Solitary, what are you riding?
:blush2: I have a $300 Mercier Galaxy SC2 from Bikesdirect...... :blush2:
I wanted something cheap, as I hadn't owned a bike for decades, and didn't know if I'd stick with it- or how I'd fare on these rural roads out here in the middle of nowhere, when I was used to riding in the city/suburbs when I was younger.....
Performance-wise, I'm very happy with this bike.
I remembered when I was looking to buy, it seemed that a lot of the bikes I was looking at were only available in colors/schemes that didn't appeal to me. This bike is like a candy-apple green, and I love it. I was to the point where I was going to go for a slightly more expensive bike from the same website...but tyhe more expensive one was only available in white or black, or something...and just didn't appeal to me.
I will likely upgrade next year, since I love cycling and am racking-up the miles....but I know that such is not a necessity- but just to improve asthetics. I know that going from this 25 lb. bike to say a 19 or 20 lb. one will likely make nowhere near the difference that me losing 25 pounds since i started riding, has made....
But I'll just be getting better aesthetics. Like, for instance, on my bike, the stem is really cheesy. For some reason, having a quality stem to look at, even though it will not make a dime's difference in the bike's handling...will just make me "feel" better..... Ditto the cheap-looking Sora shifters, with their cheesy plastic gear indicators and thumb tabs. They work just fine...no complaints.....but, having better quality ones would just be nice. Although it seems hard to justify spending maybe $1000 more for such things....I think the cumulative effect of having a nicer bike with nicer components will add up to an even better riding experience. (I've got my eye on the Motobecane Le Champs....)
I figure it's kind of like cars..... I love my 3/4 ton 4x4 extracab truck. Don't really "need" to drive it 90% of the time....could get by with a car that gets good gas mileage instead of 13MPG...but I just love driving the truck, and don't want to drive anything else. I love the way it drives; I love being seen in it (Probably doesn't impress anyone, as it's a '99...)..I love that it's big and tall and I can see over all the cars.....it's comfortable....it's just me...so I gladly spend more to drive something I love. (I'd even bought a little car that got good gas mileage a while back...but never drove the darn thing. It'd get me from point A to point B just fine, and cheaply...but it just wasn't me...and wasn't any fun...didn't give me that good feeling...wasn't something that'd make me say "That's beautiful" when I looked at it- I felt like a schlub driving it...I felt like a member of a herd that I didn't belong to, and that I'd be ashamed to be identified with)
Such things are important. I'd never go into debt to have a nice car or a bike or even a fancy house...but when it comes to things I can afford to buy outright, I try and get the ones I really like....and lucky for me, that does not mean the ones that are in vogue/popular or the most expensive.....
Well.....I'll bet this was more info than you ever wanted!
[Hottody: "I'll never ask HIM a simple question again!"]