Nothing like some knob spouting off regarding stuff he/she is completely clueless about.
Regarding your previous post, gravel bikes are NOTHING like mountain bikes and never have been. The bike they have the most in common with are cyclocross bikes; I have a Specialized Crux carbon cross bike from 10 years ago which does great on gravel rides. Basically a more relaxed road style frame to soak up vibration, burlier and wider tires, and now of course everyone has to have disc brakes. Gravel is not a fad either, the reason being the type of scene it has spawned. While numbers in local road races have been stagnant for decades due to many factors (elitist attitudes, dangers of training in traffic, etc) the gravel scene numbers have exploded. Mainly because it's a ton of fun (Type 2 fun sometimes of course, but still!) and isn't that the point? Big gravel races are also a big party, what's not to love? But yes, the vast majority of people can get by without spending a crapload of money; any entry-level price point (I'm talking maybe around 2k?) will get 98% of all riders a bike they'll be just fine with.
Fatbikes are also much more than a marketing fad but the appeal is probably limited to areas where adventure biking/cross country skiing would be popular. I live in Minnesota and there is a MASSIVE winter fatbiking scene that is never going to go away; all the trails which would be difficult if not impossible to ride on a regular mountain bike in winter are an 11 out of 10 on the fun meter on a fatbike. It's definitely not necessary or even desirable to ride a fatbike in the summer on regular singletrack as they are heavier and less responsive but if I could only choose one mtb type bike it would be a fatty. Year round huge fun.
One thing I'll agree with is how heavy and 'fad' oriented the marketing is, that I'll give you. The vast majority of people can get by without spending a ton on their bikes. I just picked up a Trek Farley 5 fatbike off a facebook fatbike trader site for $1600; I know my bikes and this is an amazing deal for the money. I'll ride it for years and definitely don't need to spend 8-10k (which people do on a regular basis).
WTF is a 'gravel bike', anyway? A mountain bike with ridiculously large tires?
It's a rigid mountain bike with drop bars. A hardtail mountain bike is a much better option, as it can actually take on trails and is nearly just as fast on gravel (especially if it's rough).
Again, a gravel bike IS NOT A MOUNTAIN BIKE. It has much more in common with a cyclocross bike. I would agree that if I could only have one bike I'd buy a hardtail 29er (which I have btw, a Lynskey Ridgeline Titanium). If you're serious about gravel racing a gravel bike is going to be faster; just the physics of lower rolling resistance, more aero riding position, etc. I agree they are less versatile than a hardtail mtb but they are NOT mountain bikes, period.
True, you are able to ride an ebike like a motorcycle with the motor doing all the work. But for those that want to use an ebike for exercise as well as for traveling farther and faster than they would be able to on a regular bike it is certainly possible. I do it all the time. So tired of so called bicycle "purists" that think having some pedal assist is "cheating"! First off, with pedal assist set to a lower level I need to pedal all the time in order for the motor to be working. I am able to go on daily rides of 20 to 25 miles, keep my heart rate up and work the muscles. When I was younger I could ride all day and it would not bother me at all. Now that I'm in my 70s I can no longer do the same amount of exercise. I started avoiding certain roads and places to cycle in because of hills. Now, hills no longer exist for me. For many, many people that enjoy biking, but due to age or some physical malady can no longer bike without some help, ebikes are a god send. Uphill or level terain... which do you prefer? Most people would chose to ride without getting worn out climbing hills I think.
Exactly. The idea of a "bicycle purist" is a joke. Are these purists in an actual competition with others when they ride a bike? Are they trying to race people where they have come to the conclusion that others are "cheating"? A tiny fraction of bikers actually compete in real races anyway.
It is just a different form of biking. Different form of recreation. That's all.
It reminds me of runners that get on a treadmill in a gym and can't help themselves from staring at their neighbors pace on a treadmill and flexing because their pace is faster. You idiot. They might be doing an easy run on a recover day. It boils down to insecurity in oneself.
Increased demand and disrupted supply chain. Bike manufacturers reacted in two ways: increase MSPR and substitute mid-range components with high end components which had better availability. The mid range bikes (e.g. road bikes in the $1500 to $2500 range) were basically sold out for two years.
Now the boom is over, everyone is back to work (less time for biking), supply chain issues have mostly resolved, recession fears put the brakes on consumer spending and then it's also winter in the northern hemisphere.
I have seen discounts, free shipping and lowered MSRP in the last 3 months over and over again, which was basically unheard of the last couple of years. Also many bikes in stock.
WTF is a 'gravel bike', anyway? A mountain bike with ridiculously large tires?
It's a rigid mountain bike with drop bars. A hardtail mountain bike is a much better option, as it can actually take on trails and is nearly just as fast on gravel (especially if it's rough).
You seem to be missing the point of what gravel bikes do well. Sure, a MTB does better on ‘real’ trails and can do fine to good on gravel, but what if your other interest is road cycling? Still picking your MTB?
A "gravel bike" is exactly like what mountain bikes used to look like in the 1990s but the marketing teams of the bike companies really don't want anyone calling them 1990s mountain bikes because they have been pumping tons of advertising money into gravel bikes and races to make them seem new and hip. A gravel bike is for hipsters that cannot bunny hop a bike and do not have the skills to ride on a mountain bike on regular dirt trails.
This current marketing fad with "gravel bikes" started in the USA and I'm sure some ultra runners had a hand in it with the ridiculously long 200 mile gravel bike races on dirt roads that other countries do not follow.
Oh, yeah thanks. I think what I was describing is the Fat Bike. Gawd, bike marketing is off the rails crazy.
Subscribe to that fraud Phil Gaimins YouTube channel if you want peaking cycling snake oil marketing.
Interesting economics. My Schwinn Varsity cost $67 in 1967 and I still use it indoors with a mag trainer. My Giant road bike cost me $350 in 2010 and I still take it on the road.
Yeah you don’t need to spend for a brand new bike. You can get good deals on a 10 year old road bike which is perfect for anyone not trying to win a Spring Classic.
True, you are able to ride an ebike like a motorcycle with the motor doing all the work. But for those that want to use an ebike for exercise as well as for traveling farther and faster than they would be able to on a regular bike it is certainly possible. I do it all the time. So tired of so called bicycle "purists" that think having some pedal assist is "cheating"! First off, with pedal assist set to a lower level I need to pedal all the time in order for the motor to be working. I am able to go on daily rides of 20 to 25 miles, keep my heart rate up and work the muscles. When I was younger I could ride all day and it would not bother me at all. Now that I'm in my 70s I can no longer do the same amount of exercise. I started avoiding certain roads and places to cycle in because of hills. Now, hills no longer exist for me. For many, many people that enjoy biking, but due to age or some physical malady can no longer bike without some help, ebikes are a god send. Uphill or level terain... which do you prefer? Most people would chose to ride without getting worn out climbing hills I think.
Exactly. The idea of a "bicycle purist" is a joke. Are these purists in an actual competition with others when they ride a bike? Are they trying to race people where they have come to the conclusion that others are "cheating"? A tiny fraction of bikers actually compete in real races anyway.
It is just a different form of biking. Different form of recreation. That's all.
It reminds me of runners that get on a treadmill in a gym and can't help themselves from staring at their neighbors pace on a treadmill and flexing because their pace is faster. You idiot. They might be doing an easy run on a recover day. It boils down to insecurity in oneself.
Your treadmill analogy fails. The ebiker who uses the treadmill is holding the side rails with their arms running the motor 4mph faster than what they can sustain. I guess it's an arm workout mail from holding their pathetic selves up
Increased demand and disrupted supply chain. Bike manufacturers reacted in two ways: increase MSPR and substitute mid-range components with high end components which had better availability. The mid range bikes (e.g. road bikes in the $1500 to $2500 range) were basically sold out for two years.
Now the boom is over, everyone is back to work (less time for biking), supply chain issues have mostly resolved, recession fears put the brakes on consumer spending and then it's also winter in the northern hemisphere.
I have seen discounts, free shipping and lowered MSRP in the last 3 months over and over again, which was basically unheard of the last couple of years. Also many bikes in stock.
It seems from the outside like bike stores didn't forecast very well. The boom was always going to be temporary but they placed orders like it wasn't. It also appears that they kept placing delayed orders to try and keep up instead if just waiting for the already placed orders to come in.
Peloton did the same thing, over estimated demand based on a short blip.
10k-20k is the new normal? What kind of spoiled yuppie fantasy are you living in?
I don't even know a single person who owns a 10k bike. You think parents are buying their kids 10k bikes? They don't even sell bikes that expensive at any of the local shops here.
10k-20k is the new normal? What kind of spoiled yuppie fantasy are you living in?
I don't even know a single person who owns a 10k bike. You think parents are buying their kids 10k bikes? They don't even sell bikes that expensive at any of the local shops here.
10 to 20k is normal for a high end road bike now, which has caused the price of low end road bikes to follow up.
I’d have far less difficultly finding a 10k bike to purchase than a new bike for less than 200 as people here suggest exist. At my local Walmart per their website, their road bikes are $300 to $500.
I was a COVID onset biker, and bought my bike used from Craigslist, but when I was looking at new bikes I couldn’t find anything less than $1500. On bike websites I was consistently seeing $10k to $5k bikes. With $5k often described as entry level.
like i get is is the halo bike sale strategy to make the $2k bikes seem cheaper, but at certain point it will back fire cause $2k is a lot for an entry bike.
10 to 20k is normal for a high end road bike now, which has caused the price of low end road bikes to follow up.
I’d have far less difficultly finding a 10k bike to purchase than a new bike for less than 200 as people here suggest exist. At my local Walmart per their website, their road bikes are $300 to $500.
I was a COVID onset biker, and bought my bike used from Craigslist, but when I was looking at new bikes I couldn’t find anything less than $1500. On bike websites I was consistently seeing $10k to $5k bikes. With $5k often described as entry level.
like i get is is the halo bike sale strategy to make the $2k bikes seem cheaper, but at certain point it will back fire cause $2k is a lot for an entry bike.
A new ‘road’ bike for less than $200 is rare. Plenty of new bikes for less than $200 if you aren’t picky. And you don’t need to spend much more than $200 and far les ls than $1500 to get your hands on a new road bike:
Nothing like some knob spouting off regarding stuff he/she is completely clueless about.
Regarding your previous post, gravel bikes are NOTHING like mountain bikes and never have been. The bike they have the most in common with are cyclocross bikes; I have a Specialized Crux carbon cross bike from 10 years ago which does great on gravel rides. Basically a more relaxed road style frame to soak up vibration, burlier and wider tires, and now of course everyone has to have disc brakes. Gravel is not a fad either, the reason being the type of scene it has spawned. While numbers in local road races have been stagnant for decades due to many factors (elitist attitudes, dangers of training in traffic, etc) the gravel scene numbers have exploded. Mainly because it's a ton of fun (Type 2 fun sometimes of course, but still!) and isn't that the point? Big gravel races are also a big party, what's not to love? But yes, the vast majority of people can get by without spending a crapload of money; any entry-level price point (I'm talking maybe around 2k?) will get 98% of all riders a bike they'll be just fine with.
Fatbikes are also much more than a marketing fad but the appeal is probably limited to areas where adventure biking/cross country skiing would be popular. I live in Minnesota and there is a MASSIVE winter fatbiking scene that is never going to go away; all the trails which would be difficult if not impossible to ride on a regular mountain bike in winter are an 11 out of 10 on the fun meter on a fatbike. It's definitely not necessary or even desirable to ride a fatbike in the summer on regular singletrack as they are heavier and less responsive but if I could only choose one mtb type bike it would be a fatty. Year round huge fun.
One thing I'll agree with is how heavy and 'fad' oriented the marketing is, that I'll give you. The vast majority of people can get by without spending a ton on their bikes. I just picked up a Trek Farley 5 fatbike off a facebook fatbike trader site for $1600; I know my bikes and this is an amazing deal for the money. I'll ride it for years and definitely don't need to spend 8-10k (which people do on a regular basis).
Yep, huge winter fat biking scene. There are literally tens of people out in Duluth and tens more in the MInnesota River valley.😂
I don't even know a single person who owns a 10k bike.
You don't know any dentists? Why do you think root canals cost so much in America compared to Mexico or Asian countries?
Bikes costing more than $10k are very common in triathlons, and very easily over $20k when you factor in that triathletes will also buy at least another set of $5k deep section wheels because the ones that come on a $13k triathlon bike are meant to be thrown away.
10 to 20k is normal for a high end road bike now, which has caused the price of low end road bikes to follow up.
I’d have far less difficultly finding a 10k bike to purchase than a new bike for less than 200 as people here suggest exist. At my local Walmart per their website, their road bikes are $300 to $500.
I was a COVID onset biker, and bought my bike used from Craigslist, but when I was looking at new bikes I couldn’t find anything less than $1500. On bike websites I was consistently seeing $10k to $5k bikes. With $5k often described as entry level.
like i get is is the halo bike sale strategy to make the $2k bikes seem cheaper, but at certain point it will back fire cause $2k is a lot for an entry bike.
A new ‘road’ bike for less than $200 is rare. Plenty of new bikes for less than $200 if you aren’t picky. And you don’t need to spend much more than $200 and far les ls than $1500 to get your hands on a new road bike:
Myself, and I suspect most people, would be pretty wary about ordering a bike sight unseen from a website that looks like it was made in the 90s. Even on that site, there was nothing under $200 (at least Canadian)
Look at mecs site (at least the Canada version) has 2 regular priced road bikes under $1500 and 1 sale bike under $1500. There are three regular priced bikes over $4,000.
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Lol all those Treks etc at West Point, they are soul-less. That crap all looks the same. Yeah I know Di2 vs blah blah blah.
Ugly, soul-less, uniform. LAME
I do Italian steel with polished aluminum and titanium, and tubulars. Beautiful!
Yeah I also have some hard-tails and carbon and aluminum that I don’t ride, because they suck, I just haven’t gotten around to selling them yet.🤮. Ymmv, but you can’t argue that the new crud has any soul
Myself, and I suspect most people, would be pretty wary about ordering a bike sight unseen from a website that looks like it was made in the 90s. Even on that site, there was nothing under $200 (at least Canadian)
Look at mecs site (at least the Canada version) has 2 regular priced road bikes under $1500 and 1 sale bike under $1500. There are three regular priced bikes over $4,000.
My point stands: plenty of bikes under $200 and not much more for a road bike (Bikesdirect has been in business for about 20 years fyi). What’s available at your local shop or at the end the ultra-high end of the market is completely irrelevant to how much it costs to get into road cycling.
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