[sanjuro]

I was surfing Ebay, and I sorted all bikes, highest priced first. There were 30 bikes, and only 5 were mountain. And of that, only one was not a XC bike (a Demo 9).

I should know this answer, but it befuddles me. Mountain bikes are more complicated and stronger, but cost less?

 

[johnbryanpeters]

30 bikes on eBay? I would have expected 300. No idea on the relative price, Lance wannabes, maybe...

 

[goodtobeIrie]

because roadies used to be all yuppies...and they have to pay a ton of money for stuff, just so they can tell you how much they spent...

 

[skinny mike]

goodtobeirie makes me laugh. you may want to do some more valid research with a real bike store before you make assumptions. hopefully someone else will chime in because im too lazy to go into all of the details right now.

 

[johnbryanpeters]

I went to eBay and looked; amazing how many junk box store imitation bicycles are being offered.

 

[goodtobeIrie]

goodtobeirie makes me laugh. you may want to do some more valid research with a real bike store before you make assumptions. hopefully someone else will chime in because im too lazy to go into all of the details right now.

glad to be of service...the post was purely sarcasm...I have no clue about road bikes, as I ride my mtbike on the road...


that is, when they won't let me on the trails...

 

[johnbryanpeters]

It's also amusing at times to ride a road bike on trails - sort of rough on the bike, but different and interesting.

 

[firetoole]

It's also amusing at times to ride a road bike on trails - sort of rough on the bike, but different and interesting.

cycle cross....

 

[johnbryanpeters]

Naw, I'm talking taking a road bike onto technical singletrack. That's how I got started at this game when someone pointed out some trails - I just started riding.

 

[sanjuro]

30 bikes on eBay? I would have expected 300. No idea on the relative price, Lance wannabes, maybe...

Sorry, the first page listed 30. Some of the bikes were ridiculous, like Colnago/Ferrari bikes, but most were ti/carbon jobbies.

 

[BigMike]

Naw, I'm talking taking a road bike onto technical singletrack. That's how I got started at this game when someone pointed out some trails - I just started riding.

That just sounds...................stupid

 

[mack]

They cost more because people are willing to pay more for them.

I dont think that I would be wrong in saying that the average road biker has a higher disposable income than your average hard core mountain biker.

 

[biker3]

They're more expensive basically because of weight. Think about it, the lightest Sora/tiagra crap weighs a lot less than say deore or acera. On the lower end MTB crap they can just give you a hunk of metal and not worry about weight but you can't sell a 35ibs low end road bike b/c no one would buy it.

 

[rpk1988]

Everything is meant to be light. Road bikers are extreme weight weenies and need everything to be light so they can go extremely fast. Some road bikers are dousche bags whereas us Mt. Bikers, or at least most of us are laid back and cool.

 

[rpk1988]

They're more expensive basically because of weight. Think about it, the lightest Sora/tiagra crap weighs a lot less than say deore or acera. On the lower end MTB crap they can just give you a hunk of metal and not worry about weight but you can't sell a 35ibs low end road bike b/c no one would buy it.

Ummmm yea....35 lbs. road bike...I think Raleigh makes one....hahahaa.

 

[mack]

Ummmm yea....35 lbs. road bike...I think Raleigh makes one....hahahaa.

But then you see 'that guy' riding a Litespeed with his office executives who stacks in at 5' 4" and 250 lbs.

 

[GravityFreakTJ]

Road bikers are extreme weight weenies and need everything to be light

No we are not!!!!!!!!!!




my road bike is 16.8# with pedals

 

[johnbryanpeters]

I'm proud ta say that I have no idea what my road bike weighs. It's red and yellow and has pedals.

 

[splat]

Some road bikers are dousche bags whereas us Mt. Bikers, or at least most of us are laid back and cool.

Ive met my fair share of Mt Bikers that are peckerheads!

as for whay they cost more ? well you buy a hight end road bike and it is going to last a Long long time , if not forever. ( my Wifes Road bike frame is 27 years old ! and it still awesome ) Road Bike components last a Long long time. and someone who is pure roadie , will ask the basic question , "how come something that is built like tank and weighs a ton cost so much ?"


when a top end bike is used for what it is intended for it makes a Difference and it costs for that.

 

[GravityFreakTJ]

I'm proud ta say that I have no idea what my road bike weighs. It's red and yellow and has pedals.

Blasphemy i say Can't believe you've never weighed it.

 

[rpk1988]

No we are not!!!!!!!!!!




my road bike is 16.8# with pedals

I know someone who has one that is 15.4# with pedals. So we added lead weights to his seat post when he wasnt looking. Haha. But then he found out.

 

[Wumpus]

Have you seen how some people on here ride their mountain bikes? Would you pay top dollar for one of their bikes? Plus, mountain bikers are a bunch of cheap bastards.

 

[GravityFreakTJ]

But then you see 'that guy' riding a Litespeed with his office executives who stacks in at 5' 4" and 250 lbs.

Yeah i've seen several of "him",but so what?If you can afford it go for it.

 

[splat]

Have you seen how some people on here ride there mountain bikes? Would you pay top dollar for one of their bikes? Plus, mountain bikers are a bunch of cheap bastards.

he has a point there ! I know when I go to Road Rallies ( like GEAR ) it is held at a Local college , and we stay in college dorm rooms , Mt bike Festivals, ( like Pedros Fest ) we camp , and the same can be said for Endurance races too. Road we stayed in Hostels/Motels Mt , we camp.

My local Shop owner says Roadies are more likely to take there bike to a shop, then a MT Biker.

 

[JRB]

I don't know what my road bike weighs either. I did laugh at goodtobeirie, which has only happened a few times. Since Lisa bagged out, I may stalk irie for a while.

edit - there was a thread with Orven riding a legit roadie on trails, but I don't feel like searching.

 

[ito]

Some road bikers are dousche bags whereas us Mt. Bikers, or at least most of us are laid back and cool.

So some mountain bikers suck and some road bikers suck, what is your point? Some people suck?

Are you going to pay top dollar for a bike that has been used and abused pretty heavily or for one that has been ridden only on roads and used fairly lightly? A road bike retains its value much longer than a mountain bike.

And at the basic level mountain bikes may cost less than a road bike, but for nicer models I'd say the mountain bikes cost more. Look at the downhill market. Or better yet compare the price of a carbon mountain bike to a carbon road bike. You can get a carbon road for about 1800-2000. I haven't seen too many carbon mountain bikes for that price.

The Ito

 

[Reactor]

A lot of it is the "Lance factor" a lot of people are aware of road biking now and some roadies are extremely status conscious. Part of it is due to to the more exotic construction for some road bikes like Ito points out and the extreme emphasis on light weight. You rarely see TI and Carbon fiber on Mountain bikes, when a bike is built of comparable materials, the mountain bike usually costs more because it's a more complicated build.

 

[mack]

Here is somthing to compare...

Road Biking.

Mountain Biking.

 

[BigMike]

Here is somthing to compare...

Road Biking.

Mountain Biking.

Nice.

 

[Urban FR'er 666]

It's one thing to make a single part of a bike lighter, but when you think about the fact of a pro-XC MTB'er's bike weighing in at about 21-24 pounds, and then a pro road biker's bike(or some exotic bike like a colnago), weighing in as low as 15 pounds(I've even heard rumors of complete bikes as low as 11 pounds), and w/this being bikes often with significantly larger frames, that's a H#LL-OF_ALOTT of weight to be removed!

Talk about expensive, I seen a write-up in velo-news, showing a
pinarello frame for $10,000, or whole bike(w/allotta in house parts)
for $20,000!!! That is sick! For $20G that thing better weigh 5pounds or less, and get me a first place in the tour de france!

 

[A.P]

So some mountain bikers suck and some road bikers suck, what is your point? Some people suck?

Are you going to pay top dollar for a bike that has been used and abused pretty heavily or for one that has been ridden only on roads and used fairly lightly? A road bike retains its value much longer than a mountain bike.

And at the basic level mountain bikes may cost less than a road bike, but for nicer models I'd say the mountain bikes cost more. Look at the downhill market. Or better yet compare the price of a carbon mountain bike to a carbon road bike. You can get a carbon road for about 1800-2000. I haven't seen too many carbon mountain bikes for that price.

The Ito

Definatley not ITO.. Road bike frames are way, way more expensive then downhill bike frames and bikes- hands down.

Look at downhill frames...they pretty much top out at 3 grand. 5-6 grand built with the MOST expensive stuff you could find on a foes 2:1, brooklyn...other super pricy options.. Now 3 grand...Thats not a lot for a road frame, when you have serotta's and lightspeeds for 6-7 grand for the frame, and many bikes breaking 10 grand complete. I doubt it would be possible for a dh bike to break 10 grand, hardly 7 grand. (Barring any prototype stuff, just off the market parts) I mean there are road wheels which retail for several thousand dollars alone. To say mountain bike is more expensive then road is just wrong.

To put it bluntly, I think its demographic. Road bikers are older. Older= real salary.

(-tiltmode)

 

[OrthoPT]

My local Shop owner says Roadies are more likely to take there bike to a shop, then a MT Biker.

An alternate possibility might be that more mountain bikers than road bikers know how to work on their own machines and keep them in good working order. I started as a mechanic in the early 80's and have worked in a number of shops to date. From my experience, most roadies bringing their bikes into shops needing stuff like flats fixed, wheels trued, or deraileurs adjusted, really tough stuff (NOT!) The roadie stereotype I've grown to accept is that the bear's share of them are executive types who are just used to having underlings do the dirty work for them. Just MHO.

 

[splat]

An alternate possibility might be that more mountain bikers than road bikers know how to work on their own machines and keep them in good working order. I started as a mechanic in the early 80's and have worked in a number of shops to date. From my experience, most roadies bringing their bikes into shops needing stuff like flats fixed, wheels trued, or deraileurs adjusted, really tough stuff (NOT!) The roadie stereotype I've grown to accept is that the bear's share of them are executive types who are just used to having underlings do the dirty work for them. Just MHO.

which just goes right along the lines of Roadies tend not to be a cheap as MT bikers. I'm not saying it makes cents ( <-- Play on words ) . I'm just stating that is the way it is.

 

[Westy]

A road bike may cost more but they usually end up being cheaper in the long run. I spend a few grand a year replacing MTB parts. The most I have ever had to do to a roadbike is bar wrap, tires and a chain after a few thousand miles.

 

[GravityFreakTJ]

which just goes right along the lines of Roadies tend not to be a cheap as MT bikers. I'm not saying it makes cents

you know its kinda funny.one of the shops i used to frequent the mechanics would make fun of the roadies for bringing in their bikes for every little thing,and how mtb'ers fixed most everthing themselves.guess they never figured out that the roadies they loved to crack on were the reason they had a job

 

[OGRipper]

The hyper-focus on weight is probably part of it. Also, high end road bikes these days generally have more carbon and titanium. Most importantly, I think, is the relative volume of each - it seems to me there are a lot fewer road bikes so the economy of scale is not really there. Also, for road frames you need 1 or 2 cm increments in sizing and with mtb most companies can get away with 4 or maybe 5 sizes. Plus, many of the uber pimp road bikes are made in Europe so you have additional duckets tacked on for import duties, taxes, etc.

Having said that, yes at the super high end road bikes are more expensive but I'm not sure it's really true when you look at intermediate level stuff. There are some really high quality, light and inexpensive road bikes out right now.

Bikes are like computers, for the average person they just keep getting better and cheaper.

 

[sanjuro]

The hyper-focus on weight is probably part of it. Also, high end road bikes these days generally have more carbon and titanium. Most importantly, I think, is the relative volume of each - it seems to me there are a lot fewer road bikes so the economy of scale is not really there. Also, for road frames you need 1 or 2 cm increments in sizing and with mtb most companies can get away with 4 or maybe 5 sizes. Plus, many of the uber pimp road bikes are made in Europe so you have additional duckets tacked on for import duties, taxes, etc.

Having said that, yes at the super high end road bikes are more expensive but I'm not sure it's really true when you look at intermediate level stuff. There are some really high quality, light and inexpensive road bikes out right now.

Bikes are like computers, for the average person they just keep getting better and cheaper.

Almost every FS bike is made of aluminum. No matter how fancy the design, alu is still the cheapest material around.

No doubt you get a better value with a $1100 road bike than you do with the equivalent mtn bike (typically a crappy fork). But the high end bikes are really overpriced, but I guess it is what the market will bear.

 

[Angus]

Road bikes are the profit makers for the industry(Lance Factor) right now. Back int he 90's it was MTB's, now MTB's aren't as mainstream(except for the mass merchant crap). And several of the roadies I know are weight weenies, I mean who else pays close to $100 for a carbon water bottle cage? One of the guys I ride with bought these and when he told me how much they cost to save something like 30 grams I almost sh!t. I told him I could save hime twice that weight for half the money. when he asked how I grabbed his water bottle and squeazed about an ounce of water out of it!!!

 

[OrthoPT]

you know its kinda funny.one of the shops i used to frequent the mechanics would make fun of the roadies for bringing in their bikes for every little thing,and how mtb'ers fixed most everthing themselves.guess they never figured out that the roadies they loved to crack on were the reason they had a job

Umm... they know that the roadies help keep the store open for business. That's why they never made fun of the roadies to their faces. The driving reason for the mechanics making fun of them is that they bring in wicked expensive machines because they don't even know how to change their own flat. The glaring difference here is the mountain bikers generally know a whole lot more about their bikes and how to maintain them while the roadies just sit back and let someone else maintain their ride for them.

 

[GravityFreakTJ]

The driving reason for the mechanics making fun of them is that they bring in wicked expensive machines because they don't even know how to change their own flat.

can't change a flat???maybe where you live