Keep the Harley, it won't really depreciate any more, unless you let it rot. You can still sell it at any time to bail yourself out if the money jam gets deeper. Liability for a 900R Ninja here in Dallas/Ft Worth is like 50-70 dollars a year, it couldn't be that much more on a Hugger in Biloxi, could it?

Buy a used bike for a couple hundred taken out of the sales price of the car, and ride it except on days when you can't ride it, then take the Sporty. Put your spare change and single dollars away and don't touch them. When things get better, buy a new bicycle as a victory celebration.

It's pretty hard to convince your wife you're out to save money and buy a new bike at the same time.

jyossarian: Right now, I'm not cycling :( I'd have to work my way up to 28x5 (although more like 28x4 until I get good lights for my Tuesday nights). But still, that's a lot better than spending (or sending) my $$ to the oil companies like I am right now. I'd like to be as close to car-free as possible, if for no other reason than to keep the cars in running condition when the next hurricane comes our way. And then, the bike may be the best option to getting around afterwards, should the next one be another Katrina (knocking on wood like a crazed woodpecker).

truman: Actually, it's just about to the point where I either have to sell the Harley or sink money into it. I don't think I'll have much trouble selling it around here, not with two military bases. :)

Novara Safari from REI. $850 + lights/fenders. Will do everything the Raleigh will for alot less.

Also note about the Sporty,since the rubber-mounts came out,might not be a huge market for it. Esp if it has a 2.2gal peanut tank.

I don't understand the whole train of thought here. You don't want to sell the motorcycle because of centimental reasons. But, if you are allowed to buy an expensive bike, then you'll forget about the centimental feelings towards the motorcycle? I don't see how the two subjects are related.

Roll the motorcycle to the back of the garage. Don't renew the registration. Take it off the insurance. Buy a relatively low cost bicycle and try not to drive your gas guzzling truck too much.

Maybe someday you'll have the money to restore your old motorcycle.

I imagine an untimely breakup would be significantly more tolerable if one replaced her with a much younger model. Give the guy something new, pretty, and relatively cheap to start getting sentimental about.

The same reasoning should work with the bike too. ;)

It takes me, a newbie cyclist about an hour to ride around 14 miles on my road bike and I'd probably take about 2.5-3 hours to ride 38 miles. If you're at about my speed then figure you'll be spending that long on your bike on just one day. Do you want to use a bike you're not happy with?

Your wife believes that a bike half that price would do as well but she's not going to be riding it, you are, so you'll have to decide for yourself if it actually does do "as well". If it doesn't, do you want to spend at least two hours a day on the thing?

If I were you I'd try to argue that a nicer bike will make you faster (drop bars and road bike geometry), happier and even it does cost $1100, it will never require $4/gallon fuel and that maintenance and repair cost a fraction of what it costs to do so on a car.

Speaking of automobiles, I think you're still going to need one to get back and forth to work. As someone else said, there will be days when you're too tired, sick, etc. and those will be driving days. Sell the extra car and the motorcycle if you aren't even using them and spend the money on a bike you will use.

I kinda understand where you're coming from here. My wife wants me to re-register my truck and get insurance on it. I would rather sell it and invest it and be a one-car family. She won't let that happen. Even if I sell my truck, I have to have some vehicle for emergencies...it's the only way.

Good to meet an ex-Yooper!

We just moved from Marquette...lived in Sands right at the Crossroads between Marquette and Gwinn. I'm sure you know the place ;)

Dude, I know you want the Sojourn, but expand your mind. Look at the Novara Randonee, it is a sweet friggin' bike. You can slowly upgrade it with a Brooks and other features, and it'll make the wife happy.

After moving from Marquette, where I sold all of my bikes, I decided to get back into full time commuting. My wife FORCED me to buy a Target bike for my first bike. I rode it for four months and she finally let me spend money on a new one. I had to sell off some climbing and ski gear, but instead of guilting me into buying stuff for the house or the kiddo, she let me get a $125 Cannondale road bike. It took 4 months, though. I rode that for a long time, and sold more stuff and put it into my Surly Crosscheck.

It's like pulling teeth, but you need to show the dedication...let her have that inch. Make a case for her, too...do something responsible and maybe buy a used bike or a cheaper bike and put some of the savings in a good investment like a structured note or a variable annuity. Make it seem like you're interested in the long term, too. Meet her halfway, she's already meeting you more than halfway from the sounds of it!

i'm all for compromise, but it sounds like you are whipped beyond all recognition. do you have to ask permission for everything?

Don't forget the LHT complete in your list of bikes.

My wife and I have a different arrangement.
1 joint account for the household related bills and our son.
2 separate accounts for our spending money and bonuses.

If I want a bike I buy a bike with my own money. The original commuter came out of the household fund but since she had a car and I had nothing that was an easy decision. Plus it helps that she was the one driving when my car was totaled.
Anyhow, compromise but don't buy a piece of junk.

Are you married?

It defies all rationality. It is what it is, they is what they is. I just keep my mouth shut and do my best to enjoy the ride ;)

A wise person once told me that successful couples work toward making decisions that don't result in resentment from either party. I think insisting on getting this bike is guaranteed to generate resentment from your wife, even if you do end up sticking to your commute plans and resolving your financial difficulties because you will have ignored her feelings.

You might want a Brooks saddle with matching bar tape but you don't "need" it. There are lots of good reliable older bikes made for traveling longer distances. A Trek 520 comes to mind. Get a bike like that, then "earn" a new bike by setting aside a portion of the gas money saved towards a new bike and/or accessories.

Above all make sure that selling your motorcycle isn't just a quick cash infusion that will only provide temporary relief. Expenditures must not be greater than income. It might also be a good idea to set aside some money that will help reach long term goals for both of you.

FWIW, up until this winter I commuted about half your distance on a 20 year old Peugeot. If I had to go 14 miles each way, I'm sure it would be up to the task. Whether I wanted to spend that much time on the road each day is a different question. I've since "upgraded" by spending $350 on a 2005 model bike because I wanted something faster for the couple of triathlons I do a year.

A quality used bike with simple bar end shifters will be reliable and cheap to maintain.

If you are seriously in debt I can understand your wife's reasoning, and in fact if you are in serious debt you probably should be looking for a used bike.

If you aren't in serious debt than it sounds like you and your wife have serious issues when it comes to you wanting to have hobbies of your own.

My wife and I don't pester each other about the other's spending habits, we have our monthly bills to pay, but are debt free, so if one of us wants to spend his or her money on something all the power to them. She does have an issue with all the bikes and frames in the garage though.....

Well, You've set the bargain at 50%. So there's your budget. Sounds like you need to sell the motorcycle first.

I used to do 20 mile round trip commutes on a 30 year old 10 speed. That's just to say that you don't necessarily need a new bike. But you do need one that will take the terrain. My current one is a 17 year old mountain bike with fenders, racks, lights and street tires. My commute is shorter, but hilly and potholed.

A couple of arguments that may help are, spending now on quality bikes may avoid a breakdown that will leave you stranded in a bad place. And even if you spend now, amortizing those costs over a year or two and comparing that to the cost of a motor vehicle will make the expensive bike look cheaper.

At a low spot in my marriage, my ex was pressuring me to get a car because of her worries over my safety. I had her run the numbers and she realized that my bicycling was the only thing keeping us afloat financially. I suppose I missed the chance right then to ask for a new bike ;) But you can see how those events addressed the arguments of the paragraph above.

Good luck.

Here's some ammo for your argument. The cost of owning a car is astronomical, much more than people think. Some factors that people don't consider in when evaluating the cost of car ownership is depreciation. Every year that goes by, your car depreciates in value -- that's a cost to you since you're losing your initial investment.

Here are a couple of articles on the subject:

http://www.seattle.gov/waytogo/carcostworksheet.htm
http://www.sightline.org/daily_score...sing_gas_pain/
http://www.sightline.org/daily_score...-depreciation/

The take away here -- by selling your car, you're saving your family thousands of dollars per year, in insurance payments, license tab renewals, fuels costs, depreciation, etc. For an average car, we're talking a couple of thousand dollars per year at least. Now ask yourself, does spending on a bicycle that you want, help you maintain this lifestyle with one less car? Your purchase, be it a Raleigh, a less expensive Globe City, or a fully decked out custom ride, will probably pay itself off in less than a year of car ownership. Try explaining to your wife the true cost of car ownership and the savings your bike riding will provide your family and see where that gets you towards your goal of a nicer ride.

My "argument" would be to offer to have her ride the distance on a "crappy" vs nice bike to see the difference.

Good luck on your decision!

We have a fair amount of debt and are paying it off. However, we buy into leaving each other's spending habits alone. Each time we have tried to dictate what we can spend to each other it has resulted in marriage issues. Not to mention trying to reduce spending down to almost nothing in order to pay off debt seems to result in more debt. Still can't figure that one out.
So, we have a happy medium. My wife and I are paying down our debt while keeping cash for each of us to use as we see fit. She does what she wants. I do what I want.
However, if finances are tight or something comes up (car repair, hospital bills, etc) we know where our priorities are.

Your wife may have a point...
 

I went through a similar discussion with my spousal unit. Ultimately she had valid points, I start things but don't follow through; what was I going to do with winter coming; why spend money we don't have and then let the bicycle sit if you drive every day; you already have a bike that works...but I really wanted the new bike.

Approaching the decision like a business issue, we agreed the best bet is to run a proof of concept pilot program. Either use your current bike or by a used one and ride the 28 miles for a few months, rain or shine, heat or cold, regardless of the time of day for an an agreed upon period of time (6 months in my case July 1 through Jan 1). Believe me you'll decide whether you really are committed to the whole commuting routine or not.

If after an agreed upon period of time you are still commuting the agreed upon amount (in my case 4 days a week) buy the bike you want. In addition to validating whether you are going to stick to it, you'll have a better idea of the bike you really want. In my case I bought two bikes, a Trek 700 that I stripped and overhauled and a Trek X0 frame that I built up as a compact road bike with Campagnolo wheels, shifters, drive, etc., with extra cyclocross wheels I have the best of both worlds, a commuter that is classic steel frame and a compact road bike that can cyclocross, and a wife that at least tolerated the expenditures.

But, back to the original point. It doesn't hurt to prove that you're serious about this whole cycling thing before dropping a lump of money, particularly if money is tight. You don't want her to see your bike sitting in the garage every day while you're at work and fuming :mad: about the money you spent and aren't using. Trust me, that can be unpleasant...;)

Point well taken and one that I was considering prior to reading your post. I do have an old 1998 Specialized Crossroads Trail that I plan on using as a beater bike. I could just slap some new rubber, fenders, rack and lights on and see how that works. Meanwhile, my portion of the money from the sale of the motorcycle will go into the Pickle Fund (so named because I used a pickle jar to save up money for a new hard drive for her computer. Now it runs Linux and WinME, so we both won. :)) If/when my body starts griping at me for not having the better components, then I will have a stronger case for a touring bike.

BTW, I like the LHT idea. Seems like any bike I want, other than a handful of makes, I'll have to go to either Hattiesburg, Mobile or New Orleans to buy.

Thanks everyone for your input and stay safe out there. :)

climbhoser: Yeah, I know where Sands is. I even rode by K.I. Sawyer while a B-52 was taking off parallel to me. Awesome sight. I'm sure you're familiar with M-553 where it goes around Marquette Mountain. THAT was how I started (and finished) my long Saturday training rides. My quads still hate me for that. :lol:

Oh yeah...I actually used to work at Marquette Mountain as a ski school director. Even in the winter I rode my MTB most days. Yeah, it was a little nutzo, but it was only 3 miles one way, and once you're bundled even da UP cold isn't that cold.

I sure miss that place. Marquette is now a freeride mountain biker's heaven! Huge manmade jumps like you see in videos of BC. Crazy, crazy stuff all through da woods there. Good times!

(I'm the female half of my relationship. Carfree, and cranky because this winter has dumped over 90 inches of snow on my not-acclimated self, so I've been stuck walking all winter instead of biking.)

If you have a bike, now would be the time to get it out and use it. The more ride time you have, the easier it gets to identify what it is you want (just as an example, drop bars don't suit every cyclist). And there is no way in hell you're jumping into a 28 mile commute without some bike time. Your wife *is* right that an inexpensive bike will do your commute, and a good one might do it just as well as the bike you want. So if you don't have a bike, an inexpensive one might be the way to go. Used can work, or new can. But blowing $1k on a fully kitted out touring bike when you're not riding at all is a recipe for a bad case of "still not riding". Commuting is great for banging the shiny right off your bike, and it can be just as unpleasant on a bike as it is in a car.

Also, as a sanity check: most car free people, even the ones who do serious bike touring or randonneuring... live closer to work. Biking as your main form of transportation is *tiring* and it takes time to build up a base of miles so it isn't. You're looking at over 10k miles in a year, which is a helluva jump from zero. The new office location would put you at over 13k miles, which is kind of way up there as an annual total. If you want the change to stick, it might be better to start with a goal of biking in 1 day a week for a year. Then start working your way up to full time.

Probably about the same reason that crash diets make people get fatter. ;)

In all seriousness, the key to losing weight OR debt is to come up with a workable plan you can stick with. Sounds like you've done that and the OP's on his way there too.