[kneedrachen]

I was reading a post in the hybrids forum about whether or not a bicycle was a "good buy" referring to cost.

I was thinking about it, and I believe that buying ANY bike is a good buy with the caveat that you use it. I thought this to myself:

Say you buy a bike for $1000 and ride it once. That ride cost you $1000.

But, if you ride it twice, each ride cost you $500.

4 times, $250.

And so on. So the way I look at it, my bikes really haven't cost me much at all over the past year and a half.

I'm trying this logic on my wife in hopes that a Wabi or CX bike is in my future.....

 

[Industry_Hack]

Lower stress, lower blood pressure, lower BMI, greater overall health and fitness. Yes, a bicycle that gets used regularly is a "good buy".

 

[Poolie]

Only expensive if you don't use it. I base mine on cost of bike divided by miles ridden and mine is down to less than a dollar a mile and going strong.

 

[davereo]

I agree that bikes divided by use brings up the value of the purchase. Although I strongly believe that the bicycle market in general is way overpriced.
I have never seen once in my life component manufactures offering any type of incentive or loyalty discounting to the consumer. A bunch of thieves in my opinion. As soon as you get something they are already rolling out the upgrade and obsoleteing the current stock.
At least the electronics industry has made things more affordable as the move forward.

 

[kneedrachen]

Dave- I get what you're saying, but look at Apple and the Ipad/Iphone debacle

I have heard, and really do not know how true this is, that there is actually very little money to be made by a LBS on whole bicycles, but that the profit margin comes in on accessories.

That being said, the LBS when I was in NJ would offer me a little discount (I didn't ask for it) because I had been a loyal customer for a few years and brought them a bit of new business.

Regardless of pricing, discounts, etc, I think it is funny that people are so big on leasing cars, which depreciate incredibly fast (not that bikes really hold value) and only cost you more and more money as you go on. Tires aside, my bikes haven't really cost me anything.

 

[rola643]

I have heard, and really do not know how true this is, that there is actually very little money to be made by a LBS on whole bicycles, but that the profit margin comes in on accessories.

.

I can tell you I went through an ordeal about this time last year and was offered 2 options of which one was a complete bike at cost and it was more than 50% less than what I paid retail.....

http://www.twospoke.com/forum/f27/total-depression-6009/

 

[davereo]

That was quite the ordeal Rola. I skimmed through the thread quickly and picked up on a few things. Yankee fan ey. I'm a Red Sox fan born and brought up in Red Sox Nation. Not much to debate this year so far both teams are flirting with midiocrity.

Knee the LBS I deal with treats me and all their customers well. They do give discounts on bikes during certain times of the year to help boost sales. They always tend to give these discounts to their regulars all year long. Again its the LBS taking the hit on their margin to srevice the customer never the big boys.

 

[qmsdc15]

Too damn expensive. Industry of thieves and scoundrels, putting decent bikes out of reach of the working class who need them most.

 

[zero3one]

You can't put a price on your physical and mental health.

 

[qmsdc15]

You can't put a price on your physical and mental health.

If you have to ask, you can't afford it. Priceless. :thumbsup:

 

[Industry_Hack]

Thank SRAM for breaking Shimano's grip on the OEM market. In some ways, it hurt buyers, because certain options are no longer available as a group, but I think it helped with pricing overall.

 

[kneedrachen]

Rola, intersting story. The frame was sold directly by Trek?


I had followed that thread before disappearing into the great abyss of work for almost a year


So you're not going to get the titanium beach cruiser now?

 

[bonesindustries]

well i have cheap bikes. (my old Schwinn world, and the Motobecane) and both of my bikes together come to less than a $500 purchase, but i've already probably saved $100-150 in gas by riding to work, and with that theres better health and fun on my pleasure rides... Though i do agree with you that the prices on new "nice" bikes seem to be a tad high for the common man. I'd love a nice carbon bike, but being a lower middle class dad who does still pretty much have to rely heavily on a vehical a $1000+ bike is def out of the question..
lol so in conclusion i say my bikes worth the money spent!

 

[SpkSnppr]

Too damn expensive. Industry of thieves and scoundrels, putting decent bikes out of reach of the working class who need them most.

Working class riders don't need carbon fiber, Dura Ace equipped 15 lb. bikes. They need reliable transportation. I want a lightweight bike made of balonium as much as the next guy, but I can get a very good bike at the $600 price point. Not everyone can afford a Ferrari, many fewer can drive one to its limits. You could apply the same reasoning to bicycles. The only reason most of us buy the newest go fast thingy is because one of our friends did and we have to keep up with the Joneses.

There are enough people willing to spend the dollars to keep up with the Joneses that the component companies and suppliers are able to charge more for their latest go fast stuff. It's the law of supply and demand. Be very thankful that there is a market for their lower priced and perfectly functional frames, components, tires, etc. if not the only lower end bikes would be the KMart kind.

 

[Dos_Ruedas]

I was reading a post in the hybrids forum about whether or not a bicycle was a "good buy" referring to cost.

I was thinking about it, and I believe that buying ANY bike is a good buy with the caveat that you use it. I thought this to myself:

Say you buy a bike for $1000 and ride it once. That ride cost you $1000.

But, if you ride it twice, each ride cost you $500.

4 times, $250.

And so on. So the way I look at it, my bikes really haven't cost me much at all over the past year and a half.

I'm trying this logic on my wife in hopes that a Wabi or CX bike is in my future.....

What logic!
Pure genious!!
Between this route and the price per mile offered elsewhere in this thread, I'm bound to score some points toward a new helmet, hitch rack, shorts and jersey!

It's a shame these theorys don't allow for bikes to be completely paid off. lol
But we can keep working on that!

 

[John_V]

As a retired person, the cost of my cycling expenses is certainly worth every penny I have spent on it, and I have spent a ton of pennies. It beats the cost of gym memberships and the hassle of having to go there in order to get your money's worth. If the theory posted earlier were true, all my bikes are now paid for.

As for keeping up with the Jones', with the economy the way it has been lately, I don't think that holds true anymore. Although you will have the few that spend more than they make in order to do so, most people that have the expensive bikes can afford them and buy them because they can. My Colnago was a spur-of-the-moment decision and at the time, I really didn't need another road bike. I bought it only because I could. I may be wrong in my statement, but most of the people that I know that are buying new, high-end bikes can certainly afford them.

 

[wild]

At my age what am I going to do with a new bike = Ride it till the wheels fall off

 

[wonkyknee]

I have paid off my bike using the bus fare I saved by commuting on my bike. Took about 5 months and 1000 miles. Just installed a sealed cartridge bb and new cranks. Another 500 happy miles to pay for them...

 

[starhawk]

Tricky! I have been improving mine in stages (but it has been rolling in between), so the price is going up all the time, wonders when it stops The improvements has hovewer increased the yearly milage so the calculation by kneedrachens method is a little complicated