A ride for the people, the Sean Kelly Cyclosportive
My first bike was a Sears Moonlight Special. It was literally a piece of shit – figuratively. I mean, it would only “literally” be a piece of shit if shit was made of sand-filled steel tubes salvaged from the plumbing of the local sewage facility. Which it might have been, but I simply don’t have the peer-reviewed evidence to back that claim up.
I feel comfortable stating that this bike cost less than $50 USD back in the early 70’s, and it was yellow. It also had a saddle which, upon my personal dissection (Go Science!) was conclusively comprised of a shaped steel plate covered by a thin foam pad and a faux-leather shell. Made in America, fuck yeah. That’s one reason right there that the United States doesn’t have the same over-population problems China does.
After that, I was given my dad’s Raleigh, made of Reynolds 531 tubing which I loved deeply, apart from the exposed brake cables and Weinmann centerpull brakes. I installed some aero brake levers on it and quickly learned the value of owning some proper brake-adjustment tools like the Third Hand. (I’m not sure why a Third Hand is a bicycle-specific innovation; having one more hand feels like a genetically-viable mutation.)
Finally, after a summer of saving up, I bought my own proper racing bicycle, a Cannonwhale SR700 with Shimano 105. In hot pink, for $700. I loved the shit out of that bike, crowning it with every accessory (apart from an EPMS) that one can think of: I couldn’t afford Scott Drop-ins, so I happily accepted my brother’s bar-ends from his Bridgestone as substitutes. I saved up for ages and bought a Selle San Marco Regal and got one step closer to looking like Greg LeMan. Benotto bar tape was a no-brainer at only a few bucks a roll. So Pro, so cheap. And it never wore out and it didn’t matter how bad you were at wapping bars; if you needed four rolls to cover the real-estate (wrapping the brake levers cleanly is the crux), then you were still only out about $10.
It was such a great bike. I rode it in France, Belgium, The Netherlands, not to mention most of the northern United States. I rode with my family, my friends; I rode with my dad the most. In fact, the only time I dumped that beautiful Regal saddle was with him, five minutes into the first ride with that saddle when he decided to change the route and hang a louie when I was overlapping wheels with him. Scraped the leather clean off the right-side of the saddle. No worries, a little super-glue and the saddle lasted me another 10 years.
I lost and found my way back into Cycling two or three times during the lifetime of that $700 bike. If I was the man I am today, I’d have kept it, too. I still have many of the parts, but I dumped the frame because it’s too big for me, and I didn’t realize how much it would mean to me today. We all walk the path of La Vie Velominatus in steps; it is only natural to wander off the path from time to time.
My #1 is worth something like $10k, maybe more, maybe less. Which in any case is a stupid amount of money for a bicycle. My Nine Bike is the hand-me-down, worth a bit less but in practical terms, almost the same. An entry-level bike, like my ‘Wale SR700 would cost a few thousand dollars today, well out of reach of a young Velominatus hoping to get into the sport.
Cycling is supposed to be the accessible sport, the sport of The People. What happened?
I know as well as any of you that I've been checked out lately, kind…
Peter Sagan has undergone quite the transformation over the years; starting as a brash and…
The Women's road race has to be my favorite one-day road race after Paris-Roubaix and…
Holy fuckballs. I've never been this late ever on a VSP. I mean, I've missed…
This week we are currently in is the most boring week of the year. After…
I have memories of my life before Cycling, but as the years wear slowly on…
View Comments
My current number 1 is down with a cracked frame. I'm working with Kane bikes to get it repaired though it may not be economically viable. It's a Planet X and the frame new is only 400 bucks or so.
However this situation forced me to reconnect with my first road bike. A 1985 (born the same year as me) Lotus Excelle.Tange 2001 frame with Shimano 600 components. Dropped in a 7 speed freewheel, and aero brake levers, and new panaracer paselas.
I paid 35 bucks for it and it is single handedly responsible for my obsession with cycling. I love the carbon bike and its SRAM Force 22 group set, but damn if that Lotus doesn't encourage me to ride a bit longer every time we head out.
I hem and haw constantly on upgrades, selling it, or leaving it be. Every time I just go ride and my mind is even farther from a decision. This bike has wormed it's ways into my heart. It has personality, a life, it's my Lotus and none can compare in my eye.
In the end, I know I will keep it and just ride it senseless as is, maybe restore it with period correct Dura Ace. Alas I'm rambling again. No other bike I have makes me do this. God I love it.
My first road bike was a Kuwahara bike that weighed a ton and though from a bike shop, was not at all race worthy and a complete menace when pointed uphill. I saved for a solid year to get my first race bike, a 1986 Trek 770 for $1000 in 1987. Some knucklehead put down $300 on it on layaway and walked away allowing me a discount. Full Campy. Paid more for it than my car. I still have the bike and ride it almost daily, now a nice shade of midnight blue rather than the Pink which got me so much love from the north Georgia rednecks. I coveted a Bianchi at the time but it was out of my price range, even the entry level one. I used to scrap and save every where to keep that sucker tip top. I'd repair flatted tubulars by resewing them and shopped Nashbar because the stuff in cycling shops was beyond my pay grade.
I disagree a bit, cycling was then an expensive sport then and remains so today. The price per pound of a bike has escalated to the point of nausea, but the quality of an entry bike is better than what it used to be. That said I probably would never buy a pair of shoes for $400, but if it for a bike, I will give it every consideration.
You have to wonder about the state of things when my early/mid 90s Bianchi reparto corse TSX/UL with Record is worth more today (judging by eBay comparables) than I put into it back in the day.
@Frank
Have you shopped for a new car, SUV or truck in recent years? Same as going into your LBS. Sticker shock! If you own a business that manufactures goods or worked in the financial end of one then you know all about profit margins. Some (not all) auto and bike manufacturers actually lose money on their high-end products when you consider the many years of R&D necessary to bring the product to market. Of course they make it up with their low to middle of the road offerings. I have a friend that owns a bicycle shop and another that owns a automobile dealership. I know what their profit margins are and net income. Surprisingly low. Strange, but true, we are actually getting a better deal buying the high-end product, like the $10K bike. Unless you have a mishap and buckle it. Knock wood.
There was a time when I said, who needs a $10K bike. Then I found myself owning multiple and loving them. If you are really into cycling and ride with others of the same mind, then you quickly discover that the $10K bike is becoming more commonplace. Just add a carbon wheelset with FMB tubs to your #1 and you may quickly approach $10k. Ludicrous. Consider about how much we spend on our kits (Bont, Sidi, Ralpha, Assos), and they eventually end up in the trash. Want a reality check? Next time you kit up, tally up the cost of your jersey, bibs, socks, shoes, warmers, vest, helmet, sunglasses, and gloves. On the low end you are kitted out at around $500. However, $1000+ isn't out of the equation. Seriously, do it. It may make you blush.
In no way am I trying to justify the inflation. Many of us here spend plenty on our sport with good reason - it is our passion. That same passion has fueled the costs associated to spin our wheels.
Aside: I am always amazed at how much money some bicycle manufacturers spend on advertising and sponsorship. Can you imagine the size of Specialized Bicycle Components operating budget for the 14 teams it sponsors?
"Cycling is supposed to be the accessible sport, the sport of The People. What happened?"
Cycling for sport has not been an accessible sport of the People in the USA for a very long time. Road cycling especially has been the playground of college kids, engineers, and the like for over fifty years. The punks were in BMX and the hippies riding mountainbikes back when that was a disputed trademark, not a generic term.
Cycling on roads is bimodal in the USA, anyway: the transportation of the young, the very poor, and the poor drunk on one side, and the sporting plaything of the wealthy and well-supported on the other.
For the latter, a CAAD12 with 105 is well under $2K, and used? Cut the price of a year-old bike in half. The legbreaker semipros are all on that kind of bike, and it is the masters CAT4s and the like on high-end bikes, because they can afford to support their local bike shop at retail.
For the former, any BSO will do..
Given away a bike, shoes and pedals so far this year, all gratefully received- that's how to do it. All you really need, still, is a bike and the inclination to ride it! As far as value for money goes any used entry level bike selling 2nd hand for half it's sticker price is excellent buying.
Same reason Id like to have in the garage a 1971 Porsche or an 80's Countach.
A Ti BAUM would also be nice, but ill have to do with the Fuji for now as the latter 3 are out of reach.
Isn't inflation a bitch.
The bike was the ticket to childhood freedom. Hop on an go. The teens hit and suppose I didn't ride for 5 years or more. Fortunately I had the sense to ask for a Ten Speed for High School graduation. Yes, 2x5 drivetrain like everyone else; maybe pros ran a six back then; I sure didn't know.
Standard issue back then was the Peugeot UO-8, but I ended up with a Puch because that's what the local shop had. Just about the same as the UO-8 but Weinmann brakes instead of the Mafac Racers. Heavy as all get-out, but I thought it was pretty cool, built up a set of tubular wheels, rode a bunch. Then one day at college, one of the preppy kids rolls up on something amazing. It's a Raleigh Professional, but he's painted it primer grey. I'd never seen a Campy gruppo before, but one quick look and it was full on bike lust.
Next upgrade was a Raleigh Competition. Weird collection of parts, but an OK frame with 531 main tubes, and at least it had a cotterless crankset for god's sake. 1976 my best buddy Paul spends $750 on a Raleigh International. Serious dough, but it's all 531 and full Campy.
Today that is my nine bike. He gave it to me after neighbor's scumbag son stole the bike that replaced my Competition: Bianchi Superleggera, Raparto Corse, Super Record. Oh I miss that sweet Celeste machine, and curse that little bastard even now. Little Bastard!
Current #1 is a '97 Litespeed Classic, Chorus 8 gruppo. Bought when my wife worked at REI, still cost a chunk of money with the discount. Heck, you CAN NOT go wrong (barring tragedies such as crashes and theft) spending good money on a fine bicycle. Those two bikes in the basement, with regular maintenance and occasional part replacement, are still 100% functional, loved, and used to this day.
Sure, I could get with the program and start riding some carbon fiber, but why? After all, as we know, it doesn't get any easier.
PS: Some day I AM going to replace those old Record side-pull brakes though. Even I must admit, they pretty much suck.
I don't know about this one, @frank. My first good road bike was a 1987 Bianchi Campione d'Italia that I bought for about $650. Looking at the Consumer Price Index between 1987 and today, we've about doubled the cost in dollars to buy products; in other words, those 1987 dollars had about $1300 in current purchasing power. That should get you a tidy current bike with Shimano 105, and today's bike will be a hell of a lot better, objectively, than that Bianchi.
There's no question that the top-end bikes have far outpaced inflation, but the entry-level models are probably a better value today than they were thirty years ago.
Merckx almighty, though, it doesn't feel like that. On my good days I'm still budgetatus status; other days I'm pushing dirtbag status compared to some here. My next bike, my biggest splurge cycling-wise ever, will be pushing $2000-$2500 with the entire thing bought second hand. It's going to be awesome! But it still feels like a hell of a lot of money. Perhaps the issue is that real wages haven't kept up with inflation...
Nothing happened to the affordability of cycling. Just peoples expectation of owning the best, top shelf products and yes, that price point is getting out of hand.
A $1000 alloy (CAAD8 / Allez / Defy) frame running Sora is well good enough. I started racing on a Sora Equipped CAAD8. Lasted me 18 months as the sora died piece by piece and was replaced with second hand Ultegra but I was riding it 10-15hrs a week.
Minimum wage is something like $12/hr for a 15 year old and goes up each year. Three hour shifts, three times a week nets you $100 a week. That bike is only 10 weeks away.