One view of bike prices.

[RFC]

https://gearpatrol.com/2020/02/26/bi...eid=816816e430

[Black Dog]

Originally Posted by RFC

https://gearpatrol.com/2020/02/26/bi...eid=816816e430

Very interesting. Thanks for posting.

[Lanternrouge]

I didn't read anything there that was at all shocking. A high-end "exotic" bike is more attainable than a similar car and I can get for more enjoyment out of it. An exotic car wouldn't really get me anywhere faster (since I'm a safe driver) than my POS even though the exotic car would be more fun. Even if I add up what I've put into every single bike I have, it would still be less than basically any car I'd truly consider "fast." Granted, my conception of "fast" is pretty warped considering where I ride.

[buddybikes]

Perhaps mountain bike pivots change faster than babies diapers, but road bikes?

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by Lanternrouge

I didn't read anything there that was at all shocking. A high-end "exotic" bike is more attainable than a similar car and I can get for more enjoyment out of it. An exotic car wouldn't really get me anywhere faster (since I'm a safe driver) than my POS even though the exotic car would be more fun. Even if I add up what I've put into every single bike I have, it would still be less than basically any car I'd truly consider "fast." Granted, my conception of "fast" is pretty warped considering where I ride.

I had the "pleasure" of riding in and driving a Porsche GTRS3 that was gaited. It was terrifying.

[Lanternrouge]

Originally Posted by joosttx

I had the "pleasure" of riding in and driving a Porsche GTRS3 that was gaited. It was terrifying.

We can at least take comfort in the fact that we can buy bikes at MSRP, whereas a GT3RS (and I think any GT3 variant) commands a premium over sticker.

[zmudshark]

Some people would call tossing out an article without comment is trolling.

Is there an opinion behind the post, or just a hook in the water?

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by zmudshark

Some people would call tossing out an article without comment is trolling.

Is there an opinion behind the post, or just a hook in the water?

Not only that, some of the articles 'claims' just aren't true, IMHO.

Cocalis says that it’s not fair to compare cars and bicycles — or even motorcycles and bicycles — because the bike world innovates on a pace that’s a lot closer to that of iPhones than that of motorized transportation.

Better define 'innovates'..a LOT of the changes are not necessarily changes for the better but a response to a flat market..

Also, car parts aren’t built to anything close to the surgical perfection of many bike components.

That's laughable..Take a look at ANY auto or motorcycle transmission..and compare that with any 'bike' rear hub...or the suspension on a motorcycle that will safely carry somebody at many MPH, even on dirt..with a MTB or road bike traveling at 15-30 MPH..

When Cocalis shows someone one of Pivot’s $10,000 mountain bikes, he’ll hear some people scream, “I could buy a motorcycle for that!” Which, he agrees, is true. “But does any motorcycle with a carbon frame, carbon wheels and suspension components on par with what comes on a high-end mountain bike even exist? Yes, it does. It’s called the Ducati Superleggera V4. It matches up quite well — and it costs about $100,000.”

Talk about apples and kumquats..the point was a $10,000 motorcycle vs a $10,000 bicycle and the 'tech' that goes into each. MANY $10,000 motorcycles(which isn't that expensive)have 'tech' on par with a $10,000 bicycle.

This is a roundabout explanation, too, for a problem that’s relatively unique to bike building, says Cocalis, which is the constant need for customization on a small scale. Bikes, especially higher-end ones made of carbon fiber, just aren’t built in very high volumes, and yet require a ton of labor. “It takes about 1,500 people to make about 15,000 frames per year for high-end brands using the highest-end processes,” Cocalis explains.

Ah, not the 'precision' or the 'tech', but economy of scale..THAT makes sense.

“In many ways,” he continues, “every high-end bicycle is like an exotic high-end car.” Those 15,000 frames stack up to the rough volume of carbon fiber-bodied exotic sports cars built worldwide in a given year. And, he says, “just like the body panels and frames on these exotic cars, every single carbon mountain bike frame is made by hand in limited quantities with high tooling and engineering costs.”

Nope..again, using carbon fiber doesn't make it expensive, bike makers use it because as a material, it's cheaper than steel, titanium or even aluminum.

There are a LOT of cars that use a LOT of carbon fiber. PLUS there are MANY $2500 bikes with carbon fiber frames.

One bike maker who can’t go on the record out of fear of the ramifications, such as getting shut out of his vendor network, says that some of the costs are the fault of consumers. We’ll call this guy Fred.

“These companies aren’t dumb,” Fred says. “They know that a bike frame that’s 100 grams lighter can sell for more, even if it’s the same frame without paint. They call it ‘raw,’ and the consumer will actually spend more money on a frame that costs less to produce.”

ahh...reality, what a concept.

It really sounds like the people in this article are trying to justify why their bike costs so much..YES, there are factors involved like labor, and economy of scale but to compare a relatively inexpensive bike($10k) to a multi-multi thousand exotic auto..it doesn't wash..IMHO...

BUT, I'll bet the 'tech' in this compares well with the 'tech' in any $10,000 bicycle, even Pivot.

https://www.ducati.com/us/en/bikes/monster/monster-797

[AngryScientist]

bikes and cars are both as expensive as you want them to be, or as cheap.

new bikes are fun and we all have our reasons for buying them, but we've all been on a group ride where someone riding a 500 dollar bike is killing it, and guys on 12k dollar bikes get dropped on the first big climb.

no big deal. i think the bottom line is that folks with disposable income will find ways to spend it. boats, cars, motorcycles, RV's, gambling, cocaine, high end escorts, stamp collections - what have you.

industries respond to that and cater to it.

if 10k dollar bikes are selling well, you can bet there will be 11k dollar bikes for sale next year and 12k the year after that until we find the breaking point.

[bironi]

Well put Angry.

[Clancy]

Originally Posted by zmudshark

Some people would call tossing out an article without comment is trolling.

Is there an opinion behind the post, or just a hook in the water?

I’m confused. If the OP had stated “I found this article interesting, thought others would enjoy” would that be trolling?

I’m still hazy on the definition of trolling but as I understand it, it’s when someone is trying to maliciously stir stuff up by throwing out negative or misleading info/comments. I may be wrong. As I said, hazy.

But simply posting a link to an article, don’t see how that’s trolling. Trolling I thought had a negative context.

But how is saying “some people would call” different? Are you saying it? Why don’t you just say “I think this is trolling”

Seems a stretch to read trolling into a simple post of a cycling related article. Perhaps I don’t understand trolling

[unterhausen]

I feel like people are responding more to the inflation in bike prices. Full suspension mountain bikes seem to have gone up quite a bit in the last couple of years. I just can't see spending what a FS mtb with low-end components costs now.

[RKW]

Originally Posted by Lanternrouge

We can at least take comfort in the fact that we can buy bikes at MSRP, whereas a GT3RS (and I think any GT3 variant) commands a premium over sticker.

100% untrue.

Secondary market, yes. Buying new, as the original allocation holder, no.

[Mark McM]

I'll second everything oldpotatoe said. The article does have a few good points, but most of it read more like satire than reality.

[Red Tornado]

Originally Posted by unterhausen

I feel like people are responding more to the inflation in bike prices. Full suspension mountain bikes seem to have gone up quite a bit in the last couple of years. I just can't see spending what a FS mtb with low-end components costs now.

Yes to this.

Haven't done the math, so take it for what it is - an estimation, but it "seems" like the cost for the level of bikes (road and MTB) I raced on in the late 90's/early 2000's has increased noticeably more than my income over the past 20'ish years. Some of that, you could say, is controlled by me and I would agree. Still, the number of $2500+ bikes in the shops I frequent, that supposedly aren't considered high-end.... Wow.

Just can't justify, in my mind, spending the asking prices for a low/mid range bike. I feel that prices for these bikes have spiraled out of control. JMO.