Abit of a cycleing debate....
blueneedles
Posts: 74
The main question im getting at before waffleing on or getting ito a rant is..
Has cycle manufactures and local bike shops forgoten about the budget biker!!!!
It seems that cycling on a budget is thing of the past as people including myself are struggleing to fully enjoy everything cycling has to give, Mainly the mark up on bikes/accesories/components/clothing.
I am fully aware that cycling is what you make of it and there is a large second hand market but the little guy on a tight budget should be able to afford everything you need but still be safe,warm,dry.
Im sure many people feel the pinch and feel the same frustration as myself.
ive spent alot of time researching for resonable priced set ups and struggle to get fully kitted with a bike purchase for under £300-£500. All i can see thats avilable for under that price is massively heavy or tat that lasts 2 mins.
Now i feel posting this i will be unidated with you get what you pay for etc etc but i wanted to see if anyone faces the same frustrations?
Has cycle manufactures and local bike shops forgoten about the budget biker!!!!
It seems that cycling on a budget is thing of the past as people including myself are struggleing to fully enjoy everything cycling has to give, Mainly the mark up on bikes/accesories/components/clothing.
I am fully aware that cycling is what you make of it and there is a large second hand market but the little guy on a tight budget should be able to afford everything you need but still be safe,warm,dry.
Im sure many people feel the pinch and feel the same frustration as myself.
ive spent alot of time researching for resonable priced set ups and struggle to get fully kitted with a bike purchase for under £300-£500. All i can see thats avilable for under that price is massively heavy or tat that lasts 2 mins.
Now i feel posting this i will be unidated with you get what you pay for etc etc but i wanted to see if anyone faces the same frustrations?
0
Posts
Done.
You could even do it cheaper.. of course you may want to get a helmet in that too..
with bjust these items mentioned = £400
how is that simple!!!!!!!!!!
I dont mean this to sound like im trying to but heads but most people seem to struggle with what BUDGET actually means! when i say budget i mean that my/your budget is from 0 not £300
Just how it is im afraid,pays your money and all that.
You dont need cycling shorts, shoes, jersey etc etc to get out on a bike on a sunny day - you should come and look down the promenade near my home on a Sunday morning - dozens of cyclists enjoying themselves and very few in full gear.
The main problem is that your forced to buy second hand so there maybe limited use and no garentee etc
Im looking for new parts myself and looking at what i need on my budget will take me nearly a year to save up for...
I think were to relaxed in the sence of "well im just gunna have to pay it then"
Like a said im not makeing this a rant more of a people seem to mention BUDGETS being the biggest issue!!!! while looking at a good majority of threads on here and freinds/family you always see/here "im looking for XXXX but im on a tight budget"
coincidence i think not
In your first post you said £300-£500 so a simple option was given, it is simple, £300 is the lowest priced bike, I have seen cheaper, but maybe not as good as the triban, maybe need a helmet, and a puncher repair kit, tube and pump, if on a budget, you can get all that apart from the tube at Aldi for less than £30
Plus a tight budget to me could be a completely different tight budget to some one else
PlanetX Pro Carbon
Voodoo Bizango
Undoubtedly there are possible factors that contribute to the cost of some entry level bikes - eg. the demand for carbon forks, brifters, etc - but even then I've seen bikes with downtube shifting and steel forks and they aren't that much cheaper... How much do you expect a new bike to cost: £70? £100? Halfords (amongst others) offer basic road bikes that are pretty cheap. Unfortunately the modern West has become conditioned into demanding cheap goods. The only reason you can have cheap clothes (and food, electricals and other manufactured or handmade commodities) is due to the excesses of capitalism: environmental destruction, appalling treatment of livestock and workers, and irresponsible investment.
For me personally I know what cycling 'on a budget' is like only too well. Unfortunately it just means I buy less. My cyclewear is tatty, and my bikes could use various upgrades. Though being old, they are cheap(ish) to run.
Fixed TT 2015-2016
ITS NOT A RANT! :x see thread header??? Being in britain and trying to save the pennies not useing the car etc buy a bike to save money so daily use! not to used once a week then a coat hanger for the rest.
Im trying to keep my cool here by trying to see both sides of the spectrum, NOT your asking alot from a £300 budget jeeeeeesssshhhh!
just tally up a bike plus essential spares and rideing kit even with aldi stuff you will most definatly struggle to spend less than £450-£500
Fixed TT 2015-2016
Try reading your posts - you're losing your rag because you cant have a full set of brand new gear (with guarantee) for £300 it seems - including all your CAPS isnt helping prove a point that its not a rant. Taking into account inflation over the years - i'd say cycling has probably never been cheaper to get into with bikes and kit that are better than kids toy level.
Fantastic responce!!!! For a decent bike that is fairly lighweight should start from £150 as it seems resonable?
Maybe you can get a really cheap bike for £150 - but i very much doubt it would be both decent and lightweight. Have you looked online for any £150 road bikes at all to see what you would get?
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110514154142AAnuBif
As i say im trying to keep calm and keep it to debate status but people always seem to just jump in not thinking! i used caps to highlight key points not to be angry.
If you read closely to my first post
"struggle to get fully kitted with a bike purchase for under £300-£500."
"the little guy on a tight budget should be able to afford everything you need but still be safe,warm,dry."
Now id like to stay on topic and not nit pick but the above 2 quotes were in my post and i ended with the typical respoce i would get! weird eh!
"Now i feel posting this i will be unidated with you get what you pay for etc etc but i wanted to see if anyone faces the same frustrations?"
I didnt at any point say i want a bike all all the gear for nothing! just saying that you have to short change yourself and get massive credit to enjoy a small amount of quality! does anyone share the same frustrations?
That's a bit optimistic to say the least. 0 is not a budget, it's 0. And for 0 you can get the sum total of F0ck all.
Can you tell us WHY the little guy on a tight budget should be able to afford everything for what is nigh on a weeks wage for even those on minimum wage?? As has been linked to by lc1981 - cycling now is cheaper than it's ever been. I dont get why you think people have a right to what is a pretty complex bit of kit for so little money (ie a lightweight bike for £150). Think of how that price is broken down and the sums just dont work. Taking off VAT and you're straight back to £125 for starters.
£300-£500 again, £500 is easy and my bike cost me less than 2 weeks wages, nowhere near a month, again, easy enough to do on £500 that was your upper limit
PlanetX Pro Carbon
Voodoo Bizango
Ive been rideing this and have spoken to a few owners of the vittesse sprint road bike and they sware by it as a decent bike. Yes its not carbon but it would deffinately fall into a budget bracket for just alittle over £150
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vittesse-Sprint ... sse+sprint
Y'know, like normal people have to..
So that leaves you £140 for some cycling gear. Thats enough to get you going including a helmet and shoes if you know where to look (Lidl for starters)
again i dont want to point out the obvious but all you read is £300-500 how about reading the word before it! il make it plain for people to see under £300-500 the upper limit is as far as you can go so why even go straight there thus the lower amount before?
Let me ask you this. your after a specific item in a shop you have say £20 "your budet" its all the rage is to have an item that does exactly the same for £200! yes it would be nice to have the £200 pound item but idely your going to look for smething £20 or cheaper for example!?
you must have a good gob as i am on min wage £198 a week which must also cover bills,mortgage,car etc! after the weekly shop i have £12-£15 spare to myself unless something breaks or essential maintanence on my house,car,bike is needed.
so this is why i and many others will start there budget from 0 and i dont mean i want summat for nowt!
Again someone else jumping to something off topic but as you brought this up it took me 4 years to save up for a double suspension bike that was second hand! so i appologise for that!
I think this is the crux of the matter. You're not talking about health care, education or housing but buying a bike. It's not something you have a right to and if you can't afford it you have to do without. Maybe it's frustrating but you have to accept it as fact.
The prices of goods are largely dictated by market forces and if enough people are willing to spend £500 on an entry level bike (and they are) that's what it will cost. There is no obligation for the manufacturer of what is a luxury item to supply it any cheaper.
Rob
If the spec of that Vittesse is adequate for what you want, and the price suits, then problem solved, surely? Don't be surprised if it wears out quickly, needs lots of servicing, and ends up costing a lot more over time, but as with all things, you pays your money and you takes your choice.
If you're really suggesting that the quality bikes should be a lot cheaper, then you're just being unrealistic.
Then you either buy the £20 item and accept thats your budget, or save up for the £200 for potentially a long time. You dont complain that the £200 item is not £20 because its out of your budget.
Well you just have to accept that at the moment, you dont have much money to spare for the "toys". I'd love a Ferrari but right now i cant afford one. Doesnt mean things cant change in the future - if you want it to and really try and make it happen.
Im not asking for a bike or i should get parts bikes for nothing! but people seemed to jump to that!
I tried to start a simple debate that turned into people going off topic. simply asking people if they has simular frustrations with how much things cost! but i can imagine if my thread was look at my 4 grand bike you would be all over it, being my point of the little guy is over looked?
this is the very reason i post very little to ask advise or even just try to start a convo as your reponce is always to be negative or very far from the point in hand or quick to judge