Originally Posted by Koyote

Oh, sure, I get that parts availability is still problematic...But I'm not currently looking for a new bike. I just meant that, if the big brands are building monopoly power on the retail side, they're gonna push up prices...And if the margins are narrowing, then (next time I'm in the market) I'd rather just go custom.

Summer 2020, out somewhere in the car with my wife, I was telling her about the bike shortage. At the end of the story, as we pulled into the garage, I waved my hand at the five bikes hanging from the wall and said, "See, wasn't I smart to stock up?" She liked that.