Originally Posted by
Marcus_Ti
I think it is silly to assume it will.
Bike prices, bike equipment, and bike gear prices in the last decade have only gone one direction. Higher and higher and higher. First gas prices were blamed, then when the fuel prices went down it was revealed what was really going on: jacked up prices simply because they could. Power meter prices have been locked in for a long while now. Electronic gruppos have locked in as well.
So no, it isn't going to penetrate to lower price points. AAMOF, the "lower price points" are only going to go up. Hell, entry road bike prices have doubled in the last decade. And as I said, prices are only going to go up.
Wut. Compare CF frames from a decade ago to what's available now and tell me that they haven't gotten better while prices have decreased. Power meter prices have been dropping, too, while getting lighter and better - the other day someone posted a deal for a ~$520 PTap G3 ANT+ hub, Stages have hit the market at $699 retail and a few other competitors are hoping to enter the market in the sub-$500 category, as well.
But yes - let's trot out that ol' "they're charging more because they can!" trope. Anyone in the business will tell you that it's a highly competitive market with very tight margins - if that weren't the case, other players would enter the market and undercut the competition in short order.