Bike boom - is it over?

[LazyTrailRider]

Haha, clearly the boom is still in full swing, based on @Headshot's CRC tip-off I also just picked up a Nukeproof Horizon V2 carbon bar at a claimed 51% off (even if BS, still going to be cheaper landed than a Lyne and it will match the glossy black carbon on the bike it's destined for) 😜

[kosmonooit]

I'll have to agree that the price of most new bicycles do not represent their material value. Proof of this is how most of these  bikes half their value once they roll out the door of the dealer.

I'm looking for a 250 or so motorbike to rip around town on missions that do not require four wheels.  For R75k you can get a new fuel injected Yamaha XT250. Think of all the engineering and mechanics / electronics that goes into such a product, its quite a reasonable price imo. I'll be paying cash once I have it.

Now what with a fancy road or mtb bike new north of R100k, it just doesn't weigh up....

Just a matter of time before the big brand con bubble pop?

[NotSoBigBen]

On 7/28/2022 at 11:32 AM, Mongoose! said:

Sunrace 11 speed cassette  all the way for me 

Swopped my XD freebody for a Shimano one

Who really needs a 10t / 12 gears at the rear anyway ...🙃

 

Ai mate go look there where the MEN are discussing chain ring sizes ... A 36 minimum with a 10 that's what you must have!

#JustKidding

[_David_]

8 hours ago, kosmonooit said:

I'll have to agree that the price of most new bicycles do not represent their material value. Proof of this is how most of these  bikes half their value once they roll out the door of the dealer.

I'm looking for a 250 or so motorbike to rip around town on missions that do not require four wheels.  For R75k you can get a new fuel injected Yamaha XT250. Think of all the engineering and mechanics / electronics that goes into such a product, its quite a reasonable price imo. I'll be paying cash once I have it.

Now what with a fancy road or mtb bike new north of R100k, it just doesn't weigh up....

Just a matter of time before the big brand con bubble pop?

Should maybe change the title to: Bike Rip-Off - is it over?

Edited August 3, 2022 by _David_

[Showtime]

2 hours ago, NotSoBigBen said:

Ai mate go look there where the MEN are discussing chain ring sizes ... A 36 minimum with a 10 that's what you must have!

#JustKidding

You need to refresh your browser. It's 38 now.

[LazyTrailRider]

Back to the topic at hand:

My LBS is apparently one of the two top Specialized dealerships in the country. About 2 months ago they were waiting for a shipment of 80 Levos (yes, 80). Guess what? Almost all of them were pre-sold, the rest reserved as demo bikes.

I have a great relationship with them, so I hear crazy stories all the time. For example, people walking in and buying 2 pairs of S-Works Recon shoes (R6k/pair) in different colours for different days.

Make no mistake, there is a lot of money to be made if you can corner the top 5% of the market.

Edited August 3, 2022 by LazyTrailRider
Changed the intro sentence

[bleedToWin]

9 hours ago, kosmonooit said:

I'm looking for a 250 or so motorbike to rip around town on missions that do not require four wheels.  For R75k you can get a new fuel injected Yamaha XT250.

What a boring distopia we live in... 🙄

Sure we can't do apples with apples here, but let's at least make sure the fruit that we compare are of the same size.

If you want a bicycle to rip around town, you know, on rides that don't require a racing bicycle, go pick up a Schwinn Fastback with Claris from Cyclelab for R12k. It's plenty of bike. In fact, you might even be overbiked. You know what, I'll even supply a Multiply voucher for you then it will only set you back R9k.

A BMW M1000RR will set you back R700k.
A Trek Madone SLR 7 will set you back R140k.
Seems fair.

FFS people, we don't need to have the best, or near best, but if we decide to get the good stuff then it costs a lot of money. It's life.

/rant
 

[The Ouzo]

2 minutes ago, bleedToWin said:

What a boring distopia we live in... 🙄

Sure we can't do apples with apples here, but let's at least make sure the fruit that we compare are of the same size.

If you want a bicycle to rip around town, you know, on rides that don't require a racing bicycle, go pick up a Schwinn Fastback with Claris from Cyclelab for R12k. It's plenty of bike. In fact, you might even be overbiked. You know what, I'll even supply a Multiply voucher for you then it will only set you back R9k.

A BMW M1000RR will set you back R700k.
A Trek Madone SLR 7 will set you back R140k.
Seems fair.

FFS people, we don't need to have the best, or near best, but if we decide to get the good stuff then it costs a lot of money. It's life.

/rant
 

100%, good point

A Honda Ace 125 will get you around town with ease. You can have one for less than 30k

A Titan commuting bicycle will be around 5k

But you can also have an all singing all dancing  Fireblade for around 500k and a all singing all  dancing carbon bicycle for 250k

[Schnavel]

4 minutes ago, bleedToWin said:

What a boring distopia we live in... 🙄

Sure we can't do apples with apples here, but let's at least make sure the fruit that we compare are of the same size.

If you want a bicycle to rip around town, you know, on rides that don't require a racing bicycle, go pick up a Schwinn Fastback with Claris from Cyclelab for R12k. It's plenty of bike. In fact, you might even be overbiked. You know what, I'll even supply a Multiply voucher for you then it will only set you back R9k.

A BMW M1000RR will set you back R700k.
A Trek Madone SLR 7 will set you back R140k.
Seems fair.

FFS people, we don't need to have the best, or near best, but if we decide to get the good stuff then it costs a lot of money. It's life.

/rant
 

I agree with this - our perception of what is considered to be a decent bicycle in South Africa, is somewhat skewed. 

Something I noted in most places in Europe is that very few people have the fancy top of the range bikes. I was very hard pressed to find any bikes with Dura-Ace or Red, or Sworks. The majority of bikes were kitted out with 105 mechanical or lower. For some reason, South Africa is somewhat of a niche market in that everyone only wants to have the best equipment possible (di2, AXS).

[throttles]

6 minutes ago, bleedToWin said:

It's plenty of bike. In fact, you might even be overbiked. You know what, I'll even supply a Multiply voucher for you then it will only set you back R9k.

If you're serious i'd like to take you up on your offer.

[lechatnoir]

8 minutes ago, LazyTrailRider said:

Back to the topic at hand:

My LBS is apparently one of the two top Specialized dealerships in the country. About 2 months ago they were waiting for a shipment of 80 Levos (yes, 80). Guess what? Almost all of them were pre-sold, the rest reserved as demo bikes.

I have a great relationship with them, so I hear crazy stories all the time. For example, people walking in and buying 2 pairs of S-Works Recon shoes (R6k/pair) in different colours for different days.

Make no mistake, there is a lot of money to be made if you can corner the top 5% of the market.

So when you blast past the guy on different days, he seems like a different rider... if you're not fast, you must be clever

[kosmonooit]

Actually the pedal bike I use around here is a 22 year old 26" Cannondale F500 Fatty, with 1st gen Hope Disc brakes, and a few broken spokes.

Even still, compare the contents and engineering of ur Trek Mandone  and a Yamaha XT250 motor cycle, for about 1/2 the price!  and that's damn fine motor bike.

 

[Jewbacca]

7 minutes ago, Schnavel said:

I agree with this - our perception of what is considered to be a decent bicycle in South Africa, is somewhat skewed. 

Something I noted in most places in Europe is that very few people have the fancy top of the range bikes. I was very hard pressed to find any bikes with Dura-Ace or Red, or Sworks. The majority of bikes were kitted out with 105 mechanical or lower. For some reason, South Africa is somewhat of a niche market in that everyone only wants to have the best equipment possible (di2, AXS).

SA is very much a class driven society. With land areas being segregated and stigmatised, there is a constant look to move 'up' the food chain.

As we are a car centric society, this begins here. Almost every household is over carred. Bakkies that don't see loads and dirt roads, Mom's SUV that is used to cart 1 kid and their school bag 14km etc... (yes, there are outliers but I'm talking generally).

This then goes to Subaru's kitted out with all the bells and whistles parked outside a house that is falling apart and Mk1 golfs that look like space ships living next to a shack.

Brand name clothing, brand name groceries, LUXURY items seen as norm. We consume Mayonaise like water in this country.

It is inevitable that those with money will over bike when they ride, over shoe when they run, over board when they surf etc..... The culture of the 'affluent' (the top 10% who actually have money and TIME for hobbies) is one of excess without even realising.

Growing up with space, in big houses, with help, staff etc has made a lot of people pretty junk. 

It's a very 'I want the shinies so I must have the shinies and because I have usually been able to get what I have wanted in my life, I am entitled to the shinies!'

The pinch is hitting people who have floated above it for a long long time. Those living with less have systematically been living with less and less for a while. It is just starting to effect those who haven't really had to tighten their belts before.

 

[Hairy]

23 minutes ago, kosmonooit said:

Actually the pedal bike I use around here is a 22 year old 26" Cannondale F500 Fatty, with 1st gen Hope Disc brakes, and a few broken spokes.

Even still, compare the contents and engineering of ur Trek Mandone  and a Yamaha XT250 motor cycle, for about 1/2 the price!  and that's damn fine motor bike.

 

Pics of that F500 or it never happened .... no pics of the broken spokes please, no reason to bring people to tears

[dave303e]

23 minutes ago, bleedToWin said:

What a boring distopia we live in... 🙄

Sure we can't do apples with apples here, but let's at least make sure the fruit that we compare are of the same size.

If you want a bicycle to rip around town, you know, on rides that don't require a racing bicycle, go pick up a Schwinn Fastback with Claris from Cyclelab for R12k. It's plenty of bike. In fact, you might even be overbiked. You know what, I'll even supply a Multiply voucher for you then it will only set you back R9k.

A BMW M1000RR will set you back R700k.
A Trek Madone SLR 7 will set you back R140k.
Seems fair.

FFS people, we don't need to have the best, or near best, but if we decide to get the good stuff then it costs a lot of money. It's life.

/rant
 

ok I'll bite... apples to apples it is then.

Husky TE300i, is a full on race bike, R161k, S-works Epic is R240k.

Seem fair?

[LazyTrailRider]

7 minutes ago, Jewbacca said:

SA is very much a class driven society. With land areas being segregated and stigmatised, there is a constant look to move 'up' the food chain.

As we are a car centric society, this begins here. Almost every household is over carred. Bakkies that don't see loads and dirt roads, Mom's SUV that is used to cart 1 kid and their school bag 14km etc... (yes, there are outliers but I'm talking generally).

This then goes to Subaru's kitted out with all the bells and whistles parked outside a house that is falling apart and Mk1 golfs that look like space ships living next to a shack.

Brand name clothing, brand name groceries, LUXURY items seen as norm. We consume Mayonaise like water in this country.

It is inevitable that those with money will over bike when they ride, over shoe when they run, over board when they surf etc..... The culture of the 'affluent' (the top 10% who actually have money and TIME for hobbies) is one of excess without even realising.

Growing up with space, in big houses, with help, staff etc has made a lot of people pretty junk. 

It's a very 'I want the shinies so I must have the shinies and because I have usually been able to get what I have wanted in my life, I am entitled to the shinies!'

The pinch is hitting people who have floated above it for a long long time. Those living with less have systematically been living with less and less for a while. It is just starting to effect those who haven't really had to tighten their belts before.

 

This nails the entire thread on the head 100%.

Sad, but true.