How much do cycling buddies cost?

[Pure Savage]

Just make him pay for the beers after the ride and it will be all worth it.

[Shebeen]

3 hours ago, patches said:

We recently purchased a new car and with a new car comes a new challenge on how to transport bikes.

The old car (2015 Polo TSI) was a little run-around and we didn't care much for dirtying interiors or some light cosmetic damage caused by clip on bike carriers. However the new car (2022 Volvo XC40), although more spacious, is somewhat sacred (at least for now), so a more considered approach needs to be taken when transporting muddy bikes and bums.

So I'll be heading down the path of a Thule roof rack, bike carriers, and seat protectors

I'd likely be spending around R4500 (equiv) extra to be able to transport a 2nd bike and rider. A riding buddy. Yes, one could always say "I'll meet you there", when it's a local trail, but where I live (Auckland, NZ), even the local trails are 45min away, and half the fun of riding with friends is the company, even on the drive there and back.

So therein lies the question... at what point does one usually call it and say it's too costly to purchase equipment to accommodate the transportation of a riding buddy?

Keen to hear the various Hubber philosophies on this

This is one of the weirdest threads I have ever seen here, but happy to see it.

The actual question is what are your friends worth to you, the answer is of course priceless.

For everything else there's Mastercard

 

[patches]

1 minute ago, Shebeen said:

This is one of the weirdest threads I have ever seen here, but happy to see it.

The actual question is what are your friends worth to you, the answer is of course priceless.

For everything else there's Mastercard

Hahaha, well the bike carriers are just one example, but how many of us keep a spare bike, or bit of kit etc for riding buddies.

Not saying it’s a bad thing. Heck for years I had 2 spare enduro bikes (1 MTB, 1 dirt bike) for that “just in case” ride with a buddy.

Riding is a social activity, so often the cost of it will extend beyond ourselves.

 

[ChrisF]

2 hours ago, patches said:

 

 

Correction... What Patches' WIFE bought, haha

The car is hers. I don't even own one, haha. But yeah, hence the costly measures to keep it nice.

But the thread isn't just about this specific circumstance. More just to provoke thought into how we are willing to spend good sums of money to have mates come ride with us, and that's perfectly fine!

Like when I lived in SA I had a Citroen Berlingo kitted out to carry 4 bikes. I had all manner of axel adapters, and my vehicles primary aim was transporting me and mates to and from trails. Granted I rode 4-5x a week then.

 

 

 

The age old question of platform rack vs roof rack vs inside the car ....

 

If you are only using the towbar for the bike carrier then this is a very expensive option .... or can be, depending on how long you keep your vehicles.  Then again, easy enough to justify a 3 or even 4-bike rack, as apposed to the two bike rack that you need for yourself.

 

Roof rack .... I am a firm supporter of this option for a range of reasons.  That said ..... buying an extra carrier just "for incase" .... uhm ja ....

 

I regularly transport friend's bikes to the trails.  The comeradery and fun factor far outway anything else.

 

 

All the rational thoughts aside .... 2018 we went to Worcester for the SPUR schools racing.  After the race I popped in at King Cycles, my car auto steers there each time I drive through Worcester. .... They had ONE Scott on the floor ... the very same Scott I have searching for for some time, AND in the size I wanted (NO stock left in the Cape) ..... and they beat the best price without me even asking .....  I was GLAD to have space on the bike rack for an extra bike that day 

 

 

[Jewbacca]

Why not just buy a really cheap ute or high mileage van and use that to get to Woodhill/Helensville/Rotovegus etc?

 

[Jbr]

It took me 3 years to eventually spend the money on a proper carrier... I wish I bought it earlier !

[PhilipV]

The question is really:

Do you have cycling friends there? Do they not have trucks/utes/vans for you to ride with?

Edit: how do you plan to get your moto to a track if you only have your wife's pocket rocket? 

Or do you ride from home on the braaaaaaaappster as well?

Edited May 24, 2022 by PhilipV

[MORNE]

2 hours ago, Jbr said:

It took me 3 years to eventually spend the money on a proper carrier... I wish I bought it earlier !

Same. Got a proper platform rack a few months ago and don't really know why I waited this long lol

[Sid the Sloth]

I’m a cycling friend and just calculated my monthly costs this morning… I can dm exact figures but the resulting conclusion was that I need a job 😂 anyone looking for a fresh graduate in Politics, philosophy, and economics part time can send me a message 

[patches]

6 hours ago, Jewbacca said:

Why not just buy a really cheap ute or high mileage van and use that to get to Woodhill/Helensville/Rotovegus etc?

 

 

4 hours ago, PhilipV said:

The question is really:

Do you have cycling friends there? Do they not have trucks/utes/vans for you to ride with?

Edit: how do you plan to get your moto to a track if you only have your wife's pocket rocket? 

Or do you ride from home on the braaaaaaaappster as well?

Haha, I like how this went from do I buy a 2nd bike carrier to buying a ute/van 😅

My wife is fully aware of my intentions to buy a van or ute at some stage. I even tried to jokingly suggest a nice double cab over the XC40. She just laughed.

As for my Husky, it's road registered so I can braap to the trails, but that can get tiring.

If/when mini-humans come along we'll probably need a second car, so maybe I'll get my ute/van then.

[patches]

7 hours ago, ChrisF said:

 

The age old question of platform rack vs roof rack vs inside the car ....

 

If you are only using the towbar for the bike carrier then this is a very expensive option .... or can be, depending on how long you keep your vehicles.  Then again, easy enough to justify a 3 or even 4-bike rack, as apposed to the two bike rack that you need for yourself.

 

Roof rack .... I am a firm supporter of this option for a range of reasons.  That said ..... buying an extra carrier just "for incase" .... uhm ja ....

 

I regularly transport friend's bikes to the trails.  The comeradery and fun factor far outway anything else.

 

 

All the rational thoughts aside .... 2018 we went to Worcester for the SPUR schools racing.  After the race I popped in at King Cycles, my car auto steers there each time I drive through Worcester. .... They had ONE Scott on the floor ... the very same Scott I have searching for for some time, AND in the size I wanted (NO stock left in the Cape) ..... and they beat the best price without me even asking .....  I was GLAD to have space on the bike rack for an extra bike that day 

 

 

Yeah, I weighed up the roof vs towbar option, and the towbar was tempting as those Thule clip on 3 bike carriers are less than half the price of 1 roof carrier (so way cheaper than 3), and they will be fine for my fairly sporadic riding. However the towbar is pricey (about R25,000 equiv here).

Also, I find myself using roof racks a ton (have them on the Polo) and they made that little car so useful, especially when transporting timber or sheets of plywood (which happens more often than I ride, haha). So definitely would benefit with roof racks on the Volvo.

And like you say, who knows when that spare carrier will come in handy for picking up predestined purchases, haha

 

 

[MORNE]

4 hours ago, Sid the Sloth said:

I’m a cycling friend and just calculated my monthly costs this morning… I can dm exact figures but the resulting conclusion was that I need a job 😂 anyone looking for a fresh graduate in Politics, philosophy, and economics part time can send me a message 

Nobody wants these kinds of friends. Sorry 😚😅

[Me rida my bicycle]

7 hours ago, Jewbacca said:

Why not just buy a really cheap ute or high mileage van and use that to get to Woodhill/Helensville/Rotovegus etc?

 

This is just what I wanted to say. I had a cheap high mileage "bike carrier". Don't care where you park it or getting dirt in. 

[PhilipV]

9 hours ago, patches said:

 

Haha, I like how this went from do I buy a 2nd bike carrier to buying a ute/van 😅

My wife is fully aware of my intentions to buy a van or ute at some stage. I even tried to jokingly suggest a nice double cab over the XC40. She just laughed.

As for my Husky, it's road registered so I can braap to the trails, but that can get tiring.

If/when mini-humans come along we'll probably need a second car, so maybe I'll get my ute/van then.

Actually, having friends with utes and driving to the trails with them might be cheaper in the long run.  

Don't wait for baby to get the van, you will be riding even less then. 

[coppi]

Buy a good quality 3 or 4 bike rack carrier ( here in ZA you can buy a Thule through Volvo at a discounted price )

I have 2 riding buddies who live close to me, and we venture out into the countryside on Saturday mornings in search of gravel roads for gravel grinding .We all have the same setup and we all take  turns to fetch and carry everybody else. This way there is never arguments about costs etc. and no one is a sponger..............even the coffee and beers are sorted in this manner !

 

['Dale]

In the final hours, what will matter is the memories we created with our loved ones; not how much money one had to invest to create these memories. 💙

 

Edited May 25, 2022 by 'Dale