meagreresource

i bought a vintage road bike for just shy of 30 quid about 6 weeks ago.

since when i`ve spent a bloody fortune on various odds and ends.

the bike has meant i can tear up my bus pass so i`m saving a fair bit each month but the 12.5 mile ride to work is a bit punishing on my `73 falcon black diamond.

i`ve pretty much put 10 times the original spend back into the bike , making a number of people (LBS included) suggest i might want to think about getting a brand new ride, fools.

I have some mechanical skills and experience with bikes but this has sure been a steep learning curve.



i love my bike, i love riding it, i love fixing it but there`s been a few rather stupid mistakes along the way


i`m reckoning i blew a good 25% of my budget and a whole lot more of my time with things like-


- the terrible effort of my first attempt to wrap bars, new bar tape required to resolved that one

- attempting to true my wheels as the brakes were a bit useless in the wet -

snapped a drive side spoke in the rear so took it to the LBS to repair and had them true both wheels

the next day the sun came out and heated my tires enough to blow the tubes out, i discovered steel rims are rubbish,

then spent a very long and stressful couple of weeks waiting to have a new wheel built whilst riding into work on a very suspect 2nd hand replacement dragged of a ruined peugeot.

the day i picked up the new wheel i rode to the LBS with 2 missing spokes (snapped on the daily commute) and a prayer , mainly because i`d blown my travel budget on getting the bike fixed.


Am i alone in this or have any others found themselves pouring money away?

Wordbiker

I had an entire marriage like that.

Count yourself lucky it's only a bike.

itsmoot

It depends. Ever had another hobby that cost money to pursue? Compare the benefits and enjoyment of that hobby to this one. Personally I enjoy fixing, riding and maintaining the bikes I've built. Lately its become a very practical hobby as increasing fuel prices put more people on bikes.

Flying Merkel

I went from motorcycles to bicycles. I'm saving a for-choon! Ever had a set of carboretors rebuilt by a professional who screwed it up? That particular adventure cost me what a good hardtail MTB would cost. The true cost of the repair should have been equal to a pair of biking shoes & jersey, with a few tubes thrown in.

ukie

Cycling as a hobby is relatively cheap as long as one doesn't fly off the handle and buys super expensive stuff he doesn't need given the level of skill.
You need
- a good bike or two,
- comfortable cycling clothing
- few special tools to do repairs yourself
- some beer money for when you repair stuff

al-wagner

33 years on a wife

alpinist

I bought a new bike a few months ago, and I spent somewhere between 50%-100% more on accessories - tools, clothes, lights, fenders, panniers, a rack, lock, helmet, shoes, etc. Most of these were one-time or occasional purchases. I'm saving at least $100 a month riding to work, and I'm looking forward to the ride.

"Didn't really need?" I could live in a cave and not enjoy myself at all. Or I could go ride for an hour or two on my way home from work... If you are feeling guilty about spending money for personal pleasure, donate it to me. I'll see that it gets put to good use on someone else's bicycling/climbing/running needs.

Bill Kapaun

The first bike is a learning curve. I've done the same thing.
Upgrade tires from knobby to "bike path" type. A couple weeks later, upgrade them to "street slicks".
Buy $20 back up bike to put "bike path" tires on.
At least now when I upgrade, I can upgrade 2 bikes at once!

gascostalot

7 years paying for a dumbass mistake I made when I was 18; financing a new car with piss poor credit without knowing anything about how credit works.

Never again will I finance anything outside of a house (and even then I rather live in an apartment and save the cash).

Bekologist

money and time are meant to be spent. wasted is pretty much how it all winds up.

I had a friend sink almost 1000 US into an old frame he had sentimental value to, and snapped it less than six months after the upgrade.

yes, buying old bikes is almost as bad as owning a sailboat. you can spend way too much on them way too quickly, but as long as you keep you and family fed and roof over your head, why sweat the small stuff?

conurejade

+1

Most of what I have spent I don't really think of as wasted - more of a learning experience. Many of my 'upgrades' have been directly due to changes in fitness and riding more. As an example, I got a really good deal on a good pair of carbon-soled bike shoes - when I lost weight, my shoe size went from 43.5 to 40.5. My feet 'lost weight' too - who knew? I'm certainly not going to complain because I've lost weight and become more fit - besides it's a good excuse for new bike stuff.

The only purchase I actually regret is the pair of bike gloves I got recently; they're just not comfortable once I've been on the bike for a few miles, but I REALLY wanted them to work 'cause they match my helmet.

bkaapcke

As a former street rodder and one time sailboat owner, I know what excessive hobby spending can be. Big boys toys are usually fairly expensive, but bikes are quite reasonable. Plus they keep you in shape, that's worth some spending right there. Y'all shouldn't be feeling guilty about this. bk

mawtangent

From the age of 8 to about 20 I had a number of bikes, mostly early-80's department store bikes, though my first early-70's Western Auto bike was decent enough, and I came across a lugged-frame, 27 inch-wheeled 10-speed that I bought from a friend for around $35 (I never noticed a brand-name on the bike but I do remember it having suntour parts; that, and the lugged frame, didn't mean anything to me then but I would like to see that bike again...but it has been lost in time)...back then I bought a bike and rode it, unless I didn't like the bike or it didn't fit me, which happened with a couple of the bikes I bought...there were no "try different tires" or "cycling cloths" or "must have" items like frame-pumps...Yes these ideas/things did exist, but they weren't part of my knowlege/mindset. I lived in extreme southwest Virginia, no bike shops, the mindset here is that you ride a bike when you are a kid and graduate to a car when you get your drivers licence.

Fast-forward 20-odd years; I'm back into cycling as a middle-aged man. I've been exposed to ideas on the internet (like the ones on this site) and have found a few bike shops within 1-2 hours drive from home. In the last 20 months (since my "rebirth" into cycling) I've spent about $1000 on several new and used bikes, a bunch of parts (pumps, tires, speedometer, stem, cycling cloths, etc), and some "local bike shop" service. I've made some bad decisions and I would have done a few things differently (and probably saved several hundreds of dollars), but I console myself with this thought: I was curious about a specific path, I made some choices, and I saw the outcome, and my curiosity was satified...............in other words I don't have to wonder "what would have happened" because I got to see "what happened" and that is worth something. My curiosity was satisfied.

mandovoodoo

I have to think the most expensive needless things were 1. My first wife (I still limp sometimes - minor "incident" - but I managed to get to the ER before I bled out). 2. Law school.

bkaapcke

+1 on law school. bk

Wordbiker

I cpould've saved you a lot of heartache.

The last thing we need is more lawyers.

TalkingHead

I used to be big into Onroad R/c racing, and monster trucks R/c

I owned several cars and trucks..probably spent north of 30,000 bucks in 5 years...i quit the hobby, sold all my stuff and kept one on road and one off road..and that's it..still play with them sometimes..but have grown tired of the hobby

i also build a new computer every 2 years, usually high end.

I wont let the bicycle hobby get to me, im a very hobby type person but also spend way to much, being single with no kids.

TalkingHead

guns also, I bought 2 M4's last year..and barely have the time for them with my line of work. I hope i have time for cycle. I will probably start biking to work in the Fall, and when my hours change to 11am, from 5 Am which im now..im just to grumpy and sleepy in the crack of dawn to get on a bike..afternoon would be fantastic though.

rando

wasted lots of time and money! because when you start out, you don't really know what you are going to need/use, so you end up getting the wrong stuff, and have to buy the right stuff eventually. took me about a year to figure out what I really needed and what I didn't, and how I wanted my bike set up.

Ranger63

The cumulative to do both bikes right and acquire the vintage componentry I wanted easily cost 2/3rds what I just paid bikesdirect for a new Moto CF Imortal Force.
I learned a valuable lesson.
Restoration of vintage bikes is an expensive endeavor.
(I won't even go into the shill game and last minute outrageous bids encountered on eBay)
IMHO..Unless the (vintage) bikes componentry is reuseable or the bike has deep sentimental value you're better looking at a 9pts out of 10 version on craigslist.

atomship47

apart from what i've done for my kids.........all my money and most of my time.