Why do road bikes cost more than mountain bikes?
- Thread starter sanjuro
- Start date
I remember looking at road bikes this past fall. Everything on ebay was very expensive. Yeah, I think some of it was Lance-envy and I think you guys are right in saying that people who try to live up to a certain social status will go for a road bike over a mountain bike (but, crap, mountain bike stuff can be really expensive too!). I think it's the addition of any carbon (most have carbon forks) and the lightweight aluminum that add to the price. Anyway, in the end, I found a great deal online for a $400 Iron Horse road bike with a carbon fork and sora components.
OrthoPT said:
Elitist scum???Dudr are you serious?
he rides a tmx... hes a hucker/dher that doesnt understand road biking.GravityFreakTJ said:
gnurider1080 said:
i don't getthat mentality i really don't
It's like this:
I buy a mountain bike, I drop loot and expect it to be clapped out and played in four years, maybe five. Beat, done, ready for all new parts.
I buy a road bike, drop double the dime, and I can ride it for 10 years with no more than tires and chainlube. Maybe some rings and a cassette.
You don't get that sort of durability and lightweight for no money.
This from someone with pretty nice bikes of either type.
p6
I buy a mountain bike, I drop loot and expect it to be clapped out and played in four years, maybe five. Beat, done, ready for all new parts.
I buy a road bike, drop double the dime, and I can ride it for 10 years with no more than tires and chainlube. Maybe some rings and a cassette.
You don't get that sort of durability and lightweight for no money.
This from someone with pretty nice bikes of either type.
p6
Hey if they can afford to have someone do the dirty work for them why the hell not? You are right, quite a few roadies don't know what they are doing mechanically, but it gives the shops extra money and helps them sell their services.OrthoPT said:
And ya, I guess I am wrong about the top end road bikes being less expensive than mountain bikes. But you don't typically replace a road bike every season or so as you would with a downhill bike or even a cross country bike, it stays with you for a number of years, so the total payout is much less.
The Ito
P.S. Just saw a Scott Carbon full bike at a local shop for 1900, so I guess if can be inexpensive to get a mountain bike in carbon.
ito said:
just curious,which scott was it?
Again, I typed without first considering ALL the roadies I know. Clearly I was only remembering the few that spoil the bunch. It's just that here, in NYC, we have a couple of real gems. Not all roadies are elitist scum, stupid remark on my part, but the ones that are seem like they are actively trying to be offensively arrogant.GravityFreakTJ said:
I may have a TMX but that doesn't undo the thousands of miles I've put under my Vitus. You should know not to stereotype someone based on what they ride, unless you yourself are a prime example of what the media believes the "typical" mountain biker to be (whatever that is...)gnurider1080 said:
OrthoPT said:
Hey man, That is nothing to make fun of!:mumble:
I been working on bikes for over 12 years, and in bike shops for 5 of those year, and I couldn't tell you how many road tubes I've pinched tryin' to get the tires on(espescially those damned MICHELIN CARBON serries!
)!!! Those thing are so Phucking tight, it's no wonder the owners wouldn't want to try it themself. Especially if they were a MTB'er, new to the roadbike scene, and have changed the MTB tubes, then try these!
Also, did it ever occurr to you(orthoPT), that these roadies,(as previously mentioned), are often big sallaried people, and often are very time consumed w/the job supplying those sallaries. Therefore barely havin' time to ride, and defantly no time to work on the bikes?!!! Therefore it being a huge convinience to drop it off on the way to work, and pick it up after.
Perhaps the important aspect of their behavior that was left out was the way some of the big salaried roadies treated the bike shop employees I've worked with. One particular time, big salaried roadie customer, who happened to be a well known MD on a network news program, showed up at least 45 minutes after we had locked our doors after a busy Summer Saturday and began to loudly knock on the door and demand to be let in. He started to rant about how much he had spent in our store and how he would have us all fired. The guy had absolutely no regard for the fact that we had all just worked a long hard day and were in the process of finishing up the last sales of the day so we could finally go home. He was basically acting like the only reason we existed at all was to obey him without question.Urban FR'er 666 said:
Yeah, I get that they might be busy and like the convenience of having a proffesional mechanic change their tube. I'd type more right now, but a patient of mine just walked in and needs to be treated...
That would be about the time(when they're pounding on the door and getting violent), that I would have called the police.
you know you laugh more often at my smartassedness than you would like to admit...even when you're the brunt of the joke...hey, if my pee brain can think it...I'm gonna lay it out for you to play it out...somethin' like that...loco said: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.
Here you goloco said:
They didn't say anything about road bikes
Hittin the trails
Rocks hurt
They also cause flat tires
This one made it into the Hutchinson Catalog this year
ZING! winner.mack said:
target audience..
when the 'big four'* switch from bmx to the new found sport of mtn. bikes in the early 1990's, they charged more and gave less because the target audience had more money they were willing to part with.
*these four companys got their start in BMX: Mongoose, Haro, Redline and GT.
Wierd rules, the chain ring one really makes no sense, and to me exposes the place as being part of a problem and not a solution for mt. biking. i wouldn't spend my money there.....
I remember one story when I was in Austin: I went to Bicycle Sport Shop (I think) and this poseur brings in a pink Pinarello, just like Team Telekom. He makes a funny joke about packing on 50 lbs of power, and drops his bike off for a new BB, which the service staff offers to do by lunch.OrthoPT said:
He notices the cruiser I was borrowing for transportation and compliments me on it, then takes off. He was a nice guy but I thought he was just some yuppie bastard that could afford a carbon Pinarello. Turns out he was Kevin Livingston, who was on Team Telekom!
I was in my LBS today and had a little discussion about thisvery topic with him today. and he brought up some intersting things from his view point.
1) People buy Road bikes are looking for a Bike that will last them 5 to 20 Years, where as People Buying Mt bikes are looking for 2 -3 years out of them ( 5 max ) so the roadies are willing to spend more on the bike to get Higher quality to last longer. as he said he is more likely to sell a Dura ace equiped bike then a XTR equiped. and that the higher end Mt bikes are XT/LX mix ( with very few being XTR ) where as the Higher end Road bikes are more likely to be Full Dura ace and a few with Full Campy record Carbon.
2) For service a Person with a Road bike is more likely to come in and havethe Bike worked on as opposed to a Mt bike , because a road Bike really takes very little maintance in comparision to the abuse that a Mt bike takes . so the Roadie is less likely to maket he investment for the specilty tools that may get used once ever 3-5 years where a Mt Bike may need the same tool 1 -2 times a year ( example he was using was for a bottom bracket fir rideres who ride a lot. )
1) People buy Road bikes are looking for a Bike that will last them 5 to 20 Years, where as People Buying Mt bikes are looking for 2 -3 years out of them ( 5 max ) so the roadies are willing to spend more on the bike to get Higher quality to last longer. as he said he is more likely to sell a Dura ace equiped bike then a XTR equiped. and that the higher end Mt bikes are XT/LX mix ( with very few being XTR ) where as the Higher end Road bikes are more likely to be Full Dura ace and a few with Full Campy record Carbon.
2) For service a Person with a Road bike is more likely to come in and havethe Bike worked on as opposed to a Mt bike , because a road Bike really takes very little maintance in comparision to the abuse that a Mt bike takes . so the Roadie is less likely to maket he investment for the specilty tools that may get used once ever 3-5 years where a Mt Bike may need the same tool 1 -2 times a year ( example he was using was for a bottom bracket fir rideres who ride a lot. )