Wife's sticker shock



Todd M said:
Great idea with eBay, unfortunately they usually don't have anything for me in terms of size. I'm 6'5" and let's just say there is not a huge supply of large frames out there. The only thing that caught my eye was a Litespeed frame, but the guy had to send it back to the factory because the head tube split. Not going down that road. I guess I'll keep checking though. It doesn't hurt.


Todd
Check these sites out

http://www.trekstop.com/

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.006.asp?year=2005&model=11142


http://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.006.asp?model=11330

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/030.000.000/030.000.006.asp?model=11331
 
I had a similar type of issue with my wife... What I did was this. I had a 7 year old Klein Mountain bike that I had slick tires on. I was riding with my friends who had road bikes. I had to work out like crazy to keep up. Never free wheel! Anyway, she thought that meant I was getting a better work out. I needed to spend sometime with her on the Polar website too I guess, harder is not always better.

Anyway, I rode for 12 months on that bike about 2-3 times a week. I also did the olympic distance triathlon at wildflower on that bike. I then sold some of my other toys after I had convinced her this was not a crazy investment. She let me get the bike of my dreams after smoking some people on my 30 lb Klein!

Having said that, there is nothing quite like tearing past some guys all dressed up on their super cool bikes and you are on a mountain bike, they cannot resist and give chase... I burned their legs out before they started their climb up a 1200 vertical foot 3 mile climb! Ha ha...

I'd say if you love biking, you love it. The bike doesn't stop you. She'll come around if you show that, and don't be selfish with it...

Enjoy!
 
I realise that it must be a disappointment to you not having your wife agree with the idea of spending $2000-$3000, but you must realise that your relationship is important and that you need to agree on where you are investing your money. That is a lot of money out of a household budget if you have a mortgage or kids etc.

Why don't you do some simple gearing and tyre upgrades on your old mountain bike. Say $100 slick tyres and approx $50 for a new cassette 11-28 for instance. I know if you have drunk champagne it is hard to go back to fruit juice. Possibly as one of the posts suggests get her interested by buying her a cheap mountain bike and doing similar upgrades. See the link below my post.

You could always buy a second hand road bike or superceded model. Have some fun. When you simply go out and buy what you want straight away, you lose some quality of life.
 
Todd M said:
How do you all deal with a significant other that is not into cycling and who thinks spending more than $500 on a new bike is insane?

I recently decided to start riding again after a few years layoff and decided to get a new road bike. I sold my old road bike (leaving me with only my mountain bike) with the idea of using the money from that sale to partially fund the purchase of a new road bike. I made the mistake of taking my wife to a bike shop this weekend to check out some new rides and all she would do was flip the price tags over and say, "For a bike?!" I don't see anything wrong with spending $2500 - $3000 for a decent bike, but she has dug her heels in on this one, refuses to use household funds for an overpriced toy, and feels I am fine on my old Trek 7000 mountain bike until I save up enough of my own "mad money" to fund the new ride. Believe me, if that's the case, I won't have a new bike for a couple of years!

I'm having a hard time pleading my case and any suggestions, facts, or information you might have so I can show her a) how crappy it is to have to ride a mountain bike on the road vs. riding a road bike on the road or b)the general differences between a $500 bike vs. $3000 bike would be greatly appreciated.

-Todd
You might try telling her it's the last bike you'll ever buy. I've done that twice now. Not sure it will work a third time, but I'm about ready to try it. :D

I also point out that I don't have to pay green fees every time I ride.
 
eBay (or craigslist) is the way to go. You can easily get a $2500 bike for <$1000. What frame size do you take, 62-63cm? There's a fair number of the bigger frames out there. Define a 'Favorite Search' and have it email you with new auctions. Sooner or later you'll find what you want.

And/or buy a bike with components you want, and a bare frame, and move over the components. Or buy the frame you want and upgrade the mediocre components.

Several small purchases over time will be a lot more acceptable to the spouse than one large purchase.
 
Todd M said:
How do you all deal with a significant other that is not into cycling and who thinks spending more than $500 on a new bike is insane?

I recently decided to start riding again after a few years layoff and decided to get a new road bike. I sold my old road bike (leaving me with only my mountain bike) with the idea of using the money from that sale to partially fund the purchase of a new road bike. I made the mistake of taking my wife to a bike shop this weekend to check out some new rides and all she would do was flip the price tags over and say, "For a bike?!" I don't see anything wrong with spending $2500 - $3000 for a decent bike, but she has dug her heels in on this one, refuses to use household funds for an overpriced toy, and feels I am fine on my old Trek 7000 mountain bike until I save up enough of my own "mad money" to fund the new ride. Believe me, if that's the case, I won't have a new bike for a couple of years!

I'm having a hard time pleading my case and any suggestions, facts, or information you might have so I can show her a) how crappy it is to have to ride a mountain bike on the road vs. riding a road bike on the road or b)the general differences between a $500 bike vs. $3000 bike would be greatly appreciated.

-Todd
Get a new wife. Or tell her it's much cheaper than a mistress
 
Hmmm, interesting, but not uncommon dilmena Todd.

Really I have to side with your wife on this one. Mainly because you've been away from the activity for years and now want to drop 2.5 to 3 grand on new steed. I'd say the same thing whether it was a bike, camera, or some other gadget.

If you really have been out of the sport for that long, how big a difference is spending $2.5k vs. say, $1k or even a bit less, on a bike going to make when you haven't been training? A few seconds? A minute or two over a long ride....maybe?

As was mentioned, why not get a more entry-level or used bike. Ride it for a while, get fit, etc. Then you can sell that bike and work on getting a new one.

I think it makes a big difference when you have been doing it for a while when you are convincing someone who isn't into the activity. I'm going to have a much easier time believing that shiny Madone 5.2 or whatever, is what you need once I see you've been devoted by riding for a time. Otherwise, it does seem unnecessary.

Me personally? The beauty of being entirely unattached - no kids, no bf or gf - is that I need not justify my purchases (such as the $1k on a powertap today) to anybody
biggrin.gif
 
I was in a similar situation with my wife, although not to the extreme of the guy in the original post in this thread. I recently got back into road biking and had to sell off my old trusty 80's Trek and my MTB along with a horde of guitar related equipment in order to fund an Ultegra equipped semi-race-worthy steed.

After several hundred miles of riding and realizing that I want to race competatively next year in addition to commuting 40 miles one-way to work at least twice a week, I realize that it'd be wise of me to have a dedicated commuting bike and a dedicated race bike. I also realize that I can't just go spend the $2K that I want to but will have to "earn" it so-to-speak, by letting my wife see the dedication that I have to cycling, the benefits of it physically, and having "earned" it by really trying to make something of racing next year. If I can get a bike before the season starts I'll be surprised. If I CAN'T get a bike by no later than half-way through the season, I'll be equally surprised. Once she sees that it's not a passing fad for me, I can't imagine her NOT being onboard with it and actually encouraging it (within reason, of course).
 
ryanspeer said:
I was in a similar situation with my wife, although not to the extreme of the guy in the original post in this thread. I recently got back into road biking and had to sell off my old trusty 80's Trek and my MTB along with a horde of guitar related equipment in order to fund an Ultegra equipped semi-race-worthy steed.

After several hundred miles of riding and realizing that I want to race competatively next year in addition to commuting 40 miles one-way to work at least twice a week, I realize that it'd be wise of me to have a dedicated commuting bike and a dedicated race bike. I also realize that I can't just go spend the $2K that I want to but will have to "earn" it so-to-speak, by letting my wife see the dedication that I have to cycling, the benefits of it physically, and having "earned" it by really trying to make something of racing next year. If I can get a bike before the season starts I'll be surprised. If I CAN'T get a bike by no later than half-way through the season, I'll be equally surprised. Once she sees that it's not a passing fad for me, I can't imagine her NOT being onboard with it and actually encouraging it (within reason, of course).
You boys need to keep your pimp hands strong. Cycling is not a crime, drug addction, or an undesirable habit. If it works with your budget, then tell her to keep her pie hole shut. If you don't have the disposable income laying around to invest in a new bike, then you shouldn't need your wife to tell you that you can't spend the rent money on an expensive bike.

I'll admit my wife questions my outlays on bike items at times, but she also just bought me a Litespeed for my 40th birthday. pound for pound, it is tough to beat cycling as a relatively cheap activity. Talk to golfers or skiiers. It keeps us trim so we can still actually give it to them proper instead of having some big bear of an animal laying on top of them .
 
When I talked to my wife about buying my first road bike it was a $2K price tag and she not being the least bit enthused about cycling saw the benefits in a few different ways.

1st - I work hard as the primary income and I was able to justify the purchase because I do get bonuses now and then which is above our primary necessary income. She appreciated that all the over time I work I deserve some sort of pleasure outside of work to compensate for the heavy stress.

2nd - I proved myself responsible as the financial leader of the house by getting us debt free. House paid, cars paid, no kids so I have proved myself to her as being responsible with the money.

3rd - I wanted to ride with club riders because it is much safer to ride in the group around Atlanta and there was no way that I could do this on a mt. bike that I had.

4th - I proved her wrong because she thought I would never use the bike and now she sees that I am addicted.

5th - She has seen my medical status improve because I started cycling due to high blood pressure. That has improved tremedously in the last 2 years. So I am not spending money on medication.

I now have 2 fairly nice road bikes (2004 & 2006) both paid with bonus checks.

Maybe there is an excuse / reason hidden in my ramblings.

Oh....and I forgot the main point.....I gave my wife about $5K for her furniture account so she is free to do what ever she wants with that money. :)
 
Felt_Rider said:
When I talked to my wife about buying my first road bike it was a $2K price tag and she not being the least bit enthused about cycling saw the benefits in a few different ways.

1st - I work hard as the primary income and I was able to justify the purchase because I do get bonuses now and then which is above our primary necessary income. She appreciated that all the over time I work I deserve some sort of pleasure outside of work to compensate for the heavy stress.

2nd - I proved myself responsible as the financial leader of the house by getting us debt free. House paid, cars paid, no kids so I have proved myself to her as being responsible with the money.

3rd - I wanted to ride with club riders because it is much safer to ride in the group around Atlanta and there was no way that I could do this on a mt. bike that I had.

4th - I proved her wrong because she thought I would never use the bike and now she sees that I am addicted.

5th - She has seen my medical status improve because I started cycling due to high blood pressure. That has improved tremedously in the last 2 years. So I am not spending money on medication.

I now have 2 fairly nice road bikes (2004 & 2006) both paid with bonus checks.

Maybe there is an excuse / reason hidden in my ramblings.

Oh....and I forgot the main point.....I gave my wife about $5K for her furniture account so she is free to do what ever she wants with that money. :)
All good, but at the end of the day, your wife wants to see you happy, because she is not a harpy. You can afford it, so what's the issue. You looked at your budget, prioritized your spending and your bike is no less frivolous than buying a nice piece of furniture instead of some **** from IKEA.
 
Lucy_Aspenwind said:
heh....uh-huh, you got that right!
I am not so sure. If my wife wants soem ridiculously expensive pair of shoes, i.e. Prada, Manolo, I trust that she knows what our budget is and that she will spend responsively. I don't expect her to "justify" her purchase to me based upon need. If my wife is spending irresponsively, which she doesn't, than that is another issue indicative of a far deeper problem. In other words, if you treat your wife like your Mom, "can I get it," then she will act like your mom. And then because no normal guy wants to bang their mom, your relationship isn't going to get any better. You're both adults, look at your finances, prioritize your spending, take care of the essentials, and then the rest does fall into, "I am an adult and and I want it" department.
 
I know how you feel. Before I got married and dated my wife, I trained her into knowing that I want what I want and I will get. And I like the great ****! The great digital camera, the great stereo, the great surround sound with DTS! The great Dewalt electric screw driver, the great Dewalt mider saw, sander, reciprocating saw, etc. You get the picture...So, after years of training, and she had 8 years to learn about me, on my Birthday after being married for 4 years, I bought my Madone 5.9, 5K later! Now we have a 2 year old girl, another little one on the way. So about 5 months ago I bought my new Santa Cruz Blur XC, 3K which includes an $800 discount due to the shops mistake. I funded this one by selling off some of my great ****! Stuff like, high end saltwater reels, couple of fly rods and salt water rods, and a couple of fly reels, and a 1/5 scale rc car. In good conscience, even I had a hard time justifying my 4K Mnt. Bike with a family and another little one on the way. But in the end, I traded some hobbies for another hobby and I still got the good ****! I really believe in "you get what you pay for" and getting the best you can get. The last way I justify my bike's prices are that they will keep me healthy and in the long run, the price of these bikes together will be a whole lot cheaper than the doctor bills I could incur if I started getting sick from being out of shape. And at one point, I was headed there, but that is another story for another day...life's too short not to indulge.
 
OscarC said:
The last way I justify my bike's prices are that they will keep me healthy and in the long run, the price of these bikes together will be a whole lot cheaper than the doctor bills I could incur if I started getting sick from being out of shape. And at one point, I was headed there, but that is another story for another day...life's too short not to indulge.
This argument doesn't quite work under nationalised universal medicine and an aging population.

Further, the earlier you die, the earlier the Govt can worry about one less in the aging population. The earlier you die, the earlier the wealth can go to buying Prada and Gucci shoes and handbags. :D
 
OscarC said:
I funded this one by selling off some of my great Stuff like...
That's a good strategy. But the problem is that you can lose value in the 'toys' you sell off to raise funds for newer 'toys'.

As for the original poster of this thread, I know how you feel. It's a tough situation. If you 'hide' funds over a period of time as a means of saving for a new bike (without revealing the price of), you may be able to get what you want. The problem is, some blokes spouses (also known as FPOs or Fun Prevention Officers) count every cent you earn/save, so it's not easy to cover up the departure of a few $$$ when you buy a new bike.

I'd suggest writing a list. A list of 'for' and 'against' buying a new bike. When you complete the list, ask yourself how long you would expect the bike to last (eg 4 years give or take), then break that figure down to a weekly amount. Let's say it works out to $8 a week. Just go without some 'non essentials' in your life that would normally cost $8 per week, stick to your promise and then go out and buy the new bike!
 
Or better yet, cost out the alternative means of getting/staying in shape. Think a health club membership can be had for $8/week?