I've been cycling for about two and a half years now. I'm considering some upgrades to my road bike for this season, and thinking about building a cross bike in the late summer. Obviously this all costs money, really more money than my first bike initially cost me.

I'm a cheap guy, so I think about these things. Does the spending ever taper off or decline or will I continue to find things I "need" that I never thought I could need?

you don't "need" any of it




unless you want to go faster *evil laugh*

It's definitely increased for me.

When I started into cycling we didn't have very much money so I made do with what I had and rode some pretty marginal bicycles. As time wore on, I gradually becaue a little more prosperous and the bikes got a little more high end. I've gone for years at a time without making a major bike purchase but, once I'd owned some of the "good stuff" I always wanted to feel like I had at least one "good" bike.

Mrs. Grouch and I are looking at buying a new recumbent tandem. It's going to be an off-the-rack bike but it's pretty well equipped. It's going to be a big ticket item.

Mine quickly ramped up to the point where I had about 8 bikes. I ended up getting rid of most of them and am happy with what I have now. I've also got more involved with a couple of other hobbies so while I'm spending less on cycling, I'm spending more on my other hobbies, so it's pretty much a wash.

So basically, my spending on cycling has decreased. So has my riding.

Like retro- Started cheap- because I had to- and worked my way up. Doubt that I would buy another bike again unless it was going to be a steal- but just upgrading the current bikes will keep taking money from me for a few years. But if it is not specifically on the bikes- like chains and repairs etc.--There is also the clothing to think of. Now worked my way up the higher quality in clothing instead of the sales bins- but like the better bikes- it is worth the expenditure.

I race so that adds a lot (travel, entry fees etc). But in terms of equipment and supplies, I'm really cheap. My racing bike is a $1k used Cdale, I'm not into Rapha, I have no carbon wheels, etc. I think "taste" is the biggest determinant - this can be a really cheap sport or a really expensive one just based on personal preference.

Consider that once you have a bike that works and basic gear, you only occasionally need consumables like tires / tubes / bar tape.

It has increased for me by a lot. Now that my children have graduated from college and are married, I have much more money to spend on cycling.

I don't really spend as often and there is little left that I would say I "want", but that said when I do spend I tend to go big. After researching 1,001 reasons to not open a bike shop I found that the actual costs of bicycles are pathetically small in comparison to what you spend on cycling on an annual basis.

It goes in spurts. Once you are bike fit, you have more interest in bike vacations. That can really increase your spending..
Ah. Why save anyway... / and just turn it over to some dam nursing home.. Enjoy it while you may.. ..

Definite increase. Started with mountain biking (some $), then began commuting (more $$), Got into road biking (lots more $$$). Most the increase in money is due to riding a lot more. When I was MTB I usually just rode a few weekends in the summer. With commuting and road biking, I ride significantly more often. Then of course, there are the "wants" that increase when you get more involved in a sport.

No predictable increase or decrease, more like a rollercoaster.

My spending gradually increased from the time I got my first job to the day I moved out of the parents' house. Then it decreased for a couple years. Then I got halfway decent jobs and spent quite a bit on bikes.

Spending's been pretty close to nil for the past year or so, but I'm currently about 5 months away from paying off a $40,000 loan, so I predict a spending spree a couple months after said loan gets paid off.

No way I spend less. I try, but I always seem to have one more upgrade I need.

It's gone way up for me and I've been riding for decades. My stuff is much more expensive, I have a lot of it, and I'm much more willing to travel to ride. In recent years, it's thousands per year and has been our top discretionary expense. I wouldn't have it any other way.

But it is possible to ride cheaply. I did that for many years.

I believe that's true for most things though.

If youth is wasted on the young, then wealth is wasted on the old.
I brazenly enjoy buying the things I want, especially after a youth squandered on hard work & sexless poverty.

Once I got my bike, necessary gear, and some clothing, I've not spent that much (comparatively speaking).

I've been doing this for 20 years now. At first, I didn't spend much because I couldn't afford it ... gradually the spending increased until it hit a peak of $7000 in 2003. Of course, that $7000 included travelling to cycling events as well as all the money I spent on cycling gear, etc. ... it includes everything I spent that was cycling related. My spending has declined somewhat since then ... mainly because I've been spending my money on education ... but may hit another even greater peak in the next year or two.

Cycling can be a very inexpensive hobby if you wish it to be. Throwing money at this hobby usually doesn't translate to more fun or even faster speed. In fact, with the internet and Ebay, it has never been easier to buy high quality used gear and new gear at rock bottom prices.

On the other hand, it is also easy to develop a serious case of the "latest-greatest-itis" which can become very expensive. It is a good idea to think this through and make a rational decision about what you want this hobby to be.

Do I include my physical therapy bills for my tortured hamstrings as part of my cycling expense? If so, my cost went way up this year.