Racer Expenses
‘Oh shazam’ – My kid wants to to do what…now what?
We know that cycling is expensive. The list is intended to be a guide and far from definitive. If your student wants to ride, and does not have access to a bike or equipment and you need help, guidance or want to have a discussion about how to make it happen, please reach out. tlmtbcoach@gmail.com
| Item | Cost |
| Race Bicycle* (one time) | 1,500 |
| TLMTB Club Dues | 100 |
| Annual rider registration – NICA$40/ Norcal $50 | 90 |
| Race registrations $50 X 4 NorcalMTB(can do individually) | 200 |
| Annual bicycle maintenance | 300 |
| Clothing | 200 |
| Helmet and Shoes | 200 |
| Estimated Annually | 975 |
| Est travel expenses (5 races) | 700 |
| Approximate Total | 3,400 |
More Notes
Bike: This estimate includes the cost of a race-ready mountain bike. Local bike shops have perennially offered deep discounts for high school student cyclists – ask and ask often about discounts for student riders. A race ready mountain bike will be a ‘hard-tail’ bike. If you’re trying to determine what to purchase and want counsel, we have coaches and students who are very knowledgeable.
There is a robust market for used bikes and equipment that can be found on craigslist or on www.pinkbike.com. Most racers will be on 29” hardtail bikes.
From the coach: A hardtail bike has fewer parts to manage and maintain for your first race bike. As a rider, you will learn more on a hard tail as you will have a better bike ‘feel’. Additionally, your component (chain, brakes, cables, etc.) quality will be higher. This is the tip of the bike technology conversation. You’re not alone and not the first to digest and tackle ‘OMG my kid wants to do what?’ Please reach out to our network.
Helmet (this device is engineered to protect your brain)
You will not ride a bike with us without a helmet. Best practice – Helmets degrade over time, and to maximize safety and take advantage of the latest technologies like MIPS, we recommend a new helmet at the beginning of the year, and a new one again two years later. For shoes, we recommend any shoe that works with the pedals that your rider uses on his or her bike. Most mountain bikes have SPD pedals, as do the stationary bikes at Pelo, so we recommend this shoe/pedal combination.
Maintenance
Annually, it’s reasonable to expect to replace
- a set of tires ~$150
- front and rear brake pads ~$100
- one new chain ~$50
- Other items, from derailleur to bearings ~$100
Depending on how much rain northern California gets during the season, your riders’ miles and ‘style’ and or crashing may impact repair and maintenance.
Clothing
At a minimum, each rider must purchase his or her own TLMTB mountain bike team jersey, which usually will cost around $70. Team jerseys are required for racing in the Norcal league. During the season, however, riders will likely need multiple sets of other cycling-specific clothing like jerseys, shorts, gloves, light jacket, arm warmers, socks, etc. If there is not another cyclist in the house, there are often opportunities to acquire clothing via our peer group. Trips for Kids (second floor) is also a great resource for apparel.
Travel
Race weekends will often involve camping to help reduce cost and add extra fun.
If you’re not camping – estimate one night in a hotel for $90, gas and other amenities at $40, for $140 per race weekend on average. For five races, that is approximately $700 in travel expenses. Eating is extra
Assistance
We are here to help youth riders get on the bike. We trust our community members to be the best judges of their own need and to reserve requests to those in greatest need. We will not ask for a financial review of your household revenue and expenses #morekidsonbikes and will do our best to find a way.
