Originally Posted by
es82
After two years of biking, I'm enjoying it far more than I thought I would, and decided to buy a new bike this year. Yeah, probably could of saved some money if I bought the 'better bike' from the get-go, but part of my train of thought was : It's less of a sting to have a $500 bike collecting dust if I end up not using it vs a $1,500 bike collecting dust.
So... you spent $2000 on a $1500 bike??? Where I work, they call that mis-management. We don't get the "$500 try it and see if you like it." Most of us that cycle a lot have made the same mistake. I just think if you say you are going to do it... then do it! If you say you are going to give it a try... just recognize that it's probably going to cost you the $500 to "try it."
If you are a person that comes onto the forums and says, "I'm going to do it." Why not skip the $500 "try it" step? If you go into saying I'm going to "ride the bike around the neighborhood" and "I'm going to ride it 5-10 miles to work" then the $500 bike is fine. And if your needs change, then you buy a new bike to meet those needs. However, If you say I'm going to do fitness rides with the club, or go on cross country touring, or ride cyclocross, then there aren't a lot of $500 bikes that fit the bill. If you actually follow through and do those things, I will guarantee that you won't be doing them very long on the $500 bike.
I'm just hoping people will make a purchase based on their needs... not their budget, because in the long run... you will buy what you need (and if you know what that is now, why not buy it now?)