Unless I’m missing an odd individual bike here or there in the UK there are currently zero tri/ tt bikes in stock in size XL under £7k. Any that appear to be in stock actually aren’t when you look.
Where did all the lower end tri bikes go! I know there’s supply issues but zero bikes is worse than when I tried to get a new race hardtail during first lockdown!
Is it a specific component holding them back, a sign that value tri bikes don’t exist anymore or are loads of new models coming?
It’s a combo of parts shortages, dwindling market demand and the move to disc brakes reducing market options.
It’s a combo of parts shortages, dwindling market demand and the move to disc brakes reducing market options.
I think this sums it up. I used to bring in 300 bikes per shipment; 40% were always presold ( but they were rim brake bikes). Supply chain issues hit just as the market convinced triathletes that they needed a disc brake bike.
No travel to Taiwan or China without unreasonable hurdles is still in place.
For us that means no new bikes now or in the pipeline. I’m not risking sitting on 300 bikes and I’m not risking less than 100% collaboration with our factories to develope and produce a new bike.
We are a small company. If the big companies can’t make it work - I’ll set the bikes aside for now and continue with our other business.
Why is it a dwindling market? I’d have thought triathlon was a growing market globally?
The option to have discs appeals to me so I can train on my tt bike and use it in a wider range of races, in a way riding my old tt bike rim brakes never did, so I don’t see discs as a downside.
UK buyers need Planet X to bring out a new budget tt bike, an Exocet 3 maybe!
Pretty sure triathlon participation peaked in most places in about the mid 2000s? Been holding fairly steady since if not a gradual decline (or at least that is my perception here in the UK) and only a small percentage of those current participants are in the market for a dedicated TT bike.
I agree with you on discs. Planet X for years was the go to for an affordable TT bike, but I think the fact they haven’t had one in their range for sometime probably shows the lack of demand.
Planet X would need a good open mould to be available as well as groupset parts (particularly brakes).
Tri bikes are a decreasing market, from talking to a bunch of brands they’re all seeing the trend that riders stick with their road bikes until they get really keen on Tri, then they want a kitted tri bike, so the low end (mechanical) options are disappearing.
Even the brands that do care about tri are holding off on releasing new bikes until they can be sure of getting the parts they need.
It seems to be an increasingly-niche market, which has to an extent created its own self-fulfilling prophecy of doom because the few TT/Tri bikes coming on the market are soooo expensive. Not just in size XL that is AWOL, but other sizes too.
As per another poster, I myself know friends who are holding onto their road bikes / going higher spec there (but still for a whole lot less ££ than a new TT bike) and for a few tri races a year using their road bike with clip ons, even on full iron distance races (not sufficiently close to the podium for it to make a difference). Particularly as their disc braked aero road bikes are also tubeless and 28mm tyres so are not so beaten up as on their previous 23mm tyred TT bike, and not giving up so much time to be worth spending the £7-10k on.
One of my mates has cancelled his repeatedly delayed Canyon TT bike order and decided to do exactly as above - gone back to where we were 10 years ago and just put clip on bars and a flipped-forward seat post on for the races.
All the above made worse by no clear racing for 2 years to try to justify dropping the £7-10k on a new Att bike.
I ended not ordering a new TT bike at the end of 2021, and dropped the ££ onto a lush hand built gravel bike instead, as it’ll get a lot more use. I’ll carry on using the Planet X TT bike for tri.
It’s not just XL bikes. I ordered a P5D frameset in October 2021 with expected delivery in January 2022 and here we are halfway through July and still waiting…
What’s your other business?
We do a lot of private label in chemical products, still do a fair business in rim and disc brake wheels, optimized chains and travel cases.
We are about to launch a new line of products in September - we have been working hard on those items for about a year.
Plenty of work to keep very busy.
Unless I’m missing an odd individual bike here or there in the UK there are currently zero tri/ tt bikes in stock in size XL under £7k. Any that appear to be in stock actually aren’t when you look.
Where did all the lower end tri bikes go!
I have what’s considered an entry level tribike (Cervelo P2, 2017). I’ve made a few upgrades over the years (e.g. HED wheels, tririg brakes). I’d like to buy a new tribike just for the fun of having a new bike, but can’t justify it. There’s no point in replacing my bike with another entry level one and it seems whenever I price out a new bike that is clearly a significant upgrade I get close to (if not over) five figures, which is obscene. If there were a bike in the $4-5K range that was clearly a step up from my current one I’d probably pull the trigger. I’m kind of stuck in this place of wanting a new bike but not really being able to justify it.