Uni-Vibe

Yep. A good road bike (full carbon, Ultegra) costs a fraction of what cardiac surgery, or long-term diabetes care, or stroke rehabilitation costs.

Aspenator

Not really a good argument. $400 a year for my gym, and in the past 3 months I have spent $400 on **** for my bike.

Aspenator

The majority of obese people don't pay for that stuff, our tax dollars or our insurance premiums do. We work hard and exercise even harder so that we can pay for people to do nothing.

agarose2000

Everyone also forgets the costs of continued bike riding. If you continue to ride regularly, you will go WAY over $1000 in costs for startup, and at least $200 / yr annually in extras. Most folks go $400ish in extras per year (clothing, in particular).

Running is what you should recommend if they can't handle the initial outlay. A more time efficient workout and way easier on the wallet.

therhodeo

Amazing thread. People who don't want to spend money on a bike = fat people. I could have taken pics at the last big organized ride I did of plenty of fat people on expensive bikes. Including a guy having to walk his Ridley Noah up the first hill we encountered. If the OP is young enough that his parents bought him a bike then its entirely possible that $1000 is out of the question for alot of his friends. I know I didn't have that kind of money and neither did my parents.

DScott

It's not about the bike.

Whatever you convince them to buy, make sure it's nice so after it sits unused for a year or two it will be a good deal for the real cyclist who finds it at the inevitable garage sale.

goodboynyc

A few months ago I was looking into getting a bike but was unsure about the whole process. I've read reviews online of different bikes till I came across a review of a GMC Denali Road Bike posted on these forums by a fellow named CigTech. He posted a lengthy review of the bike spanning pages that I figured that if he road the bike harder than I ever would, it would be fine for me. I signed up for a promotional trail of Amazon Prime and ordered the bike from them for ~$170.

There is nothing wrong with the bike; It came with grip-twist shifters and brake levers on the drops. Unfortunetly I try to bike fast through the city and moving my hands all over the place felt dangerous to me. I ended up having Shimano Soras installed that I bought on ebay for a good price. Since then I've haven't looked back on it. All I need to do is change the saddle for something that won't castrate me.

O, I also had the wheels true'd when I got the bike since they were a bit too wobbly. That was 3-4 months ago and it still rolls nicely. I may not be a true cyclist given that I don't want to buy the "proper" clothing for cycling. I merely bought a Bell Solar for ~$30, an OnGuard Brute lock, and a BlackBurn Mars 4.0 tail light. I really just use the bike for commuting and going on rides when I have the chance.

Hope that helps.

wunderkind

Noobs should head into LBS and pick up a comfortable bicycle that would suit their noob level. No point getting all the gear and become a Fred. Any bicycle in decent condition can be fun. It is overkill and ridiculous for a newbie to get kitted up only to be dropped by some dude in a fixie wearing flip flop sandals hauling a case of Bud at the back.

So what if noob starts out with a $200 walmart special. As long as they are out riding vs. sitting on the couch watching UFC is already a plus.

Bicycling is an easily accessible sport. Why make it such a hurdle for newbies to join in the fun?

MRT2

Agreed. IMO, a gym membership and a bike are complimentary, not mutually exclusive.

It seems to me that bikes are a lot like any other interest. One can spend a ton of money or can get by relatively cheaply, like a couple of hundred for a used bike, helmet and shorts, or tens of thousands for the latest and greatest carbon fiber bike, accessories, clothes and the like.

My instinct would be to advise your relatives to start out with a modest expenditure and see if they enjoy it.

FunkyStickman

Yes! Cheap bikes are slower, but they're still bikes, and can still be fun to ride if set up properly.

It amazes me that people still believe you have to spend $1000 to get into cycling... it's just not true. You might have to drop a grand to get stuff you want but it is not required. I won't argue that expensive bikes aren't better quality and aren't nice to ride, but they are not the only option.

If people keep pushing the mentality that you have to spend big bucks to enjoy the sport, they will only turn people off. Not everybody can or wants to spend that kind of money, as is evidenced by the OP's family.

A $300 BD road bike is probably better than 99.9% of most people's bikes, people in the non-BikeForums world. Don't be legalistic, just get people riding. The more they ride with friends, the more they will enjoy it, regardless of how crappy their bike is. After a while, if they want something better, they can decide to take that jump for themselves. They don't need us making the decision for them.

OP: There's nothing wrong with a decently set up $300 road bike for beginners. They are beginners, aren't they?

MRT2

Not just sticker shock either. As others have pointed out, a out of shape biking newbie all decked out in pro gear riding a carbon fiber bike with Ultegra is a little ridiculous. Nobody should feel quite as self concious struggling up a hill or fighting a headwind riding a vintage 10 or 12 speed or an old mountain bike with slicks, and wearing an old T shirt.

TriEngineer

Okay, well that was disappointing, I just lost what I wrote before...I shall try again...

I apologize if this reasoning has been put forward already but I didn't have time to carefully go through all the responses. I worked for five years as a sales in a LBS and here are some of my thoughts.

Many non-cyclists balk at the money that even junior riders put into their bikes/clothing. They don't see it, nor do they believe that the fru-fru clothing is actually needed (yes, I said fru-fru, people have used that in place of more derogatory words). I usually have customers/friends list out what other sports they know where there are no usage fee and they usually come up with running/open water swim. Most North American sports require the following: purchase of equipment and clothing, equipment upgrade/fixing, clothing upgrade/mending, environment usage fee and league fees. Road cycling does not have to pay the last two, you don't have to pay to use the roads, nor do you have to do it in a league. Since the last two is a recurring fee, you end up paying more to use your equipment than the cost borne by buying the equipment. A set of golf clubs is say...1000, or 1500, clothing...all together, let's say 2000 and let's also say each round of golf is about 100 bucks...you can do the math there.

As for all other activity, biking is one that is exercise/transportation/entertainment. it does not even compare to TV or going to the pub.

That would be the way that I'd look at it.

moreorles

The problem is, within a few weeks, you will realize that you can't ride 30 miles with this setup very effectively. Then you'll need clip in pedals and shoes which are a minimum of $100. You almost have to own a nice pair of padded shorts, sunglasses, helmet, gloves, water bottles, gel packs, sports drink, quality air pump, extra tubes, extra tires, then it's time for a tune up and at this point you realize your bike sucks and it's time to buy a quality bike. All of this within 8 - 12 weeks of buying that cheap $300 bike.

Yaniel

I think it takes a certain personality type to be a cyclist, OCD comes to mind. Most people that ask me about cycling want to do it to lose weight, 99% think of it as a quick way to shed some pounds and not as a sport or even hobby. I send those people to walmart because the bike will be forgotten in 2 weeks just like the 25 diets they've tried, infomercial products and countless gym memberships they've bought.

TriEngineer

I live in a college town and so every single year, without fail, I see families trucking their youngest off to university and the complain is always that they want to go green, or buses are for losers (which they are not), so they buy a bike. With the advent of Costco, Walmart and all other chain stores getting into making look-alike bikes, it has become increasingly humourous to watch dads--with their paternal pride nearly killed off--trying to rescue the 150 dollar bike from oblivion.

Stem's on wrong sir...and the headset is reefed on...the wheel skewers are on the wrong side...wait...where are the brake pads...okay...derailleurs are not set up at all...okay kickstand's on the wrong side of the bike...who did this? Oh, I am sorry to hear it was you...it wasn't too bad I guess...

FunkyStickman

Sadly, you're 100% wrong on this. You don't need clip-in pedals and shoes, you only need maybe two or three good pairs of shorts if you ride a lot (I picked mine up on closeout from Nashbar for around $20 each). Any wicking athletic shirt will work, I found some at Wal-Mart for $7. Tubes and a pump are optional if you're doing recreational riding. Cyclo computers are $10 now. You don't need expensive water bottles, gel packs, etc. to be a cyclist. They are conveniences, but you do not need them... you have just learned to rely on them.

You are confusing conveniences with needs... the truth is, you don't need any of that stuff to enjoy cycling. Aside from the bike, I have a total of less than $100 invested in my cycling gear. I will be doing a 150 mile MS ride in October, this will be my second time doing it. Last year, I rode an 8-speed all-steel chopper bicycle that weighed 50 pounds, and I had a blast. I got nothing but positive comments from everybody there, especially the roadies who were amazed that I would even think of doing it on that bike.

MRT2

I also disagree. Whenever I get too into buying gear and accessories, my wife points out to me that in 1978 she rode an average of 30 to 40 miles a day for 3 weeks through France without anything other than a (heavy) steel Peugeot touring bike, a water bottle, a rack, and a rain poncho.

I like conveniences like cycling shoes, clipless pedals, and cycling shorts, but in a pinch, I could get by with just 1 pair of cycling shorts.

Brightwork

Not sure how far you get without tubes or a pump.

teterider

I had the same situation with a neighbor. Found him a new 2009 Jamis Ventura Sport for $350, then add $35 helmet, $8 bottles, $4 for 2 nashbar cages, $70 Lake shoes, $0 for the Look PP66 pedals I gave him, $60 shorts/jersey. Throw in another $20 for a patch kit/CO2 and for less than $550 he was ready to ride.

A shop near me still sells new Ventura Sports and similar bikes for $400. They may have a scuff or two, but they are new.

FunkyStickman

If you're riding around the neighborhood, or riding with someone else who has a pump, it's no big deal. Plus, some people go for weeks at a time without getting flats... just need to steer clear of 23C tires, and depends on your route.

atmdad

Depending on how active your local Craigslist is there are some great older bikes that can be found for less than $500 that would be way more bike than what you get for $500 new in most cases. Sure you probably won't have some super light sub 20 lb bike or even sub 25, but they can still be nice bikes that won't discourage a new rider because of a crappy ride.

For example a quick perusal on Sand Diego CL turned up these that look decent (in the pics at least),

Bianchi

Peugeot

Another Peugeot

and I also see alot of Centurion's, Lemans and Dave Scott models turn up. Check out the C&V forum and see what some of the guys in there are doing.

idcruiserman

Running is a lot cheaper than cycling.

moreorles

I see your point. I agree some of those are conveniences. I don't think I am 100% wrong though. I think most people would think that these are needs. I know very few cyclist who don't own all of these items and routinely rely on them.

caloso

Tubes and a pump are optional for recreational riding? Tell me, how do the glass shards and goat heads know you're on a rec ride?

wunderkind

This reminds me alot about people wanting to get into photography. Being an avid photog, I get asked the same thing "I want to take up photography. Where should I start?".
Instead of overwhelming them with various camera bodies, lenses, flash, tripods etc.... I will tell 'em use what they currently have. Focus (pun intended) on improving skills of compositional basics. Enjoy the picture taking process first. Then upgrade as needed.

If I were to go into the usual internet forum dribble that one need a full frame xxxx dSLR with a bunch of top end lenses and at least speedlites etc.... they will be easily turned off.

In so many parts of the world, a bicycle is simple ridden as is. Without them lycras and SPDs. Alot of folks diss Big Box store offerings and with good reason. However the price entry of these bicycles for better or worse has put for more regular folks into bicycling than exclusive LBS. So let them ride. Let them get into the activity. Once they realise the rewards of cycling, they will eventually take it to the next level and buy better bikes.