1. a power meter
Watt measurement is brilliant - but only if you actually train. Structured intervals, threshold tests, training plans: a power meter is worth its weight in gold. For a Sunday ride with friends, an after-work ride or a café ride? It doesn't really matter.
The honest question is not whether you can afford a power meter, but whether you use the data at all. If you ride by feel and heart rate, clock up the kilometres and occasionally bang up a hill, you won't get any faster with a 900 euro power meter. Training means planning, measuring and analysing. Riding out means riding. Both are great - but only one of them needs a power meter.
When you realise at some point that Zone 2, Sweet Spot and FTP really interest you: then the moment is there. Not before.
2. the third set of wheels
Everyday wheels, racing wheels, winter wheels, gravel second wheels - at some point you will have a collection of wheels and realistically ride a set of them. A good all-rounder with a rim height of 40-50 mm is sufficient for 95 per cent of all rides. The second set-up makes sense if you really race or if you have one wheelset with gravel tyres and one with road tyres.
3. the 400-euro bibshort if you're in the saddle for less than 5 hours
A good pair of cycling shorts costs at least 100 euros - below that, the material, padding and workmanship are really difficult. You can find really good shorts between 100 and 200 euros. And above that? Above all, you're paying for the brand. Cycling has also become a status symbol.
In any case, it's the seat pad that counts, not the logo on the leg. If you pay attention to proven padding brands such as Elastic Interface or TMF Cycling Pad, you can get top quality even in the mid-price segment. Better save the last 150 euros for a good pair of second trousers - freshly washed mid-range trousers will beat any unwashed premium trousers.
4. aero socks, aero drinking bottles, aero everything
Six watts here, three watts there. Sounds like a lot, but it's not for you. Most aero gadgets are tested at 45 km/h - at 25 to 35 km/h, where most of us are travelling, the values shrink significantly. This is because air resistance increases quadratically with speed, which is precisely why professional wattage figures are pretty uninteresting for your Sunday ride.
The biggest aerodynamic gains come from your position on the bike anyway. Costs: nothing. Well, a good bike fitting also has to be paid for: a one-off 150 to 250 euros. That beats any aero gimmick. And: The wind tunnel is not interested in your Strava time to work.
5. the second racing bike "for bad weather"
The argument sounds reasonable: mudguards, robust wheels, fewer worries. In reality: you ride less in the rain anyway, and if you do, the AssSaver WinWing or a sensible mudguard set will keep you safe. Most winter bikes spend 10 months in the cellar and ride 400 kilometres a year. That's not a second bike, that's an expensive dust collector.
What you need
Of course, road cycling is not a cheap hobby. A decent bike costs four figures, helmet and goggles add another few hundred euros, plus shoes, trousers and a computer. In the end, you quickly end up with 3,000 to 4,000 euros before you've ridden your first kilometre. That's the basis - and it's worth the money.
But it only gets really expensive if you let yourself be convinced by every "you absolutely need this". A decent bike, well-fitting trousers, a helmet, shoes, a computer - you'll ride happily for years. Everything else can come if you know why you want it. Not because Instagram tells you to.
Sandra Schuberth
Editor
