acctx wrote:....My bike cost about 4K, then about 1K in upgrades and $500 in tools. Riding about 3-4 days/week, my operating cost will probably be about $50 a month which represents wear on the drive train, tires (which run about $70 each) and suspension servicing. You also need a backup bike so you dont miss any days in case you break something that takes a few weeks to get parts for. My backup bike cost about 1K. If you break a wheel that will cost about $500, if you break a chain that will be about $100. A rear derailleur will run you about $150....
i only half agree with your statements.
kiting is less dangerous if you know what you are doing and use caution while kiting.
but kite gear isn't cheap for sure if you would kite with the same frequency and passion as you do downhills. you would certainly had to change your kites at least once a year, may be twice a year.
i'm a weekend kiter and i still have to have four kites (three bought new, one from ebay only half year old).
then, since i live in the moderate climate belt with the whole four full seasons with frontal and thermal winds, i have six wetsuits (shorty, two 3/2, two 5/3 and 6/5/3), drysuit, two sets of snowboard clothes, two harnesses, lots of gloves and boots. because you don't want to wear damp clothes next day. you know the prices.
then boards, i have two tt and three waveboards, two snowboards and a pair of alpine skis (and we even don't have the mountains in my country!). each of those separately costs more than my aluminium frame, disc breaks and other stuff mtb!
you have your backup bike for 1K and your main bike for 4K. well at least you have that much choice with bikes. and they are not made of recycled fizzy drink bottles and they don't decompose on the sunlight like kites do. and i wonder which one wins the bush drive through test, kite or bike?
hmmm....