Originally Posted by
xenologer
with bikes, the differences will be more extreme than mere cloth, larger sizes need to be built more robustly, materials and design may need to be different.... at least in theory. instead we often see that all frame sizes are priced identically, and use identical components -a freewheel on a 15" frame for a 90lb woman is fine, but is it really acceptable that the 23" version of the same bike still uses that freewheel?
Freewheels are a bad idea for heavier riders due to where they put the drive side axle bearing.
Once you get to a freehub with decent metalurgy you should be fine - road hubs share the same axle sizes (traditionally 9mm front and 10mm rear in steel although ~15mm over-sized aluminum axles are becoming common) and freehubs as their tandem counterparts which work for 350+ pound tandem teams and their luggage.
While 400g box section rims get bent with riders weighing much over 150 pounds, rims made deeper for aerodynamic reasons are also fine for heavier riders (like the Velocity Deep V).
maybe we need to be more pragmatic, spec and price items based on rider size instead of pretending all are equal (politcal correctness) ?
A pound of steel or aluminum runs about $1. Most of the costs are distribution, marketing, and labor.