So Expensive

[Wetdog]

Who would have thought that riding a shuv iron would be so expensive, and I kept it cheap

Bike, helmet, pedals, shoes, clothing including wet weather and winter is to come, tyre levers, a pump, inner tubes, another pump, puncture kit, tools, bell, tool bag, gloves, get somebody to fit you to the bike, water bottle, mirror, and I've barely scratched the surface

It's cheaper to buy an exercise bike

But not nearly as much fun

Mick

 

[e-rider]

cycling is not a cheap sport. but it can be not too expensive if you avoid all the marketing hype. For a start, you don't need a £150 bike fit - ask some experieneced riders at your local club and they will get you close to a perfect fit for free

 

[Wetdog]

Aye I know,I've not had a bike fit made it fit myself using nails and bits of wood

 

[MichaelW2]

For about £1000 you can kit yourself out with a quality bike and some decent grade accessories and winter clothing and you are good to go for the next 5 years. How much do the alternatives cost? Even if you leave out the winter coat and shoes, bus travel for the next 5 years will cost almost twice as much and you don't need to to fork out on gym or pool fees.
It is the biggest bargain going, so there is no need to stint.

 

[Mrs M]

Cheaper hobby than golf

 

[vickster]

Makes present suggestions nice and easy though

Buy decent kit on special offer

I used to chop and change my car a lot...doing the same with bikes is waaaaayyyyy cheaper, lose hundreds rather than thousands

 

[bonsaibilly]

For about £1000 you can kit yourself out with a quality bike and some decent grade accessories and winter clothing and you are good to go for the next 5 years. How much do the alternatives cost? Even if you leave out the winter coat and shoes, bus travel for the next 5 years will cost almost twice as much and you don't need to to fork out on gym or pool fees.
It is the biggest bargain going, so there is no need to stint.

You can do exactly the same for half of that. BB

 

[steveindenmark]

Am I missing something?

You can make cycling as expensive or as cheap as you want. I have a carbon Di2 road bike in my collection. It was expensive, I agree. But I don't wear cleats and so don't need flash pedals or shoes. Most of my cycling gear is end of line Aldi and so is cheaper than cheap. I do my own bike fit. I'm not a member of a club and so don't have those fees. You soon get to know if it works or not. Its only expensive if you decide to make it so.

 

[vickster]

I've never bought a bell or a mirror...and I don't ride much in cold/wet weather do don't need too much stuff.

I do have 5 bikes right now though...

 

[ianrauk]

Forget the helmet, bell, mirror and bike fit and there's a few savings there.

 

[Catweasel]

You can do exactly the same for half of that. BB

Aye - +1 on that. Less even.

Although - it's potentially an interesting question (hope this isn't a hi-jack) - what is the minimum budget?

Assumptions? an adult, road bike (road or MTB), not to be used for racing - anything else?

And the potential problems/issues? Other than weight that is.

 

[h1udd]

Biking becomes cheaper and cheaper the more you utilise it

Ie if you just ride a bike on Sunday's then the outlay is quite high ... But if you swap your car for a bike for commuting everyday, use it instead of a gym membership, go shopping with it instead of car or bus make it your main hobby instead of doing ... Err ... What do non cyclists do with there time ?

Then it turns out quite quite cheap, even if you are buying bike stuff all the time

 

[adamangler]

of course you can do it cheap as chips

i just bought an old peugeot 10 speed road bike for £50 (i have 2 better bikes) soley for the turbo

but, a pair of aldi shorts, shirt, pump, few tools, bottle and helmet and im sorted for £100 if i wanted to be
but i doint want to be, i like better gear just like some people like more expensive cars and some drive old sheds

 

[Jody]

Although - it's potentially an interesting question (hope this isn't a hi-jack) - what is the minimum budget?

Assumptions? an adult, road bike (road or MTB), not to be used for racing - anything else?

As an adult MTBer, minimum budget is £150 for a poor BSO and a bit of kit £50-100. Half decent bike and better kit £700-1200 and probably £300-500 in kit. Budget for a nice bike £1500-2000 and most kit £500-700. What I would like to spend if I had the money, bike £3/4000+ and £1000+ on kit.

 

[MichaelW2]

You can do exactly the same for half of that. BB

£1000 all included sounds like a lot of money to someone who doesn't ride, but it is half the price of their bus ticket.
Sure you can ride on less, and I have, but even spending a generous amount on quality kit, it still represent s a bargain and you save money in the long run.
I don't like to see people step from a £350 bus ticket to a £99 bike that wears out after a year of hard commuting and is not at all pleasant to ride.