Cost of bikes

prices are absolutely ridiculous these days but it's only if you're caught up in having the best componentry, alot of the low-end/mid-end bikes have good enough components for 99+ percent of riders these days (maybe more actually, there's alot of people who don't really know how to ride bike but definitely know how to buy the image).

fact of the matter is that even the low-end parts on entry level "quality" bikes have surpassed the performance of high end stuff from even a couple years ago. you might pay a slight weight penalty but big deal, bikes are already really light these days.

If you get caught up in needing the latest and greatest bike/components, worry about having matching kit and showing up to the trailhead in a new Tacoma then yes, mountain biking is very much a really lame sport.

But if you just get a bike and ride it and tune all that shit out mountain biking is still as awesome as it always was.

But the cost to produce the older out of date bike is really no different than today's modern rig. Handlebars few inches longer, frame tubes a few inches longer and a few degrees different angles are no justification for much higher costs. Dropping the front shifter should bring costs down not up. At least for mid range bikes.

Which is why I'm pointing out that you can now buy a better riding bike for less money :)

To give some hard facts:

Here's a Norco Fluid LT2 from 2009:

http://nsmb.com/3043-review-2009-norco-fluid-lt2/

Some of the parts are in terms of branding 'better' than the current Sight I mentioned before but it weighed best part of 35lb! Steep head angle. Shitty narrow rims. Useless fork. Nevagrips etc.

Compare with the current Norco Sight A7.3:

https://www.norco.com/bikes/mountain/all-mountain/sight-aluminum-7/sight-a73/

650B wheels. Tubeless compatible rims. Decent rubber. Dropper post. Decent enough fork (older damper tech but proven chassis). Current style drivetrain with NW ring up front. Some brand name parts thrown in. There's nothing amazing about this bike in terms of bling, but it'd blow the old LT out of the water and it's a few hundred dollars less (enough to upgrade the brakes at least).

I think price of bikes is ridiculous. The argument that bikes are that much better and so much more sofisticated is BS. All you have to do is compare the price of a high end mtb to a motorcycle. I can get a KTM 690 for the same price. Sirously, a bike is still just pedals and two wheels… the only reason for that price is it's trendy and accessible and people are willing to pay for the illusion. Yes I have tried the new wonder bikes and yes they are good but not 10,000$ better then my hardtail.

What's the life span of a new carbon super bike now? I bet if you ride it hard 3-4 years and it's scrap. For 10 Grand… that's retarded.

Which is why I'm pointing out that you can now buy a better riding bike for less money :)

To give some hard facts:

Here's a Norco Fluid LT2 from 2009:

http://nsmb.com/3043-review-2009-norco-fluid-lt2/

Some of the parts are in terms of branding 'better' than the current Sight I mentioned before but it weighed best part of 35lb! Steep head angle. Shitty narrow rims. Useless fork. Nevagrips etc.

Compare with the current Norco Sight A7.3:

https://www.norco.com/bikes/mountain/all-mountain/sight-aluminum-7/sight-a73/

650B wheels. Tubeless compatible rims. Decent rubber. Dropper post. Decent enough fork (older damper tech but proven chassis). Current style drivetrain with NW ring up front. Some brand name parts thrown in. There's nothing amazing about this bike in terms of bling, but it'd blow the old LT out of the water and it's a few hundred dollars less (enough to upgrade the brakes at least.

What's the life span of a new carbon super bike now? I bet if you ride it hard 3-4 years and it's scrap. For 10 Grand… that's retarded.

I haven't mentioned 10 grand bikes at all. Although if we are going there, the fatigue resistance of carbon is actually very good.

To put a different angle on things. In 1992 I paid 350 UK pounds on a rigid Bontrager Comp fork! Yes, a fork that did feck all. It just held the wheel and brakes in place and allowed me to steer. It looked nice though! Pretty sure my Merlin Ti bar that I bent within two weeks was around 80 pounds. My Specialized M2 Team Ed frame I think retailed for around 900 pounds. Expensive bling will always be that.

Oh yes, then there was this:

What's the life span of a new carbon super bike now? I bet if you ride it hard 3-4 years and it's scrap. For 10 Grand… that's retarded.

Any bike I own for 3-4 year is scrap anyway. That's enough time to put the hurt on any bike so the question becomes: what will best provide me with the riding experience I want through its usable lifespan. Part of that experience is not having stuff wear out at an accelerated rate (i.e. 11-speed cassettes), feeling the need to baby my bike (i.e. carbon vs aluminum anything), ongoing petty maintenance, etc.

Given the current state of evolving standards and the shit used market it makes sense again to buy the best complete you can afford (though not necessarily going to S-Works level) and ride it into the ground, replacing bits as necessary to keep rolling then starting fresh every 3 years (and so get up to date on all the latest standards). It became easier to spend more to get the stuff I really want once I acknowledged that I wouldn't be flipping my gear as often. Buy better, buy less often, use it until it falls apart.

Buy better, buy less often, use it until it falls apart.

meh a wayward stick in the spokes is still going to destroy a high end derailleur just as fast as it will a low end model, as well as blow the shit out of your wheel while it's at it. The only real difference is the cheap shit is…cheaper to replace.

I won't deny that there's a gap between entry level components and high end stuff but having the latest and greatest won't stop you from enjoying the act of mountain biking..unless you let it

I wonder if we've reached a price point where people are just going to hold onto their bikes?

I can't see many people selling the farm to buy one of the new super bikes, then in a few years lose it all for an incremental change?

And the new bikes are Super. For the first time I'm on a bike that I have zero qualms with. Not a farm, but I did sell my whole fleet of bikes to afford the newest bike. I can't foresee that happening again.

I find its easier to buy entry level components on a bike that has the right suspension and upgrade replace them as they brake.
Just bought an ex rental Yeti SB6c with GX components that are way better than my x9 stuff that i had on my old bike. That stuff is amazing.

I wonder if we've reached a price point where people are just going to hold onto their bikes?

I can't see many people selling the farm to buy one of the new super bikes, then in a few years lose it all for an incremental change?

And the new bikes are Super. For the first time I'm on a bike that I have zero qualms with. Not a farm, but I did sell my whole fleet of bikes to afford the newest bike. I can't foresee that happening again.

This has already been happening. I used to replace my frames every 2-3 years as I enjoyed the process of building my own bikes up from scratch. Most parts got re-used, some got replaced, but it was all possible to do at a reasonable price. No way, no how is that possible now with the way the industry produces bikes and differing 'standards' year to year.

I find its easier to buy entry level components on a bike that has the right suspension and upgrade replace them as they brake.
Just bought an ex rental Yeti SB6c with GX components that are way better than my x9 stuff that i had on my old bike. That stuff is amazing.

^yup. i've been replacing my xo1 w/ gx as stuff wears out. get the job done just fine, at a decent price. there's certainly solid value on great performing hardware to be had out there (esp. if you're not buying carbon).

Giant Reign Advanced 1 are the future. Selling for $4k this Fall with carbon, all XT, good DT Swiss wheels, and a dropper that functions.

So long as there's a bike like it on the market I can't be bothered to look at $8k Santa Cruz, Ibis, etc.

So long as there's a bike like it on the market I can't be bothered to look at $8k Santa Cruz, Ibis, etc.

Yeah it boggles my mind that companies like Santa Cruz are able to stay in business with their current pricing. Who is buying their bikes? Middle aged guys with tons of money to burn?

When I was in the market for a new bike a few years ago I tested a few different bikes (including a few from SC) and their bikes aren't any better or worse than their competitors. I'm not saying that SC doesn't make good bikes, I'm just saying that when you test a Giant Reign and a SC Nomad back to back I don't think anyone would say that the Nomad is clearly better and justifies the substantial price premium.

With cars, for example, at least there is some sort of clear measures to differentiate between higher and lower priced vehicles (a more powerful engine, for instance). But with bikes is there really a measurable difference to rank one above the other?

I bet the markup is huge on carbon bikes and components.