BikeWalkLee: What’s your bike budget?

BikeWalkLee Column ‘Go Coastal’
The News-Press, August 25, 2022
by Ken Gooderham

Does more money get you more bicycle?

Not necessarily. Sometimes spending more on a bicycle is really about getting less – less weight, less repairs, less aggravation.

But if you’re pondering a bike – or even just an upgrade – there are some questions you should ponder to guide your decision.

• What’s your budget… or, more precisely, what’s your acceptable range of cost? One person may think that spending $1,000 on a bike is extravagant, while another might look at that as the low end of their bicycle budget.
• Where will you ride, and for how long? The bike you need to commute to work or run a few errands is very different from the one you’d want to ride a century or take on a multi-day tour.
• How good a cyclist are you – really? If you’re just starting to ride, or just interested in getting from Point A to Point B, a basic bike makes sense. If you’re striving to be better and have some miles under your belt (and if you’re working to ride longer and faster), spending some bucks will pay off in your future riding.
• How important is reliability and rideability? If you want a bike that doesn’t break much, or one that’s tuned in to your style of riding, spending more gets you more. If you view bikes as disposable transportation, spending less makes sense since it won’t be around long enough to matter.
• How important is the “sizzle” factor – spending money more for image than for usefulness? A Fiat and a Lamborghini will both get you where you want to go… but only one of them will turn heads in the process.

As a rule of thumb, spending more on a bicycle gets you better equipment where it matters (such as frame, drivetrain and braking), and often a ride that’s better put together than your big-box bargain.

What are some of the things to consider if you’re bulking up your bike budget?

Frame: More money definitely means less weight here, moving you away from sturdy (and heavy) steel to aluminum, titanium and carbon fiber. It also usually means better design, which equals a smoother and more responsive ride.

Drivetrain: Here, money translates into quality… since, for the most part, bike drivetrains are basically the same chain and gears. Spending gets you better gears, better shifters and better components that not only last longer but are easier to repair or upgrade. The only other jump up is to electronic shifting, which is definitely higher end.

Brakes: Two basic choices – rim (pushing rubber pads against the wheel) and disc (calipers push pads against a rotor mounted on the hub), with the latter possible in two variations – mechanical and hydraulic. Which one you want may depend on how you ride (or, more exactly, stop). Say, if you do a lot of downhill riding or ride in a lot of adverse weather conditions, hydraulic discs will be a worthwhile upgrade.

Suspension: First, of course, is asking whether you need one… for, say, serious off-road riding. Then you can decide how good it needs to be… enough to smooth out the trail bumps, or sturdy enough to handle big drops and hard landings.

The intangibles: This can include assembly and set-up, where a high-end bike (or spending a little more for a bike built by your local bike shop) will get you a ride that’s tuned for your style and preferences. It can also address the “snob” factor, whether you need a “name” bike to make a name for yourself. Conversely, it may also cover where you ride (and park), where a fancy bike could end being a target for theft (although they do make locks for that).

The final intangible is perhaps the most important: Is this a bike that makes you want to ride? One that turns an everyday ride into something special every time? Something that sparks joy every time you hop aboard?

Then that’s money well spent.

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Looking for a Labor Day run? Look at the thermometer first, and decide if that’s a prudent idea given where the heat index has been lately. However, if the holiday isn’t complete without one, head to Naples where Gulf Coast Runners will offer a 5K in support of Friends of Foster Children Forever, kicking off at 7:30 a.m. at Lowdermilk Park (north of downtown Naples).

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EVENTS

FORT MYERS TRACK CLUB (ftmyerstrackclub.com):

• Tunnel to Towers 5K, Saturday, Sept. 10, FSW campus, Fort Myers.
• Downtown Dash 1 Mile Run, Friday, Sept. 16, downtown Fort Myers.
• Fort Myers Cops & Joggers 5K, Saturday, Oct. 8, downtown Fort Myers.
• Cape Coral Fire Department Fueled by Fire 5K, Saturday, Oct. 15, Tarpon Point, Cape Coral.
• 10K F.I.S.H. race, Saturday, Oct. 22, Sanibel Island.
• Turkey Trot 5K, Thursday, Nov. 24, downtown Fort Myers.
• City of Palms River Run 8K, Saturday, Dec. 3, downtown Fort Myers.
  

GC RUNNERS (gcrunner.org):

• Friends of Foster Children Forever Labor Day 5K, Monday, Sept. 6, Lowdermilk Park, Naples.
• Gulf to Gulf 80 Mile Relay, Saturday, Oct. 22, Naples to Sanibel and back.
• Olde Naples 10K, Sunday, Nov. 13, Rodgers Park, Naples.
• GCR Thanksgiving 5K, Thursday, Nov. 24, Cambier Park, downtown Naples.
  

ELITE EVENTS (runeliteevents.com):

• Naples Distance Classic Half-Marathon, 10K and 5K, Saturday, Oct. 8, Eagle Lakes Park, Naples.
• Naples Rocktoberfest 5K and 10K, Saturday, Oct. 22, North Collier Regional Park, Naples.
• Thanksgiving Day 5K, Thursday, Nov. 24, two locations – Hertz Arena, Estero, and Village Shops on Venetian Bay, Naples.
• Naples Fall Classic half marathon and 5K, Saturday, Dec. 10, Sugden Regional Park, Naples.
  

CYCLING 

The Caloosa Riders are offering member rides, but some are open to non-members (and it wouldn’t hurt you to join the club); check their ride calendar (caloosariders.org) for a description of the distance and speed, and to see if the ride is open to all.

SW Florida Critical Mass is offering their usual slate of family-friendly rides. Check out their line-up online (www.meetup.com/Biking-SWFL/events/) for details and times (and to make sure the ride is still rolling).

• SW Florida Critical Mass ride, first Friday of the month. A family-friendly slow night ride through Fort Myers. Front and rear bike lights required. Helmet and lights required, meet in the parking lot at 2180 West First Street, Fort Myers. 
• Sanibel Critical Mass night ride, second Saturday of the month. Gathers at Jerry’s Shopping Center, 1700 Periwinkle Way, on Sanibel. Lights required, helmets recommended.
• NE Lee Critical Mass ride, third Friday of the month. Gather in the Winn Dixie parking lot on Palm Beach Blvd. about five miles east of the Interstate; gather at 7 p.m. and roll at 7:30 p.m. for a slow ride through Fort Myers Shores.
• Cape Coral Critical Mass ride, fourth Friday of the month. Gather at the Southwest Florida Military Museum parking lot at 4820 Leonard Street for a family-friendly night ride through the Cape; helmets and lights required.
• Saturday Morning Slow Roll, fourth Saturday of the month. Meet-up at 2160 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers. Recommended for inexperienced/young riders. Distance is 6 miles, includes group ride instruction.
  

TRIATHLONS

• Fort Desoto Sprint or Olympic Tri, Sunday, Sept. 18, St. Petersburg (fortdesototrilogy.com/ or runsignup.com)
• City Island Tri, Sunday, Oct. 9, Sarasota (https://run941.com/ or runsignup.com)
  

 

TELL US ABOUT YOUR RIDE

Have a favorite route you like to bike, or a unique walk you’d like to share with others? Tell us about it at info@bikewalklee.org, and maybe we can feature it in an upcoming column.

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Ken Gooderham writes this on behalf of BikeWalkLee, a community coalition raising public awareness and advocating for complete streets in Lee County — streets that are designed, built, operated and maintained for safe and convenient travel for all users: pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders of all ages and abilities. Information, statistics and background online at bikewalklee.blogspot.com.