[DirtMcGirk]

Having my morning movement today I was reading some bike mag, reading the reviews of the new Specialized Enduro, which was like $8k according to the mag.

When did this happen?

Do they even make entry level bikes any more?

More and more, beyond the pink tutu and gator boots, I am starting to understand why my friends think this fetish sport is insane...

 

[1453]

I guess people just have money to pay for them, I guess. I haven't bought a new bike in yeas, just piece together frames and recycle parts over and over again.

well, fudge, I thought that moving production to Taiwan by cutting American jobs was supposed to make sh*t cheaper?

 

[daisycutter]

there is a nice article on bicycleretailer on this very subject

http://www.bicycleretailer.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=4&sid=e225b4626c6cdf1270a08228b334d3b8

 

[skunkty14]

I know, what the hell, it's not like anything else has gone up in price. What gives?

 

[binary visions]

Did you also notice that for less than $500 you can get a pretty decent entry level trail bike with an aluminum frame, disc brakes and a suspension fork that doesn't contain elastomers?

The top end keeps pushing higher but you can get a heck of a lot of bike for not much money now...

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Step away from the carbon, sir, and please keep your hands in plain sight.

 

[N8 v2.0]

i hear ya Dirt..

i am looking at a Pivot 429 and the frame alone is going to cost $1800! Toss on a Fox fork and you are nearly to $2500 and still need wheels/post/stem/cranks/drive train....

 

[Jimmy_Pop]

Having my morning movement today I was reading some bike mag, reading the reviews of the new Specialized Enduro, which was like $8k according to the mag.
When did this happen?
Do they even make entry level bikes any more?
More and more, beyond the pink tutu and gator boots, I am starting to understand why my friends think this fetish sport is insane...

sh*t, try drag racing or any autosports for that matter. MTB is cheap by comparison. Its all relative.

 

[Sandwich]

Yeah, even wallymart bikes now come with *at least* v-brakes and front suspension. Our kids will thank us, somehow....maybe. I will admit that the high-end keeps getting higher, but it hasn't necessarily changed too much. I remember when the Cannondale DH4000 was like $5400 or something. You pay the price for cutting edge. Now specialized has all of their parts in-house, which should make them cheaper, but since you can't get them anywhere else people want them...so they can charge more.

There are still affordable frames and bikes out there, you just have to be smart with your money. I think the Corsair FR frame comes in at around $1600, which is pretty decent for such a nice frame....just to give you an example.

 

[TreeSaw]

Step away from the carbon, sir, and please keep your hands in plain sight.

 

[TreeSaw]

I'm one to talk...I have 2 bikes picked out and don't want to spend that much $$$ on them

 

[DirtyMike]

Having my morning movement today I was reading some bike mag, reading the reviews of the new Specialized Enduro, which was like $8k according to the mag.

When did this happen?

Do they even make entry level bikes any more?

More and more, beyond the pink tutu and gator boots, I am starting to understand why my friends think this fetish sport is insane...

Sorry Dirt, its my fault, pecialized and Myself sat down, and We came up with a wonderful way to just really stick to everyone. pecially knowing you were getting a new bike for the lady.




Seriouly though, your 8k bike your looking at is a nice ride, full carbon everything, we have one in stock, and I am cared to roll around on it, carbon frame, aluminum link, aluminum inerts on the headtude, BB, and Drop outs. Carbon cranks, carbon post, carbon bars, Juicy ultimate carbon levers, and crazy part is, its already the third one we have put on the floor<We only keep one in stock at a time>.


As far as what is driving the price, technology in the carbon has davanced alot in the last couole years, metal prices have gone up, and general cost of living has gone up. it all trickles down into everything. Look at everything you spend money on, rent, food, gas, cars everything and you will see the trend.

 

[ire]

I know my problem is that I want carbon, and that costs a lot. When I was looking for a cross frame this year my spec was that it had to have at least a carbon rear end if not entirely made of carbon fiber...that stuff isn't cheap

 

[CBJ]

I understand the whole thing about rising cost but if the economy is bad then the bikes will not sell at that price and somebody has to cut their profit margins.

 

[TN]

Bikes are WAY overpriced.

I will be riding my '01 sugar until it is destroyed. Then I will replace it with a used frame.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

I think that the bottom line is that if you stay away from the bike-as-jewelry disease, there's very good value for the dollar out there.

The style whores will always pay out the nose.

 

[mandown]

Did you also notice that for less than $500 you can get a pretty decent entry level trail bike with an aluminum frame, disc brakes and a suspension fork that doesn't contain elastomers?

The top end keeps pushing higher but you can get a heck of a lot of bike for not much money now...

perspective is everything.

i do wonder if the consumers picking up those bikes appreciate the advances in technology that have trickled down to that pricepoint.

 

[1453]

I know, what the hell, it's not like anything else has gone up in price. What gives?

does it really cost 1600 dollars to make a fork in Taiwan? Honestly?

 

[DirtMcGirk]

So I took my mom to the bike store today to get her some new tires for a weekend ride I am taking her and my old man on. She was shocked and appalled when two Blue Groove 2.0's and two tubes set me back $107. I had to think for a minute, I do remember buying tires for less then this just this year.

Seems like it might also be the market I am in right now. Reno does have a lot of shops, but not a lot of competition, when it comes to the bike industry. Each shop pretty much has one or two bike suppliers on sale, nothing all that high end is ever in stock, you have to special order, and the rest of the goods in the shop seem to reflect the lack of competition.

Seattle's shops on the other hand had to compete with each other, there were enough people and enough money inherent to force that. Not so much in Reno.

I do wonder how the LBS is going to hold up against the internet and secondary bike markets if this trend continues. I know that the ideal is to "buy local" but when those prices become tantamount to slitting your own wallet's wrist to support your shop, I think you'll see many of the new and fair weather shoppers take their business to the internet or a dealer like REI.