How Much Should I Spend On a New Bike?
27 July, 2008
In the spirit of my first post about what kind of bike you should buy, hopefully I can help clear the air of any concerns you may have about the price of a bicycle.
I’ll start with a non-cycling example from my life. I recently went golfing with a group from work. The problem: I’m no golfer. I don’t even have my own clubs. In fact, I played so poorly in our scramble game, that my team only kept one of my shots. To illustrate: out of about 60 of my shots, my team deemed only one of them good enough to keep. I should probably buy my own set of clubs and practice more. The problem is, I’m a terrible golfer. I don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on new clubs unless I have some kind of guarantee that I’ll play better because of them.
I imagine some of you feel the same way about buying a bike. Will you use it enough to justify its cost? Or, will it just sit in your garage and gather dust until you bring it out once or twice every year? Do you know enough about the different parts? Would you feel comfortable talking to a salesman about the bike you want? Did you have a bad experience the last time you biked and, like me, you’re just wondering if it’s even worth it to try again?
When I buy my first set of clubs, I don’t plan on buying expensive ones. I’ll shop around, look for a bargain, and possibly (gasp!) buy a used pair. I’m going to suggest that any first-time cyclists or bike commuters take the same approach.
Here’s another example that shows how this can be done. A co-worker recently started coming to work by bike every day. He already had a bike, but it was slightly out of repair. He found it at a garage sale. Since he’s handy with tools, he had it fixed up in no time and at a fairly minimal cost. His wife also found her bike at a garage sale. They own a bike trailer that they found on CraigsList. They have already started to Go By Bike to a few of the places in their weekly routine. In another month or so, the money he’s saved on gas alone will cover the cost of his equipment. What kind of bike does he ride? A Schwinn that the original owner probably bought at Wal-Mart.
I may take some heat from “purists” who insist on high end equipment and gear, but I submit that you don’t need to spend hundreds to turn a bicycle into an alternative to your car or the bus. You may also notice that I’m not listing any hard figures about the cost of cycling and its payback period. The benefits of cycling can be measured qualitatively, as well as quantitatively.
So to answer my original question: How Much Should I Spend On a New Bike? The answer: maybe not as much as you think. You don’t need anything too fancy. Like my golf example, start with something you can afford. Time and experience will eventually justify additional expenditures on equipment.
27 July, 2008 at 9:27 am
I agree with nearly everything that you have said. Purchasing used equipment can work out very well for those just getting into cycling. I do however want to express a note of caution. There are many bikes that are good quality used vehicles out there. Get to know what the good brands are or were, and choose one of them. If you aren’t sure, ask someone who knows, or don’t buy. Bikes that you purchase from a big box store such as Walmart or Costco really aren’t worth your money, trust me on this. Yes, you can get into a bike for much less at one of those places, but you may also literally be endangering your life. In the interest of full disclosure, I manage a bicycle shop, and I have seen far to many of those bikes come in right from the store that are downright dangerous due to poor construction and improper assembly. You are far better off purchasing a good used bike either out of a classified add or a yard sale. Even with my access to some very nice new bikes, there are many used bikes that I know would serve my purposes very well. In fact, I recently got one that I plan to fix up and use myself.
27 July, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Certainly, the issue of safety with cheaper bikes should be raised. I agree completely that consumers should never be subjected to equipment, or merchandise of any kind, that puts them in danger.
I realized I would be stirring the pot if I mentioned a Wal-Mart bike. Going back to my golf analogy though, I wanted to illustrate the potential barrier to entry that some new cyclists may feel. It’s the exclusivity (real or perceived) of certain sports that prevents them from reaching beyond their current niche.
Wouldn’t it better if we all started riding something? In the case of my friend, he has a two-mile commute that he was unwilling to buy a new bike for. He has expressed a desire to get a nicer bike, but the bike he uses now is providing the necessary momentum until he’s ready for an upgrade.
Here are some additional thoughts that I can’t prove as truth, but still consider instructive:
1. Those who buy cheaper bikes typically aren’t bike experts. Therefore, it can be assumed they don’t know how to care for a bike as well as a more trained cyclist would. A cheap bike may be left outside and be poorly maintained. A bike nerd, upon buying a more sophisticated bike, will park it inside, clean it, and inspect it regularly. So perhaps, shoddy maintenance can be mistaken for poor quality.
2. While I may be able to hit better using a Tiger Woods driver, that doesn’t necessarily mean I care enough about my golf game to make the financial sacrifice, or to do the necessary research into the driver’s specifications before buying it. I assume it is this way with some new cyclists. Of course, through this site we hope to change that behavior.
3. Finally, for someone who will not be using their bike every day, it might be hard to justify the expense. i.e. I would hate to buy a $900 set of clubs and only use them once a year. However, there are less expensive bikes (and clubs) that would hold up to less periodic use. I think the average consumer understands that their Wal-Mart special won’t last for their next run at Lotaja.
I think this is a great dialog we have going. In the end, the consumer will decide. In writing this post, I wanted to make sure that I didn’t continue to promote cycling as something separate from the mainstream (hearkening to your post about terminology), and inaccessible to the average individual looking for a cheap way to join the party.
28 July, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Ring,
I think you need to spend at least $2000 on the bike. Maybe spend your Christmas bonus on it. Also, you gotta go name brand. Trek, Bianchi, something like that. Make sure it has the racing handle bars, too.
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