The end of the mountain bike boom?
- Thread starter Chris S
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
mickle
innit
- Location
- 53.933606, -1.076131
'Mountain bike' sales plateaued 15+ years ago (It's what panicked manufs into 'inventing' the 'hybrid') and they've been slowly falling ever since. 'Mountain bike shaped object' sales have remained pretty level.
All that's changed is more people buying decent bikes.
Interestingly, the recent popularity of so called '29ers' hasn't created any new mountain bike saes boom, it's simply stolen a big chunk of the market for 26" bikes.
Outside our supemarket on Sat, of about ten bikes locked to the stands 7 were mountain bikeish, one was an old racer and two were nasty old ladies 3 speeds. Not a half decent bike among them. Surrounded, of course, by a veritable sea of automotive carriages, most of them less than five years old.
All that's changed is more people buying decent bikes.
Interestingly, the recent popularity of so called '29ers' hasn't created any new mountain bike saes boom, it's simply stolen a big chunk of the market for 26" bikes.
Outside our supemarket on Sat, of about ten bikes locked to the stands 7 were mountain bikeish, one was an old racer and two were nasty old ladies 3 speeds. Not a half decent bike among them. Surrounded, of course, by a veritable sea of automotive carriages, most of them less than five years old.
MacB
Lover of things that come in 3's
- Location
- Farnborough, Hampshire
That's been my understanding as well and, as others have mentioned, the prevalence of hybrids of varying pedigree. For example I've been very impressed with the Specialised Crosstrail I picked up for my eldest. Being secondhand it needed a bit of attention but nothing major, retrue of the wheels and a replacement spoke. It's also sporting some BB7 MTB mechanical disc brakes now as well. It's a great deal quicker, on road, than his previous full sus BSO, and can cope with the sort of abuse your average teenager puts a bike through. He has semi knobblies on it and they seem to work pretty well.
Obviously it helps having a Dad at home that inspects the bike weekly and sorts any little tweaks that need it. Given enough repetition he may even advance to the stage of being able to do some little bits himself in a few years time
From my perspective I'm gradually moving to 700c wheels throughout, 5 out of 7 bikes are at the moment. The middle boy is still on a 26" but he's creeping towards 6' now and his next bike will be 700c/29er. The youngest is on 24" and will get the 26" off his brother soon. As an allround bike a 29er rigid or hardtail seems like a pretty good compromise. Something they can do pretty much anything reasonably well on. I suppose it depends on size as well but my 16 year old is 6'3" and it's the 13 year old that's approaching 6' now.
Davidc
Guru
- Location
- Somerset UK
Most of the bikes on the stands in town here are either hard tail type mtbs (that includes mine) or hybrid types. Either way they're rarely expensive ones. Most are adapted with racks for panniers, many have some form of mudguards. They're the bikes people use to go to work or shopping.
I have noticed that the bikes outside the lbs are now often quite basic no suspension town bikes rather than the mtbs which were ubiquitous up to a couple of years ago.
What is certainly the case here is that there are far more bikes on the stands. They've been full a lot of the time right through the winter and now it's difficult to get one side of a stand to yourself, despite there being plenty of them. There are also far more bikes being ridden into town than a few years ago, and they're a really varied mixture of types.
I have noticed that the bikes outside the lbs are now often quite basic no suspension town bikes rather than the mtbs which were ubiquitous up to a couple of years ago.
What is certainly the case here is that there are far more bikes on the stands. They've been full a lot of the time right through the winter and now it's difficult to get one side of a stand to yourself, despite there being plenty of them. There are also far more bikes being ridden into town than a few years ago, and they're a really varied mixture of types.
Nearly there
Veteran
- Location
- Cumbria
nothing funnier than seeing someone on a cheapo full suspension bike bouncing along as they try a pedal fast
RecordAceFromNew
Swinging Member
- Location
- West London
Except the lycra-clad, carbon jobbie riding creature being overtaken?nothing funnier than seeing someone on a cheapo full suspension bike bouncing along as they try a pedal fast
albion
Guru
- Location
- South Tyneside
I recall doing a 60 miler last year with 50 miles or so off-road.
As a Sunday road club came past the lead rider shouted ' get a road bike'.
Strangely enough, in riding a hybrid it's mainly road road potholes that occasionally make me wish I had front suspension.
As a Sunday road club came past the lead rider shouted ' get a road bike'.
Strangely enough, in riding a hybrid it's mainly road road potholes that occasionally make me wish I had front suspension.
lulubel
Über Member
- Location
- Malaga, Spain
nothing funnier than seeing someone on a cheapo full suspension bike bouncing along as they try a pedal fast
I saw that today, and it was quite funny.
We have a very different situation here. You see only road bikes (drop barred) and MTBs, and it's about a 50/50 split between the two. (Having said that, there was a couple around on a tandem a few weeks back, but I think they were on holiday because I haven't seen them recently, and I saw a bloke on a weird looking hybrid-type thing a week or so ago, but that's all.)
Hardly anyone cycles for transport here, so the bikes you see have been bought with a specific purpose in mind - either road riding or going up mountains - and they're generally being used for that purpose. The few people you do see obviously using their bikes as transport are riding hardtails on the road, but most rural properties are accessed by steep/rough/poorly maintained unsurfaced roads, so I'd be riding a MTB (or a cross bike with knobbly tyres) as well in that situation.
summerdays
Cycling in the sun
- Location
- Bristol
I think there has been a slight reduction in the number of supermarket full suspension bikes, and an increase in a range of bikes but particularly the old fashioned bikes with the wicker basket, and the single speed bikes. Kids now seem to want those bikes in their teens now.
MontyVeda
a short-tempered ill-controlled small-minded troll
- Location
- Lancaster... the little city.
end of the MTB boom... thank god for that!
bikes were so dull in the 90's with everybody riding the same sort of thing... much nicer to see different bikes back on the roads/paths... jut like it was when i was a kid. There's even a fixie with big bull horns i see parked up a lot, that takes me back!
whatever happened to the concept of rotating a drop bar up through 180 degrees? Not seen that for years.
bikes were so dull in the 90's with everybody riding the same sort of thing... much nicer to see different bikes back on the roads/paths... jut like it was when i was a kid. There's even a fixie with big bull horns i see parked up a lot, that takes me back!
whatever happened to the concept of rotating a drop bar up through 180 degrees? Not seen that for years.
Lets not be too harsh on the "Mountain Bike Revolution"
It did introduce a lot of technology that we now take for granted. Twist Grips, and trigger changers, V brakes etc are a legacy of this phase.
This technology has made cycling easier, more approachable and available to many people, and the evolution into Hybrids, commuting bikes etc is a result.
It did introduce a lot of technology that we now take for granted. Twist Grips, and trigger changers, V brakes etc are a legacy of this phase.
This technology has made cycling easier, more approachable and available to many people, and the evolution into Hybrids, commuting bikes etc is a result.
Peteaud
Veteran
- Location
- South Somerset
Nothing wrong with a good Mtb.
The problem imho was the cheap nasty ones, people bought them, then realised that they required effort and went back to the sofa.
The same thing will / is happening with road bikes, look on ebay at the amount
of "road / race bikes" all with nice sparkling paint jobs and bargain price, and weighing over 14kg!!
My MTB goes to the mountains
My Hybrid goes everywhere else and will be the winter hack
My Roadie - havent bought it yet
and it wont be a cheapo "fandango special" from fleabay or argos.
The problem imho was the cheap nasty ones, people bought them, then realised that they required effort and went back to the sofa.
The same thing will / is happening with road bikes, look on ebay at the amount
of "road / race bikes" all with nice sparkling paint jobs and bargain price, and weighing over 14kg!!
My MTB goes to the mountains
My Hybrid goes everywhere else and will be the winter hack
My Roadie - havent bought it yet
and it wont be a cheapo "fandango special" from fleabay or argos.
lulubel
Über Member
- Location
- Malaga, Spain
There was a bloke with one like that where I lived in Cornwall. Try crossing the Tamar Bridge. It's like stepping back in time
MontyVeda
a short-tempered ill-controlled small-minded troll
- Location
- Lancaster... the little city.
I think a lot of people when buying their first bike (or first one since childhood) assume that because the bike is on the ground, the weight doesn't matter that much... "It's only heavy when i pick it up!" ...and then blame the shear effort involved in pushing it forward on their own fitness rather than on the cast iron full suss y frame for £80 between their legs.
I think british standards should introduce a maximum weight for some bikes, as some really aren't fit for use.
