Yes, way too expensive. Also where in the world did you get the idea an average mountainbiker spends 3-5k £ on a bike?? That might be the main audience you see in bikeparks but 80% ride hardtails or entry level full sus at most.
Around 3k $/£/€ seems to be the sweet spot for enthusiast cxclists, you get near top level components/frames etc. for a fraction of the prices of those high end bikes. Anything above only will improve the biking experience marginally for a big punishment of your bank account. Never forget, GCN has no incentive of cheaper bike products, the more customers spend, the more ad revenue they will be able to claim, don't follow the enthusiasts media narrative if you aren't earning money with it or got deeeeeep pockets filled with cash.
Well, maybe in the UK they do spend that amount on average (I'd guess probably more like between 2-3k). Here, in Eastern Europe, where I live, quite a few people were shocked when they realized that I spent about 670 euro on a two-year-old hardtail, they thought it must be a super high end bike. (Needless to say, it's not.)
I agree, way too expensive. But my bike is easily over 5k and my friends have even more expensive bikes. Although some are closer to the 3k range. Atleast that's how it is in america maybe over in europe people are more sensible and dont waste all their money on their bikes. While I do wish bikes were less expensive I dont regret the money I spent on my bike. It does make me a little mad though when I'd like to get a second bike to go with my first and the "entry level" santa cruz hardtail is over 2k. That is kinda dumb
You’re all just wrong. I’ve worked in the industry for over a decade and most people who really ACTUALLY bike hard understand the investment. 2500-4500 is the range that people buy heavily. Really invested mountain bikers, the people who actually care to practice and build unique skills will not be caught dead on a sub 1000 dollar MTB for their main steed. No way.
Try auto racing as a hobby! That'll blow you away financially. A set of track day Pilot 1 tires will set you back several grand. That's a carbon wheelset for your bike that will probably last the bike's life time. And then there's aviation. That's just burning cash as fast as you can!
The profit margin must be absolutely insane considering you can buy a new motocross bike for similar money and mountain bikes are produced in much greater volumes with vastly simpler components.
Suzuki is under bankruptcy protection and is barely hanging on….motorcycles manufacturers are huge companies with deep product lines, economies of scale allow for them to sell a moto for less than a top notch mtb. Consider all the factors and you’ll see how that comparison is difficult to square, even if it appears satisfyingly snarky
And the irony is that it all began for basically free. And I was one of the multitude of kids who happily rode a Sting-Ray in the dirt and pretended it was a motocross motorcycle. Or Evel's Harley. And to borrow from a Joni Mitchell song, we played real good for free.
I've also been saying this! I bought a 10 year old mtb because the prices for new is RIDICULOUS! I have a full blow race quad that is way better for the money.
I think lower production numbers play a big role, especially in developing countries motorbikes are the biggest people mover, which results in the classic econemies of scale effect. And enthusiast motorbikes from small, not that well known boutique manufacturers can also seem pretty expensive compared to middle class cars.
@@tonyparkin3379you could buy my golf gti for the price of a specialized s works turbo levo lol, and my golf is mint, where is the value in a bike priced that high? its crazy
Yet Specialized isn't boasting usurious profits and investors aren't clamoring to realize huge returns in the bike industry. If there were huge profits, you can bet the hedge fund managers would be making bank on bike brands. They aren't. Bike brands have a long history of financial struggle and bankruptcy. Add to that, margins at the retail level are so low, that many low cost bikes are simply loss-leaders. You get the customer in the door to sell 'em a bike basically at cost (after assembly, sale and follow up free service, not much left for "profit") in hopes that they'll spend some dough on the stuff in the shop at keystone. Oh but wait, the bike buyer always expects a discount on clothing and accessories at POS, so you aren't making out like a bandit. I'm SO SICK of hearing all this ignorant stuff like "bike companies are ripping people off." It's simple economies of scale. Cars and motorcycles are cheap because of how big the motor vehicle industry is. A million cars of one model means you can bring your costs down considerably. Compared to a few hundred or maybe a thousand units of the high-end bikes, it's simply different worlds completely.
Yamaha motorcycle's most expensive full on race motocross bike is less money than the least expensive Specialized S-Works complete bicycle. Think about that. A special edition 450cc motocross bike that I can basically drop into a race tomorrow with 12+ inches of travel versus a S-Works Epic costing 20% more.
You suggest that the average price of a GMBN viewer's bike is £3000-£5000 (or local currency equivalent). Sounds like you should run a survey and find out for real. Would be really interesting to test your suggestion, I reckon the average price is much lower than you think but happy to be proved wrong.
New to 'mountain' biking and only come across this channel in the last few months, I'm looking to get my first 'proper' bike early next year and have a budget of 500 odd quid.
It only takes 1 person to buy a $10000 bike to raise the average to 3000+ with 3 other people on $750 bikes. Edit. Median or mode is probably a better indicator of what people are buying instead of the mean.
@@jaygames1598 You are confusing mean (the sum of all bike costs divided by the number of bikes which is what you are describing as the flawed measure) with median (the middle value) which is what I think you were aiming at? Actually, we don't need to consider any statistical averaging, GMBN can simply offer a survey of a range of price bins (e. g. £500 - £1000, £1001-£2000, £2001-£3000 etc. and see which gets the most hits. This will give us an idea of the 'typical' price point for GMBN viewers. I'm betting the vast majority will be in the £1000-£2000 range. Certainly won't be in the £3000-£5000 range suggested by Neil.
I would hazard a guess that £1800 - £3000 is more likely, although to be fair on my local trails there are loads of Giant/Orbea bikes in the £3k+ range
Are they gold plated? I would say, "They are!" But that it's not real gold they used for the plating. It only looks and shimmers like gold. Okay. It's gold color. But hey, it looks gold enough. ☺️
Do you even need to ask that question? Of course they are! I’ve been into mtb since the late 80’s and all I can say is that the manufactures must be catering entirely to the rich. I’ve heard the tired old arguments that performance costs money, but when a standard pedal bike costs more than a used car the manufacturer CEO’s should literally be bitch slapped! Have you ever watched Monday night football? They have a segment on there called C’mon man! Bike makers…C’mon Man!
Agreed, in 2001 my top end orange full sus built with many upgraded parts, fox vanilla R, monster T forks, XT group set, hope C2 brakes, race face cranks, halo rims under 2 grand, similar spec bike now is nearly 6k!!!
That’s why 2017 i was able to buy the full sus i wanted which was around 2,399 bit i waited for the sale around feb and got it around 1,900.still using it 😁😁😁😁
Love it; "Are bikes too expensive" then proceeds to provide a bunch of justifications why spending more gives you better, but fails to address the actual question :) If you add "MTB or bike" to any product you can massively hike the cost. The fundamental materials and techniques for producing a bike or components (assuming that we're not talking about super trick materials or processes) don't justify the sorts of prices that companies are charging. How can a "nice" bike be more than a cheap car, even assuming the economies of scale come into it?
The worst part is-is that even these high end bikes use a lot of generic Chinese bearings. I work in the auto world, and have been working on high line European vehicles for a while. Parts for said vehicle that are machined to MUCH GREATER tolerances than a bike are STILL cheaper than MTB parts. I understand the basics of economics and that people still pay for them- but there is no value. With what I spend on a MTB i can make 1,000 HP on my project car and have thousands leftover.
Definitely, bikes are getting unreasonably expensive, and a lot of the gear is unnecessary. But people love to have the latest-greatest and will pay for for it. Take the new electronic RockShox. I prefer the brand, but this is another product that needs a battery, or two. I watched a race video recently where an XC racer was walking up the course/trail. When asked if he was "okay", he replied, "I lost the battery off my derailleur". How does that tech improve the riding experience? That racer lost his top 10 position because of his tech. A cable he could have repaired or replaced. I'll take old fashioned cables and dials. And if you can't tune your shock by feel (after reading the manual), you're probably not that in-tune with your riding - or, you're just out having fun.
About bike prices, a short story for you - in one city in Poland there is a Spec concept store that is neighbours a Ducati dealership... See where I'm going with that... One guy bought a brand new Multistrada and as he walked out with signed papers, out of curiosity he stepped into Specialized store. Turbo Levo Pro is something like 10% cheaper then he's brand new Ducati, and top level S-Works about 10% more expensive. That guy asked me two questions - how in the hell is it possible that a bicycle, all in all more complicated ebike but still there shouldn't be a comparison, is more expensive than a boutique brand motorcycle, and who the hell buys those bicycles? I have no answer to that, any ideas?
I would argue that the bike market is far more segmented than the motorbike market. If you take a look at small manufacturers that aren't well known and part of international company like Volkswagen prices can be way higher 50k to 80k $ aren't that hard to find. Also getting lighter always comes with a premium price tag, doesn't matter if you are looking at bikes, motorbikes or cars.
@@RoadRageRod Still... We are compering prices of a hand made mechanical device, far more complicated to design and manufacture, made in EU, that has to undergo a far more rigorous testing protocols, that are far more expensive to conduct. And on the other side we have device that is mass produced in Shenzhen China. That devices existence is astronomically less regulated, and therefor far less expensive for a company to test and produce ... And yet the both share a similar price tag.
@@renifeer A ducati is more like a "entry level" ferrari of the motorbike world. 10k plus bikes a more like the Paganis, Koenigseggs and Bugattis of the cycling world. Nothing really above them except some very limited special editons.
@@RoadRageRod Ducati is just a real life example, I actually talked to a guy that gave me that story. It could have been any brand and any type of product, that is far more complicated, regulated and produced not in far east = expensive to put on the market. All I'm talking about, is price similarity and complexity difference, at least as far as I can comprehend this topic.
You simply don’t understand market forces and supply and demand. The demand is there, I sell 10,000+ bikes every single week. Usually multiple times. There’s a lot of wealthy people out there and high end biking has become a wealthy sport. The market Can and therefore will command those prices and no amount of bitching from the common whelp will change those companies direction. If no one can or will afford it, prices go down. If many Can and will afford it, prices go up. Simple economics.
They will price them where people will buy them. My first MB a 2003 or 4 Fisher Sugar 3 was just over a grand used and maintained was a trail bik at a shop. I wasn't a hardcore jumping freak but it never broke down and the rim brakes sis just fine for me. Now I have a 6k Kona and hate it lol
That isn't how the market works. Bike companies know pretty well what the consumer will spend. Price points exist at various quality levels, so product managers try their best to be price competitive while offering the best components. But even then, when you look closely, you'll find scrimping on parts to meet price points. As Bill Mould just stated in a recent NBDA podcast, bike companies often choose cheapo wheels to save money to hit that price point. And funny coincidence... I just bought a used Bike Friday for a friend who wanted it across the country. Stock wheels came with JoyTech hubs. $2,000 bike with absolute CRAP hubs. That's how strong price pressures are.
Yes they are... although I've always ridden mtbs, I gave up riding enduro motorbiking and persued mtb more vigorously due to the impression I was going to save money... how wrong was I! 3-5k should be buying you top end mtbs.
If someone could attempt to justify the cost I'd be grateful!! Compare a well known branded MTB or EMTB to a top of the range motor cycle as this is the price range we are in and tell me your getting value for money lol!!!
Top of the range motorcycles that would be of equivalent specification to a top of the range mtb would be at £60k plus. Some much more. The high end Mx bikes people use for racing are normally about £80k. I still can't justify the cost of mtb's though, they are too expensive!
@@wesellis4135 I was thinking of the new 2021 Kawasaki 1000cc about £10K ish, stack that along side a MTB of the same cost one is value for the money the other?
@@peteturner8493 you could argue that about most things. How is a supercar more expensive than a house? Our pram was more expensive than the car we drove at the time. …………….but yes, MTB’s are way too expensive!!!
The comparison can be used for almost anything and in a way is subjective to knowledge and personal opinion. Like mentioned above with the motorcycles of similar high spec. And same with cars. There's a big difference between a Honda civic and a Ferrari 458. To someone that loves cars the Ferrari is expensive but worth it (if they can afford it) to the person that doesn't care about cars the civic is fine. Fancy materials cost money.
Yes, that’s why I’m still riding my 2000 Trek 6000 that I bought new. It’s been pretty much bulletproof over a wide variety of terrains. As I get a wee bit older, anything more “performance” would probably result in a broken hip. 😂
Overall, I think the marquee brands are expensive. Who would think that entry full sus carbon bikes start @~$3K? Another is ebikes where it’s getting ludicrous, especially from Specialized, with their Levo/Levo SL (7-15k), with their Expert line around $10-11K! That said, there is value from brands like Giant, Canyon, Diamondback to name a few. Crazy times we live in.
With the way pricing of non-electric full sus bikes has gone you may as well buy an electric version of it as the battery and motor is a very small part of the total price now. Groupset, dampers, frame etc. is the most expensive part. I certainly would never have paid $4000 on my Haibike if it wasn't for the fact it also is an eMTB. If I just wanted a dirt bike to shred the trails with any cheap hardtail would do. And the eMTB gets me out more often too as I don't have to spend hours on the climbs and since I don't ride parks I have to get up myself.
$10,000 in 2021 is equivalent to around $8600 in 2011. With that in mind, have top end bikes really increased that much? No, E-Bikes don't count. Apples and oranges.
Although it’s a car channel - donut media do a series called hi-low They start with 2 of the same car, one makes top end upgrades, the other makes budget or home made upgrades and they compare which components are worth spending high amounts of cash on. Always thought this would be a good series for mountain bikes too.
Yes, prices are getting ridiculously expensive... I have an YT Capra AL base of 2016 and I've been upgrading parts with the time. I prefer to get a base model and upgrade it eventually... Finally it is a sentimental relation with your bike.
Ofcourse bikes are getting too expensive, they are as expensive as motorcycles and motorcycles actually sell less than bicycles especially the more high end ones. Motorcycle manufacturers are happy if they sell 2-3k motorcycles of a certain model in say UK which is a fairly big market but bikes be it MTB or Roadbikes are at the same price or even more than the bikes I am mentioning.(mid tier budget bikes) High end sport motorcycles sell in hundreds at best and the only class of motorcycles that sell right now is the adventure class. Bicycles demands 1/10 of the engineering of a motorcycle yet the price is as high or higher... we are crazy that we buy such expensive bikes 5-8k € when we get so little for it.
Plus, mtbs are more accessible to a lot more people, to a point, anyone can drop money and peddle. Not as many ppl get into motocross/motorcycles in general.I say this as a motorcyclist of 20 years and an mtb rider
Well, yes, they are. It's completely ridiculous, which is why I only buy direct from the factory frames and all my parts I get from ebay and other sites - I NEVER pay retail prices and I build my own bikes for 1/3 the cost of the brand name bikes. Like my latest build: Full Suspension trail bike with 120mm front / 80mm rear travel, Manitou R7 Expert fork, Race Face Next SL Crank, Sram X01 Drivetrain, Carbon wheelset with DT Swiss 350's, Arrowblade spokes, Carbon Titanium saddle, Carbon seat post, Magura brakes, Carbon bars. This build is $9000 minimum in every bike retail store - I built mine for $3800. Never Pay Retail!
No you don’t mate. I used to say the same until I tried to ride in an enduro race and I went balls deep and got slaughtered. It’s simply physics. A FS bike will clobber most hardtails in an instant because they can’t just blast over everything without even caring. A Hardtail must choose its lines correctly. If you put an equally good rider on both going downhill, the FS wins every single time.
Yup, they are very cheap to manufacture, especially in large quantities. People just pay way too much for bikes, so why would the bike companies charge less? To be nice and fair? Not going to happen. I think the prices will keep increasing, as people are willing to spend more and more for virtually no improvement in the bike's most basic issues.
Look I have been riding mountain bikes for 25 years, never missed a beat, they are 100% too expensive! My current bike was 12 grand which I'm lucky to be in a position to be able to afford at this stage of my life, but I really don't understand WHY it cost 12 grand haha there is nothing ground breaking about any part on these bikes
Yeah, definitely. Right now I'm trying to get back into the sport and I was shocked at how much prices have risen over the 10 years I've been out of it. That said, it's also really obvious the bikes have progressed a lot as well with many of them having great geo and light weight, even at the lower price levels.
That's why I'm going for the upgrade over time approach. Buy a decent bike with a good frame (which is the important part), and then slowly upgrade the bike from the fork to the gears to the rims etc. Saves up money overtime and the technology will still be relevant
After having come from HT to expensive full suspension my preference is to go back to simplicity. I have more fun riding gravel or xc trails than more technical trails. My favourite whip is a Plus tyred rigid bike packing bike. Not expensive and not much to go wrong.
How do you get people to buy new bikes? By making them feel like there being left behind, like they’re missing out, they need this or that to go 2 secs faster or 1 degree here and there makes all the difference… Yes bikes are not cheap but this is subjective, you don’t have to spend £££££ . Sometimes we get caught up in all the ballsh*t and just forget to just enjoy going for a ride. Just go ride your dam bike. 😄
Yes bikes are too expensive. It will lead to the sport heading the same way as many others where, as the popularity increased, so did the equipment technology and prices. As the price of the equipment increased, there came a point where the number of people partaking in the sport decreased. Take sailing and windsurfing as an example. There was a point where there were huge numbers partaking in the sport. Nowadays there are very small numbers doing the sport. Another classic example of this effect is in Computers. In the old days it was all about creating buzz around the latest upgrade to keep sales going. Nowadays people rarely upgrade their computer as they have realised that there is no need to buy the latest and greatest. The bike industry is being taken over by the marketers who will do anything at any cost to be able to keep sales increasing, with the result that the consumer really is the one paying the price, literally, for features that are not adding any real value. There will come a time that the music stops for the bike industry, and I predict that time won't be too far in to the future. Already seeing the classic pattern of a surge in recent interest and sales as a result of new people trying out the sport and then realising that the sport is too expensive/too hard/not for them, leading to increasing numbers dropping out of the sport and more second hand bikes on the market.
Finally a comment I can agree with. Nobody is making you buy a 6000 dollar bike. True bike riders can shred a 600 dollar Hardtail. But an average rider with a gear fetish will gladly pay the big price, because to them, it’s worth it. It know, I’m an average rider with a super bike and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Depends on your budget. If in UK you make 10k a month, you can buy a high-end bike no probs. In my country however, where people make 1kGBP a month if lucky - you can only dream of 8k bike :D :D
#GMBN #GMBNTech Bikes are 100% getting too expensive. I feel that we are into the “marginal gains” territory. I’ve felt the pressure of upgrading to stay with industry improvements. I ride a very nice Sant Cruz 5010 that is by today’s standards not “low, long and slack” enough. I still love it. Its a fantastic bike. And I’m not consuming more carbon fiber production by feeling like I have to upgrade. Ride your bike! It’s plenty good enough.
@@shoeonhead I bought a low level build in 2017. Great bike and a great brand. Prices have skyrocketed since. Paying huge prices to save a few grams or make your suspension marginally better.
I never ever see a ‘low end’ Santa Cruz bike on the trail it’s always expensive ones with high end components such as rocks box ultimate level suspension or an sram axs group set
Guys, I ride a 5010 with SRAM GX. That’s a really good value for money ride. I think it’s a bit unfair to stereotype people who ride a Santa Cruz like that. Great bike with great customer support.
I will just say that when you can buy a bike equivalent to a moto GP bike or a Maclaren race car, of course, the price will be high. The average joe cannot buy a sports car, but he can buy a pro-level mountain bike, and that's awesome.
It's ridiculous, the industry has priced itself out of an everyday person's hobby, particularly with the ridiculous emphasis on the "need" for long travel 29'' fs bikes, as if everyone lives nextdoor to Whistler. If the industry can survive selling 1 $5,000 bike for every 3 $500, instead of every 100 entry level bike, good for them. But they lose in the end by alienating 75% of their potential future market.
For as much as i have dumped on my bike i could had bought a Yamaha 400 enduro! Lol. So. Yup. Bikes are expensive! The components are insanely expensive right now unless you want made in China!
If you don't think that MTBs are too expensive, you're part of the problem. These are bicycles which cost more money than motorcycles, made by massive companies with mass-produced parts. It would be one thing if these were in-house, hand-built, low-production companies. But, they're not. Giant is a $2 billion/year company. Specialized makes hundreds of millions of dollars per year. Remember, you can either get a ZX-10R or you can get a Turbo Creo/Levo
Yes they are. The only way I've found to get a super nice MTB is a piece at a time. I buy some parts new and some used. In the end I may spend close to the cost of a decent MTB but its not as noticeable since it's a little out of each pay check and over the time frame of a few months to a year. This way makes the bike more your own and a bit of a custom build that no one else has :)
Please don’t fall into the trap of envy, stigmatization and setting “moral” limits on cost. We all benefit from the money being poured into the bike industry, what do you think finances the cool new shit? 🥰 eBike’s and all the inevitable new tech will mean cool things for the rest of us soon…it always trickles down ✌🏼❤️🍺
Managed to pick up a Nukeproof Mega in my size (XL) for £750 second hand. Yes, it's a fair few years old, but an absolute gem which was well taken care of and had numerous upgrades over the years. Bargains are there if you're willing to wait, but I agree. New bike prices are getting ridiculous.
yes you could break the bank and get a bike that cost a small fortune...... or why not buy a frame and build your own bike, new frame sub 2k chuck the components from your current bike on the frame and save up for newer/nicer/better ones......use that bike for 2/3/4 years while saving and sell while it has some value and begin again
Halfords/Voodoo offer a lifetime frame warranty, so I don't think that's a big selling point for santa cruz! Halfords Carrera HT with dropper post, 1x10 and suntour Raidon forks at £650! Halfords Boardman Mtr 8.6 full sus with XCR 34's, 1 by etc at £1100. Not forgetting Vitus Mythique 29 VRX 1x12, lovely red Marzocchi Bomber Z2's and Monarch R back with dropper and Schwalbe's for £1800! 3-5k? I think not! And if they are, they can buy me a Mythique as well please.
For my budget mid range mtb's in the $3-5,000 are to expensive but back in the day when I had a "disposable" income I spent $1,500 on a 2003 Giant XTC3 with the thought's of if I like this I will upgrade in a year or two, last week I upgraded to a $2,500 Merida One Twenty 400 {the day's of "disposable" income are gone} looking back my $1,500 was well spent the guy's I used to ride with were on $1.000< bike's and they had problem's that I never had - chains breaking, rim damage, shifter problem's .. .. .. $1,500 and 17 years of reliable riding - can't complain, I replaced maybe 3 chains, front brakes, bottom bracket and break pad's + tyres as needed. If the clock was wound back I would buy the same bike again and probably upgrade to a 29 xc ht when they came out.
Even entry-level performance bikes have doubled in just 20 years...but that is largely due to global inflation going crazy. Over 50% price index increase just from inflation.
When I returned to MTB riding after a 10 year hiatus I looked for something that compared to my 2k FSR BIGHIT. I was shocked to see how many bikes were well above $5k, let alone even more approaching $10k.. My Intense Carbine Expert is the last bike I will buy… Period..
I guess most Danes buying a 'real' MTB are paying above €4000 - I recently saw a local dealer servicing an S-works that retailed for over €15000. But with zero interest rate and 2-5 years payment terms it is easy to see why they will put up with high prices. I paid €1200 for a used Giant Anthem X (with many XTR parts and DT Swiss 240 hubs) and spent about €300 converting to a 1x10 and added a dropper post.
Couple years ago, picked up my 2019 Ghost Kato 5.9 AL, brand new, on sale for about $600 plus tax, from REI (it was a year end model). Spent another $400 on used upper tier brakes and discs, new wider handle bar, new shorter stem, new saddle, new grips, and new pedals. Came stock with 11 speed SRAM NX drivetrain and left that alone. It's not high end at all. But I love it and ride the hell out of it. Few of my buddies I ride with have their thousands of dollars full sus bikes. And they do ride beautifully. But I'm happy with my $600 bike. Doesn't matter to me how much or how little is spent. What matters is getting out there and riding. 🤙🤙🤙
I mean I can get an entry level Polygon Xtrada 7 for £805 or Canyon Stoic 2 for £950, whereas equivalent bikes from other brands with similar components, specs etc are easily over £1500, it's just some madness!
getting 🤣🤣🤣🤣 1998 my gary fisher (alu with carbon seat stays) weighed 21lbs, had 160/150 travel...i got something like 50% off so it cost me £700. 2016 i got a 2012 banshee rune that weighs about 31lbs (those carbon seatstays i tell ya) and has roughly the same travel. that cost me $1400 on discount. 2021 and the bikes are 30-34lbs with less travel and cost about 6-10x more than i payed a decade ago. yes theyre overpriced massively. and that we know is down to media like this pushing products at people. ..and at a time where we should have been locking down. shameful really.
I can't afford a new DH bike so I converted my old 2013 GT Fury from 26 to 27.5. In the long run, I'll just go back to a DJ bike as we do have some awesome spots where I live. Even buying a secondhand or new full sus trail bike is out of the question. I do have an aggressive hardtail at least, which I'll upgrade in the meantime. But I think to keep things affordable, I'll just stick to hardtails for the future.
Two things I've noticed for bikes, people pay too much attention to parts and not geometry. And carbon versions will be more for less. Unless you really want to spend a lot. Cranks, brakes, cassette etc can all be upgraded in time if you want. But you can't really change much for geometry. Full sus alloy for say $3000 (based on Canadian prices) will have way better components than a full sus carbon for $4500. Bikes are expensive if you want fancy stuff. I wouldn't say too expensive because expensive and fancy always go together so it's expected and it's a personal opinion if it's considered 'too' expensive. It's only 'too' expensive if you want fancy and more than you can afford. People act like you can't get a mountain bike for $1200 or less, you damn well can but don't expect a 1x12, hydraulic brakes and 120mm+ air shock full suspension. My devinci was $2000cnd I could've got a Kona for $700. Would they have been the same hard tail? No. But are they still both mountain bikes? Yes just one is much nicer than the other.
My first Hardtail (BH) was about 1600-1800 (bracket) EUR about 10 years ago. I thrashed it and wanted to have it fixed but the prices of components have gone up so much that it was as a expensive as buying a new one (well nearly). So I got a LUX Trail CF 6 but only because the government are giving subsidies of up to 600 EUR on new bikes, without that I would not have spent 3k or been able to afford it. I shopped around and the Canyon was best quality to price ratio. Even second hand market has soared.
Quality Bikes have always Been Expensive,I went in a Bike Shop the other week and they were Building a Road Bike for A Customer ,The Campag Group set was £2,500 alone,Total bike £12,000 For a None E Road Bike The Shop owner said he sells lots and Its people in there 50s With pensions Coming out Buying them If people can pay And want these then they will keep the prices High Motorbikes are Made in a Lot larger Numbers So Cheaper to Make and Sell for Less than a smaller Number of Bikes
Yes there getting too expensive! In 2016/17 you used to be able to buy a decent full suspension bike for around 2.5k... yt and canyon both had a direct sales bike for 2k (think yt had one for just under) now most bikes inc direct sales full suspension bikes are 3k+ thats a huge increase! And the specs are shocking!!! Lol you spend 3k on a bike that van barley stop!!!! Mtb is pricing alot of normal people out of the spot... Yea you can argue about the rider skill etc and buy a hardtail but for the average Joe we are weekend riders just looking to maximize fun! Since 2017/18 i think bikes have got more expensive and have way less value for money lol
The items that are quickly becoming less desired are not decreasing in price yet. The new items that are not necessary for 80% of riders is too expensive. Even just a frame from most manufacturers, $1900.00+, is too expensive. Bang on job Neil!
Not too expensive for some. Too expensive for me. I'm fixing up a fully suspended, aluminum frame $35 auction bike. It's fun to work on. (I've put more than $35 into it since initial purchase.)
Way too expensive…I’m glad I got my bike right before Covid happened. I got my bike for almost 45% off of what it’s 2021 version costs with the same components. The only thing I do now is maintain my components.
#gmbn #gmbntech bikes are just getting more and more expensive. To the point that some people may end up putting themselves in financial difficulty trying to keep up with the longer, slacker, faster trend. I agree with some of the other comments here, you can buy cars and motorbikes for the price of a bike! I remember when I first started out and a £3500 bike was seen as top spec, World Cup DH level components the equivalent bike now would be £10k!! It’s just getting out of hand😔
Yes ! It is absurdly expensive if you compare it with the materials used in motorcycling sports... Plus bikes have less material and that has to be taken into consideration. I know that the situation with bikes is thinner but I don't commute with my bike and I use it as a sport. Why should a motorcycle 5000-7000€ have better materials - technology on it than my bike????....
Yeah I saved for a whole year (very hard these days) on an ok income just to buy an ok ‘mid’ range MTB, honestly I only get about a day’s good enjoyment pre week, though I didn’t want cheap Chinese (no offence) Only everything is made (ok) in Taiwan
Short answer yes, more than a moto or even worse when some acoustic bikes cost more than an ebike. The marketing teams are clever at making us all "want" what we don't actually "need" plus as people are willing to buy these range topping £10k + machines, we are effectively creating the demand for expensive bikes. Can't really blame people who can afford to splash cash though as coffins don't have pockets.
I broke the internets mtb rules and bought an unbranded carbon frame(ican p9) same frame used by a brand in canada called evolve ....built it up with mainly parts from a bike i had ...full carbon enduro rig for around 2.2k was less but i bought new forks....its done the same rides as my mates 3.5k marin including a hellvellyn hike a bike ...absolute bargain n glad i took the "risk"
To be honest if I was my younger self getting into Mtbs today there's no way I could afford to so yes they are way way to expensive. Today they're developing lots of new bike categories to sell a new bike that you don't need. When I started in the 90s entry level was £400 now experts say its £3000 its becoming a sport for flash rich people. I see more and more posers riding because its fashionable which is great for manufacturers not for sport.
I haven't checked out what entry-level bikes cost these days. Don't tell me it's three thousand pounds already? Having said that, I just bought an entry level shock though. $1200 for a shock absorber is more than I'd like to spend. Oh well. Top end was fun while it lasted.
Absolutely. I had a fairly large break from the sport since the early 2000s and looking at prices now is insane. I get that things change but the stuff is basically the same, just more refined so why is it all at least twice the price now? I bought a top end Pike back then for about £350, now the top end one is £800+? Madness. Also lifetime frame warranties are baked into the initial cost of the frame itself to begin with, how can you not see that? You don't get them with cheap frames because they don't have enough of a profit margin built in.
to get a perspective on mountain bike prices, compare them to motocross bikes and just compare the complexity and the sheer amount of manufacturing expenditure or the number of parts to mtbs. pricing is absolutely ridiculous and in addition mtbs nowadays have a really large market and a really large numbers sold. they should be getting cheaper. if the bikeprand would be as efficient as those mx-brands, bikes would be at least half as expensive as they are now. either bikebrands are completely greedy, or they do not manage/organize their companies well. or both
Just bummed the bike I ordered had a $800 USD increase in one year. Guess I'm glad I got it now, but it is brutal to think I could have saved that money if I'd been able to buy last year.
The industry made mountain bikes unnecessarily complicated by the competition to make the latest product. Parts upgrades, engineered obsolescence and making the sport a status symbol crowded out a lot of riders from getting a start. I shudder to think of the theft of my MTB after all the time and effort spent customizing it. Yes , bikes have hit the max limit on being overpriced in my opinion. Of course, I tend to forget the wallet hurt when cruising down a flow trail.
The real question is how many riders really need full suspension. Because that right there could double, triple, quadruple the price. Some people do need it, most don't even realize how much performance a hardtail can offer if you work at it.
Like many things, bike prices are now set by what finance payments per month punters can “afford”. People just go for the most they can afford per month, as no one bothers saving (instant gratification generation). This gives manufacturers much more room to push prices up. Also 0% finance is an illusion as the finance cost gets added to the sticker price (which means you’ll probably pay it even if you pay cash). Hopefully the overpricing means new entrants will come into the market, or possibly more production can now be brought back locally. Slack journalism here by GMBN, to truly comment on this matter they should have investigated historical profit margins trend of the large cycle companies….
Yes way too expensive, 3-4k is beyond me for my needs, i can do 1-2k maybe, i ride 2-3 times a week for fun. Id love a nice expensive bike but it doesnt make sense for the amount of riding i do.
Maybe they are overpriced somewhat, however the amount of bikes you see out and about show that people will pay for them. And all the time that happens, the manufacturers will carry on charging as such for them.
bike soon will be in the same place as cars, old cars are always DIY but new cars require computers, special tools and shit to repair. With new bikes people will need to further spend money for new shit, money needs to be made somewhere i guess
I ride a transition patrol that I spent about $6K building. My son also rides a patrol. I do not have bike envy, I love that I can put the two of us on rad bikes but I'll admit some of the bikes I see at the local trails make us look like vagabonds. At the same time I know that my bikes have seen hundreds of miles of trails and traveled thousands of miles across north america to get to them, where the expensive and elite level bikes I see locally have most likely only ever seen the local trail. That is worth more than any figure I could spend on a bicycle.
Bikes are getting too expensive. It’s the whole industry. I know for a fact that markup for a bike shop can be close to 50% depending on the bike brand. Your $5,000 bike is sold to the shop for $2,500 from the factory. That is just a very rough example.
