Money Saving Tips for Cyclists
Cycle maintenance
Cycling can be an expensive sport
How can you potentially save money as a cyclist while still enjoying the benefits?
1. Do you really need a new bike?
Every cyclist dreams of their next bike. Whether it is a beautifully sculpted Carbon Fibre Pinarello Dogma with 11 speed Super Record or a full XTR equipped full suspension Specialized S Works. We can all dream. The ideal cycling formula
Ideal Number of bikes = N + ≥1 (where N is your current number of bikes)
Do you really need another bike or is your current selection sufficient?
2. Do you really need a wardrobe full of Assos clothing?
Assos clothing is great, yet very very very expensive. Do you need to spend more than £/$100 on a pair of bib shorts? Consider other options and you could get the same level of performance for around half the price. You could go for something that will mark you out as an individual when you're on the local group ride. My best example of this is where I purchased the Columbian National Team Jersey and have had many riders ask me where I got it from! I even was asked by a Columbian gentleman to have my photo taken with him atop of a Spanish Mountain last Summer. Sadly he has the photo!
Assos clothing is well marketing and every cyclist wantes to ask "is the assos girl from the ads a cyclist? Well she's a model that helps assos to sell large amounts of cycle clothing.
3. Strike Up a relationship with your LBS (Local Bike Shop)
Your LBS will likely be a hub of activity with information on local rides and riders across many disciplines. If you're a "regular" at your Local Bike Shop they will highly likely look after you as a respected regular customer by prioritising work and even possibly offering discount.
4. Can you sort out any problems yourself?
A good bike maintenance book is a great gift for any cyclist as they usually show how everything is done. This can often save a lot of money through using your LBS as labour costs will not be included. If you also purchase replacement items online think about if you could use a cashback site. In the UK we have Topcashback which offers cashback on purchases through online retailers like Chain Reaction and Wiggle who already offer extremely competitive prices.
5. Are sports drinks and specialist energy bars eating away at your wallet?
Do you really need to take a sports drink with you on every ride? Could you take a bottle of water and one sports drink? On especially hot days simply drinking water may be gentler on your stomach. Or look at making your own Isotonic Sports Drinks
Do you need a back pocket full of Powerbars? Many supermarkets have packets of ceral bars for less than the price of a single Powerbar and often these taste much better too!
6. Expensive Bidons
Bidons (waterbottles) can get rather expensive as we all seem to need so many. Many cycle shops sell them for around £3.50 or more. If you pop in your local Pound Shop you can often pick them up for a Pound. Or alternately if there is a Decathlon near you you could pick up some of their water bottles for £1.99 each in a plethora of different colours to match your kit, bike or mood. (See photo for design)
These are just a few suggestions- Do you have any other suggestions you could share?
Happy cycling
Assos Bibshorts
Great Moneysaving Hubs
- Money Saving Tips For Modern Single Girls
Money saving tips for modern single girls who want to save money, still look good and continue to live a fabulous lifestyle at the same time! How To Save Money. - Money Saving Idea: Saving on Groceries
If youre like most people, youre feeling the financial crunch of the present economy. Youre probably looking for help saving money. One way you can help reduce the household budget is by saving... - Living Frugally - Money Saving Lessons from My Mom
When it comes to living frugally, almost all the essential money saving lessons I have learned in life up to this point came from my mom. If she had not lived frugally by example, I may not have adopted much...
