HiFiGuy1

Fair enough. As I implied in my opening sentence, I don't necessarily think the analogy is germane, but you started it. I am very passionate about and know a lot about motorcycles and cars, especially high end ones, so I think my assertion was valid, if not entirely understood.

Not everyone here is in the same financial situation. Some people struggle to find $600-800 for a new bicycle. To some people, spending $10-15k on a bicycle is a casual impulse purchase, but for me it would likely result in getting me divorced. A great deal rests on your passion and commitment to the genre. I know many people who look at cars as appliances, and I am sure there are many who look at bicycles the same way, but some are very emotionally invested in them, and are willing to spend a disproportionate amount of their personal income on one or the other.

BTW, 2702, if you know anyone who's interested, I am selling my showroom condition 1990 Honda VFR750F so I can get a fund going for a Ti bike build.

Darth Steele

The key as a consumer is not fall into the "this is what's expected that I wear or use".

An example being, I ride with a couple of guys that bought some good bibs and pick up shirts as they go along, either from an event, country and or message that they can relate to. You don't have to buy a full team kit. And guess what, no one cares. Also, personally I prefer to pick up kits with local bike shop names on them or something totally retro

On my weekend rides I see so many different brands of bicycles, some of them I have no clue as to what they are, I couldn't tell what is expensive from not, except when I pay attention to the group set. Buy what you want, don't worry about what others think. This goes for most things in life

One of the best riders/climbers that I know uses a "no brand, generic" Chinese Carbon wheels, and guess what, no one cares. But with that said he is about 130lbs and has no weight concern issues. Having a cheap pair "beater" rims is not a bad idea anyway

rpenmanparker 

You mean like the folks who give their bikes pet names? Whatever!

HiFiGuy1

LOL! Yep, that probably qualifies.

TrojanHorse

That's a cost too, btw.

What is something worth? It's worth what somebody else will pay for it. It is not worth what it cost to build + some magic profit that you deem acceptable.

Successful troll, btw. Well done.

joeyduck

This made me think of something. The fabric in quality products is relatively cheap. It is the labor that makes a difference. I imagine overseas production of different names at the same factory has different quality control and maybe even sewer experience.

I think that if you are going to buy a jersey for $150+, why not find a local tailor and have them make it just for you. Since the main cost is in the labor, why not ensure your laborer is good? Also more personalized options, though no labels and sponsors. Quality control is you, they will likely stand behind their product.

A personal tailor is one thing I always think that if I was wealthy enough I would spend money on.

StanSeven

Hey Dr Pete! Glad you're back. I like doctors that tell me a I need a new Cervelo to feel better.

big chainring 

Except for tires and chains, everything I buy is used. Including jerseys and yes shorts. I think the OP is right. And I always get a chuckle when I see cyclists wearing probably $500 in clothing, when you add in shoes, gloves, socks, helmet, and then compare to my cycling sartorial statement. I sweat up my clothes and get 'em dirty, a little oil or grease stains, and then the fabric pulls and holes. But if you have the money, and cycling does attract the better off, whatever floats your boat. I'll stick to used clothes and used bikes.

merlinextraligh

At least we get the last laugh:

indyfabz

You jus figurin' that out? The man controls everything. Just look at the entertainment industry. Even Cher has got an Oscar. Cher! Spike Lee got nothin'.

indyfabz

I finished the Bon Ton Roulet on Saturday. There was a shower truck at the end. Some guy hung his skid mark stained shorts on a peg while he showered. The image still haunts me to this very day.

rjones28 

StanSeven

Let's take wheels. A company lie Zipp, Hed, or Enve spends a huge amount of R&D designing, developing and testing new wheels. I think I read something that they typically use 20 prototypes in wind tunnels before deciding on a final version for production. This is after who knows how much engineering time a team of engineers spent playing around with modeling. So once in production, someone copies their design, probably illegally, and outsources production to the cheapest place they can find. The problem is it might looks the same but have little aero benefits. You don't now. Then it comes with no support, no warranty, and not even a person to help you via email or phone.

But you got a bargain!

Rootman

I even saw a guy once that had a gold plated toilet on his helicopter!

Seriously, OP, nearly ANY hobby is costly and for those outside the target audience is bound to look like a ripoff. They wouldn't be selling the stuff if there wasn't a market for it. RVing? Para sailing? Hot air ballooning? Motor cycles? Scuba? Sailing? Flying? All cost a LOT and cycling is a bargain by comparison.

I used to ride a motorcycle, I got tired of paying about $1000 a year just to park the thing in my garage, between insurance, personal property taxes and basic maintenance it cost me a grand or more every year ust to own it Then you had to buy new gear every few years. Add to that the operating costs and eating out so much, it get very expensive real fast.

wheelreason

I'm pretty sure Porsches are Germane...
Put me down for a targa...

RPK79

I disagree with the premise of this thread. Movie theater popcorn and fountain soda is the biggest rip off money wise.

Sdjclevland

Lol that is right. Actually cell phones. Now that is the true rip off.

WalksOn2Wheels

So not that I don't feel this horse has been sufficiently beaten, but I need to circle back to this comparison of a high end bicycle vs. a "high performance" budget motorcycle. The hilarious video I linked to does the same damn thing. As someone already said, that 5k motorcycle is closer to a 1K tiagra equipped aluminum road bike. Perfectly good and gets the job done, but certainly not a lightweight exotic motorcycle such as a Ducati or MV Agusta. Not that the big 4 Japanese marks don't have high end exotic stuff as well. Also, those are mass produced for a larger market.

Anyhow, to put it into real perspective ask a cat 2/3 crit racer how much his bike costs and how much his budget would be for a season of racing. Then go ask a dedicated motorcycle club racer how much his bike cost and how much his budget would be for a season of racing. Someone mentioned they rode dirt bikes. As a hobby, you can usually get away with not spending too much. If you were seriously racing motocross or cross country, you're going to get into some money. The same goes for sport bikes. I spent 5K on my used motorcycle and about 1k on gear. But I'm not racing it.

And finally, I am always entertained how shocked people are that things cost money. I used to work for a major motorcycle parts distributor and currently work at a bike shop. Of course things don't cost very much to make. But it passes a LOT of hands between raw materials and the retail shelf, and everyone involved needs to take a cut of that in order to stay in business and keep producing a product. Just look at a pair of gloves. First, someone has to make the materials, then someone sews and packages them, then they go to a distribution warehouse, who must make a profit, and then they go to a dealer, who also has to make a profit. Oh, and they get shipped in between all these places and that money has to come from somewhere. All considered, It should absolutely amaze you that you can buy gloves at "full retail" for 25 freaking dollars. And that's not even factoring in design, R&D and marketing.

bikepro

+1

Darth Lefty 

You can buy an ok bike for $600 or a nice one for $1500. It lasts and lasts. REI is about the top price I'd pay for accessories. If you think you must have a fragile ultralight racing machine and race team logo clothes from the bike dealership, well, it's your money.

Deiph

Not to mention the fact that he's the most boring man on the planet. Did/could anyone watch all 37 minutes of this drivel?

Gramercy

A 5k road bike probably won't make you much faster than a 1k road bike. And a 5k Chanel handbag won't really hold more stuff or last longer than a cheap handbag. But my wife still wants a purse that costs more than my car.

Women are crazy.

This thread is about irrational women, right?

RollCNY

I blame the uterus. No good comes from one.

Rootman

I got on one on the front of my house and it's 'Merican not Germane.

Dave Mayer

So why would you buy unbranded products from the factory versus buying the same product by one of the big makers through standard retail channels? As an example, let’s say a $400 Chinese carbon bike frame is rebranded as a “Mega” brand boutique model and resold for $4,000.

If you buy direct, you cut out a lot of individuals in the value chain. These folks have to make a living too. Here are examples of who you will impoverish if you buy direct:

Luigi Mottazaballini

Luigi is a pro cyclist with the Mega bike team. Luigi makes $1 million Euros per year to ride on the Mega bike. Luigi won the 2011 Tour de Dougnuto stage race.

Luigi has to pay his “pharmacist” ever escalating prices for human growth hormone, erythropoietin, testosterone, glucocorticosteroids, synthetic testosterone, anabolic steroids, horse testosterone, amphetamines, and pre-packed red blood cells. According to Luigi: “you do not compete at a pro level on water and bananas.” Luigi also needs money to replace the Ferrari he crashed into a group of Sicilian nuns in the off-season. According to his team manager, Luigi just: “likes to go fast”.


Bradley Gekko III

Bradley is Vice President of with Inspired Idiots Marketing Inc., a Madison Ave. advertising firm, who develops marketing strategies for Mega bikes brand Inc. Bradley became a keen supporter of professional cycling due to his involvement with former clients: Enron and Parmalat in supporting their pro teams.

Bradley’s other passion is his firms brilliantly conceived global bottled water sales strategy – buying up publicly owned water utilities and converting them to bottled water operations. This has reversed the flat growth in bottled water sales - ostensibly which was due to the environmental aspects of creating millions of pounds of plastic waste and pay higher-than-gasoline prices for the same thing that comes out of your faucet.

Bradley needs money to maintain a $14 million apartment overlooking Central Park west. He also needs money to defend wildly ungrounded legal claims with respect to his involvement with previous employers: Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers and Madoff Investment Securities LLC.

Dick Cheatem

Dick is Vice President of Patent law and partner in the international law firm: Dewey, Cheatem & Howe. Dick ensures that American innovators get their fair share of revenues from intellectual property rights.

Mega bike brands has patented two recent but fundamental developments in the bicycling industry, and is aggressively pursuing compensation from firms that have violated Mega’s patents. Mega has patented the diamond frame bicycle, clearly an improvement over the high-wheeler. Mega has also patented the: “wheel”, which will surely revolutionize the industry.

Dick needs money to pay child support. Actually he needs money to pay for his $500 per hour lawyer to appeal a court order to pay $500 per month to his third ex-wife, a former dancer.