Originally Posted by
rubiksoval
Sure. As carbon manufacturing improved, people wanted the better bike. Makes sense to me.
An Emonda AL5 is $2000, though, while the SL5 is $2600. Not sure why you're trying to compare a Madone, which is one of the most proprietary frames available, with a run-of-the-mill no frills al frame. Of course that's going to be substantially more expensive.
No, I'm saying that in 2014, you could buy a AL Madone, kitted with Ultegra componentry for $2100. Today, there is no AL option for a Madone whatsoever and the entry level model is more than twice that price, so just perhaps people are only just buying now what the manufacturers have to sell?
Yes, you can get an AL Domane or Emonda at a lower pricepoint, but not with any level of drivetrain above 105 level or decent wheels. Meanwhile you can get an entry level CF Domane with Tiagra for $2400 but no CF model available with Sora or Claris like is possible with the ALR. Likewise, it appears eg. that Trek has removed from their website, the option of purchasing the current ALR Domane frameset only for those who might have considered building up their own.