SBUndefeated201

I crashed while riding this weekend on a fairly new bike and new kit (jersey, bibs and socks). Thankfully and most importantly, my body is alright- just an assortment of road rash. I'm grateful that I'm ok, but I can't help to fight the frustration of losing my gear. My bike is less than 6 months old and I'm going to need new frame and wheels ($1,000) and I destroyed my kit that I've used less than 5 times($300). I've cut out almost every activity in my life to have money to spend on cycling (cable, eating out, having a new car, girlfriend etc.), but it sucks when I basically throw away money. I've ordered the replacement parts, but I'm not even motivated to ride anymore. Not for fear of getting injured/crashing again, but wasting more money.

How do you guys/girls cope with the feeling of frustration? Whether its loss of gear or just plateau-ing in fitness, cycling has been pretty taxing on me lately and I'm honestly just scared of spending more money.

jdjones

It's not a waste if you love to ride. Fix that bike (I've done the same thing but just needed a rear der, hanger & chain) and your short-term sorrows will turn to joy!

And get a girlfriend - that'll help too.

GlennR

I have no words of wisdom, only you can decide if you rebuild, will you enjoy it enough to spend the funds.

Last year my youngest got his Masters and had a job waiting for him. Finally both my kids were off the "payroll". I drive a beat up 01 Civic with 250,000 and my wife's car is a '03. but both of my kids finished college with no student loans, we were able to cover their costs with our savings.

To celebrate I bought myself a rather expensive bike, even though I could use a new car. I just felt the bike would give me more pleasure than a car.

Just think, realistically how much you enjoy cycling and then lists your priorities. If cycling is at the top of the list, then rebuild. if it's not, then don't.

SBUndefeated201

Yeah, I get you for sure. Cycling is for sure on top of the list. If I'm not riding, I'm thinking about riding. But sadly, passion doesn't pay for my bike :/

big chainring

Oh man, sorry to hear that.

All I can say is buy less expensive stuff. I buy from Nashbar "returned items" section.

big chainring

Astonishing. Well done sir.

Could you explain what savings are?

Frreed

I am a "cheap" cyclist. I buy jerseys, bibs, and other clothes from Nashbar and Performance. I picked up 2 pair of Garneau bibs for less than $80 from Nashbar and they work really well. Performance has plenty of jerseys for less than $50.

I splurged and spent $1500 on my new bike. It is a Giant Defy 1 with aluminum frame and 105 11 speed. It serves my needs quite well. I love to ride but don't have any designs on racing.

You can find ways to ride and ride well without spending big bucks. For the price of replacing the frame, you could buy used and use the parts off your crashed frame as donor upgrade.

Crashes happen, but not all end up in a trashed bike and kit. Get back on the road, get your confidence back.

kpotier16

I have a very simple rule with bikes, if losing it would cause me serious financial stress, then I get something cheaper. I have a "expensive" bike I race with that I have less than 400 into (used) and three other bikes that are cheap. My training ride is an old ten speed. Very cheap to ride. Also, get kit online, shorts and jerseys can be found for as little as 30 dollars. Basically buy what you can afford to lose.

GlennR

Savings are spending less than you take in. Working 2-3 jobs, driving old cars and wearing jeans and tee shirts are my secret.

valygrl

Ugh. New frame and wheels is a really bad crash, and ruining brand new kit is a bummer too. If it helps any - most crashes don't wreak quite that much havoc, usually just a derailleur hanger and bar tap, so maybe just count on the fact that this should not happen often, you just got a bad break.

If you are crashing frequently, it might be worth examining what's going on and try to fix it, but sometimes s**t just happens.

There are also a couple of places that repair broken carbon frames, so maybe you can get away with fixing the bike instead of replacing? Same for wheels.

SBUndefeated201

Thanks for the words everyone. It's an aluminum frame and 105 groupset so nothing too fancy/expensive.

Miele Man

I feel for you.

Many years ago I saw a comic about a bicycle crash. In it the bicyclists is sliding along the pavement whilst trying to hold his bicycle up away from that pavement. He's getting severe road rash. A bystander yells out, "WHY ARE YOU HOLDING THE BIKE?" the bicyclist yells back, "BECAUSE FLESH HEALS! CAMPAGNOLO DOESN'T!"

Cheers

f4rrest

It could be worse...

I crashed, and my 3-month old $5k bike was fine. But my medical bills were $80k.

bigdo13

I think we've all lost some money here or there on this sport...face it...it gets expensive... that doesn't mean that you have to make it that way....

plenty of decent bikes floating around CL for $300 bucks... and you don't really need the $300 dollar kit...

You may be putting yourself in the wrong cycling bracket man... just getting out there is good enough...whether you're riding carbon on carbon in Italian hand made kit or a heavy ass roadie from the 70s's with downtube shifters, the joy is in getting out there...

maybe what you need is to get back to your roots... maybe start spending less on the bike and kit and start just getting out there in what you got...

pressed001

Sorry about your crash. I am glad you're ok. Nothing broken, no head injury, just a banged up couple of replaceable items (unlike an arm, a leg, or your head). A little pause from biking may be in order. You can then use this time to search for a new bike on CL. I think if you search around well enough that you can find a bike which will be better than the first, for less cash.


Lol. Depending on you, and the girl, this could be true, and yet, perhaps not!


You sir, are my hero.

Danny01

Sorry to hear about your crash.

For the warmer months, I agree kit can be had for cheap. But good winter kit is expensive(my winter jacket, tights, top and bottom baselayers, overshoes and gloves add up to over $600). $30-50 stuff just won't do for cold weather riding.

I can handle (financially) having to pay for brand new stuff only months after getting it. I can handle (emotionally) trashing my new bike and kit. But both at the same time, I'd fall into major depression.

If having to buy all new gear after losing your barely used gear hurts as much as it would hurt me, get insurance(with a low deductible). Yes, insurance will add yet another expense and it is cheaper in the long run to insure yourself. But that $10-20 a month is nothing compared to the feeling of having to pay a thousand(s) at once to replace all of your barely used gear. If you need peace of mind get Velosurance. At some point when your stuff gets older and it wouldn't hurt you as much to lose it, cancel the policy. Even if I don't file a claim in those 3 years, I'm happy to have paid for it for not having to worry about trashing brand new gear.

icyclist 

"I've cut out almost every activity in my life to have money to spend on cycling (cable, eating out, having a new car, girlfriend etc.)"

Unless you're trolling, the above is the real problem, isn't it? You don't need to watch tv, dinning out is indeed a luxury, if you can't afford a "new" car because of what you spend on cycling then not only do you not need a new car, you couldn't afford one, anyway, and if you want a girlfriend but think you don't have one because of money you spend on cycling, you'll never have a girlfriend. ;-)

simot

Since you're not racing, I'm not sure why you went expensive route, specially since you can not afford it. I'm new as well, got a really nice almost new smoothweld alu bike with a carbon fork, 105 groupset that cost me around $600. I didn't go carbon because I'm afraid of exactly what just happened to you.

Jerseys, short, a bib short and cycling shoes for around $25. Sure, they're not brand new, not a known brand, but hey, they work just fine and I'm faster than some guys on my group with carbon bikes and higher end gear.

Whole point is, you don't have to spend big to enjoy the sport, specially since you're not racing. Cycling is expensive, but only if you go latest-lightest-best of what's out there route.

kbarch

Yes, it's demoralizing. I feel your pain, but be glad that this incident has forced you to reflect on where this hobby fits in your life; live and learn. Think about what you most enjoyed about cycling, and focus on recovering that rather than worrying about recovering the stuff. It was going to wear out, or you'd find some reason to replace it eventually anyhow. That realization - i.e., that the bike was never permanent to begin with - was what got me over the loss of my first motorcycle (which I adored) when it was totaled.

That's harsh, man! I didn't think he was being quite so literal. We often find that when we get into a hobby, we find ourselves foregoing things we previously thought nothing of spending plenty of money on (e.g., when I took up motorcycling a few years ago, my booze and entertainment expenses magically disappeared).

All that being said, if it turns out that what you enjoyed about cycling wasn't all that much compared to having a more ordinary social life or whatever, then be glad you've been given a perfect excuse to give it up!

SBUndefeated201

I hear ya! I forgot to say that I do race on this bike.

SBUndefeated201

Thanks to everyone that has replied to this. I've accepted that my bike is just a piece of metal and my clothes are just pieces of fabric. Luckily, my body is in relatively excellent shape. Thankfully, I was able to gather funds to replace my frame, pick up a solid wheelset that was a take-off from a new bike, and found some kit on sale.

This whole incident has really put things into perspective.

1. I love cycling and money is just money. Passion can be worth more than cash.

2. I need to get off instagram and Rapha's website, turn off my Garmin and just enjoy riding a bike without the hype.

zatopek

I have eight or so used frames (aluminum, steel, carbon fiber) lying around. They range from 55 cm to 58 cm in size and are in good to excellent condition. If one might fit, it is yours for the price of shipping.

milkbaby

You gotta look at it as part of the cost of riding. I tore up my favorite jersey that was a limited edition one off and damaged my bike in the same crash. Luckily most of the bike damage was cosmetic and I was able to do my own work on the part that needed replacing (just got a used one to install), but I'll never be able to replace that jersey. I patched the jersey but it's not the same. C'est la vie...

big chainring

Chipped a tooth?

Bill Fold

Sorry to hear about your crash. Most of my jerseys and my vest were from eBay. You can get very nice, second-hand jerseys pretty cheap. The same goes for vests and jackets. My shorts are from Nashbar, which others have already mentioned as an economical place to shop for kit. Base layers, arm warmers, etc. can be found inexpensive on Amazon. (Nashbar puts their stuff on Amazon as well.)

As far as mechanical expense, learn to do as much work yourself as possible. I rebuild my entire bike and learned how almost solely from reading forums and online articles and watching LOTS of YouTube videos. Find parts on eBay or shop around for new parts. Ribble, among other sites, has great prices.

Every sport or hobbie has expense, many of which cost each time you go out - unlike cycling.