Road Cycling - new rider here -- why are parts so expensive??

Hi all, I am getting into road bikes lately after being mostly on mountain bikes, and I have to ask you all, why are parts sooo expensive? (and it seems to be all about the parts when you talk to someone about road biking)

first, for the top quality parts, what causes them to be so expensive? As far as I can tell, they are made with standard metal machining techniques. Is there something else? Titanium? Where is all the money going?

second, what do the ultimate most expensive parts get you that the low end stuff doesn't? Durability? Smooth action?

or is it the parts makers seeing that people will pay these prices?

Thanks for entertaining my beginner's questions!

[QUOTE=supernova87a]Hi all, I am getting into road bikes lately after being mostly on mountain bikes, and I have to ask you all, why are parts sooo expensive? (and it seems to be all about the parts when you talk to someone about road biking)

If you came from MTB world and ever bought an XT grade gear, you probably paid comparable prices to the Ultegra or DA line of Shimano road bike parts. Quality cost $$$.

Try saving money by exploring eBay (sorry LBS types) and you'll find prices are much better online.

Not an expert, but I play one on TV.

Well, several things will make certain parts more expensive. If you are looking at Dura-Ace or Record stuff, those lines are superlightweight. Between exotic metals and carbon fiber, and exotic designs (to maximize strength at minimum weight), they cost a lot to design and make.
Ultegra and Chorus, OTOH, aren't quite so super-light, but are designed more with reliability in mind. On cheaper lines, many moving parts are made of plastic. Better lines have these same parts made of metal. Sometimes you also get things like composite-hardened jockey wheels, or other such expensive processes desingned to make the life of a fairly light component survive longer. Also, better bearings cost more money to make.

Keith Bontrager said it best...... Light, strong, cheap, pick two.

Amen.

Hi all, I am getting into road bikes lately after being mostly on mountain bikes, and I have to ask you all, why are parts sooo expensive? (and it seems to be all about the parts when you talk to someone about road biking)

First, for the top quality parts, what causes them to be so expensive? As far as I can tell, they are made with standard metal machining techniques. Is there something else? Titanium? Where is all the money going?

Second, what do the ultimate most expensive parts get you that the low end stuff doesn't? Durability? Smooth action?

Or is it the parts makers seeing that people will pay these prices?

Thanks for entertaining my beginner's questions!

I've wondered at that many times myself. I think I can sum it up in one word, "GREED". ;)

I have found that shopping around really does help. I have something like 30 online bike stores in my list of "favorites".

I just bought a new Ti road frame and had the company I bought it from build a complete bike for me with components of my choosing (Getawaybikes.com... whom I do not work for or have any association with btw). I gave them a price on a comparable bike and asked if they could beat it and they did. I simply mention that to say sometimes if you simply ask for a better price you'll get one.

Also, Nashbar.com is a great place to start if you're looking to save some $$. If you look around at some online coupon sites they (Nashbar) almost always have a coupon code for at least 10% off your purchase.

Why are the top quality parts so expensive? :eek:

Easy. People will pay that much money for them! :p

In our society, people equate performance with the quality of the bike they are riding. They have this notion that if they get a more expensive bike, their performance will improve. Thing is that about 95%+ of your performance is based on your skill, strength, aerobic power, and conditioning. But bike manufacturers can't sell those things.

But they can sit down and say "Hey, people will pay $200 for a rear cluster if we can make one that sounds sexy enough". So they go out and design a rear cluster that is made out of aerodynamic special alloy gold plated unobtanium and people buy it because it weighs 40 grams less then a $30 rear cluster made out of stainless steel.

Now for pro riders to buy the fanciest stuff makes sense. I mean how much CAN you spend on a bike? It is less then $10,000. And given the expenses of fielding a racing team and training year round, $10,000 is cheap thrills especially if getting the latest and greatest will give you a small performance improvement. But for the rest of us, it really does not matter if we do our 30 miles at 20 mph or 20.05 mph.

I wouldn't necessarily describe the differences in pricing on parts as based on "greed". Like any other product if one shops carefully one can minimize the cost hit. With respect to the lines of reputable manufacturers previous posters are correct. The more expensive lines tend to be light and durable. The cyclist has to make the determination as to how much they are willing to pay for these traits. For my own purposes (commuter on a 7 mile round trip commute and recreational rider in the 40-50 mile per weekend day tour range) mid range Shimano parts are adequate, and don't strain my budget.

Larry

Keith Bontrager said it best...... Light, strong, cheap, pick two.

Amen.

Ageed! :)

Because they're not manufactured in China (yet)?

Why are the top quality parts so expensive? :eek:

Easy. People will pay that much money for them! :p

In our society, people equate performance with the quality of the bike they are riding. They have this notion that if they get a more expensive bike, their performance will improve. Thing is that about 95%+ of your performance is based on your skill, strength, aerobic power, and conditioning. But bike manufacturers can't sell those things.

But they can sit down and say "Hey, people will pay $200 for a rear cluster if we can make one that sounds sexy enough". So they go out and design a rear cluster that is made out of aerodynamic special alloy gold plated unobtanium and people buy it because it weighs 40 grams less then a $30 rear cluster made out of stainless steel.

Now for pro riders to buy the fanciest stuff makes sense. I mean how much CAN you spend on a bike? It is less then $10,000. And given the expenses of fielding a racing team and training year round, $10,000 is cheap thrills especially if getting the latest and greatest will give you a small performance improvement. But for the rest of us, it really does not matter if we do our 30 miles at 20 mph or 20.05 mph.


i think the first 2 lines are correct, but you're missing something in the last 3. obviously prices are set where supply equals demand. so ok.

in the last 3 paragraphs, though, i don't think you're wrong so much as something else needs to be pointed out. i think people definitely expect their performance to increase when they buy performance increasing parts. but that's only a bit of it. they also expect their enjoyment to increase. more comfort in the saddle. less stress on the knees. also, more miles traveled in the same time allocation. previously unscalable hill's now scalable. descents at a rate greater than ever before even considered. that kind of thing is a big part of it as well, in my opinion.

dan

why are parts sooo expensive? (and it seems to be all about the parts when you talk to someone about road biking)

Are you talking about bicycles as transportation devices, recreational equipment, or as sports equipment? In the realm of transporation, you can buy an entire bicycle that will last thousands of miles for a couple hundred dollars. Just head down to Walmart or shop the classifieds for someone's used bike and you're good to go. If you're talking about recreational equipment for bike trails, again, head to Walmart, the classifieds, or your LBS and pick up an inexpensive bike. It will serve your needs, again for a couple hundred bucks. Now, if you're talking about sports equipment, well the sky's the limit. You can drop a grand for a club racer or $5k for a Formula 1 machine (well, actually, that would be $10k for a Colnago Ferrari so lets call it a CART machine).

Seriously, because bikes are relatively affordable, consumers tend to buy equipment that far exceeds their needs. Did you ever stop to think why the average road bike buyer is sold a machine that has the same gearing as a pro rider? In fact, in most cases what the roadie consumer is looking for is something that is every bit as good as what a professional racer would use. Thankfully, due to high demand and large production numbers, these fairly incredible machines remain pretty darn affordable. Motorcycles are very much like bicycles in this regard in that consumers can more easily afford -- and therefore create a large demand that drives large production numbers and lowers consumer cost -- 600cc - 1300cc sportbikes that far exceed their utility on the road; noting that darn few are ever taken to a track which is what they were designed for in the first place. Now, how many TransAm, Lemans or Winston Cup cars do you see the average motorsports enthuisast driving around in on the street or at club racing events? Oh yeah, cost prohibitive like you can't believe.

Thus, we come back to road bike equipment. It's only ultra-expensive if you purchase the higher-end equipment. Shimano and Campagnolo offer a wide range of component groups, including more affordable groups like Sora, Tiagra, Mirage, etc... But, just how many folks are willing to spec. those on their pride and joy? And, as far as Walmat bikes, never forget that they remain the largest segment (by millions of units) in the bicycle market.


first, for the top quality parts, what causes them to be so expensive? As far as I can tell, they are made with standard metal machining techniques. Is there something else? Titanium? Where is all the money going?

This might help explain some of it.

http://www.bike.com/template.asp?date=9%2F5%2F2001&lsectionnumber=6

More interesting reading.

http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/prodreview/components/campyvda.html


second, what do the ultimate most expensive parts get you that the low end stuff doesn't? Durability? Smooth action? Or is it the parts makers seeing that people will pay these prices?

Yes, yes, and yes. But, you don't have to shell out $5k for a 15lb bike. Fuji will sell you one for $2,200 and you can probably find one on Ebay for 1/2 of that. Do you NEED a 15lb bike? Does anyone not racing for a big pay-day where 10ths of a second matter need something that high-tech?

Bottom Line: Road Bicycles are luxury items in the same way that high-end downhill ski / snowboard equipment is a luxury item. The economics defy logic, yet both remain relatively strong markets.

Want a deal on 10spd Record? Go to rec.bicycles.marketplace or the other classified ad sites and buy it from the folks who have decided to opt out of the high-end game.

Well Mark, you have hit the nail on the head. Just about all the low to mid line bikes work well today due to the r&d that went into the top end stuff in years past. (Have you seen the new chorus group? It looks just like last years record.) For a race ready bike can be had for $1,000 today, but there will be guys that want to spend $5k to 7k on a bike because they can. And yes, it will be more comfortable for longer rides and lighter to go up the hills and look really cool.

And in the bigger picture, spending 5 to 7k for a bike which is like a formula one race car (only without the engine) is not that big a deal. As for the pros, they just ride what their given.

Heh. I paid more for Chorus last year when it was still called Record. Not bitter, though.

Perception of value. Know it. Love it. Along with marginal willingness to pay. Add in the demographics of the roadie scene and you get $200 derailleurs.

Also, you see more exotic materials used in less quantities in the same places that a good ol' alloy would work. Stuff's built to be light for roadie bikes. Sure, you see some carbon on MTB derailleurs, but it's built for a different purpose. Everyone knows that there's an inverse relationship between weight and price.

Never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever EVER buy from Wal-mart... Wal-mart is the devil. Buy from your LBS where they actually know something about bikes.

Never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever EVER buy from Wal-mart... Wal-mart is the devil. Buy from your LBS where they actually know something about bikes.

did you actually read the whole thread before responding to it? walmart sells bikes for $50-100. my LBS starts at about $500.

if you're poor, and if all you want is transportation and you don't care if some guy in spandex on a $3000 biike is gonna laugh at you, buying a bike at walmart makes some sense.

Use www.qbike.com to find prices that will differ.

No, buying a decent used bike at a bike shop makes sense, buying a wally-world junkster doesn't. If your local bike shop doesn't sell used bikes, then find a shop that does.

Last year, a friend of mine was looking for a bike, in the $200 price range. I went to the local bike shop, and found 3-4 bikes in his price range, all in good shape, but noooooo, he went and bought a piece-of-schwinn from ***-mart. The chain kept coming off. The wheel wasn't trued. The BB started making grinding noises. All this within 3 months. He asked me to fix it. I told him to take it back for a refund. He threw it into the dumpster last week, exactly 14 months after buying it.

Good deal? Hardly.

No, buying a decent used bike at a bike shop makes sense, buying a wally-world junkster doesn't. If your local bike shop doesn't sell used bikes, then find a shop that does.

Last year, a friend of mine was looking for a bike, in the $200 price range. I went to the local bike shop, and found 3-4 bikes in his price range, all in good shape, but noooooo, he went and bought a piece-of-schwinn from ***-mart. The chain kept coming off. The wheel wasn't trued. The BB started making grinding noises. All this within 3 months. He asked me to fix it. I told him to take it back for a refund. He threw it into the dumpster last week, exactly 14 months after buying it.

Good deal? Hardly.

Even a bike from the previous model year can be a good deal. A while ago I saw a Giant (can't remember which model) marked down from $1600 to $1100 simply because it wasn't the newest bike out there any more. Obviously this is more some people would spend, but the same principle can apply to lower models, too.