3 ms·

>It feels like every time someone gets into a new field now, there's always the expectation they'll 'go pro' or turn it into a day job. I think the nature of t

by apohn 4y ago

>It feels like every time someone gets into a new field now, there's always the expectation they'll 'go pro' or turn it into a day job. I think the nature of this has changed recently, but I feel like things were like this in the USA to some degree even before. I migrated to the USA a long time ago (20+ years). Among other culture shocks, I still remember experiencing this "go pro" mentality was when I first came here and wanted to get some basic stuff like shoes and a bicycle. Going into a bike shop, I couldn't just purchase the cheapest bike. The person said maybe now I want to bike for 20 minutes on weekends for fun, but in 1 year I'll want to bike 50 miles. So I should consider buying bike that is 3X as expensive that is made of carbon fiber. Want to buy a pair of shoes to go for a 20 minute run? Well, then you want a custom measurement and evaluation of your gait and ... you see where this is going. When you go into a sports store to buy something they want to sell you a lifestyle, not a product. Obviously the majority of people buying running shoes and bicycles aren't going to become triathletes. But that's the vision to upsell people into a particular lifestyle. I think monetizing things is just the latest incarnation of this. The vast majority of people are probably doing hobbies for fun, but if you go onto social media people are selling you a lifestyle, not a hobby.

JTbane 4y ago
>Going into a bike shop, I couldn't just purchase the cheapest bike. The person said maybe now I want to bike for 20 minutes on weekends for fun, but in 1 year I'll want to bike 50 miles. So I should consider buying bike that is 3X as expensive that is made of carbon fiber. Want to buy a pair of shoes to go for a 20 minute run? Well, then you want a custom measurement and evaluation of your gait and ... you see where this is going. When you go into a sports store to buy something they want to sell you a lifestyle, not a product. Agreed, a lot of hobbies have these "gearheads" or "hardcore" people and they can be quite intimidating for a beginner.
1-more 4y ago
That bike salesperson is (probably deliberately) steering you away from the secondary market. Bikes hold value decently well in the current moment, so selling your cheap hybrid in a few years and picking up a local dentist's second hand race machine is totally viable.
- apohn 4y ago
  >That bike salesperson is (probably deliberately) steering you away from the secondary market. This interaction happened many years ago. I wish I could give that person that much credit about being so savvy about the secondary market, but I think it's really just a question of cost sensitivity. A person who really wants a cheap bike is going to Walmart (my conversation happened before Amazon existed) or another big-box store. Anybody who goes into a bike store either a) didn't realize bikes would be more expensive there or b) less cost sensitive compared to somebody who would never consider going to a bike shop in the first place. The point being, by selling a lifestyle choice instead of a bike, they were trying to upsell me. Which is exactly what I've seen with so many things on social media sites. It isn't just a hobby, it's a lifestyle.
Tangurena2 4y ago
> Going into a bike shop, I couldn't just purchase the cheapest bike. There is a term called "gear acquisition syndrome" (GAS). When I got into biking, I was the one thinking that I wanted the carbon fiber bike. It was so expensive that I feared it would get stolen, so I hardly rode it. The cheap junk bike I had before that was one I rode everywhere: stores, movies, to the park. I didn't worry that the $300 bike would get stolen. The $3k bike? It went to work and back. When my coworkers would do group rides, I'd go with them. It went nowhere else. I was scared it would get stolen, or the bike lock would damage it - the lock & chain weighed more than the bike.

by apohn 4y ago

JTbane 4y ago

>Going into a bike shop, I couldn't just purchase the cheapest bike. The person said maybe now I want to bike for 20 minutes on weekends for fun, but in 1 year I'll want to bike 50 miles. So I should consider buying bike that is 3X as expensive that is made of carbon fiber. Want to buy a pair of shoes to go for a 20 minute run? Well, then you want a custom measurement and evaluation of your gait and ... you see where this is going. When you go into a sports store to buy something they want to sell you a lifestyle, not a product. Agreed, a lot of hobbies have these "gearheads" or "hardcore" people and they can be quite intimidating for a beginner.

1-more 4y ago

That bike salesperson is (probably deliberately) steering you away from the secondary market. Bikes hold value decently well in the current moment, so selling your cheap hybrid in a few years and picking up a local dentist's second hand race machine is totally viable.

apohn 4y ago
>That bike salesperson is (probably deliberately) steering you away from the secondary market. This interaction happened many years ago. I wish I could give that person that much credit about being so savvy about the secondary market, but I think it's really just a question of cost sensitivity. A person who really wants a cheap bike is going to Walmart (my conversation happened before Amazon existed) or another big-box store. Anybody who goes into a bike store either a) didn't realize bikes would be more expensive there or b) less cost sensitive compared to somebody who would never consider going to a bike shop in the first place. The point being, by selling a lifestyle choice instead of a bike, they were trying to upsell me. Which is exactly what I've seen with so many things on social media sites. It isn't just a hobby, it's a lifestyle.

Tangurena2 4y ago

> Going into a bike shop, I couldn't just purchase the cheapest bike. There is a term called "gear acquisition syndrome" (GAS). When I got into biking, I was the one thinking that I wanted the carbon fiber bike. It was so expensive that I feared it would get stolen, so I hardly rode it. The cheap junk bike I had before that was one I rode everywhere: stores, movies, to the park. I didn't worry that the $300 bike would get stolen. The $3k bike? It went to work and back. When my coworkers would do group rides, I'd go with them. It went nowhere else. I was scared it would get stolen, or the bike lock would damage it - the lock & chain weighed more than the bike.