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Originally Posted by Wileyrat
(Post 20756706)
Rebso is just an opinion, just like bso is.
The same can’t be said for cheap bicycles bought at HelMart...aka bicycle shaped objects. Many, if not most are going to break or fail at some point in their existence which will make them unenjoyable or unrideable or both. These bikes will sit in a garage or shed or just outside until someone throws them away. That’s what makes them BSOs. An expensive bike, even if unridden, still has value. Unless it is damaged beyond repair, someone will eventually find a use for it. |
Even in the arena of opinions, we tend to seek truth. No matter what web site, what Wikpedia says, what politicians say, what newspapers publish, etc.
That quest is what we either tend to follow, or make adjustments to "create a kind of happiness" temporarily, until the next thing comes along. |
Considered against the range of adult toys, even the most expensive bikes are cheap and have little impact on society. |
Calling something ridiculous is far from calling the person who sees value in the object ridiculous. Admittedly my statement "More money than brains category" is passing judgement on a person, In that light, yes, I have sinned and ask for everyone's forgiveness.
Still hold true to the ridiculousness of a bicycle priced at 10, 15, 20 grand meant for general public consumption. Should one make a living from riding their bike, that is a different situation. |
Originally Posted by cyccommute
(Post 20756993)
I have to disagree. An expensive bike can be just an object if someone doesn’t ride it but the bike can be ridden by someone else or even the owner pretty much any time and with a reasonable expectation of the bicycle operating flawlessly. The same can’t be said for cheap bicycles bought at HelMart...aka bicycle shaped objects. Many, if not most are going to break or fail at some point in their existence which will make them unenjoyable or unrideable or both. These bikes will sit in a garage or shed or just outside until someone throws them away. That’s what makes them BSOs. An expensive bike, even if unridden, still has value. Unless it is damaged beyond repair, someone will eventually find a use for it. Here in Tucson, there a lot of disadvantaged people that consider bso's transportation, they seem to keep them running just fine. You and I may think poorly of bso's, but the majority of bike owners don't. |
Originally Posted by MoAlpha
(Post 20757322)
Considered against the range of adult toys, even the most expensive bikes are cheap and have little impact on society. |
Still hold true to the ridiculousness of a bicycle priced at 10, 15, 20 grand meant for general public consumption. Should one make a living from riding their bike, that is a different situation. This is a bike site. Go to a Harley site, or a custom car site and see if 20k for a hobby is ridiculous. It's just a sliding scale of what we have available as disposable income. If you are not going into debt or causing those in you care to go without, who cares? Challenging someone who says you "need" a 20k bike to be happy is different from calling someone who is happy riding a 20k bike ridiculous. |
Originally Posted by indyfabz
(Post 20757435)
You must be paying too much. Amazon offers a lot of inexpensive "adult toys." :D
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Originally Posted by TiHabanero
(Post 20757367)
Still hold true to the ridiculousness of a bicycle priced at 10, 15, 20 grand meant for general public consumption. Should one make a living from riding their bike, that is a different situation. |
Originally Posted by MoAlpha
(Post 20757447)
Should have foreseen the comment and the source. :Þ |
Originally Posted by Wileyrat
(Post 20757434)
While I won't ride a bso, a number of people do, even here on BF, and are happy with them, so who are we to pass judgement on their purchases. I personally know a woman that rode a bso beach cruiser almost daily for 3 yrs until she recently upgraded to a 7sp Fuji Townie.... Should I tell her to me her bike is barely out of the bso category?..or that the front wheel on my Ridley cost more than her new bike...Or that I spent more than she did in 83 for a Fuji? She loves her new bike, and I'm sure she consider's my bikes Rebsos.
Here in Tucson, there a lot of disadvantaged people that consider bso's transportation, they seem to keep them running just fine. You and I may think poorly of bso's, but the majority of bike owners don't. HelMart bikes are not made to be used. They are specifically designed for only one thing...to be cheap. The metal used for most of the part is substandard, especially on parts that are usually very durable. I can’t tell you the number of bearings I’ve seen that are ground to dust or the number of spindles that are pulled apart. The spindles don’t shear like you’d expect a harden steel spindle to shear. They are literally twisted apart. The bearing cups are likely to pull apart when you try to extract them. The list of problems is lengthy and the expense of repair isn’t cheap. That’s the reason bike shops won’t touch them. My co-op gives bikes away as part of its mission statement. But we simply don’t give away anything with a Huffy or Pacific label. Those are usually stripped for parts...although most of the parts are also useless...and recycled. They just aren’t worth a volunteer’s time to refurbish. |
Originally Posted by TiHabanero
(Post 20754802)
"How about REBSO for ridiculously expensive bike shaped object for something like a $15K Cervelo ..."
Picked this off another thread and liked it. I agree, too. Should be the go to term for bikes priced into the more money than brains category. If a person has the money to spend then so be it. The bottom line is that unlike a BSO you are at least getting a quality product with REBSO, Not some inferior product from Walmart. |
Originally Posted by indyfabz
(Post 20757452)
What about a custom build by a local bike artisan/LBS owner costing about $8K (including 8% sales tax) built for someone who does not ride for a living? Is that a REBSO?
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
(Post 20757482)
I’m not passing judgement on people who buy BSOs. I’m passing judgement on the bikes themselves. I know lots of people who ride HelMart bikes. I try to keep several of them running every week at my local co-op. (Fujis, by the way, don’t have a bicycle even approaching that class.) Most of them spend way too much money trying to keep a very poor quality bike operating. They have made the classic “penny wise, pound foolish” decision. If they had spent that extra $100 for a Fuji, they would have a bike of much better quality that requires much less money to keep it operating. And, because it is of higher quality and works better, they might ride it more. More importantly they could ride it more. HelMart bikes are not made to be used. They are specifically designed for only one thing...to be cheap. The metal used for most of the part is substandard, especially on parts that are usually very durable. I can’t tell you the number of bearings I’ve seen that are ground to dust or the number of spindles that are pulled apart. The spindles don’t shear like you’d expect a harden steel spindle to shear. They are literally twisted apart. The bearing cups are likely to pull apart when you try to extract them. The list of problems is lengthy and the expense of repair isn’t cheap. That’s the reason bike shops won’t touch them. My co-op gives bikes away as part of its mission statement. But we simply don’t give away anything with a Huffy or Pacific label. Those are usually stripped for parts...although most of the parts are also useless...and recycled. They just aren’t worth a volunteer’s time to refurbish. When people I know ask me what bike the should get I don't send them to Walmart, I send them to Performance, even though I won't spend another dime therethere. And you know what...Most still go to Walmart or Costco (because Costco HAS to be better, right?). Like I said, I wont ride one, but I get the motivations with buying one. And just to be clear, for every horror story, there's a happy story to counter it. |
Originally Posted by mstateglfr
(Post 20757540)
If only there were a picture of such a bike to aid us in our efforts to decide if its a REBSO or not.
Is it true that if you say "Bloody Mary" three times, [MENTION=186391]indyfabz[/MENTION] posts a picture of his bike? |
Originally Posted by TiHabanero
(Post 20757367)
Calling something ridiculous is far from calling the person who sees value in the object ridiculous. Admittedly my statement "More money than brains category" is passing judgement on a person, In that light, yes, I have sinned and ask for everyone's forgiveness.
Still hold true to the ridiculousness of a bicycle priced at 10, 15, 20 grand meant for general public consumption. Should one make a living from riding their bike, that is a different situation. 'Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday' applies as much to bikes as it ever did to cars. I can't drive Kurt Busch's 'Ford' NASCAR, but I can ride Peter Sagan's bike. I bought my F-1000 precisely because it was Tinker's bike. (I was a novice XC racer, and Tink was the reigning Champ) The difference between super-high end bikes and BSO's is that while the race-replicas are designed for extreme performance, with cost as no object; BSO's are designed and produced for the minimum cost, at the expense of even basic levels of function. From a fiduciary perspective, I don't think it's a wise decision to buy a bike on credit that costs as much as a car, unless you do make your living riding that bike. Some people have more money to spend on their hobbies than others, that's just the way it is. It's not as if the mfgrs are dropping less-expensive bikes and forcing everyone to buy Carbon Di2 bikes now is it? |
I ride BSO's and donate REBSO'S to charity. Do I win?
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
(Post 20757548)
Is it true that if you say "Bloody Mary" three times, [MENTION=186391]indyfabz[/MENTION] posts a picture of his bike?
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Originally Posted by mstateglfr
(Post 20757540)
If only there were a picture of such a bike to aid us in our efforts to decide if its a REBSO or not.
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
(Post 20757452)
What about a custom build by a local bike artisan/LBS owner costing about $8K (including 8% sales tax) built for someone who does not ride for a living? Is that a REBSO?
The first mention of REBSO said $15K Cervelo as a stand-in for some of the oddly curved and tweaked carbon frames with dissimilar wheel sizes, etc. that I have seen that really do put them in the BSO category (by shape), then add the cost to get to RE :D My K2 (Girvin/Noleen) is definitely a sort of non-BSO (shape-wise, compared to wally-world rollers) and was cheap (to me, used). But the PO had dumped serious Marin $$ into it chasing the weight weenie gods, and then sold it for $100 semi-dysfunctional ... At the end of its life, it was a REBSO. Another $100 later and it was rolling and pedaling. There is Giant carbon K frame on CL locally (used) that the seller wants $8K for with rim brakes and 26" wheels. I might be inclined to think REBSO, and cruise on ... |
"So, If I'm a cycling enthusiast / club rider / ametuer racer, and have the money for a $10k bike, then Trek shouldn't sell me one, because i'm not on a pro team?"
I am unable to control what others read into what I post. I am saying the price, in this instance 10k, is ridiculous. The person is not the subject, the price is. The bike is, but the buyer is not part of the equation other than having more money than brains, which, as posted before, is not the right way to express myself. Please, moderator, close this thread as it has become ridiculous. Thank you. |
I dunno ... Sure you can spend it, and they can sell it - this is America where you can buy almost anything. And to some folks, you bought a REBSO. To others you are just joining the ranks of the go fasters.
However, the opinions may change if you start acting obnoxious at the LBS and spitting on everyday bikes parked outside ... Is this a REBSO? https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...eec9394996.jpg The seller wants $15K ... |
Originally Posted by TimothyH
(Post 20755249)
People should mind their own business.
What other people buy or how much they spend is their business, not anyone else's. -Tim- |
Originally Posted by TiHabanero
(Post 20757873)
"So, If I'm a cycling enthusiast / club rider / ametuer racer, and have the money for a $10k bike, then Trek shouldn't sell me one, because i'm not on a pro team?"
I am unable to control what others read into what I post. I am saying the price, in this instance 10k, is ridiculous. The person is not the subject, the price is. The bike is, but the buyer is not part of the equation other than having more money than brains, which, as posted before, is not the right way to express myself. Please, moderator, close this thread as it has become ridiculous. Thank you. |
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