For a basic bike that's true. But I primarily use mine to commute. It's what i bought it for, my goal being to pay it off with saved gas. In the meantime it's important that te bike is strong and fast so that it is a legitimate means of commuting. It's not something someone is likely to do if it takes all day. My ride to work is 45 miles round trip and if I'm feeling really strong that day I can do it in 2 hours round trip. At those speeds it's actually faster for me to ride to work than drive during rush hour. I've also commuted at least 6000 miles since I bought it, (8 months of riding, 4 off for a broken leg). So, my car (at best) gets 20 mi/gallon. That's 300 gallons. At $3/gallon that's $900 bucks. 3000 more miles and it's paid for.Originally Posted by samsonlonghair
To ride at night I have to bright Nite Rider headlights. One isn't bright enough when I go over 20. I charge them at work when I get in so that I don't use my power and use rechargeable AAA for the rear.
By all means I LOVE riding my bike. IT's the most fun thing in the world for me. But taking into account that I use it instead of driving does the cost make sense? And 1500 is really cheap for a bike. Also, I broke that bike and got a new much better frame so now I have a $3000 bike =D.
It's true you can't repair them. What you can do is go bike recycling. GO to a college campus, ride around during the day time and look for bikes that are locked up but a bunch of stuff has already been stolen. Like the wheels and the seatpost and saddle etc. Most of them will still have handlebars and shifters. Find your shifters or some that will work. In my mind that's not bike thievery that's reducing land fill.
Leathers would be way to heavy and hot. It's a risk I take riding and it's still worth it. Crashing at 25 messed me up but I'm mostly OK. I've crashed near 40 before and that was hell. I can hit 54 in a 30 right by my house, there are some hills in the east bay where I can regularly hit 60 and once in Orange County I hit 70. That is scary fast, as well as crash and die fast. Never again. You need to find a balance between weight of gear what they provide and temperature. Bike clothes already go a long ways towards protecting your body, assuming you aren't going too fast. When I mountain bike I may get more aggressive. When I go downhilling or it's 3AM and I'm wasted on an illegal trail that drops into Memorial stadium I'll wear armor.
Death BOO Z
I feel like my legs are made of jellow (I'm going to have nightmares about my legs snapping like those bikes.. spooky).
Don't be scared, I have bad luck with things like this. (See below). You have nothing to fear.
I've broken 10 frames in the last 10 years. none from crashing.
4 SPecialized FSR XC's 99,01,02,03.
3 KHS Flite Team frames (all in spring '03)
Simonetti Aluminum custom sprinters frame. (Down tube broke in the middle on a ride, looks like a can would when you tear it apart in your hands, a crack starting on the top of the tube in the middle, spirals all the way around and gets to the top again an inch from where it started)
Cannondale six13, the top tube was pulling out of the lug at the seat-tube/top-tube/seat-stay junction.
And a Steal Schwin MTB, (college commuter)
All failed w/o crashes encouraging failure.
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