Is anyone completely done with these absurd prices?

Questions about bike hire abroad and everything light bike related. No off-topic chat please

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robertbb
Posts: 2179
Joined: Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:35 am

by robertbb

flying wrote:
Sun Oct 02, 2022 5:50 pm
tymon_tm wrote:
Sat Oct 01, 2022 10:18 pm

true, but on the other hand, I think more and more WWs shift from praising equipment to simply enjoying riding, and it shows in various comments. quite possibly it's the age thing, not necessarily economic; you just tend to appreciate simple things in life as you mature.
Exactly! :thumbup:
At the end of the day the beauty of cycling really is not about the bike.
Of course we don't ride Walmart specials but a great bike can still be built new or bought used for 2k
It's like the "minimalism" and "tiny house" movement...

"Oh you live in a tiny house? I'm also poor!"

But if you make your life circumstances "cool" or "trendy" somehow, then you're #winning

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tymon_tm
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by tymon_tm

lol what?

you can't grasp the idea people take more pleasure from activity itself than the equipment they use, which BTW doesn't rule out riding expensive or posh bikes?

tiny house movement you say? well, I see something like that in the media - articles and ads clearly sponsored by realestate developers. because prices sky rocket and normal folk can't afford buying from primary market, developers offer tiny flats (and boviously more expensive per square meter) that don't often meet the very basic standards. trying to make it "cool" to live on 10 m2 doesn't make it right though, isn't even entirely legal, and has nothing to do with riding :roll:
kkibbler wrote: WW remembers.

by Weenie


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robertbb
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by robertbb

You'd be fun at parties.

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tymon_tm
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by tymon_tm

I'd rahter be boring by your standards, than entirely muddling up unrelated things
kkibbler wrote: WW remembers.

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

by misteryellow

robertbb wrote:
Mon Oct 03, 2022 1:06 am
flying wrote:
Sun Oct 02, 2022 5:50 pm
tymon_tm wrote:
Sat Oct 01, 2022 10:18 pm

true, but on the other hand, I think more and more WWs shift from praising equipment to simply enjoying riding, and it shows in various comments. quite possibly it's the age thing, not necessarily economic; you just tend to appreciate simple things in life as you mature.
Exactly! :thumbup:
At the end of the day the beauty of cycling really is not about the bike.
Of course we don't ride Walmart specials but a great bike can still be built new or bought used for 2k
It's like the "minimalism" and "tiny house" movement...

"Oh you live in a tiny house? I'm also poor!"

But if you make your life circumstances "cool" or "trendy" somehow, then you're #winning
This is hilarious. Apparently making a lot of money is 'winning' at life.
''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

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nickf
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Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2010 10:34 pm

by nickf

Was in a specialized shop yesterday. Shaking my head at a $13k aethos and a $11k MTB. Money aside I just don't see the value. These companies are taking us for a ride and laughing all the way to the bank.

Even better is the new Argonaut gravel bike, stock geo, force axs, no wheels $10k.......

jadedaid
Posts: 185
Joined: Fri Feb 22, 2019 7:43 pm

by jadedaid

I think cycling is going through its 'expensive hi-fi' moment. It's new money entering the market and the industry is riding that wave. For many the high price is a good thing. I'm convinced that this won't last forever. Too often cycling is type 2 fun. I don't see many of the new cyclists today lasting beyond 2 winters on the turbo and rollers. Let's enjoy this wave for long as it's here.

Expensive bicycles are a way for some people (for lack of a better term) to show off. I think for some of this crowd the product is the flex, and the bike is just the means. The sad reality is that 12k bikes are still a cheap way to do this. Everyone can see the S-Works logo a mile away and it has solid brand recognition. Compare a bike hobby to a car hobby and bikes are laughably cheap. Easier to feel like the big boy on the local coffee ride than at a meet with the Porsche Club. That's where you need to put on the big boy pants.

The good news is that prices look to be coming down a bit. A shop I've bought bikes from before not only has demo bikes available this year but even offered a discount without me asking. In the end lets not get too hung up on this. If you like riding, lots of things to ride that don't cost funny money. And if you like nice bikes, you're spoilt for choice. Great groupsets across the spectrum, great high-end carbon bikes, cheap carbon bikes, tons of steel and titanium builders out there, lots of geometry options to experiment with, lots of cool tech coming out.

An aside on value - the carbon frame prices are daft. But steel and titanium is reasonable, even when going custom. I'd even say those prices have decreased a bit compared to 2018 due to proliferation of builders.

TobinHatesYou
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by TobinHatesYou

How many times will Forbes and The Economist republish “is cycling the new golf” shitty opinion pieces before people realize that the high-end bike market has always been this expensive? The Madone SLR has been $13000 since 2015 or so.

This isn’t “new money” entering the sport. If you look at racing categories around the world, the 30-year-old age group has extremely low participation.

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ultimobici
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by ultimobici

TobinHatesYou wrote:
Tue Nov 15, 2022 1:54 am
How many times will Forbes and The Economist republish “is cycling the new golf” shitty opinion pieces before people realize that the high-end bike market has always been this expensive? The Madone SLR has been $13000 since 2015 or so.

This isn’t “new money” entering the sport. If you look at racing categories around the world, the 30-year-old age group has extremely low participation.
If you progress the price of a top end Uniballer replica OCLV from 1999 to 2022 you'd get to almost $9000. But that is mechanical with alloy bars, stem & post, alloy Ksyriums. Build up a similar Madone today with 9100 & Ksyriums etc and you'll get well under $10k.

What has changed significantly in the last 3 years is supply & demand. Demand skyrocketed in 2020 and has stayed high. Supply faltered at the same time and has yet to get back to normal too. So the need to clear stock isn't as pressing any more. Discounts are slimmer and, in some cases, nonexistent. In my previous job we struggled to sell Shimano & Look at anywhere near retail because they were heavily discounted online. Since 2020 the online retailers struggled to maintain stock so we were able to sell what we had at a proper price.

As for carbon being overpriced, that's not as clear cut. If we're talking about a Specialized or Pinarello, I'd agree. If we're talking about bespoke builders, I'd strongly disagree. Until you see how long it takes to go from bare tubes to a full frame, you cannot understand the effort & expertise. That's before you get to the paint!

jadedaid
Posts: 185
Joined: Fri Feb 22, 2019 7:43 pm

by jadedaid

TobinHatesYou wrote:
Tue Nov 15, 2022 1:54 am
How many times will Forbes and The Economist republish “is cycling the new golf” shitty opinion pieces before people realize that the high-end bike market has always been this expensive? The Madone SLR has been $13000 since 2015 or so.

This isn’t “new money” entering the sport. If you look at racing categories around the world, the 30-year-old age group has extremely low participation.
Racing is a domain that I know nothing of, outside of triathlon through the wife. But I know the 'IT person with money' world and weekend warrior cliques well. In these there's been profound change the past few years in my corner of Europe. I see almost only the 25-35 represented these days - and they tend to ride nice bikes. Older folks might be racing but the casual scene has definitely exploded with new money.

eins4eins
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Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2016 11:49 am

by eins4eins

A few days ago german bike brand Rose announced that they will start to reduce prices to counter ebbing demand. People think about buying longer and that shows. Bike24 saying they're noticing the same and some prices already reflect that.

https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehme ... 86624.html

I think more brands and retailers will follow rather sooner than later.

Pottermouse
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Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2020 3:55 pm

by Pottermouse

My own thoughts. My road bike is a 2014 SuperSix Evo Ultegra. Paid about £2,000 new. Love it, but it is falling apart. Braze ons debonding, so rear brake cable now held on with zip-ties. This does not affect my enjoyment (or indeed the quality) of the ride. But I accept it is time to change. Like-for-like probably about £6-7,000 now... perhaps more. That stings (it used to get... yaddah yaddah...), and not convinced that it would increase my riding pleasure though. So why not go with 105? I doubt the riding pleasure would suffer and it is probably a sensible choice... but I have always been an Ultegra person. No reason, just have. Feels like a big step down - would I regret it?. But then again the £1,500 saved = a nice bike holiday abroad.

The point is that every decision is personal, and (unless we are blessed with bottomless pockets), most of us are balancing competing demands that cannot be completely reconciled.

HansZuDemFranz
Posts: 137
Joined: Sun May 13, 2018 11:39 am

by HansZuDemFranz

eins4eins wrote:
Tue Nov 15, 2022 10:26 am
A few days ago german bike brand Rose announced that they will start to reduce prices to counter ebbing demand. People think about buying longer and that shows. Bike24 saying they're noticing the same and some prices already reflect that.

https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehme ... 86624.html

I think more brands and retailers will follow rather sooner than later.
Looking through some online retailers (notably bikeexchange), im definetely starting to see more discounts on bikes. Maybe we have finally eclipsed the apogee of bike prices.

hpsims
Posts: 23
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2011 6:44 pm

by hpsims

Just noticed cervelo prices in Canada. All their -5 labelled bike frames are $7k compared to $5k last year. Their dura ace bikes are now all $16k vs $11k last year. Screw all them all. Just going to have to stick with my 2010 R3 until I die basically.

by Weenie


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

www.starbike.com



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tymon_tm
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by tymon_tm

the only hope I see is seeking for a rim brake frame. my LBS has a R5 frame alone for 500$. I've also seen a nice offer on BMC Timemachine TR2 frameset for 1000$. it's still possible to build a solid brand new bike south of 2,5-3K, which is quite tempting IMHO. of course these are one-off offers, and average joes won't and can't build bikes on their own. there's also quite a number of 2nd hand market rim brake bikes, clearly barely used, sold only for the sake of switching to discs.
kkibbler wrote: WW remembers.

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