The price of bike components

Simon G

This campaign area of the bikeradar forum contains some really emotive and important subject matter, so i was in two minds as to whether i should post this new topic here, given it's rather shallow subject matter. I leave it to the audience to decide whether this post warrants its position here.

I'm interested to get a balance of opinion regarding the recent hike in the price of bikes/components and i thought that this might just be the place to start! I'm hoping that there are enough people dipping into this forum from all areas of the industry to inspire a good debate. Here are some starting questions for those people who are interested in contributing to this topic:

The Japan/UK exchange rate would go a long way towards explaining the recent hike in the price of Shimano componentry, but has every other manufacturer falsely jumped on the pricing hike bandwagon?

Top end road frames were considerably more affordable back in 2008 than they are now - had they lost their exclusivity and has this 'idea' driven up prices?

Is the dramatic increse in the cost of bikes and bike components killing the market?

Are people now downgrading when they replace a worn out component, due to increase in cost?

As i said, these are just some starter questions, but i'm hoping that this topic will evolve if it gains enough momentum[/b]

daveydave43

hmm, interesting point.
i think it balances out as manufacturers make more improvements in kit, ann so year on year, the older stuff loses value in the wake of better performance parts.
case in mind here is 2008 105 componentry, items of which i picked up with 75% off at CRC.
no way i could afford it otherwise, so im actually able to afford upgrades at least equal to this years tiagra.

As for killing off the business, i've never seen more people on bikes at this moment in time, so it appears that the market is in good shape, even after recession

One final point - the Boardman comp bikes for £1000
this could not have been done three years ago, so companies still seem to be reducing costs due to progress made in the relatively infant stages of carbon frames.

feel free to rip my opinion to shreds :-)

Splottboy

I was think of sending a rubber and/or Tipex to the Bike Mags, as...
Sometimes, when I see £250 for some lights, it MUST be a misprint, isn't it!
And, £1,000 plus for Road Wheels??? They're avin' a giraffe, surely?!

I know that bike companies have to make a profit, but COME ON, we didn't all come down in the last shower, LOL!

I just finished a great ride, on a 2nd hand £70 Mtb frame, £30 rigid forks, £100 Deore G/set, plus other scavenged parts. Total bike about £250. Took me up every climb, 1,000ft, had to be careful on some of the rougher descents in a slate quarry, BUT, was excellent on the singletrack. Really tests/improves your handling skills too.
I've used £2,000 bikes on the same route, and to be Truthful, there wasn't really that much difference! Bit more comfort/softness, but not a lot faster/bettter with the expensive bike.
Why pay more?

Simon G

It's certainly true that there are more people out there riding bikes at the moment.......

daveydave43, your comment about Boardman bikes is certainly true - I guess that there is always the potential for a new brand to come along and shake the cobwebs off of the competition. Their timing (boardman) couldn't have been better and they seem to have hit the market place at just the right level to appeal to the enthusiast who hasn't yet been tainted by the elitism of some of the more established brands. Perhaps we make a rod for our own backs as far as pricing is concerned - bikes are intrinsically linked to technology and whilst every advance is welcomed, it's almost bound to add up to higher prices isn't it?

I love riding really smart up-to-date bikes and i'm one of those muppets who will move heaven and earth to ensure that i've got pretty 'recent' tech on my bike, but my thirst is for good design, lightweight and durable parts, and not for the kudos of saying that i have spent £***** on the latest bling. It has struck me lately that the top end kit has begun to go out of my reach. i don't have a big house, or a flash car, so i don't mind putting a bit of spare cash into a decent steed, but i just don't see the logic in pricing any bike above the £5000 mark unless it's some kind of diamond encrusted 'one off'. Who is buying these bikes? (respond if you're out there!)

splottboy, i had a good chuckle at your response, i'd like to think that the bike manufacturers are taking heed of such comments. We just love bikes don't we, even if we've put together a hack bike from scavenged parts, it's still so dam rewarding to swing your leg over the top tube and head for the road or the trail. Reading between the lines, i reckon that your £250 mountainbike still has an air of quality about it, even if the kit is not so recent. We hear so often about 'trickle down technology', but this tech just doesn't seem to trickle down far enough in my opinion. Sometimes, i just cannot see how the average £250 - £350 new bike out there on the shelf is so darn heavy and so darn complicated. Surely some of the tech which is now more than 5 years old is cheap enough to trickle down to the lower end of the market? Phones, TVs, Blueray players etc all become so much more affordable after a few years in the market place, so what's different in the bike trade?

iRider

Not downgrading on components... Just delving deeper into my pockets!

fast as fupp

downgrade? no, id never buy shimano :shock:


*hides*

dennisn

FWIW. I think the price of top line stuff will remain high for some time. This is evidenced by the amount of "botique" parts makers, the, apparently, very large group of people who are enthralled by the word "upgrade", the, also apparently, very large group of people who think you can buy performance / speed, the bling / showoff / OCP types who simply refuse to be seen with anything less than the best, the weight weenies who will pay anything to have the bragging rights to the lightest bike, the tons of people who spend more time looking, and drooling, at the advertisements in a cycling mag than reading the articles, and last but by no means least, the triathletes who, as I understand it, simply must have the latest and greatest everything. To me this all adds up to high prices on the really shiny stuff.

daveydave43

some people will buy supposedly top end parts simply because it is marketed as such. For example, shimano yumeya. does anyone really need to save a few grams on the crank bolts? nah, people buy it because its gold coloured and ultra exclusive.

TheHelpfulDevil

the problem is not just jap componets.

I bought my wilier mortirolo veloce for rrp in 2009. the 2010 model has gone up 250 quid plus the have droped the level of the certain componets includingg the cranks from centur to mirage.