Eric F 

LOL - I knew someone would come along with exceptions, which is exactly why I worded it with "pretty much" and "likely". The $1000 is not a hard rule, just an impression I've gotten over the years in talking with people about their interests/hobbies. Things can be done cheaper sometimes, but as people get more serious about their hobby, gear tends to get upgraded pretty quickly.

Serious runners tend to wear serious running clothes (and probably have more than 1 set), plus sunglasses, hat, and probably some other stuff I don't know about. The gap to $1000 narrows...

How much are decent bowling shoes? I would definitely include facility/use fees as part of costs.

When my daughter was playing softball, I decided to start live-streaming games for families and friends to be able to watch when they couldn't be there in person. It wasn't just the cost of the camera. I needed hardware for mounting the camera to the backstop fence, large capacity power banks for both the camera and host device, high-capacity SD cards, cables, adapters, a case to store/protect everything, and a backpack for easy hauling. I got to $1000 surprisingly quickly.

genejockey 

And you can rent the shoes.

seypat

Like most any hobby, there are ways to save money. Buy/use last year's equipment when the current year's new stuff comes out. Non popular colorways are cheaper also. Sign up for events as soon as you can to take advantage of early discounts. I'm currently running in version 11 of Saucony Kinvaras. This year's version just released is #14, a complete redesign that is not similar to the previous versions. Versions 10, 12 and 13 fit differently and I couldn't use them. I've been hoarding the 11s for a few years. They're almost impossible to find now. I have 3 pairs in reserve. That should get me through to the end of the year and give me time to find a different shoe all together. You do what you have to.

tomato coupe

I don't think a camera qualifies as a legitimate cost of playing softball.

Eric F 

It's not. Live-streaming was the new hobby.

Outfitting a softball catcher playing at the top level of the sport (for her age) passes the $1000 mark in a hot damn hurry, even before you start adding up team fees, instruction fees, and travel expenses.

Eric F 

Just a guess, but anyone spending $200-300 on a ball, and is bowling weekly (or more) is probably not renting shoes. This is about people getting serious about a hobby, not occasional recreation.

Eric F 

Hording a stash of older models of shoes that are proven to be "just right" is not uncommon, based on what I've heard from some of my running friends. Others, it seems, spend a ton trying to find that "just right" model.

livedarklions

We're getting into circular reasoning territory here. The evidence that you need to spend a fair amount to become a serious hobbyist is turning out to be that the serious hobbyist is the one who sends a fair amount of money.

Eric F 

I never intended to imply that anyone NEEDS to spend a certain amount of money to be considered serious. It was my observation that people who do get serious about a hobby tend to spend $1000+ to get themselves outfitted decently. There will be exceptions. There are also some that $1000 doesn't even scratch the surface of start-up expense. My observation is unsupported by data or other scientific factors. It's just a trend I have noticed over the course of many years. I could be totally wrong.

seypat

BF in a nutshell.

tomato coupe

No true Scotsman ...

genejockey 

seypat

As for my cycling hobby, I'm lucky/unlucky that I prefer road 3x and 5-8/9 over 2x and 10+. It's explained in other threads, so no need to hash it out. Because of that, my bike evolution stopped a while ago. Heck, I still use the original Conti GPs if I can find them. If not, it's whatever's cheapest in their line.

seypat

The issue with running gear is a problem might not show up immediately. That shirt you just got might be great for 5 miles, but one of the seams on the shoulders/chests starts sawing into your body like a garrote at mile 6. Probably the same in most hobbies.

Lombard

How could I forget? Shoes! Yes, a good pair will be $100-200. It's been almost 2 decades since I bowled regularly.

Granted that having your own shoes isn't as important as having your own ball. But if you're renting shoes weekly, cost adds up quickly and you may as well have your own shoes.

ofajen

I don’t think I can be accused of being serious, but I have been running consistently for the last six months.

I also happen to have switched entirely to minimal shoes during that time. The interesting thing is that I can have a good run in any of my shoes. These days I mainly run in my Splay sneakers.

Also, minimal shoes only wear out by wearing through, since the shoe is basically a protective tread and you train your feet to do the work. Shoe cost is minimal, and you don’t run the risk of being serious.

Otto

seypat

The industry unfortunantely has swung the other way. Getting hard to find a simple low drop, low stack trainer that gives you some cushion and nothing else. The shoe industry has become like the bike industry. I only started running/endurance sports when I got plantar fasciitus and had to quit basketball/court sports. My feet had become weak from all those years of wearing highly structured court shoes. I got as close as I could to minimalist running shoes. Took about a month to get rid of the plantar. Getting rid of it was as painful as having it. The feet got stronger and it went away. Now the industry's producing all of these expensive, overengineered shoes that may make you run faster, but are not really good for the overall health of your feet. People will eat them up like hotcakes! Sound familar?

seypat

Looking at your sig name, would you be in Norway/Sweden/Finland by chance? If so, are you familar with the Salming brand? What kind of reputation do they have? I might try some of those if I can find them in the USA.

elcruxio

Familiar to what?

seypat

Familar to the bike industry. Now I've done it.

ofajen

No, I’m in the USA, and I’m not familiar with Salming. I do have “running” shoes and dress shoes from Tadeevo, which is a shop in Poland. They are both super flexible.

The Splay sneakers are more like wide Converse and nice if I’m going to hike or run on variable surfaces like grass, rocks, and pavement, while the Tadeevos are best on a relatively consistent surface like a track or pavement.

Otto

Eric F 

Good timing, too. SRAM has announced their new drivetrain for MTB that changes the established format for rear derailleur mounting and are pushing it as the best thing ever...of course.

seypat

https://salming.com/en-eu/sports/running/shoes

elcruxio

So the bike industry is making expensive over engineered bikes which may be faster but aren't good for overall health...?

I don't follow.

seypat

That would certainly be the case for high end cycling shoes with their ultra stiff, carbon plated soles. Made strictly for cycling performance. Now you're seeing running shoes with the same. Carbon rocker/roller plates and other technology that guides your foot instead of letting it do it's job naturally.