Why, oh why, did I do that?

[nwhiker]

Looking at getting a new bike.

Let's just say that I'm so totally outclassed in this arms race between dh, son, and daughter, that something HAD to be done.

I decided on a budget.

I went to one of my fave bike shops first. They were having a sale.

But oh, they didn't have the bike I'd wanted, but why don't you try this one, it's "a bit" better than the one you were looking at... yeah, a bit. $1200 vs $700. But oh, it's 20% off! And see how nicely it fits, and how good you feel on it? Yeah, all that.

The good thing? It's ugly as hell, white with -ugh- teal "Hawaiian theme flowers" which I am not fond of. So while the ride was nice, it wasn't love at first sight.

Tabled the decision and went to bike shop #2.

I wanted to see a Dolce compact. Still in my price range, and a beautiful black and purple colour scheme.

Only they didn't have it. They had the slightly more expensive and slightly more ugly Dolce Compact Sport. And not in my size.

But in my size, they had the bottom of the line bike of the Ruby line. Yeah, I'd looked at the Ruby line. The top of the line -same frame- costs $8500. Yes, eight thousand five hundred dollars. Full carbon fibre frame, which ended up being a crosshatch of deep purple and almost-black grey in full sunlight. Beautiful. The purple is called blackberry satin. Even the colour name is gorgeous....

They put it on the bike trainer and tell me to get on.

Perfect fit, straight out of the gate. All the angles just... fit.

There is a reason I have vintage early 90s mountain bike, also by Specialized: something about their geometry just works with my fucked up weird body.

But I don't want the Ruby. I mean... Too expensive, folks!

Go ahead and take a ride, they said.

I should have said no. I should have left and gone elsewhere.

Three pedal strokes out the door, I'd fallen in love.

The bike felt perfectly. Just... everything. I'm not fond of the new type shifters, but all the bikes have them, but everything else? Perfect. I felt properly balanced, upright and in the drops. I felt in control, at speed, and when going slow. I went up a hill that I've done before. It was... easier. And doing back down it? I was going so fast I was almost scared.

I'm in total love.

Now just to persuade my spouse I want to spend that amount on a bike.............

Comments

[camelsamba.livejournal.com]

Well take what you had budgeted, add in the sale price of the ugly white-with-flowers bike, and voila! Ruby Compact! Not that you were planning to buy *2* bikes, but think of all the money you'll save over that top of the line one :^)

[nwhiker.livejournal.com]

That's what people I know call "shoe math", though I suppose in my world it would be "bike math". Hee.

I went and tried out two other bikes yesterday and liked both of them, though not as much as the Ruby. One of them was also a full carbon fibre frame, a bit cheaper than the Ruby, but not much.

It's still $600 more than I'd been planning on spending at most AND that is more than my first car! Almost as much as our monthly mortgage.

OTOH, it's a really really nice bike.

And... I feel ashamed that I'm actually considering spending that much money on a toy, really, when one half the price would do as well, and when I HAVE a bike already, and oh, there are people who are struggling to make ends meet. It feels wrong and privileged. Maybe I'll make a donation to Children's Hospital and buy the bike?

I dunno. I think dh assumes I'm getting it and is just waiting for me to give in and admit it.

I need to get a biking icon!

[camelsamba.livejournal.com]

I totally hear you on the price issue. We were on the grounds of Cranbrook yesterday (for a lacrosse tournament), and my mind kept saying "this is what privilege looks like", and then another part of my mind would remind me "the fact that your son is able to play lacrosse at this level also speaks of privilege" so then the first part would correct to "this school is what Extreme Privilege looks like."

Because yes, both our families are privileged, not just on the global scale but also on the US scale. But at the same time, it's not like either one of us flaunt that wealth or use it to keep others down. Does that make it right to spend a lot on a 'toy' that will get a lot of use? I don't know. But the larger picture of how we use our money is another factor to consider when making individual purchases.

(sorry, didn't mean to turn that into a lecture...)