Originally Posted by
Spoonrobot
All those goods saw a significant decrease in overall price as a percentage of household income as well as an increase in build quality and durability over the last 60 years. I'm not sure bikes are in the same category. Functionality seems to be stable over time but price continues to increase.
I think the Dept store bike prices have remained relatively stable, especially if one adds in inflation.
However, 2nd tier bikes (and better) have been steadily increasing. So, quite a few $1K bikes at the bargain sporting goods stores, and while they might not impact the LBS sales, they will impact their maintenance.
How fast do those $2K+ bikes move at LBS stores? I suppose the bread and butter are still the small bikes, lots of bike trinkets, and maintenance.