Mix of saving and loans. I was in a similar boat-wanted a bike, in pharmacy school. I take out the max for subsidized loans, worked a little extra in the summer-boom, new bike. Of course, buying large items with school loans isn't the best idea, but with subsidized loans it makes it a bit easier. Plus, it's not like your earning potential won't be able to handle it.

Loans for me. I'm in law school and figured I would owe ~100 grand anyway, so, what wrong with 106 grand?
Just one more year and I get to start paying the piper.

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"Wow, are you a triathlete?"
If spoken by a non-swimmer, that's a compliment. When spoken by a swimmer.... -glitch
My wife's blog http://www.hostilewit.com

For most it's Mommy and Daddy, either directly or indirectly. Some athletes I know either have their parents pay for half of their race setup, others (usually girls) just ask their Daddies.
Others can purchase the bike and all the stuff from money made from a summer job or money from their part time jobs in the summer and during the school year. This income is all expendable because their parents pay for school so they have no expenses other than beer and triathlon.
My parents help out with school and I work. I ride a Trek 1500 that's basically stock. Most of my money goes to food, and the rest to bills.
Doesnt matter though, my engine is so laughable I figure I'll wait until I have real money to get a real race bike.

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Yes. Always punch people in the face when their interests are different than yours. There can be no other way.
-one_lap

Got a credit card.

Not kidding... I wanted a bike, my parents thought it would be a good way for me to learn about money, credit cards, and paying bills.

I got a bike. And I'm learning about money, credit cards, and paying bills.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

the question is, how can you afford USC?

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I'll be what I am
A solitary man

Ha! Good for you. I started grad school a little later in life so I already had that lesson down.

To the OP. I don't know about others, but Trek at least has a 6 mo. no intrest credit card option. Just be sure to pay it off in the six month or the intrest accrues.

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"Wow, are you a triathlete?"
If spoken by a non-swimmer, that's a compliment. When spoken by a swimmer.... -glitch
My wife's blog http://www.hostilewit.com

Savings and inheritance.

If the dual works for you why not just buy the race wheels and use them on your dual?

I had saved up over a few years to buy a car something about 8K. I spent it all when I caught the triathlon bug in one season on bike, gears, food, etc. About a year after, I felt a strong desire to have a road bike as well. So again I spent the money I had saved for a laptop on a road bike. Fortunately, I was given a laptop for my graduate research a few months after.

As for the Dual, that was also my tri bike. I honestly see no reason why I would have needed anything more expensive for triathlons.

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"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative." Oscar Wilde

Work and save!

got a girlfriend? have her chip in. ;-)

actually I think all I've ever used that credit card for is triathlon stuff. And my parents were happy because I didn't have to keep taking THEIRS and putting my race registration fees on it...

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

If the Dual is still in good shape I'd upgrade some of the bits and pieces with the thought that once you are through med school you'll have a bit more discretionary income and you can reward yourself for the accomplishment by buying just about any bike you want.

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Jay

<quote> got a girlfriend? have her chip in. ;-)</quote>

Or train so hard so that your GF dumps you, that will save you 200-300$ a month...

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"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative." Oscar Wilde

Saved from summer jobs for a year or two, then saved whatever I could during the year from part time work. It's a slow way to do it, but once you get the ride, it feels oh so good.
INGdirect helped me out with their high interest savings accounts (around 6%) but now it's barely above 2%.

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Ryan
Engineer. Duathlete. Roadie. Human.
CAPA Cycling

Get a job a cycling shop now. Take every paycheck you get and put it into an account and dont touch it. By the time the race season is coming around next year you will have worked long enough at the shop to get discount prices- take the money you saved and buy a bike.

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Matt
Race-Ready Endurance Training
Team BIKEWAY.com
NYPD Racing

most students who ride expensive bikes are either inherently rich, or work at bike shops which give them substantial discounts, or get some form of partial sponsorship. it really helps to be good at it. I'm a final year med student myself, and though i only manage 15-18 hrs a week of training, manage to stay fairly competitive and negotiate some decent deals with my bike shop to get stuff at cost.

I sold my body.

I was a lab rat for the sports science department. I got a free VO2 Max test too :-)

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"Here's how you run a marathon. Step 1: You start running. Step 2: There is no step 2." - Barney (How I Met Your Mother)

Got a job at a bike shop so i could get prodeal pricing on bikes and other crap. theres some great stuff on eBay. I built up a full carbon TT bike for 1,100

Yep.. work and save.

And I second the "have a girlfriend? .. dump her and save $300 a month"....

I had a very good sales job... Drugs and Ass...
its a joke. I couldn't afford a bike in college so I ran and swam alot.

I have thought about upgrading the Dual but I really want to get a bike that fits me well, I feel like this bike is 2-3 cm to big for me. Since I got the bike on ebay, I want to be able to shop around, test some bikes, and be pampered.

For those of you who say dumpt the GF, its actually a fiancee and since she came before tri's, she takes precedence (oh man those are like curse words here).

The question about how I afford USC, I really hope you mean USC south carolina because I AIN'T NO CONDOM BRAND, but I go to MUSC and I use loans loans loans loans and more loans. This is probably how I will pay I just needed some reassurance that I wasn't doing something totally stupid. I used credit card with 12 months no interest to buy the Dual and it was a rough 12 months so I want to be able to pay for whatever I choose without having to pay it off in the future. I just need to do it in the next 10 months because wedding is 11 months away and then its OUR money and I cannot go buy myself fancy tri stuff whenever I want.

I searched for a long time on ebay for that good deal and jumped on it when i found it. I hadn't spent anything from my job the previous summer, but I dropped just about all of it on my bike. I don't regret it at all; it's the best bike I've ever ridden. I'm also extra proud of my bikes because I've saved up and paid for both of them myself. It's a cool thing when you can have such a great machine that is 100% yours.

I'm fortunate enough to be supported by my parents for my education, food, and other necessary things though. Without that, I wouldn't have the money for my bike.

They key is to never buy anything new. If you must, never pay full retail price.

I ride a Qroo Seduza that i got online for 2 grand on closeout, nice Dura Ace build. Very good deal for a bike i will not replace for years and years to come. I had to save for about a year for it and before then i raced up to 1/2IM on a steel bike with no aerobars and down tube shifters.

I bought a set of Zipp 909's on the ST classifieds for $1000. I used them for 1.5 seasons and just sold them locally for $1150. I actually MADE money on the deal even before considering i enjoyed their use for almost two seasons. That's the beauty of buying second hand, you can basically resell it for what you bought it for.

Soon, i'll probably get a used powertap and don't plan to spend more then 600-650 on it. I'll use it to train in the off season and sell it locally in the spring. hopfully make a small profit. nice.

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