Crazy prices for cycling gear

[Davey_Jones]

What gets me is not necessarily the price of the most expensive stuff out there (there's always something really expensive in any industry), but more the number of people with the second and third most expensive bits of kit. For instance how many folks you see with sworks shoes (or equivalent), or riding R80k+ bikes, or with R25k wheel sets etc.

I don't mind that people have that if you really are a serious competitor.  It bothers me when someone has that and does a 7 hour 94.7. Then i think hey if they keeping the sport alive and pumping hundreds of thousands of rands into it...who cares.

[Veebee]

What gets me is not necessarily the price of the most expensive stuff out there (there's always something really expensive in any industry), but more the number of people with the second and third most expensive bits of kit. For instance how many folks you see with sworks shoes (or equivalent), or riding R80k+ bikes, or with R25k wheel sets etc.

 

If they can afford it then why not ?

[Veebee]

I don't mind that people have that if you really are a serious competitor.  It bothers me when someone has that and does a 7 hour 94.7. Then i think hey if they keeping the sport alive and pumping hundreds of thousands of rands into it...who cares.

 

again, so what ?

[Dieter ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

Do you also have a moan when someone can afford a fast car but can't manage a decent lap time around Kyalami?

[Shebeen]

I don't mind that people have that if you really are a serious competitor.  It bothers me when someone has that and does a 7 hour 94.7. Then i think hey if they keeping the sport alive and pumping hundreds of thousands of rands into it...who cares.

I know it's their money, but I do hope they are just as generous with their staff and other people whose lives they can affect just as well with a bit of cash.

[PhilipV]

I don't mind it if the cutting edge of technology is expensive, but it really sucks if the cattle class items gets expensive as well.

[Jurgens Smit]

I know it's their money, but I do hope they are just as generous with their staff and other people whose lives they can affect just as well with a bit of cash.

 

Why should you be generous with someone just because they are your staff?

If they don't deserve it why should you give it to them?

 

This whole 'bakhand' syndrome is SA is really getting out of hand with people expecting to be given things because others have more.

[Dexter-morgan]

The only thing that crosses my mind is when People pay big cash for something that is way above its actual value, eventually the run of the mill stuff also goes up beyond where it is supposed to.

[T-Bob]

I thought this was pretty up there for R174K... 

 

https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/259064-road-bikes/

 

And from a brand I really wouldn't put high up my list of companies to look at when thinking of top end bikes. 

[Letum911]

I don't care how people spend their money, I do have an issue if you do not do your part for charity but splurge on something utterly overpriced. By charity I do not mean give to those who are plain useless, but give to those who CANNOT help themselves, in this I specifically refer to kids and animals. Not some useless sod who's self worth won't allow them to perform manual labor, waiting on tables or work for R3k a month.

 

As for overpriced items in cycling, may I just label the most stupid priced part of the sport is CYCLING. I believe that most of the run of the mill items are overpriced, just look at what you pay for an average decent tyre, R600.00, the tyre on my car is R900.00. I get more mileage and rubber for the money. The high end, top of the range items are the pinnacle of the sport, and there is a price to pay to own it. But as new technology is developed and the old technology siphons down the ranks surely it gets cheaper to produce. Meaning a tyre can rather sell for R400.00.

 

Rant over.

[Serious Panda]

There is an easy solution to this problem - everyone must just buy the best value equipment.

[PhilipV]

Why should you be generous with someone just because they are your staff?

If they don't deserve it why should you give it to them?

 

This whole 'bakhand' syndrome is SA is really getting out of hand with people expecting to be given things because others have more.

There is a difference between being generous and exploitation.

The guy that exploits his human capital because he can and he knows that labour is cheap and can easily be replaced is a far cry from the guy who knows his staff are also human and looks after them.

You'll also see a massive difference in staff turn over between these two.

[Spinnekop]

I don't care how people spend their money, I do have an issue if you do not do your part for charity but splurge on something utterly overpriced. By charity I do not mean give to those who are plain useless, but give to those who CANNOT help themselves, in this I specifically refer to kids and animals. Not some useless sod who's self worth won't allow them to perform manual labor, waiting on tables or work for R3k a month.

 

As for overpriced items in cycling, may I just label the most stupid priced part of the sport is CYCLING. I believe that most of the run of the mill items are overpriced, just look at what you pay for an average decent tyre, R600.00, the tyre on my car is R900.00. I get more mileage and rubber for the money. The high end, top of the range items are the pinnacle of the sport, and there is a price to pay to own it. But as new technology is developed and the old technology siphons down the ranks surely it gets cheaper to produce. Meaning a tyre can rather sell for R400.00.

 

Rant over.

If you are paying R600 a tyre and not R400, you are shopping at the wrong place.

 

Just saying.

[Skubarra]

again, so what ?

 

you are of course 100% correct, no compelling reason a rich person should suffer on cheap equipment just because he/she is a terrible cyclist.

 

but at some level I will always feel it is a sad waste of high-end equipment potential  

[J∆kk∆ls]

http://baumcycles.bigcartel.com/product/baum-custom-bicycle-deposit

 

How about a $500 deposit and a waiting time of over a year. 

[Jurgens Smit]

There is a difference between being generous and exploitation.

The guy that exploits his human capital because he can and he knows that labour is cheap and can easily be replaced is a far cry from the guy who knows his staff are also human and looks after them.

You'll also see a massive difference in staff turn over between these two.

 

Agreed, exploitation is not right.

But the comment I reacted to 

 

"I know it's their money, but I do hope they are just as generous with their staff and other people whose lives they can affect just as well with a bit of cash."

 

Says that you should rather be generous with your money than buy that new Sworks or Super Record, Bora Ultra equipped Colnago (which will def help you make that sub 7 94.7  )

 

Why should you be generous if you are already paying your staff what they are worth?

If you start being generous people expect that generosity and you sit with a problem of people too lazy to work because hey some oke will rather give you money than buy himself a new bike.

 

If you want to be generous do like Letum911 says and set up a debit order to a charity that actually does good work.