A culture of cycling

For all those who have fallen in love with this sport, the price of bikes is a common topic of discussion. So I looked into the reasons that drive me to invest sometimes exorbitant amounts of money in my sport and what causes such a strong reaction to this behavior. A micro-sociological study, not at all scientific, on consumer practices, contrasting the price of conformity with that of passion—even if the two are not mutually exclusive.

There are things we do for ourselves and things we do because of social pressure.

We can always convince ourselves that we are completely immune to the latter, but the reality is that as soon as we deviate from it, we have to justify our choices.

We work, we earn a living, and the way we spend our money and display the things we buy inevitably determines how we want to be perceived by our peers. Except for the few disciples of Thoreau who live in the woods (and even that is a social stance), we seek a group to belong to, one in which we recognize ourselves and feel valued.

Choosing your clan

For some, it means adopting mainstream behaviors. For others, it means playing on the fringes and joining a handful of enthusiasts who share a common taste, and therefore an aesthetic, a culture, and a language.

For most people, reality generally falls within a few of these areas.

It may sound very theoretical and abstract when put that way. However, it is simple and intuitive. We join our clan naturally, drawn to it, most often by a series of coincidences, by people who introduce us to new things and new people. Just like in love.

My clan is that of cyclists. What unites us is a passion for the machine, the technique, the competition, and sometimes the history of the sport. But also a love of movement, of action. The object we ride is a tool of identity. I am not the car I drive or a spa. I am a passionate cyclist, with all the historical and literary baggage that comes with it.

Money and children's games

Like most of the people I hang out with, I spend a lot of money on new bikes, accessories, andCare. This is enough to raise eyebrows, or even cause outrage, among outside observers who are unable to make the intellectual contortions necessary to reconcile the thousands of dollars invested with the nature of the object, which for them is synonymous with toys, childhood, and more or less insignificant trinkets.

However, to me, it is the choices of the majority that often seem ridiculous. Oversized houses. Swimming pools. Repeated trips to all-inclusive resorts or foreign cities where nothing is really foreign anymore, since all you see are other tourists in shops that can be found anywhere else. Above all, I don't understand the obsession with cars, which are still the main symbol of our social status today.

But people are free to decide for themselves, just as I am.

Objects of desire, objects of pleasure

Beyond identity, I chose to invest heavily in my bikes because they are a source of pleasure and happiness in my daily life. They bring me genuine joy. I build adventures around them, I practice this sport with friends and my partner, and I also love the performance, speed, and feeling of power that my machines give me when their quality matches my physical fitness.

This is how one fuels the other, and how my bikes also become a motivation to stay in excellent physical shape and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The world of cycling also responds to its conformism, to a kind of fantasy world populated by desires, including the desire to always have more bikes, preferably new ones. This is always open to debate. I probably don't need to change my bike so often. That's true. 

Is it more virtuous to get excited about bikes than cars? It's certainly no less so. Every dollar I invest in my bikes contributes to a happiness that is not just material, since each of my machines brings me pleasure, takes me on journeys, motivates me to stay in shape, allows me to maintain friendships, and positively influences those around me, who are increasingly sharing this wonderful passion.

So, raise your eyebrows all you want. I'm not ashamed of the price of my bikes. I made my choices and invested in things that help me live better. Now, one final question: what is the last thing you bought that brought you at least as much as what I've just described here?