Originally Posted by
veganbikes
You generally don't have to ask people to be cheap, they do it on their own. That is why Shimano and SRAM put their name on garbage from wally-mart or targét or even low end bikes from the likes of Specialized, Trek, Fuji, Cannondale, Jamis, Marin...That is why new modern bikes still have freewheels instead of cassettes or are using loose ball components of no quality. Not all cyclists are cheap but it seems like there is a huge race to the bottom instead of floating at least in a nice comfortable middle or moving towards the top.
Ouch.
As someone who just bought an $11 Tange Passage looseball headset over the weekend, I gotta say that is a tough perspective you got there. Pretty dire and bitter.
A lot of people in life simply dont find the value in more expensive bikes. If they did, they would buy em more and the entry level market would shrink.
You are basically complaining that consumers dont find value in the extra curricular hobby that you enjoy and value.
This race to the bottom you complain about isnt unique to cycling- its consumerism in general and is hardly new. Its based on the realities of a global economy and has in part allowed us to become a society that is absurdly wealthy while enjoying longer lives and less disease than any point in recorded history.
An inexpensive looseball headset is perfectly servicable on a road bike for decades. That, to me, is an excellent product as it combines longevity with cost avoidance. Best of both worlds. Same with freewheels(though current offerings probably arent the same quality as ones from decades ago that still work). Regardless, if a $15 freewheel lasts a decade, how is that a bad thing?
I would also argue that the industry continues to move away from that which you decry. Trickle down tech has bikes in the $600 price range rocking carbon forks, threadless headsets, reliable STI shifting, etc. Much of what you detest is on kids bikes and every entry level big box retail bikes which are markets that should always exist since many dont want a bike that costs more than a few hundred $.