Originally Posted by
spectastic
you know, I first got into cycling because I wanted to save gas and money. Ironically enough, I'm now spending more money on my damn bikes than I do with anything else in my daily routine, except maybe rent, but that's different.
Bike stuff is expensive either because of the materials used, the fact they make fewer of the high-priced items, or both. In the case of tires, the runs are so small relative to car tires that they raise the prices to hike the margins. Also, a relative few ride enough that they're regularly wearing them out, especially when you're talking a tire like a Gatorskin.