Homebrew01

So I got a used Six-13 frame off Ebay, got some NOS and slightly used parts. Bought some generic 50 mm carbon tubular rims and built them to some hubs I had. Rides great, feels fast, but how do I convince guys on the group ride that it's a nice bike, even though it cost a lot less than theirs ??

wolfchild

Show them no mercy on a group ride. Just smoke them all and leave them in a dust. That should be enough to convince them that it's not about the bike, it's about the rider. After you smoked them all, have a beer and relax.

Murray Missile 

If YOU like it that's all the justification it needs.

JanMM

If you can't afford a nice bike, then why would you want to ride in public?

I have Schwinn grips (from WalMart) on one of my bikes and am embarrassed beyond belief. To ride it in public.

cale

Some people gonna be haters and haters gonna hate. :-*

wolfchild

Grips from WalMart are too high-end for me...I am using an old inner tube cut into strips as my handle bar wrap on one of my $800 dollar FG bikes.

ThermionicScott 

Yer alright, @Homebrew01.

Homebrew01

D1andonlyDman

Drop wm on C.IMB.

basqueonacaad

Do you realize how many packs of Marlboro reds and six packs of beer you could have purchased instead of those wheels???

AlmostTrick

Sorry, but the cut off is $1000. Your fancy pants bike is high end.

Homebrew01

Them wheels were cheap. $500-ish ?

And I like that fancy-pants expensive beer, so not many 6-packs. Maybe I should drink Bud-Light.

StanSeven

Can you see riding with that mask on? You do have to wear a disguise, right?

OldsCOOL

Act like the total Fred and wail the crap out of them.

downtube42

If you drop them, it's all about the motor. If they drop you, it's the clunker. Either way, you win!

Jim from Boston

My old $1,300 bike and the futility of justifying the price to the average roadie.

Hi,

My name is Jim, and I started my cycling lifestyle on a five-speed Schwinn Suburban with upright handlebars and a wire rear basket. Back in ’72, I’m not sure if it was even $150.

Hi Jim…

Lord I tried to better myself. First there was the $250 Mercier in '74, with Reynolds double-butted tubing, but was that good enough?...Noooo – it didn’t have Campagnolo components. I sunk lower…Bought a steel Bridgestone RB-1 in ‘84 for about $600 (on a clearance sale). Even Sheldon Brown considered it a classic, but carbon fiber came out.

Fate intervened and the Bridgestone was totaled. I’m now at peace with myself on a $8K (MSRP) Specialized S-Works. I have found the love and acceptance I have craved all these years, and I am free of any buyer's remorse about what I may be missing.

[Applause]

BobbyG

You have the satisfaction of having been clever and resourceful and can enjoy a bond with your bike that goes beyond merely buying it.

bikemig 

Sorry but that bike looks hot.

Retro Grouch 

Sorry, not going to happen. Well - I'll concede "nice" but I'll stop short of "great".

Other riders fall into two classes. The first and larger group doesn't care. It's not about you or your bike, it's about the ride.

The second group, as soon as they take their first look at your bike, start making mental lists of what they'd have done differently. That's even true if you're riding an all new custom bike that was build with an unlimited budget.

The good news is that bike has only to make one person in the entire world happy and you're the one.

Stucky

I say, get a Meister Brau jersey; a Bikesdirect logo sticker for the C'dale, and play-up the cheapskate angle!

[That's a nice bike. I'm envious!]

cale

Ewwwww is that Ultegra? Ugly ugly. :-{

Homebrew01

2010 Centaur. Too cheap for Chorus or Record.

Drew Eckhardt 

2010 Centaur Carbon Ultrashift levers are identical to Chorus and Record apart from the 10 speed index cam and matching front ratchet. Super Record was the same too apart from titanium rear ratchets which save 7g a pair.

I figured 10 cogs was enough (one tooth jumps to the 19 cog, low enough gear for hills, large enough big gear) and made the same call.

Gothic Sunshine

Don't care what they think? My current bike is a 1987 Specialized Hard Rock rigid mountain bike. It's older than I am by about 4 years. It's in excellent working order, but the frame looks its age. Didn't cost me any money because my uncle (the original owner) gave it to me, but looking at Craigslist similar bikes are going for between $100 and $300. What I need is a commuting bike that can carry cargo, and utility bikes are really hard to find where I live, so I put some parts into my current bike, including higher handlebars, a front basket, a rear rack, handlebar mounted mirrors, road tires (They have reflective siding, which is an awesome safety feature that I love very much.), and some assorted other things. Cost me a couple hundred in total, and I couldn't have a new bike for that cost. A plus is that it still has a mountain bike frame and wide selection of gears. I'm moving to San Francisco this summer. The mountain bike's ability to handle hills will be much appreciated. It works for my situation pretty well. Any snob would look at it and laugh derisively, what with its new parts and old frame, the combination of mountain bike and utility bike features, and the fact that a lot of the parts are on the lower end of the cost spectrum. Don't care. It works.

spdracr39

If your regular group show distaste ride with different people.