Is it just me or is this getting out of hand?
03-07-08, 12:26 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
Is it just me or is this getting out of hand?
$7000 bikes? $3000 frames? Save 100 grams! $2000 wheels? $600 bike computer! $250 shoes?
What happened to cycling?
What happened to cycling?
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Last edited by guygadois; 03-07-08 at 12:32 PM.
03-07-08, 12:29 PM
#2
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Toys, man! It's all about the toys! 
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"There is love and there is work, and we only have one heart." Edgar Degas
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"There is love and there is work, and we only have one heart." Edgar Degas
03-07-08, 12:34 PM
#3
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"A fool and his money are soon parted"
There is no shortage of people in the bike industry willing to take a fools money.
There is no shortage of people in the bike industry willing to take a fools money.
03-07-08, 12:38 PM
#5
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it's just you
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'In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, "Make us your slaves, but feed us." '
-Fyodor Dostoevsky's Grand Inquisitor
'In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, "Make us your slaves, but feed us." '
-Fyodor Dostoevsky's Grand Inquisitor
03-07-08, 12:39 PM
#6
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Just because it is offered doesn't mean you have to partake. I have a $1600 (when I bought it new) road bike, but I also have several other bikes that are older, lower tech, and suit my needs just fine. At the end of the day, it is still more about the rider than the bike.
03-07-08, 12:39 PM
#7
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03-07-08, 12:39 PM
#8
Former Hoarder
It's just you if you feel you HAVE to go that route.
There are options for everything. Good ones too.
There are options for everything. Good ones too.
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03-07-08, 12:41 PM
#9
You got Madoned!
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I love the fool label.
People spend money on what makes them happy. Some people have lots of money to spend on their hobbies.
A wise man said something a long time about how only the fool proclaims himself to be wise...
People spend money on what makes them happy. Some people have lots of money to spend on their hobbies.
A wise man said something a long time about how only the fool proclaims himself to be wise...
03-07-08, 12:42 PM
#10
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People want to feel like pros without doing the work. Period, its like that in everything i've done, music, biking, climbing etc.
03-07-08, 12:47 PM
#11
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Cycling's always had chi-chi stuff that cost a ton, sometimes with negligible benefits, often at the expense of durability.
Remember 'drillium' cranks, brakes, chainrings, etc.? How about the early aerodynamic stuff that didn't do squat? What about those early CF/titanium bikes that were more exercises in material applications than bikes worth riding? Those machines and parts all cost a ton, and honestly, nowadays you get better value for your money when you buy the new ultra-high-end bikes – at least they're not likely to break up on you while in a sprint or descending a hill.
Remember 'drillium' cranks, brakes, chainrings, etc.? How about the early aerodynamic stuff that didn't do squat? What about those early CF/titanium bikes that were more exercises in material applications than bikes worth riding? Those machines and parts all cost a ton, and honestly, nowadays you get better value for your money when you buy the new ultra-high-end bikes – at least they're not likely to break up on you while in a sprint or descending a hill.
03-07-08, 12:48 PM
#12
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+1 - and we're all responsible for the choices we make.
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Visit my blog -->MyOrangeBike
"There is love and there is work, and we only have one heart." Edgar Degas
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"There is love and there is work, and we only have one heart." Edgar Degas
03-07-08, 12:49 PM
#13
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Anyway, that's what my wife tells me!
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Visit my blog -->MyOrangeBike
"There is love and there is work, and we only have one heart." Edgar Degas
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"There is love and there is work, and we only have one heart." Edgar Degas
03-07-08, 12:50 PM
#14
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"When you are chewing the bars at the business end of a 90 mile road race you really dont care what gear you have hanging from your bike so long as it works."
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"When you are chewing the bars at the business end of a 90 mile road race you really dont care what gear you have hanging from your bike so long as it works."
ΛΧΑ ΔΞ179 - 15% off your first Hammer Nutrition order!
03-07-08, 12:51 PM
#15
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Oh, I forgot one of my favorites - $50 water bottle cages!! Now that should improve your ability to stay with the group :-)
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03-07-08, 12:52 PM
#17
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03-07-08, 12:55 PM
#18
You got Madoned!
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QQ more. Some people like to buy nice *expensive* things. SO WHAT?
03-07-08, 12:55 PM
#19
one good leg
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I don't know about climbing.....I'd gladly pay premium for better fitting shoes, more comfortable harness. or gear I trust my live on. Would you honest buy a set of rack from some no name company, or would you pay extra for the Alien or BD cams.
03-07-08, 01:16 PM
#21
Senior Member
You can still get the cheaper stuff. I just bought a generic Taiwanese aluminum frame for $300 that I will build into a respectable 20lb cross bike.
My commuter bike frame I got off of Ebay, new old stock, for $70 a couple years ago. Great steel ride and a beautiful paint job... makes a great commuter bike.
My commuter bike frame I got off of Ebay, new old stock, for $70 a couple years ago. Great steel ride and a beautiful paint job... makes a great commuter bike.
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Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
03-07-08, 01:26 PM
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03-07-08, 01:26 PM
#23
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You haven't been looking hard enough
$12,000 frame
$15,000 wheels
$4,000 computer
$1,300 shoes
or
$12,000 frame
$15,000 wheels
$4,000 computer
$1,300 shoes
or
03-07-08, 01:28 PM
#24
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03-07-08, 01:32 PM
#25
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Back in the day Campy Neuvo Record, Hand brazed lugged Columbus or Reynolds 531, and a very nice set of sewups was obtainable for $500, or so, perhaps the equivalent of $2,000 in today's dollars. And that was about as good as it got.
You can't touch state of the art today for $2,000.
I totally agree with the point that you don't have to partake. However, the idea that just about anyone can buy and ride what the pros ride is slipping past affordable, and that's regretable.