[sho_hn]

Buying a nice bicycle may be the healthiest of these obsessions: Approximately as ludicrously expensive as audiophile gear, but you don't need to be talented to get some extra fitness and joy out if it. It's as expensive as it is accessible, and if you want to, sociable.

[metadat]

I bought the bike, finally, in 2019 right before the pando. A beautiful Cannondale, CF everything. Since then, I've learned I have arthritic degredation in my back and really shouldn't ride it for any extended period of time.

No regrets, but damn, what a waste of a stallion! Still have the bike, it just hasn't been ridden to it's potential.

At least it's an inanimate object :-)

[minikomi]

Upright bars! Maybe read some Grant Peterson too

[ramesh31]

>Approximately as ludicrously expensive as audiophile gear, but you don't need to be talented to get some extra fitness and joy out if it.

Bikes are kind of different. There's an order of magnitude difference in your experience with a proper carbon road bike versus a steel Huffy. People who've only experienced the latter tend to think of biking as miserable. It's the one thing that I tell people to either spend the money on or don't bother.

[beachy]

That's one philosophy.

Another is that if your bike is for exercise, and you spend your time chugging up hills, then it doesn't matter if it's not built from the latest, lightest titanium alloy. The heavier the better in fact.

[bittercynic]

That's true only if you manage to ride the heavier bike almost as much. You might find it much more enjoyable to ride the more expensive bike, and end up riding more because of it.

[sho_hn]

Agreed! But there's compromises possible. A well-designed alu frame with a carbon fork is a lot cheaper, but still reasonably comfortable.

[cascades42]

Just like with audiophile gear, a bike doesn't have to be extremely expensive to reach the point of diminishing returns.