I'm no longer their target audience...

[spacemen3]

I like reading the new bike issues to laugh at the ridiculous cost of things. It's just a bicycle! The new tech is cool, but the old stuff is still perfectly fine.

[NHAero]

Indeed!
Let's start a 'Show your boneshaker' thread!

Originally Posted by spacemen3

I like reading the new bike issues to laugh at the ridiculous cost of things. It's just a bicycle! The new tech is cool, but the old stuff is still perfectly fine.

[Ozz]

Originally Posted by Wattvagen

Laughably stupid comment.

Let's say someone get's interested in cycling or anything else in college, around 20 years old. 30 years later they are 50.

Solid earners in their 50's who have the young family thing out of the way and have disposable income burning a hole in their pockets are exactly the target demographic for thousands of consumer products.

But we know, you were just trying to hurt someone's feelings. Not very nice IMO.

Counterpoint:

Most people in their 50's know what they like and don't like, and have pretty much everything they need. They are focused more on saving for retirement than outfitting their home. They are also more judicious in their spending, and less prone to impulse (present company excluded when it comes to bike gear)....the bottom line, people in the 50+'s CAN spend more...they just don't as freely as younger people.

Younger people tend to want the latest and greatest, buy for image (Canon = "Image is Everything") and churn thru stuff until they figure out what they really like and need....thus, perfect "consumers".

I am sure there are some marketing folks around here with plenty of data on what consumers buy and the associated demographics....I had always heard that most "stuff" is targeted for the 18-35 year-old market.

[Coffee Rider]

FWIW, I had numerous carbon and titanium bikes before I decided that my life wasn't complete (I'm being facetious here) without steel. I haven't hold a copy of VeloNews in quite some time, but I'd imagine there isn't much steel advertised there. I've realized that the changes in carbon frames these days are incremental and won't turn this donkey into a racehorse, so I'm more focused on enjoying what I have, though I still want the latest and greatest for building up the timeless frames. I think the most I ever spent on a frame was a steel one from a builder that has likely never advertised in VeloNews or likely even the United States.

[tomato coupe]

Originally Posted by Wattvagen

But we know, you were just trying to hurt someone's feelings. Not very nice IMO.

Not nice? I'm not the one telling someone their comment was stupid.

[mtechnica]

The problem is Paceline is a bubble. The overwhelming majority of people I see on the road are on carbon bikes and if they’re buying a new bike they want disc brakes because that’s the new standard. Regardless of age.

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by Ozz

Counterpoint:

Most people in their 50's know what they like and don't like, and have pretty much everything they need. They are focused more on saving for retirement than outfitting their home. They are also more judicious in their spending, and less prone to impulse (present company excluded when it comes to bike gear)....the bottom line, people in the 50+'s CAN spend more...they just don't as freely as younger people.

Younger people tend to want the latest and greatest, buy for image (Canon = "Image is Everything") and churn thru stuff until they figure out what they really like and need....thus, perfect "consumers".

I am sure there are some marketing folks around here with plenty of data on what consumers buy and the associated demographics....I had always heard that most "stuff" is targeted for the 18-35 year-old market.

Ain't a lot of 25 year olds buying $10,000-$15,000 halo bikes.

[Red Tornado]

Originally Posted by tomato coupe

Not nice? I'm not the one telling someone their comment was stupid.

You're correct. That happened with comment #7.

Advertising dollars from the manufacturers are what drives the products these mags are pushing. Also why they will tell you how bad rim brakes, non-boost wheels, threaded BB's, etc. are compared to the new stuff.
IMHO the target demographic is whoever decides to buy all this new stuff. In our club it is a wide range from 20-something's where both work and have no kids (DINK's), all the way to the 50+ crowd with free time and disposable cash.
Personally, I fall slightly into the curmudgeon/luddite classification. All but one bike is rim brake (yes, even an MTB!), but I also like the function of my one MTB with discs. I still prefer the "older" stuff, but have embraced and purchased some newfangled items. Buy/ride what works best for YOU.

[tomato coupe]

Originally Posted by mtechnica

The problem is Paceline is a bubble. The overwhelming majority of people I see on the road are on carbon bikes and if they’re buying a new bike they want disc brakes because that’s the new standard. Regardless of age.

Paceline isn't just a bubble, it's a bubble with an average age quite a bit higher than the general cycling population.

[Wattvagen]

Originally Posted by mtechnica

The problem is Paceline is a bubble. The overwhelming majority of people I see on the road are on carbon bikes and if they’re buying a new bike they want disc brakes because that’s the new standard. Regardless of age.

What is the "problem" that you are referring to?

[Wattvagen]

Originally Posted by tomato coupe

Not nice? I'm not the one telling someone their comment was stupid.

Your initial comment was both nonfactual and mean spirited, period. Agreed that it was juvenile of me to call the comment "stupid", i'll give you that.

[flying]

Well VeloNews at the end of the day is a publication which seeks advertisers

All their advertisers are licking their chops at the thought that everyone new & old in cycling now has to buy all new overpriced equipment because ....well they say its better aero,stops faster yada yada yada

Velo news wanting total advertiser approval/$$$ kowtows to advertisers...shortsighted in some ways as in the process they lose readers/customers like You & I

[tomato coupe]

Originally Posted by Wattvagen

Your initial comment was both nonfactual and mean spirited, period. Agreed that it was juvenile of me to call the comment "stupid", i'll give you that.

My comment was neither non-factual nor mean spirited. Marketing of most consumer products targets a younger demographic. End of story.

[Wattvagen]

Originally Posted by tomato coupe

My comment was neither non-factual nor mean spirited. Marketing of most consumer products targets a younger demographic. End of story.

nah

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by flying

Well VeloNews at the end of the day is a publication which seeks advertisers

All their advertisers are licking their chops at the thought that everyone new & old in cycling now has to buy all new overpriced equipment because ....well they say its better aero,stops faster yada yada yada

Velo news wanting total advertiser approval/$$$ kowtows to advertisers...shortsighted in some ways as in the process they lose readers/customers like You & I

There is obviously significant overlap between the biggest manufacturers and the biggest advertisers, but I don't think this needs to be a cynical ploy for money by velonews.

If they are trying to reach a broad audience and showcase what bikes they can get, they need to show the bikes that are being produced in mass quantities. Richard Sachs might build a great bicycle, but in his whole lifetime he will churn out fewer bicycles than specialized makes in a single year.

Velonews's readers can't all go out and buy a Dave Kirk bike, he just doesn't build enough. So the gear guide focuses on The large brands, because that's what the readers can realistically go out and get if they want, covid delays notwithstanding.