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Yeah but carbon gives you cred, and basically _buys_ you speed. Losing weight is effort. Sarcasm over, one of the funniest cycling stories i ever encountered.

Yeah but carbon gives you cred, and basically _buys_ you speed. Losing weight is effort. Sarcasm over, one of the funniest cycling stories i ever encountered. My work had a little low-key "bike club", a few guys cycling on warm evenings. One of the partners was a key member so over time non-bike guys started wiggling in for networking purposes. One guy, with no clue how to ride, drops 2k++ on a full carbon bike, high end components etc. Cometh the first hill, and we find ourselves waiting at the top. 2 mins, 5 mins, finally 10-15 mins in one guy turns around to check up. The carbon bike cyclist figured how to shift up, but didn't know how to shift down, and was trying desperately to climb in a downhill gear.

pmontra 4y ago
I quote your sarcasm. > Losing weight is effort. I knew a guy that was training to run an amateur marathon in under I don't remember which time. He went asking to a coach and came back with a long list of training exercises and runs or, the coach told him, lose 3 kg. He lost those 3 kg.
MezzoDelCammin 4y ago
oh, that's a good one. Explaining how brifters work never gets old :-D On a more serious note, I don't really see the appeal of biking as a social / networking sport. Yeah, we do have a sort of a bike cabal at work too, but if I'd like to network, I guess there are much more efficient ways to do that. Biking as a sport has quite high barriers for entry both in material and in getting fit enough to be able to at least reasonably keep up.
sorenjan 4y ago
The sad thing is that $2k barely gets you a carbon frame with low end components now. A mid tier bike is maybe $5k, and high end can easily be more than $10k. Personally I really don't get why anyone would pay $10k for a bike. Amateurs won't benefit nearly enough to make it worth it, and pros are of course sponsored.
- rich_sasha 4y ago
  It was 2k GBP so more like 3k USD but point stands. It wasn't a good bike. I think semi pros are possibly the main audience. A friend is into endurance events and he just dropped something like 2k on a titanium frame.

pmontra 4y ago

I quote your sarcasm. > Losing weight is effort. I knew a guy that was training to run an amateur marathon in under I don't remember which time. He went asking to a coach and came back with a long list of training exercises and runs or, the coach told him, lose 3 kg. He lost those 3 kg.

MezzoDelCammin 4y ago

oh, that's a good one. Explaining how brifters work never gets old :-D On a more serious note, I don't really see the appeal of biking as a social / networking sport. Yeah, we do have a sort of a bike cabal at work too, but if I'd like to network, I guess there are much more efficient ways to do that. Biking as a sport has quite high barriers for entry both in material and in getting fit enough to be able to at least reasonably keep up.

sorenjan 4y ago

The sad thing is that $2k barely gets you a carbon frame with low end components now. A mid tier bike is maybe $5k, and high end can easily be more than $10k. Personally I really don't get why anyone would pay $10k for a bike. Amateurs won't benefit nearly enough to make it worth it, and pros are of course sponsored.

rich_sasha 4y ago
It was 2k GBP so more like 3k USD but point stands. It wasn't a good bike. I think semi pros are possibly the main audience. A friend is into endurance events and he just dropped something like 2k on a titanium frame.