So what do you suggest
@wafter ? Communism? That didn't work did it? You're never going to get rid of consumerism in a free world with a free market, all you can ever hope to do is curb it.
Without going off on some ranty 5k word manifesto, capitalism's not working so well either, is it?
It's the same story as everything else in human history; we harness the power of our "intelligence" and opposable thumbs to exploit the natural resources around us, yet instead of using these finite assets respectfully and sparingly we mercillessly, unrelentingly rape the planet to pursue this ridiculous and clearly unsustainable model of perpetual economic growth..
Surely some model of restrained, pragmatic and sustainable consumption is the way forward..?
Consumerism? Disposable products? Well that's what you get by seeking out or expecting prices to go down. The reason things aren't as repairable in our consumerist world is because to make something as cheap as they are you have to design them to be made more efficiently. To make them repairable you have to make them more dismantlable which takes more time at various stages of production. Parts need to be reinforced at different/ extra places to take those fixings. No simple clip or glue together for example.
So every time you look for bargains for something your need you're effectively aiding the consumerism even though you need it not just want it.
A question of mis-placed values though; surely - if there was demand for longevity and quality manufacturers would work to satisfy that. Instead there's an enormous marketing conspiracy to up-sell products on the basis of anything but these values; shortening product lifespan and driving up sales / profit.
It shouldn't be forgotten that the bicycle industry was at the root of modern mass production systems for motorised vehicles moving from the manufacture of sewing machines to bicycles then diversifying. So creating consumer demand is not something suddenly new and evil but part of a continuum that started at the end of the Victorian era. Creating and meeting demands goes back to the early days of the Industrial Revolution, and perhaps the railways can be blamed, together with the catalogue companies, if you want to blame somebody, for promoting and making easily available factory made products that were almost impossible to get a generation or so before that.
Two very different things here though, no?
Meeting demain is arguably largely legit; offering a product to fulfil an existing need. For example, Barry needs a means of getting around that's faster than walking but cheaper and more sustainable than driving. Barry buys a bike, Barry's needs are met and Barry is happy.
Conversely, we have Barry cycling round happily on his modest bike (which does absolutely everything he could ever ask of it), only to be told that it (and by extension he) is obsolete and inferior because it's made out of an outdated material / is too heavy / doesn't have the latest tech). Barry feel inferior, chucks his old faithful in the skip and buys a new shiny replacement.
So in summar, meeting demands is fine, while those attempting to falsely manufacture demand should be burned annualy in a giant wicker man on the village green
Not so much out of fashion as becoming obsolete in the face of competition from lighter materials.
Obsolete by what metrics though, and at what costs? Sure, if you're a keen racing snake and losing half a kilo of bike mass will shave 1% off your time on the local strava-wang-waving segment matters to you;"upgrading" is arguably worth the cost.
On the other if you're casual weekend cyclist / commuter, is paying a considerable sum to "upgrade" to something that will make zero perceptable difference to you journey; along with potentially being far more fragile / short-lived an astute decision?
Marketing appears all about defining irrelvant parameters and values as relevant. People naturally assume that "what's good for the TdF rider must be good for me" when really there's very little common ground between the requirements of each party and buying into the values that make a good TdF bike will probably work to the detriment of many leisure riders.. despite what the marketing says.
*EDITED* because I was unable to post the original response and had to cut-and-paste into a new one; causing all manner of carnage..
