Germany_chris

So I was reading the 300+ dollar bike thread and was wondering if we were the audience for the thread so I priced out my builds for the last 18 months. I'm not nerdy so I don't keep track of what I put on the bikes or what I spend and if and if you combine it with the fact that it's been ongoing for the said 18 months the cost can be shocking (to me at least). I'm a whole lotta done buying bike anything for a good loooong while.

Ignorance is bliss

javier87gav

I'm pretty sure that more than 90% of people in this forum is using wheels more expensive than 300$

Germany_chris

Which is why I questioned the thread.

Koyote

I know what I've spent on each of my bikes, and my only regrets have been that I didn't spend more.

genejockey 

I'm pretty sure I spent the most on the bike I paid the least for.

Koyote

If I read you correctly, yeah, bingo. It's cheapest to upgrade when you buy or build the bike.

Rolla

As a long-time shop rat, I can say with absolute certainty that the general public thinks an expensive bike is one that costs $500. (They also think that riding to work "five miles each way" is an amazing feat of strength.)

For most cyclists, spending lots of money on bikes is just part of the cost of living. I'm just grateful that I chose this particular money pit, given some of the alternatives.

Broctoon

I found a deal on a decent, brand new road frame last year: free. It's nothing special, just a Scattante (Performance Bike Shop's house brand), aluminum with carbon fork. A new old stock frame set someone had and decided he would never use, so he gave it to me. I thought, "Sweet deal! I'll build it up and sell it for an easy profit." I had a spare set of wheels, a seat and post, stem, handlebar, and a few small parts to put on it, so all I really needed to buy were shift/brake levers, derailleurs, calipers, crank, and a few odds and ends. I enjoy projects like this even if I don't make any money. I stayed pretty cheap with the parts I bought--no junk, but no high end stuff either. I'm into it $350, not counting the spares I'm giving away.

I listed it on a local classified website at $500 or best offer and only got a few nibbles. I've ridden the bike and can honestly say it is really nice. I'm going to try once again to sell it, and if I can't get at least 400, I'll keep it for myself.

If I'd bought the frameset, wheels, and everything to build this bike, it would easily run $800, and I believe it is comparable to new complete bikes going for at least that sum. Kind of hard to believe how quickly it adds up, and likewise how little interest there is for a like-new bike at this price.

delbiker1 

No doubt, over the past 4 years, I have spent a lot of money on bike stuff. Also, no doubt, the used bikes that I have acquired and rebuilt, are not monetarily worth what I have put into them. I have also purchased quite a few tools in that time span, some will only be used a few times. I have no regrets because I have learned a lot, occupied a lot of time in a good, constructive way, and I have a now have a number of bikes that I very much like and enjoy. Having done at least 90% of that work myself has given me much satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment. That has also been quite a bit of frustration and second guessing in the what, why and how area. I could go back and get a pretty good estimate of the dollars, but I no not need to know, and it really does not matter now. How does one put a price on the feelings of accomplishment and learning?

Another side of that, for me; if I was living the same life style I lived for a long time, I would have spent considerably more on alcohol and drugs than I have on bikes, and that leaves nothing good to show for all the energy, time and money put into it. Not that I need justification or to rationalize, but that alone leaves me no room for regret directed at my spent bike dollars.

Broctoon

My experience over the past eight years has been very similar. I have bought, sold, and fixed up quite a few bikes (bought more than sold, so I now have six or seven of them). I could never get back the money I have spent, but I have enjoyed it so much, it is not reasonable to think in terms of dollars spent vs. market value of the completed bikes. They are worth more to me than they would sell for, and they make me happy every time I ride or even look at one of them. I have a half dozen bikes now, and every one of them is very nice, according to my taste. That's the important thing.

tempocyclist

The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten.


...and yes, can confirm my wheels cost "a little" over $300! 🤫

genejockey 

"How do you make a small fortune in used bikes? Start with a large fortune."

dedhed

Clunker 100 Challenge COVID 2.0 edition #7

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GlennR

I bet there's a good number that have saddles over $300.

wolfchild

Some people spend $ 300 dollars on a pair of bibs.

veganbikes

Some people make their own paper spacers because they bought the budget cassette and the knockoff factory that made them copied everything but the spacing and quality and functionality but who needs that when you can just tear up some old toilet paper and jam it between your cogs.

I don't mind spending money on bikes, I prefer it to cocaine and hookers and in the end while my wallet is lighter I am in at least semi better shape because of it. Certainly my most recent bike has gotten me riding much of this year and going out a lot more at times I would have said "yeah no I am too this or that". In the end I will take that all day every day.

rsbob 

Guilty as charged. If I added up what I have spent on saddles over the years…..

rsbob 

“Don’t run the build costs” is the mantra of anyone into restoring or hot rodding classic cars. Even though the difference in build costs between bikes and classic cars is practically logarithmic, the adage still holds since it is all relative.

Russ Roth

I have to add a couple words, mine is that I didn't have more to spend but my budget has to be balanced between far too many bikes and people.

cyccommute 

While I get the humor of the post, there is a very good reason to track what you spend on bikes and what you parts you have on the bike. I haven’t had too many bikes stolen but when I did, I was glad that I had a list of parts. My insurance does replacement value but they need to know what they are replacing and they gave me enough to replace the bike with something just as good, if not somewhat better. I keep most of my receipts as well (digital copies work).

My wife, on the other hand, doesn’t see the list of bikes nor their cost. Best not to stir that pot.

cyccommute 

Some of us pay that much for a brake caliper




And I have 5 of them.

Russ Roth

Or a bike tool, gotta have my pro stands. Sadly, I also have multiples.

Wildwood

In my 50s,
I learned that I did not not have the power, skill, or aggressiveness
to exceed the capabilities of racing bicycles
from when I started cycling in my 30's.

So after building CF, Ti, and steel with Ergo10sp (thru 2005),



I returned to my vintage roots. Evolving to quality lugged steel frames, 5,6,7sp freewheels on tubular wheels (mostly) etc.



But then I would be hard pressed to roll 17 miles in an hour on a flat course, solo on a 22 pound bike (but maybe on a good day last year!)

My costs have to be looked at over about 15 years of actively collecting & selling & trading bikes from the '80s, '70s mostly.
Priceless - and most for a few hundred $$$ built up from framesets and parts bin. Now, expensive tubular and clincher tires - that's a high build cost = everytime!

Germany_chris

I don't regret the money spent I was just surprised how much it ended up being since it was spent a couple hundred at a time after the initial frame purchase.

base2 

I had a real nice post all typed up detailing how much the money I spent was all worth it for all the good times; Worth it for that one last score.

In the end, I just deleted the post. I realized I had hit rock-bottom.

How many times have I told myself that the last light weight component I bought from that stranger really was what I needed to be happy? Of course, I said that every time.






Hi, all.
My name is Base2.
I am an addict.