2023: The Year For a Bargain

[Vapin' Joe]

The Covid cycling boom has ended, importers and retailers who were frantically buying up everything they could get their hands on for the last few years now find themselves overstocked. Serious discounting expected this year -
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/2023-set-to-be-year-of-bike-bargains-according-to-retailers

 

[Slick]

According to retailers.

 

[bonzobanana]

Also applies to secondhand bikes. If new bikes prices come down then used bikes sell for less too. I suspect some stock will be cleared at major discounts but soon the industry will adapt to less demand and they will import less bikes and have less reason to discount. At what point do bike retailers start panicing that they have too much stock of a certain bike and start discounting more heavily. A quick google shows there are still a huge amount of bikes sold without discount with some Claris based road bikes going for close to £1000. The price point that news report mentioned as desperate to shift but they don't look that desperate to me and in fact isn't this a fast moving price point for bikes its the higher priced bikes that typically sell in far lower quantities. Yes they may have more of these Claris bikes but if someone wants a new bike they are more likely to be looking to pay less nowadays and these bikes will be more appealing.

 

[Chislenko]

The daily email from Merlin has recently had some more heavily discounted items than usual.

Got me to thinking that they were now in an overstock position and were trying to shift inventory / put money back in the bank.

 

[Jameshow]

I doubt it as inflation will eat into any discounts. So any new bikes will be priced higher making old stock gvm

Second hand prices will remain buoyant as people turn to bikes to save on fuel.

Perhaps one area where discounts will be available will be high end bikes brought by people as a luxury and when the gas bill comes in or the choice between a holiday abroad then the bike goes...

 

[Peter Salt]

Sounds like 'retailers' just want people to think they're getting a bargain, because it's 10% off a price that was 30% over to begin with

 

[mustang1]

Sounds like 'retailers' just want people to think they're getting a bargain, because it's 10% off a price that was 30% over to begin with

I wonder if any bike news media will report on that. I doubt it. The hand that feeds and all that...

 

[Milzy]

I can’t see bargains. Just rip offs. Best thing to do is source parts separately and build up.

 

[DRM]

Nothing but "Sale" E-mails coming out of Planet X daily at the moment, including an open day, strange since they closed the door to visitors a while back

 

[Gunk]

Prices have definitely cooled, I sold my Brompton at the height of the boom in 2021 for a ridiculous £750, instantly regretted parting with it.

but two years later there are loads for sale on Facebook marketplace, as people who have stopped commuting and are tight for cash are off loading them. £600 now buys a very good, straight, clean M3L