28 February 2008
A $3,000 commuter bike? Discuss
Posted by todd under: Commuter bikes; Words from cycling sages .
The philosopher-kings over at the I-bob list are having a fascinating conversation about the Civia, a high-end commuting bike coming out next month. The list price is reputed to be $2,000 to $3,000 for for a complete bike; the frame is pictured at right. (A second thread has started in response to a reply from the manufacturer.)
The production and marketing of this bike is sparking all kinds of questions.
Will it sell? Who will buy it?
The answers that interest me most touch on whether such a bike is really necessary, when you can spend half to 75 percent as much and get the same results.
I won’t be buying one, and wouldn’t even consider it, but different strokes for different folks, I say!
The market will decide, and that’s as it should be.
I hope they sell a ton of Civias! And I hope I find one at a yard sale in a couple of years for 50 bucks. 
In fact, I almost ALWAYS wear one (while riding a bike anyway). (On the other hand, if YOU don't want to wear a helmet, I have no problem with it.) I don't remember what happened on this particular day. Fortunately for all of us it makes for a less-nerdly picture. My exceptionally talented professional photographer friend Charles Bertram took this photo.
I asked my 6-year-old son, Caleb, an avid bicyclist and artist, to draw a bike for me. I think he did a great job!
