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Oh so just like in San Francisco :-)
by pelle 14y ago
Oh so just like in San Francisco :-)
- codegeek 14y agoI always thought that in the US as well, having a bike is cool. We even have "bike to work" day once a year. Not sure if i will call that a status symbol but definitely cool and hip.
- slurgfest 14y agoWhen you can hardly get a new bike for $600 any more, and it's not considered abnormal to spend well over $1000, I would say it is a bit of a status symbol
- jlarocco 14y agoIt's amusing that people spend $10k+ on a car, then hundreds of dollars a year on gas, but $1000 for a bike is a status symbol.
- hyperbovine 14y agoThis summer I built my "dream commuter bike". It was unexpectedly spendy, but when the alternative is a car, anything under five figures and it feels like you're making money on the deal! :-)
- bane 14y agoI don't really think that's true. Walmart for example has a very large selection of bikes around the $150-200 price. Are they great bikes? Probably not. Will they go when you pedal? Sure!
- jff 14y agoThey're generally pretty terrible bikes, put together by some guy who didn't read the directions and doesn't care. They're so heavy and unpleasant to ride that sure, you could buy one for $150, but you'll never want to ride it. They're also full of false-comfort "features" like front shocks and heavily padded seats which sap your pedaling power and actually make your butt more sore, respectively.
- snogglethorpe 14y agoNo doubt they're less nice than more expensive bikes. But in many cases, it just doesn't matter very much. If you only want to bike a few miles on flat ground, bop around the neighborhood, don't care so much about speed, etc., a low-cost bike should do fine. American biking culture is traditionally the realm of the hard-core biker who races, tours, or bike-commutes long distances, and who obsesses about his gear, but there are many other sorts of bike cultures in the wider world (and indeed, "other sorts" are probably the vast majority, numerically). In many places, practicality and cost are much more important than optimal efficiency at high speed. With biking becoming more and more mainstream in the U.S., at least in urban areas, American biking culture will probably shift towards a more casual stance too...
- samatman 14y agoThey are the bikes of choice for undocumented workers and people with DUIs, who in many areas make up the largest adult bicycling populations.
- graue 14y agoI'm suspicious of bikes that sell for under $200 new, but you can get a great used bike in the $150-200 price range, which is what I've generally done. Add about $100 more for lock, lights, fenders, rack, and basket and you're good to go.
- syncopatience 14y agoThere are lots of great bikes to be had on Craigslist. It's not tough to find a modern road bike for around $300 in my city, and if you don't mind something frumpier you could get by with spending $150 for something that'll get you to work reliably.
- meej 14y agoBike to Work day is not about being cool, it's about promoting healthy commuting alternatives.