The price of our sport...

[HammerTime2]

I know what he means though. I was at Alp d' Huez one year and it was the day before the tour went up and there were loads of, how do I say without being rude , fat blokes, well over 14 stone. They were all riding high end bikes , storcks,parlee, etc etc , lightweight wheels .etc etc. It does have that "all the gear no idea " feel, but then again they were setting off to climb a big Alp ,so fair play to them. It's hard not to be a bike snob or maybe it's just hard not being wealthy wealthy.

So, would it be better if they were true sportsmen, at home on the couch watching the football match while downing brewskies and eating Nacho Doritos? At least, they're out there getting some kind of exercise.

[ParisCarbon]

I didn't think my original post would turn into a 5 pager!!

On a sidenote I may have someone in the USA willing to strip the Di2 EVO down to the F/F for me.. seems someone else wants the Di2 and not the frame, and I don't want the Di2.... We shall see...

Of course Campagnolo EPS V2.14567 will be out next year which will be 13 speed, require no internal wiring, and will sense when you are struggling and automatically make the shift in the race for you.. the servos will also secretly be tapped into your BB axle to save 30 watts power allowing you to shatter your competition.. all for the low cost of $7500... unfortuneately you will need a new frameset for $7000 because the BB axle is 2mm wider..

[stella-azzurra]

I didn't think my original post would turn into a 5 pager!!

You're damn right it will.

Start a post about umm bar tape color or sock height on here and it will dwarf this post.

[artray]

HammerTime2 , I agree with you ,read the last line of my post, That's my exact point.
Is there a HammerTime1?

[OJ]

but this made me realize that $1500 can get you a lot of bike...

$1500-2000 gets you a bike that performs well enough not to hinder your performance noticeably. In a mass start that is, TT is another beast where money can buy performance.

[stella-azzurra]

You are not buying a car engine. You are the engine.

[HammerTime2]

Is there a HammerTime1?

There was a HammerTime (me), but there were account difficulties, so I became HammerTime2. I just noticed that there is a Hammertime with no posts who registered on Nov 11, 2011, but that is not me.

[EKIMIKE]

out of interest, how much more money do you make now? I'm guessing 20% more? I was at an event about a month ago on my trusty 10.2kg alloy steed with 105 gears and WH-R500 wheels... I was still faster than the vast majority of them... that said, I would have ridden my other bike if it wasn't cracked, but this made me realize that $1500 can get you a lot of bike...

I'm a student, i'm 20. So i got that bike when i was 16. 'Entry level' model, much as the one you describe yourself.

The money i earn now and at the time then came from part-time work or summer work. Never enough over the year to be taxed (basically less than 6/7k). In any case, real wages for the average worker in the UK (and the US incidentally) have flat-lined for the last 30 years. It's mainly those at the top end of the pay scale have seen their wages rise in that time. We're talking averages of course so anecdotal evidence isn't useful here (of course you could fine a normal guy on normal wages who's wages have gone up in that period).

Christ, if everyone (normal people in the UK) had a 20% pay rise in the last 4 years we'd be like Greece...

[QuattroAssini]

I really don't think that the price of cycling has gone up at all....

I've been riding for over 20 years, and the top level cycling gear has always been 'expensive'.

However, when the electronic groups hit the market, what was the 'top level' stepped up several notches in cost.

Excepting the electronic groups, the only real significant jump in the cost of cycling equipment came when brakelever/shifter levers came out. So if you take out the electronic groups and account for inflation, not as much has changed.

On the fat rich guys on nice bikes? I get really tired of this sentiment from so many ignorant, small minded people. I was once a young, skinny climber logging several hundred miles per week. I was in college and worked in a shop. Realistically, I never rode the 'best' gear then, primarily because I could not afford it. I was still a weight weenie and appreciated good equipment though.

Now, I'm older and overweight. I also have a good job, so now I can afford some of that good, lightweight equipment I could never afford when younger. Am I a Poseur? I don't think so. Yes I race CX with a set of 50mm deep carbon tubulars. Would I be better off losing 10lbs from around my middle? Of course! However, I'm still a gearhead, I'm still a weight weenie, and unlike the small minded guys that I know snicker at me when I tow the start line, I built my wheels. I did all the work to build that wonderful wheelset, unlike the vast majority of them who can't afford them, nor do they have the mechanical skill necessary to lace a set of proper wheels!

People would be much better served keeping their judgements focused on themselves and allowing others to enjoy the sport the way they see fit - it takes different strokes to move the world.

[Ozrider]

+1 QuattroAssini

[Tinea Pedis]

People would be much better served keeping their judgements focused on themselves and allowing others to enjoy the sport the way they see fit - it takes different strokes to move the world.

As the owner of a pink bike, that is also my race bike, you have no idea how true that statement rings for me

[Ozrider]

But then you can outride 97.5% of people who ride bikes, so your legs do the talking

[Wingnut]

People would be much better served keeping their judgements focused on themselves and allowing others to enjoy the sport the way they see fit - it takes different strokes to move the world.

I couldn't agree more...but you're not in the land of perfect, white picket fences...this is a forum so expect it all.

[EKIMIKE]

+1 QuattroAssini

Same. Agreed. But just for the record... it was "rich old dudes". Fat never came into it (until someone took offence).

Frankly we can use all the synonyms in the world for 'rich' and 'old', all will be factually correct in describing a segment of the market which has a lot of cash and are of further years.

Anyway, i've had enough of qualifying myself. I guess if you have accurate reading comprehension (as opposed to reading what you think you want to read), you can see there was no bad feeling or malice in any of what I wrote.

[kbbpll]

This has been a fascinating read. One person's valued customer is another's poseur. That hasn't changed much; when I worked in a bike shop in the early 80s our motto was "You can never spend too much on a bike".

If you always want the latest and greatest, for whatever reason, any sport is expensive. Backcountry skiing comes to mind as a comparison to cycling - think of the iterations of telemark gear over the last 20-25 years and how much you could have spent staying "current". Skis, bindings, boots, poles, clothing, peeps, shovels, avalanche breathing bags, etc, it goes on and on into bankruptcy. Cycling is no different.

I spent $600 in 1980 for a Raleigh Competition GS, Reynolds 531, Campy Nuovo Gran Sport, it was a _lot_ of money, and I rode that thing for 30 years. It still rides great. I figure it cost me less than $.01 per mile. The same money is worth about $1800 today, and think of what you get for that money relative to a 1980 bike. (On the other hand, check the WW listings for the weight of a 1980 SR crankset, and see how far we've progressed... )