Call me tight but!!

[slowmotion]

I read the thread title as "Call me tight butt"


That's what cycling does for you I suppose

Likewise. For a couple of seconds I thought that Pippa Middleton may have joined CC.

 

[slowmotion]

Damn - my cover's blown!

Excellent!

 

[Spy]

I also prefer Cycling active to some of the other mags. I find the gear they review much more affordable and their reviews also speak to the non-millionaire cyclist.

 

[funnymummy]

I read the thread title as "Call me tight butt"


That's what cycling does for you I suppose

Me too...I opened this thread with one finger hovering over the 'back' button, just in case there were images my tender young mind couldn't handle

 

[Bornagaincyclist]

I looked at a bike for £1045 today. Couldn't afford it and didn't see the point of canti brakes when you could have vee's. 'Cause I had read about it in CA I could make a more informed choice, which is nice, but it does not make it more affordable. Never mind, I still like riding bikes.

 

[Cyclopathic]

For me one of the most attractive things about cycling is the afordability of it. After not very long your bike pays for itself in bus fares, petrol or whatever. I am still very much at the budget end of things but I know that enjoyable and productive cycling is easily possible.
A bike that cost £1000 is not nescessarily going to be twicw as good as one for £500 and the improvement per pound spent seems to get less and less the higher up the scale one goes so a lot can be said for finding the optimum of price and performance within ones own particular budget. I get a lot of enjoyment out of fixing up old knackered bikes and cobbling them together to make something serviceable but I still apreciate the higher end stuff and always hope to own some one day.
Cycling can be an expensive activity. Much like anything one could probably spend as much as one liked on it but it is by no means essential. However unlike other activites cycling does put the very highest end of things within the reach of a lot of people. Just think of the equipment and anciliaries one could enjoy if one spent say £10,000 on a cycle and cycling, especially if you were shrewd and shopped about. Ten grand is a lot of money but it wouldn'tgo far in Formula1 yet it would probably fulfil and surpass all but the greediest and most ambitious cycle nut.
I have no idea where I'm going with this or what my initial point was or was going to be. I apologise for this ramble. As you were.

 

[Norm]

I have no idea where I'm going with this or what my initial point was or was going to be. I apologise for this ramble. As you were.

Wherever you were planning on going, it's pretty damned good reading to me.

A good bike can be had for the same price as a decent set of tyres for my motorbike, and I could get a carbon road bike for the price of a dealer service on my Merc.

Then again, the Merc (which I don't get dealer serviced) only needs that done every 10k miles, so, as with all sets of numbers, they need to be treated with caution.

 

[Cubist]

It's the same in the MTB mags, but recently I have noticed that the reviews will feature a "best value" option versus "most blingiest" etc. There have also been a couple of recent articles say on a £2K wheelset which quite shamelessly says "Oh very nice, but that's a helluva lot of money!"

I can't speak for cycling clothing, as all of my shirts and tops have come from Aldi, or TK, and my bibshorts from SPEG, but again, the reviews appear to ensure value options remain in the comparison tests. They will however continue to point out that a Gore wear top for £175 fits better, has better zips and pockets and will be three times as breathable as a Polaris waterproof for £40

You do, without doubt, get what you pay for. I have had Lidl shoes, but found them very heavy. I read reviews and shopped around and found a pair of Spesh Tahos. The difference in quality is marked, with cleat plates that are made of proper metallic metal in the Tahoes, and velcro tabs that stay attached to the shoe when you pull them tight. I have a horrible feeling a magazine review of budget kit would tell you just that. Cheap is OK, but it's cheap for a reason. Santa managed to find a half price pair of BG Carbon expert shoes last Christmas, and can I just say that they are worth every penny of their asking price, let alone the £70 that Santa paid.


All that said, when it comes to bikes, I love a bit of bling. I'm lucky enough to have a bit of disposable income so if I fancy a bit of an upgrade I can, on occasions, get a nice wide handlebar, or a new stem or pedals. I read reviews on stuff like that and yeah, you can get cheap black rubber grips for less than a fiver from Lidl, but you'll need a new pair as soon as they next stock them. Oh, and did I mention they look crap?!?!

 

[Angelfishsolo]

My biggest issue with most bike mags is that if you are new to the game you get the impression that a huge amount of money needs to be spent on the bike and associated equipment before you can venture onto the road or trail. As a MTBer it seems I need a minimum of 140mm travel fork to ride on anything my technical that a tow-path and to dress myself I need spend over £300 for a basic shoe, jersey, shorts and socks get up. Add in the price of gloves and helmet and the price is much nearer £400. (which is a load of bollox)

 

[Rhythm Thief]

My biggest issue with most bike mags is that if you are new to the game you get the impression that a huge amount of money needs to be spent on the bike and associated equipment before you can venture onto the road or trail. (which is a load of bollox)

Indeed. This is my beef with them too, and I think we may have agreed on this very point on another thread somewhere.
For myself, I have no desire whatever to own a bling road bike or one of the modern breed of frankly fugly MTBs, which look to me like motocross bikes without the engine. Give me an ancient 531 road bike or tourer, or an old steel MTB frame with road tyres and drop bars on it, and I'm happy. If they're a bit scruffy, so much the better. Character and individuality beat bling hands down, in my book.
I suspect I'm not the target market for C+.

 

[biggs682]

there is nothing wrong with being frugal or tight

 

[Norm]

For myself, I have no desire whatever to own a bling road bike or one of the modern breed of frankly fugly MTBs, which look to me like motocross bikes without the engine. Give me an ancient 531 road bike or tourer, or an old steel MTB frame with road tyres and drop bars on it, and I'm happy. If they're a bit scruffy, so much the better. Character and individuality beat bling hands down, in my book.

By coincidence, this month's test in Cycling Active is steel MTBs. Although they are all around the £1k mark, they are also, IIRC, all British made.

 

[Banjo]

I bought some Karrimor cycle jerseys in a sport shop for less than a tenner. Do the job fine.

 

[Davidc]

Agree with much of the above, but the reviews of bikes at £1k + are useful - they're of the bikes I might buy secondhand for a few hundred £s in several years time when the present bike is worn out/ frame's bent/ it's too tatty even for me.

Mags (bike or anything else) need adverts to pay their way, and their reviews will always be of things in the same market as their advertisers. That's life, doesn't mean you have to buy the stuff.

 

[Chris S]

Call me tight but? That's the sort of double-entendre that Julian Clary would come out with!