Originally Posted by
Redbullet
I didn't target aero, as it goes higher in price. Weight in my benchmark was without pedals. No aero, 8 kg with pedals – not quite special, I’d say. That's why one would be surprised to find out that the price is substantially higher than in the past - this is just the evolution of the market.
The premise of this thread is comparing a bike that has 12sp electronic shifting to a bike that had 11sp mechanical. One can debate the value of this as an "upgrade", but this plays a major factor in the cost increase being cited.
There's been an avoidance of specifics in this thread, but I'll give a few examples to show my point:
2023 Specialized Roubaix Comp w/ SRAM Rival AXS = $5200
2023 Specialized Roubaix Sport w/ 105 mechanical = $3500 (This bike is identical to the SRAM Rival AXS model in all aspects aside from groupset).
Electonic shifting adds a whopping $1700 to the price.
For a 2015 comparison, the Specialized Roubaix SL4 Elite Disc (w/ SRAM Rival mechanical and hydro discs) = $2800 MSRP, which is roughly equivalent to $3500 in today's dollars. This is the same cost as the current bike with 11sp 105 mechanical.
I'm not going to hunt down weights, but I would be shocked if that 2015 Roubaix was any lighter than the 2023 model. My guess is that both are in the 19-20lb range.