We were spending money hand-over-fist like was mentioned already because every year, new lighter metals, better gearing, stronger components, tighter clothes, etc. would come out, and it was not cheap to keep up with the pros and get the weight & drag down.

Bicycling tights, shoes and "cup-o-soup" helmet on your head = money hand over fist? do they actually have tech inspections for this stuff?

Geez dude, wait till you get to the point of having to replace more than just a helmet, because of some judgment call. Get ready for the 3-layer drivers suit, SFI rated gloves, shoes, neck restraints, HANS devices, required suit patches, seat harnesses & belts, window nets, right-side driver nets, arm restraints, helmets.... and the list goes on! You can expect to pass out $2500 to $3500 getting suited up before the replacement costs start. If you don't trash your equipment and even doing a track event every month, these things will last for many years. And don't forget your required track fees will be from $150 to $500 per day depending on the event. Oh, and gas for track car, tow vehicle, food, hotel or RV fees. I agree with the protest or a judgment call should be made if it shows defects, parts missing, stressed, rips, or something coming apart. Or maybe the manufacture should allow upgrade or trade in dollars for their own equipment to be recalled or replaced if there is a real reason for it not to perform properly.

For the two of us to have the Z on track with a local club cost us approx. $500 to $700 per day, or $900 to $1200 per weekend. That's before you price in the broken part, oil, fluids, tires... BUT it's the best legal rush you can buy! Some small clubs fudge a on the equipment replacement dates... especially when there if nothing wrong with it, which is o.k. by me!

"ok I spoke, I feel better too"

wait till you get to the point of having to replace more than just a helmet, because of some judgment call. Get ready for the 3-layer drivers suit, SFI rated gloves, shoes, neck restraints, HANS devices, required suit patches, seat harnesses & belts, window nets, right-side driver nets, arm restraints, helmets.... and the list goes on! You can expect to pass out $2500 to $3500 getting suited up before the replacement costs start. If you don't trash your equipment and even doing a track event every month, these things will last for many years. And don't forget your required track fees will be from $150 to $500 per day depending on the event. Oh, and gas for track car, tow vehicle, food, hotel or RV fees. I agree with the protest or a judgment call should be made if it shows defects, parts missing, stressed, rips, or something coming apart. Or maybe the manufacture should allow upgrade or trade in dollars for their own equipment to be recalled or replaced if there is a real reason for it not to perform properly.

For the two of us to have the Z on track with a local club cost us approx. $500 to $700 per day, or $900 to $1200 per weekend. That's before you price in the broken part, oil, fluids, tires... BUT it's the best legal rush you can buy! Some small clubs fudge a on the equipment replacement dates... especially when there if nothing wrong with it, which is o.k. by me!

"ok I spoke, I feel better too"

Yes, its expensive, I agree entirely. And after driving Busch and Rolex cars I understand completely the whole firesuit, harness, etc., thing.

But no matter what level you race at, budget is always a consideration. Blithely assuming that everyone can afford another $400-1500 helmet is arrogant... mandating that they buy one when they may not even need it is criminal.

Sanctioning bodies need to stop participating in the scam. They are aiding and abetting it and they should be held accountable. Mandating that someone needlessly spend $500 that they don't have is no better than breaking into their home and stealing it.

At least burglars are honest thieves.

Chino,

IYou need to do some research into cycling before you make your conclusions. You apparently don't know enough about the equipment, and lifestyle, to comment about the costs of cycling racing, which IS very expensive.

Chino,

IYou need to do some research into cycling before you make your conclusions. You apparently don't know enough about the equipment, and lifestyle, to comment about the costs of cycling racing, which IS very expensive.

Equipment, lifestyle, and research......ok, I'll do that, meanwhile over the years of family cycling .... had two Trek 720's, now a Trek 4500, a garage full of kids bikes, Hollywood racks, Regional Park yearly passes, magazines, books, gloves, suits, pumps, tires, GPS, topography maps, and the swag that goes with the sport. I "know" it can be expensive, but never demands of updating hardware. Just the case of "I wants" that makes biking expensive to me. But hey don't we all want a $4500 carbon-fiber frame.

it's the American style that we all buy into, gotta have more and be the fastest! and then the helmet becomes more trash for the landfills.

How about making it into a reading lamp?

BTW- one year I bought 3 helmets. One during the winter. One for every time I had a spill. Another guy on my team bought 5 helmets that same summer.

Ouch, next time don't land on your head! band-aids are cheaper than a helmet. :hurt:

I'm beginning to think cars are cheaper than bikes.

Not usually,

but we had an antique racer at the store that was valued at almost $18,000 back in 1983. I had the honour of building a set of wheels for it. My personal road bike cost more than I initially paid for my Z. OTOH, my fastest time-trial bike was made from an old Schwinn touring bike. It was a rainy day with nothing to do at the bike shop, and with all those go-fast parts laying around, so that thing was basically free.

You might be interested to know that the best racing bikes usually got for about $150 per LB. If a 280Z was that expensive it would cost about $400,000. Compare that to the megabuck F1 cars. so I think you could spend the $375,000 difference on helmets? :knockedou

No, but Snell and Simpson would love it if I did.

The Snell testing standards are revised about every five years with increases in the area of the head covered and tested as part of the 2005 SA revision. Most race sanctioning bodies allow the current and at least one past Snell rating to compete. If helmets are purchased in a timely manner, when the ratings are released, a racer can go 10 years before having to replace their helmet. That's what I have done since 1995 and I'm on my second SA rated helmet (2005 rating). So, I've spent $1025 on helmets since 1995 and, if I'm lucky, I should be good until 2015. Doesn't seem like a lot of money to me compared to what I spend on tires, brake pads, fuel, etc.

FYI... helmets should always be replaced if damaged in an accident.

Doesn't seem like a lot of money to me

To some people its a fortune, to others its pocket change. But the point remains... mandatory helmet replacement is, by Snell's own admission, based on nothing. The delusion that helmet replacement makes us safer is a lie concocted to sell more helmets. And safety decisions should be left up to the driver.

The delusion that helmet replacement makes us safer is a lie concocted to sell more helmets.

Did you read my post above?

Snell changes and improves its testing standards above every 5 years. The last revision increased the area around the lower part of the head/ helmet that's testing by the various impact anvils. Most of this is due to the mounting requirements of the HANS and other neck restraints to the helmet. A 2005 rated helmet is measurably safer then a 2000 rated helmet, especially if a head restraint is used by the driver.