Metieval

Guilty, way over $30,000 for a 4x4 toy. 10 years of transportation.
I then did $3,800 for 8 years of transportation. enlightening!! Bikes are much less expensive than some vehicles.

burning Cash on cars isn't worth it, however. It might be time to spend a little more and get a sprinter van. I could easily excuse it with week end trips, van sleeping/cooking. Go see more, no hotels, no out to eat cost.

but then I'll have to buy gas...... and I think. what a waste of money....

General Geoff

Money's gotta go somewhere, just try to put it where you'll most appreciate what it buys...

The truly astute people are the ones who put their money to work for them (investing), not the other way around. But a stock portfolio doesn't look nearly as glamorous as a shiny new car in the garage, or $15k bicycle in the den

Metieval

Screw 15k!
I did go 6k, but I got like 30 - 40% off or something.

I also don't see it when I am riding it. But the sensations........ compared to anything else I've ever ridden while riding it. worth every cent! Priceless actually.

MikeyMK

Values over time can be difficult to compare. It's not as simple as inflation.

In 1990 I bought a Diamond Back Topanga (cromo, Exage) for £325. A studio flat cost £16,000. A Ford Fiesta XR2i cost £10,500.

The equivalent bike today, well I don't know. But I expect at least double. Same with the car. However, the very same flat is ten times the price.

Things are not in line with how they were, so as ever, it comes down to supply and demand - things will sell for what people pay.

bruce19

I find that if I can keep my ego out of it, I actually make some decent decisions.

Maelochs

Regarding resale value .... did anyone here buying a TV or a microwave oven even Consider resale value? And cars ... cars lose value tremendously quickly.

Bikes offer more for less .... and of course there are those who prefer downtube friction shifting, auto-unbalancing sidepull brakes, and 40-pound steel frames. Just as some hat press-fit BBs while many others have no problems with them. I have a bike with FSA crankset and have no problems with it, and two aluminum bikes with CF forks and both ride well--not harsh or jittery--- and I have an all-steel 1984 Raleigh as comparison.

When it gets down to personal taste, we can no longer discuss the mass market, and vice versa.

As i read it, the OP was saying that in general, people just wanting to buy a bicycle a step up form Walmart crap have a much wider selection with much better technology and a much higher level of utility than say, 40 years ago.

In the town where I grew up, i could buy a bike at Sears or Montgomery Wards, or buy a Schwinn. There might have been two bike shops .... but I only knew of one. The bike seemed pricey compared to the department store offerings, but I rode a lot so it wasn't wasted. I had a choice---drop bars or flat bars.

Nowadays I can buy any one of dozens of brands, styles, models, with a rich palette of geometries and builds. For the same (inflation-adjusted) price I can get a bike which is just as strong, half the weight, with twice as many usable gear ratios, which is easier to shift and stop ... For a person who wants to buy an entry-level "real" bike .... unquestionably, everything is worlds better.

People who are approaching this from a personal perspective are missing the point. Most people don't know how to or have the tools to break down and rebuild bikes. Most people don't want to. most people buy Entry-level bikes or a little better, don't know that much about bikes and riding because most haven't bought one before.

"Entry-level" sort of implies "entering the market" right?

Most people who post here are far from entry-level riders .... and aren't for long once they get hooked. But I own two bikes--a sub $500 Dawes and an (after rebate) $800 Fuji which would qualify, and both are great rides. And while that tank of a Schwinn served me well ... so do these, and they do Everything as well or a lot better.

So .... yes, I'd prefer to find an old steel-framed bike no one wants with a square-taper BB which I could build up into something great. I could go with full 5800 105, 1600-gram wheelset, CF bars (aero or traditional,) Ultegra Hollowtech BB---I have have all the parts on hand, and all the tools, so my all-in cost might be a couple hundred for the Craigslist cost ... or maybe as little as $25.

But that's not what we are talking about.

We are talking about the rider who says, "I am ready to buy a serious bicycle which will last a long time and work well throughout its life, but i am not racing, I don't play the "label" game so I am not looking for a prestige boutique manufacturer ... i want a really good bike which will keep me rolling well and happily for a long time.

"I don't know too much about bikes, and I want to buy this pretty soon, so i cannot research for a year and shop for a year to find that amazing barn-find or whatever. I want to go to a shop and buy a bike."

Nowadays, that person is in a lot better shape than that same person with those same desires 40 years ago.

jwalther

I just bought a lightly used Trek Domane 2.3 with a Shimano 5800 groupset for the same price in absolute dollars that I spent on my first real bike in 1979-80, a Schwinn Voyageur 11.8. Modern bikes, especially used, are incredible bargains.

MRT2

That is a whole other discussion, but it is part of the landscape.

rydabent

I would suggest in the long run running is not cheaper. What is the cost of two knee replacements and two hip replacements from the shock of running that has ruined them.

rydabent

When you take lust and snobbery out of the equation, The most bang for the buck comes in the mid range bikes.

It kind of goes for anything. Take a Sears washing machine. They have anyway in the past offer their good-better-best line. The most bang for the buck was the "better" machine.

dedhed

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NIB1985-Ber....c100011.m1850

Doug64

I haven't purchased a TV in the last 25 years. However, I sure made up for it on bikes and camera gear. No regrets

Bonzo Banana

When I was a kid I got my first new bike a Raleigh Arena that cost £65. When I wanted a cheap heavy duty mountain bike that I didn't have to worry about being stolen I paid £65 over 25 years later. The more recent bike is great, similar quality, much better brakes, indexed gears, more comfortable, similar grade steel. Yes its a cheap chinese rigid mountain bike but got the job done when I bought it back in 2010 or so. Probably put 3x the weight on it the newer bike than my old Raleigh Arena. I have other bikes now but really can't criticise the Pagan Arrow. It's lack of suspension kept it simple and it has been brilliant. It has done thousands of miles.

Jon T

My bike is 34 years old. Still looks and rides as good as the day it was new. Can't say that for any of the automobiles I've owned.
Jon

jimmie65

MRT2

Lol. Well, if you can manage to focus more on riding and less on constantly upgrading, cycling is a relatively affordable activity.

Riveting

"Maybe" take you on a leisurely 50 mile ride?

Don't be so elitist when it comes to "plasticky" entry-level bikes. I've put over 6,000 all-weather commuting miles (as well as several centuries) on a big-box-store-assembled $400 hybrid bike, and I only had to have the rear wheel re-laced when a few spokes popped.

There isn't a road ride on Earth that I could do on my $4k carbon Di2 bike, that I couldn't do on that "charity ride" bike.

jefnvk

I have never once bought anything considering its resale value. I buy things, and I run them into the ground with use. If I can get anything back a that point, great, if not I got my value out of it. If I decide later I need/want something else, it becomes a lesson on making a better decision off the bat next time.

Obeast

I believe there are enough used parts out there to build a very decent ride without using too much money. This takes a lot of time though.

rydabent

My $30,000 crew cab pick up with a hard tonneau cover could be lived in if I really had to. A $15,000 plastic bike doesnt offer too much protection.

Metieval

apples to apples, can a $3,800 car be lived in just like a $30,000 crew cab?

Can a $250,000 car be lived in , and offer as much protection as a $30,000 crew cab?

surak

If new bikes weren't incredible bargains, how does one explain the prevalence for the N+1 itch? Rarely do I see people buy a new car and then immediately start wanting another.

northtexasbiker

Agree it usually takes a couple of months before people start clamoring for a new car.

Maelochs

Actually applying logic to the situation, one might surmise that while most people cannot afford to by a $20,000-$50,000 car every year or two ... but most people who really want to can buy a $1000-$2000 bike every couple years (other situations depending, of course.)

make sense?

northtexasbiker