Sitting in an airbnb in Wilmington….tabletop photo book of old stuff. Penny farthing photo from 1870……cost six months wages. Lets say half of $50k today. $25k buys anything you desire. Okie. I will hush about expensive bikes while I own three expensive bikes.
Just interesting.
A competitive race bike has literally never been less expensive (in relative terms) than one is now.
I’ve related this anecdote on here before, but Greg Lemond once said to me that “a current off the shelf bike with 105 is better than anything I rode in the tour”. That was close to 20 years ago, and bikes have only gotten better since.
Considering that a top of the line road or tri bike buys you a couple of race ready MX bikes, yeah they are not that expensive…
Sure, today’s 105 is better than Dura Ace from 20 years ago. Anyway, the group sets aren’t ideal examples, because the difference between them is nowadays only weight.
The problem is, that you’re racing in 2020s, not 2000s.
Marketing hype aside how much faster are modern bikes than something 20 years old? I’ve read the original P5 (2012) though not 20 years old is just as fast if not faster? For most age groupers not averaging 40+kph is there really much difference?
P5six has been one of the most aero successful bikes, yes. Has been, not “had been”. I was lucky enough to ride a P5three from the Team Dimension Data, with exposed front brake, as my first TT bike. It came with Enve 7.8 tubulars, built on Chris King hubs. Speedy but rough.
It’s more about the development of the whole package: bike, suit, helmet, custom cockpit, wheels, tires. Wetsuits on the swim and carbon shoes with energy returning foam on the run etc.
Groupsets are only part of it. Wheels are dramatically better. Tires - especially at entry level - are dramatically better. Bars/stems; lighter stiffer, stronger. Framesets? ditto. Pedals and shoes? No question. Let’s not even talk about things like clothing and helmets. Or eyewear. All for less money, adjusted for inflation.
The MX bikes are inexpensive, but they get you with the orthopedic surgery.
Super deep dive: Why are modern bikes so expensive? - Escape Collective
One of the more interesting things in that article is that when you account for inflation, bikes are actually a little bit cheaper today than 20 years ago.
Sure, that’s why I switched sports, but the cost difference can only be explained by us consumers being too compliant.
Economies of scale couldn’t possibly be a factor here?
Thank god for all the price-compliant customers driving massive industry profits!
So you think there are more Mx bikes sold than bicycles? I would think the opposite by at least an order of magnitude.