Opinion on Cost of bikes

[Paul Ruinaard]

I realized this a good few years back and decided to go steel on all of my bikes and hand built them up.

The cycling industry is a total rip off

Couldn't agree more. 

 

There was a post on a foreign website around this for MTB and road.

 

The recommendations i remember - XT and SLX brakes - the only thing different essentially is the cover on the outside of the brake lever.

 

Same thing with 105 - essentially two to three year old Dura Ace.

 

Similar with XT  and XTR (and SLX)

 

I have still got to get out of the habit of wanting XTR shifters and rear derailleur on the MTB. Cranks and FD are XT or SLX.

 

Clusters and chains - whoever is having a special - and whatever i can buy cheaply - Shimano and SRM.

 

Rims - MTB are Stans/ZTR and hubs are Hope (bulletproof). Road - you can spend the price of a whole bike here (R20k for Carbon clinchers where ally road rims hand built by Spoke Works will cost you R 7k) .

 

Frames - bring them in myself. Chinese Carbon or something I can buy second hand on Ebay at 18 to 24 months old.

 

Build it all yourself and keep migrating the bits between bikes.

 

When you need to do an upgrade (or want to) then you just buy a  frame/fork combo from China.

 

I haven't paid more than R 35k for a bike since 2008 and that was a completely new S Works Epic with XTR and DT SWiss wheels.

 

I have in my garage a tandem, 2 x road bikes (Specialized Roubaix and Colnago C40) a hardtail MTB (Momsen - wife's bike so has all my trickle down on it) and my MTB which is an S Works Epic 2013 built as per the above. Oh and my CX bike which is a chinese carbon frame and a hybrid of some MTB bits and pieces running 105 and all the above.

 

I am always moving bits in between and upgrading and changing but most of my mates ask for assistance when buying new bikes and I tell them the same as above - just buy frames and forks.

 

I do maintain this lot and my LBS knows i keep everything working and in good order.

 

But large new bike purchases - haven't doen that in a long time (Oh I lie - tandem - but that is specialist and really not worth trying to assemble).

[HappyMartin]

It's called capitalism. A system that has been around for a while now and most people like it. Companies get to charge what they think the market will tolerate. If you don't like the price you don't buy the item. Company is either forced to lower prices or go out of business or even both. Simple really. It's what determines what you earn for the most part.

 

The system is not perfect and is frequently corrupted. You could move to North Korea if it really annoys you or if you are the type that has difficulty determining the difference between what can be changed and what must be accepted you could also join your local branch of the communist party. Oh and good luck.

[Shebeen]

Let us compare apples with apples. Identical apples in fact. Let's call those apples South African Rand, ZAR for short.

 

Now look at what you can buy at various size of Apple bags when you want to buy either an unpowered bicycle or a motorcycle.

 

Throughout the range where you can buy both, you get much more motorbike for your apples that you get bicycle.

 

Consider the number of components that have to be researched, designed, manufactured, assembled, etc. to build a motorbike. Contrast that with what is needed to assemble a bicycle, and the difference becomes clear.

you can get a R500 Dunlop at makro. That price the only motorbike you get is radio controlled.

 

I think the comparison is valid, mtb are way over priced but people pay it. But I think it's silly to look at a R190k cannondale that is almost a boutique buy as the yardstick. How much does the latest Sworks epic go for, R110k? Lots of those sold and I'm sure the dirt bike for that price is much better value for money.

 

I don't know much about motorbikes, only time I've been to a motorbike shop is to buy full finger gloves for mtb riding. So I'm on the same page there!

[madbradd]

Your problem there is Shimano.

 Cos you know... SRAM don't take the piss with the pricing on their 11s cassettes at all. Never mind that 2 years down the line they announce 12 speed.

[ChUkKy]

To answer that you will first need to buy 10km of private race track to test them on.

 

N1 or the N3 is for free...

 

Free is subject to getting caught

[Halfdoesyn]

If you'd like to depress yourself try this simple exercise.

 

Go to your LBS and price Dot brake fluid and fork oil. That's if they'll even sell it to you but that's a different argument.

 

Then. Go to a motorcycle store and price the same stuff.

 

 

You're going to be surprised. But not in a good way.

Then go to Midas, rinse, repeat.

[Hennie VR]

Toxic.

 

I hope for your part that Omnico does not read this thread. They can see it you abused the bike and used it for purposes it was not intended and that may void your warranty. 

[Beer4Recovery]

"Naturally we justify this type of spending with:

'My XTR cranks are so much stiffer than, bla bla, bla...'

SHUT UP. Are you Loic Bruni? No? Then stop talking ***.

 

 

We're to be blamed for this overpriced mess we find ourselves in.

Because we're stupid"

 

LOL!! Love this! Made my day! 

[karma]

LOL!! Love this! Made my day! 

 

But, my SRAM carbon cranks ARE stiffer than your XTR cranks. 

[GrahamS2]

 

Similar with XT  and XTR (and SLX)

XT and XTR are significantly different. They're made in different countries for one thing, higher grade steels are used in XTR, tighter manufacturing tolerances and more QA. 

[nonky]

Couldn't agree more. 

 

There was a post on a foreign website around this for MTB and road.

 

The recommendations i remember - XT and SLX brakes - the only thing different essentially is the cover on the outside of the brake lever.

 

Same thing with 105 - essentially two to three year old Dura Ace.

 

Similar with XT  and XTR (and SLX)

 

I have still got to get out of the habit of wanting XTR shifters and rear derailleur on the MTB. Cranks and FD are XT or SLX.

 

Clusters and chains - whoever is having a special - and whatever i can buy cheaply - Shimano and SRM.

 

Rims - MTB are Stans/ZTR and hubs are Hope (bulletproof). Road - you can spend the price of a whole bike here (R20k for Carbon clinchers where ally road rims hand built by Spoke Works will cost you R 7k) .

 

Frames - bring them in myself. Chinese Carbon or something I can buy second hand on Ebay at 18 to 24 months old.

 

Build it all yourself and keep migrating the bits between bikes.

 

When you need to do an upgrade (or want to) then you just buy a  frame/fork combo from China.

 

I haven't paid more than R 35k for a bike since 2008 and that was a completely new S Works Epic with XTR and DT SWiss wheels.

 

I have in my garage a tandem, 2 x road bikes (Specialized Roubaix and Colnago C40) a hardtail MTB (Momsen - wife's bike so has all my trickle down on it) and my MTB which is an S Works Epic 2013 built as per the above. Oh and my CX bike which is a chinese carbon frame and a hybrid of some MTB bits and pieces running 105 and all the above.

 

I am always moving bits in between and upgrading and changing but most of my mates ask for assistance when buying new bikes and I tell them the same as above - just buy frames and forks.

 

I do maintain this lot and my LBS knows i keep everything working and in good order.

 

But large new bike purchases - haven't doen that in a long time (Oh I lie - tandem - but that is specialist and really not worth trying to assemble).

 

 

What a brilliant post.  This is where i would like to go.

[Halfdoesyn]

XT and XTR are significantly different. They're made in different countries for one thing, higher grade steels are used in XTR, tighter manufacturing tolerances and more QA. 

Oh dear...

[stefmeister]

 Cos you know... SRAM don't take the piss with the pricing on their 11s cassettes at all. Never mind that 2 years down the line they announce 12 speed.

Take that cassette to an engineering company, ask them to 3d scan it, and what the machining will cost you. Extruded parts like that don't come cheap.

 

As for the rest of the industry, it's seriously overprice when one compares that with motorbikes, and it really gets my goat when marketing/advertising goes on about how advanced and hi tech it is whatever they are doing. BS, I would bet money on that the bicycle industry to date hasn't developed any new technology, and everything is adopted from other industries. So, therefore no serious R&D ever takes place, and at best they are competent with design software like solid works and rhino3d. 

[Paul Ruinaard]

Take that cassette to an engineering company, ask them to 3d scan it, and what the machining will cost you. Extruded parts like that don't come cheap.

 

As for the rest of the industry, it's seriously overprice when one compares that with motorbikes, and it really gets my goat when marketing/advertising goes on about how advanced and hi tech it is whatever they are doing. BS, I would bet money on that the bicycle industry to date hasn't developed any new technology, and everything is adopted from other industries. So, therefore no serious R&D ever takes place, and at best they are competent with design software like solid works and rhino3d. 

Well said.

 

Its not like Formula 1 and others havent done a lot of the R&D before the bicycle industry has come along. So the costs are sunk and the skills exist. Leverage others knowledge

 

And once the costs of the initial mould are covered in the Taiwanese factory, the rest is pure fat.

 

I need to actually do some digging around the financials of some of these companies like Specialized etc. which I think are privately held.

[gummibear]

XT and XTR are significantly different. They're made in different countries for one thing, higher grade steels are used in XTR, tighter manufacturing tolerances and more QA. 

XTR and XT made in different factories but made in Japan.

 

Most riders and with that i include semi pro's won't know the difference between the 2.

[Toxic]

Toxic.

 

I hope for your part that Omnico does not read this thread. They can see it you abused the bike and used it for purposes it was not intended and that may void your warranty. 

Fingers Crossed