But when you see people around you buying new cars you say "Baahhhhh what's the big deal!!! A $500 bike or pair of headphones isn't really THAT much!" :roflmao2:

$500 bike?
http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/...18/29bc5tl.png

I don't think my annual cycling costs have been that low since ... oh ... probably before I started cycling, when I was 3 years old. :lol:

But then I factor in everything cycling-related when I think about the cost of cycling ......... new or new-to-me bicycles, parts, repairs, cycling-related clothing, panniers, food I buy during my ride, any "special" nutritional stuff I might occasionally buy (like gu, energy bars, etc.), event fees, membership fees, travelling costs when I tour/travel with my bicycle, gym memberships and spinning classes during the winter to keep me in shape ......

I've opted for quite a different approach to life. Minimal to no debt ... but a very different approach than that which has me surrounded by bicycles, sitting on a beach in France. :D



And my approach to building up a bicycle collection has been to ride an inexpensive bicycle until I could afford something better, then ride that until I decide I want something a bit different, then get that when I can afford it ...

Well i wouldn't ride through my neighborhood with anymore more expensive if i wasn't packing some heat (Which you can't in this state) :crash:

Dear Santa -

Ive been good this year (by my standards).

I still need a CX bike and would like a new MTB.

Thanks.

For those that think cycling is expensive, don't get into show cars. It's the never ending money pit.

No upgraditis here. Bought my top-end CF bike in 2008 and have been happy with it. It's actually too much bike for me, even though I ride/race seriously.

I have found that as a general principle, the pleasure of the shopping hunt far exceeds the actual ownership of the item. Drooling over hot bikes is fun and is free. Owning one of those bikes immediately shuts down the reality of buying more of them unless you're very wealthy. Has been true for most things in life.

I buy what I NEED, and nothing else, whenever possible. I still love to look at stuff and window shop, but I put that into a different category of activity separate from the shopping.

Has prevented me from spending any unnecessary money on this expensive sport despite being pretty serious about it for the past 5 years.

There is one other thing I am guilty of that I do not see being mentioned too often. So i am not sure if it is a common thing,

But I also find myself spending too much money on gear and accessories. I have both a Fizik Antares and a Fizik Aliante, that I bought recently. I have about 3 other saddles that go unused, another 2 on vintage bikes which had original saddles that did not agree with me. Kinda sickens me to think of what I spent on saddles alone.

Then there is helmets. I had a Bell sweep, but I wanted my friend who now sometimes comes for rides with me to wear a helmet as well. I know this is partly me justifying buying a new Giro Atmos. I also got new winter gloves, socks, thermal tights and a bunch of other stuff that was on sale in summer. Oh I changed my bartape recently to match the saddle, I bought new Oakley sunglasses even though my old Uvex glasses are still fine, and I bought two jerseys just because they looked cool...

Apart from the winter gear that is arguably all money better spent on bikes. But if you are happy with the bikes you have, what to do..... :p . I tell you one thing though, it is kinda nice to have gear for every situation and be comfortable an year round. At a certain point, I really believe that investing in gear does more for your overall experience (especially if you train in all conditions) than the bike.

Meh!

Well you really do get around the world well and have a great combo with the husband involved. I admire that but my cycling is entirely local, out the back door and onto the road. Now I am not saying it is always that low. The bike I purchased 8 years ago was 7000 us dollars. My wife would say I have a very expensive hobby. When I buy clothes I buy the best, Ibex Merino wool, and when I replace anything I go quality rather than price. But the whole upgradititis thing I think really shows, and forgive me if I offend any posters out there , a spiritual or psychic hole that one is trying to fill with the wrong thing.
Sometimes tragedy is what shakes one up enough to see that all the cars, stuff etc is basically just junk. It can realign ones priorities. I know it did for me and my wife.

Cycling is cheap compared to golf, another hobby of mine. Club fees, balls, clothes, clubs, shoes and time add up quickly.

For me no, it never ends. I'm rarely satisfied with a current set up of anything I have. There is always something g u can do to change/upgrade for fun or performance. I like to change things up, it keeps me excited. I'm like you, on eBay, CL, and about 5 other sites researching, browsing and looking through for deals or items that I can put on my "I need" (but don't really) list.

Now I'm browsing wool stores looking for some decent winter stuff!

Crap, hope I am not contributing to your "issues".]

Traumatic life events, like what Rowan and I have been through, also show the need to get out there and enjoy life. We don't have a lot of stuff in general, but we do have a variety of things with which we can enjoy life ... such as a fairly wide collection of different types of bicycles. It isn't really upgradititis, it's more like ... this type of cycling is fun, but what would we need to try that type of cycling.

We're also venturing into water sports as well. Rowan likes sailing ... I'm not quite sure about it, but we're sort of building up toward it with a canoe, surf skis, boogie boards ...

You've hit a nail on the head about buying the best quality you can afford. But even then, buying wisely fits this criteria, too.

Case in point. My fixie is probably the best-riding bike I have. I got the steel Shogun frame for nothing at the local rubbish dump. But then I spent $400 putting decent rims, hubs, bars, fenders and suchlike on it.

I ran around for a long time on a cheap, new $600 mountain bike. It was well maintained, and lasted me for 10,000km of commuting and other riding, including a lot of touring. The touring bike that replaced it cost around $1200, and has lasted more than 56,000km of commuting, randonneuring, time-trialling, touring, and utility cycling. Of course, there were upgrades, and that added to the cost, but generally they were when items wore out anyway.

They are what I consider wise purchases.

The other "newer" bikes I have are built up from frames with what I consider to be astute buying on the internet. The exception was our tandem bought off the shelf, but it has mods to suit us, too, and it was "last year's" model so it was at a good price.

I have bought bike trailers, I have built trailers and have one another dump find to refurbish when we get home. I have built up a comprehensive tool set and am always on the lookout to upgrade because when I
"retire" I might go into wrenching. It all interests me.

I went through a tragedy with bushfires in 2009. THAT made me realise that our lives could finish instantly, and that we might be better off working and enjoying the fruits of our labours than worrying about whether I should upgrade because I've been told I shouldn't by someone in the internet who probably spends four or five times than we do on alcohol and socialising every week.

And finally, if it wasn't for people like us who like to wisely upgrade their bikes, clothing, gear and tools, and have a broader outlook on cycling than most, then they wouldn't be able to offer their considered opinions on forums like this to people who are too lazy or too mean or are simply incapable through circumstance to find out for themselves.

Exactly! Once I realized I couldn't compete on speed, I saw that I could easily to outdistance them in spending on the bike and associated bling.

Unless cycling ceases to be a hobby or you die first, no. But its probably not a good idea to let cycling become an obsession.

Maybe try and do something completely different for a change, like plan a road trip over a week or two with some buddies to somewhere you have never been and also bring your bike(s). You might see the forest from the trees, perhaps even literally. You might come back with a different attitude about why you want to spend a lot of your money and time on bikes.

There is a great quote from one of my favorite movies, an Australian movie from the 80's called Breaker Morant. In it the lead character facing his execution says " Live every day as though it's your last for one day you are sure to be right. Personal tragedy tends to put things into perspective. When it occurs it allows one to see clearly what is and is not important. That is, if you survive it.

No.

No it doesn't end!

And on top of that, it gets to cost more!
Not that those dollars spent will make you one bit faster.

As It has been said many times, IT's NOT ABOUT THE BIKE!

You want to race, ok go race. The newest gear won't make you any faster.

You don't need a PT to train, you don't need a computer.
Granted those things make training easier to track. BUT,
they won't make you faster. Same with wheels.

I meet a lady/girl that I saw leading the "very fast guy" rides.
Thing was she was on a 70's touring bike. very steel and very heavy.
She kills those guys, rides off the front and a little faster than the fastest of the group wants to ride.
No kit, no nothing, but a set of clipless.

I met her while she was riding VERY slowly.
I asked her about things. She was part of the Olympic cycling team and as nice as could be.
She lives in Co, buy her Mom and Dad live here and she keeps a cheap bike at their house.
She rides in the fast rides here just to prove a point. It's not about the bike.
It's about how hard you train, and your genetics.

So spend away! You will still be slow. You may look good, and be able to brag at the coffee shop.
But your $$$ spent won't make you 1 bit faster!

I was having a similar discussion with a coworker recently (about consumer spending, not bikes specifically) and he said one of the most profound things I've ever heard on the subject. "People spend money when they are bored". I think that pretty much explains about 90% of consumer spending.

A wise man once said, "Human beings make life so interesting. Do you know, that in a universe so full of wonders, they have managed to invent boredom?"

...or was it “Boredom is the fear of self.”?

I forget.

I have 10 bikes and justify (no wife....yet) them by the various purposes they serve. Everyone needs at least 2 race type bikes, 1 comfort bike, 1 urban grap a gallon of milk bike, girls bike- for girlfriend, 2 mountain bikes, beach type bike................are we getting this

Nope, lost me at 10.

I think with anything in life it depends on your situation and how much you value something. If this is one of many hobbies you may have to think about this and how much you can allocate to this sport. On the flip side I do believe in budgeting and not going overboard despite living comfortably from a financial standpoint however; you do only live once and the money will not go with you to the grave.

I also play other sports but the only other "hobby" is basketball; that is a sport that can cause someone to spend money on useless things like apparel and of course shoes. Yes; you need good shoes so you do not have shin splints, sprained ankles, etc however; you do NOT need the $400 Air Jordans.

Anyway; I have an itch from time to time and do believe long term I would like to purchase a few older "classic" bikes to work on and have as alternative rides but if you do not keep things in moderation you can get in serious trouble.

i view it like this, if you have the money and it makes you happy (aka u wont starve/go bankrupt/piss off ur wife), whats wrong with enjoying a nice healthy hobby. i ride with guys who are like 20-40 years older than me, and they love cycling, why shouldnt they have a $10,000 bike?

I admit im never going to be faster than the average fred, and i hit a quandry after building my dream bike - upgrade-itis ended and i was stuck with waning interest in the latest and greatest. nowadays my bike fetishism tends to land on refurbing old frames. the dollar stretches depending on how much elbow grease im putting in - that being said, the frame im working on how is budgeted for $1500 worth of after market parts +/- what deals i can find on ebay.

It's not having the 10,000 dollar bike that is the issue here. It's having the 10,000 dollar bike and then pouring over catalogues looking for something newer or better 3 months after getting it. It's the never ending process of more, more, I want more. That's the upgraditis problem. Nothing wrong with a great bike. Get it , ride it and be happy and satisfied with it. That is the goal.