Cycling; how come normal rules of finance don’t apply????
Discussion
Just over 2 years ago I got back into cycling, and armed with £250 went to my LBS and bought a Felt Q220 hardtail, knocked down from £400. At the time I remember thinking ‘£400, this must be a bloody great bike!’, can’t wait to get fit!
Fast forward a year, and after a good 1,000 miles and several broken components, I spent £850 on a Giant Trance, and remember thinking ‘this is probably too much money for a non-professional cyclist to spend on a bike, but hey - I enjoy it and its keeping me fit’.
Fast forward another year (last Feb), I decided to ‘branch out’ and bought a road bike - a Felt F75 for just under a grand, by this time I had become hardened to the outrageous cost of cycling and was like a dog with two dicks when I got my new bike.
Then, last summer I crashed and had to take some time out (to let bones knit back together and my brain return to its normal size), so I decided to build a steel hardtail to keep me busy. £1,400 later I had a rather stunning steel hardtail that would be the envy of anyone who knew anything about bikes!
Today, I picked up a bike for commuting and winter fun/training, a Cannondale CAADX (bloody luvvly looking thing), this one costing a shade over 1k, and will be well used.
Getting the new bike off of the top of the car having returned from the bike shop today, a neighbour popped his head over the fence and said ‘nice, how much did that cost?’. I nonchalantly answered ‘a tiny bit over a grand‘ and explained it was mainly for commuting and a bit of XC, and he actually thought that I had totally lost the plot, which was a bit of a wake up call!
Now, I do not consider myself well off, but when it comes to cycling I seem to ‘find‘ the money to buy bits, bikes and take part in events. When did the vfm rules that I apply to every other element of my life stop applying to bikes? Did the marketing men convince me that a grand is almost too little to buy a ‘decent’ bike? How come I question the cost of chicken on the weekly shop but happily spend £40 on a bike tyre or £100 on a light??????
When did the normal rules of finance stop applying to the world of cycling.........?
Not so much of a rant, but am I the only one who has been denying the outrageous (and increasing) cost of the sport for the past couple of years.......?
Fast forward a year, and after a good 1,000 miles and several broken components, I spent £850 on a Giant Trance, and remember thinking ‘this is probably too much money for a non-professional cyclist to spend on a bike, but hey - I enjoy it and its keeping me fit’.
Fast forward another year (last Feb), I decided to ‘branch out’ and bought a road bike - a Felt F75 for just under a grand, by this time I had become hardened to the outrageous cost of cycling and was like a dog with two dicks when I got my new bike.
Then, last summer I crashed and had to take some time out (to let bones knit back together and my brain return to its normal size), so I decided to build a steel hardtail to keep me busy. £1,400 later I had a rather stunning steel hardtail that would be the envy of anyone who knew anything about bikes!
Today, I picked up a bike for commuting and winter fun/training, a Cannondale CAADX (bloody luvvly looking thing), this one costing a shade over 1k, and will be well used.
Getting the new bike off of the top of the car having returned from the bike shop today, a neighbour popped his head over the fence and said ‘nice, how much did that cost?’. I nonchalantly answered ‘a tiny bit over a grand‘ and explained it was mainly for commuting and a bit of XC, and he actually thought that I had totally lost the plot, which was a bit of a wake up call!
Now, I do not consider myself well off, but when it comes to cycling I seem to ‘find‘ the money to buy bits, bikes and take part in events. When did the vfm rules that I apply to every other element of my life stop applying to bikes? Did the marketing men convince me that a grand is almost too little to buy a ‘decent’ bike? How come I question the cost of chicken on the weekly shop but happily spend £40 on a bike tyre or £100 on a light??????
When did the normal rules of finance stop applying to the world of cycling.........?
Not so much of a rant, but am I the only one who has been denying the outrageous (and increasing) cost of the sport for the past couple of years.......?
It's ridiculous. When I first got into it back in the early 90s, I paid £199 for a very good steel rigid bike with STX RC/LX components, then added some decent suspension forks for £100 later on. That bike is still going as a commuter with a mate of mine. An equivalent today would be around £800-900.
Oddly, some things can be cheap however. I just got some decent bars for £9 and a stem for a fiver.
Oddly, some things can be cheap however. I just got some decent bars for £9 and a stem for a fiver.
The bike I use as a go to work bike, is a steel Saracen Eiger Cross. We bought from Halfords in their sale about 20yrs ago it was not expensive. I've used it to ride over fields and kerbs, and I've swapped out the cantilever for V brakes. It's not had anything done to the wheels, headset, bottom bracket or pedals at all. All I've done is replace tyres, chains, sprockets and cables. In short, a good class product and well worth whatever it was that I paid for it.
What's happened in the meantime is fashion up-speccing on bikes. Whilst I accept that there have been advances in materials, the pace of fashion in bikes has altered the emphasis on form and function in the mainstream buyer.
Not so many years ago, any wheel with less than 36 spokes was exotic. Radial spoked front wheels were only used by professionals simply because a 36 spoker was only a tiny bit heavier, had slightly more drag and would last for many seasons.
In short; over the years that we have become a more affluent society, and the bike has become less of a tool to use for several years, and more of a disposable and fashionable item. Buyers demand better performance and better looking components rather than longer lasting. The result, is that the market is full of what a few years ago was regarded as extreme performance components; they do cost more, and they don't last as long.
Market competition, production volumes and China manufacturing have made these performance parts much better value than they were. There are a lot of really high performance competitively priced examples of really desirable bikes around. It's just that the majority of it all is made for a market that demands a product that is designed for bling/performance rather than longevity.
In my opinion, the modern bike is great value for money with respect to weight and looks. It's just that the market has driven it away from longevity and buyers have accepted the increase in price that comes with high performance.
What's happened in the meantime is fashion up-speccing on bikes. Whilst I accept that there have been advances in materials, the pace of fashion in bikes has altered the emphasis on form and function in the mainstream buyer.
Not so many years ago, any wheel with less than 36 spokes was exotic. Radial spoked front wheels were only used by professionals simply because a 36 spoker was only a tiny bit heavier, had slightly more drag and would last for many seasons.
In short; over the years that we have become a more affluent society, and the bike has become less of a tool to use for several years, and more of a disposable and fashionable item. Buyers demand better performance and better looking components rather than longer lasting. The result, is that the market is full of what a few years ago was regarded as extreme performance components; they do cost more, and they don't last as long.
Market competition, production volumes and China manufacturing have made these performance parts much better value than they were. There are a lot of really high performance competitively priced examples of really desirable bikes around. It's just that the majority of it all is made for a market that demands a product that is designed for bling/performance rather than longevity.
In my opinion, the modern bike is great value for money with respect to weight and looks. It's just that the market has driven it away from longevity and buyers have accepted the increase in price that comes with high performance.
It's a combination of weak pound, high inflation, various natural disasters in places that manufacture components, VAT rise, high price of fuel (everything cones by lorry) and so on. Bikes that retailed for £999 in 2009 are now £1299 RRP. It's not limited to cycling products, everything else has risen in price too
MadDad said:
Getting the new bike off of the top of the car having returned from the bike shop today, a neighbour popped his head over the fence and said ‘nice, how much did that cost?’. I nonchalantly answered ‘a tiny bit over a grand‘ and explained it was mainly for commuting and a bit of XC, and he actually thought that I had totally lost the plot, which was a bit of a wake up call!
Bikes are cheap, it's just that the general public have a skewed perception of value. If you'd spent ten times the money on a second hand Ford Focus to commute in then he wouldn't have batted an eyelid.I'm the opposite. I've got a bike that I slowly upgraded such that it would cost about £1500 from parts when I last checked. I've just spent about £500 on maintenance. I consider this reasonable, not least because in the last 18 months I've spent about £13,000 on motoring, when I don't even need a car.
Ha ha, I was showing my dad an issue of one of the MountainBike mags - and there was a bike in it for £6500....... he couldn't believe it."You could buy a motorbike or a decent 2nd hand car for that.."
However, if we're all 'willing' to pay for these bikes.....then can we argue about value?
However, if we're all 'willing' to pay for these bikes.....then can we argue about value?
I bust my knee a year ago and was recommended to do cycling as rehab. I hadn't bought a bike for 20yrs so I strode down to the bike shop with 150 sheets expecting to get everything, bike, helmet, lights, lock, etc.
Had a bit of a shock to say the least.
Now a year on and I have bought another bike for the sort of money that make normal people (like I was a year ago) wince.
A grand for a bike?
A grand for a watch?
Are you insane!???!?!!
Had a bit of a shock to say the least.
Now a year on and I have bought another bike for the sort of money that make normal people (like I was a year ago) wince.
A grand for a bike?
A grand for a watch?
Are you insane!???!?!!
Markp13 said:
This thread needs photos. Caadx please
Will do but I have not had a chance to take any yet. In the meantime here are a couple the bike shop took for me on Friday to stare at while my life ebbed away on conference calls!
(Thats not a crack on the cable guide, it was a bit of fluff!).
Keeping true to my original point I have just shelled out on some high vis commuting clothes, a couple of lights and a new helmet for my hack to work and back (all of my current stuff is either MTB baggies or fitted roadie stuff in black). Initially I nipped down to Decathalon to see if I could get what I was after on the cheap, but with the exception of one or two bits, IMHO the quality of the clothing for the cost was erm, questionable - and knowing how much abuse my current stuff gets wouldn't last that long. So I decided to head home and buy from brands I know and trust, eventually bought the following;
1 x Altura Night Vision Evo Waterproof Cycling Jacket Hi viz Yellow
1 x Altura Transformer Windproof Cycling Jacket Hi viz Yellow
1 x Altura Airstream Short Sleeve Cycling Jersey Yellow
1 x Kask K50 Road Helmet
1 x Altura Airstream reflective bib-shorts
1 x Niterider Mako 1 Watt 100 Lumens Light
1 x Topeak Pocket Rocket pump
1 x Smart Lunar R2 rear light
I literally spent all afternoon on the net comparing prices to ensure that I got the best price on each and every item, but I still managed to spend a considerable sum of wedge to make sure I don't get splatted on the way to and from work. I would really love to see the margin on this afternoons spending spree, I am sure it would make the banks bonus schemes seem frugal!
Hmmmmmm, been an expensive weekend - and before anyone points out that I could have got stuff cheaper, I would point out that I could have also spent a hell of a lot more!....hopefully my shopping list represents a good balance of quality which will last, v 'reasonable' (in cycling terms) cost......
Cost is all relative - the wife showed me the 'fashion' supplement from the Sunday paper earlier. One of the models was wearing a dress and some shoes, and carrying an (ugly) bag - cost? £4,000! Add in some undies and jewellery from further on in the mag, and you could easily top £10,000 for an outfit.
The supplement is now in the recycling, where it belongs, but it did get me thinking, as I applied the Autoglym to my stripped/cleaned frame, that the £1130 I paid for my bike (reduced from £1560) 3,600 miles and 16 months ago, was actually good value for money. It's an aluminium Merida Road-Race 905 with a full Ultegra group, but hasn't needed much in the way of fettling or repair. One new chain and two pairs of tyres is all it's cost in essentials, although I admit I've spent a bit more on 'little things' like bottle cages and a Lezyne pump to match the frame colour.
I didn't NEED any of the new stuff, as I already had an old steel framed Falcon 'racer' that was doing OK, and at least three each of all the accessories that I fitted hanging about in the garage. Simple fact was that I was turning 40 and wanted something special for myself to mark the occasion. After all, my name is Simon, and I'm a cycling addict. And I'm worth it!
The supplement is now in the recycling, where it belongs, but it did get me thinking, as I applied the Autoglym to my stripped/cleaned frame, that the £1130 I paid for my bike (reduced from £1560) 3,600 miles and 16 months ago, was actually good value for money. It's an aluminium Merida Road-Race 905 with a full Ultegra group, but hasn't needed much in the way of fettling or repair. One new chain and two pairs of tyres is all it's cost in essentials, although I admit I've spent a bit more on 'little things' like bottle cages and a Lezyne pump to match the frame colour.
I didn't NEED any of the new stuff, as I already had an old steel framed Falcon 'racer' that was doing OK, and at least three each of all the accessories that I fitted hanging about in the garage. Simple fact was that I was turning 40 and wanted something special for myself to mark the occasion. After all, my name is Simon, and I'm a cycling addict. And I'm worth it!
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