Originally Posted by Singlespeedster
A lot. Even over the past 10 years. The amount of r&d going into frame material and processes alone has skyrocketed over the past 10 years. Componentry has evolved quite a bit too. And I still am of the opinion that if you consider the true cost that goes into producing new models and new designs, cycling is a relative bargain. Some firends of mine run a company that produces high end mountain bike frames. Currently they are in the process of launching a new downhill bike that introduces some pretty radical ne technology. Althought the frame alone retails for 3500 dollars, they will be the forst to tell you that if they calculated out the total amount of r&d that went into getting that frame to market, they would have to charge ten times that amount to simply break even.
Small shops I can agree that it would take a while to recover costs, however I contend that there is not a lot of functional performance and it's actually diminished gains once a bike runs past the $1,500 to $2,000 price range. After that a consumer is mostly paying for the exclusivity of the part, or components.
After all the mantra here is always,
"It's not the bike but the engine..." So if this is true, does a $5,000 bike make a difference over a $1,500 bike?
About the changes, I still see there is still a sprocket, and a chain is used to drive it. The chain is derailed to shift gears, the brakes are still a caliper clamp actuated by cable. This stuff has been around for many decades, all we have seen is an evolution, rather than Revolution. Like I said, there has been advancements in materials and manufacturing techniques, however the bicycle is basically unchanged since I started riding 35 years ago.
My 17 year old Trek, looks and performs just as good as a modern day Madone, even before the upgrade, so I contend again the bicycle hasn't changed much... And if it has, whats it really matter if the Motor is all that counts? I read repeatedly here that Eddy Merckx in his day would beat anybody here on a modern bike, or even Lance.
Originally Posted by recursive
Educate yourself. You can start here.
http://www.campyonly.com/history.html
Kinda still looks simular to me.....
My point is that most of us here are like the kettle calling the pot black with the $10,000 Trek. Ask anybody out side of cycling and they will tell you $1,000 is crazy for a complete Bike, much less fo just a frame never mind $5,000 for just a frame, or $700 for a crank set.... So really we are our own worst critics.
Again, Bicycles don't have to cost what they do, however because people are willing to pay the price that is asked, the manufacturers will continue to command it.
Myself I'm no better, I know that a frame or part should not be as much as they are, however given the chance, I would sell the farm for it. But I'm like that for any of my passions or Hobbies.
Soapbox\off