When I worked in bike shops, I'd tell prospective customers that the price of bicycles, like the price of many other things, is subject to the law of diminishing returns. In other words, spending $250 instead of $200 would bring more significant improvement than than spending $800 instead of $700.
But, I would emphasize, it was necessary to spend a minimum baseline amount of money to get a bike that is reliable and pleasant to ride. Customers would, of course, ask the inevitable question: What's the minimum amount I have to spend in order to get a good bike?
British former pro racing cyclist James Lowsley Williams tried to answer the qustion. He decided to tackle a 200 km (about 125 miles) along England's southwestern coast from Barnstable to Bath. I cycled in the area many years ago and, even as young as I was, I was surprised at how arduous some of the climbs were. Williams called them "horrific," so I don't feel so bad about whatever difficulty I had.
When embarking upon that ride, he wanted "to say that you can have fun on a cheap bike" and that "you can still have epic rides."
Perhaps such a thing is possible. If it is, it's fair to ask, "How cheap?"
Well, Williams embarked on the trip on a Eurobike that sells for 30 GBP (about 38 USD) on Amazon. His first impressions were "not good." He missed his own "superbike," but he tried to keep an open mind.
There are some deficiencies, however, that no amount of mental flexibility can overcome. "As soon as this bike goes uphill, it wants to go backwards." When he stood, he "kept hitting the gears" and 'it chucks me into a high gear and I have to start again." The only good thing about the bike, he says, is "the kickstand."
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