Further to Claire Petersky's rant

"Roger Zoul" wrote in message
...
psycholist wrote:
:: "Curtis L. Russell" wrote in message
:: ...
::: On Tue, 1 Jun 2004 22:02:07 -0400, "psycholist"
::: wrote:
:::
:::: I've been frequenting the same bike shop for the last dozen years.
:::: I tried one time to figure up all the money I've spent there. I
:::: think it's $40,000 easily. That's probably low. I've bought
:::: several bikes, several sets of expensive wheels, a universal gym,
:::: countless tires and tubes, clothing, helmets, shoes, etc. etc.
:::
::: Damn. I don't think I've spent $ 40,000 total on bike stuff in my
::: life. Getting close to 40 years of riding and probably 10-12 bikes,
::: but, nope, even counting the trailers and counting both tandems on
::: my account, I guess I'm going to fall a few thousand short.
:::
::: Maybe I need to stop patching my tubes so much. Or buy more fancy
::: shorts. Start racing again and bend a few frames or something.
:::
::: Curtis L. Russell
::: Odenton, MD (USA)
::: Just someone on two wheels...
::
:: Or have a family and buy bikes for your wife and kids, plus all their
:: accessories, and get hit by cars TWICE and have insurance pay for
:: full replacement, etc.
::
:: And how much do you ride? I ride 12,000 miles per year on average.
:: I go through quite a few chains, cassettes, tires, saddles, lube,
:: etc.

How do you manage to put in that many miles per year? Just curious where
the time comes from....

::
:: If you've been riding 40 years and you've been through 10 or 12
:: bikes and you don't think you've spent $40,000 then I'm betting you
:: don't know how to count.
::

I believe you...I've only been at this a little while (less than a year),
and I'm well over $2000. If fact, I'd guess even your number is low...



The answer is self-employment! I can get in 2 hours before work, or take
two hours at lunch, or leave a couple of hours early. There's nobody to say
I can't. Well ... except for my wife.

Bob C.

"Rick Onanian" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 2 Jun 2004 12:15:42 -0400, "Roger Zoul"
wrote:
:: And how much do you ride? I ride 12,000 miles per year on average.
:: I go through quite a few chains, cassettes, tires, saddles, lube,
:: etc.

How do you manage to put in that many miles per year? Just curious where
the time comes from....

There's loads of those people here. I can't figure it out, either.
--
Rick Onanian

All of the high-mileage riders I know and train with are either
self-employed like me, or they have strange jobs that allow for very
flexible schedules. Two of my best training buddies are appraisers. I
don't know why that allows them so much time to train. They make really
good money at it, too.

My self-employed status and the flexibility it affords me for cycling is a
real blessing

Bob C.

"Curtis L. Russell" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 2 Jun 2004 11:27:20 -0400, "psycholist"
wrote:

If you've been riding 40 years and you've been through 10 or 12 bikes and
you don't think you've spent $40,000 then I'm betting you don't know how
to
count.

I don't replace bikes just because I feel like it. I've bought the
following bikes in my lifetime:

1967 Schwinn Continental about $ 120
1969 (approximately) Gitane Gran Sport about $ 140
1970 (approximately) Gitane Tour de France about $ 250
1975 Italvega Superspecialle about $ 500 (worked at the shop)
Blue Sky MTB by a second tier bike company, can't remember the year
about $ 300
1981 Proteus Custom Tourer about $ 1,200
1981 Proteus track bike about $ 500, another $ 100 for road mods
Lotus Supreme (don't remember the year) $ 700
Santana Arriva S about $ 2,200
Fuji 500 (2) for my wife and son - total about $ 900
Viner, second hand, for my wife - $ 300
Schwinn Team, second hand, for my son - $ 300
Trek 1200 about $ 600, new but prior year model
Vision R42 $ 1400
Vision R45 for my wife $ 2200
Double Vision about $ 4000 by the time I was finished
Bike Friday Metro, with everything $ 800
Breezer folder for my wife about $ 600
first trailer $ 200
second trailer, Howling Dog $ 800
Yakima rack system, about $ 1200 in total.

Full Campy repair kit way back when, complete with humongous circular
base - about $ 7000

I'm at about $ 26,500 and I've tossed in about all of the items of
significance. I have kept records on and off over the years and, no,
my annual cost per year for small stuff does not come close to $ 500,
even when it included my wife and son both. Most years under $ 200.
Call it cheating - I got two good light sets that would have added
about $ 900 to the total as either birthday or Christmas presents from
my in-laws.

Toss in clothing, which only amounted to much when I was racing, and
you are still below $ 40,000. Maybe you want to add every century fee
and bike club dues, like the three life memberships to LAW, but you
can't get those at bike shops.

Yeah, I do think I have a pretty good idea of what I've spent. Those
bikes aren't all that shabby and, no, it still doesn't come to $
40,000.

No, I don't ride 12,000 miles, but then I didn't say you didn't spend
$ 40,000; I said I didn't spend it. Unlike you, I didn't try to speak
to what someone else spends. I have a few friends that probaby spend
that much, but I'm not in buying a new Serotta or high-end Trek every
year.

I'm putting on about 3-4,000 miles a year now, FWIW. Enough for my
purposes.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...


Gee, if they still made the old Raleigh Record that I bought for about $200
back in 1973, I wonder what it would cost? Things cost a little more now
days.

Bob C.

On Wed, 2 Jun 2004 15:06:49 -0400, "psycholist"
wrote:
All of the high-mileage riders I know and train with are either
self-employed like me, or they have strange jobs that allow for very
flexible schedules.

My self-employed status and the flexibility it affords me for cycling is a
real blessing

What kind of business can you be in that does anything other than
take up all of your time?

Two of my best training buddies are appraisers. I
don't know why that allows them so much time to train. They make really
good money at it, too.

Now that's a job I should do. That's just my speed...hmmm...
--
Rick Onanian

On Wed, 2 Jun 2004 15:12:21 -0400, "psycholist"
wrote:

Gee, if they still made the old Raleigh Record that I bought for about $200
back in 1973, I wonder what it would cost? Things cost a little more now
days.

Bob C.

Well, until I traded them in for the recumbents (so actually would
have to take off a few thousand...), I had all the bikes after the
Tour de France. The Continental was stolen, the Gran Sport was traded
in for the Tour de France, and the Simplex Criterium deraulleur
exploding three times in bike races was why I put together the all
Campi Italvega - and sold the Tour de France.

So I didn't have too many bikes in the 1985 and after price levels.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

psycholist wrote:
The answer is self-employment!

i prefer self-unemployment. i got 6000 miles in 3 months on that plan.
--
david reuteler

On 02 Jun 2004 19:47:36 GMT, David Reuteler
wrote:
i prefer self-unemployment. i got 6000 miles in 3 months on that plan.

I lost forty pounds and got a CCNA certification (which, it turned
out, was pretty useless) on that plan. I wasn't as strongly into
biking back then, though I did get some good off-road miles.
--
Rick Onanian

Rick Onanian wrote:
On 02 Jun 2004 19:47:36 GMT, David Reuteler
wrote:
i prefer self-unemployment. i got 6000 miles in 3 months on that plan.

I lost forty pounds and got a CCNA certification (which, it turned
out, was pretty useless) on that plan. I wasn't as strongly into
biking back then, though I did get some good off-road miles.

i lost 18 pounds (kept it off, too!) ... see, not havin' a job ain't so bad.
it was kind of an illuminating experience for me. i found plenty of stuff to
do and had a great time. thank god for the severence check. but as they
say, the only thing worse than having a job is needing one.
--
david reuteler

How is this any different from the very point I was making?

It's not that different; my main issue is with things that make it appear
you have a special class of customer that's taken care of better than
others. The most important customer is the one you haven't had a chance to
help yet.

But I have no problem if we agree that we're in agreement on this one!

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
http://www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

Rick Onanian wrote:

On 02 Jun 2004 19:47:36 GMT, David Reuteler
wrote:

i prefer self-unemployment. i got 6000 miles in 3 months on that plan.


I lost forty pounds and got a CCNA certification (which, it turned
out, was pretty useless) on that plan. I wasn't as strongly into
biking back then, though I did get some good off-road miles.
--
Rick Onanian


Most of my CCNA and CCNP-bearing friends use them for such purposes as
covering holes in plaster or drywall, etc.