plumberroy

I've always enjoyed riding a bicycle. Most of my life has been spent between Appalachia and the South and the Midwest. I'm 61 so I'm the last of the Baby boomers. Most in these areas look at a bike as a toy or a little exercise. Or what you are stuck with after too many DUI arrests. Then you have the cars are evil and everyone should use a bike or public transit. (Cars are evil but necessary) I had this discussion with my father in law after I got to the point of building myself a good bike. (Surly Long Haul Trucker)
Why do you need a $1000 bike ? We ride $150 bikes from Toys are us. My first thought was it's none of your ______business but I didn't say it out loud.
Your GROUP rides no more than 5 miles.
You ride in a group of 4-6 people
Paths you ride run along side the road.
You have a vehicle at start and finish of the trail.
You weight half what I do
​​​​​​if you have an issue with your bike there are people who can drive to you and pick up the bike
while
I some days ride 60 miles
I am a lot of times a mile or more from a road
I ride by myself and have no one to pick me up.
(Wife doesn't drive)
I weigh 290 verses your 140
It's the bike I want to ride
This is just an example of the attitude towards bikes in my area especially with people my age and older.
At the moment I am recovering from health issues and just getting back to riding again

PDKL45

It can be incredibly frustrating, when people just don't get it. Friends of my father (I'm the last of the Gen-Xers; you're between him and I) had an accident with a bike in the city near him and they were outraged that a bike could cost over a thousand dollars. They seriously suspected some dark fraud, in that "a bike just doesn't cost that much money." I was talking to the wife of that couple on one visit and made the analogy of a Honda Civic vs. a Mercedes Benz and actually saw the comprehension in her eyes. At times that is a very anti-cyclist society, though--south eastern Australia--and the husband of that couple was completely turned off to logic or reason.

People in general can be annoying, especially in certain societies. I live in South Korea, where cycling is seen as a normal recreation for middle aged people and is strongly encouraged by some local doctors as a low impact form of cardio, thankfully enough for me. But in Australia, where a lot of my family live, there is an attitude similar to the one you mention. You don't need to justify your own spending and your own pursuit of health to anyone, but I get it, if you're making small talk with your father in law during a visit or something, you kind of need to make nice for the sake of your wife, and listen to nonsense like that. Hang tough man, and concentrate on a better you. The physical results you get from cycling often say more than words ever can.

CAT7RDR

Take pics and videos and tell stories of your bike travels.
They will either shut-up and change topics or begin understanding your passion.

Pretty cool to share on the sub-forums some of your rides and get some positive feedback.

Random11

I'm sympathetic with your father in law's view here, because that's what I thought when I bought my first bike (in 40 years) six years ago. Now, I'm a bit embarrassed that I'm riding such expensive bikes, and don't want to tell anyone how much they cost. My bikes even seem like an extravagance to me, but after riding for a while and discovering what I wanted in a bike, I also discovered that getting what I wanted cost thousands of dollars.

phughes

Why care about what someone else thinks? This just escapes me. Keep the cost of anything you buy to yourself. The only person who should have an opinion on it is you, and your spouse if you are married. Other than that, who cares.

plumberroy

Actually my wife was the one who told her mother. Not complaining but explaining that I had saved quite a bit. I used a new old stock frame that had been in the shop for a while. I had picked some parts before buying the frame.
Also example different ages and areas in general look at things. Where I grew up an adult male that didn't own and know how to use a firearm was suspicious most of my parents generation growing up in the Appalachian mountains during the Great Depression had to hunt to supplement food.

plumberroy

I can understand this too . I started a thread in 50+ about a mountain bike bought before my health issues started I started modifying it since I am getting back to riding I finished making it what I wanted. . I sat down and added up my cost . I was at first not happy because I had twice what I could get out of it invested. But it is what I wanted it to be. Wide tires that handle pavement, gravel and hard packed dirt, upright riding position. Low geared bar end shifters Topeak rack wide pedals. I take it when we go somewhere that I might get to explore

debade

I thought a lot about this as I have not really encountered regular bike riders that ride mass merchandiser bikes. I was surprised that can’t relate to an upgrade for quality, performance or enjoyment.

I wonder if this segment of bike riders relate to motorcycle ownership or car selection differently. Do they own motorcycles or cars with bells and whistles?

I think both are OK but my money will not be allocated that way. My car is basic. My bikes are made to maximize my pleasure when I go for exercise rides, touring and commuting.

Bald Paul

Wife: "How much did that new bicycle cost?"
Hubby (doing quick division by 3 in his head before answering - and then still getting "that look")

Fredo76

When I went off to college in the '70s, some dorm-mates couldn't believe that a bicycle could cost $500, and were quick to assume one wasn't worth it. Once when we were hanging around talking, one dorm-mate's brother, who also lived in our dormitory, asked if he could ride my bike. I said sure, and lowered my seat for him to fit. He took off for a bit, and when he came back he told his brother "I can see why it's more expensive. It shifts really nice, and the brakes really work well, a lot better than mine." I don't think his brother shared the realization, but somebody in the dorm finally understood...

Iride01 

It's not about what you need. It's about what you want and are able to do and afford.

staehpj1

I spend what makes me happy. I don't kid myself that a $600-1000 bike wouldn't get the job done pretty well though. Quite some time ago I bout a pretty low end bike to ride the Trans America and other long tours. I don't think the experience was diminished at all by the bike I chose. It was about the riding and not so much about the bike. I really didn't think that much about the bike itself in a way that the choice mattered much during the tour.

I spent a lot more on my most recent bike purchase and am enjoying it, but I can see why someone else might not get why I would spend what I did. Some might not consider the $2.5k that much but it is enough that many would question how a bike could be worth that. It is my daily ride trail bike and I definitely get a lot of enjoyment from it.

I don't advocate buying junk from toys r us, but low end "real" bikes can be pretty serviceable. Otoh, if you get $5k or whatever worth of enjoyment out of the purchase and can afford it, why not indulge yourself. Nothing wrong with either approach if it is a good fit for the individual.

At 72 I am no longer racing and my needs are less demanding that when I was competeing decades ago. If I was still a youngster and competeing, but on my current budget I'd have probably spent at least twice and maybe 3 times as much. The budget was tight back then though.

Jughed

Guy in an 80k pick em up truck with 600 buttons on the dash, AC cooled steering wheel, front to back moon roofs that have never been opened... looks down on you and says "you paid how much for that bike?"...

Reflector Guy

I grew up in a family where everything we owned was a store-brand knockoff of some other better-known product. Bikes were no exception. Buying a "name brand" bike would have been seen as an unnecessary extravagance to my parents who would otherwise be attracted to the bike aisle at Walmart. And then when (inevitably) the Walmart bike needed servicing, they never noticed the eye rolls from the techs at the local bike shop.

Inusuit

The older I get, the less I care about what people think of me and my hobbies. And I am damned old.

plumberroy

My wife is pretty good about not complaining about my purchases. I was fretting about having almost $500 in a 30 year old mountain bike that I have been modifying. Her opinion is that since I am smiling 😁 when I come back from riding it it's worth the cost

Black wallnut 

My thoughts are maybe you just need to expand your list of friends. I am a younger boomer than you and yet I have friends dating back to my youth that ride bikes. A classmate that was a pro for a few years. Through my many different activities I have known cyclists. I have also known many that don't cycle or get it about cycling. From trucking to farming to scouting to competitive shooting I have known cyclists in all of these.

prj71

The common folks who don't bike as a regular activity are clueless as to what a real bike costs. They only know what the Bike Shaped Objects at Walmart cost.

smd4

Hell, have you read some of the threads on this very forum? Cyclists are some of the biggest cheapskates on the planet!

staehpj1

My wife is a gem. She was the one that said, "You ride every day, you should have the bike you want. You have a birthday this month. Just buy it."

phughes

Once again, who care what they think.

plumberroy

Once again your stuck with family and it pays to be civil with them.

phughes

Once again, who cares what they think. You will remain civil by not caring, and not commenting on their opinion. The easiest way around this, is to ask you wife to not share personal financial information with her family.

plumberroy

There was a time I had to be a cheapskate because I didn't have much money. I have fixed up many bikes and sold them . Part of the reason I was fretting about what I had in the mountain bike. But it was pointed out to me on another forum that it is similar to something Rivendell makes and I can't touch anything from there for $500

smd4

Sure, I get that. I'm talking about people who seem clearly well-off scoffing at the price of things like chain oil, handlebar tape, and inner tubes...