Originally Posted by wolfchild

Well, it depends on the weather outside. Most people don't want to get their super-duper expensive bikes wet with rain or dirty with road grime. So they end up riding their expensive bikes on rollers and indoor trainers down in their basement in front of a big screen TV, and that's not really getting full enjoyment from their expensive bike. It's a lot better to buy something cheaper and get full enjoyment from your bike by riding outside in all kinds of weather and not worry about it. It's even less enjoyable for somebody on an expensive bike when another person on a cheaper bike can easily keep up or pass them.

Originally Posted by Ray9

Sometimes you just have to go with what you've got. This might sound strange from someone who is shelling out a lot of money for a top-of-the-line bike but it makes sense to me. I can't stop the aging process and I certainly know that I am not immortal. Back in 1972 when I watched Frank shorter win the Olympic marathon a light bulb lit up in my brain illuminating what had previously just been air. It changed my life. I began running in a pair of department store sneakers and I ran for five years before I saw another runner. People used to stop and ask me if I needed a ride. I can still remember my first pair of running shoes (brooks) the only brand the store had in my size. I ran my first race in 1979, a fourth of July five miler. The race had 75 runners. I finished 9th in 28:14. Funny how these things crystalize in your memory. I went on to become a five minute miler by 1985.

I knew nothing about cycling except that in 1983 I sustained a stress fracture and was told not to run for 8 weeks. I rode a Montgomery Ward bicycle to maintain my weight, cooking the bottom bracket and seizing the headset before throwing it in the trash. It was then that I realized quality was a factor in cycling. The cycling did its job and I went on to several personal records in 1983 and was even the overall winner in two races. I was married and raising a family so I could not afford a good bike in those days. I did some triathlons in the late 80's on a borrowed bike that was about five sizes too big and did well although I almost drowned. I bought a used Peugeot from a friend in 1990 that was only about 3 sizes too big and joined a local cycling club.

I can vividly recall my first group riding experience. It went something like this: "Look moron, when you pull through in a pace line you don't take off so the next guy has to kill himself trying to catch you!" I still had that every-man-for-himself runner's mentality as well as the idiotic belief that runners were superior to cyclists. I eventually made the transition to cycling and got my first good bike in 1991, a Cannondale R800, $1,000, Still have it. Only one size too big. I raced and crashed this bike a lot and realized that just staying in the peloton was huge in cycling.

In 2006 I stopped doing everything. By 2008 I was 20 pounds heavier and feeling my age-61. I bought my Cannodale Six-13 in 2008 with Mavic Kyserium wheels and Dura Ace shifting for about $2,500. I would take the entire winter off, gain ten pounds and then lose it again only to gain it back the next winter. So this year I'm training like an athlete on a Sole LCR recumbent stationary. Don't let anyone tell you recumbent trainers don't work because they do and they are kind to your back and crotch. I also have a Cycelops fluid trainer on my Cannondale R800.

I'm going to be 68 in a few weeks. I cannot stop the clock but I can slow it down. I still work because my wife lost her insurance so we put her on mine until she is old enough to retire. I am highly skilled and make a good living though I would really like to just ride my bike. I bought the new bike because it makes sense to have a good bike now that I plan to ride until it gets dark every day, 50-60 miles and then maybe 70-80 miles on Sunday. This is me. this is what I want to do and I feel good about it. It's definitely worth it.

Originally Posted by Ray9

I...make a good living though I would really like to just ride my bike. I bought the new bike because it makes sense to have a good bike now that I plan to ride until it gets dark every day, 50-60 miles and then maybe 70-80 miles on Sunday.

Originally Posted by Ray9

The part about justifying it to myself is probably somewhat accurate but I made the mistake of telling a coworker what I paid and now it's out there for public consumption. I gave up alcohol twenty years ago and weed forty years ago. I don't think most people realize what they spend on some of this stuff. I'm 68 in March and thankful that I began taking care of myself years ago. I have a lot of disposable income now and well, I'm spending it.

Originally Posted by Stucky

I feel that their sort of is a need to justify to those who may ask, because I know that some are genuinely curious, not about the amount of money we spend, per-se, but rather as to WHAT we gain by buying an expensive bike vs. a Walmart bike or a $600 hybrid. We look kind of foolish if we can't answer; or try to blow them off with an ambiguous comment. To many non-cyclists, the concept of spending thousands of dollars on a bicycle seems ridiculous, and they may genuinely be curious to know what it is that we are gaining by doing so. It's not so much that we spent "that much money"- but that we'd spend it on "just a bicycle".

Originally Posted by Stucky

I feel that their sort of is a need to justify to those who may ask, because I know that some are genuinely curious, not about the amount of money we spend, per-se, but rather as to WHAT we gain by buying an expensive bike vs. a Walmart bike or a $600 hybrid. We look kind of foolish if we can't answer; or try to blow them off with an ambiguous comment. To many non-cyclists, the concept of spending thousands of dollars on a bicycle seems ridiculous, and they may genuinely be curious to know what it is that we are gaining by doing so. It's not so much that we spent "that much money"- but that we'd spend it on "just a bicycle".

Originally Posted by D1andonlyDman

I think there's certainly a knee in the cost curve, and a $3000 bike might correspond to a $40-50K automobile, while a $7000 bike corresponds to an over $100K automobile. The fact is, you can get a pretty high performance car for not much more than $50K (such as a Vette, a BMW M3, a Boxter, a loaded Mustang with a 5 Liter engine etc). At $100-120K, you get more refinement and customization, but not all that much more outright performance than the best of what's out there for half as much.

With bikes, the improvements are pretty easy to see running up the curve from $500 or so up to $2K. From $2K to $4-5K, the improvements continue, but they are much less dramatic. And beyond $5K, there's a lot of bling and refinement and customization, but very little added underlying performance that one can wring out with the incrementally more dollars spent.

Originally Posted by AlmostTrick

Agreed. That's why it's better to keep our spending to ourselves. And avoid giving a direct answer regarding cost, when some busy bodies ask.

Originally Posted by Ray9

The average weed smoker in the US spends about $2500 in a year according to a weed smoker I know (this may be more or less)

Originally Posted by StanSeven

The problem with our American way is paying off mortgages is terrible at tax time. I've known people who purchased a new and more expensive house for tax and investment purposes. If there are two people working in a family with good incomes, more than a third of your monthly payment comes back as tax time.

Originally Posted by FBinNY

Let's be real.

Will the real over spender please stand up?

Originally Posted by sam_cyclist

Actually, walking, which costs nothing, can be just as beneficial, if not more so than cycling, since it is a weight bearing exercise.

Originally Posted by sam_cyclist

Golf and cycling are not comparable.

Golf is almost always a social sport. Cycling is typically an individual activity.

Golf often affords people the chance to spend many hours chatting and developing friendships in a leisurely manner.

Therefore, playing golf can be used to network with wealthy people and close business deals.

Those $1K golf clubs can pay off very handsomely in terms of friendships and professional opportunities.

Cycling? Not so much. You can save some gas money but you can commute a few miles a day on a $150 bike without problems. Let's say $400 for a nicer, entry level LBS bike. You certainly don't need to spend $7K on a bike to save gas money, and if you did, well...

Originally Posted by Blue Belly

Thank you for supporting pro cycling! It cost them about $300 to build that bicycle.

Originally Posted by AlmostTrick

No way. Maybe you're only counting raw materials or something. ALL the costs of building that bike and delivering it to the dealer showroom has to be quite a bit more than $300.

Originally Posted by Blue Belly

So how much do you think your bicycle is marked up over actual build cost?

Originally Posted by Blue Belly

Those companies aren't selling tour sponsored bikes or components. Not even the same market. Big race results sell high end bicycles. we all know what it takes to get your equipment under those riders...$$$.