Why are expensive bikes better than cheap ones?



Bill wrote:
> Ok,
> So am I the oddball here because I don't care about spending $2,000
> bucks on a bike and consider $50 enough? Exercise is the whole point and
> it doesn't take tons of money to through at a bike to get in shape. I
> don't think I am going to be competing, unless it's in the over 60
> category, and I do manage to get about 3-5K miles per cheap bike. So, in
> that case, I am getting more miles per dollar than the expensive bikes.
> Quick, somebody tell me why it's more fun to wreck a $2K bike than a $50
> bike. I do crash on my off road exploits and have the scars to show for
> it, but not the broken expensive bike, just one more parts bike.
> Bill Baka


For me 'fun' is the whole point of cycling, I spend 5 hours in the gym
and about 4 on the road bike getting fit so I can spend about 3 hours
week throwing a $4000 mtb around the trails near my home. I don't trust
the brakes on a cheap bike, the frame, the wheels or the components.
When I drop my bike off a 4ft drop at +20mph I know it's not going to
buckle under my 230lbs of mass and when I turn around to climb again
it's light enough to ride back up. After 16 months of beating my bike
up every weekend, the wheels are still true, headset tight, frame
straight and stiff (no movement in sus linkages) and I've been through
4 sets of tyres and two chains. I just can't see a $200 bike taking
that much abuse.

Laters,

Marz
 
Marz wrote:
> Bill wrote:
>> Ok,
>> So am I the oddball here because I don't care about spending $2,000
>> bucks on a bike and consider $50 enough? Exercise is the whole point and
>> it doesn't take tons of money to through at a bike to get in shape. I
>> don't think I am going to be competing, unless it's in the over 60
>> category, and I do manage to get about 3-5K miles per cheap bike. So, in
>> that case, I am getting more miles per dollar than the expensive bikes.
>> Quick, somebody tell me why it's more fun to wreck a $2K bike than a $50
>> bike. I do crash on my off road exploits and have the scars to show for
>> it, but not the broken expensive bike, just one more parts bike.
>> Bill Baka

>
> For me 'fun' is the whole point of cycling, I spend 5 hours in the gym
> and about 4 on the road bike getting fit so I can spend about 3 hours
> week throwing a $4000 mtb around the trails near my home. I don't trust
> the brakes on a cheap bike, the frame, the wheels or the components.
> When I drop my bike off a 4ft drop at +20mph I know it's not going to
> buckle under my 230lbs of mass and when I turn around to climb again
> it's light enough to ride back up. After 16 months of beating my bike
> up every weekend, the wheels are still true, headset tight, frame
> straight and stiff (no movement in sus linkages) and I've been through
> 4 sets of tyres and two chains. I just can't see a $200 bike taking
> that much abuse.
>
> Laters,
>
> Marz
>

I have to admit to some truth in your assessment. I wore out 2 steel
frame x-mart bikes and have yet to break anything on my somewhat more
expensive aluminum bike. No suspension but good components and the only
problem I have had with the brakes was my fault in overheating the back
rim coming down a steep (20%?) jagged rock descent. About 300 feet of
vertical downhill and the rear started to smell like something burning
and when I touched the rim something did, my fingers. The front brake
has enough power to put me over the front and while I have hit some
nasty holes and rocks at speed the most I have gotten was a sore tail
bone. Lucky for me, my wipe outs have been on dirt and not rocks, but
the bike was OK after a thorough cleaning. BTW, the bike is a Pacific
Nomad, so not a high dollar bike, but durable. I am at 180lbs right now
which is way over my optimum 145 but the bike seems to tolerate my
suicidal off road style. P.S., don't ever let your wife convince you to
gain weight to 'look' healthy, better skinny and in shape.
Bill Baka
 
[email protected] wrote:
> gds wrote:
> >
> >
> > As others have said above there is a law of diminishing returns and as
> > price increases the marginal improvement of the bike get smaller and
> > smaller.
> > But it is also true that generally the more you pay the more you get.

>
> Hmm. I beg to differ. With bikes, the more you pay, the _less_ you
> get!
>
> Spend $69.99 and you'll get 35 pounds of bicycle, maybe more. Spend
> $2000 and you'll be lucky to get even 20 pounds of bicycle. That's $2
> per pound vs. $100 per pound - it's obvious which is the better buy!
> ;-)
>
> - Frank Krygowski


Don't you subscribe to "less IS more" ? ;-)
 
[email protected] wrote:
> gds wrote:
> >
> >
> > As others have said above there is a law of diminishing returns and as
> > price increases the marginal improvement of the bike get smaller and
> > smaller.
> > But it is also true that generally the more you pay the more you get.

>
> Hmm. I beg to differ. With bikes, the more you pay, the _less_ you
> get!
>
> Spend $69.99 and you'll get 35 pounds of bicycle, maybe more. Spend
> $2000 and you'll be lucky to get even 20 pounds of bicycle. That's $2
> per pound vs. $100 per pound - it's obvious which is the better buy!
> ;-)
>
> - Frank Krygowski


Frank, don't you subscribe to "less IS more" ? ;-)
 
[email protected] wrote:
> gds wrote:
> >
> >
> > As others have said above there is a law of diminishing returns and as
> > price increases the marginal improvement of the bike get smaller and
> > smaller.
> > But it is also true that generally the more you pay the more you get.

>
> Hmm. I beg to differ. With bikes, the more you pay, the _less_ you
> get!
>
> Spend $69.99 and you'll get 35 pounds of bicycle, maybe more. Spend
> $2000 and you'll be lucky to get even 20 pounds of bicycle. That's $2
> per pound vs. $100 per pound - it's obvious which is the better buy!
> ;-)
>
> - Frank Krygowski


Frank, don't you subscribe to "less IS more" ? ;-)
 
gds wrote:

> Frank, don't you subscribe to "less IS more" ? ;-)


Heard you the first two times.

Bill "slight irony" S.
 
Bill Sornson wrote:
> gds wrote:
>
> > Frank, don't you subscribe to "less IS more" ? ;-)

>
> Heard you the first two times.
>
> Bill "slight irony" S.


That is a Google error. The message got hung up somewhere.
 
Ken Aston wrote:
> Recently, I have been using my bike more and more and by now I almost
> stopped using any other way of transportation. It's a lot of fun and it
> made me think about buying a really nice bike. Right now I am just
> using a cheap discount bike which is quite heavy.
> snip


One thing that I don't think was mentioned is that an expensive bike
will attract thieves. I have a spare beater bike. I can leave it
locked up out in front of the shops I go to without worrying about my
expensive bike getting swiped.
 
Ranchero wrote:
> Ken Aston wrote:
> > Recently, I have been using my bike more and more and by now I almost
> > stopped using any other way of transportation. It's a lot of fun and it
> > made me think about buying a really nice bike. Right now I am just
> > using a cheap discount bike which is quite heavy.
> > snip

>
> One thing that I don't think was mentioned is that an expensive bike
> will attract thieves. I have a spare beater bike. I can leave it
> locked up out in front of the shops I go to without worrying about my
> expensive bike getting swiped.


You are probably right on this. Although, interestingly the "after
market" for stolen bikes may not value them the same as the retail
market. Or it may be that thieves don't know bike values. A number of
years ago we had four bikes stored in one place in our garage. Thieves
broke in and stole two hard tail mountain bikes with a price when new
of ~$400 each. They left behind my Litespeed with a value of ~$3500 and
my wife's road bike which cost ~$1200.
 
gds wrote:
> Ranchero wrote:
>> Ken Aston wrote:
>>> Recently, I have been using my bike more and more and by now I almost
>>> stopped using any other way of transportation. It's a lot of fun and it
>>> made me think about buying a really nice bike. Right now I am just
>>> using a cheap discount bike which is quite heavy.
>>> snip

>> One thing that I don't think was mentioned is that an expensive bike
>> will attract thieves. I have a spare beater bike. I can leave it
>> locked up out in front of the shops I go to without worrying about my
>> expensive bike getting swiped.

>
> You are probably right on this. Although, interestingly the "after
> market" for stolen bikes may not value them the same as the retail
> market. Or it may be that thieves don't know bike values. A number of
> years ago we had four bikes stored in one place in our garage. Thieves
> broke in and stole two hard tail mountain bikes with a price when new
> of ~$400 each. They left behind my Litespeed with a value of ~$3500 and
> my wife's road bike which cost ~$1200.
>

Nobody said you had to be smart to be a thief. One guy I heard of
locally locked his bike at a Wal-mart and looped the cable through both
wheels and the frame since they had quick releases. When he came out,
the seat was gone, since the post had a quick release for adjusting on
the go. Some people will steal anything, even if they don't have a clue
what to do with it.
Sounds like a good reason for having a junker for those shopping trips.
I only go to stores that let me take the bike inside.
Bill Baka
 
have a clue
> what to do with it.
> Sounds like a good reason for having a junker for those shopping trips.
> I only go to stores that let me take the bike inside.
> Bill Baka


Bill I thought you only had a junker bike anyway from you post a few days
ago.
 
nash wrote:
> have a clue
>> what to do with it.
>> Sounds like a good reason for having a junker for those shopping trips.
>> I only go to stores that let me take the bike inside.
>> Bill Baka

>
> Bill I thought you only had a junker bike anyway from you post a few days
> ago.
>
>

I have a couple of non-junkers but I don't ride them to Wal-mart, fer sure.
Bill Baka
 

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