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5d ago

Why am I still faster than you?

E: Let's all talk about what bikes should or shoudn't cost

124 comments

I refuse to believe hobbyists are spending $10K on bikes, or commuters are spending $1K.
I can barely accept that the going rate for used bikes is over $200.
- I couldn't believe it either, so I went to the Trek.com site.
  I hate this decade.
  
  Trek is really expensive. Go to Decathlon or equivalent.
- 1k for a new high quality bike has been normal for 10-15 years. Anything beyond that has hugely diminishing returns.
  If you want everything for a full shimano 105 set, that alone will cost you like 600$ or more. Then you still need a frame and wheels and saddle etc
  Buying used is really the best play with bikes.
  
  I don't think I ever had that much disposable income to spend on a bike at the same time as living where I could commute to work on a bike.
- If you want an electric bike, the price goes up fast.
  If you want one with a belt so that it won't take crazy maintenance not to degrade over the winter, it goes up faster still.
  If you want storage for your purse and whatnot, a bit more expensive still. A good large basket is more expensive than you'd think.
  
  I can easily believe a commuter ebike hits a grand.
  I just never assume anything with a motor when I encounter the word "bicycle".
  
  As someone who repairs bikes for a hobby this all sounds insane. I paid like $10 for my back rack with folding baskets
  
  I mean i got a metal-mesh basket for the back for 20€ and its longer than wide so i can still park my bike in tight spaces. Idk what you mean by "good large basket" but mine is good and large enough
- The bikes I am looking to buy for the purpose of commuting over mixed terrain is in the $800-$1,400 price range (as of last year before tariff stuff). I don't currently own a bike but I have owned and ridden a number of bikes in the past. The couple of hundred dollar bikes from like Walmart are just trash that don't hold up. They fall apart pretty quickly under heavy riding.
  All of this assumes one is buying new. If we are talking used then all of the above is somewhat a moot point.
  Even within new the kind of riding matters a lot. If I know for a fact that I would only ever be riding on smooth paved roads then an old fixed frame street bike with skinny tires and very basic brakes and gears would make a lot of sense. There is zero chance that bike is going to be switching between road, grass, gravel, mud, and some of the other terrain I would be commuting across though.
- Free + a $30 tuneup here.
  
  Hey, those belong to people!
- You could get a used budget bike for that much like
  Even a couple decades ago they started at hundreds of dollars new, unless you're talking about poorly assembled bike shaped objects made from sketchy parts.
  Also, there are single bikes that cost well over 10 grand. Rich enthusiasts may have entire garages full of high end bikes that cost more than your average car.
- Even lower-midrange level road bikes are now at least $1k. Its a ridiculous market.
- It wasn't the cheapest bike but nothing special. I've had it for 10 years and I'm super happy with it.
- I commute to work every day, and I don't own a car. My bike (Shimano gear-hub with a belt drive) was about 1k€, and it was one of the cheaper models available.
  
  I also don't own a car and commute every day. I hear people talk about how Chicago has a low cost-of-living and I guess this is what they mean.

I think you're both idiots wasting money when you can get a perfectly good bike for like $200?
- If you are doing any serious distance and/or are older there is a noticeable difference in comfort and efficiency over $1k. I rode shitty bikes my entire life. When I hopped on a $1500 bike I couldn't believe how much faster I could go and how comfortable it was. The transfer of energy into forward motion was wild. That being said I bought my bike for $100 off of Craigslist 10 years ago.

Both camps are right!
Cheap bikes just don't ride nowhere as nicely nor do they last as expensive bikes do.
BUT! The worst thing about owning an expensive bike is owning an expensive bike.
It's a thief magnet and source of envy of other riders.
You really need to find a sweet spot between a quality bike and being able to leave it locked in the city without having pangs of anxiety of it being stolen.
- Bike recycling is probably the answer. Cheaper, worse looking, but you can often find high quality parts and frames and repair it yourself

10k? 1k? What??? 😂
When I arrived in that country, I bought a 2nd hand bike, for daily commute. I overpaid. A lot.
That bike cost me 300 😅

I think a bike should cost $100
Mine cost like $200
Fixed speed, it's ok i guess
- You don’t ever have to wonder if someone ~~is vegan~~rides a fixie…
- Yo! Fellow $200 fixie enjoyer?! Where’s the fixed gear lemmy community?

I actually think throwing a lot of money into a bike isn’t a bad idea. They easily last a life time; and if having a really nice bike incentives one to use it more; it’s totally worth it. Whatever it takes to keep you out of a car is good in my eyes
- The only problem preventing it lasting a life time is that they easily get stolen.
  
  This is more a problem of where you live.
- Damn. I have been spending so much effort trying to convince myself NOT to buy a new bike. Then this guy comes along.

I knew I'd be a summer casual rider so bought a 2nd hand road bike for €300 18yrs back.
Still have it, can't justify getting a new one as it just.. works

why am I still faster than u
I dunno, mostly strength, endurance, lung capacity, heart strength, blood pressure, weight, general outlook on life…
- I love general outlook on life. Mine always peaks at about the fourth mile on a bike, and hits the lowest valley at the fourtieth mile in a car (though in a car worse means faster.)

As someone that has a $11k bike I can clarify some things.
I have a Wilier Granturismo SLR. About ~90% of the components are carbon fiber. Carbon Fiber, especially high end carbon fiber isn’t cheap. Besides the bike; my wheels, pedals, parts of the cranks, handlebars, saddle, saddle post, and probably some other things are carbon fiber.
I always hear people talk about getting carbon fiber components for cheaper because you have a shit tin of Chinese companies come in and steal these bike companies IP and make shit frames. Look at Chinorellos, shit ton of Chinese companies steal frame designs and re-make them with shit metal and the bike falls apart after a year.
Another thing…why does any give a fuck how much my bike costs? My dad is an audiophile guy and my bike costs as much as 1 (not a pair) of his speakers, and he has a mid-range system. Cycling is something that I love, I ride almost everyday and will spend hours and hours on the bike. I’d gladly pay less than $11k on my next bike but when you get into the higher end market you’re going to pay more, that’s true across almost ALL sports or hobby activities
- You and your dad have extravagant hobbies and live in a world most people cannot relate to. The vast majority of people on earth will never enjoy spending so much money and free time on their hobbies.
  
  We’re not millionaires or make a significant amount of money. I saved money aside for my bike and my dad did the same for his stereo system. If you want to look at hobbies that cost a lot of money, looking at boating. People spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for boats and nobody blinks an eye. The cost of my bike wouldn’t cover the yearly maintenance for a boat
- Yeah, it's just a silly meme. I would spend a lot of money on a bike if it was my hobby. But here I am getting shamed for spending as much as 1k for a bike, which I thought was the bare minimum for a daily driver.
  
  Sorry I didnt mean to come off as abrasive towards you. If someone is giving you shit about the cost of you’re bike then tell them to fuck off. I’ve been cycling and competing for 7 years now, and cycling culture is about the ride, not the bike the rider is on. Some bikes cost $15k, others $1k, and all these expensive components can help you get faster, but at the end of the day, what really makes you faster isn’t the bike, it’s the rider.
- Look I get it, I love cycling and own a few nice bikes ($1-4k) but let's not pretend that the value is there at $11k. Outside of world tour riders, there's no way you're actually faster or more comfortable at $11k than about $5k. You already get carbon frame/wheels and near top of the line components for $5k-ish. So to OPs question, to me that's the upper limit for what fancy bikes should cost for actual normal humans. Realistically 2k for road/gravel, maybe 3k for MTB is jusy barely slower and almost imperceptively less nice than 5k bikes. "High end" is only meaningful if there are actual tangible benefits that come along with the price tag. I support anyone out there on bikes, i just think $11k is a bit silly in a world with this much wealth inequality. I'm sure some folks think the exact same thing about me and my bikes tbf. Have fun and be safe out there.
  
  So, I’ve also ridden a wide range of bikes and prices. $11k Wilier Granturismo is 100% more comfortable than Canyon Endurace (at least the CF SL Di2 I use to ride) and the Dogma I rode in Italy was oddly more comfortable than the Canyon (but I don’t own the Dogma, just rented for a few months). The Canyon was 100% more comfortable than the Trek domaine (entry level).
  As for speed, high end bikes have more carbon components than a $4-6k bike, so naturally when you ride a lighter bike you’ll increase your speed to a point. But yes, the thing that makes you faster is you and not necessarily the bike, but having a bike that’s lighter sure does help.
  I’m not totally disagreeing with you btw, I think if I could start all over again I would get fitted, buy a carbon frame + fork + saddle post, Ultegra Di2, carbon wheels and handlebar, like $150 saddle, and I’ll be set. Probably cost around $6-8k, and if I went used I could probably get it for $4k.
  At the same time, why do people buy a BMW? A car just gets you from point A to point B, why would you spend significantly more when a Honda is more economical and reliable? My point is, people can spend their money how they want and that’s okay. $11k got me the perfect bike and there’s nothing I would change about it and I’ll have it for the rest of my life. It’s just odd to me that people get so abrasive (not you, just in general) about the cost of high end bikes, but a $120k car or truck that’s used to go to the grocery store, nobody bats an eye.
  
  You’re username matches your perspective on life
- What are your opinions on e-bikes? My wife and I bought them last summer to get more exercise, and I've been shocked to see a backlash against them from cyclers (e.g. there's another comment above saying anything with a motor isn't a bike).
  In my mind, having an e-bike is no different than getting something like a carbon fiber frame. If it makes your biking experience more enjoyable, then great.
  
  This is actually a great question because I don’t really care what bike you’re ridding, as long as your cool, follow road or trail rules, and wave back lol
  At the end of the day, as long as you’re having fun and being respectful of other people, you’re cool in my book. I do know what you’re talking about though. I actually went on a cycling tour in Italy last year and on some of the group rides we’d have e-bike road bikes join. There wasn’t an issue but back in America..yea different story

I'm living in Denmark. When You walk out the door, you have to watch Your step, not to trip on a bike. When it's windy, the bikes roll around the streets like tumbleweed.

My bike was like 50 bucks. It’s shitty but it gets me there. And no one tries to steal it.
It’s definitely not as fast as a fancy road bike though lol.
- Mine was $20 from a thrift store, plus maybe $40 in parts. Also a pos, but it's a pos that will get me there

either of those cost more than my motorcycle.
why the fuck are you guys paying so much for pedal bikes.
- Because expensive bicycles are high performance sports gear. You should compare their prices to race ready MX and road motorbikes. $10k bicycle is cheap as fuck, especially when you consider that GP race day tyre set will cost you like $1k alone. For each fucking race day! And then petrol, oil, etc...

I have a fixed gear from state that cost a bit over $500 3 years ago.
It's my beer and dinner fetching machine. I ride it everyday (the longway) to my local store for ingredients for dinner
3 years and 3000 miles later
I have had to replace 2 chains, 3 rear hubs (my own mistakes... check your lockring or blow up a hub), saddle, grips, cog, lockring, Pedals (went from flats to cages and am now on SPD), replaced original brakes with Shimano brakes and have gone through A LOT of tires.
I think I am in it at like $1500... Tools I don't want to calculate but building and truing wheels is a very relaxing thing to do
Here's a picture of it loaded up. I think that I was getting ready for a party
Its pretty anti-fixie
- Damn that's a lot of repairs. Maybe my standards are just low, the old bike I had (3x7 gears) I rode for probably somewhere around half the distance you did, and never changed anything (apart from tires and brake pads), and the bike itself was my old dad's bike that's more than 25 years old by now. The 7th gear did start skipping pretty hard by the end tho.
  
  Some of the things I replaced for fun
  Some things I broke as I am learning to fix bikes (Hubs mainly... when a cog comes off unexpectedly it usually takes the threads with it)
  Others just did wear out that fast... last chain only gave me around 1,000 mi but I rode in a lot of rain / mud and used an awful chain lube. (It was well over 1% out of spec and all winter I had a knocking in my pedal that I just couldn't figure out)

Kinda sad that e-scooters (as of like 1-3 years ago), are now cheaper than a decent bike for the same price.
- Are more portable tbh. (Especially on the train)

Pro-tip: buy a £350 bike every 3 years, if you live in the city.
Cons:
slightly ratchet
Pros:
can leave it anywhere and it won't get stolen
can treat it like shit and it will still keep going
still beat more than half the spandex babies commuting because they're afraid to accelerate in case it stretches their chain.
not afraid to scratch it or take turns at extreme angles.
no stress when it eventually falls apart
- can leave it anywhere and it won’t get stolen
  Sadly a £350 bike will also get stolen. Happend to me twice for bikes worth even less 😢
  
  See, your mistake was treating your bike well. The secret is to cover it in grime and piss to the point that even you're not sure if you want to ride it
- Pro-tip: buy a bike once. It's not as if they expire or something! There is no good reason a bike shouldn't last decades and decades, as long as you keep it maintained. My utility bike was manufactured circa 1990, and it works just fine.
  (Well, unless it has an aluminum frame, anyway -- those really do wear out eventually because aluminum has no fatigue limit.)
  
  They don't expire, but they do get stolen. Especially if you're using it to commute.
  
  That's the thing, a back frame bent even just by 3 degrees becomes unsalvageable, and if you're riding a bike such that you're not testing the frame to some degree then I'd argue that you're not riding at all :-P
- My approach to laptop computers
  
  My approach to phones too

I just wish I could bike to work. Not really feasible for me to bike 50km each way. Can't afford to move closer either
- Have you considered starting your morning routine 6-7 hours earlier?
  
  nah, that's only ~2hrs each way

I dropped 10k building out my forever touring/commuter bike, but only 1600 of it was the frame. The rest was all higher end components.
Then it got folded around the front end of a car, along with myself. Now it's over 12k since I had to replace the frame and few other bits and bobs. Thankfully I had good insurance, otherwise after the hospital stay and recovery it'd be closer to $500,000 because America.
But fast it aint. Pretty though.

I somehow managed to end up buying two used bikes from 1988 and 1990, and after upgrading them with microshift components, I've spent only about $400 total.

I bought my bike for $800 in 2008 and it has followed me around the country. I'm hoping to add some power to it this summer, lots of life left in her!

I commute on a 10 year old bike that cost $400 at the time.

1k ?? In france i would pay about 300€, what is so expensive ?
- My 350 euros bike is just normal stuff. Can ride it off road but it's not designed for it. It's a city bike. Just take the key out and it won't be stolen. If it's stolen then oh well.
  But using a riese and müller Multicharger2 gt rohloff for commute, because I'm using funny Belgian social contribution and personal tax income to pay for it.
  I get paid to have that bike. So, why not. They want me to not be unemployed and not use a car for commute. (Belgium)

Used to purchase used old Schwinns for ~$60 but after having 3 stolen in my current city I’ve given up on cycling for now. I’ve learned to enjoy walking.
- Do you listen to anything while you walk? Or do you just rawdog it
  
  Usually don’t listen to anything. If I’m bored sometimes I play games like going increasing intervals of steps with my eyes closed. I also like to try pacing myself so I won’t break a sweat which requires adjusting for hills and weather.

Bandwagoning for my little community for cyclists https://feddit.uk/c/casual_cycle_uk
- Awesome, subscribed! (It's easier if you link it as [email protected])
  
  Thankyou

My gravel bike and all the safety gear totaled $600, it is my primary transport across my mountain town. We are not the same.

People buy bikes and don’t just repair old abandoned ones?

I ride a 400 euro bike as a hobby in summer (and spring and autumn too).
- Sweet ride!

Funny story, a few years ago, I did an 85-mile ride organized by a local club. I rode my commuter, a.k.a. my only bike. It was a city bike (IGH, dynamo hub, etc.) with a list price of about $1,200. To me, it was a pretty expensive ride, but wow, did I catch a lot of attention for doing a long ride on such an inexpensive bicycle. Maybe it was also the regular clothes? The other riders had $3-4,000 bikes, padded shorts, Lycra jerseys, the whole kit.
It wasn't even that taxing of a ride, on a rail-to-trail with basically no grade, done in about 7 hours!

I have an electric bike that costs 2,500$. An Elux. I've had it a couple of years and put over 3k on the odometer. It can cruise without peddling at 25mph. On economy mode and light peddling it's can get 40-50 miles on a single charge.
I also have a wide comfy seat with a back rest and a sound system. I have a small storage bag on the back and a small basket upfront. Tire repair and small pump. I love it :)

You pay 1k euros for a 1k bike. I use my tax money to ride a 10k bike to work.
We're not the same

My bike cost half that and is 15 years old.
I love it though.

My commute bike was around 5k about four years ago, hitting 20k km this year. Bike was payed for work, not sure if I would've gotten one for that price otherwise

Jokes on you, my summer hobby bike (entry level aluminium road bike with drop bars) cost about the same as my commuter (aluminium hybrid with a flat bar).
When your life is N+1, you gotta make smarter financial choices, heh.

I ride a 300 € bike as a hobby in summer. It's from 2014. Given the highly advanced bike stealing culture present locally, any more expensive bike would need to be smeared with gull excretions for protection against theft. :P

124 comments