I generally remind them it's less expensive than most peoples cars. Then I remind them that I don't own a car and that my bike is my transportation.
--ben in KC, celebrating 5 years of being car free in car country this summer. On Sun, Jun 27, 2021 at 11:47 PM Ian A <attew...@gmail.com> wrote: > Most people understand watches, so the example can be compared to buying a > Rolex or a Grand Seiko vs a Timex. > > Between 2009-2011 I spent the two years riding 20,000 miles from Vancouver > BC to the tip of South America (Ushuaia) then north as far as Uruguay. I > had bought a used touring bike for US$650, spent a bit on upgrading the > wheels, bought used panniers and lots of used gear and was probably > tour-ready for under. $1500. I travelled on the cheap by avoiding hotels. > One evening in rural Colombia where I camped outside an army baracks (with > their permission) a couple of gents I was chatting with had an old 250cc > motorbike. They asked my how much I had paid for the bicycle and I said > approximately $1000 and they were gobsmacked and told me the motorbike was > only worth $500. I asked if the motorbike would make it from Canada and be > able to continue to Argentina. Their response was hillarious as they said > they wouldn't trust the motorbike to the end of their road and acknowedged > a bicycle that could go all that way would have to cost some. It put the > price/value equation into some perspective. > > IanA Alberta Canada (That tour was the last interesting thing I have > done!). > > On Sunday, June 27, 2021 at 9:12:57 PM UTC-6 Kushan wrote: > >> Wife and recently marked the 10th anniversary and decided to get each >> other nice presents. She is getting me an Appaloosa built and I got her >> something she really wanted in the jewelry department (of 20-30% higher >> value than the bike). >> >> We are both financially responsible people, don't live lavishly, and can >> afford both items. However, the reactions of the friends and family who >> hear about our gifts and their values have been somewhat puzzling for me. >> While no one has given a second thought to the price of the jewelry, the >> reactions on the bike have almost universally been that of astonishment. >> And these are from people who know me well, know I enjoy cycling, and that >> I only have one bike right now which I am planning to sell when the new one >> arrives. >> >> So that got me thinking, I can't be the only one who has experienced >> this. What are some other similar stories? More importantly, what do you >> say to a well-meaning loved one when they ask things like "$3500 for a >> bike?" and "but isn't your current bike orange too?" >> > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/c63227bd-9af2-438b-8904-d5364720d55dn%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/c63227bd-9af2-438b-8904-d5364720d55dn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAAdeZ0qQyqGYf%3DcGy4nskE1cCrckdOX0-Cw0D2qGZPpN9OGRuQ%40mail.gmail.com.
