Hiro11

I don't think this is true at all. In 1989, I bought my first serious road bike. It was a Miyata 912 and it came standard with a complete Shimano 600 group (including the hubs!), Nitto stem/bars/seatpost, Wolber rims, a Selle Italia Turbo saddle and Panaracer tires. The frame was brazed/lugged, triple butted and splined Ishiwata. Everything about that bike was extremely high quality and had bulletproof reliability. Even the paint was nice. For that bike I paid $799 (full retail), which is about $1,700 today. I challenge anyone to go into a bike shop and get similar quality today for $1,700.

You may argue about "performance" of a steel seven speed relative to "performance" of a modern carbon bike with 11 cogs, but that's both debatable and hardly fair. A better comparison is did you get a better deal on the spectrum of performance available at that time. Regardless, I'd still take that Miyata over any $1,700 bike today.

Lazyass

I bought this bike brand new in 1997. Aluminum, Ultegra 600, carbon fork $1200



This is my newest bike on the day I bought it in 2011. Aluminum, Ultegra 6700, carbon fork $1200




But besides the two extra cogs, the performance is the same. Weight is within 1lb of each other and most of that is in the alu threaded vs carbon threadless steerer tubes.

bogydave

Both threads are right;
There’s good priced bikes out there
for our skill/use/need level.
There’s outrageous priced bikes out there for our skill/use/need level.

Always has been
Always will be

There are frugal consumers
There are extravagant consumers

That’s Marketing.
Same for almost everything,
In a large range ,
from real estate to vehicles to a fishing pole

1500SLR

If you're paying more for bikes then what you can afford in disposable money relative to how much you earn you're not very smart. That's the crux of it. Buy what you want, but a bike is a depreciating asset. Don't spend anything on a bike you can't afford to lose. Don't get caught in the hype train of "new bike time."

northtexasbiker

You can literally run for free. You don't even need shoes. In fact there is a growing movement in favor of barefoot running.

northtexasbiker

Before Nike came along how did anyone manage to do this running thing you keep mentioning?

wphamilton

Not in the cards for me. But that reminds me of one of my son's HS friends a couple of years ago, bragging about his new running shoes and how light they were. $300 shoes I kid you not, and I allowed (being charitable I thought) that saving a few grams might help his foot speed on a quick cadence. Whereupon he proclaimed that he was running 33 minute 5K's We can go to unnecessary extremes regardless of the hobby, but in practical terms I think that running, less than 30 mpw even, is going to wind up costing more than using my bikes.

Koyote

The cheapest bike is the one you've got. If you're happy with your stuff, you can work less and have more time to enjoy riding.

northtexasbiker

Agree. It's certainly not for everyone, but then again a lot of people here have no desire to stay within your budget on their bikes either.

wphamilton

"extremes" is on both ends, cheap and extravagant. But from a purely practical standpoint of value, I'll stand by it that Claris or Sora equipped entry level road bikes are incredible bargains, even those that can be had for less than that kid's running shoes.

prathmann

But my bicycling costs me even less than free by replacing many miles that I would otherwise drive. Running, either with or without shoes, wouldn't have been a practical way for me to get to/from work or to buy groceries and other items.

FlMTNdude

As a still current runner who mostly bikes - running can be quite expensive, even without any long term issues. When I was putting in 2500+!miles per year (I know, crazy miles but hanging with ultra runners) figure in 4 or more pairs of shoes. Current price of a decent pair right now is $120 or more.
Spread the initial cost of a bike over 10 or 15 years and that is $100-200/year.
So $480 for shoes not counting clothes compared to a couple of good tires, bar tape and cables and cycling is definitely less.
And also a lot easier on my body.

MRT2

Well, like you, I am a fan of a good steel frame. And you are probably correct. Because steel frames are more of a specialty item, that level of quality steel frame alone will be a little spendy. But not outrageously so. I just got back from the big bike expo in Milwaukee and I saw an All City Mr. Pink with Columbus tubing, and SRAM rival for $1999, so pretty close. And that new All City will have 11 speed shifting, where as your venerable Miyata came with, maybe 7 speed?

All that said, in terms of performance, thought it won't be as beautiful as your Miyata, I would venture to say most new bikes in the $1,500 range will greatly exceed the performance of your venerable 912. It makes me sad to say it but it is true.

PdalPowr

I was kind of leery to read this thread as it came so soon after the last fiasco.
But you know what,it makes very good sense.

The price tags of bikes today are still a shock to me.
But I better understand the reasons behind the costs involved.

Koyote

But if you were as serious about cycling as you were about running, would you only own and ride ONE bike for 10-15 years? No, you would have more than one bike. And how often would you be replacing shorts, jerseys, tires, etc? Chain lube? Cables? Other repairs?

Fundamentally, I don’t understand all of these threads about the cost of bikes and cycling. I ride bikes, and buy the necessary equipment and clothing, because I enjoy it. I also drink a lot of expensive beer and scotch whisky, because I enjoy it. And as long as I can afford it, I don’t really give a rat’s ass about the cost. I felt that way in 1978, when I bought a brand new Fuji 12 speed bike for $175. And I still feel that way today, whatever the bikes cost and whatever they are capable of doing.

HerrKaLeun

In addition to all the mentioned reasons why bicycles now are cheaper, now we also have the opportunity to save money by:
- online shopping (inc. buying bikes online) and saving an additional %
- have more choice and can research your bike (you physically only can visit so many LBS and they have limited in-store material and the sales staff obviously steers you to what they have)
- learn how to repair and buy the right tools, equipment and materials online and therefore forego LBS prices and the need to hire LBS to repair or maintain your bike. Remember before Internet, the brick-mortar store didn't necessarily have good products, but where the sole keepers of knowledge what BB removal tool you need and where to buy it....

Better than inflation adjustment that still gives youa $-amount would be to use a "hours you need to work to buy X". Today you can buy a decent $500 bike (and that is superior to an old bike with then impossible "space age technology like hydraulic brakes) and maybe have to work 20 hours to pay for it. How many hours did you need to work in 1950 to get a bicycle? I guess more.... If you look at 1950 bicycle technology you have freewheels, hi-ten steel everything, axle nuts, 7 speeds (or even less), crappy tires, steel rims, galvanized or chromed spokes.... now that i list this, the 1950s basically sold Walmart bikes in LBS.

FlMTNdude

I can relate to Koyote, my beer is not cheap. I ride what I can afford. Fortunately vintage bikes hold an appeal to me and serve me well, so a couple hundred dollars goes far in the bike world. Maybe someday, though I tend to err on a very basic and practical side.

Metieval

I ride a variety

I ride a $6,200 DI2 carbon disc, that I paid $4,500 for

I have a $75 1991 steel chromoly double butted lugged frame with all new parts 1x, with stud mounted hydraulic rim brakes. Now around $700

I also have a $1,100 Entry level Aluminum gravel/commuter/do-it-all. the $1,100 entry level aluminum bike is the bike I Complain ** about the most. It is a dog, it's crap, it's junk, It's a noodle, It's harsh, It's jarring, It's a black abyss that swallows energy. It's a great bike compared to a modern day huffy, yet so frustrating to ride having experienced better.

my point, I would not be the guy that says new (entry level) bicycles are a bargain over old bicycles. Maybe a few, Like a Tiagra equipped alloy Cannondale CAAD frame, Or Giant SLR. but the few good ones, are a rarity among many new production entry level bikes that are just thrown together and sold to the masses.

** "complain" being the forum friendly word choice.

Regardless, that puts me back into the entry to mid level price point search of a bike that takes a wider tire, has rack mount options, yet still has somewhat of a performance appeal to it, plus performance ride quality. IMO new bicycle purchases should have tapered steerers, thru axle, disc brake, threadless headsets, Other wise we are just buying last decades (or 2, or 3 ) regurgitated lunch.

1500SLR

The problem with CAADs is all the weird things that Cannondale does to bikes which creates a love hate experience with riding a CAAD. Propitiatory bottom brackets are annoying on top of the list of things Cannondale does. As to the giant the TCR has had an amazing history, and I would like to go back in time and buy myself a Once team bike, but then you have to want to ride really aggressive geometry. I would own a new one if someone gave me one to ride, but they're not everybody's cup of tea.

I decided going down this path of why new bikes aren't worth the money they cost when I started to think about the depreciation. It's like setting your money on fire. I also decided I could buy a frame with fairly standard classic geometry without the headaches of BB30 bottom brackets and with a better groupset. My current steed owes me $400 on a DI2 conversion.

The thing is, I can do everything from tearing down a bike to building it up again from scratch, most people have to pay someone else to do it. I can even borrow the computer in a workshop to tune a DI2 groupset. Most people cannot. All is fair and well if you can't and you need to go to a bike shop to do that, but that's not me.

I got to a point where I thought about why building a new bike and came to the conclusion that anyone can walk Into a store with a blank cheque, write a number on it and stroll out with something awesome. However, their is a certain individuality in a custom built bike that captures most peoples imagination when they see you out riding it.

Metieval

I never had an issue with BB30, besides a minor one when it was new. Found a 10mm allan socket, I took it apart. cleaned it, lubed it, tightened it. Amazing enough once I had it back together I needed to adjust the front derailleur. and then I never had another issue with it in 4 years of riding (including lots of rain). by far the easiest BB I've ever had to work on/deal with. for $1,200 it was one of my better bicycles. 5700 105 10s on stiff wheels it was a climber!

Hindsight says I should have kept it and fendered it for a commuter bike. As a road rider, I have no regrets on swapping it out for the hi-mod supersix disc.

I am finding 700x38 slicks super fun to ride. I also like a higher BB, so finding the geometry I want for the 650 road plus thing is killing me. the TCX SLR looks like a good option, but no rack mounts. Maybe I need to swap trunk bag for a frame bag. a trunk bag swallows a sixer though. and a rear rack makes it easy to throw on a grocery pannier at whim. sucks when you want performance and utility in the same bike. LOL CaadX has everything I want..... except thru axle.

I will agree that Propitiatory stuff is annoying!

when you start wrenching your own bikes.... and don't mind last generation stuff, 5700 105 etc.... 10 speed XT, you can build quality stuff for CHEAP! or not cheap, but less expensive than new.

I love my 1991 hybrid, old school geometry with semi new stuff XT 1x, with Magura hydraulic rim brakes. at the end of the day, I really don't care about what it cost, I just want to ride what I want to ride.

1500SLR

Yeah, that's the thing, when you start working on your own bikes you can do a lot of things other people can't do. As to the last generation components that's also true. While I found it quite difficult in the end I ended up with a 6770 DI2 kit for $400 second hand. That's ridiculous really when you consider the price point of DI2 bikes what you pay for one extra gear with an 11speed DI2 didn't suit my budget or my needs for this build. Having a cheap frame also allowed me to drill holes in it without feeling like a bad person.

BB30 kind of just annoys me, like really, why is it nescessary? One of things I considered when flipping between my current bike as a 1500 SLR vs. a CAAD8, or 9 or so is that issue. My Trek and a CAAD8 have fairly similar geometry but the bottom bracket issue became my biggest drawback. Then I found my Trek and haven't really bothered to look backwards. I looked at some CAADs but they never really suited all of my needs.

General Geoff

The same could be said of buying new anything, with very few exceptions. How many objects in your home could you honestly sell, today, for the same or more than original MSRP?

Look no further than almost every estate sale. 99.9% of the stuff that people own till death, is nearly worthless compared to what it cost new.

1500SLR

The thing is, its a significant initial outlay. People could by rights go out and buy a $15000 TV but the market says most people stop somewhere between 32 and 55inch televisions that cost less than $2000. The average retail price of a bike is less than $800. Most people stop once they realize the law of diminishing returns. Some people do not. Most bicycle stores cater for those people who want to spend less than $800 to around about $2500. It hurts to have expensive bikes on the floor that don't sell. They can get you one in if you want one, but that's not really their bread and butter. Maybe they might have a small choice of more expensive bikes, but generally these are the ones that sell.

If I were going to go out and buy something tomorrow for $15000 outright, I'd be thinking about something other than a bicycle,most people who spend somewhere in the order of $800-$1500 on the average bike feel that is the best point for value. On my personal note, a $15000 bike is dead to me. I'm 34, I will NEVER see the benefits of a $15000 bike to its potential unless I get really serious about training in the next 4 to 6 years. I've missed that boat, but having been around people with expensive bikes and having the opportunity to test somewhat expensive bikes, I don't see why I should have been on it. Yeah life sucks, the aging part does anyway, but you get over it and move on. There are other things to spend money on for me other than shiny new bike.

General Geoff

I'm 34 too, 1984 represent!

Much, if not most of the adult population in the US has set the proverbial pile of cash on fire with car purchases, with even modest late-model used economy cars falling to a fraction of their purchase cost in value while still being paid off by their owners! I realize most people justify that as a need and not a recreational toy like bicycles are to most, but for anyone who commutes or otherwise uses their bike for actual transportation, I don't think laying out even $10,000 on something relied on every day is unreasonable. Not strictly necessary but not unreasonable either.

Metieval

well bb30 + FSA was annoying, BB30 + Hollowgram is just... AWESOME. until you want to change your crank arm length.

I have a $20 SAMS club puffy, it works, but it isn't near as nice as a $250 patagonia Micro puff.

No Lies, I'll be the first in line to buy some cheap stuff, (*cough* outdoorlabs sleeping pad) but also, the first in line to spend money to get what I think is worth spending money on. I've even bough Chinese knock offs of magic shine, they worked, but I'd never do it again.