Randomness: Why pricing is the way it is?
 

Just a quick vent.
Looking at picking up a spare rear wheel [I'll leave those details out for now] & for just a quick factory rear wheel assembly is over 200.00.
if I buy a "set" that contains the very same rear assembly, I can also have a front assembly for just under 375.00.

Makes me just not want to buy anything at all. Probably will be the case.

/rant

Bundle discount

Rear typically costs more than the front due to different components.

Front hubs are simpler and cheaper. Front wheels are less expensive than back wheels. This isn't complicated or wrong.

Rear wheel will always cost more. A freehub costs more than a front hub. A rear wheel will have different spoke lengths (DS/NDS) and possibly different lacing on each side, depending on the application.

I would expect more of a price difference, except in the case of disc brakes on the front. With disc brakes, lacing patterns are usually different.

Rim brake front wheels are pretty simple.

John

Are you complaining that a rear wheel costs more than a front? Or are you complaining that a set costs less than the individual parts purchased separately?

I heard on the Path Less Pedaled youtube channel that you can get a set of carbon wheels for about $400, from a company called Hunt. You may like that upgrade.

Rear wheels typically have a freehub and more spokes and nipples

As others have pointed out, there is nothing 'random' about this. Rear hubs ALWAYS cost more than front hubs, and hence rear wheels ALWAYS cost more than front wheels.

Notice anything different about these two things?

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...94290dc1ee.jpg

Strangeness abounds here.

Why does the thread have “thread” in the title?

In a world, the whole world, where we frequently see more complicated things costing x+(x•~0.25) than simpler things costing x AND we frequently see things which are logically bundled together costing less than when unbundled- what is “random” about this?

You must not have ever been to a Grocery Store. Brace yourself: two half gallons of milk will cost at least $0.50 more than a gallon. The same with two half dozens of eggs against a whole dozen.

Welcome to adulthood.


[edit] just saw your sn & avi. Ya got me!

I always wondered who was the last person left on the entire planet that didn’t understand the concept of a ‘bundle’ discount.
Nice to meet you :beer:

Except that it's not really a bundle discount.

It's like the "five dollars each or two for $9.99" kind of discount.

Incorrect. See post #9.

comparing the pricing to other brands, the other known brands set the difference a la carte' vs "bundle" price gap rather farther apart.
When the bulk price is used in perishables, it still make sense to buy what I will use vs what I could save per price break margin. If I bought 1 US Gal of milk but can only consume 45% of the US Gal typically , there is no savings to be had. Just a bunch of waste, to which the loss could be applied towards the bundle of wheels, potentially.

FWIW the wheels are 6 bolt disc with cassette ready hub.

act now & get THREE for 14.99!

You are refusing to understand what is going on here, and so you just keep pissing in the wind.

I read this a couple times and am not sure what your point is as i dont see how your response is an answer to my questions.

The worst bad actor in pricing, not just in bikes, is the "minimum advertised price" which is a form of monopoly price fixing. It's illegal in Europe and that's why we used to be able to get around it (Chain Reaction, Bike24, etc) but that avenue was shut down a couple years ago. We can still see the prices they pay. Can still get around it via China, but takes more careful shopping, and you're obviously not going to get the very latest from any American bike company that way.

The price of the brand name tends to be bout 350 for a rear only assembly & 200ish for the front or if bought in "sets," 400 seems to be the fare. That makes the gears for bargain thinking turn to justify the purchase.

The knock-off brands just throws everything out of whack. They seem to be trying for reputation value yet underdog the overall market with their pricing. If I could eat the wheel, it'd be worth the price as it wouldn't go to waste. All the fiber though, geesh. Ever have tacobell in conjunction with white castle all doused in diablo sauce? That's a man made fiber diet.

Pretty much the thought I was going after. I would be an expensive leisure activity if it were not for it though.

“Minimum advertised pricing“ does reduce competition a bit, mainly by raising consumers’ transactions (i.e., search) costs, but it is most definitely not a form of price fixing, in and of itself. Price fixing occurs horizontally - competing firms collude to set higher prices. Minimum advertised pricing is entirely vertical - the manufacturer sets the minimum price that its retailers can advertise. Also note that it only applies to advertised prices – – retailers can charge lower prices... they just can’t advertise them.

Pay double for one and receive another for FREE!

In cycling, MAP isnt price fixing and it definitely isnt any part of what makes a monopoly. There are no monopolies that I can think of in cycling...maybe Velo saddles could be the closest thing, and that company isnt close to a monopoly.
I liked buying cheap bike parts 4 years ago too, so yeah I was bummed when Euro channels stopped selling Shimano to the US(except Merlin for some reason).

MAP helps maintain a product's standing in the marketplace, which is value to the company/brand. Many brands sell based on image and keeping their pricing at a position that is in line with their image is critical to the success of that brand/company. A brand absolutely should have a say as to how their products are sold at the retail level because perception affects brand value. If their products are constantly discounted at the retail level, then the brand's value suffers.

Good luck getting anyone to understand this. Hell, plenty of posters in this thread can't seem to understand why a wheelset is NOT priced at 2x the cost of a rear wheel, even though the answer is obvious to anyone who's even glanced at bike wheels.