Why is Cycling so F%&*ing expensive
Comments
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I've spent around £2000 since April 2009 on bikes and bits and had st!tloads of fun on all 3 of them.
I could have spent £150 on one bike and had as much fun I guess. You get what you pay for and should buy what you can afford.
However, the economics of cycling are bizarre with some items costing far more than their real value or cost of production. This is because there is no real competition in the market, and that's because people are prepared to pay the high prices for shiny new kit because it's shiny new kit and they think it will give them a competitive advantage, and it may.
I built my first 'Cross bike cheap and it was surprisingly competitive.0 -
volvicspar wrote:The trouble is if you work 12 hours shifts your unlikely to have much time to hunt bargains - that's if you can even be bothered after work. (I couldn't)
Personally I don't find cycling expensive at all - I've spent less than £50 on my bikes in 6 months, and my bikes were cheap to start with but that does not mean everyone can ride so cheap. Parts new are pretty expensive.
it's possible to find some great bargains - but he may not have the time to do that, especially if he has a family to look after ? (don't know if he has)
Token :roll:
not flaming, but weak -Plenty of people work long odd or inconvenient hours and manage to live a life as well - I work over 7 days as long as it takes until the job is done (sometimes the minimum 8 hours sometimes 14+) and have some very antisocial start times. I've got 3 kids, 3 dogs I volunteer in my local community and find time to fritter on here. OP's not equipping an everest expedition and seemingly has the time to find the kit but just doesn't want to pay the price.
OP has 2 options - Shut up and pay up or put in the legwork to find stuff at a price they wants to pay. Small ad to a paper - minutes and pennies. browse freecycle or ebay - browse wiggle or stroll round LBS. Tap in a google search - tap in a thread on here....
give nothing get nothing lifes like that.0 -
The price is being charged because enough people will pay it.jermas wrote:the price being charged for some items just can't be justified.
If enough items are sold, the price is justified.Remember that you are an Englishman and thus have won first prize in the lottery of life.0 -
holmeboy wrote:Please, inexpensive lights that'll let me see in the dark (can't eat that many carrots and don't want skin like ex Mrs Andre) and won't fall off going over potty Holes! :
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.25149
delivery is slow (they ae definitely onthe slow boat from china ) seen a couple of people rave about them on forums, i buy a lot of electronics direct from chiina , and stuff that cost 50 quid here is shipped from HK for a tenner.
lights just seem to be the current ripoff i mean 700 quid for a set of lights you have to be kidding (i''ll let you know how i get on i commute in the north west of ireland with no street lights anywhere - for miles)
as for cheapness i do my own maintenance everything i buy has to be discounted (buy your summer gear now, cheap arm warmers leg warmers from pbk)0 -
shouldbeinbed wrote:holmeboy wrote:Please, inexpensive lights that'll let me see in the dark (can't eat that many carrots and don't want skin like ex Mrs Andre) and won't fall off going over potty Holes! Already bought most of my cycling kit from Aldi's, tried the gell saddle from Asda and wore it out but still had a sore ars* anyway. Have got about 8 worn out cheap pumps in the garage and my Mountain bike (old) needs a new front fork, were can I get a cheap one of them?
Santa would be alright if he existed and was't bank rolled by ME! CYCLING IS EXPENSIVE. no doubt about it! :roll:
Troll or Plank?
If cycling is so expensive use another form of transport and get a Gym membership. Then come back and tell us how much you've saved.
Google, ebay, work intranet, bike fairs, freecycle, put a wanted ad in the local paper - trust me you'll be amazed how many people have bikes in the shed they want rid of for little or nothing - Pal of mine did this and got over 80 to pick from in a week and a half. Maybe use a bit of initiative and lateral thinking and work it out rather than whinging so much and so very very wrongly (buy a car and see the difference).
Get off your sore ars* (adjust your saddle BTW that may help that one) and find the better deals and options.
and here's me not even a rocket scientist :roll:
How does geting a gym membership (I use the local council run gym,monthly direct debit) get me to work? I/We've already got two cars.
Have googled/e-bay'ed, have found bargains (ultegra group set under 400 pounds)#
Have already got 4 bikes, should i throw them away and buy a cheapy?
come on serious cycling IS EXPENSIVE!0 -
Geoff_SS wrote:Why do you need a new pair of forks? My mountain bike is about 30 years old and the forks are still perfectly OK. Ah, I bet you want front suspension. As I said, if you want modern gizmos then you have to pay for them, Believe it or not front suspension isn't a necessity. I've ridden down huge flights of steps on my rigid bike. Can't do it now because of infirmity and injury but that's the only reason. Crikey I used to ride motor cycle trials on a 1933 350cc Ariel with all of 2" fork movement at the front and 0" at the back
8 worn out pumps? I've never worn out a pump in my life. I've bought better ones but the old ones still work. Get a track pump for home use and (hopefully) you'll rarely need to use the one you carry.
Cycling can be perfectly cheap if you want it to be and not by buying poor quality cheap stuff, either.
Lights? I rode all my long audaxes with a front wheel driven dynamo and an LED rear light. As I've said I made my own rechargeable battery system for commuting. Believe it or not people have been commuting for many decades without having to spend a fortune.
Geoff
No original forks were suspension, now seized. I'm trying for rigid, have bought coupla forks from local charity run shop for 4 pounds (now that is cheap!) but unfortunatly thread/diameter means they don't quite fit.
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holmeboy wrote:
How does geting a gym membership (I use the local council run gym,monthly direct debit) get me to work? I/We've already got two cars.
Have googled/e-bay'ed, have found bargains (ultegra group set under 400 pounds)#
Have already got 4 bikes, should i throw them away and buy a cheapy?
come on serious cycling IS EXPENSIVE!
New caveat serious cycling now.
2 cars, 4 bikes & gym membership :shock: (was thinking the fitness angle with the gym rather than getting you to work, hence the suggestion of other forms of transport!) - no wonder you find it expensive - do you NEED and REGULARLY USE them all enough to justify them as a neccessity and not a luxury?
if not downscale and economise to what you NEED rather than what you CHOOSE TO HAVE. I'm sure for the on-costs of one of the cars or a serious bike you could have some pretty decent kit for the rest.
WHY do you have so much and WHY are you a serious cyclist. you choose to have it, you choose to be, you've made leisure/commute/serious rider lifestyle choices and have picked on something that has an shoddy economy end, a large entirely reasonable middle and a small expensive top end - if you choose to be a serious cyclist and play at the top end by choice then you have to take the financial consequences, As Frank has said, its called market forces. Serious cyclists will pay serious money for serious kit.
If someone was holding your loved ones hostage and threatening to send them back a finger at a time if you didn't own 4 bikes and kit them out from the top of the range stock then I might be a bit more sympathetic to your complaints.
Serious cycling has always been expensive if you've knowingly chosen to participate in the costly end of things theres not much point in complaining it costs money.0 -
Just for commuting it shouldn't be too bad- drivetrains, rims and tires last for thousands of miles and if you err on the side of durability rather than bling shouldn't be too expensive to replace. Thing is you forget the months/years you don't spend a penny.
As for things like lights I think realistic expectations are needed. Sure, decent ones are expensive now that they exist but you can still get something as good as you could have done 10 years ago for the same money or less. So if you want expensive stuff (i.e. lights you can actually see where you're going with) you'll have to pay for it, if you want the cheap stuff it's still out there.
Things like MTBS are a different story though, especially in winter with things like brake pads £15 an end and much more wear/damage. Mine seems to need a constant trickle of spending to keep it running well.0 -
If you can afford to have 4 bikes, 2 cars and gym membership, you shouldn't be moaning about cycling - you should perhaps consider cutting down if you can't actually afford what you have.
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You generally get what you pay for. If you keep buying cheap, it is a false economy as you will keep replacing those items as they wear out/break.
Get good quality stuff, look after it and it lasts a long time.
I have a 20+ year old Crmo Marin MTB. It costs me next to nothing to run, but when I do need to change something, I only buy quality brand stuff - not necessarily the most expensive, but usually mid-level Shimano type stuff.
If cycling's too expensive, then everything's going to be expensive.0 -
Just replaced the whole of my drive train for £70. after the amount of miles my last one did me that's dirt cheap. Yes, lights are quite pricey (I'm getting some myself) but should last quite a while. If you can spread the costs rather than having to get loads in one go it doesn't cost a lot (would probably be covered by that gym membership which you won't need once you have lights for the bike
). 0 -
Personally, I think cycling is cheap compared to running a car, Shimano sti road shifters excepted. Shimano are in danger of losing an awful lot of sales if road sti's continue to be so ludicrously expensive. Then again I pay £400 a year in car insurance. Compared to this sti's don't look so expensive after all.
I get to do a lot of cyling at no cost whatsoever to myself, except extra food maybe. A free bike to commute to and from work, helmet, all maintenance and replacement parts included. I also get paid to ride a bike, albeit one almost as heavy as a small car.
For those that haven't guessed already I'm a postman.0 -
brownleather wrote:If you can afford to have 4 bikes, 2 cars and gym membership, you shouldn't be moaning about cycling - you should perhaps consider cutting down if you can't actually afford what you have.
I never said I coulnd't afford I asked why it was so (expletive removed) expensive?0 -
shouldbeinbed wrote:holmeboy wrote:
How does geting a gym membership (I use the local council run gym,monthly direct debit) get me to work? I/We've already got two cars.
Have googled/e-bay'ed, have found bargains (ultegra group set under 400 pounds)#
Have already got 4 bikes, should i throw them away and buy a cheapy?
come on serious cycling IS EXPENSIVE!
New caveat serious cycling now.
2 cars, 4 bikes & gym membership :shock: (was thinking the fitness angle with the gym rather than getting you to work, hence the suggestion of other forms of transport!) - no wonder you find it expensive - do you NEED and REGULARLY USE them all enough to justify them as a neccessity and not a luxury?
if not downscale and economise to what you NEED rather than what you CHOOSE TO HAVE. I'm sure for the on-costs of one of the cars or a serious bike you could have some pretty decent kit for the rest.
WHY do you have so much and WHY are you a serious cyclist. you choose to have it, you choose to be, you've made leisure/commute/serious rider lifestyle choices and have picked on something that has an shoddy economy end, a large entirely reasonable middle and a small expensive top end - if you choose to be a serious cyclist and play at the top end by choice then you have to take the financial consequences, As Frank has said, its called market forces. Serious cyclists will pay serious money for serious kit.
If someone was holding your loved ones hostage and threatening to send them back a finger at a time if you didn't own 4 bikes and kit them out from the top of the range stock then I might be a bit more sympathetic to your complaints.
Serious cycling has always been expensive if you've knowingly chosen to participate in the costly end of things theres not much point in complaining it costs money.
One car for wife's work mainly, other for pulling horse box (daughters) .
I aint "playing at the top end", I love road cycling, I need a road bike,clothes,spares,lights,helmet,comfy saddle the list goes on, and they are All expensive.
Shall i just give up something I love then?0 -
holmeboy wrote:shouldbeinbed wrote:holmeboy wrote:
How does geting a gym membership (I use the local council run gym,monthly direct debit) get me to work? I/We've already got two cars.
Have googled/e-bay'ed, have found bargains (ultegra group set under 400 pounds)#
Have already got 4 bikes, should i throw them away and buy a cheapy?
come on serious cycling IS EXPENSIVE!
New caveat serious cycling now.
2 cars, 4 bikes & gym membership :shock: (was thinking the fitness angle with the gym rather than getting you to work, hence the suggestion of other forms of transport!) - no wonder you find it expensive - do you NEED and REGULARLY USE them all enough to justify them as a neccessity and not a luxury?
if not downscale and economise to what you NEED rather than what you CHOOSE TO HAVE. I'm sure for the on-costs of one of the cars or a serious bike you could have some pretty decent kit for the rest.
WHY do you have so much and WHY are you a serious cyclist. you choose to have it, you choose to be, you've made leisure/commute/serious rider lifestyle choices and have picked on something that has an shoddy economy end, a large entirely reasonable middle and a small expensive top end - if you choose to be a serious cyclist and play at the top end by choice then you have to take the financial consequences, As Frank has said, its called market forces. Serious cyclists will pay serious money for serious kit.
If someone was holding your loved ones hostage and threatening to send them back a finger at a time if you didn't own 4 bikes and kit them out from the top of the range stock then I might be a bit more sympathetic to your complaints.
Serious cycling has always been expensive if you've knowingly chosen to participate in the costly end of things theres not much point in complaining it costs money.
One car for wife's work mainly, other for pulling horse box (daughters) .
I aint "playing at the top end", I love road cycling, I need a road bike,clothes,spares,lights,helmet,comfy saddle the list goes on, and they are All expensive.
Shall i just give up something I love then?
Streuth! I give up. :shock:
GeoffOld cyclists never die; they just fit smaller chainrings ... and pedal faster0 -
Geoff_SS wrote:holmeboy wrote:shouldbeinbed wrote:holmeboy wrote:
How does geting a gym membership (I use the local council run gym,monthly direct debit) get me to work? I/We've already got two cars.
Have googled/e-bay'ed, have found bargains (ultegra group set under 400 pounds)#
Have already got 4 bikes, should i throw them away and buy a cheapy?
come on serious cycling IS EXPENSIVE!
New caveat serious cycling now.
2 cars, 4 bikes & gym membership :shock: (was thinking the fitness angle with the gym rather than getting you to work, hence the suggestion of other forms of transport!) - no wonder you find it expensive - do you NEED and REGULARLY USE them all enough to justify them as a neccessity and not a luxury?
if not downscale and economise to what you NEED rather than what you CHOOSE TO HAVE. I'm sure for the on-costs of one of the cars or a serious bike you could have some pretty decent kit for the rest.
WHY do you have so much and WHY are you a serious cyclist. you choose to have it, you choose to be, you've made leisure/commute/serious rider lifestyle choices and have picked on something that has an shoddy economy end, a large entirely reasonable middle and a small expensive top end - if you choose to be a serious cyclist and play at the top end by choice then you have to take the financial consequences, As Frank has said, its called market forces. Serious cyclists will pay serious money for serious kit.
If someone was holding your loved ones hostage and threatening to send them back a finger at a time if you didn't own 4 bikes and kit them out from the top of the range stock then I might be a bit more sympathetic to your complaints.
Serious cycling has always been expensive if you've knowingly chosen to participate in the costly end of things theres not much point in complaining it costs money.
One car for wife's work mainly, other for pulling horse box (daughters) .
I aint "playing at the top end", I love road cycling, I need a road bike,clothes,spares,lights,helmet,comfy saddle the list goes on, and they are All expensive.
Shall i just give up something I love then?
Streuth! I give up. :shock:
Geoff
Strueth, so do I.
ps
My mountain bike is 15 yrs old, was original wheels/frame/forks/handlebars/changers/deraillers/cassette only really changed tyres/innertubes/cranks/chain in that time, the dearest road bike I bought up until 2 yrs ago since getting married 25 yrs ago was 50 pounds so i know all about budget cycling. lights were crap, but i kept them working for years. :roll:0 -
I think the message is that it doesn't have to be expensive. I do spend more on cycling than others spend on their hobby, but nowhere near as much as some others. I don't need the bikes I have - the 20 year old Raleigh 531 with original groupset and DT shifters manages the 36 mile round trip to work no problem, and would do all day rides if I needed it to. It cost £308 in 1988, and the usual consumables as they wear out.
If you choose to make it expensive thats different - why pay £400 for Ultegra when Tiagra would do?Carlsberg don't make cycle clothing, but if they did it would probably still not be as good as Assos0 -
I don't want to judge you, but if you can afford to own two cars and horses, then the cost of cycling isn't high by any measure.
I bet a cycle helmet is not more than a horse-riding hat (or whatever the correct term is). Bikes don't need paid-for stables or food or cleaning out or anything else that goes with owning a horse.
I'm not judging you - well done for having the money to have these things. Your priorities are your own. Yes, top-end Gore clothes and Blackburn lights etc are expensive, but you don't need to buy any of that.
My cousin just bought everything he needs for cycling, from scratch. New Trek bike, lights, locks, clothes, maintenance kit - the whole thing. Cost him under £500 all in because he shopped around for the best prices - got the bike and most accessories from a LBS and the clothes from Aldi and Wiggle. Try places like Wiggle and you will get fair priced stuff.
If you still think cycling's too expensive, give it up. The economics and fun of cycling make perfect economic sense for most people, even those who only cycle occassionally. If it's not for you, it's not for you.0 -
holmeboy wrote:One car for wife's work mainly, other for pulling horse box (daughters).
Stop digging.
I bet a horse is loads more expensive than cycling.0 -
One car for wife's work mainly, other for pulling horse box (daughters) .
And you think cycling's expensive? Monthly breakdown for my daughter's pony is:-
Livery + trailer storage £120
Trailer and horse insurance £75
Farrier £50
Insurance on 4x4 needed to tow trailer (only reason we keep it) £40
Lessons £60
Food £6
Add to that competition entries, pony club membership, vets bills, dentist and God knows what else and I could probably buy myself a top end DA equipped racing bike every year and that's without the outlay on the pony and horse trailer to start with. It's worth it as she loves it and is teaching her the discipline of being responsible for something on a daily basis but puts the costs of cycling into perspective!0 -
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holmeboy wrote:******** here pissed, (12 hr shifts so it does'nt take much) but why is cycling so expensive? and how do all of you'se with a budget manage? Things i need which cost a lot :- Decent saddle (both bikes), Descent Lights (for commiting to and from work), not to mention tyres,inner tubes, brake pads, descent pump,new helmut. Worn out a few set of wheels, deraillers, cassettes, chains the list is fecking endless. Maybe I shouild have stuck to buying cheap second hand bike for 50 quid and just worn them out and then moved onto the next one, would be cheaper. :oops:
expense is all relative- you have to compare it to the other options- for commuting- car bus etc, for leasure- well- viewing anything as a hobby usually softens the blow
firstly do you need two bikes?
Lights are what- £30? Maybe £100 if you want two pairs of top notch ones.
Tyres- £30, pump £10, helmet £30- and most of these will last you more than a year!!
If your that cheap- just buy a £40 MTB on ebay, puncture proof it, cheap helmet and pump, cheap clothes from sports world, cover in WD40 and ride it until it falls apart
If you want anything better than the above- be prepared to pay! :?0 -
You have to compare like with like. Dura Ace or Record group sets could be called expensive, but they are used by professional cyclists- what would the equivalent be in car terms- a ferrari perhaps.
Cycling stuff has got more expensive recently because most of it is imported and the £ is now weak ( a whole other story...).
Even now I think a lot of cycling stuff is good value- most of it is good quality and even cheaper bikes now have things like carbon forks. Back in the good old days, things like Campagnolo were desirable because they were so expensive as to be out of the reach of most people.
' If we had some eggs, we could have egg and bacon, if we had some bacon'.0
