for me, my commuter is the one that gets the most saddle time. I'd rather enjoy my great amount of saddle time, and I am better able to do so on a nicer bike. That said, I can bring my bike in with me to work. And most other places I go are relatively theft free (high visibility, I am nearby, not left out long). If I'm going to go out to the bar and leave my bike locked up in the dark for a few hours while playing pool I'll bring my bikes direct single speed bike.

Spend more on locks i guess, don't leave it in a shady spot with a cheap rack, at some point you gotta have nice things instead of being afraid you'll lose them. :) We lose it all in the end anyway!

Once at school I saw a guy with a Carbon Bianchi and he said he felt comfortable with the new surveillance cameras/security and it now being considered "grand theft" if someone took it.

I love my cheap $500 commuter with some upgrades. I never lock it at home and only sometimes at work. I probably couldn't give my bike away if I tried. Unfortunately there isn't much of a market for bicycles around here. No one rides. I put 2 bikes for sale on craigslist recently for only $50 each and didn't get a single hit.

So you say it is not true, but it really is true; you just found a way to fudge the numbers. You must work for the government.

I'd definitely want to spend a bit more than 400 on a good bike. (right now I have a cheap one).
Just invest in a good lock or speak with your employer.

My boss lets me put my bike in one of our storage areas, so it can't go anywhere. Plus we have cameras all over the place.
Even if I was locking it up on the street, I'd still want a decent bike for any decent commute.

+1

You're quite fortunate to be able to afford that much for "cycling stuff". Many people would have a problem coming up with that much for an entire bike! :D

* Count your blessings! :)

not to be mean, but do you really think so? i think people have some strange fiscal priorities ... i feel like i live comfortably but still save roughly 50% of my net pay. i'm still undecided if a more than £1000 bike is a fiscal error unless it's subsidised like it is in the UK.

Not to be mean :), but as an educator, surely you must be aware of the fact that most of the world's population live either at or below the poverty line. You too must not be remiss of your fortunate western status. Of course, there are many citizens of both the UK and the US, that would struggle to purchase a bike worth $700 or more! ;)

that's kind of my point, why spend so much on a bike ... there's a guy here who did 10000km+ on a 300USD hybrid?

My commuter bike was $750 one year used, $1500 new. It sits behind my desk all day. I occasionally will stop somewhere and lock it up - but usually if I'm running errands around town or going to the coffee shop and have to lock up outside, I'll bring my bike I got for free and have put $250 into.

So I guess I have a nice work commuter, and a cheap 'around town' commuter.

You should be able to find a decent bike for $400, as long as you stay away from the xmart $200 models. Even better than that, search craigs list for a good quality used one that you can easily repair and turn into a fine bike. I built up most of all my bikes and only one very special one run me upwards of $1000 when finished. My good weather commuter is an 83 vintage Fuji road bike that I found at the scrap yard for free and completely restored it to like brand new condition. I may have a total investment of $250 and about 50 hours of my time and it was a lot of fun doing it. I bring my bike into my office and put it in my garage at home so theft is not an issue for me. I never stop anywhere in the city where I would have to lock it up. Best of luck in your decision.

Agreed, my friend! :)

+2

+1

Agreed, my friend! :)

well when i am riding in very cold weather or rain i think to myself, would their be a noticeable difference in my ride if i bought say, a 5000 dollar bike? also my bike has to be outside, can't bring into the house.
also one of my main goals of using a bike is to save money for my retirement, as i am getting on in years.
each individual has different circumstances, that drives their bike purchases. i just thought i would voice my perspective.

My bike was about $600 new. I keep it in the garage at home and locked up to a rack at work. Bike theft is very low in this area, so a simple u-lock around the frame and wheel does the job.

Would I hesitate to buy a more expensive bike? No, but I would never leave it unlocked anywhere. That's just asking for someone to steal it.

Why spend more on a bike? Higher quality parts and a better ride. Why buy a BMW when a Kia still gets you from A to B?

This, or as I like to put it; Frugality is knowing the difference between price and cost". All too often buying cheap, costs more in the long run.

Example: Cheap locks. Another: Bikes with out quick release wheel. (Implies a user disinclined to fix their own flats, resulting in paying for this frequent maintenance, or hanging Wally in the garage and not using it)

A kid blew us all on a hill, during a group ride, on an '80s steel road bike. A VERY cheap one. :)


If one is decend with mechanics, he can get a cheap bike and run it fine.

If one is bad at fixing stuff and finding/matching 2nd hand components, then one must pay more.


I have a free 80s MTB, a 500 euro hybrid and an 1000 euro road bike - all good for commuting. All good enough - no big difference. All take hills, strong winds - whatever.

I understand your argument, but I think you have the incorrect price point.

I'd say it's more around £300/€300/$300 that gets one over the value/money threshold.

i am very well aware of how fortunate i am. in fact, i choose to live a minimalist lifestyle and limit my monthly expenses to ~$1300 because i find the typical 1st world lifestyle to be ethically repugnant.

@acidfast7 Not sure I actually gave a price point. My point is that initial price is not what I use as a basis for purchase decisions. My wife got a front suspension Diamondback for $100 (Guessing about 80 Euro). That bike is fine, and was a good value. It was marked down from $200 and she jumped on it quick.

Some times the lowest price is the most cost effective, but very often it is not. I paid $1600 for my current bike (Renyolds 525 frame, Shimano 105 groupset) I could have gotten great value for half that, but there is that intangible factor of personal preference.

I commute on bikes that would cost $2,000-$4,000 to replace, but I lock them up with a heavy-duty U-lock and cable. My commute is 30+ miles round trip, and I ride to work about 4 days a week on average. For as much riding as I do commuting -- more than half of my total mileage -- I want to ride on a nice bike. I actually spent much less than the replacement value for my bikes because I bought most of the frames used and had them built up with parts from other bikes, or bought on sale or on-line for good prices.

In 6-1/2 years of commuting, I've never had a bike stolen or tampered with. However, one of my coworkers had his inexpensive bike stolen, using a cheap lightweight cable lock. Most thieves are opportunistic and will steal the bikes that are unlocked or secured with flimsy locks/cables that are easy to break or cut.

Yep. I heard a stat once, don't remember where, that cheap bikes are stolen far more often than expensive bikes. I see them sitting on kickstands (Comestealmestands) outside convenience stores all the time.

+1 -

I know I've told this story before, but my Merckx team bike was locked up in north Philadelphia for months at one point (obviously prior to my ownership)...it wasn't even an especially robust lock. We don't really have the dreaded angle grinder bike specialists - we have idiot junkies going after the weakest link.

To quote bigbossman...life's too short to ride ***ty bikes.

It depends on how well you are able to maintain your bike. I have a half dozen bikes that I picked up at garage sales and am comfortable riding on my 30 mile rt commute. Theft is no issue out here in the sticks so I ride cheap because i am cheap.

What say I?

Assess your situation and whatever you feel is the right price to value to fun to expendable income ratio for your bike is exactly what you should spend.

It just so happens that the variables in that equation for me are pretty different than the OP. No problem. I do all types of riding beyond commuting and I spend stupid amounts of money on my bikes. I have no regrets nor do I expect or urge anyone to do the same as me. It's a life long hobby and passion that I get so much out of, and I am truly blessed to have the means and the health to do so.

If you don't have any specific reasons for spending the extra $4500, then of course it would be wasted.

I rode a $300 bike for 9 years and 29,000 miles and liked it. I still ride it occasionally, there's nothing wrong with it. The road bike is more fun to ride but if I'd bought it first I would not have gotten in the habit of riding because the riding position is something I could not have maintained back then.

Even the road bike I only spent $800 on (at Bikesdirect). It's very nice. I call it a $1000 bike, because the same bike locally would have been about $1400 or so.

I think people are really way too picky about things.

People spend way more than that buying cars, even people who don't make that much money. It's about priorities.

I spent $2500 on bikes this year. My car isn't worth more than about $1500, and I have no intention of replacing it unless it croaks.

Yea, its about priorities and preferences with bikes and everything else. Available money/income in some cases comes second (within a reasonable range of incomes) as some people are more inclined to spend a higher % of what they make then others. I know people who all make roughly the same amount of money, one rides a $5000 bike to work and the other and old beater he paid ~$200 for. For both of them there bike is a thing of pride, but for different reasons. This is no different then the person who leases an expensive car every three years vs the person who still drives their 1993 Civic. There is no right or wrong.