Serotta makes headlines

Ken Marcet said:

found this on google news, first part mentions John Kerry. I say

yeah, but

Quoted message said:

you have to be rich like kerry to afford one!
http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2005-03-22-bike-serotta_x.htm

I mean how many people can really afford to spend 6 grand on a bike?

I know a guy with several. He's just a single professional who spends
his disposable income on bikes. Of course he's middle-aged, overweight
and a pretty mediocre rider, a fairly typical high-end bike owner.

"Peter Cole" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ken Marcet said:

found this on google news, first part mentions John Kerry. I say

yeah, but

Quoted message said:

you have to be rich like kerry to afford one!
http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2005-03-22-bike-serotta_x.htm

I mean how many people can really afford to spend 6 grand on a bike?

I know a guy with several. He's just a single professional who spends
his disposable income on bikes. Of course he's middle-aged, overweight
and a pretty mediocre rider, a fairly typical high-end bike owner.

Well I guess I could have stated that a little bit better. How many average
bike riders can afford to spend 6 grand on a bike? I am sure that there are
a lot of people out there that can afford these bikes, but unless you are a
serious cyclist I don't think many people would spend that kind of money on
a bicycle. I could see spending that much if I had that much extra money,
and knew that I was going to ride it almost every day.

Ken

Ken Marcet said:

Well I guess I could have stated that a little bit better. How many

average

Quoted message said:

bike riders can afford to spend 6 grand on a bike? I am sure that

there are

Quoted message said:

a lot of people out there that can afford these bikes, but unless you

are a

Quoted message said:

serious cyclist I don't think many people would spend that kind of

money on

Quoted message said:

a bicycle. I could see spending that much if I had that much extra

money,

Quoted message said:

and knew that I was going to ride it almost every day.

How much does it cost to smoke cigarettes? (Ask the 25% of Americans
who do, most of whom are not affluent) Where there's a will (weak or
otherwise), there's a way. With all the "lifestyle" related diseases
and their social costs, we might be better off if the government bought
everyone Serottas.

I find it really hard to be critical of anyone who blows a wad on a
high-end bike. As extravagences go, it's pretty benign -- and pretty
pretty, too.

Functionally, you don't *need* to spend a lot to get a really nice
bike, the point of diminishing returns is lower than ever, but if you
*want* high-zoot, it's not such a bad lust, as lusts go.

Better than $55-65,000 on a Hummer, IMHO.

Well I guess I fit as one who lusts for the finer bikes. I have a top of the
line Serotta TI bike with DKS rear triangle, full Campy 10 speed record etc.
I also have a Colnago Master X-Lite with full Campy Record. Too me there is
a great difference in these bikes in contrast to some of the other bikes. No
doubt this is very subjective. However, I have ridden a lot of different
bikes and I can certainly tell what I like and prefer to ride.

Yes I have had my ass kicked by riders on lesser steeds. But that is not the
point for me. I prefer Campy over Shimano too. I like the flatter surface
mating to the bar. Dura Ace dips too low and transitioning is more
difficult. I do know that for me the Serotta is a dream on long rides. It is
bullet proof and never needs tweaking. The craftsman ship shows from 20 feet
away. The Colnago is the best steel frame (for me) and I use it more for
mashing and hard training rides.

The Serotta was worth the wait for fabrication. I am glad I own it and
immensely enjoy riding it. It is a synthesis of all the good
things--including geometry, materials and craftsmanship I certainly can tell
the difference.

Ride what you buy and enjoy it. Forget the judgments. It takes the pleasure
out of the sport.

"Peter Cole" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ken Marcet said:

Well I guess I could have stated that a little bit better. How many

average

Quoted message said:

bike riders can afford to spend 6 grand on a bike? I am sure that

there are

Quoted message said:

a lot of people out there that can afford these bikes, but unless you

are a

Quoted message said:

serious cyclist I don't think many people would spend that kind of

money on

Quoted message said:

a bicycle. I could see spending that much if I had that much extra

money,

Quoted message said:

and knew that I was going to ride it almost every day.

How much does it cost to smoke cigarettes? (Ask the 25% of Americans
who do, most of whom are not affluent) Where there's a will (weak or
otherwise), there's a way. With all the "lifestyle" related diseases
and their social costs, we might be better off if the government bought
everyone Serottas.

Well I gave those up long ago!

Quoted message said:

I find it really hard to be critical of anyone who blows a wad on a
high-end bike. As extravagences go, it's pretty benign -- and pretty
pretty, too.

Oh yeah they must be pretty, I can't say I have seen a new serotta, but I
have seen plenty of $2,000 - $3,000 bikes and they are mostly pretty rides.

Quoted message said:

Functionally, you don't *need* to spend a lot to get a really nice
bike, the point of diminishing returns is lower than ever, but if you
*want* high-zoot, it's not such a bad lust, as lusts go.

Ken Marcet said:

found this on google news, first part mentions John Kerry. I say yeah, but
you have to be rich like kerry to afford one!
http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2005-03-22-bike-serotta_x.htm

I mean how many people can really afford to spend 6 grand on a bike?

Ken

The trailer trash down the street managed to save up 20+K for an
incredibly ugly Harley Davidson, so 6K shouldn't be too hard to find. I
doubt I'd like to see them in lycra though.

:P 😉

He should change his name to "Fred".

-Bill H.

Ken Marcet said:

I mean how many people can really afford to spend 6 grand on a bike?

I used to wonder about such things, since my "normal" ride is an
inexpensive commute bike. Could a $1k bike really be "worth it"? Could a
$2k bike really be "worth it"? Could a $3k bike really be "worth it"?

Then my wife and I bought a $4k tandem: http://www.bilenky.com/viewpnt.html

To us, it's worth it. But we also don't spend money on other things that
some people we know think are essentials (like cable TV, broadband internet
access, and cell phones).
--
Darin McGrew, [email hidden], http://www.rahul.net/mcgrew/
Web Design Group, [email hidden], http://www.HTMLHelp.com/

"The handwriting on the wall may mean you need a notepad by the phone."

Ken Marcet said:

found this on google news, first part mentions John Kerry. I say

yeah, but

Quoted message said:

you have to be rich like kerry to afford one!
http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2005-03-22-bike-serotta_x.htm

I mean how many people can really afford to spend 6 grand on a bike?

I could afford it, but I choose not to.

Seriously, my primary bike would cost about $3000 if bought new today.
A lot compared to some other bikes. Not much compared to the car I
drive fewer miles than I ride. If I spend 10 hours a week or more on a
bike, I want it to lack for nothing that matters to me in terms of
comfort, performance, or reliability.

RichC

Bill H. said:

He should change his name to "Fred".

Umm, WHO should?!?

S o r n i said:

Bill H. said:

He should change his name to "Fred".

Umm, WHO should?!?

John Kerry.

Actually, I kind of doubt that he paid for the bike himself, since
Serotta's getting some great publicity just for him riding it around
town and being photographed.

As for high-end bikes, they're not worth it to me. Of course, I'm also
broke so that certainly factors into it, but even if I were making
$100K+ a year, I don't think I'd spend that much on a bike.

Still, I wouldn't try to tell anyone else they shouldn't pay that if
they don't want to. I spend a lot of mony on gourmet coffee, for
instance, and my parents drink Maxwell House. They think I'm crazy for
paying so much and I wonder how they can choke down that [censored].

I guess it comes down to what your priorities are. If you follow any
hobby to the most extreme, whether it's tropical fish, gambling,
birdwatching, woodworking, gourmet cooking, or model airplanes, you can
easily spend thousands of dollars. So just because a custom-fitted
bike isn't worth $6k to me, doesn't me someone else doesn't see it as a
bargain.

-Bill H. (looking both ways all the time)

"Bill H." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

S o r n i said:

Bill H. said:

He should change his name to "Fred".

Umm, WHO should?!?

John Kerry.

Actually, I kind of doubt that he paid for the bike himself, since
Serotta's getting some great publicity just for him riding it around
town and being photographed.

As for high-end bikes, they're not worth it to me. Of course, I'm also
broke so that certainly factors into it, but even if I were making
$100K+ a year, I don't think I'd spend that much on a bike.

Still, I wouldn't try to tell anyone else they shouldn't pay that if
they don't want to. I spend a lot of mony on gourmet coffee, for
instance, and my parents drink Maxwell House. They think I'm crazy for
paying so much and I wonder how they can choke down that [censored].

I guess it comes down to what your priorities are. If you follow any
hobby to the most extreme, whether it's tropical fish, gambling,
birdwatching, woodworking, gourmet cooking, or model airplanes, you can
easily spend thousands of dollars. So just because a custom-fitted
bike isn't worth $6k to me, doesn't me someone else doesn't see it as a
bargain.

-Bill H. (looking both ways all the time)

I guess I would have to agree with you. Just as long as your hobbies don't
include homemade weapons of mass destruction!

Ken

Ken Marcet said:

I mean how many people can really afford to spend 6 grand on a bike?

The same people who can afford $50k-plus cars and million dollar homes, which
are all over the place too in CA, northern VA, New England, etc.

Hey, did you know that most rich people in America are self made, and not scions
of old money (or married to them)? Save your pennies.

I've known people who can barely feed themselves who have bikes like that
though. In fact I'd say it's even more common. It's all a question of
priorities.

Matt O.

Peter Cole said:

I know a guy with several. He's just a single professional who spends
his disposable income on bikes. Of course he's middle-aged, overweight
and a pretty mediocre rider, a fairly typical high-end bike owner.

To be fair, I know plenty of successful people who are fit and fast too. Some
people just have their [censored] together in general, you know?

Matt O.

Brian Wax said:

Ride what you buy and enjoy it. Forget the judgments. It takes the
pleasure out of the sport.

Exactly. One of the great things about cycling is that on the road we're all
the same -- butcher, baker, candlestick maker, doctor, lawyer, CEO.

Matt O.

Matt O'Toole said:

Peter Cole said:

I know a guy with several. He's just a single professional who

spends

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

his disposable income on bikes. Of course he's middle-aged,

overweight

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and a pretty mediocre rider, a fairly typical high-end bike owner.

To be fair, I know plenty of successful people who are fit and fast

too. Some

Quoted message said:

people just have their [censored] together in general, you know?

Sure, but there's no correlation, you know what I mean? Actually, I
think there's a negative correlation in the group I ride with. It seems
that people are constantly "upgrading" but most are riding less as time
goes on. I think a common motivation is to get a better bike to
stimulate more riding and better fitness. It's kind of like people who
get a dog to lose weight.

MTB'ers seem to be even worse than roadies for being drawn to bright
and shiny things. There's not much of the retro-fetishism that plagues
the road warriors, so newer is always better. Nobody seems to wear
anything out any more. Ride it for a while, then Ebay it.

Matt O'Toole said:

Ken Marcet said:

I mean how many people can really afford to spend 6 grand on a bike?

The same people who can afford $50k-plus cars and million dollar homes,

This is not true. If you can afford a $6,000 car, then you can afford a
$6,000 bike, instead.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Some people used to claim that, if enough monkeys sat in front
_`\(,_ | of enough typewriters and typed long enough, eventually one of
(_)/ (_) | them would reproduce the collected works of Shakespeare. The
internet has proven this not to be the case.

"David L. Johnson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Matt O'Toole said:

Ken Marcet said:

I mean how many people can really afford to spend 6 grand on a bike?

The same people who can afford $50k-plus cars and million dollar homes,

This is not true. If you can afford a $6,000 car, then you can afford a
$6,000 bike, instead.

This is true, but most people need both!, or at least they think they need
both, I haven't owned a car in about 4 years, but I am still not going to
spend $6,000 on a bike.
Ken

Quoted message said:

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Some people used to claim that, if enough monkeys sat in front
_`\(,_ | of enough typewriters and typed long enough, eventually one of
(_)/ (_) | them would reproduce the collected works of Shakespeare. The
internet has proven this not to be the case.