Originally Posted by
altondavis2
I think you're right on with the recent price increases. Admittedly the content on a lot of bikes has increased.
Its hard for me to justify disc brakes on an entry level bikes. I am down to 3 bikes and my Specialized Diverge
has all 105 disc components. However for a lot of occasional riders, even the low end disc brakes don't add
a lot of value over a good set of rim brakes. Everyone doesn't ride on a rainy day. I think that the price of
bikes should be coming down. Value models should feature rim brakes and 7 spd drivetrains and any other
features that can be used to keep the price down.
Agree about V brakes, which are incredibly cheap and work really well. I am admittedly a late adopter, but if keeping V brakes will save the brands some money off the retail price, I think it makes sense. As for 7 speed, I actually think there is no reason why 8 speed shouldn't be the standard budget bike choice in 2021. My 1997 Bianchi had 7 speed, which, admittedly seemed like a huge jump in performance from the 5 speeds I grew up with.
Shimano introduced 8 speed mountain groups in the early 90s, and has had Altus level 8 speed shifters/derailleurs since the early to mid 2000s. These days, most people looking for higher performance are going for 1 x 10 or 1 x 11, so surely, 8 speed has gone far enough down the food chain that the bike brands could put it on entry level bikes, at least for the better brands.