big chainring 

I havent picked up a Bicycling magazine in a long time. But in my youth it was a great magazine. Really shows how things have changed. All the gadgetry available today. The super bikes made of carbon fiber.

Typical articals in Bicycling in the 70's. Make your own panniers out of plastic 5 gal gas cans. Sew your own handlebar bag. Twill tape for handlebar tape. Catching up with world traveler Ian Hibell. Technical know how from Fred Delong. Great stuff.

And very few racing articles. Cyclists were into touring and riding centuries on their Peugeot UO-8 or Raleigh Grand Prix. Riding in their cutoff jeans and t-shirts And I cant remember seeing anyone wearing a helmet ('cept racers) in Bicycling magazine. No one wore helmets and it was great to ride with the wind in your really long hair. And it was all about the experience not the equipment. Good times, good times

Rowan

Never worn bibs, likely never will, but not because of the issues. Otherwise, this, this and this.

I;ve got bike shorts and jereys that are well over a decade old. All in fine condition, still. Compare that with the tops from the equivalent of teh US big box store that have lasted two years, if that, and have pulled threaded all over them.

This thread just confirms for me that there are mean and nasty people in cycling as well as elsewhere. Just going to say: It's not our fault.

Cycleish

😂😂😂

bbbean 

Thank you so much. You are clearly superior to those frivolous fools who have different values than you do. I'm shocked that there has never, ever been a thread on BF pointing out the virtues of using the cheapest possible equipment!

Cyclist0108

Sometimes I buy Bicycling! magazine when I know I will be trapped in the middle seat of an airplane for six hours. It almost takes the place of the erstwhile SkyMall catalogue (RIP) in terms of infotainment.

rydabent

Personally I have always suggested going with the most bang for the buck. Most things come in at least 3 levels or more. By the time you get to mid level, paying more only usually get you name and snob appeal.

cyccommute 

Nay. I was a bad student all through school. I'm a mostly smart guy but I was taught at a very early age that my social standing in my little town wasn't high enough to warrant me being treated as a smart person. I learned early on how to be stupid and it carried all the way through high school even when I moved to city were the population in my high school was larger than the podunk town I grew up in.

It took 4 years of working crap jobs before I decided that there had to be a better way. It took another 7 years to graduated from college because I had a whole lot of catching up to do. I regretted every minute of that 4 years of crap jobs, not a single minute of college and few minutes of my career afterward. I've been doing it for 37 years now and it's still mostly fun.

I tell people that every job is just shoving horse crap (using an earthier term). Your job is to find the pony in the pile of horse crap. My job just happens to have a higher ratio of ponies to horse crap than most jobs.

cyccommute 

Let's just say that it was a small town, small minded, sadistic drill sergeant wannabe PE teacher who had a supply of too small girls one piece PE uniforms that he loved making boys who forgot their PE clothes wear. On the plus side, you never forgot your PE uniform again. On the other side, in a town of 1500 no one let you forget it...for years afterward.

Doctor Morbius

And finally, what is your relationship with your mother?

cyccommute 

I never had a problem with my mother. Small town, small minded, sadistic drill sergeant wannabe PE teachers on the other hand...

As well as small town, small minded people in general. My town's name is Fowler. Their town motto is "Non est locus iste..."

robj4

Do it! Do it now!

indyfabz

They are having a sale on line right now, but the stuff still isn't cheap.

Marcus_Ti

Yea..."on sale" a cotton t-shirt is $40US plus S/H. LOL.


Even at their sale prices...I still haven't bought comparable items from competitors.

Motolegs

The actual magazine is pretty cheap. I enjoy it for what it is, having no illusions about owning any number of superbikes or supergear within. Dang some of those bikes are sure purdy though..

Sangetsu

It's a good thing you aren't reading GQ. How much do you think it costs to be a well-outfitted businessman?

My last job was coaching executives in the financial industry, and I had to dress the part. At my last meeting (which as memorable, because I left my job the next day) I wore a new bespoke suit (Zegna Super 120's wool), which cost about $2000, a Borrelli dress shirt, $400, Brioni tie, $250, Hermes pocket square, $200, bespoke shoes by John Lobb, $2000, Prada belt, $300. Add a good watch and cufflinks, which cost as much as all the above clothes put together. $200 for a hair cut, and $80 for a manicure.

Now I work from home, and can dress how I like. Gap cargo shorts, $15, a Uniqlo t-shirt, $8, and a pair of Reef sandals, $35. To be "seriously outfitted" in e-commerce, I would add a $40 pair of jeans, and a $80 pair of New Balance shoes. I cut my hair when it gets long enough to make my face itchy, the QB house nearby charges only $10, and cut my nails when they get long enough to interfere with my guitar playing.

The money I save on clothes and hygiene can now be spent on guitars and bike parts.

gecho

Somehow the person paying for a magazine that is 70% advertisements is baffled by people spending money on items with actual utility.

fietsbob

Scan it on the rack, then put it back.these days read it in the 70s, @ public library..

big chainring 

My 21 yr old son was going on a job interview. $200 suit, $40 shoes, pocket square my wife made out of scrap fabric. He was waiting on the train station platform. He said everyone was staring at him. I told him, "Benj, you look fantastic. Wearing a stylish "skinny" suit. You're tall, great physique. All those guys waiting for the train are jealous. In expensive suits trying to look as good as you and not pulling it off."

indyfabz

Have you seen what their jeans cost?

keg61

I love all the pithy comments about overpriced goods from guys riding clunkers that cost more than the price of feeding a small village for a year

DaveQ24

I've rode probably two dozen times in a suit and tie in the past 4 years. Only 1.5 miles each way - I drop my car off at the dealership for service, ride to the office, ride back later to pick it up. And no, never wore my one expensive Joseph Aboud -save that for the high and mighty client meetings - so like once in 2 years. OTOH, I wouldn't do it on a Century, but my Chaps and Arrow suits and separates from Kohl's are just fine cycling clothes, with a leg band to keep the cuff out of the chain. And NEVER pay full price at Kohls - everything pretty much moves to the bargain racks in about 3 months. Can't beat a sportscoat that ends up costing something like $14 after clearance, Kohl's cash, Kohl's rewards and an extra 30% off for using Kohl's charge. Well, maybe the Arrow dress shirt that cost me $0.60 - original $30.

rydabent

Back in the 80s I was subscribed to Bicycling magazine. It was great, and I looked forward to each issue. Like most magazines it is now little more than a flashy picture book for people that have the attention span of a rutabaga.

Bandera

"They seek him here, they seek him there
His clothes are loud, but never square
It will make or break him so he's got to buy the best
'Cause he's a dedicated follower of fashion

And when he does his little rounds
'Round the boutiques of London Town
Eagerly pursuing all the latest fads and trends
'Cause he's a dedicated follower of fashion

Oh yes he is (oh yes he is), oh yes he is (oh yes he is)
He thinks he is a flower to be looked at
And when he pulls his frilly nylon panties right up tight
He feels a dedicated follower of fashion

Oh yes he is (oh yes he is), oh yes he is (oh yes he is)
There's one thing that he loves and that is flattery
One week he's in polka-dots, the next week he is in stripes
'Cause he's a dedicated follower of fashion


-"Dedicated Follower of Fashion": R. Davies & the Kinks

I-Like-To-Bike

I-Like-To-Bike

No, how much?

Do YOU think a cyclist receives fair value or anything special at the asking price for Ralpha or similar boutique labeled jeans?