Perceived cost of road bike and kit

Anonymous

There is a lot of ranting on here basically revolving around how much people spend on their hobby.
I have my own ideas on why this is but as I do not really want this thread to be a 'war' between fellow cyclists I will not mention my views.

Have just read the Angry Asians comment on the home page and one of the things he does is compare bike ownership to car ownership.
The thing he seems to miss out and one of the reasons I feel that we have the problem is that everyone knows/accepts what a sports car cost, but those same people (even if they own the car!) may react very differently to a four figure bike etc.
Even people with lots of cash seem to find spending thousands on a bike shocking.
If it were scuba diving etc. they would be more likely to just accept it was an expensive hobby.

My question is how big a gap (if any) do you think there is between what the average person thinks mid range bike/kit costs and what it realistically does cost?
I am not looking for figures particularly (as its very subjective) but just wondered if anyone agreed that cycling is basically an expensive hobby, but not generally accepted as such in the same way as other hobbies might be.

elderone

It is an odd one for sure,and before I got into cycling I never have believed you could spend 4 figures sums on a bike.
I still say to myself,I cant believe I spent that on a bike with out an engine but once your into the hobby then it makes sense.People spend over a grand on a fishing rod or golf sticks so hobby wise its still "normal"

farrina

I often point out to argumentative car drivers that the cyclists bikes (and clothing) that they almost took out with their wilful driving probably costs significanlty more than the value of their car.

Interesting to see their mouths open like goldfish whilst they digest such information which is always a good rejoinder to the usual clap trap about "you dont pay road tax" <yawn>

One thing for certain, running and swimming are cheap but boy cycling is very expensive once you start getting into the sport (I am sure I will start an argument along the lines that you don't need to buy Dura Ace stuff next ...)

Happy cycling

Regards

Alan

zardoz

My other hobby is Photography. If you think cycling can be expensive then don't take up Photography seriously!

I think the problem is when people don't understand what is involved then they can't understand the expense. I get this all the time with cameras "My iphone is just as good as your 5 grand camera" yeah right! Try getting this on your iphone

http://i4apicture.com/london2012/e3672498

ju5t1n

My racing bike cost 3 times the amount I paid for my car. Priorities.

Phil Fouracre

Is it me? Not quite sure about the point of this thread. So what? If it's something you enjoy, spend whatever you want, who gives a stuff what anyone else thinks. We've got eight bikes already and then the missus suggested that I get an electric assist bike to help recovery from bad, non cycling, accident. Spent £1700, which we really couldn't afford, on it, much to most peoples amazement, they thought that it was a ridiculous price. Give my missus her due, she thought it was worth it purely for my sanity - as usual she was dead right.

richie771

THis thread made me chuckle - You know it's wrong but you can't help yourself!

I'm sure it's the same medical condition that some girls get in hand bag shops lol...

I started with a B'Twin 3 then got the bug. Took advise and went for good value for money so as to dip my toe in the water! Not of course realising the hidden costs (Pedals, Shoes, Helmet, Eye protection, Jersey & Shorts). £300 bike soon became £500+

Totally got the bug and felt (In honesty) a little un-cool on my decathlon budget bike. Nothing at all wrong with bike, but it wouldn't get on the Top Gear 'Cool Wall'

Went to Halfords (Huge mistake) and brought a Boardman Team Carbon 105 spec'd bike. Unfortunately I suffered the well documented BB30 problem with this bike so was never truly happy with it, as it had 3 BBs in 4 Months! Grrrrr. In the shop more than out, and the Staff were just not trained in High Performance road bikes.

Then realised that I needed a Winter (Wet weather) bike - The theme continues, then it was better Jerseys....Oh then you try n Assos in a store! OMG big mistake..... Assos mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Now I am satisfied (Wife is LOL right now) with my lot. (Do you believe me..........?)

Bikes are now Jamis Xenith Pro Di2 with Mavic Ksyriums and winter bike is a Cannondale Synapse CAAD.

Will it ever end? Of course it will..

Di3 anyone>>>>>>>>>>>>

BTW in case you wonder (Why am I justifying myself)

I work hard, I have a good job that I love, I don't smoke, I pay Tax oh and I help little old ladies across the road!

Just throwing it out there - It is only Men that throw themselves head long into 'hobbies'? I have done Cars, Motorbikes, Scuba, Golf Etc. Cycling for now anyway (Past 2 years at least anyway) - Oh look cheap Parachute on Ebay!!!!!!!

farrina

richie771 wrote:

THis thread made me chuckle - You know it's wrong but you can't help yourself!
...Oh then you try n Assos in a store! OMG big mistake..... Assos mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
!

How very true - I resisted the siren voices of Assos for many years and eventually succumbed to a pair of (cheap for Assos) bibshorts -what a revelation!

I am now on the slipply slope and have purchased lots of Assos stuff (and I know it costs an arm and a leg) but IMHO it definately does it for me and no I do not pose!!

The only other thing that came close recently was the purchase of some Sidi Hydro GTX shoes (booties) that I can wear with thick woollen socks - bliss in the wet/cold after 35 years of cycling. Why did it take me so long???

The excuse I use is that I dont smoke or drink and its good for me (if not my bank balance).

Each to their own .....

chrisaonabike

I can't afford a Rolls Royce, or an Aston Martin, or to lovingly restore and fly a Spitfire (at over £5000 per hour!!).

But I'm very glad there are those that can, else these things wouldn't exist. And we'd all be the poorer for it.

Same with bikes. I'm happy for now with my one, and I have most of the clothes I need for it. But I think it's great that enough people, with enough money, and enough enthusiasm, generate a market for all the stuff that one day I might want, and in the meantime enjoy looking at.

Not at all pointing the finger at anyone, but I utterly despise anything (and there's a lot of it about these days) that smacks of the politics of envy.

Strith

Carbonator wrote:

My question is how big a gap (if any) do you think there is between what the average person thinks mid range bike/kit costs and what it realistically does cost?
I am not looking for figures particularly (as its very subjective) but just wondered if anyone agreed that cycling is basically an expensive hobby, but not generally accepted as such in the same way as other hobbies might be.

In general I think the percieved gap is bigger for people newer to the hobby, but I hink thats the same with any hobby really.

I've been cycling since I was a child and it's been my lifelong interest, so I'm used to what it costs and having worked in manufacturing I have some idea of what it cost to manufacture goods on different scales.

A lot of my friends compete in motorsport and TBH cycling is pretty cheap compared. How expensive cycling, or any hobby for that matter, is to any individual, depends on their level of disposable income really.

IanREmery

My wife bakes for a hobby (rapidly turning into an extra revenue stream tbh).

After she burnt out 3 hand mixers in as many weeks, we looked around for a proper kitchen mixer. Ended up spending about £400 on a KitchenAid (often seen on GBBO). Bought ours in the Xmas sale, normally I believe they are closer to £500 a pop.

That was about 2 years ago, that KitchenAid has made more cakes than Mary Berry since and still looks pristine new.

I was planning on spending just over a grand on a Cube Peloton, the aluminium frame road bike with carbon forks. Just as I'm about to sign on the dotted line my wife pops up with "The carbon one is less than 200 quid more, we can afford it if you want to buy that one instead".

:-o

So I did, and I'm glad I did as the carbon frame Cube Agree GTC is amazing, soaks up so many of the bumps in the road and is a wonderful and comfy 1st roadbike. Done over 150 miles in a fortnight on it with no discomfort at all.

The moral of this otherwise dull story is - if something is going to get some serious use, you might as well spend that bit extra if you can to get the nicer stuff!

Fursty Ferret

Try racing motorbikes. A grand a weekend, on top of actually buring the sodding bike in the first place. Multiply that by the number of rounds per season, and then the number of seasons. Astronomical.

farrina

IanREmery wrote:

Just as I'm about to sign on the dotted line my wife pops up with "The carbon one is less than 200 quid more, we can afford it if you want to buy that one instead".

Sounds like your wife should be working in sales rather than baking with a comment like that .... "because your worth it" comes to mind as a recent slogan.

Anonymous

Thanks for your input guys. Seems fairly friendly so far lol.

The point of the thread (for the person that asked) was really just to understand if there is a big gap in what people think a half decent bike costs.
I kind of meant between everyone i.e. non cyclists (some of who will become new cyclists) v cyclists, not newbies v people who have been cycling a while.

Ultimately I would hope that a better understanding of what and why people do things will help stop ranting etc. so we can all just get on with cycling.......but I was not holding my breath

I think there are a combination of factors that make cycling a flash point, but feel the initial realisation (or lack of it) that it is (not can be) an expensive hobby has much to do with it.

A lot of people are suggesting other expensive hobbies. Do you guys go on forums for those? and if so is there the same level of negative comments around what things cost etc?

IanREmery

farrina wrote:

IanREmery wrote:

Just as I'm about to sign on the dotted line my wife pops up with "The carbon one is less than 200 quid more, we can afford it if you want to buy that one instead".

Sounds like your wife should be working in sales rather than baking with a comment like that .... "because your worth it" comes to mind as a recent slogan.

I was a bit stunned myself. Think my initial response was "Pardon?!".

Then it was WIN!

We only got married in November, so I put it down to still being in that honeymoon period. Rather than the other thought that was "Why is she trying to get me out of the house more....?!" ;-)

Anonymous

ChrisAOnABike wrote:

I can't afford a Rolls Royce, or an Aston Martin, or to lovingly restore and fly a Spitfire (at over £5000 per hour!!).

But I'm very glad there are those that can, else these things wouldn't exist. And we'd all be the poorer for it.

Same with bikes. I'm happy for now with my one, and I have most of the clothes I need for it. But I think it's great that enough people, with enough money, and enough enthusiasm, generate a market for all the stuff that one day I might want, and in the meantime enjoy looking at.

Not at all pointing the finger at anyone, but I utterly despise anything (and there's a lot of it about these days) that smacks of the politics of envy.

Thats pretty much exactly how I feel too Chris.

diy

Avg joe.
A good bike is £300, 500 for something really good.

me - add a zero

That said.

If you asked how much do you need to spend to get the best of your ability.. I'd say about 1000-1500 new.

my mirs is a photographer and does weddings as a hobby business.
camera body £1k-1.5k min x 2
lenses £1-2k min x 3-4 (wide angle 16-35, med zoom 24-70, long zoom 70-200 and primes)
flash and lights 4-500 x 2, plus 3 x 200-300 studio + backgrounds and props + 100 - 150

then you have computers software NAS servers for backup etc. add another 2-3k


to me a decent camera including lens 1-1.5K? so I also need to add a zero.
if she didn't do it as a hobby business it would be about 3-4k.

Anonymous

diy wrote:

Avg joe.
A good bike is £300, 500 for something really good.

me - add a zero

That said.

If you asked how much do you need to spend to get the best of your ability.. I'd say about 1000-1500 new.

Spooky, I think my figures would have been exactly the same for all 3 things that you mentioned :shock:

I just feel that if everyone accepted it as an expensive (I know it does not have to be that expensive ;-) ) hobby in the same way as they possibly would other hobbies, then we could all just get on with helping each other get the most from it.

As someone who likes quality bikes and kit I am sick of being made to feel as though I am riding around looking down on others. I want others to have great stuff too and will do all I can (via advice, not cash ) to help that happen.

AchillesLeftKnee

Carbonator wrote:

I am not looking for figures particularly (as its very subjective) but just wondered if anyone agreed that cycling is basically an expensive hobby, but not generally accepted as such in the same way as other hobbies might be.

Personally, I'd class road* as potentially an insanely cheap hobby in the sense that the costs of entry are pretty low in the grand scheme of things, and the marginal cost of partaking in it after paying the entry costs is potentially fractions of a penny. Sure, it can be made into a far from cheap activity, but those costs are very much discretionary. As a self-confessed tight-wad, I can't say that road* sets my financial alarm bells ringing in the slightest - the chances are I'll get through the year with no more than a couple of hundred quid spent on consumables, and that's dirt cheap in my book.


* And NOT anything off-road related. MTB is an acronym for "My Terrified bank Balance" as far as I'm concerned.

DavidJB

The people that shout on the forums about expensive bikes are normally just jealous.

supermurph09

Agree with the person above about priorities.

I think what is hard to understand is how a bike can cost more than a car (more later). I recently sold a 53 plate renault clio for £1250 and sat in my dining room, surrounded by guard dogs, razor wire and Ninjas was my 2013 Cube that cost £1600. I think its hard for the brain to comprehend how that can be possible, I mean how many parts are on a car, how many people were involved in making it, logistics, supply chain etc. But you can equate that to almost anything.

What I don't think your average joe knows is just how good bikes are these days, the R&D that has gone into making them that way, the cost of new materials and development of them etc, impossible to put a number on that. That cost is reflected in the price. But look at it like this (people dont), You buy a bike for £1600, you ride it 4 times a week for 12 months or roughly 200 times a year. Thats £8 per ride, not bad for 2,3,4... hours entertainment. Maintenance costs are pretty small. Then at the end of 12 months you could probably recoup 60% of the cost. Approx £900. So £1600 - £900 = £700. Divide that by 200 = £3.50 a ride. CHEAP!

I really dont mind the costs, I like to believe you get what you pay for, if you enjoy your hobby, why the hell not.

AchillesLeftKnee

Carbonator wrote:

A lot of people are suggesting other expensive hobbies. Do you guys go on forums for those? and if so is there the same level of negative comments around what things cost etc?

That all applies to coarse fishing, certainly, and the cost spread from starter kit to the top stuff is very similar to what you see in road cycling. Hell, there's even a sub-cult dedicated to using vintage kit for the fun of it, and the statement "it won't make you catch more fish" is almost directly analogous to "it won't make you quicker" in the sense that it's the operator that makes the biggest difference, but the kit can have a lot more impact on performance and the pleasure of the experience than many would admit.

sancho_uk

I genuinely think this can be summed up quite easily:

It`s an as expensive a hobby as you want it to be / can afford.

I remember only a few weeks ago looking to start road biking with a budget of £600.. I didnt really like any of the bikes in the price region and knew if i didnt like my bike i would ride it.. So spent double that on my first road bike..

Pedals, Helmet, Jerseys, Bib Shorts, etc etc.. Spent £2k

Do i regret it? Not in the slightest i have fallen for the sport big time and love discovering roads i frankly didnt know existed. My bank balance isnt too happy but if i dont look at it, its alright :P

Any hobby is expensive is you have no interest in it though seriously.

Golf - Clubs £1000+ then membership fees etc
Photography as covered above many many thousands to get pro grade kit
Football rugby - Kit, Boots, subs, travel etc etc.

Biking is initially very expensive at least it has been for me, but there is little cheaper once you get going? You dont have to travel to ride.. 2 bottles filled with tap water.. Couple of spare inner tubes and some food and you have a day out...

Hobbies that are deemed to be cheap by the time you factor in travel and other things can cost what seems cheap initially but add £20 up multiple times throughout the year and it soon adds up.

team47b

Carbonator wrote:

A lot of people are suggesting other expensive hobbies. Do you guys go on forums for those? and if so is there the same level of negative comments around what things cost etc?

I belong to the BMW Isetta forum, every part for these cars are expensive, people tend to be older and more mature, but mainly the difference is that it is co-operative not competitive, maybe because it doesn't have the 'sport' label

chrisaonabike

Carbonator wrote:

I am sick of being made to feel as though I am riding around looking down on others.

Well unless you are, it's jealousy, simple as.

I suffer from it as much as the next guy - for example, yesterday I was out in my Muddy Fox gear and three guys came past me, all dressed in Rapha. They weren't going so fast they couldn't have said 'hi', but not one of them did.

For an instant, I thought what I think a lot of people would think, but I saw it for what it was, and crushed the thought as it materialised.

If I'd been overtaking them, rather than they me, the feeling would have been different. The jealousy would have been there, but the inferiority wouldn't, so the jealousy would have been trivial.

It's human nature to feel inferior and/or jealous, it's what you do with those feelings that's important, and the simple fact is that many, possibly even most, people are not self-aware enough to notice what's going on inside their head.

Chris_marshall

I play golf and all my golf equipment cost well over £1000 and memebership at a golf club is the same again a year. I think cycling is as expensive as you won't to make it.

Crozza

zardoz wrote:

My other hobby is Photography. If you think cycling can be expensive then don't take up Photography seriously!

I think the problem is when people don't understand what is involved then they can't understand the expense. I get this all the time with cameras "My iphone is just as good as your 5 grand camera" yeah right! Try getting this on your iphone

http://i4apicture.com/london2012/e3672498

an iphone would be better for a picture like this

http://i4apicture.com/london2012/h3672498#hd6b3c42

some things just shouldn't be seen in such high-definition!

Bozman

According to the Mrs, it's ok for me to spend the amount I do on bikes as long as I use them, this quote also helps when she complains about the amount of time I spend out on the bike.
Why do I need to spend a lot of money on bikes? I don't race, I don't do sportives and I don't even belong to a club, but I've cycled for twenty years, I ride thousands of miles a year and I can't get enough of it... so f**k it.

As somebody else mentioned, it's as expensive as you want it to be and it'll be just as enjoyable if you spend £500 or £5000, plus we all soon realise it's the engine that does the work not the bling.

A KIRK

For me its about enjoying what I have, yes I 'd love a bike costing £1000's and all the top end gear, but for me would I fully appreciate/benefit from it, probably not to be honest, as I'm just not a fantastic rider. However I do enjoy looking at other bikes when out on the road, but it never worries me if someone on a top spec or a bottom spec bike leaves me standing.

Its a hobby which I enjoy, and I enjoy the kit I have. Your going to get snobs shall we say or jelous people in all walks of life from those with jobs to those without wheather it be sport, hoobby, car or anything.

Yes I agree many people have no idea quite how much some bikes cost, or the fact that there are bikes out there costing so much. Similar in some ways to valeters who have £1000's worth of gear and polish to valet a car, where as most of us just use your basic sponge and bucket maybe with somehting like turtle was in it.

If your not into something then your not really going to know what you can buy.

I think its just a case of enjoying what you have.

zardoz

Crozza wrote:

zardoz wrote:

My other hobby is Photography. If you think cycling can be expensive then don't take up Photography seriously!

I think the problem is when people don't understand what is involved then they can't understand the expense. I get this all the time with cameras "My iphone is just as good as your 5 grand camera" yeah right! Try getting this on your iphone

http://i4apicture.com/london2012/e3672498

an iphone would be better for a picture like this

http://i4apicture.com/london2012/h3672498#hd6b3c42

some things just shouldn't be seen in such high-definition!

One of them isn't you is it?

pride4ever

To get a good bike with some immediate upgrading and enough kit to get you up and on the road you wont see much change out of £1800 imho.
Anything less and youve gone for a budget bike and/or settled for non to a few new parts and barely enough clothes to get you through the four seasons of the year.