Winter Cycling - What costs more - your bike, or everything else?

Get off your bike and lean it on that wall. Leave all the stuff attached to it - lights, racks, horn, etc.

Now, stand over here and take everything off of your body and pile it up.

What costs more? The bike pile? Or the you pile?

The bike was about $900. Everything else was $500ish all together. Unless you count the aftermarket dynohub wheel as part of the bike rather than part of the other stuff. Then it's more like $1050/$350.

Depends on which bike I choose to ride. I have my speed machine with very little on the frame, or my utility/mountain bike. Obviously the speed bike is going to cost a lot less than the "you pile", but I got a good deal on it. But I'm also wearing a backpack with all my gear on my person. My mountain bike would cost a ton more, since it will have all the gear off my back in the panniers, either the front or rear ones.

You're asking if my bike and all of its accessories cost more than the clothes I'm wearing? Well, between the Huffy with its single clip on fender and mag-lite duct taped to the bars, versus my Hawaiian Monk Seal tuxedo, the clothes pile definitely wins. ;)

I thought that this was a silly question (duh, bike > clothes), until I tallied up the cost of my worst weather biking kit (a lot of which does double or triple duty, activity wise: pants are both ski and bike pants; jacket is foul weather wear for cold and rain both on the bike and hiking; wool clothing is worn biking, skiing, and hiking; helmet, mittens, hats, neck/face warmer, headlamp, and goggles all do the same). So the clothes pile (on really, really cold, snowy days) adds up to about $770. :eek: At least I use them for more than biking.

Before I began upgrading the bike about two years ago, the clothes pile would've won, but barely ($500 bike + $25 of lights + $200 in winter tires). But as the bike sits now, with IGH, rack, fenders, panniers, enough lights to double as prop at a rock show, locks, summer and winter tires, upgraded saddle, upgraded handlebars, upgraded brakes, the bike comes in at around $1,800 (not including parts that've been replaced through breakage and wear). :eek: :eek: :eek:

I ain't braggin' (honestly, I'm kind of embarrassed to have spent so much on a bicycle, when others get by with winter capable rides that cost much, much less), and the only defenses I have are that the Lady and I are total DINKs, and that while I might have an excessively nice bike, I drive a Geo Metro, so my priorities are still proportionally in order. And that this has been both a fun and useful money sink:

http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/yy157/dgridley/PC290166.jpg

Still, another grand and I could've bought a Retrovelo (w/out rack, panniers, locks, or winter tires :P).

The bike pile definitely. Now can you come down and bail me out on this indecent exposure charge?

Get off your bike and lean it on that wall. Leave all the stuff attached to it - lights, racks, horn, etc.

Now, stand over here and take everything off of your body and pile it up.

What costs more? The bike pile? Or the you pile?

The bike, but not by a whole lot. And the bike will probably last longer, so in the long run it'll be the me pile.

Everything else :D

Edit: appears I mis-read the OP. My bike costs more than what I wear. The additions to my bike cost more than the stock bike itself.

Get off your bike and lean it on that wall. Leave all the stuff attached to it - lights, racks, horn, etc.

Now, stand over here and take everything off of your body and pile it up.

What costs more? The bike pile? Or the you pile?

If the item comes off the bike easily, i.e. without tools, I'd consider it part of the nonbike pile. Lights belong in the second pile.

But any one of my bikes is worth more than the stuff I wear or carry...even the cheapest bike in my fleet.

Depends on what im wearing, normal to and fro work stuff, the bike for sure, now if for some reason im wearing my leather jacket i need a mighty expensive bike to catch up. :) Though i guess it also depends on what pile my panniers go in cause one carries my laptop.

The bike pile by a large margin.

I bought the bike for $100 but recently estimated the cost to replace it would be close to $1000. You do the math.

the bike pile for sure, but i'm a little bit of a gear nut and wrench on my own ride

Just ordered $100 worth of Minus 33 Marino Wool insulating/base layer, the Poor Man's Neos project came in under $50 unless I had to replace the boot liners which I've had for 20 years which would bring them to $75, have a helmet at $40, medium weight balaclava at $15, illuminite jacket and tights at about $160 (thanks to Nashbar closeouts), and some Smartwool socks at $15, liner socks at $10, and a pair of vapor barrier socks at $25 a pair. Thats about $415 coming off of me.

Hanging on the LHT racks are some more major investments. The pair of JANDD commuting bags cost about $250. The Light N Motion headlight, another $250. The Road Morph pump comes off at $35. What's in the bags includes a set of tools, spare parts and tube, rain covers for the panniers and a helmet cover in case it rains. Let's call that another $75.

Then it just depends on which bike. Mountain bike is a piece of junk purchased for about $275 although the studded tires are about $90 and an old Blackburn rack. The other is a Surly LHT with nice racks, so that wins if I'm getting off of it. Just depends upon the depth of slush and snow on the roads that day.

Bikes are still worth more, but I can't believe how much I've spent on gear/clothing and accessories the last two years. Hell, I just spent $225 on winter cycling shoes, but I cringe at the thought of spending more than $50 on sneakers that I'd wear every day.