Originally Posted by Waldo
Wow, I just checked out the Motobecane site and was quite amused. The vast majority of their road bikes are actually more expensive than comparable bikes at our shops.
Example: Super Mirage at $650 for steel frame and fork, 24 speed Sora. Bianchi Brava: Reynolds steel, carbon fork, same group, same price.
Example 2: Record at $899 with alu frame, carbon fork, and Sora. Felt F80: same spec, $799.
Example 3: Mirage Sport at $750, spec'd as above but steel fork. Felt F90: $599 for same spec and carbon fork.
Example 4: Legacy Elite: $1699 with Reynolds 520 frame, 105 with generic crank and brakes, cf fork, and decent velomax wheels. Bianchi Imola: $1399 with Reynolds 631, full 105 with the exception of Sugino crank, and not quite as fancy wheels (that have still proven to be quite reliable).
That's just a few I picked at random...
[edit for spelling]
Actually, "inflated" list prices are part of the Cycle Spectrum/BikesDirect/Motobecane/Mercier/Windsor marketing plan. Grossly inflated list prices are posted on the websites for their various house labels. Then, in Cycle Spectrum stores, customers are told they are getting "30% off list price". BikesDirect customers are told they are getting "50% of list", and customers at their three E-Bay stores are told "The opening bid price is 70% off list".
The second part of their marketing plan is to include at least ONE well respected Shimano part on each bike. On their 2005 "Dura-Ace" road bike, that ONE respected part is a NINE (not ten) speed rear gear changer, driven by Dura-Ace bar-end shifters. The rest of their bikes are "mix and match" grab-bags of less well known brands, house brands, and orphaned parts that are two or three years old.
And, sometimes they spec a "strange" part, such as a seatpost on one Motobecane that their own mechanic said he could not find a replacement...too odd a size.
The "strength" of this bike marketing machine is that they are the ONLY outfit selling road bikes in large numbers priced between around $275 to $475 (they "give away" 2003 models in some of their E-Bay auctions). But, if someone is planning to spend $1,000 or $2,000 on a road bike, that customer has lots of better choices in a local LBS, and has no need to be getting into bed with a "mail order bride".