{"id":4027,"date":"2023-12-08T12:26:53","date_gmt":"2023-12-08T18:26:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8stars.org\/a\/?p=4027"},"modified":"2023-12-08T12:26:53","modified_gmt":"2023-12-08T18:26:53","slug":"reasonably-priced-bike-gear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8stars.org\/a\/2023\/12\/08\/reasonably-priced-bike-gear\/","title":{"rendered":"Reasonably priced bike gear"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cycling is expensive<\/a>. Any activity that requires equipment is going to involve some expense, and cycling’s equipment requirements are fractal in nature. You don’t just get a bike, you get clothing. You don’t just get clothing, you get warm-weather clothing, and foul-weather clothing, and cold-weather clothing. You get tools, and not just tools, but tools you carry on the bike and tools you use at home. And so on.<\/p>\n

As with most things, you reach a point of diminishing returns in terms of price:performance as you spend more and more money on bike stuff. Where that point lands is an interesting question. There are some good deals out there.<\/p>\n

I am in the USA and writing this mostly for a U.S. audience. I’m a roadie so that’s what I know.<\/p>\n

Bikes<\/h2>\n

There are often closeouts on last year’s model of bike, and there are some ebay vendors that seem to specialize in this: here’s one<\/a>. They have a top-end 2021 model listed for less than half its original retail price (but still very expensive).<\/p>\n

The difference between this year’s model and last is usually trivial or nonexistent. Every few years, manufacturers will roll out new versions of their models, but these are not generally earthshaking changes.<\/p>\n

Note that when buying a bike this way, it still needs a fair amount of setup work, some of which might not be obvious. You’ll either need to be a competent bike mechanic or hire one to set it up, which will offset some of the discount. Shipping will also be a chunk of change.<\/p>\n

There are a number of direct-to-consumer bike brands now. I haven’t ridden any of these, but they’ve been favorably reviewed.<\/p>\n