Can I see a show of hands--

[terry]

after looking thru the latest CC catalog i was wondering...does anybody really buy $300 helmuts and $500 shoes? is it emulation or adoration as fans or are people a slave to marketing? i have a passion for the sport like most on this forum and i spend my share on it but i think some things are really gettin out of hand, not to mention $280 bibs, $800 cranks $5k wheels. where does it end?

[Jeff N.]

Not me, brotha. Jeff N.

[Kevan]

the articles.

Okay... I look at the pictures too in the ladies section. :rolleyes:


Anyone buying that golden Lance helmet for whatever $$$, deserves being runover by a mad tricyclist. :bike:

[SGP]

food for my kids, hmmm.
I could feed the kids to my dogs! :D
nah, i'll miss them.
the mid priced gear is fine for those of us stuck in the real world. :crap:

[zap]

Chrome shoes :no:
Gold helmet :no:
Did Sandy buy all those gold castelli shorts :rolleyes:

[dave thompson]

the articles.

Okay... I look at the pictures too in the ladies section. :rolleyes:


Anyone buying that golden Lance helmet for whatever $$$, deserves being runover by a mad tricyclist. :bike:
So, the CC catalog is now considered the Playboy of the bicycle world. Interesting, unobtainable beauty.

I think we have been spoiled by the very strong dollar of the past, being able to buy so much foreign made goods for so little. Now that the worm has turned (as it were) and the dollar has taken such a huge hit (what, about 55% or so?) those same goods are so expensive. Is it time to move to Europe, get a job and buy all those really cheap American made goods?

[JohnS]

$7000 bikes. Oops, I forgot, this is a Serotta forum! :D

[Todd Owen]

duplicate sorry

[Todd Owen]

as dbrk is out I will take the old school view of the new stuff. This is no different from fishing equipment where you can drop $3,000 plus on a bamboo rod, or golf where the newest club is $500. there are many options out there to pick from when enjoying your sport or passion and my theory is that those who own many, many bikes tend to migrate toward parts and brands that work well for the money, but those who have only one or two bikes can and will blow themselves away with the newest and lightest and most expensive stuff. I would not buy a $300 pair of carbon cycling shoes but would upgrade to the record campy shifters which are also $300. I would also pay $200 for the Molteni winter wool trainer but wouldn't buy the dugast tubular because I think the veloflex crit tubis are awesome. As you can tell there is random crazyness in my brain.I once asked the guys at a local shop that sponsor a team what wheels they ride for training. the answer was regular wheels so they could be repaired and trued quickly. and then race on something more sporty. I think beauty is in the eye of the beerholder and if someone wants a $700 crank go for it but I would spend $2500 for a NOS raleigh Professional circa 1978 so who am I to judge :) :)

[djg]

I've got two, wife has one, spare for visitors, three kids lids ... it adds up.

And that's not counting the shoei that waits in the closet for that day in 2020 when--kids out of the house--the wife lets me get back on the motorcycle.

[Tony Edwards]

It's interesting to me how the prices on the high-end stuff have snuck up over the last few years. The latest top-of-the-line Giro is always an amazing helmet (I really like my Pneumo, a couple of years old now), but $200 for a helmet just seems, well, insane.

On the bright side, the major companies still make great stuff at the old high-end price points, as long as you don't need the latest chromed carbon shoes and gold-lame shorts. The Internet facilitates this as well, because of the accessibility of overseas vendors - I just bought two pairs of wonderful Assos Bib T shorts for $57 each!

[Russell]

after looking thru the latest CC catalog i was wondering...does anybody really buy $300 helmuts and $500 shoes? is it emulation or adoration as fans or are people a slave to marketing? i have a passion for the sport like most on this forum and i spend my share on it but i think some things are really gettin out of hand, not to mention $280 bibs, $800 cranks $5k wheels. where does it end?

as for helmets i always (like i buy a new one every year) look at the models that are a year or two old. alot cheaper.

[Bill Bove]

It's all trickle down, let's see, Otrott with Record-12/15K? Fierte' with Centaur, 2/2.5K? The more exspensive the high end gets, the better the middle of the road stuff gets. There ain't a pro racing today that couldn't make his living on a Fierte' with Centaur on it.

[Tom]

$200 for a helmet? How much your head worth?

OK, overstated simplification not meant to start the helmet/no helmet holy war but it probably will anyway. Dang. I hate the months when few of us can ride enough to be in a good mood. The reason I wrote that was a friend of mine said it to me about snowboarding. He saw me catch a heel side edge and make a nice round hole in the blue bulletproof with the back of my head. It was catchy.

Anyway, since I own a Serotta I will not be raising my hand. I will have one of the staff do it for me. Heh heh.

[dirtdigger88]

Tom- I realize you were making the helmet comment for effect- but a cheaper helmet passes the same saftey standards as the more expensive one- you are only paying for the venting- color- and retaining system- call it the "cool" factor- now bare in mind I am lusting for an atomos- as we speak

Jason

[Tony Edwards]

$200 for a helmet? How much your head worth?

OK, overstated simplification not meant to start the helmet/no helmet holy war but it probably will anyway. Dang. I hate the months when few of us can ride enough to be in a good mood. The reason I wrote that was a friend of mine said it to me about snowboarding. He saw me catch a heel side edge and make a nice round hole in the blue bulletproof with the back of my head. It was catchy.

Anyway, since I own a Serotta I will not be raising my hand. I will have one of the staff do it for me. Heh heh.

Signore Giro, is that you?

In all seriousness, not only are cheaper helmets ANSI/Snell-certified, I find it impossible to believe that a less-expensive helmet with more material (and thus, fewer/smaller vents) is not as protective or more so than the skeletal helmets at the high end.

FWIW, I agree with the poster, above, who suggests getting the top-end models once they're on closeout - this was how I got my nice Boreas and even nicer Pneumo.

[hooverone]

Something that is intersting if you have the Feb 14 Velonews read in the back (page 73) Specialized is looking to hire for 3 positions 1 is a Helmet Engineer and the description or what they are looking for is described in 5 lines where the last job listed is Global Marketing Communications Manager is describled in 12 llines; maybe 5 is all they need but it seems that the job that is most likely more important (at least for people using Specialized helments) gets less attention.

Sorry for the OT post.


Jim

[dirtdigger88]

maybe helmet engineer is another term for crash test dummy- if that is the case they don't want to scare anyone away with big words

Jason

[William]

My take? I think many of the prices for some of this stuff is way out there. I don't have a problem waiting for things to be "last years news" for the prices to come down. Heck, anyone have a DA-8 gruppo they want to sell? :)

On the helmets, you are correctamundo on the testing specs. Your just paying more for less. :confused:

William

[Too Tall]

It is strictly for the gotta have it NOW crowd where is the crime? I'm sure "early adopters" of technology who are here among us will testify.

[William]

Bling Bling!!! :)





William

(May have bottoms up this weekend TT ;) )

[Blastinbob]

Anyone buying that golden Lance helmet for whatever $$$, deserves being runover by a mad tricyclist. :bike:
Mavic, keep a look out for mad tricylist.

[Kevin]

Guilty on both the helmet and the shoes. Don't tell my wife.

Kevin

[gasman]

Not guilty but I did buy a new helmet this year. What I really want to know is there anywhere we can find out impact tests for various helmets? I have been unable to find any data.

[shaq-d]

$200 for a helmet? How much your head worth?


more than my vanity

:banana:

[shinomaster]

Society is not heading in the right direction.

[vaxn8r]

Buy winter clothes in April. Summer clothes in October. You'll save anywhere between 30-50% off list.

[dirtdigger88]

gasman- not exactly what you were looking for but some interesting reads anyway

http://www.bhsi.org/index.htm

jason

[gasman]

Thanks jason-
I get Consumer Reports but they only test a few helmets none of which I really wanted to buy.
Lots of good reading on that link. I wish there were real test results we could see but the industry probably wouldn't want us to see the results of the light helmets most of us favor.

[Dekonick]

Guilty - at least for shoes.

I wont pay more than 50-60 for a helmet - as they all pass the same tests. I will drop $400 on a pair of shoes. A pair of custom shoes (DSquared comes to mind) is worth it to me. If a frame costs several k, wheels etc... all not cheap - why wouldnt you make sure your feet are happy?

Seriously a pair of custom fit shoes with orthotics is a wonderful thing to have.

Sandy loves his custom fit gold 'Lance Armstrong' helmet that he paid $822 to have bronzed. Just ask him! :rolleyes:

[Sandy]

I paid $82.20 to have Kevan's baby shoes bronzed. They are adorable,just like him. :banana: :banana:

Shoeless Sandy

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . that Sandy has also had several other, er, things of his bronzed and that it can be quite an, ah, painful process. Unfortunately, Kevan refused to be bronzed. He did, however, allow Sandy to bronze his leather bustier with the ostrich feathers. The feathers did not come out too well . . . :rolleyes:

BBDave

[Climb01742]

i fell for the insanely expensive assoss shorts, hoping they'd give my butt a little heaven. how wrong i was. now i go with bourne...lots cheaper and lots better. things that i think might help make the riding experience better...shorts, shoes, saddle, holy grail handlebars...i think are worth checking out. i have shimano r215 shoes and they're pretty great. but yeah, a crazy expensive helmet? how's that gonna really make riding better? i like my three year old specialized helmet just swell, thanks. :rolleyes: