What is it that make this bike so expensive?
05-14-12, 06:34 AM
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What is it that make this bike so expensive?
I ran across this link for a Steelwool Tweed bicycle and was a bit surprised at the price and was wondering what make it so expensive?
More pictures.
More pictures.
Last edited by silvercreek; 05-14-12 at 10:22 AM.
05-14-12, 06:59 AM
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$650 is expensive?
05-14-12, 07:06 AM
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Where do you see $650 on the tweed? It says startings at $1399 CAD. Personally, I don't like bikes that are listed in small/medium/large sizes and would want more on specs of it at the 1399 price point.
05-14-12, 08:03 AM
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Right! At least the starting at $1399 is what I saw.
Last edited by silvercreek; 05-14-12 at 08:07 AM.
05-14-12, 08:05 AM
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05-14-12, 08:25 AM
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Expensive compared to what?
It's a lugged chromoly steel bike with a Brooks saddle for starters...
When you compare the price of the Steelwool Tweed with the Raliegh Grand Prix, the Surly LHT, the Salsa Casserole, the Jamis Satellite Comp, or the Masi Grand Criterium, is it really so expensive?
If you'd go to the Steelwool website, you'll find the frameset priced for $650. It has been reduced in price, as it's currently on sale. However, that's besides the original point. The current price remains competitive.
At $650 for the frameset, that's a steal!
It's a lugged chromoly steel bike with a Brooks saddle for starters...
When you compare the price of the Steelwool Tweed with the Raliegh Grand Prix, the Surly LHT, the Salsa Casserole, the Jamis Satellite Comp, or the Masi Grand Criterium, is it really so expensive?
If you'd go to the Steelwool website, you'll find the frameset priced for $650. It has been reduced in price, as it's currently on sale. However, that's besides the original point. The current price remains competitive.
At $650 for the frameset, that's a steal!
Last edited by SlimRider; 05-14-12 at 09:09 PM.
05-14-12, 08:51 AM
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Generally speaking, two things contribute to a bike's price: components and labor (especially the latter if the frame is handmade and/or the bike is assembled individually, as opposed to a factory line).
05-14-12, 08:59 AM
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It has a Tange Prestige frame, that will run the cost up right off the bat. Entry level bikes of decent quality are common at almost $600 nowadays, if you go up in features/frame quality, it's going to cost.
Last edited by unterhausen; 05-14-12 at 09:02 AM.
05-14-12, 09:01 AM
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I'm still trying to figure out the "steel wool" moniker.
05-14-12, 10:05 AM
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05-14-12, 11:16 AM
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For $650 you'll only get the frame: https://steelwool.myshopify.com/products/tweed
05-14-12, 11:39 AM
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Not familiar with the bike, but event $1600. is not a lot for a quality bike, as this one appears to be. You can find cheaper -- check any Target or Walmart -- but cheap is what you get.
05-14-12, 01:09 PM
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I'd say that $650 for a small production, N. American made, lugged Tange Prestige frame with a really nice paint job (see 2-tone head tube) and lots of braze-ons and disc mounts, is about right. Add to that the fact that the company is quite young (since '06) and is probably still amortizing all of their startup costs, it really does not seem bad (i.e. too expensive) to me at all.
05-14-12, 05:40 PM
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Am I missing something? This appears to be a fixie which can accommodate brakes or an internal gear hub, etc. So you're going to trek across Africa in your fender'ed fixie? How's stopping in a downpour? Looks like a case of wishful thinking marketing.
05-14-12, 08:44 PM
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To the OP the price is certainly in line with half a dozen other similar bikes that come to mind: Salsa Casserole, Surly LHT, Bob Jackson Super Tourist, Bruce Gordon, Bilenky, Mercian, Rivendel and several others. If I were buying a tour bike I would expect to spend in the $1500-$2500 price range for a new bike.
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Webshots is bailing out, if you find any of my posts with corrupt picture files and want to see them corrected please let me know. :(
ISO: A late 1980's Giant Iguana MTB frameset (or complete bike) 23" Red with yellow graphics.
"Cycling should be a way of life, not a hobby.
RIDE, YOU FOOL, RIDE!"_Nicodemus
"Steel: nearly a thousand years of metallurgical development
Aluminum: barely a hundred
Which one would you rather have under your butt at 30mph?"_krazygluon
05-14-12, 09:19 PM
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05-14-12, 09:50 PM
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I like the bike. Don't if I like it $1,400 worth. Set up with a 3 speed IGH & discs it would be a bullet-proof commuter & all arounder rider.
05-15-12, 01:58 AM
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It's a nice bike but a bit of a fashion statement. Some of the other geared bikes in their range seem slightly better value, on the face of it. But given the work that goes into producing a quality steel bike, these prices are not unusually high.
05-15-12, 09:51 AM
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Small NA builder vs a huge contract builder in China,
that makes thousands of bikes for several brand importers
the labor cost per unit alone is not comparable ..
that makes thousands of bikes for several brand importers
the labor cost per unit alone is not comparable ..
05-18-12, 10:16 PM
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brazed lugged cr-mo frame, brooks saddle, braze ons, good brakes wheels and tires, quality fenders, stem, bars, seatpost , crank. its cheap!
05-18-12, 10:27 PM
#22
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The price in the frame set is very reasonable as it is made with a high quality tube set and lugs that have to be custom made for this geometry.
The final price is based on how the bicycle is finished with the singlespeed / fg option coming in at the least expensive... factor in $250.00 - $300.00 for a quality wheel set and you are up to $900 - $950 and then you have to factor in the the rest of the parts which will actually cost less on an O.E.M. bicycle than what you would have to pay if you were buying them singly.
Our custom frame sets start at $1600.00 and a complete bicycle can often run into prices in excess of $4000.00 depending on how that bicycle is equipped, considering also that many of our wheel sets cost a great deal more than $300.00 and this is not enough to cover the cost of the hubs we use.
The final price is based on how the bicycle is finished with the singlespeed / fg option coming in at the least expensive... factor in $250.00 - $300.00 for a quality wheel set and you are up to $900 - $950 and then you have to factor in the the rest of the parts which will actually cost less on an O.E.M. bicycle than what you would have to pay if you were buying them singly.
Our custom frame sets start at $1600.00 and a complete bicycle can often run into prices in excess of $4000.00 depending on how that bicycle is equipped, considering also that many of our wheel sets cost a great deal more than $300.00 and this is not enough to cover the cost of the hubs we use.
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