Economic Stimulus = Nicer Bikes?

May 1st, 2008 by Pat

I guess this is sort of a follow up to the interview about the state of the bike industry but also a sociopolitical question. With the US government’s economic stimulus package coming in the mail this week, what do you plan to spend it on? Is any of it going to bikes? If you could spend the entire check on bikes, what would you put it into? This idea really came about a few months ago when I heard that the government was going to give us all this money just so we would have to pay it back to them eventually. I started to see visions of new hubs and frames dancing in my head, but also thought of a more realistic view of what I should do with the money. One of the first questions my wife asked me was “What bike are you going to buy?” She did not even hesitate to think that I would spend it on bills or anything else besides upgrading or adding to my quiver of bicycles, but I thought differently about my spending habits and the effect it has on my future. I flipped back and forth about my spending intentions and I have still not made a solid commitment to blowing it on bike stuff or squirreling it away for a rainy day. I have received a few emails from manufacturers that were referring to the stimulus package. Swobo and Performance both let me know via email that they were willing to help me stimulate the economy with goods that were priced just right for using the governments money! Let us know what the rest of the community plans to do when the Eagle sprays your way.

8 Responses to “Economic Stimulus = Nicer Bikes?”

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1 Jan on May 1st, 2008 at 3:00 pm

I am not getting a better bike, just a different bike. I have a nice mntn. bike; a nice road bike; and NEED a cyclocross bike. My tax refund plus this incentive money are just the ticket!
2 Dust on May 1st, 2008 at 3:57 pm

I’m getting some software that I need for graduate school AND I’m going to get some new wheels for my singlespeed commuter. I’d like to get a whole new bike but I’ve got to make this last. Yee Haw!
3 S.K. on May 1st, 2008 at 6:18 pm

A bag of cocaine.
4 Kerbouchaud on May 1st, 2008 at 8:52 pm

The owner of the Local LBS informed me the other day that he had just brought in an Fuel EX 9.0 with my name on it…..problem was he did it while my wife was in the store with me. She didn’t insinuate divorce, she flat out threatened me with it……..Guess I’m paying bills with this one.
5 arleigh on May 2nd, 2008 at 7:18 pm

I simply paid off credit cards that I had used to buy bike parts. Therefore just freeing up the credit card to buy more.
6 j.d. on May 3rd, 2008 at 3:43 am

Well, if yo consider gov’t money is actually OUR money, we are basically being bribed to go buy stuff with our own money. Doesn’t sound quite so cool that way.

We used part to buy an old pop-up camper, because the wife was NOT fond of sleeping on the ground. The kids aren’t sold entirely on tent-camping at this point either. But this should get us out to more trails so I can see it as a win/win.
7 Lazy Bike Commuter on May 5th, 2008 at 4:00 pm

If I had my way, it would go to either a fixed-gear road bike or a singlespeed MTB.

However, I recently had an appendectomy without insurance that came to around $42,000. So I guess I have other needs at the moment.
8 steve on May 14th, 2008 at 12:30 pm

My wife and I are left with 300 bucks after paying the IRS what we owe this year, on top of what has been taken out of my wages already. With a little extra this was barely enough to buy an SE Stout for me, as I just sold my MTB. I’m sure I’ll build it up, depending on how things go, either with a suspension fork for more offroad use, or as a commuter with an internal hub, but that’ll have to wait. Until then, great bike!

Economic Stimulus = Nicer Bikes?

8 Responses to “Economic Stimulus = Nicer Bikes?”

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