kaiserschmarrn

I am more concerned with the guy(s) screaming out of their truck "Get on the sidewalk" and other similar things, rather than fellow riders.

Danny

veganbikes

Anything is cheap or expensive depending on how you look at it. If I buy a really nice bike it could be expensive but if I break down the cost over time, it becomes a lot cheaper. Get a really nice bike, maintain it well and ride it often and no not super expensive. But who cares if it is cheap or expensive, just focus on the enjoyment.

GeneO 

Every hobby is expensive for me. Photography, computers, cycling. Sigh.

wesleydrogo

I dont think so. It is an expensive hobby.

rydabent

The simple fact is altho some bikes and trikes can be fairly expensive, they last for years, so the cost per year is quite reasonable.

drewtk

Cycling is as expensive as you want it to be, but it's definitely on the lower end of the scale compared to other big dollar hobbies. Planes, boats, and cars are higher. My other hobby is racing cars, so cycling is exponentially cheaper in comparison. A set of race tires for my car is around $1K and last 2 race weekends. This of course doesn't include purchasing the race car, trailer, tow vehicle, entry fees, hotel costs, etc.

And race cars cost more to buy than bikes and are not insured. You're on your down from a financial risk standpoint, even if another racer is at fault, which I've lived first hand. I totaled a race car a few years ago. Goodbye $25K.

Harhir

Agreed. You can make it as expensive as you want. Same with every hobby. All of my bikes are 15-25 years old. Most of them I bought cheap as second hand bikes. I am happy with them and this is what counts for me. I don't care about the latest and greatest and enjoy riding my old wheels. Occasionally I restore one and sell one and buy another one.

NomarsGirl

I felt bad about what I paid for my bike. Then I realized the initial outlay would have been similar for golf or skiing, but I would pay every time I went.

caloso

I bought my wife (and myself) new skis, boots, and ski-suit as an anniversary present this year. And I got new skis and boots for myself. It was similar to what I would have paid for a decent bike. Except that I can ride my bike to work and I don't need a season pass for the road.

Thomas15

As others have said so well it can be expensive but doesn't have to.


My opinion is that most of us here that take the time to read and post on a forum are going to in the main take the hobby more seriously than the average user. Bicycling is similar to my other big hobby which is competitive handgun shooting. In that hobby I'm fairly decent, not quite a Master but close. I shoot a course of fire called Steel Challenge. Steel Challenge is considered one of, it not the least expensive courses of fire for a beginner to start to compete in. A $400 (22 cal) rimfire pistol and a few extra magazines, eyes and ears, a range bag and some ammo and you could compete in a national championship match if you so desired. I don't know anyone that would do that though. For me I compete in open revolver class, I have three (3) competition revolvers which cost on average about $2500.00 plus a lot of stuff, competition belts/holsters, 100s of moon clips, a lot of stuff, I shoot about 14K rounds of center fire pistol ammo/year so I handload and have a reloading bench with 3 mounted presses and a ton of tools and reloading components. All this takes up a lot of time and travel expense and entry fees.


Compare that to my main road bike which I bought about a year ago on CL for $300.00 It's ok AL frame and 105 groupset. I like to have good things but presently don't quite have the urge to upgrade my bike. I don't know how long that feeling will last though.The only thing I have done literally to the bike is a new saddle and chain plus a Garmin and sensors. I have way more $$ in add-ons, spare parts and tools, clothes, trainers, Zwift, nutrition, and on.....than I have in the actual bike. So I'm spending considerably less money the more I ride bikes than just shooting handguns for sure. I do think that if we added up every cent that goes into our bikes we would be surprised to find that we spend much more than we think we do.

chephy

My other hobbies are scuba diving, skydiving, flying, running/fitness, reading and learning (online courses, self-education etc). Cycling is definitely on the lower end of the cost spectrum. In part that's because I feel like I've accumulated most of the gear I need, and I am not that picky about gear anyway. I want my bike to be good and ride well, but I'm not the type to go and buy a new jersey every week. Beyond the initial investment, my only cost is the occasional tune-up, so, maybe $100 a year max. Really cheap for the tremendous benefits it offers.

Of course, it CAN get crazy expensive, but it doesn't HAVE to. Contrast it with truly expensive hobbies like flying: it HAS to be crazy expensive. There is no way to do it on the cheap.

Troul 

well, it can be cheap.. but only done once....

FiftySix

Alphonsus

I think it all depends on how much you cycle. This is the same with any hobby, if you buy all the equipment to start off a hobby only to not continue that hobby after a couple of months then you would've wasted a good portion of the money. Biking is the same, if you buy an expensive bike, but rarely ride it or for very short rides, then it can be expensive especially if you also bought a computer, shoes, etc. But if you ride very often, soon it won't actually be expensive. I feel the majority of bike hobbyists started off biking on something not expensive <$400. Personally I had my first bike when I was young, one of the ones with training wheels, then my parents got me one of those big box "mtb" that was like $140. When I got too big for it, when I was 17 I bought a Diamondback mtb for $500 with my own money. Was only riding less than 3 miles on it, usually for commuting, and it wasn't only until this year, that I've actually started riding 30-50 mile trips. Now I am planning on getting a $2000+ gravel bike, since I know I will be doing constantly 50-100 mile trips. I am sure within a year of owning that bike, the cost of the bike would be less than $1/mile. Given this is a hobby and not just commuting, you'd probably start off with a $500-1000 bike depending on how much funds you currently have. However if you already have a bike and you been riding it for lots of miles and just biking for fun. Then you might want to spend more on a new bike for a better/smoother experience.

MntnMan62

Yes. It certainly can get expensive. First, you need a bike. I have found that I've spent over $1,000 on my road bike and over $1,000 on my mountain bike. For the mountain bike I didn't spend it all at once. I bought the bike for $450 and then slowly upgraded most of the components over time. For the road bike I bought a bike that was totally outfitted the way I wanted it. It cost me $1,100, not including pedals. Then you need to make sure you have extra tubes, lube, mutli tool, regular pump, small pump to take on your rides, patch kit. Then you also need a helmet, gloves and decent riding attire that won't make you look like a roadie team geek but will serve the purpose of making you comfortable on your rides. I have a bunch of short sleeve shirts, some purposed for biking and others just for sports with a wicking fabric. I also have a bunch of long sleeve jerseys for cooler weather. A bunch of lycra padded bike shorts for summer and a bunch of lycra padded bike tights for cooler weather. I also have full finger gloves for wearing in cooler weather. If you wear glasses, you want sport glasses that won't shatter on impact if you happen to crash. Lights for the front and back. If you ride with clipless pedals, you'll need shoes. I also like wearing a headband to keep sweat out of my eyes. Water bottles. A regular supply of Gu or some other sort of sustainance while doing longer rides. I have a bike stand to help when doing repairs. And things will break or wear out such as tires, rims, brake bades, cables, bar tape, grips, chains, cogs. While riding one day a small piece of stick got stuck in my rear derailleur and caused me to snap the thing completely off. It cost me $100 for a new derailleur on eBay and then some amount to have a bike shop install it and check the rest of the bike out. And if you want to travel to where you intend to ride, such as bike parks, a bike carrier is warranted for the car. As you can see, it all adds up.

But what hobby isn't expensive? I also play the drums. A decent set of used drums only costs around $500 not including all the stands and mounts necessary. Then there are cymbals, sticks, drum heads. If it's something you enjoy, it's worth it.

work4bike

When you ride your bike as your primary form of transportation, it really reduces the cost of the bike. I save tons of money on gas and general maintenance of a vehicle. I'm not car free, just car light.

Olefeller77 

Is cycling an expensive hobby?
Yes

tomato coupe

Is cycling an expensive hobby?
No

MyRedTrek

Compared to collecting professional grade violins it's not expensive.

If someone hasn't already mentioned it you can cut down on the cost by getting set up with tools and learn to do your own maintenance. I've probably got more invested in tools than either of my hybrid bikes cost but I've never paid anyone to do repair or maintenance work and I get enjoyment out of doing it.

Germany_chris

I have less money in my bike and bike junk than I do in my Jeep I will say though I keep a spread sheet for Jeep stuff but don't for bike stuff so I couldn't tell you exactly what it costs. In the end I don't get into stuff that I can't use all the time because for me it doesn't make sense whats the point of a garage queen car or a bike that you can only ride in certain conditions.

ZHVelo

No. If you really want you can get an old, cheap, second hand bike and just go.

If you get super into it and want the latest gadgets and clothes and whatnot, then maybe.

Still not as expensive as skiing, or golfing I would say.

IGH_Only

I skate and destroy.

canklecat

According to my 70something y/o mom and a friend her age, my bikes are too expensive and demand too much maintenance. When they rode bikes, tires never went flat and nothing ever needed to be maintained or repaired.

Neither of them rode a bicycle after grade school. Their dads did all the maintenance.

But, yeah, the good ol' days.

vane171

I would have thought, those 'add-ons' are counted into the cost of the cycling hobby.

I didn't read most of the thread and probably it had all been said. I would point out that even expensive bike is a one time investment and that counts towards this hobby not being expensive. Those other hobbies where you need to buy time on ski slopes, on shooting range and such like, do add up over time. Of course unless you are buying time on a velodrome...

I'd say, we should also take into account the health benefits of bicycling as long range benefit that offset the outlay you make buying the equipment. You will have better health as you get older and you won't need to spend money to fight bad health... Some other sports don't do much in that direction, like shooting guns or even the mentioned skiing. While that also involves an exertion (probably even shooting guns or playing golf is no slouching it if you do it seriously enough), it can't compare to riding a bike when it comes to aerobic workouts, which are generally good for your well being.

Eliz

For me, weather conditions make all the difference in terms of affordability of cycling.

During the summer, my simple 2k EUR road bike with ordinary derailleurs and chain is pretty reliable and barely requires cleaning or maintenance, so cycling during the summer is fun and affordable.

But if I were to use that bike during the rest of the year, half the parts would start breaking down in a matter of weeks, and the ensuing maintenance hell would literally remove all the fun.

To make cycling fun in winter, too, I would need something like a road bike with gear hub and belt drive. But that's ungodly expensive, so I just only cycle in summer.