RudeSiggy

I generally just tell people straight up, after asking the question, "Do you want to know how much it costs, or what I paid for it?"

I don't buy pricey stuff until I find unbeatable deals, so I can usually justify one number with the other. (Justify it to myself, that is...)

redfooj

whats the big deal, or the big secret. it takes an extra 5 seconds for someone to whip out an iphone and froogle "trek 5200"

people are asking how much you paid, not how much you make, or how much you have. (which, btw, is made public for all tax-paying citizens of norway, and expanding to other countries)

mlofton

Very good points.

I'm a freelance photographer and i get questions about my gear all the time when I'm at sporting events. Most of the time I just say "a lot" or "a small car" when asked how much my stuff cost. But it also depends on the person that's asking. If they seem really interested in photography, I'll open up a bit more to them.

What i don't like, is when someone asks how much i've spent in tattoos. I don't know why, but it really bothers me. Maybe because:
A. I can't remember
B. i don't want to know

logdrum

My bike which I put together used (with older Zipp wheels and Rival ) is cheaper than my wide angle 17-35 mm Nikon lense -- I have a 400mm telephoto the fastest Nikon has so you photo heads now how much that cost and I got it used. Actually my wife is the photographer and I am her IT guy.

DZA_LA

+1

cccorlew

I'll bet I'm not alone here in spending a ton of time on my bike. If I work out a "dollar per hour" chart I'll bet my cycling indulgences are a lot --- I mean really a lot -- less expensive than any number of other things people spend money on.

adam

+1000. But that wouldn't spur what most BF'ers love to do - brag about how much they spend on their gear. You could tell the OP felt good saying a nice big number like $4,500. The guy's not rude for asking how much to buy a new bike... get over it.

kuf

Not rude?? Would you go up to somebody and ask how much they spent on their watch? Their shoes? Their haircur?

The question is not 'how much do they cost' but 'what did you spend' which is rude.

cwilliams

I'll get asked that at least three times tonight shooting the Dodger baseball game. I've had people who were amateur photographers mouth drop open when I told them what a new 400 costs. And all the time when I'm walking to go shoot at another photo position I hear "'Now that's a camera' or 'That's a big camera' OR 'I bet you can see the nose hairs of players with that thing!'" None of which are actually true to some extent. - It's a big LENS!

My response is usually - Size matters

I pretty much "cursed" for expensive things. I'm a sports photographer, cyclist, and a musician. None of which are cheap hobbies/professions.

adam

OP said:

Sounds like the guy questioning the OP was wondering about getting into the sport and asking 'how much does it cost'. Don't think this is rude at all.

MrCrassic 

So my bike cost about $300, plus several hundreds more from upgrades and people give the same reaction as they would when they find out I commute from work (39 miles) or school (40 miles) using it.

Proves that most people are still used to the Wal-Mart bike.

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mlofton

Wow, we have the exact same things in common. (not trying to be creepy)

heckler

Unfortunatly I ride through a rich area and almost everyones bike costs more than mine, though they may not know it. I had kids yell things at me once while riding around on their pricey dual suspension mtb rigs. I swear one was a DH/FR bike looked at least 4K.

However i take great joy in telling my gf that people that pass by with zipps have wheels that cost more than my bike...I am hoping that it is acclimating her for when i buy a pricey wheel set

In a weird twist of fate i have never actually seen someone ride by on zipps they are always on the back of a car or in a shop

DrPete 

The socks are absolutely over-rated. They're so not worth $18-20 a pair it's not even funny. They make some great stuff, but the socks aren't it.

wanders

That's why I gave up hookers and blow.

ThinLine

Agree. I bought a 3 pk of addidas sport socks at Target which were just as good as my $18 pair of assos.
Paid $9.99.

uke

Eh. I ride a lot and still think four grand's a lot of money to drop on a bicycle. Doesn't mean I wouldn't spend it if I had it as disposable income, but even then, I'd still acknowledge it doesn't take that much to become an "avid cyclist".

BananaTugger

You're two for two tonight.

Keep it up.

ThinLine

I'm far from conceited, and the $4000 included not just the bike but the total as I looked package.....i.e. Jersey, shorts, shoes, PEDALS, etc. Those can add up to many $$$$$ themselves. My Tomasso was around $3200 as setup with many bling items.

Since my original posting, the guy who initially asked me did get a new bike, a trek 2.1 with performance clothing, nike shoes, polar computer and the rest of the goodies. No not $4000, but very nice setup indeed. We rode for a while and I gave him pointers on climbing hills........Don't move your body so much...rather rip the bike side to side while pushing up w/ feet, keep a line in a pack, etc.

banerjek

The difference with haircuts, watches, etc is that everyone already knows how much these things cost and where to get them. A significant percentage of the time, the motivation behind such a question is to decide whether you got a good deal or not. That is somewhat annoying.

With bikes, people really don't know and are just curious (which is a natural reaction to new things). If you ride velomobiles or bents that are unusual even by bike geek standards, you get questions on just about every ride where you encounter people.

It's a straightforward question, so I give a straightforward answer. If someone is asking because they're actually interested in buying, I offer a more detailed explanation.

Garfield Cat

It depends on who is asking. If I stop by a Jamba Juice for an Orange Dream Machine, and someone asks, maybe it would start a discussion as to why anyone would spend this kind of money.

I would love to have an opportunity to engage in this type of discussion.