Originally Posted by livedarklions

This is the part that's illogical:
" Just because someone takes a frugal approach, it doesn't mean it's a cheap hobby. "

It absolutely means that it is a cheap hobby for many people.

ANY hobby has an infinite top level of spending, so if we're comparing bicycling to the costs of other hobbies, I think the more obvious question is whether it's possible to get relatively serious about it at low expense. You could spend a million dollars collecting thimbles if you want to. I don't think you can spend a few hundred dollars restoring race cars and really do much. You CAN do a lot of biking for that money.