes they do... I'm not sure where this 10, 11,12 speed cassette business is headed. 8 speed cassettes are now still available and their cost is pretty reasonable.

I do know that anything above six is pretty reasonable for what I need.

Roody

I don't have much need for more than 8 cogs. I will confess to liking triple chainrings, however.

Six jours

My cars are the utilitarian transportation devices. My bikes tend to be no-expense spared machines that meet my function and aesthetic needs/desires as closely as possible - and most of my bikes are more expensive than my cars.

Silly? Well, probably. But "silly" is a pretty good adjective for most human endeavor anyway, so...

kookaburra1701

I tend to look like a schlub myself (neon t-shirts with bluejeans most days), but my bike is tastefully coordinated. I won't lie that one of the things that attracted me to the Kensington line of bicycles were their color-matched racks and fenders. Now that I'm looking to replace the rear rack, I've been mulling over what to get to really bling it up. I'm thinking VO's new rack, the Campeur, because I want something super shiny and with a separate rail to hang panniers from so my trunk bag won't interfere with them. I think I'll pair it with that Wald basket that has the wood in the bottom. I have a Serfas bottle cage that I chose solely because it's chrome (I admit it, I'm a magpie) and the leather on it matched my grips and saddle. I want a silver N360 hub because I think it looks nicer than the black. Aside from the convenience, one of the main reasons I want to get a dynamo hub is so I no longer have to deal with unsightly battery packs for lights.

To compare, my car is a POS that hasn't been washed in over 2 years. I don't wear makeup or jewelry, only have three pairs of shoes (plus my paddock boots and cycling shoes) and do not own a dress.The only other hobby I have that I spend money on is knitting.

zeppinger

What was wrong with the stock rack? I have been looking at the Kensington as a town bike and was wondering if those extras were worth it.

kookaburra1701

Nothing's wrong with it, it's served me fine. I have to check the bolts and re-tighten them once every 6 months or so, but that's probably because of my haphazard installation techniques. I just really want a rack that has a separate platform and siderails, so I don't have to futz with getting the panniers to fit on the rack when I have a trunk bag. Here's a picture of the rack I want to give you an idea:



The mini front rack is kind of useless, but the toolkit that came with it is pretty cool. It has tire levers and a patch kit and two multitools in it.

dynodonn 

If one spends a considerable amount of time in the saddle, going cheap may not be the best option. As my commuting needs grew, so did the need for better equipment, which undoubtedly costs more. The one silver lining in the level of equipment that I need is that most of it does have an certain aesthetics factor already built into it.

matt from pa

I started riding my bike to work last year so in June I upgraded and bought a myself a new bike. Spent alot of money on it and now i feel bad riding such a nice bike in the rain and ugly weather, so a week ago i just bought a beater bike for those days. In my mind I can justify all this because I used to use about $5 of gas a day.

Roody

I don't blame you for not wanting to muck up your new bike, but my thought is that bikes are meant to be used outdoors in all kinds of weather, and they don't need to be coddled.

gerv 

They really don't... you'll get many, many years out of a bike even riding it in rough weather and road conditions.

krobinson103

I think my spending on a bike depends on what I want to use it for. My grocery getter and my cheap/disposable commuter get just enough to be reliable and fun to ride... but they are neither matched nor pretty. In fact they are frankenbiked together to make bikes that do what I want for a decent (to me) price.



The bike in the snow and patched together hybrid both ride great, shift great, and stop great. They are not pretty however. The black mtb cost twice as much as both to assemble, is much prettier, has more gears, and all the parts match. BUT its not much good to me if I want to go shopping and leave it parked outside. I have one pretty bike that I don't ride nearly enough because the other 2 are very useful.