General Cycling Discussion - Bike Buyer's Remorse

Everyone's done it. Spent to much on something and now you wish you could have your money back. What have you wasted the most money on?

$37 on an 18 year old murray from the salvation army... bastards! :mad:

$1400 on headphones, but that's another story :)

My biggest regret (had I known at the time) was the 2 wally world bikes that set me back a cool $150. That's about it. I love my mtb for commuting and tooling around and I love my roadie.

i've done the headphne thing too! now they are gone... sold for rent :(

Um, not bike stuff, but:

Spent $1100.00 on one of my Amateur Radio Transceivers a few years ago. Then $1200.00 on another later that year. But never really wished I had my money back. I have had way to much fun with them.

I am just waiting for when the time comes when I can drop some coin on a new bike. I'll regret it later. :)

Bought an XT cogset off of Ebay. Seemed like a deal at the time until I read the small print and paid $18 dollars for shipping and handling.

Um, For Sale?

All the money I spend on seats over the last 12 years before I got the Brooks! But who knew?

Um, For Sale?Get rid of those derailleurs, shifters, cassette, and leave me with one cog and chainring, and I might consider it....

George

$22,972.68, so far, on a '96 850 Volvo.

Don't tease me, Fixer.

Um, not bike stuff, but:

Spent $1100.00 on one of my Amateur Radio Transceivers a few years ago. Then $1200.00 on another later that year. But never really wished I had my money back. I have had way to much fun with them.

I am just waiting for when the time comes when I can drop some coin on a new bike. I'll regret it later. :)

Sell one of those rigs N7CZ de N0LWA. :D I haven't had any gear for several years now but I do see that it holds it's value real well on Ebay. I personally would trade any HF rig for a bike but that is just me. Cellphones and the internet sort of killed my passion for amateur radio. I remember when I used to brag to my friends that "I talked to some in Austrailia last night."

Now that isn't grounds for bragging. I used to use 2 meters to communicate with family members. Now we all have free mobile to mobile minutes and we can talk in private. :eek:


As far as my biggest remorse, I am somewhat of a newbie still but I have spent some money so far. I have shelled out a couple hundred bucks on cycling shorts lately. Right now I am still wondering why. I have Brooks saddles on both my bikes and have never really been uncomfortable with just plain ol shorts. The jury is still out but I am going to say cycling shorts is my #1 regret at this date in time. :(

Oh yeah.........Thanks Chuck, I just replaced my '87 Cougar XR7 (paid for) with a $8500 99 Chrysler Cirrus a year ago. That was just before I got into biking. Man I would love to have $8500 to spend on a bike. THere wasn't anything wrong with that Cougar. Dang! :rolleyes:

That polar hrm. I paid like $300 or so for it, and I still haven't finished buying the rest of the kit. I put it in the closet the day after I bought it and I haven't touched it since. I have big time regrets since then, especially since I bought some other monitor that does the same for like tons less money. :rolleyes: I could kick myself. Twice.

Koffee

I once (in 2000) made a stupid mistake of buying a seat-post mounted rack. Never again. The thing was totally useless, plus it left me with a 30km ride home without a saddle!

my former marriage...

Everyone's done it. Spent to much on something and now you wish you could have your money back. What have you wasted the most money on?

Hmmm . . . well, there was the thousands of dollars I spent on a wedding and husband only to have it all end in a divorce, which I paid for. I'd like to have the money and all those years back! :D

But as for cycling . . . I suppose I've bought a few items which I didn't use much or at all, but I think I've used, or could potentially use, the majority of it. There's a $12 front rack I'm struggling with right now. If I can figure out a way to install it, I'd be fine with it, but if not . . . .

Um, For Sale?

Why for sale?

Um.....

The California lottery. Probably spent at least $500 a year for the past 15 years.

my former marriage...

My two former marriages, and the thousands I spent on photography just to achieve reliable mediocrity :(

Well now hey, this is a depressing thread.

A few years back I wasted money on a subscription to Bicycling Magazine.

A few years back I wasted money on a subscription to Bicycling Magazine.

what's so bad about it? *never seen it*

I'll third the headphones. Bought the best and still sounded like s**t. And then my McIntosh MA-6900. Didn't sound any better than the headphones. At least with McIntosh there is always someone who is more interested in the look and name who will buy it. Actually made $300 in the deal.

So far the worst I've done is Record Pro-fit pedals. Expensive and not up to the rest of the Record group. They worked OK, but were difficult to get out of. So have gone back to a much lighter Performance Forte Mg/Ti SPD pedal. Not a big deal and I'll hope that is the worst I do. If so, I'll be lucky.

Almost forgot. I have an XT equipped high-end hardtail MTB. A big waste of money since I discovered how easy it is to dress right and ride through the winter on the road. Excellent bike, but I simply don't have any use for it. Anybody out there want a great SID/Avid/XT equipped hardtail?

what headphones did ya'll guys buy? just cus they cost a lot doesn't mean they are good (sony would be a very good example).

I regret buying that kona scab a few years back. It was fun and all, but the damn thing weighed a ton, and rode like it on the longer rides.

I sold it to a guy who had fun for about as long as I did, then he sold it too. No word on whether or not the new owner likes it.

Why for sale?

It was an impulse buy, and don't have a need for it anymore...

Not exactly remorse for buying, but remorse for losing. I bought a $40 (!) goretex jacket for riding last fall, on sale at campmor. I wore it all of about twice before leaving it at the shooting range!!! RRRR, next time I'll be shelling out a lot more than $40.

On the other side, I just received a new helmet a week ago, a Giro Xen on sale. It is the most I've ever spent on a helmet, but I love that thing! Fits perfect - I should have bought a new one two years ago...

Check eBay for helmets. I bought two Giro Eclipse helmets, new, for $30, each. Just because they were last years colors.

It was an impulse buy, and don't have a need for it anymore...
Well, if you are going to buy on impulse, I guess a c-dale is a good choice. My geared bike is a c-dale, love it, no remorse there. I did sell a bike and still have major remorse, sigh.. 1988 wicked fat chance, worst decision I ever made.

1997 Mazda Millenia that's now sitting in the driveway with a blown motor.
Titanium bottle cages, at about $25.00 each.

what's so bad about it? *never seen it*

It's not that Bicycling is any worse than many of the other hobby/special interest types of magazines, but after reading a half dozen or so issues, everthing starts repeating. I'm convinced that if you could borrow 4-8 older issues from someone, read them. Then you'd pretty much have read everything of interest that they'll ever publish in that magazine.

Everyone's done it. Spent to much on something and now you wish you could have your money back. What have you wasted the most money on?

Most likely my custom made (knit) headcovers for my driver and 3 wood. That move cost my 83 bucks. Or it could be my stint with the high end remote control cars - roughly $1000, sitting in my basement the last 4 years?

I spent $2200 on a telescope and $500 on a atomic clock 15 years ago!

Spent $1400 on a laptop for my ex-fiance! Biggest waste of them all!!!

Computer parts. Spent $210 on a video card that I didn't need. Coulda bought a new fork. :(

$ 2,600 on a colnago master, a bike that im stuck with until i die.

Get rid of those derailleurs, shifters, cassette, and leave me with one cog and chainring, and I might consider it.... I knew it. Looking for a home for that new truckload of Brooks saddles. :D

I tend to over research things. I ponder over the decision quite a bit. It has payed off, I guess. I don't have any $1400 headphones. How many ears do you guys have? ;)

Um.....

The California lottery. Probably spent at least $500 a year for the past 15 years.

You realize that lotteries are a poor persons tax? Let me explain; 99% of the people playing lotteries are below average incomes hoping to make it big. Some lotteries especially the California one helps to pay for education or whatever. The poor people don't pay hardly any taxes but they do play the lottery, there's their tax whether they think so or not.

Actually the lottery is a voluntary tax on the mathematically impared. ;)

As far as the poor people thing, I guess that cigarettes and beer would be a poor people tax also using that mentality. Not all poor people play the lottery. Just the ones that make the conscience decision to.

Damn, I bought a ticket today. I am going to have to go home and tell my wife that we're poor. :cry:

My house.79,900 was way out of line but somehow we did it and had no life other then payments for at least 5 years. The only bright side is thats its worth 400,000 now.

When I was a bike rookie, and I actually believed that buying more expensive parts would make me faster, I spent over 3 thousand dollars in one year on bike stuff.

My bike....

JUST KIDDING, I use this bike for training LOL!

When I was a bike rookie, and I actually believed that buying more expensive parts would make me faster, I spent over 3 thousand dollars in one year on bike stuff.

Hmmmm.......$3k in one year? That makes you about an average bike rider. The question is, did it make you any faster?

Hmmmm.......$3k in one year? That makes you about an average bike rider. The question is, did it make you any faster?

Not really. I think the thing that made me faster was the buyer's remorse. I felt bad if I spent that much money and didn't ride.

Purple anodized.

I spent $2200 on a telescopeActually, astro equipment have very high resale value and you can get top $$ if you know where to place ads for them. I ended up recouping more than 80% of my several thousand dollar investment in astro stuff which I sold after several years of use. If I lived in dark sky territory I'd still be observing the skies....

George

My house.79,900 was way out of line but somehow we did it and had no life other then payments for at least 5 years. The only bright side is thats its worth 400,000 now.
The last time ANY house in So. Cal. was less than $80K was 1974. Unless of course, you bought in Palmdale/Lancaster.

Equity is a good thing.

55/Rad

Actually, astro equipment have very high resale value and you can get top $$ if you know where to place ads for them. I ended up recouping more than 80% of my several thousand dollar investment in astro stuff which I sold after several years of use. If I lived in dark sky territory I'd still be observing the skies....

George

Dark territory???? You have all kinds of dark territory!!!! You can go to Arizona, Utah, Mt. Palomar. I wish we had that much vast, open space to observe. Luckily, I live only 90 minutes from the darkest point on the entire east coast, which still isn't anything compared to what you all have out west

The last time ANY house in So. Cal. was less than $80K was 1974. Unless of course, you bought in Palmdale/Lancaster.

Equity is a good thing.

55/RadI hear ya... My next door neighbor's dinky 3 bedroom house is on the market for 950K. And our neighborhood is in the ghetto. But I'm so glad I pulled out a 15 yr mortgage and have only 2 yrs left on it.... and kept the variable rate all these years. Absolutely no remorse in this situation.

George

Dark territory???? You have all kinds of dark territory!!!! You can go to Arizona, Utah, Mt. Palomar.
I mean within a hundred miles from where I live...

Clear Skies,
George