bike

[freerider215]

there is nothing wrong with a flatland mountain bike other than the silly name and that's what i was pointing out really. personally i don't care what size bike wheels you have or what you do with them. i'm just not interested in that myself. i live in philly and i ride street all the time, but i don't need some company to "develop" a "special" bike for me to ride street.

[The Captain]

exactly what bike are you reffering to...the specialized p street???

[WillRidesRigid]

i think this was a reply to a previous thread

[skinny]

Originally posted by WillRidesRigid
i think this was a reply to a previous thread
http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=67184

[skinny]

Originally posted by freerider215
...i don't need some company to "develop" a "special" bike for me to ride street.

So you're saying that all bike companies could still make rigid 10speeds and not bother with suspension and all that crap, and you could ride the Shore or DH? Or even street for that matter? Sure you could. But not nearly as well as if you had a bike that was meant for that application.

[freerider215]

skinny you're right of course. and i realize my statement makes me sound old and crabby, but the truth of the matter is...i am old and crabby. like i said ride what you want for whatever you want.

[Mudpuppy]

Yeah I'm old and crabby too (at 21:rolleyes: ) And I also subscribe to the just ride for fun school of thought. That's why I get a bit defensive when people tell me I should ride a certain way/type of bike. The only thing worse is when people try and say that the point of riding is progressing the sport.:angry:

Member of the Ride For Fun clique.

[freerider215]

Here is the thing, i'm 32 years old and i've been riding bmx since i was 8 and skating for about 20 years and i've seen how both industries have taken off. my real problem is that mt. bike companies want the bike industry to go the same way. many, many different models and everything that could possibly be needed for these "sports" is marketed out the wahzoo. i really do however like these small independent companies, Transition, Snipes, etc. that are really about the ride- not much in the way of gimic. well i guess my point is is that after awhile everyone is so caught up in whats new that they buy it without knowing (half the time) if it is going to work better than what they already have. i don't know its really none of my business what other people do, but i see young kids getting into bmx and skating and they are getting fleeced by these industries. you know too, i live in a major US city and i have contact with alot of young underprivaledged kids that ride bikes, more than half these kids have amazing skills but they probably won't get into riding hardcore because they will never be able to afford a real bike because they are so expensive. i think that companies should be trying to get out and really try to include a broader range of people in there thought process, but alas money, money, money i guess is the ultimate goal of any business and it never really leaves room for people.

[schaefdog]

A real good BMX is only about $450. Not a lot of cash if you ask me.

[Mudpuppy]

$450 can be pretty expensive when you're trying to buy food for kids. How about people like single mothers with five kids?

[RandomV]

Well, that also depends on your definition of good, I suppose.

But, yes. $450 is a *lot* of money to me and many other people I know. A drop in the bucket when it comes to how much a person can spend on bikes and related stuff, but also more than I have in the bank right now as well.

[WillRidesRigid]

Originally posted by Mudpuppy
$450 can be pretty expensive when you're trying to buy food for kids. How about people like single mothers with five kids?

Buy taiwanese?

[schaefdog]

my mom is a single mom, with 2 kids, She always tried her best. While 450 was just out of the reach for her budget sometimes, I knew if I wanted a nice bike that I could go mow some lawns and get what I wanted. Kids these days have a lot of options. Since I was 16 I've always bought all my bikes. I knew it was the only option. If it's something important to a kid his only avenue isn't his parents. Another thing is most kids really dont care what kind of bike they are riding. They dont know the difference between my ruben, and their huffy. It's a bike. They just ride because it's fun.

[freerider215]

Originally posted by schaefdog
my mom is a single mom, with 2 kids, She always tried her best. While 450 was just out of the reach for her budget sometimes, I knew if I wanted a nice bike that I could go mow some lawns and get what I wanted. Kids these days have a lot of options. Since I was 16 I've always bought all my bikes. I knew it was the only option. If it's something important to a kid his only avenue isn't his parents. Another thing is most kids really dont care what kind of bike they are riding. They dont know the difference between my ruben, and their huffy. It's a bike. They just ride because it's fun.

Well first off, props to your mom and any single parent. Secondly I was talking about urban kids who don't have lawns to mow, who actually have very little opportunity at all of making any money unless it's illegal activity. So for most of them the only way to get a bike is to steal it. And yes and no on whether or not kids know the difference between good quality and bad quality. They know when something is nice and it doesn't take them long to figure out the advantages a good bike can bring them. I'm not even sure I know where i'm going with this..... Oh, and what do you mean by "They just ride for fun"? JUST??

[schaefdog]

At the age it sounds like your talking about, Kids still think of bikes as toys. They havent really developed into stress relief, or lifstyle yet. My bike to me is my lifestyle. I live, eat, breath, sleep, dream, love, hate, and ride my bike. It's everything to me. Most kids just don't have that kind of understanding yet, so A really nice bike isn't important to them yet. When it is there are venues that they can get a bike they want. At least this is how it has always occured to me. It could be much different than you. I don't really have much understanding of living near a true ghetto. So we might have very different views on things. (Very likely)

[freerider215]

Yeah i know what you're saying. I grew up in a small town in Colorado so i'm sure our experiences are similar. I totally agree with you on the lifestyle thing, that really couldn't be more true for me. Perhaps not being born and living in a city my whole life I may be more sensitive to what I see. I'm just saying that these kids have more skills than some of the guys I know who spend upwards of a couple of grand almost every season. If they had the opportunity (i'm talking older kids now) to be introduced to the lifestyle and the ability to pay for the parts etc. they would certainly bring something to the scene.

[schaefdog]

Yeah, that makes sense. Oddly enough I grew up in Elizabeth, and Aurora, CO........thats weird.

[GTi Giant]

This thread kinda caught my eye. I am just now getting back into riding after an almost 10 year hiatus. I just now was able to drop the money on a decent bike without having to "budget it out". Good thing I am only doing this for fun, but then again, I am having to reteach myself everything from scratch.

[freerider215]

Well let me be one of the first to welcome you back.

[GTi Giant]

Thanx. I hope to go out riding tonight. As long as it isn't snowing I hope to ride as much as possible ;) :D