Am I the only one out there....



Bentley

Bentley

New Member
Nov 5, 2003
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....that is trying to put 3 kids (all girls) thru college and pay for one of their weddings and can't afford high priced bike stuff so has to ride a Schwinn 10-speed? It's a nice 1973 Schwinn Continental but it's still a 10 speed. I used to ride a lot in high school and just started back into cycling this past fall and am shocked by the high prices of bikes and gear. I'd like to ride in some local races and tours but kind of embarrassed riding up on a 10-speed. Anybody else fall in my catagory out there?

Have a wonderful day.
 
You know, its not really important what you ride, as long as your riding. Bike prices are high, but it's amazing what you get for your money now. If your schwinn still works perfect, go ahaid and ride it. If you end up getting really good on it, and racing, think how bad everyone you beat would feel riding their high tech machines and you on a classic. :)
 
Well I guess that's one positive way of looking at it but at my age (mid-40's) I have more to be embarrassed about than my bike. I won't be passing too many young bucks even on the best of 10-speeds. Thanks.
 
Originally posted by Bentley
Well I guess that's one positive way of looking at it but at my age (mid-40's) I have more to be embarrassed about than my bike. I won't be passing too many young bucks even on the best of 10-speeds. Thanks.
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You may be shocked to learn that most bike are now 18- 30 speed with triple cranks.
 
Yeah I realize there are a lot of gears on bikes nowadays. I started a Bike Club at our church and people donate bikes to me so I can fix them up and give to people that want to ride with us but don't have a bike or can not afford one. I usually just tune them up and they're happy. I've got about 30 bikes in my basement now from single to 21 speeds but most having 10. With Walmart bikes so cheap it's hard to justify putting much into one to fix it up. I just like working on them. I'd love to upgrade to something a little newer someday.
 
Originally posted by Bentley
Yeah I realize there are a lot of gears on bikes nowadays. I started a Bike Club at our church and people donate bikes to me so I can fix them up and give to people that want to ride with us but don't have a bike or can not afford one. I usually just tune them up and they're happy. I've got about 30 bikes in my basement now from single to 21 speeds but most having 10. With Walmart bikes so cheap it's hard to justify putting much into one to fix it up. I just like working on them. I'd love to upgrade to something a little newer someday.
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Wal-Mart bike are not highly regarded for various reasons.
Sounds like you need to find yourself a nice used frame and build your own bike. And by the way mid 40's, thats young!
 
Originally posted by jhuskey
Wal-Mart bike are not highly regarded for various reasons.
Sounds like you need to find yourself a nice used frame and build your own bike. And by the way mid 40's, thats young!
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I'm not a big advocate of Wal-Mart bikes but I think they're fine for someone that does not ride much and can't afford much. My wife and kids have bikes from Wal-Mart just because they were gifts and they might only ride around town a couple times a month. Sad I know.

I just wonder if it's better to build a bike or buy one complete. Would you have more into it by building it? I know you'd have what you wanted and could take pride in it but is it cost effective?

As far as my age goes, I write a lot of checks my body can't cash.
 
Originally posted by Bentley
I'm not a big advocate of Wal-Mart bikes but I think they're fine for someone that does not ride much and can't afford much. My wife and kids have bikes from Wal-Mart just because they were gifts and they might only ride around town a couple times a month. Sad I know.

I just wonder if it's better to build a bike or buy one complete. Would you have more into it by building it? I know you'd have what you wanted and could take pride in it but is it cost effective?

As far as my age goes, I write a lot of checks my body can't cash.
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I think we all do that, but unlike your cheque account, the more cheques you write, the better your credit gets! Be nice if the bank worked like that too...
 
Originally posted by Bentley
I'm not a big advocate of Wal-Mart bikes but I think they're fine for someone that does not ride much and can't afford much. My wife and kids have bikes from Wal-Mart just because they were gifts and they might only ride around town a couple times a month. Sad I know.

I just wonder if it's better to build a bike or buy one complete. Would you have more into it by building it? I know you'd have what you wanted and could take pride in it but is it cost effective?

As far as my age goes, I write a lot of checks my body can't cash.
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Highly debatable question. Is it better to buy a used car or a new car? You could get burned both ways but if you are patient, do research and find the right deals you could find a used frame and build a great bike. On the other hand you might find a good deal on a used bike. The trick is to find reasonably priced components to go on the frame. I believe you can get a mid range used bike with good quality parts for about the same as a new department store bike. Getting the right size is important and usually Wal-Mart bike are very generic in size and I won't even get into the components they use.
And as far as age I am in better shape than most men twice my age.
And I prefer the revolving account to checks.
Go for it now and pay later! :D
 
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