Old 08-06-07, 08:33 AM
  #29  
sbhikes
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Still in Santa Barbara
Posts: 4,920

Bikes: Catrike Pocket, Lightning Thunderbold recumbent, Trek 3000 MTB.

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Originally Posted by larryfeltonj
Well, now that I've gotten the trolling in me out of my system over the week let's examine the assumptions here.

How seriously expensive is my equipment?

Here's a list of the bikes I actively have on the road:

2003 Raleigh Supercourse: a moderately priced road bike, just above entry level. It cost me about $900
new, about $1300 once I'd equipped it. It doesn't dazzle the roadies, but it's served me well over the past few years.

1987 Peugeot Iseran: picked it up at a thrift store for $35.00, on the sole basis that the frame was the right size. The Iseran was nothing better than an entry level bike when new, but this one had no discernable damage. So far I've probably put around $300.00 in it, and have been making it my all weather bike.

1969 Raleigh Twenty (folding bike) : A recent acquisition, I've been curious about the Twenties for years, and this one was in very good condition, all original parts. I paid around $250.00 for it counting shipping. It's served as a very fun little utility bike, although without a few modifications (a hub with lower gear range, rims that provide some braking power) I don't think I'd tour on it.

1970s Raleigh Shopper (non-folder): I got this at the same time as the Twenty, haven't checked the date on the hub. Non-folder but the same basic design as the Twenty. $145.00 including shipping.

In addition the above the bikes in my basement I'm not using at the moment include a monstrous old
steel frame Raleigh with top tube shifters, and a 1970s Bianchi road bike with a frame size too small for me.


Now you have a basis to critique my supposedly elite status with respect to equipment. Have at it.
You have a lot of bikes and are obviously well-off enough to afford to store them all. Next time you see some guy wobbling along on a ratty kid's BMX bike that's too small for him, consider whether he borrowed his nephew's bike to get to where he's going. Next time you see some masher struggling with a bike that doesn't shift gears, consider your stable full of steeds, all shiny and perfect. Owning lots of shiny, purty bikes and shifting gears "properly" is probably the least of that guy's concerns.
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