Slow But Determined
Guest
Ok I give up, a totally innocuous post by me turns into a witch hunt.
Leave it with you.
Bike imports into UK fall to 10 year low
- Thread starter Cycleops
- Start date
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Ok I give up, a totally innocuous post by me turns into a witch hunt.
Leave it with you.
Shearwater Missile
Veteran
I did play the three tenors more than once though, twice at least !
SkipdiverJohn
Deplorable Brexiteer
- Location
- London
Fundamentally, that's the bottom line. Most people see cycling as hard work, and would rather drive around in a nice air-conditioned car listening to their tunes, than slogging their guts out getting up a hill on a bike and arriving in a sweaty dishevelled state.
The cost of top spec road bikes doesn't do anything to "sell" cycling to the masses either. They just look at a £2/3/4/5k price tag and go "how much?? for a push bike? - I can get a car for less than that!!"
- Location
- London
I can actually understand that.
Folks do often undervalue bikes, thinking a good new one should cost no more than £137, but there are some bonkers prices for bikes that really are only for Pros.
By the bye, have never understood or liked the term "push bike" - if you are pushing you are either seriously out of condition or have the wrong gears for the job.
Not criticising you I stress skipdiver.
Folks do often undervalue bikes, thinking a good new one should cost no more than £137, but there are some bonkers prices for bikes that really are only for Pros.
By the bye, have never understood or liked the term "push bike" - if you are pushing you are either seriously out of condition or have the wrong gears for the job.
Not criticising you I stress skipdiver.
SkipdiverJohn
Deplorable Brexiteer
- Location
- London
People see bicycles as simple machines, therefore there is no complication to them that justifies them being expensive. They are also a mature product; the dimensions that matter and the optimal geometry for each type of use, was discovered and refined decades ago. Unlike a complex product like an iPhone or new car, it costs very little in terms of development to design a bike. I could probably pen a half decent frameset on the back of an envelope, using the established rules for head/seat angles, fork offset and the various major dimensions - and it would likely ride fairly well without the need to build & test a single prototype.
Owners of expensive bikes often point the finger at cheap bikes for putting people off cycling. It might have some truth in the case of the very worst types of BSO, but a cheap bike can still prove to be both functional and long lasting, like my old 90's Apollo MTB. It hasn't put me off cycling; in fact I cover the most miles on my least valuable and lowest quality machines because I will risk using them in situations where I wouldn't use a "good" bike..
Owners of expensive bikes often point the finger at cheap bikes for putting people off cycling. It might have some truth in the case of the very worst types of BSO, but a cheap bike can still prove to be both functional and long lasting, like my old 90's Apollo MTB. It hasn't put me off cycling; in fact I cover the most miles on my least valuable and lowest quality machines because I will risk using them in situations where I wouldn't use a "good" bike..
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
Back on topic I am rescuing imports. A recumbent frame I ordered before the latest weakening of the pound has cleared customs today. Hopefully in the next couple of days I'll be getting a phone call to say it's on the way to my house. Then I get the enjoyment of planning and beginning the build.
Smokin Joe
Legendary Member
- Location
- Bare headed cyclist, Smoker
I agree with that. Too often cyclists keep looking for excuses as to why there aren't more of us when the answer is uncomplicated and obvious.
HMS_Dave
Grand Old Lady
No matter, manufacturers will adjust their planned obsolescence strategies accordingly...Seriously though, coming back into cycling myself my primary concern other than my unfit, overweight body wasn't cost as I realised I could even get a trike for less than £1000 (which I plan to get soon) but safety and the anti-cycling lobbyists. Its put me off for some time truth be told as I dont want to end up being twisted around the axles of an HGV. The way I've settled my mind is that I either die a miserable obesity related death or I die trying to rectify that but also have some faith. Time will ease my concerns im sure, but most people of whom cycling crosses their minds I reckon are put off by this aspect. General cycling networks surely must improve to combat this?
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SkipdiverJohn
Deplorable Brexiteer
- Location
- London
This is why I refuse to embrace modern junk cycling technology and insist on riding steel bikes with DIY-serviceable ball bearings and quill stems. I'm happy to be called a dinosaur, but none of my BB's creak and I can keep everything running smoothly with a pot of grease and a squirt of oil. Modern road bikes are designed for cheapness of assembly by the manufacturer, not reliable long service for the owner. It's ironic that these days, a low end hybrid or MTB, will have a threaded BB and headset that will likely outlast that fitted to a high priced road bike costing 10 or even 20 times as much new!
kingrollo
Guru
Yes , I feel a ppi style case maybe looming for bike manafacturers - £2.5k for a bike that creaks like hell - I am told by the manufacturer it's my fault for not greasing the BB every other weekend !!!
So people on expensive bakes are putting people off of buying bikes? no way have I ever seen anything like that happen.
- Location
- London
I realise this is a regular line of yours but you do have the option of addressing the technical issue raised by rollo. We may learn something. I might as I have no experience of press fit BBs. Do they have any advantages? Over to you.
