road biking is just too expensive!

Thebigbee

Deleted

Less of the personal abuse please. - Admin

DF33

"i would say i have spent in the region of £1000-1100 on everything in the last 4 years. now i know thats not a great sum to some of you,"

So, that works out at about £5 per week roughly.

Around 2 cappuchinos or 2 pints per week, The pleasure from those would last an hour, or two at most.
Compared to 5 to 25 hours on the bike for the same price.

All you need to do is 1 journey per week where instead. you would have taken the car or bus and that £5 becomes free.

Then Factor in the £200 to £400 sale proceeds from your bike when you pack it in or upgrade (remember, the cost of something isn't what you pay for it, it's the difference between what you paid for it and what you sell it for) and with that 1 journey per week included as well you actually SAVE around £1 per week by buying all your £1000 bike and kit over the period compared to not riding at all.

Expensive? I don't think so!

-steves-

If anyone really thinks cycling is expensive ( I don't btw) then they should take up one of the following sports

Fishing (a nice middle of the range pole for £750 which no doubt you will stand on or lose down the river somehwere, let alone all the other cack that goes with it which will cost a fortune, and you think cycling clothes are expensive :oops: The gear to go fishing with really does cost a mint once your into the sport and have different setups.

Radio controlled petrol planes or radio controlled helicoptors. Imagine buying your 2 grand carbon bike, then flying it through the air hoping and praying it dont run out of fuel, the engine doesn't just cut for no reason, some other di@k don't fly into you, you get the landings right everytime, your batteries don't go flat, your wiring holds up or one of loads of other reasons why your thousands of pounds bit of kit don't get smashed into the floor into hundreds of bits. Do that a few times a year and see just how cheap cycling is

Cyclying is a very cheap hobby / sport if you want it to be, a bit lile the ones above can also be done on a shoestring if you choose to, but most people tend to get into their particular sport or hobby and choose to have better items and upgrade over the years.

If I can only spend £1500 on cycling in 4 years I would be a very happy man, but I just know at some point that carbon frame is going to be bought, not because I need it, just because I want to, and I shall save up to do so

StillGoing

Compared to other sports and pastimes it's cheap IMO. When I rode motorcycles around the track, just for a very basic 6 or 7 event season of racing I'd be looking at a budget of around £800 per meeting. If I had a crash that figure could easily run into thousands. Even for a basic trackday you'd be looking at £200 a day just to get there, get on track and get home. Throw the bike down the road and again the bill could be thousands. Cycling by comparisson is pretty good value for money.

danowat

-steves- wrote:

If anyone really thinks cycling is expensive ( I don't btw) then they should take up one of the following sports

Fishing (a nice middle of the range pole for £750 which no doubt you will stand on or lose down the river somehwere, let alone all the other cack that goes with it which will cost a fortune, and you think cycling clothes are expensive :oops: The gear to go fishing with really does cost a mint once your into the sport and have different setups.

This week I brought a new £700 carbon disc for my TT setup, my workmate was like WWWWOOOOOOO £700 for a wheel!!!!, thats mental mate.

A few weeks ago, said workmate paid £600 for a fishing rod, I was like WWWWOOOOOO £600 for a rod, thats mental mate.

My missus pays £100 for a handbag, I am like WWWWOOOOO £100 for a handbag, thats mental love.

spyker

Thebigbee wrote:

spyker wrote:

P_Tucker wrote:

Yes. Some things in life are more expensive than others. It's not a basic human right to race a bike. I have a two step plan

1. Build a bridge
2. Get over it

build a bridge?? sounds expensive.

i know mate, will do. maybe will return to cycling one day in future if my circumstances change.

i know i will miss it, especially when the tour is on!! but hoping other sports can fill the void

Perhaps join a forum for your other sports that give a flying fk about your lack of money and stop being a massive trolling tool.

If you can't afford a bike may I suggest that a forum about bikes isn't the place for you.

Spyker - you are a massive berk but judging by your post no one has ever told you what a tool you are.

Well I just have.

You seriously need to get a life.

you know i read a previous post on this forum about how cyclists are often seen as a-holes - maybe this was solely about you 'thebigbee'

i am not new to the sport, i have been riding for 4 years and i can i agree, it is a great sport. all i was trying to do was express how difficult i have found it recently to continue due to the costs. i guess in a way i was trying to get some info on how other people manage to fund it. i assumed that on a cycling forum i might fnd this advice.

oh and btw bigbee, who the f cares what my punctuation is like?? does it matter if i make punctuation mistakes??? i had no idea posts had to be of dissitation standards!

danowat

I fund it by working, I justify it by saving £30 a week on diesel by commuting and because its weight management.

Sure, running was cheaper, but I can't due that anymore due to a knee injury

colsoop

The guy is just trying to vent frustration we all do it. Although an internet bike forum probably isn't the best outlet for this

I wouldn't look down my nose at someone on a supposed lesser bike or who isn't wearing the best clothing and i don't know anyone who would.

More to the point i wouldn't want to know anyone who would do that.

With all the hobbies we choose to enjoy we all do them to a budget, some are limitless and others are limited.

Do you honestly think the guy with the 10k Storck derives more pleasure from his riding than somebody on a planet x ?

Comparing 2 completely different sports is daft, Im willing to bet the costs of football equipment have risen just as much as cycling gear.


Are you doing the maintenance on the bike yourself or is an lbs saying you need these new parts ?

The mileage you have done isn't particularly great for the parts to wear out like they have, Are you regulalrly cleaning and lubing your drivetrain ?

Barteos

Cost of cycling (eqiupment) depends on how wisely you invest your money and how easily you resist the BS surrounding you.

E.g.

BIKE NR1
Carbon frame, 10sp drivetrain/gears - (alloy rings, HT2, BB30... whatever bottom bracket), low spoke count proprietary wheels, road pedal/shoes (cleats made of chocolate)

BIKE NR2
Steel frame (free or,cheap Ebay stuff) 8-9 sp drivetrain/gears (steel chainrings, square taper botom bracket), durable hand build 32H wheels, MTB pedals/shoes

Perfomance wise they'll be no significant difference between the two, but guess which one will last longer and will be cheaper to run...

cornerblock

danowat wrote:

-steves- wrote:

If anyone really thinks cycling is expensive ( I don't btw) then they should take up one of the following sports

Fishing (a nice middle of the range pole for £750 which no doubt you will stand on or lose down the river somehwere, let alone all the other cack that goes with it which will cost a fortune, and you think cycling clothes are expensive :oops: The gear to go fishing with really does cost a mint once your into the sport and have different setups.

This week I brought a new £700 carbon disc for my TT setup, my workmate was like WWWWOOOOOOO £700 for a wheel!!!!, thats mental mate.

A few weeks ago, said workmate paid £600 for a fishing rod, I was like WWWWOOOOOO £600 for a rod, thats mental mate.

My missus pays £100 for a handbag, I am like WWWWOOOOO £100 for a handbag, thats mental love.

WWWWOOOOO thanks danowat, in amongst all the whingeing you made me laugh.

Dmak

Bike £700
Pedals and shoes £150
New saddle £50
Cages and bottles £50
New bar tape £10
Lights £70
New Tyres £50
Saddle Bag £15
Pump £25
New Chainset £35
Mitts £20
Computer £50
Brake Blocks £15
Clothing £200
Tubes £20
Tools £80
Supplements £50
Novelty Carbon Spacers £5
Other stuff £50

£1645

90 hours use so far so that's about £18 per hour. Blimey it's not cheap is it!

But heck I love it. Some things are worth paying for. And this £18 per hour figure will go down and down. Some people will spend more than £1600 on a back wheel!

rolf_f

But of course you could do:

Bike £120
Pedals and shoes £40
New saddle £20
Cages and bottles £10
No new bar tape £0
Lights £20
New Tyres £20
Saddle Bag £5
Pump £25
No new chainset £0
Mitts £5
Computer £15
Brake Blocks £10
Clothing £50
Tubes £10
Tools £50
Supplements £? not sure what they are
No Novelty Carbon Spacers £0 (yah loony!)
Other stuff £0

£400

malcolmfrost

Bike Nr 3.
Focus Cayo Expert C+ Bike of the year 2007, cost £1300 from Wiggle. I've now done over 10000km on it, including several sportives, the Etape and ridden from Irun to Caen. Replaced cassette/chain to a 27, new bottom bracket and 2 new sets of tyres and a set of brake blocks. Even got the same bar tape and haven't had a puncture (Conti 4 Seasons) for 18 months. Do all the servicing myself, borrow tools if I haven't got them.
Sometimes buying cheap to start with isn't the best policy, good parts at the beginning last longer.
Personally I choose to run an old car and we camp for holidays in the summer, usually in France so more cycling!
In comparison to gym membership, or even just swimming 2x a week for £10 it's good value.

Mark Alexander

It's as expensive as you make it. the cost after bike and clothing can be controlled by maintaining your own bike, I don''t when it's big things. I have more kit than i desparately need but then I race, and enjoy my past time.

I as a single bloke have spent WAY TOO MUCH on this sport but could have done it much cheaper. I don't care though.

Mark Alexander

is 5 bikes too many. Hell no it's no. Don't forget the equasion: NOB +1 = nob required

MrChuck

It's surely not a huge surprise that sports that need equipment are more expensive than those that don't, is it? I don't see how you can feel hard done by if it's a bit of a stretch for you.

I've always fancied paragliding. It's not cheap- on top of kit and training for licences it's not something you can do from your front door.

But there it is- that's what's involved. I don't see the point of comparing it with football, or darts, or whatever.

And this stuff about people looking down on you for not having the right kit/bike or whatever- I reckon it's largely guff. There are plenty of people on here claimng this happens to them, but where are the posts from people telling us how they took pleasure on breezing past someone in trainers on a cheap bike? Do they exist? If they did and they were that sort of tosser I'd have thought they'd be on here letting everyone know about it.

MattJPaul

To be fair, a couple years ago when I was riding in trainers and toe-clips I did get a full blown look-me-up-and-down smirk from some guy gliding by on a descent.

I turned the corner at the bottom of the hill to find him standing next to a mangled wheel and shouting into his mobile. I didn't try to stifle my laughter as I sped by. Not particularly good form I know, but he deserved it.

However, 99.9% of cyclists will usually give you a nod as you pass on opposite sides, etc. The sense of community is a real plus; if anyone cares whether you're wearing Aldi shoes or Sidi Dragons then they're missing the point and frankly, screw 'em. As illustrated above, we all enjoy the same benefits and pitfalls regardless of carbon to alu/top brand to affordable brand ratio.

P_Tucker

MrChuck wrote:

It's surely not a huge surprise that sports that need equipment are more expensive than those that don't, is it? I don't see how you can feel hard done by if it's a bit of a stretch for you.

I've always fancied paragliding. It's not cheap- on top of kit and training for licences it's not something you can do from your front door.

But there it is- that's what's involved. I don't see the point of comparing it with football, or darts, or whatever.

And this stuff about people looking down on you for not having the right kit/bike or whatever- I reckon it's largely guff. There are plenty of people on here claimng this happens to them, but where are the posts from people telling us how they took pleasure on breezing past someone in trainers on a cheap bike? Do they exist? If they did and they were that sort of tosser I'd have thought they'd be on here letting everyone know about it.

Yeah, I LOVE blasting past chippers wearing a fluorescent yellow Altura jacket whilst I'm in £700 worth of Assos.

Mark Alexander

I love my SS Pompino more than my TT rig. It's a bit of fun but I wouldn't TT on it.

desweller

Perhaps the problem here is more to do with lack of money management? I mean, my first road bike broke even within 12 months purely due to fuel saved in commuting - i.e. before I'd accounted for the additional recreational miles.

The workhorse bike has been even more spectacular, considering how little it cost to buy.

However, there are certain trends that may make cycling more expensive - there's not much provision for spares for those of us with 5-, 6-, 7- or 8-speed setups, square taper chainsets or quill stems/threaded headsets (what exactly was wrong with a quill stem anyway?), eventually requiring upgrades just to ensure a reliable source of spares.

rolf_f

DesWeller wrote:

However, there are certain trends that may make cycling more expensive - there's not much provision for spares for those of us with 5-, 6-, 7- or 8-speed setups, square taper chainsets or quill stems/threaded headsets (what exactly was wrong with a quill stem anyway?), eventually requiring upgrades just to ensure a reliable source of spares.

It isn't that difficult - how often do you need a new chainset anyway? Rings aren't too hard to source.

As for quill stems - not too good at keeping the water out apparently.

Dmak

I knew someone would scrutinize my bill!:

Bike £120 = Old steel bike, could have been lovely I admit
Pedals and shoes £40 = Clamped in FTW, cost included new cleats after I broke one
New saddle £20 = Feasible
Cages and bottles £10 = Too true, money wasted.
No new bar tape £0 = White yellow manky tape meh
Lights £20 = dull, £50 of the £80 was spent on a Magicshine MJ-808 it brings the day to the night, much much safer.
New Tyres £20 = Possible regret after losing grip in a fast corner
Saddle Bag £5 = Too big, I wanted a topeak weenie one.
Pump £25 = I forgot to add the track pump! + £20
No new chainset £0 = Well if they're good on my dream £120 bike all is good.
Mitts £5 = Rubbish, numb hand possibility.
Computer £15 = No cadence
Brake Blocks £10 = Haven't fitted these yet.
Clothing £50 = I'd have died in the cold of last winter.
Tubes £10
Tools £50
Supplements £? not sure what they are = Protein, sweet salty powder.
No Novelty Carbon Spacers £0 (yah loony!) = I knows. Cheap though and look better stacked above the stem, the original white ones are below.
Other stuff £0

It could have been a lot cheaper, I could have stuck with my MTB with slicks.

Anonymous

Can't believe people are getting so worked up about it.

It's true cycling doesn't have to be expensive, but sod it a bit of carbon bling here and there and knowing you've got the best kit you can afford can be fun, even if you don't really need it.

OP - one way you could have saved money in the long run is by buying better kit as the original stuff wore out. Tigra is pretty low end, low end stuff doesn't last as long. Buying cheap can be a false economy especially if you do high miles like you were.

Example, the cheap chain and cassette that came with my old bike wore out in 500 miles. Replaced with a decent (not top of the range) SRAM chain (£30 LBS) and 1090 cassette (bargain from Merlin) and after more than 2000 miles the cassette looks like new and even the chain has some life left in it.

Buying parts second hand through this very site is another great way to save some pennies.

BelgianBeerGeek

As the saying goes: "Two grand bike, 20p legs." Most hobbies are expensive once you consider it, and if you join the arms race that all hobbies/pastimes/clubs get involved in then more fool you. The best investment you will make is in yourself. If you are enjoying it then whats the problem. If you're not, quit.
The comments about commuting are true BTW - it will save you a fortune, not cost you one.

danowat

I hate all these bills, I dread to think how much I have spent on TT kit, I darent tot it all up!!!!

rolf_f

Dmak wrote:

I knew someone would scrutinize my bill!:

But of course - why post it otherwise?

Not saying I'd disagree with any of your spends (except maybe the novelty carbon spacers!) - I've both bought plenty of kit off Aldi/Lidl and spent £80 on two bottle cages for my Look! Didn't have to of course - but it would have been wrong not to :oops:

Rich Hcp

There is an old saying:

£1,000 bike and £1 legs, they're the idiots wno buy top of the range gear and think it makes them a cyclist.

Get pedals and shoes from reletives for a birthday or Christmas present.

For clothing try http://www.encove.co.uk/cycling-jerseys/cat_2.html or ebay

Be a little bit canny and you can save loads

Lillywhite

All hobbies cost money, some more than others. As for cycling it can cost as little or as much as you wish to make it.

rdt

diploid wrote:

It's not that retailers are taking the proverbial, it's more to do with the currency having lost 30% of its value and certain commodity prices having risen in dollar terms. Eventually, those price differentials work through.

Indeed.

Between the middle of 2007 and start of 2009, the Sterling/Yen exchange rate fell by 50%, and is little different to that now. So Shimano prices soared. Against other currencies, Sterling's fall was less extreme, but still very substantial. Retail prices took some time to fully reflect Sterling's devaluation, and this then coincided with many commodities experiencing parabolic rises.

Blame Bernanke, Gordon Brown, China and Wiggle. Mostly Wiggle.

milese

Football is generally available once a week for 90 minutes for 30 weeks of the year. If you want to be fit to play well that may cost you ~£30 a month for gym membership.

I used to play 5 a side at goals (franchised all weather pitches), and that cost about £6 for half an hour.

Comparing cycling to football isnt even apples and pears, its not comparable, and the notion that you partake in one or the other is bizarre.

It isn't cheap, but compared to anything else you might so for 10+ hours a week competitively its probably not bad value. Its not just riding either, its the change in approach to life, eating, training, competiting, dreaming, winning?! Its priceless compared to the sedentary hobbieless lives I see some people living.

I did a race last weekend. Apart from needing the bike, kit, licence etc it cost:

Entry fee - £25
Travel - £30
Gels and energy drink - £5
Punctured tubular - £50

Ok that was an expensive one, but most races cost £15 plus about the same in travel and gels. A club TT that I cycle to probably costs a pound to enter and a pound for a gel.

Easily a couple of hundred a month during the racing season. Without crashing.

I save 75 miles a week commuting though, which would probably cost £100 a month.

The age of your average recreational cyclist is getting higher, the older bunch having loads of disposable cash. A an old guy at my club has just bought a Di2 Cube. He understandably isn't that quick but really enjoys it, is supportive and clearly has the money to spend.

If someone turned up to our club run on a cheap bike with trainers and t shirt I'd like to think I wouldn't judge them, but it would only be natural to notice that they are 'different', and I'd probably keep an eye out for how well they ride.

It is nice having good stuff, and I understand people wanting better than Lidl, but I dont get people spending £100 + on bib shorts and jerseys.