Kindaslow

I am posting this in here because I believe there might be more folks who have gone from little or no discretionary funds to a fair amount of discretionary funds.

To me, there appear to be a lot of folks who buy and own inexpensive bikes who are highly critical of expensive bikes (e.g., they are a waste...l) and a lot of folks who have expensive bikes who are highly critical of inexpensive bikes (e.g., life is too short to ride crappy bikes).

Is it just some folks want nothing more than to argue? If you fall into one of these camps, can you be honest about it?

I have been out of riding for a week, going a bit crazy, so take this as seriously or not so seriously as you would like. Hopefully some real discussion will happen with the responses.

FBOATSB

Honestly, I have two. One, my daily fair weather rider cost me $135.00 in 1981 dollars. My other one is a $3600.00 indoor machine. I love them both as they will both outlast me with minimal maintenance. I would not begrudge anyone spending any amount they can afford for something they want and will enjoy riding.

FBinNY 

I've been in the bike biz all my adult life. Before I was in the biz, I rode top end bikes, but back then the best wasn't all that expensive at about 4-5 times the price of a basic bike ($165 vs. $35).

Knowing bikes the way I do, I buy value, looking to get most of the benefits of truly great bikes, without spending top dollar. IMO, that sweet spot is at the B or C lever, ie. Campy Chorus, or Shimano Ultegra or 600.

Besides the bikes themselves, I continue to look for real value, in spares like tires and accessories, and quite frankly am amazed at what people will pay for stuff like trendy bells or lights.

IMO, the question isn't whether people have plenty of money or not as much as it is their attitudes about consumption and spending. I don't believe that spending crazy amounts for stuff makes sense unless there's clear value, namely a measurable difference between the costly vs. the less costly but still good stuff.

But that's just me, and I never impose my opinion on anyone. When someone shows me their pricey new bike, I simply say something like "nice bike" and move the conversation along.

eja_ bottecchia

I have put four kids through college.

I finally have some discretionary income.

I own the bikes that I own not because they are expensive but because I like them.

I get an ear to ear grin when I ride them that leaves my face aching.

I couldn't care less what anyone else rides. I hope that no one gives a darn what I ride.

Not my business what anyone else ride and it is no one's business what I ride.

Kindaslow

Great start guys!

FBinNY 

+1
How anyone spends his money (on anything!) is nobody's business, except his family (or creditors). I neither tell anyone what I spent, not justify it if they have an idea, nor do I ask or care what they do.

However, I am a bit surprised that you justified it when you opened the post.

Cyclist0108

I've always found it amusing that you can spend huge piles of money on gratuitous luxury automobile stuff, and everyone is supposed to respect that, but if you tell (non-bike) people you just got a nice set of wheels for $1.2K, they think you are insane.

I think there is some self-flagilation amongst bicyclists that goes on as a consequence.

Having said that, I think spending $3K on wheels is insane, but then I probably have Enve envy.

Phloom

I just spent $12,000 CDN on a titanium Marinoni so I have some discretionary income. Actually, I have a lot of discretionary income. Peak of my career, house paid off, no debts of any kind and the big one, no kids.

eja_ bottecchia

Yeah, I sort of went against my own philosophy.

Nice catch!

deacon mark

FB has hit it correct in that at a certain level you are buying bling. Nothing wrong with this as a jazz guitarist I have guitars that bling. But riding a bike is a consumable piece of equipment save the frame but they go too.

I find ultegra mechanical and a good frame plenty enough. Strictly speaking 105 is maybe price wise better deal. Anything else and you have no real gains unless your a pro. As you move backwards then things just do not work quite as smooth and adjust as easy, but for basic riding probably fine. If I can afford it go with the better.

My handmade Campellone guitar looks, plays, and sounds better than a lower model off the self Gibson but as far as playing a gig no one would notice unless they are a guitarist. I could get a custom TI bike with dura ace if I sold it but hey it is a guitar. Bikes are for riding.

Depends where your priorities are?

Dave Cutter

You could say the same about cars or houses. What one person calls value... another calls cheap. With the exception of competition... dollars don't matter much one way of the other. And I don't just mean with bicycles.

Quality or expensive or a waste of money.... is all just perspective. And most of us stay way to close to ourselves to see our own life in perspective.... not that it matters.

Back in 1964 my Schwinn Varsity instilled in me a love for road bikes that has lasted over half a century. I don't think a more or less expensive bike would have made much of a difference. If... instead of the Schwinn I would have owned an expensive Italian bike. My passion might be more expensive today.

But I would have still likely loved my cold bicycle ride today (while still suffering from bronchus) just the same. And we almost always find the money for what we love.

FBinNY 

Part of the problem may be the issues of perceived value and the width of the price spectrum.

In the auto world, a basic car these days is about $20k, with $30k probably being closer to the average. A high end luxury car is $60-90k or roughly 3-4 times what people know cars cost.

If we look at bikes, a decent basic bike is about $350, with a big box bike being considerably less (but then we're not looking at Yugos either), so, extrapolating from the auto world, $1,500 would be the perceived high end, yet, as you point out people are spending that much or more for just wheels, and over 5 times that or 20 times the cost of a basic bike for something we here would call pricey.

Of course, it might be fairer to compare high end bikes to exotic race cars rather than street cars, but that would call for an explanation to the uninitiated.

BTW - it's interesting to note that over the last 50 years or so, basic but decent bikes have become cheaper by almost half, while high end bikes have gotten more expensive by 5 or more times after correcting for inflation.

Kindaslow

My guess is that a few folks have joined in that could be critical of inexpensive bikes, yet I wonder if they could admit it?

FBinNY, my family and friends usually don't ask anymore, given they now know it just will not make sense to they. My wife does not want to know!

And, while writing this the other group appeared....The OP is about biases and whether we see them, not another argument on worth it or not...

Cyclist0108

Yeah, I am spending 5 of those bike units per year on college tuition, following 18 years of parasitism for the first of three kids.

jon c. 

I ride an old Raleigh Team Pro that did not cost much by expensive bicycle standards. But I don't think there's anything out there that would bring me more pleasure. If I thought there was, I'd buy it. I don't care what anyone spends on a bike or anything else. Everyone blows money on something that would leave a lot of other people scratching their heads. I know if people looked at how I spend my money they might wonder why. We all do what makes us happy as individuals.

Kindaslow

Some of the responses got me thinking about MTBs versus road bikes. I do not believe, taking silly bikes that are not meant to be ridden out of the discussion, that there are MTBs that are bling bikes. I am not much into road bikes, but it appears that bling is much more common amongst road bikes. Maybe just my perception, maybe some reality to this? It would help me understand some of the road biker comments more easily.

John E

Blame my Scots DNA, but I have always been a saver by nature. In cars, bicycles, appliances, etc. I look for above-average -- usually not top-of-the-line -- quality and very good durability and value for my money. I have purchased as many used cars as new and more used bicycles than new. Once I own something, I tend to keep it as long as it serves my needs, with no inclination to spend money on the next new replacement. I **like** driving a 20-year-old Audi A4 (first year in the US, great-looking Bauhaus-clean styling) and riding beautiful classic bicycles -- the 1959 Capo is still one of the best-looking bikes out there. (I did splurge on the new maroon Brooks Team Pro saddle, but it was on sale for $85 at Nashbar, and I had put 40K miles on the old one.) My wife's 16-year-old VW Passat wagon is still my unequaled benchmark for automotive configuration, with superb rear and side visibility, ample cargo space, great ergonomics, nimble routine and emergency handling, clean styling, and a low-liftover roof rack.

As far as the "no kids" comment, yes, offspring (and their offspring) are expensive, but our two sons and one grandson -- with a little brother due in July -- have been extremely worthwhile money sinks for us.

CrankyFranky

My first adult purchase was an Armstrong 3 speed instead of a Raleigh Sports, and while it made me very happy and introduced me to the transcendental nature of cycling, I realized that I needed derailer gears to do any distances on hilly terrain. I was gifted a seam welded Raleigh (Blue Streak I think) and hammered with that on the road until I cracked the frame at the shifter boss. My next purchase was a new Atala 1972 factory bike, with full Campag components - at the time it cost me the princely sum of $300 - about $1900 in todays dollars. It took me a year to stop feeling as if I had made an overly extravagant purchase. But... I ended up riding it many tens of thousands of miles touring with it, and now, still use it as my daily commuting ride.

What I'm getting at is this - I wasted a year feeling badly over my purchase, even though it proved to be a perfect vehicle. Some folks simply don't think that bikes should cost much, especially those of more modest means, and for sure, I grew up in a blue-collar household.

I ended up two years ago finding a used titanium bike with 30 gears, in pretty much perfect shape. I paid just about the same as when I bought my Atala in todays dollars, even though it likely cost the original owner three times that. Now, on my weekend rides, I can cover more ground and climb steeper hills that I can with the steel Atala, and my knees (still original parts) are a lot happier. Would I have bought this one at "new" price? Maybe not, since like some others here, I look for "value". But then if my financial situation made money less of an object to me, for sure I would. Life is too brief to spend too much time over something which brings so much pleasure.

Retro Grouch 

[QUOTE=wgscott;19359714Having said that, I think spending $3K on wheels is insane, but then I probably have Enve envy.[/QUOTE]

tyrion

I'm not critical of people that like expensive bikes but I am biased and I do like to argue. So I got that going for me.

Retro Grouch 

I honestly don't know which of the two camps I fall into.

The last bike that I bought was actually a trike, a Catrike 559. It cost around $3,500 which was quite a bit more than I'm comfortable spending so I guess that would have me favoring more inexpensive bikes. On the other hand, that's what it cost to get the features that I felt I needed so I suppose that would make me critical of less expensive bikes. In the past I've owned and used some pretty marginal bikes but that was out of economic necessity so I can understand that mind set. When I got a little money I upgraded so I guess that's an indication that I don't like really low end bikes. I've also had some pretty nice bikes, like an Ultegra equipped Klein Quantum Race, but never a really top flight Dura Ace equipped bike because the price exceeded my gag point. I guess that's an indication that I don't approve of spending too much on a bike.

When you put all that together I'm going to say that I don't favor expensive bikes even though I actually own and ride a $3,500 trike, which I think is really expensive. I know - it doesn't make sense to me either but that's what it takes to keep me happy today so I don't care so I don't care what anybody else says or thinks.



FWIW, Using the term "old folks" in the title of this thread is a major turn off for me.

Rick@OCRR

Not biased at all. Whatever someone is riding is (hopefully) their choice and as long as it gets them out there riding its all good.

Rick / OCRR

raceboy

I can probably afford a $3000-5000 bike and I do ride enough to justify it. But I buy on what I call the happiness theory. Will a $5000 bike yield 10x more happiness for me than a $500 bike? If so, I will gladly fork over the dough. So far the most I've spent on a bike is about $800. I've ridden a few quite expensive bikes but they just haven't flipped my trigger that much.

If I was racing it would be a completely different story so I don't judge! Find your bliss, no matter what the price point.

ColonelSanders

I don't care what people spend and whilst I consider myself a value for money person in general, it is not unusual for me to place value on things that cost a lot of money.


Also people can be very funny in a way in that they might spend $10,000 on their main bike, but then spend a lot of time trying to justify whether they should spend $700 or limit themselves to $500, on a beater bike.

DaveQ24

I was fortunate enough to come from a generation whose parents and grandparents were the ones who suffered the economic ravages of the Great Depression era. One grandfather owned and ran 4 businesses in 1929 and lived in a very nice home even by today's standards - and by 1935 was a family of 7 was living in a one-room cabin with no utilities and he was poaching and stealing to feed 5 kids. It happened to millions. Somehow they bounced back, when he died he was quite well off. I was given everything, never had to struggle, which itself is not good in some ways. My income is decent, and in a sense it's largely "discertionary" because I have only myself to answer to.

I've written about this before. My bikes range from $199 to $10,500. I've been happy with all of them. I had reasons for buying each of them which transcend money. The expensive road bike ... at a time when I was a little stressed out about my job and simultaneously being a primary responsible decision-maker caring for 2 elderly family members with various health problems. I needed both the motivation and the diversion. And yes, the "bling factor" of electronic shifting definitely played into it.

The cheap bike - I wanted basically a "lab rat" to practice bicycle mechanics on. I had bought a Park Tool full kit that actually cost more than the bike - and that was on sale during Performance's annual June blowout. So then I went and bought a WM mt bike - guaranteed to break down - except the joke has been on me, it hasn't had any major problems - Murphy's law. I never did do what I had planned though - take it completely apart and rebuild it - if I find time, that should screw it up.

However ... in all honesty, my cheap bike experience is a fluke, and if I were only able to have one bike I would not have to think twice about which way to go. I don't "need" any of it in the literal sense for physical survival. But there are other needs, emotional or spiritual, which do transcend the daily routine. Bikes make me happy and serve as a pressure relief valve.

I'm really saddened to see events in the world - so ugly and divisive. Maybe it's time for a new Age of Aquarius-style meme - Make Bikes, Not War.