Is anyone completely done with these absurd prices?

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misteryellow
Posts: 95
Joined: Sat Jan 02, 2021 4:04 pm

by misteryellow

Like the title says. I know supply chain issues have ramped up the price of goods but the prices of bikes and other cycling goods is seriously getting out of control. Anyone else frustrated?
''Just because something is possible, doesn't mean it's a good idea. It will add unnecessary complexity with little, if any, real benefit. Part of the beauty of this sport is the lack of hand holding & arse wiping.'' - ultimobici

jeanjacques
Posts: 349
Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2016 11:01 am
Location: France

by jeanjacques

Not frustated, as long as people accept this kind of price, it will continue. Lots of people like to get ripped off and show it. So it's up to you to put an another coin in this machine, second hand market is full of great gear.

by Weenie


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blaugrana
Posts: 457
Joined: Wed May 24, 2017 9:49 pm

by blaugrana

As I see it, my hobby is cycling first, then bicycles, and that distinction is key. So there are plenty of things I don't like about where the industry is going (the main one being the price of everything, of course), but the solution is to simply keep riding the bikes I have and hope I don't break anything. My road bike was high end a few years ago, and I suspect it will take quite a while until the price of a bike that is actually an upgrade is not completely outrageous, so in the meantime I will just buy consumables.

Eventually I suspect there might be some brands that want to compete on price just like Canyon did a few years ago, but we'll see. In any case the current situation is very worrying for the future of the sport, because these ridiculous prices make it very unlikely that teenagers get into bike racing unless their parents are rich and/or cyclists already. As a fan of cycling I want the best endurance athletes in the world to become cyclists. This shouldn't be like F1 where you don't see the most talented people in the world but the most talented out of the ridiculously small subset of the population who could afford to get there.

misteryellow
Posts: 95
Joined: Sat Jan 02, 2021 4:04 pm

by misteryellow

blaugrana wrote:
Sun Aug 14, 2022 11:18 pm
As I see it, my hobby is cycling first, then bicycles, and that distinction is key. So there are plenty of things I don't like about where the industry is going (the main one being the price of everything, of course), but the solution is to simply keep riding the bikes I have and hope I don't break anything. My road bike was high end a few years ago, and I suspect it will take quite a while until the price of a bike that is actually an upgrade is not completely outrageous, so in the meantime I will just buy consumables.

Eventually I suspect there might be some brands that want to compete on price just like Canyon did a few years ago, but we'll see. In any case the current situation is very worrying for the future of the sport, because these ridiculous prices make it very unlikely that teenagers get into bike racing unless their parents are rich and/or cyclists already. As a fan of cycling I want the best endurance athletes in the world to become cyclists. This shouldn't be like F1 where you don't see the most talented people in the world but the most talented out of the ridiculously small subset of the population who could afford to get there.
Even Canyon is pushing out expensive bikes! I agree with you on the last point. Cycling used to be a blue collar sports but it has seemed to turn into a nasty 'look at what I can afford' mentality. Yet, everyone wears the same stuff..the same S-Works bike, the same Oakley glasses.
''Just because something is possible, doesn't mean it's a good idea. It will add unnecessary complexity with little, if any, real benefit. Part of the beauty of this sport is the lack of hand holding & arse wiping.'' - ultimobici

misteryellow
Posts: 95
Joined: Sat Jan 02, 2021 4:04 pm

by misteryellow

jeanjacques wrote:
Sun Aug 14, 2022 9:22 pm
Not frustated, as long as people accept this kind of price, it will continue. Lots of people like to get ripped off and show it. So it's up to you to put an another coin in this machine, second hand market is full of great gear.
Yeah, I own a second-hand bike already but even that market is kind of crazy.
''Just because something is possible, doesn't mean it's a good idea. It will add unnecessary complexity with little, if any, real benefit. Part of the beauty of this sport is the lack of hand holding & arse wiping.'' - ultimobici

Cleaner
Posts: 213
Joined: Wed Oct 28, 2009 7:13 pm

by Cleaner

It is quite simple in principle. If the supply of commodities exceeds demand then you will typically see downward pricing pressure. If enough people decide to keep their current bike for 10 years and only replace parts then the situation will reverse quickly.

It is not quite so simple due to energy prices wildly fluctuating and supply chain drisruptions creating temporary shortages. ANother example of why having too much manufacturing in a single region is a terrible idea. If you want to do you part to change things then buy nothing you don't absolutely need.

UpFromOne
Posts: 1181
Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2009 5:23 am
Location: Olympic Nat'l Park, WA

by UpFromOne

But Mr. Gekko said greed is good because it's marked the upward surge of mankind!

Actually it's the laws of supply & demand as usual. But what's unique about cycling is the very short contemporary product lifespans. Thuis more chaos than ever before.

Flasher
Posts: 258
Joined: Fri Mar 27, 2009 8:10 pm

by Flasher

You could see it coming years ago with the advent of electronic gear systems and disc breaks, the more complex you make things the more expensive they become to buy and maintain.

These are golden years for the manufacturers!

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ultimobici
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by ultimobici

Another way to look at it is that the prices have been so heavily discounted for years that prices going back to closer to RRP is a massive shock.

No one is forced to have carbon wheels, fully integrated cabling or the like, just as car buyers aren’t forced to have paddle shifters & carbon ceramic brakes.


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warthog101
Posts: 872
Joined: Wed Sep 25, 2013 10:05 am

by warthog101

Yeah I'd like a new roadie with disc brakes eventually.
Not at the current prices.
My second hand TCR is still very rideable and fast enough with 50mm carbon wheels and tubeless tyres.
I don't see a new one being appreciably faster, it'll just have more reliable, predictable, braking if it's wet.
I hate riding in the wet so not a big issue.
I can wait years if need be.
Riding plenty of gravel anyway and didn't need to pay through the nose for that.

Not paying stupid dollars for consumables either.
I am looking at you gp5k s tr. :wink:
There are other tyres that'll do the job.

poulhansen
Posts: 298
Joined: Wed Nov 25, 2020 12:49 pm
Location: Danmark

by poulhansen

What prices? I have and buy used bikes and you can still get them at reasonable prices. I also stock spareparts for my everyday bikes, bought years ago, so no price problems at all.
Every day bikes are from 2003 and 2009 . they still work as they did when I bought them, so why change?
The last bike I gave away, I bought used 25 years ago.
Cannondale Super Six HiMod 2017 6.7 kg
Cannondale six13, 2004, 5.50kg
Focus Izalco Max, 2023 4.418 kg

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Juanmoretime
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Joined: Sat Jun 19, 2004 11:08 am

by Juanmoretime

The bigger issue here is we are passionate hobbist. Then marketing does the rest. Most of do not earn a living by riding our bikes. Disc brakes make riding in the wet safer with carbon rims. Alloy rims and standard calipers brake very well. I just returned from California and while I was there I was riding a Calfee with 11 speed Rival, Shimano 105 brakes and Rolf Elan wheels. Heading down mountains the bike braked as well as could be. Coming back home I got on my T3 disc bike and the first time I grabbed the brakes I found I had to garb more lever than I was to get the same stopping power that I did on the Calfee. It took only that one time to flip the switch in my brain to properly brake on my T3. While the Calfee was an excellent riding and handling bike so is my T3 so I'm staying where I'm at. While I do like to amuse myslef looking at new technology I now live to ride my bikes. Wrenching, lightening and upgrading my bikes is not part of my passion anymore, riding and improving me as a rider is.
Last edited by Juanmoretime on Tue Aug 16, 2022 12:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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tymon_tm
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by tymon_tm

when top of the line racing bike's price tag is getting closer to an electric car level, i think we're past the point of sensible. one look at Trek's price sheets reveals how rapid this increase is - basic models start at a price where the ceiling was not that long ago. and second hand market follows accordingly, making it quite impossible for most to get their hands on the latest products.

of course cycling is a victim of becoming a lifestyle manifest - producers upgrade their products just for the sake of upgrading, god knows most of this stuff that heralded a rapid increase of prices (carbon everything, electronic shifting,.discs) are totally unnecessary for most users. we're being bombed with novelties every season now, and that's what more and more consumers cant resist. I'd argue though these are rather people for whome their bikes, and the whole social manifest that comes with riding expensive gear, are more important than riding itself.

nope, cycling wont be a blue collar sport anymore, afaik there is no such discipline anymore (ok, maybe boxing or heavy lifting). as someone who values riding far more than the bike, i do like nice gear. but a) i feel im being forced to spend premium coin on unnecessary stuff b) market is not driven by cyclists' needs but rather manufacturers' strive to squeeze a dollar anywhere they can b) again, most of these so upgrades make maintaining = using a bike such a PITA, they often create problems another upgrades must solve (like disc brake squeaking).

long post short - i'm stunned where we're at right now, even more baffled there are so many people who seem OK with it. but maybe the only sound attitude is to try to stay out of it, just like with pro racing - stop wondering who's on what, and just enjoy the show. in this case - the ride. i for one found myself enjoying riding even more, when I almost gave up on being up to date with equipment.
kkibbler wrote: WW remembers.

smartyiak
Posts: 343
Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2011 5:20 pm

by smartyiak

I still ride my trusty S2. Not sure how aero it is, but it's pretty light and I think it's pretty fast...it spins up quickly anyways. I can't think of a part that hasn't been replaced. Actually, the frame itself is a 3rd replacement for an original Soloist (after they ran out of NOS :D ).

I sometimes windowshop and think about a new bike, but I seem to be mostly looking at the clearance aisle at R&A, Sigmasports, and the like. Given that I still like how the S2 "just works," I haven't been able to pull the trigger...even on the sale bikes. I really want a new road bike...I just haven't been able to push the "order" button....SO.MUCH.$$$$.
Last edited by smartyiak on Mon Aug 15, 2022 6:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Berzin1
Posts: 237
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2016 9:35 pm

by Berzin1

When prices go up to this extent, manufacturers are marketing to well-heeled elitists exclusively. So they can get away with charging more (and making more profit) while selling less product-a manufacturers' dream come true.

The joke eventually is on us, seeing as frame makers have sold the public the tale that manufacturing needed to be moved to Asia to cut down on costs yet that price savings isn't and has never been reflected in their retail prices.

And let's be real-the ideal athletic/genetic gene pool for cycling isn't going to be found within the yuppie class, which is one of the reasons why we never have a decent North American contingent of quality pro riders plying their trade in Europe.

We have to rely on the occasiaonal phenom to come along out of the blue once every 15-20 years or so. But with such a small sample size of quality riders, it's impossible to ascertain whether someone like Lemond (or to a smaller extent Armstrong) representd the ceiling or the floor of what could actually be achieved if the doors to this sport were open to more riders from different backgrounds.

And that ain't happening.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



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