Originally Posted by
rpenmanparker
I'm sure they exist, but I can think of no other commoditiies besides bike gear which are so overpayed for and then so jealously guarded against wear and tear. Leave the hardware aside for now. Why are cycling clothes so much more precious than regular clothes? Why do you pay so much for so little improvement over the middle range and then have to worry so much about how long the goods will last? Do you buy $2,000 suits and then take them to a dry cleaner that charges $20 to clean them? Not most folks. These days most folks never get our of their $20 cargo shorts. Why do cyclists pay the extreme with regard to their crap nylon shorts and jerseys and then have to tally up how many times they can wear them to not feel cheated? Blows my mind.
Part of the reason why is that manufacturers like Assos first charge you and arm and a leg and then include in the instructions very clear print saying pretty expliclity to baby your bibs - only wash in the lightest cycle, with sports detergent, and use a special BAG that comes with the bibs just for washing them.
I ended up taking a spill and putting a quarter-sized hole in the side of my Assos so they were pretty early on relegated to trainer duty (I ride 50% of my miles on the trainer so it's not trivial) and I stopped with the baby care - in fact, I was hoping they'd die an early death so I could replace them. Alas, 4 years later, that quarter sized hole is the same size, and the rest of it looks new.
I think it's just a perception of quality that the bike manufacturers are selling you. In reality, they're much, much toughter than their 'instructions' say.