And Now I’ve Taken Up Road Cycling

Posted on: 28 July 2008 /
Categories: Self Promotion, Sports

Because my life-goal is to take up every hobby on Earth for a good, solid six-week period.

Anyway, here’s me and my new, non-robotic best friend (I have a weird-looking chin now apparently):

tsunami bike (frame) with shimano dura-ace components and Mavic Ksyrium wheels

Here are the vitals:

  • Everything: 2006 vintage.
  • Shimano Dura-Ace components (9×2 gearing).
  • Carbon front fork, seat post (Easton).
  • Mavic Ksyrium (no, not Elite) wheels.
  • Shimano SPD pedals (because I didn’t want to have to buy new shoes for another bike).
  • Tsunami aluminum frame (no, you haven’t heard of them — they’re a small outfit in Costa Mesa).
  • $900.
  • Bought it from a guy who was selling it for a friend of his who is a riding buddy of a friend of mine who’s a rep for one of our Key Vendors at work (I’d link to his blog, but I don’t got his URL at home).

My thought is that, even if I hate it, based on recent eBay sales, I should be able to part it out for that much give or take $50-100. Of course, I also had to buy some real road bike shorts ($90), non-MTB gloves ($20), and a couple water bottles (2 @ $5 ea.). So I’m in for $1,020. I already had a helmet, shoes, socks, and one road-style jersey, so I’m not counting those. And I’m not counting the sales tax as part of the cost since, really, that’s more the cost of my being too cowardly to fight what’s probably an unjust and illegal state-sponsored restriction of free commercial exchange.

I’m also leaving out the opportunity cost (e.g., $1,020 invested at an historically-estimated 10% annual return rate; the time it takes me to ride the bike, maintain the bike, and talk to people about riding and maintaining the bike multiplied by my $150 an hour billing rate and then invested with a 10% annual return rate; &c.), which is pretty reckless of me.

I’m going to try and keep a running amortization of the cost of this one — amortizing out over miles and rides. So far two rides totaling 18 miles (12 Saturday, 6 tonight — I’m guessing 3 on Thursday and then 1.5 next Saturday) = $510/ride so far (still nowhere near the $125 I got my MTB down to before giving it up after something like six months) and $56.67 per mile. I might should amortize it over minutes ridden, but that would give all four-to-six of you the opportunity to calculate how slowly I roll.

And knowing’s half the battle.

bkd

(PS, yeah, I know: “Here I am with my new, non-robotic best friend.”)

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