exorbitent bicycle prices

[Buraaq]

Pro's and fast guys never pays or buy bicycles. Some bycle company sees potential and sponsors everything. So why must the general public pay for that pro guy or gal by buying these expensive bicycles and almost everything to do with this game, just doesnt seems fair. All this tests in windtunnels etc are being paid by us.

We need to do something about this exploitation.

If you brave enough where do we start?

[Edge_Design]

Pro's and fast guys never pays or buy bicycles. Some bycle company sees potential and sponsors everything. So why must the general public pay for that pro guy or gal by buying these expensive bicycles and almost everything to do with this game, just doesnt seems fair. All this tests in windtunnels etc are being paid by us.

We need to do something about this exploitation.

If you brave enough where do we start?

 

Don't buy the stuff? That's the only reason there is money for marketing/sponsorships! It's just plain marketing, not specific to bikes. What car do you drive? Unless you drive a Tata/Mahindra/Geely, I can guarantee your car's brand is developed with a massive sponsorship in some or other form of motor racing... How much do Cell C/Vodacom/Mtn spend on sponsoring sports? Your beer sponsors most Springbok teams, breakfast sponsors most of the random athletics, biscuits sponsor junior cricket, shampoo sponsors Jacques Kallis etc... How else would you ever have heard of Trek if Lance didn't ride them to many victories, Specialized if they hadn't had some incredible results in the past few years?! If it wasn't for those sponsorships, we'd all realise the unbranded raw carbon frame is exactly the same and spend R5k instead of R50k on a frame with the same end result. Is that integrated stem and crankset going to make you any faster? No... but damn it LOOKs cool and makes you feel good!

 

You can be happy with your Tata and unbranded frame... I'm going to work my ass off to get a Ferrari and Pinarello one day! Not because they're gonna make me any faster or better, just coz their marketing is awesome and thus I think they're cool!

[YUMEYA]

Pro's and fast guys never pays or buy bicycles.

 

Sure they did before they turned pro.

[flymango]

Don't buy the stuff? That's the only reason there is money for marketing/sponsorships! It's just plain marketing, not specific to bikes. What car do you drive? Unless you drive a Tata/Mahindra/Geely, I can guarantee your car's brand is developed with a massive sponsorship in some or other form of motor racing... How much do Cell C/Vodacom/Mtn spend on sponsoring sports? Your beer sponsors most Springbok teams, breakfast sponsors most of the random athletics, biscuits sponsor junior cricket, shampoo sponsors Jacques Kallis etc... How else would you ever have heard of Trek if Lance didn't ride them to many victories, Specialized if they hadn't had some incredible results in the past few years?! If it wasn't for those sponsorships, we'd all realise the unbranded raw carbon frame is exactly the same and spend R5k instead of R50k on a frame with the same end result. Is that integrated stem and crankset going to make you any faster? No... but damn it LOOKs cool and makes you feel good!

 

You can be happy with your Tata and unbranded frame... I'm going to work my ass off to get a Ferrari and Pinarello one day! Not because they're gonna make me any faster or better, just coz their marketing is awesome and thus I think they're cool!

You are absolutely correct with your branding argument. All that providers of consumer goods are doing is fueling the human condition known as affluenza.

 

Unfortunately, if one contracts affluenza, enough is never enough, and so we spiral into purchasing more and more goods with a perceived higher value but which don't necessarily have a higher cost. I believe most of the human race as a species has contracted the affluenza virus - myself included.

 

Starts out with a R5k bike and soon migrates to a R30k bike. Why? Because we're tjops, and we want to associate ourselves with pro athletes and their successes.

 

Can't blame the cycle companies or the pro's, but only ourselves.

 

PS: "What a load of bollocks" you say! Hey, its early morning and I can't sleep.

[swoosh1973]

YAWN.....Bikes are expensive. And yes its because of marketing and not all that crap reported in some of the local bike magazines about technology etc. If you like me have been riding for more than 10 years you will know that bikes kitted with medium level components have more than trippled in price!

 

When I paid R7800 for a brand new XT kitted bike 6 years ago and even had a helmet chucked in. You will now pay R18000-R25000 for the same bike! If you work on inflation of say 6% a year you will realise a bike should now be about R10 000.

 

So clearly its marketing.....its not ripping you off because YOU are prepared to pay for this. Already you are complaining that the pros get "top end" bikes for free. WHAT MAKES THAT BRAND TOP END? HOW DO YOU KNOW ITS TOP END?

Is it top end because Bury stander, Kevin Evans or Lance armstrong rides it? Like Lance once wrote its not about the bike. Marketers make it their business to fool gullible people in to believeing that they should ride a Specialized. They play on your desire and ambition to be be like Bury Stander.

 

The fact is Bury Stander will still post the same results in a race riding a Silverback XT kitted bike versus a top end SRAM XX kitted Specialized!

 

In the last 10 years or so cycling has boomed! Unfortunately people with more bucks than brains have been prepared to believe that crap because they dont know any better so they pay for it.

 

There are many lesser known brands that ride JUST AS WELL IF NOT BETTER THAN THE BIG BRAND! Fact of the matter its priced exactly as edge and ymeya have said. Marketing! MARKETING! I am the worst kind of consumer possible. Marketing means nothing to me.

 

I know that its quality of components based on durability and reliability that count, not branding! So I will buy a no name bike brand with reliabil compnents. SLX is reliable and so is X7. Why do you have to have an XX or an XTR? Will you ride faster or better? If you are experienced you will know that the race results you post wont change significantly.

[mtb_Josh]

Are you done with your little rant? If you were a pro receiving a bike to do your job, how would you respond to some random dude telling you that you must now buy your own bike? Good luck with your mission to single-handedly bring down bike prices and stop sponsorships. btw- I do agree with you that bike prices are high, but that is all I agree with.

[DawieO]

You should DEFINITELY not buy a Mercedes, Honda, BMW, VW,s Pug, Citroen, Ford, or virtually any other brand of car either.

 

Those capitalist b*stards just milk us so they can give their glory boys like Hamilton and co toys to play with...

 

The OP needs to get a life, and perhaps a different sport. Oh, and start walking to work in the mornings. And stop wearing shoes. And no clothes.

[Danger Dassie]

Those darn rugby players too, and soccer, cricket, tennis, golf ...etc etc

Burn them, burn them all.

 

Come on man, your topic reads more like a chip on the shoulder.

[Guest agteros]

Pro's and fast guys never pays or buy bicycles. Some bycle company sees potential and sponsors everything. So why must the general public pay for that pro guy or gal by buying these expensive bicycles and almost everything to do with this game, just doesnt seems fair. All this tests in windtunnels etc are being paid by us.

We need to do something about this exploitation.

If you brave enough where do we start?

 

You wanted a sponsored bike, but had no dash to flash for sponsor cash?

[The Drongo]

Pro's and fast guys never pays or buy bicycles. Some bycle company sees potential and sponsors everything. So why must the general public pay for that pro guy or gal by buying these expensive bicycles and almost everything to do with this game, just doesnt seems fair. All this tests in windtunnels etc are being paid by us.

We need to do something about this exploitation.

If you brave enough where do we start?

 

If you are brave enough, start with a thoughtful letter to the manufacturers. Lay out your argument clearly.

Use grammar that is understandable, with correct spelling, punctuation and the correct use of tenses. Above all avoid abbreviations and acronyms.

Be sure to state how you arrive at the conclusion that "Pro's and fast guys never pays or buy bicycles."

 

Good luck.

[jmaccelari]

Then stick to a Serfas or a Momsen.

 

**** - I forgot - Momsen is giving free bikes away to Brandon...

 

Dunlop from Game is also a good option. I'm sure none of the pro's are racing

those.

[Minion]

Don't buy the stuff? That's the only reason there is money for marketing/sponsorships! It's just plain marketing, not specific to bikes. What car do you drive? Unless you drive a Tata/Mahindra/Geely, I can guarantee your car's brand is developed with a massive sponsorship in some or other form of motor racing... How much do Cell C/Vodacom/Mtn spend on sponsoring sports? Your beer sponsors most Springbok teams, breakfast sponsors most of the random athletics, biscuits sponsor junior cricket, shampoo sponsors Jacques Kallis etc... How else would you ever have heard of Trek if Lance didn't ride them to many victories, Specialized if they hadn't had some incredible results in the past few years?! If it wasn't for those sponsorships, we'd all realise the unbranded raw carbon frame is exactly the same and spend R5k instead of R50k on a frame with the same end result. Is that integrated stem and crankset going to make you any faster? No... but damn it LOOKs cool and makes you feel good!

It's interesting that one of the reasons Capitec give for having much lower banking prices is that they do not do any sports sponsorships.

Edited September 11, 2011 by Edman

[Guest Omega Man]

It's interesting that one of the reasons Capitec give for haveing much lower banking prices is that they do not do any sports sponsorships.

That's also marketing BS. It's the same as Outsurance saying their rates are cheaper because they don't pay broker comm.

 

The fact is brokers earn a minuscule amount of commission on short term insurance and Outsurance rates are lower because their repudiation rates are higher.

 

As far as Exorbitant bike prices are concerned I agree that they are ridiculous but I don't think it's anything to do with sponsored riders. I do however feel that we are being exploited.

 

There have been a horde of meaningless "standards" introduced supposedly in the name of progress but most are just to sell more stuff and I'll list the ones that annoy me most.

 

All the BB widths

Post vs IS mount

1.1/8, 1.5, Tapered and now Giant's new "standard" headtube

The myriad of seatpost diameters

135, 150, 142mm rear wheels

 

If you upgrade your frame GUARANTEED you will have to spend another 2k getting it built up with new bb's and seatposts etc.

Edited September 11, 2011 by Omega Man

[DawieO]

By the same logic we should all still be driving Model T Fords.

 

If you don't like the changes, don't adopt them.

[Capricorn]

not the same thing at all Dawie-O. the bike at this current state of the art is so well developed, the logic that we have similar differences between the current proven bicycle standards and the marketeering posing as a new standard, are the same as the differences between a modern car and a model-T is horribly, obviously and stupendously flawed.

 

unless of course you have documented proof of say, the effiency of a model T versus even a modern tata is comparable to the performance gains going from 150mm to a 142mm rear axle spacing. Please, i await the proof.

 

Ironically, the Model T is not really known for the fact it's an automobile, but rather for the fact it introduced mass production concepts to industry that introduced standardization and lower costs. Yet, this what Omega correctly stated was mass production being used to introduce standards to keep prices up.

 

Again, stupendously flawed but i'm trying to think with mucous so i expect a thorough ass-whipping rebuttal..

Edited September 11, 2011 by Capricorn

[DawieO]

Not going to rebut actually. The crux of my opinion is that if you don't like the new trends don't partake and, by the same token, don't make a holy crusade out of your abstinence.