Introduction
Whether it be from cycling industry magazines or reactionary newspapers, received wisdom seems to be that cycling is somehow especially expensive. It is true that it can be expensive. Those chasing cycling performance, for sure, have to pay for it. But that does not mean that cycling is an expensive outlier among hobbies, let alone modes of transport.
Transport: my old car
I have only ever owned one car, when living in Perth, Australia. I was a bartender in a depressing suburban pub, and could not use public transport to get home after my shifts ended. I bought a Ford Falcon GLi wagon for $1800. It's not possible to fully express how much of a pain in the arse this car was. Within a month, the fuel pump stopped working, the muffler fell off, and the front passenger window fell into the door (never to be removed). Another three thousand dollars later, imagine this car with more duct tape:
I chose this picture as it shows a 1990s Ford Falcon in its natural state, and I am telling this story because I want to reach out to all "long-suffering motorists" with an olive branch: I loved this car. It had a 4-litre straight-six engine, was rear wheel drive, and had no weight over its rear wheels. In the rain, it was almost impossible to keep in a straight line when pulling away from traffic lights. When parked, I had to make sure that it was pointing downhill, so that the fuel would flow towards the engine. Otherwise, it would not start. It had the red stripe pictured above. It was, in the best possible way, a giant piece of shit. My friends thought it was one of the stupidest cars imaginable, and we had a lot of fun because of it. I want you to know that I understand why people love cars, and love driving. But I also want you to know why I love my much cheaper bike a lot more.
Transport: My bike
It's a bike.
I have owned a few shit bikes. They have done many of the things which my Ford Falcon did. They got me around. They took me on adventures. My current bike in particular does things which the Ford Falcon never could. Even though it is basically "just a bike":
- It is reliable transportation
- It is exercise
- It is adventure
- It is connection
- It is a lesson in mechanical engineering
- It is essentially free to run
- The front light is bright enough to see the road ahead in the dark, unlike the Ford Falcon
- It cost less than 500€
Yes, that is expensive, but it is a lot less expensive than anything else which does all of this. Moreover, you do not even need to spend that much to get a reliable and comfortable bike. You could spend 100 $/€/£. If you want a more "performance-y" bike, and are so inclined, you can save money by building one up yourself, or upgrading a second-hand bike. Almost all of the parts were either from my parts bin, or second-hand. Especially by going the latter route, it is very, very doable. Anyone reading this in the UK should also know that you have maybe the best second hand market for bikes anywhere in the world. The cycling boom of 2012 dumped a lot of good bikes into the UK, all at once.
The actual problem with how people think about cycling
The problem is not that cycling is expensive. The problem is that everything is expensive. Having hobbies is expensive. Pursuing something that you love is expensive. This is not a function of the cycling industry, but of the broader consumer culture and economy in which we live. If I were to replace cycling with video games, a season ticket to my local football team, or any other hobby or interest, it would also be expensive. This is not because cycling is some kind of "middle-class luxury interest". It is true no matter what you are interested in: low-brow, high-brow, anything in between. Working-class coded or middle-class coded. A can of Elephant or a bottle of wine. It is all expensive, and it is all a "luxury" if you count enjoying yourself as a luxury, which our culture does.
There are a lot of people who ride a bike because they have to. They cannot afford a car. There are also a lot of people who ride a bike because it is more fun and life-affirming than driving a car. There are also some people who ride a bike to signal some kind of enlightened virtues. However, the idea that this group represents cycling as a whole is, simply put, fucking stupid.
How to think about cycling, and bicycles in particular
- See the bicycle for what it is: a tool, and a liberatory one at that.
- If it is your thing, forget about performance at least some of the time. Unless you are a pro, or want to be, it does not matter.
- If all of that feels abstract, go outside and look at the incredibly fucked-up bikes that some people ride every day, and remember what an incredible invention the bicycle is. It is a tool to be used and abused if necessary, and it will keep going. It is two triangles and a couple of wheels. It is resilient. It does not need much maintenance. It will outlive companies, cars, and nations if you need it to. I have a folding bike built in East Germany which still works faultlessly.
- Buy your bikes and parts second-hand