Originally Posted by
Rhodabike
Given that she posted the question in July of 2008, it's probable that she already has bought it. And since she hasn't posted much since, it probably ended up buried at the back of the garage or abandoned in a rack somewhere, like so many cheap discount store bikes.
Would it have been any different if it were a LBS bike?
Where do you think a lot of those neat used deals from CraigsList pop up from
? Yup - the multitudes of people who bought an expensive bike thinking they were going to love cycling, or wanting to emulate TdF racers and ended up not liking the sport. Nothing wrong with that... just a fact of finding a hobby.
Basically, there's two schools of thought that you'll hear about any sport, or musical instrument:
- Spend the money and get a good piece of equipment, because otherwise your time will be so unenjoyable you'll probably never pick it up anyway, and this way you don't have to upgrade for quite some time.
- Get a cheap piece of equipment so you can see if you like it, that way you aren't wasting a huge investment if you end up not liking it.
Personally, I think that if you have a lot of disposable income, you may as well go with 1, but a lack of disposable income shouldn't stop you from just going with 2. It's silly to keep yourself from trying the sport/activity until you can afford a good quality piece of equipment, and then risk that rare capital on it. And even then, some people (such as myself), just aren't in a position to spend more than a few hundred dollars on a bike. Less stressful to just get a cheap-o until you're sure you like it. $.02
While you can theoretically get a good quality used bike for the same price as a dept store bike, I wouldn't recommend someone wanting to try the sport/activity do this unless they have a friend that knows a thing or two about bikes, or they are very committed to learning. I bought my first adult bike this way, and while it was a great way of learning (I was committed), it was terribly frustrating getting it in good working order, and I wanted to just give it up more than once, even with me being committed. Now my opinion on used bikes makes that $.04.
