has anyone on a cheap bike ever win a Tour de France?
#51
Senior Member
No. Winning bikes used to be much simpler than today, but they have never been cheap. When I first got into cycling as a kid in the late 70’s I lusted after a Masi road racer at my LBS. The price for the bike fitted with a Campy SR kit was $1800. Our monthly rent for our Orange County California house in those days was $300 per month. As I was earning only $15 per month delivering papers, it was a little out of my budget.
$1800 for a Carlsbad Masi sounds really high. Anyway most Masis went directly into collections, racing was done on simpler bikes.