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On 10 Mar 2005 05:26:43 -0800, Maggie wrote:
There was a time when people only rode a bike because they could not afford a car. Anyone out there remember being forced into riding a bike because you had absolutely no money for a car? I do. I remember that, I had just graduate College and I had my first job. My car's engine blew. It was going to cost me more money than I had so I rode my bike the 7 miles to work (OMG! What a distance ;-) Maybe thats why I can't relate to the bikes that cost thousands of dollars. It was only a year ago that I found out that there are bikes that expensive. I couldn't justify buying an expenisive bike until I figured out that I was putting more miles on my bike and less on my car (1996 Saturn - 72K miles, 1990 Trek 1100 - 40K miles, Mongoose RX100 - 20K miles). Once I figured out that I was spending less money by buying a better quality bike the cost wasn't such a shock. New car = $20K, New bike 1.5K. Length of ownership: car ~10 years, Trek ~10 years, RX100 - 5 years so far. Even the maintenance is lower on my car when I use the bike more. So in a society where 'a car is necessity' is a motto my less expensive bike has easily saved me money on my car. Of course this doesn't even touch the health benifits. :-) (Except for the mental part, remember I like to ride long distances). -- Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry http://home.comcast.net/~ncherry/ (Text only) http://hcs.sourceforge.net/ (HCS II) http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog |
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#112
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"RonSonic" wrote in message ... On 10 Mar 2005 05:26:43 -0800, "Maggie" wrote: For some reason this thread about which socio-economic or ethic group rides bikes rubs me the wrong way. I have not figured out why as of yet. Maybe it will come to me in a vision. Is this about "Lance Armstrong Riding" or just plain old get on a bike and go? Let's call it sport riding, as a contrast to DUI riders, migrant workers who haven't gotten a down payment to the buy here pay here lot, kids selling crack from chrome BMX bike and people who just gotta get in shape and cycling is easier on the ankles even though they hate it as much as they do running. Exactly. There are those who ride for the experience and benefits of riding, and those who ride for the transportation of riding. Sometimes the two meet, but not always. Some folks don't do sport riding. Sometimes it makes sense as a practical matter, other times it's just some cultural quirk. As for why it would rub you the wrong way, you know that you are a sport / fitness rider and you know the sort of attitude about that behavior common to your neighborhood. Most Americans don't exercise, and they look at those who do with a combination of disdain and jealousy. I remember being broke and having a bike as my primary mode. But I am not aware that there was EVER a time when one rode a bike "only" because a car was out of the budget. That may have been the case in some neighborhoods in some overpopulated mid-Atlantic region. Then again, that region seems to hold other narrow, stupid and bigoted ideas and practices. I grew up in rural south Louisiana, and even the poorest black family had a car of some sort. They may have lived in a tarpaper shack with a manually pumped well in the front yard(in the 1980s), but there was always a car or truck. I was very fortunate to live in a small town and to have parents who refused to cater to my desires to be driven places. I was told to hop on my bike, and it's just about the only thing I can thank them for. As for bikes costing thousands, it is amusing when the bike is that much more capable than the rider. At the same time what's the point of expensive furniture. Basically the same, these are nice things we'd like to own and have surrounding us. People will spend $40000 on an SUV but don't understand someone spending $1000 or more on a bike. These same people have no problem plunking down big money on plasma TVs and other electronics which will be obsolete in a few years. Bikes basically last forever, especially quality ones. :-) |
#113
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"Maggie" wrote:
For some reason this thread about which socio-economic or ethic group rides bikes rubs me the wrong way. I have not figured out why as of yet. Maybe it will come to me in a vision. Is this about "Lance Armstrong Riding" or just plain old get on a bike and go? That could be just a knee-jerk reaction to a discussion of cultural differences. We've been conditioned to automatically react that way, which is too bad since this thread has been nearly 100% about "let's make sure no one is putting up any barriers". More discussions like this would be a good thing (in lots of arenas), even if they set off a few PC alerts (I'm pretty much tone deaf to that frequency anyway). ;-) There was a time when people only rode a bike because they could not afford a car. Anyone out there remember being forced into riding a bike because you had absolutely no money for a car? I do. Naaah, go watch 'Breaking Away' again, and you'll see that there have been plenty of us bike nerds around for a long, long time. Maybe thats why I can't relate to the bikes that cost thousands of dollars. Errrr, ummmmm, coff, coff.... It was only a year ago that I found out that there are bikes that expensive. It's all relative - compared to the cost of most other sports, they're actually quite cheap (and have much more utility than a set of golf clubs unless there's a burglar in your house). When John Kerry's bicycle was a topic of conversation. I actually never knew a bike could cost that much. I certainly never felt like the fact that a very, very, very rich candidate bought an "expensive" bike was an issue - heck, I would dare say you've spent a lot higher percentage of your disposable income on your bike than he did on his. Both the candidates need some work on riding clothing though - they needed to hire Fabrizio as a consultant for a couple weeks - coulda thrown the election several points either way I figger... Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com Home of the $695 ti frame |
#114
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Neil Cherry wrote:
I couldn't justify buying an expenisive bike until I figured out that I was putting more miles on my bike and less on my car (1996 Saturn - 72K miles, 1990 Trek 1100 - 40K miles, Mongoose RX100 - 20K miles). Once I figured out that I was spending less money by buying a better quality bike the cost wasn't such a shock. New car = $20K, New bike 1.5K. Length of ownership: car ~10 years, Trek ~10 years, RX100 - 5 years so far. Even the maintenance is lower on my car when I use the bike more. I put about 5,000 "replacement" miles on my bike a year (those are miles I'd otherwise have to drive). Figuring a very low per-mile figure of $0.20 (for most newer cars, it's probably twice that, but my trusty Jeep has 165,000 miles on it, so isn't depreciating very fast. It also gets reasonably good gas mileage (around 24-25mpg on the open road), so the $0.20 should cover the mileage even with gas at $2.00+. That means I'm saving about $1,000 a year on a car, which can be spent on a bike. Obviously if I spend a $2,000 on a bike, it's going to take a few years to break even (after all, you do have to spend a little on tires and tubes and chains and cassettes, etc.)... but after that, it's gravy. So you see (Maggie...) owning a bike doesn't cost anything - why, you virtually get rich riding one. ;-) Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com Home of the $695 "high return" ti frame |
#115
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On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 17:59:48 -0700, Mark Hickey wrote:
"Maggie" wrote: For some reason this thread about which socio-economic or ethic group rides bikes rubs me the wrong way. I have not figured out why as of yet. Maybe it will come to me in a vision. Is this about "Lance Armstrong Riding" or just plain old get on a bike and go? That could be just a knee-jerk reaction to a discussion of cultural differences. We've been conditioned to automatically react that way, which is too bad since this thread has been nearly 100% about "let's make sure no one is putting up any barriers". More discussions like this would be a good thing (in lots of arenas), even if they set off a few PC alerts (I'm pretty much tone deaf to that frequency anyway). ;-) There was a time when people only rode a bike because they could not afford a car. Anyone out there remember being forced into riding a bike because you had absolutely no money for a car? I do. Naaah, go watch 'Breaking Away' again, and you'll see that there have been plenty of us bike nerds around for a long, long time. Maybe thats why I can't relate to the bikes that cost thousands of dollars. Errrr, ummmmm, coff, coff.... It was only a year ago that I found out that there are bikes that expensive. It's all relative - compared to the cost of most other sports, they're actually quite cheap (and have much more utility than a set of golf clubs unless there's a burglar in your house). Ya know it doesn't have the aerobic element of cycling, but in every other way is an excellent sport for any man or woman to take up, recommended over stick and ball games by no less than Thomas Jefferson, I speak of the shooting sports. Moderate physical exercise combined with unparalleled exercise of the mind and body control. And, not incidently way more useful than a set of golf clubs in case of burglary. Ron When John Kerry's bicycle was a topic of conversation. I actually never knew a bike could cost that much. I certainly never felt like the fact that a very, very, very rich candidate bought an "expensive" bike was an issue - heck, I would dare say you've spent a lot higher percentage of your disposable income on your bike than he did on his. Both the candidates need some work on riding clothing though - they needed to hire Fabrizio as a consultant for a couple weeks - coulda thrown the election several points either way I figger... Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com Home of the $695 ti frame |
#116
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RonSonic wrote: I speak of the shooting sports. Moderate physical exercise combined with unparalleled exercise of the mind and body control. ??? Moderate physical exercise? Well, everything's relative, I guess. A box of bullets is kind of heavy when compared, say, to a coffee and donut... |
#117
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wrote in message oups.com... RonSonic wrote: I speak of the shooting sports. Moderate physical exercise combined with unparalleled exercise of the mind and body control. ??? Moderate physical exercise? Well, everything's relative, I guess. A box of bullets is kind of heavy when compared, say, to a coffee and donut... Google IPSC or IDPA and get back to us, Frank. |
#118
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RonSonic wrote: On 10 Mar 2005 05:26:43 -0800, "Maggie" wrote: For some reason this thread about which socio-economic or ethic group rides bikes rubs me the wrong way. I have not figured out why as of yet. Maybe it will come to me in a vision. Is this about "Lance Armstrong Riding" or just plain old get on a bike and go? Let's call it sport riding, as a contrast to DUI riders, migrant workers who haven't gotten a down payment to the buy here pay here lot, kids selling crack from chrome BMX bike and people who just gotta get in shape and cycling is easier on the ankles even though they hate it as much as they do running. Some folks don't do sport riding. Sometimes it makes sense as a practical matter, other times it's just some cultural quirk. As for why it would rub you the wrong way, you know that you are a sport / fitness rider and you know the sort of attitude about that behavior common to your neighborhood. There was a time when people only rode a bike because they could not afford a car. Anyone out there remember being forced into riding a bike because you had absolutely no money for a car? I do. Maybe thats why I can't relate to the bikes that cost thousands of dollars. It was only a year ago that I found out that there are bikes that expensive. When John Kerry's bicycle was a topic of conversation. I actually never knew a bike could cost that much. I remember being broke and having a bike as my primary mode. But I am not aware that there was EVER a time when one rode a bike "only" because a car was out of the budget. That may have been the case in some neighborhoods in some overpopulated mid-Atlantic region. Then again, that region seems to hold other narrow, stupid and bigoted ideas and practices. As for bikes costing thousands, it is amusing when the bike is that much more capable than the rider. At the same time what's the point of expensive furniture. Basically the same, these are nice things we'd like to own and have surrounding us. Ron I could never justify spending thousands for a bicycle, because I am not going to be in competition or "go for the gold" I can't justify spending 800.00 on a purse, but I have. I guess spending thousands on a bike is a luxury which some people can afford and if you can afford it, why not? We only get one go around in this life, why not indulge sometimes. If we spent our lives doing the practical thing, life would get boring. I'm never practical, and I am not proud of that, but I am never bored either. ;-) I will guess that I will never own a bike that costs over 500 dollars. I would consider that "my" top of the line bike. Unless I really get into this as the seasons change here in my part of the world. I've learned that you should NEVER SAY NEVER! All things are possible. Maybe not probable, but possible. All Good Things, Maggie |
#119
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#120
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On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 10:25:01 GMT, "Gooserider" wrote:
wrote in message roups.com... RonSonic wrote: I speak of the shooting sports. Moderate physical exercise combined with unparalleled exercise of the mind and body control. ??? Moderate physical exercise? Well, everything's relative, I guess. A box of bullets is kind of heavy when compared, say, to a coffee and donut... Google IPSC or IDPA and get back to us, Frank. Hell, just stand there and complete a bullseye match. It doesn't look hard, and it isn't in a grunt and huff and puff way. It just requires correct tension and control of every muscle in your body. Ron |
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