MRT2

Those look like great bikes, and spread out over time, a good value. The problem is for a lot of lower income folks, it is just too much money. Not too much if this is your only transportation for the next few years. But too much if you are struggling to make ends meet and thought you might want to try out cycling.

Let me give you a for example. I know someone, approached me a year ago during the start of the lockdowns here in the US. She is a student, going back to school for a degree in education, and her husband was recently laid off. Thought she and her husband might get a little "free" exercise and leisure by taking up cycling, only her first trip to the local bike shop gave her a bad case of sticker shock, as she realized that buying two new bikes would set her back well over $1,000, maybe closer to $1,200 when you take into account sales tax, accessories like helmet, lock, spare tubes, tire levers, etc...And that is the bare minimum, entry level quality bike. Not something nicer, which would push the cost up to closer to $2,000.

Fortunately, it turns out she actually had access to an old Trek 8xx at her mother's house, and I talked her through what to get to get it up and running, which was really not much more than new tires, new tubes, and a few basic tools. The total cost of those items was maybe $60 or $70. The rest of the bike was in good shape including, surprisingly, the chain and freewheel. I recommended new brake pads but she held off last year, said she would do it this year. and I gave her a some never crashed helmets to save her there, though I told her she really should get some new helmets when funds allow as the ones I gave her are maybe 7 or 8 years old. Then she shopped around and bought her husband a bike on sale for around $500 everything included, so she didn't do too badly. But this is a woman who was willing to do basic bike maintenance herself, which is a little unusual.