Well, in non-weather related news...

[HumblePie]

...and I rode my new bicycle into work this morning. A grueling 21 mile trek from my apartment to work. Got up at 4:30, left at 5:00am after getting ready and made it in at 6:30.

On a side note, San Antonio SUCKS for bicycling. I only had a bike lane for about 4 miles. After that, I had sidewalks that were in mostly real crappy condition. Many places the sidewalk was under construction so I had to walk my bike around. Ugh.

Top it off with a ride that almost all uphill to my work... and I'm looking forward to doing it tomorrow morning at least.

Put it this way. Gas for my RX-8 is $35 a week right now. The bike was the cheapest I could find and on sale at $252 after taxes. That was without a kickstand even. So in 2 months of doing this, I should have that bike paid for with gas money I would have used instead. That and I should be in much better shape.


Oh.. and bikes are frikking EXPENSIVE nowadays. I remember getting a really nice street bike, 12 speed I think, with all the works when I was 15 (and the same 6'1" height I am now) for around $200 bucks. Bikes like the one I had are going for like $2000....

I was looking around a few bike shops and saw prices reaching up to $4000-$5000 for a BICYCLE!!! One store the cheapest they had was $400. OMG, that's crazy!!! It's no wonder people would rather drive. I did some major searching all this past weekend to find this decent bike for $252. Good gawd it's crazy. Why the hell have bicycle prices skyrocketed faster then gas prices???

 

[Cheetah8799]

I was looking around a few bike shops and saw prices reaching up to $4000-$5000 for a BICYCLE!!! One store the cheapest they had was $400. OMG, that's crazy!!! It's no wonder people would rather drive. I did some major searching all this past weekend to find this decent bike for $252. Good gawd it's crazy. Why the hell have bicycle prices skyrocketed faster then gas prices???

Those are not commuter bikes you are looking at. They are performance bikes for people who like to ride hard and/or race. Start adding up what a high end gaming computer costs and I think you'll find it's in the $2000+ range, more if you add in a big LCD, custom case, etc. etc.



edit: wanted to also say congrats on commuting 21 miles on your bike. Most people won't even consider it. You'll find that it really isn't that far once you get in better shape. I'm not sure what type of tires it came with, but if they are knobby mountain bike tires, then I suggest you get some road slicks (no knobs) for it. You'll see a big improvement in speed and efficiency.

 

[ravana]

rode not road

Speeling nazis unite!

 

[otispunkmeyer]

Originally posted by: HumblePie
...and I rode my new bicycle into work this morning. A grueling 21 mile trek from my apartment to work. Got up at 4:30, left at 5:00am after getting ready and made it in at 6:30.

On a side note, San Antonio SUCKS for bicycling. I only had a bike lane for about 4 miles. After that, I had sidewalks that were in mostly real crappy condition. Many places the sidewalk was under construction so I had to walk my bike around. Ugh.

Top it off with a ride that almost all uphill to my work... and I'm looking forward to doing it tomorrow morning at least.

Put it this way. Gas for my RX-8 is $35 a week right now. The bike was the cheapest I could find and on sale at $252 after taxes. That was without a kickstand even. So in 2 months of doing this, I should have that bike paid for with gas money I would have used instead. That and I should be in much better shape.


Oh.. and bikes are frikking EXPENSIVE nowadays. I remember getting a really nice street bike, 12 speed I think, with all the works when I was 15 (and the same 6'1" height I am now) for around $200 bucks. Bikes like the one I had are going for like $2000....

I was looking around a few bike shops and saw prices reaching up to $4000-$5000 for a BICYCLE!!! One store the cheapest they had was $400. OMG, that's crazy!!! It's no wonder people would rather drive. I did some major searching all this past weekend to find this decent bike for $252. Good gawd it's crazy. Why the hell have bicycle prices skyrocketed faster then gas prices???

where the hell did you shop!?

my bike cost like £40 new, (it came flat packed though)

having said that though i havent had it long, and i cant see it lasting much longer....its fvcked basically, but where i go to uni you really cant have a nice bike, some scum bag charver will just come and nick it.

so looks like im gonna have to buy a cheap ass bike every 6th months, for the sake of not getting a decent 200-300 bike that would last forever nicked

 

[HumblePie]

Spelling fixed....

As for bike prices though.. it's still insane. I had a good speed bike as a kid for MUCH cheaper then they go for today. Heck, I remember walking into a bike shop back then and seeing the highest price on a bike around $1500. That was just over a decade ago. Now, there are plenty of bikes in these big bike stores that go for over $2000 easy with $5000 at the top end. Going from $1500 top end price to $5000 top end price in 10 years is a huge difference. Mid range was $200 to $400 for bikes back then. Now mid range bikes are around $800 bucks. It still boggles my mind.



Yah, I also need to get some slicks as my bike tires as well. Just waiting to wear down the tires I already have. I could not buy a bike that came with slicks for less then $800 whever I checked. That's disgusting on price hikes.

 

[gaZillionaire]

Hi HumblePie, I live out at Canyon Lake and just so happens I am in the market for a new bicycle myself. Would you mind sharing details of what bicycle you got and where? Thanks alot...