Why are bicycle tyres so expensive?

[The Ouzo]

3 minutes ago, betaboy said:

To manufacture rubber there is a huge cost factor and that cost Ladies and Gentleman is Oil. Have anybody seen the price of a pack of Durex? Scale economics goes out the window there… 😂😂😂 its got the thinnest walls but best protection! 

but consider the cost of NOT using a condom

[devvydoesdonuts]

5 minutes ago, The Ouzo said:

My take on the pricing, both points have been mentioned.

1) Price gouging by manufacturers and distributors. Because they can, because we are druggies

2) R&D and materials. We all want the lightest with the least rolling resistance and the most puncture resistant.

Thats not to say that car tyres dont have massive R&D thrown at them, they also strive for lighter, grippier, quieter and longer lasting. But as has been mentioned, typically you're getting 10's of thousands of km out of a car tyre, so cost per km is lower.

 

I have to agree with point 1. 

To add to point 2, would it not be that because bicycle tyres are smaller than car tyres, they are more difficult to manufacture? I know in some cases the moulds and machinery used to make anything, become more expensive the smaller the items are, due to the intricacies of the tooling and machinery used, therefore making the manufacturing costs that little bit extra? 

With it all being said bike tyres are expensive, no matter which way you look at it. Sometimes we can get great life out of the tyres, sometimes we don't, it's luck of the draw I guess.

[betaboy]

1 minute ago, The Ouzo said:

but consider the cost of NOT using a condom

Exactly.. unless you happy like “Nick Cannon”! 😂😂😂 

[The Ouzo]

1 hour ago, FondTF2 said:

It's all relative IMHO.

If you can afford to drop over 3 bar on a car, then 9K for a tyre should theoretically be a drop in the ocean. 

Likewise, if you can afford a MTB in excess of 20/30 k, then 1k plus for a tyre should be understandable.

 

So lets put it this way. I have a bike, replacement cost is 20-30k. But I did not buy it new, so I paid a fair bit less than that. What this boils down to is that tyres are each costing nearly 10% of the purchase price of the bike. So 2 tyres are 20% of what I bought the bike for.

[Shebeen]

15 hours ago, Ncayi said:

As I wait for my overpriced helmet to arrive
 

Cost of helmets pisses me off too.

Wish industry could lobby to get the import duties removed for what is a safety item.

 

not MIPS but this range looks decent bang for buck. anyone field tested them anymore since this thread?

https://www.rookiesports.co.za/product-category/cycling/helmets/

[DieselnDust]

3 minutes ago, Shebeen said:

Cost of helmets pisses me off too.

Wish industry could lobby to get the import duties removed for what is a safety item.

 

not MIPS but this range looks decent bang for buck. anyone field tested them anymore since this thread?

https://www.rookiesports.co.za/product-category/cycling/helmets/

Black diamond safety helmet that can be used for mountaineering , white water kayaking skateboarding, windsurfing kite boarding R500-00

one can buy a bicycle helmet for that price but it will be less aero, less fashionable than a R8000 Aether and makes less of a statement of “look at what I spent on a piece of EPS “

a custom surfboard costs a just a few ZARK more with higher  labour input, More EpS , more plastic….

pull my other finger 

[peepeekaitjie]

don't get me started on brake pads

[dave303e]

3 minutes ago, peepeekaitjie said:

don't get me started on brake pads

and chains

[DieselnDust]

14 minutes ago, dave303e said:

and chains

These are less of a problem . I replace my Mtb chain once per year so it’s not a crazy expense. 
but tyres last about 1500km after which they’re past their best despite some tread left. So that’s 4 sets of tyres per year. I spend that on my car tyre’s every 2.5 to 3yrs. 
 

 

[dasilvarsa]

5 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

These are less of a problem . I replace my Mtb chain once per year so it’s not a crazy expense. 
but tyres last about 1500km after which they’re past their best despite some tread left. So that’s 4 sets of tyres per year. I spend that on my car tyre’s every 2.5 to 3yrs. 
 

 

I get 5000+ on back and Twice than on Front (Maxxis Tyres)

[Headshot]

53 minutes ago, peepeekaitjie said:

don't get me started on brake pads

I just bought some front brake pads for a moto - R340 - 20 times the material that's in a bike brake pad and will last waaay longer. Moto chain quick link - also way more metal, with o-rings and a pack of special grease - R70. 

[Jewbacca]

1 hour ago, peepeekaitjie said:

don't get me started on brake pads

Can't stop won't stop...... 

[TheoG]

14 minutes ago, Headshot said:

I just bought some front brake pads for a moto - R340 - 20 times the material that's in a bike brake pad and will last waaay longer. Moto chain quick link - also way more metal, with o-rings and a pack of special grease - R70. 

Just more proof that we are being screwed through our ears !!!

[betaboy]

6 minutes ago, TheoG said:

Just more proof that we are being screwed through our ears !!!

100%… the game has changed, I remember the days when Specialized was the new kid on the block and Mike was all for serving the average rider. Many earlier interviews had him pinned as a market disrupter with his value targeted products. There was nothing like it is today. Specialised quickly swooped hats and became a premier brand and out rolled the yuppie wanker concept stores across the globe! 
Folks riding a bike has became a more complex affair, Our obsession with weight and all its glory has become insane. We used to use our equipment till it broke, we never got new bikes every year. We’ve created this monster… , and it won’t stop till someone figures out how to throw this thing off the mountain. The amount of waste we produce for the environment with our carbon bikes is another reason cycling will change… with every country going green, all industries will have to confirm.

 

[dave303e]

49 minutes ago, DieselnDust said:

These are less of a problem . I replace my Mtb chain once per year so it’s not a crazy expense. 
but tyres last about 1500km after which they’re past their best despite some tread left. So that’s 4 sets of tyres per year. I spend that on my car tyre’s every 2.5 to 3yrs. 
 

 

I am mostly a gravel grinder so my tyres tend to last. I have always been light on tyres though.

But chains and cassettes for me are a joke. Take an NX and XX1 eagle cassette. Now you can run any 12 speed sram derailleur and it will work with the either cassette. So from a practical design function it is the same part and can be used interchangeably. There is likely only minor differences and then material differences. How can they justify an R11k price difference on the parts given that there is only 350-500grams of material and they are essentially the exact same part. I just can't work it out. When I get shafted buying carbon plated shoes over normal running shoes. I at least can see an improvement in performance. I doubt I can feel a 100grams on a cassette...

28 minutes ago, Headshot said:

I just bought some front brake pads for a moto - R340 - 20 times the material that's in a bike brake pad and will last waaay longer. Moto chain quick link - also way more metal, with o-rings and a pack of special grease - R70. 

Brake pads is also big. But some more interesting ones- 32 or 34mm fox fork seals for mtb are more expensive than the fork seals for a 48mm fork that does a lot more work and far out performs the mtb forks.

If you want nice grips for a mtb. R400 for esi grips. For an MX bike Pro circuit pillow tops are R210.

MX if you tear or wear through the seat it is just replace the cover. MTB you have to buy a new seat for twice the price. Actually eff it. If I think I need to go back to enduro

[DieselnDust]

4 minutes ago, dave303e said:

I am mostly a gravel grinder so my tyres tend to last. I have always been light on tyres though.

But chains and cassettes for me are a joke. Take an NX and XX1 eagle cassette. Now you can run any 12 speed sram derailleur and it will work with the either cassette. So from a practical design function it is the same part and can be used interchangeably. There is likely only minor differences and then material differences. How can they justify an R11k price difference on the parts given that there is only 350-500grams of material and they are essentially the exact same part. I just can't work it out. When I get shafted buying carbon plated shoes over normal running shoes. I at least can see an improvement in performance. I doubt I can feel a 100grams on a cassette...

Brake pads is also big. But some more interesting ones- 32 or 34mm fox fork seals for mtb are more expensive than the fork seals for a 48mm fork that does a lot more work and far out performs the mtb forks.

If you want nice grips for a mtb. R400 for esi grips. For an MX bike Pro circuit pillow tops are R210.

MX if you tear or wear through the seat it is just replace the cover. MTB you have to buy a new seat for twice the price. Actually eff it. If I think I need to go back to enduro

I’ve difference between XX1 and NX cassette

stamped steel vs machinedtool steel for xx1/X01 being the biggest difference 

Pinned vs two piece construction 

just the machining cost alone is 10x the cost

both are overpriced though but since an XX1 cassette gives me 20,000km or more it’s only something I need to worry about every 3-4 yrs as opposed to an nx or GX cassette that would likely have to repacked every 1-2 hrs

 

all sport bicycle parts are over priced but some do actually over good value over their life span