Technical Progress in Road Bikes

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Dogtrousers

Kilometre nibbler
I am not shocked for several reasons:
1. I dont get shocked easily.
2. £1700 is retail price ao street price will be lower soon enough.
3. I would only buy a new bike with 105 Di2 so the bike company will realise the bulk saving.
4. Everything goes ludicrously up in price over the years.
5. It goes up even more ludicrously over the covid period.
Ho hum, what can we do.

We discussed this on another thread a while ago and I think the markup for a new bike with 105 DI2 is about £700. That is, how much extra you'd pay vs a bike with mechanical.

I don't find that surprising. I'm not saying I think it's good value, but it's not surprising.
 

Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
Does it matter, given that you are lying down and your knees are ... wherever a recumbentist's knees are.

I have bar ends on road bike as well. But it matters on both recumbent and road bike as shifters are either side of knees in both cases. It’s only under seat steering where bar ends wouldn’t matter , but they are wider than your hips anyway.
 
OP
OP
Distorted Vision
The pandemic is over. I don't think it's justified reason. Sure there are other factors such high oil / energy prices because of the Ukraine conflict.
What goes up must come down doesn't seem to apply to new bike prices.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Prices won’t come down unless people stop buying…businesses globally have a lot of pandemic losses to recoup. Won’t happen overnight and may even be made worse by rising global inflation.
Cost of shipping also went sky high due to the pandemic, doubt it’s come down if it hasn’t needed to.
That said unlike the last two autumns, there are discounts on new bikes, although those may not match pre pandemic reduced prices
 

Jameshow

Veteran
Prices won’t come down unless people stop buying…businesses globally have a lot of pandemic losses to recoup. Won’t happen overnight and may even be made worse by rising global inflation.
Cost of shipping also went sky high due to the pandemic, doubt it’s come down if it hasn’t needed to.
That said unlike the last two autumns, there are discounts on new bikes, although those may not match pre pandemic reduced prices

I reckon bike prices will fall due to hike in utility bills and inflation.

For most bikes are a seasonal leisure item which we don't need but desire so will be the first thing to not to buy or to be sold if we are cash strapped.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
I reckon bike prices will fall due to hike in utility bills and inflation.

For most bikes are a seasonal leisure item which we don't need but desire so will be the first thing to not to buy or to be sold if we are cash strapped.

Used prices are certainly falling in the U.K., but new it’s a global market and there’ll still be plenty of people able to buy the higher end machines the OP is considering. They may just wait a little longer to replace their car!
Manufacturers may also just make fewer of the 3k+ models and keep prices high.
Surely inflation will drive prices up not down? It may just reduce sales
 

mustang1

Legendary Member
Location
London, UK
All I know* is that i bought all the bikes I will ever need** while the prices were still low.

* Actually that is not all i know. I know a lot of stuff.
** At least for a very long time.

I dont think prices will fall. When a company wants to reduce prices, they wont do that on existing models as that gives a bad public perception as if that model is no good. Instead, some new models will be introduced at a lower price and the older more expensive models will be removed from the market.

Did anyone notice a few years back when carbon frame bike prices were shooting up and YouTube "influencers" were talking about how awesome aluminium bikes were these days? I dont think its a coincidence that bike companies were in cohoots with said influencers to promote alu bikes. These days i see the same thing happening with steel frames.

Source of information: my noggin.
 

wafter

I like steel bikes and I cannot lie..
Location
Oxford
All I know* is that i bought all the bikes I will ever need** while the prices were still low.

* Actually that is not all i know. I know a lot of stuff.
** At least for a very long time.

I dont think prices will fall. When a company wants to reduce prices, they wont do that on existing models as that gives a bad public perception as if that model is no good. Instead, some new models will be introduced at a lower price and the older more expensive models will be removed from the market.

Did anyone notice a few years back when carbon frame bike prices were shooting up and YouTube "influencers" were talking about how awesome aluminium bikes were these days? I dont think its a coincidence that bike companies were in cohoots with said influencers to promote alu bikes. These days i see the same thing happening with steel frames.

Source of information: my noggin.

Indeed; I feel very fortunate to have bought my CdF just as the Covid situation was starting to bite and paid a lot less than a similarly-specced offering would cost me now.

I don't think new prices will fall either. I do think that we're living through the death-knell of rampant, casual and disposible consumption / consumerism and are returning to the days where everything is more expensive - and in turn a more considered, long-lived and cherished purchase.. which while painful for some is ultimately the way it should be.

I think the resurgence in love for steel is a bit different to that for ally though - the touting of aluminium perhaps being the result of industry shills pushing a lower-price alternative to CFRP to make it seem more viable / desirable in the face of rising prices.

Conversely steel on the other hand is, I think more likely to be a response to consumers who are sick of wasting their money on products that are ultimately disposible. In uncertain times, products that are stable and reliable gain fresh market appeal.
 
Location
Cheshire
Specialized are crafty - new Diverge Sport is £550 more than my 2019 model BUT 8r not 9r carbon frame as earlier model. Also SRAM Apex instead of 105, suspect Apex is cheaper?
In fact the cheapest 9r framed Diverge now (granted its SRAM Rival) is an eye watering £4900 :blink: the cheeky monkeys.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Specialized are crafty - new Diverge Sport is £550 more than my 2019 model BUT 8r not 9r carbon frame as earlier model. Also SRAM Apex instead of 105, suspect Apex is cheaper?
In fact the cheapest 9r framed Diverge now (granted its SRAM Rival) is an eye watering £4900 :blink: the cheeky monkeys.

Apex double is 10 speed Tiagra level, usually retails for a bit more (unless it's the 1x Apex, which is much more?)

£5k for a SRAM Rival carbon bike, that's ridiculous...but then Specialized always charged an extra premium on top of their big brand premium
 
Location
Cheshire
it's fugly in either colour scheme, esp Camo

not much of a fan either tbh ..... i do quite like the Grizl paint job for some reason though?
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