bikemig 

This thread made me laugh pretty hard. I used to have a system (if you could call it that) where I wouldn't get on my "fast" bike until I had some miles on my legs (usu. around a 1000 or so). Until then, I'd ride my winter bike; fast forward more than a few years and now I just ride whatever bike I feel like since no one recognizes any of my bikes anyhow, .

RPK79

This would only be a problem if high end bikes were a scarce commodity. Luckily, if people keep buying them the manufacturers will keep making them. Someone with money riding a nice bike "below its limits" is not preventing someone else from riding a bike just as nice. On the other hand, if people stopped buying them just to own them and only those "worthy" of riding them purchased them they would likely end up costing even more to cover the overhead. So in reality you should be thanking the slow guy on the $7,000 bike for improving your life and helping you to reach your dream of owning a more expensive bike than you need as well.

Homebrew01

"... The people have spoken, thread is a troll. ..."

1 down, 1 to go

BillyD

Did you report it, HB? Where's your complaint?

RoadMike

What is this bike communism you speak of? I'm game. How about the value of the bike you get based on your (FTP/Kg) x $1000? So who's handing out the bikes? Is there some sort of bike welfare office I need to go to?

Bah Humbug

I keep telling myself that if I hit a certain goal I'll buy myself a new bike. Then, I hit that goal, and realize I still don't really need it. Ah well.

Bah Humbug

I know a bunch of bike shops have financing options, and if you count people who buy with credit cards and don't pay them off immediately, I'm willing to bet that it's much more common than you think.

Bah Humbug

And yes, obvious troll is obvious.

RoadMike

The shop I work at finances bikes all the time, it's the same process as getting a car loan! We also will order a bike in for a customer and put it on layaway as long as they put down a deposit of 50%.

svtmike

That's nowhere near enough. A pro would only get a $5k-$6k bike.

So, it needs to be more like FTP/kg x $4000. Which means pretty much everybody deserves a $5000 bike, and this thread is therefore pointless.

RT

Only in this forum does this particular mentality prevail. In the real world, no one gives a crap. People think my $450 Motobecane is a racing bike. It is just a well taken care of commuter.

merlinextraligh

You've got to make that at least $2000 x ftp/kg, or even the pros couldn't ride the bikes they do. Unfortunately, even at $2000, I'm still about $5,000 light.

THSdrummer

How would ability be tested? Would LBS host crits for potential buyers? The winner gets to spend his/her own money on a new bike.

Perhaps we should have a more apt driving test for cars before we worry about bikes.

I feel sorry for people who spend $5,000 on a POS car. I bought a car for $3,000 and 30,000 miles later (at 180,000), the only money I've spent on it is for gas.

merlinextraligh

Actually, I think it's pretty common in most hobbies/ activities. Go on a photography trip, and you'll see newbs with expensive cameras they have no idea how to use.

Track days, where people have expensive cars they have no idea how to drive.

Kayaking, where people have fancy CF/Kevlar boats they can't paddle, etc, etc, etc,.

The enthuastic newb with more money, than ability, or sense is a common theme in almost any hobby/activity/ avocation.

gsteinb

a dragonfly with DA is a hell of a lot more than 5,000.

Intelligent math says the less you race the more you should spend on a bike. In racing and training for racing situations you maximize abuse and chances for catastrophic crashes. When I finally lose the race bug I'll drop 12 or 15k on something with super record and take it out only on 70 degree sunny days with low humidity.

merlinextraligh

you beat me to it. I like $4000; means I actually qualify for my bike.

ben.holmes

I think what is missed here is that; when I could ride like the wind, I could only afford a fart. Now tha I'm an ol' fart, I can afford the wind.

How many of us Grow economically into what we dreamed of having when we were worthy of riding it? Funny thing, when I realized that, I sold all my Carbon Fiber and went back to steel, very nice custom built american steel. Two GUNNARS in the garage. No take that back, one in the garage, one here in my office cause I ride to work!
Ha!

bonz50

in this day and age, probably FAR more common than you realize. people finance $5000 motorcycles all the time. why not a bicycle?

Bah Humbug

The w/kg*$1000 would put me into a much nicer bike. Anyone want to sponsor me?

calyth

I've passed bigger roadies than I deliberately slowly, and I've been dropped by commuters in crappier bikes than mine. Does it really matter what you ride?

This is my bicycle. There are many others like it, but this one is mine.

merlinextraligh

Because you're paying a substantial amount of money to finance the unnecessary purchase of a depreciating asset.

You'll likely end up in a situation where the debt exceeds the value of the bike for a number of years, depending on how you finance it. If you dont have the cash for such a discretionary purchase, it makes little sense to incur that financial risk.

"Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it ... he who doesn't ... pays it"

RT

I disagree with the broadness of your assertion. Take a look at the mechanics forum - you don't see the same hand-wringing and snark in there that you do in here. Wrenching is also a hobby, and I do not think the term 'most' applies, at least not in my world.

gsteinb

I don't know how you can disagree. Go on an audio forum and look at folks debate the merits of equipment with differences so subtle a dog couldn't tell them apart. It's a common dynamic in an affluent society and it manifests largely in cycberspace discussions.

RT

Because we do not agree does not make either one of us right. We also do not share the same hobbies, although we apparently have one in common. Merely stating my experience.

...and we've had this conversation before.

tagaproject6

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