"bicycle specific" marketing?
OK. It is obvious the right tool for the job is the best tool for the job, and many bike tools and products may be unique to biking. Also, many bike specific tools have cheaper substitutes for the creative. The roles of truing stands, calipers, dishing tools, spoke drivers (this is all wheel stuff I know, but that is the only other major DIY projects I have done on my bike). All these things can be substituted for with the bike itself, string wire and electric ties, rulers, screwdrivers, tape, and other stuff. In this case, the cheap stuff can work just as good as the expensive stuff, it just takes a little more time, rudimentary math skills, and maybe creativity. However the expensive stuff just makes life easier. This isn't what I'm talking about though. I've begun to notice that often somthing is marketed as bike specific, but has an exact counterpart elsewhere, usually in the automotive world, that is much cheaper.
Recently had to repair a suspension fork. It is a semi-bath and the stock oil is some produced by Motorex called semi-bath oil. A quick google of "motorex semi-bath" pulls up a few bike stores selling the stuff for around $10 for 3.5oz. A little more googling reveals that motorex semi-bath oil is actually just Motorex Power Synt 4T 5w40. Some serious high quality stuff to be sure, and $10 a liter. That is expensive for motor oil. So when you look at how much the same stuff costs when marketed for a bicycle, it seems absurd. Bike specific = 3.5oz/$10 Non-bike specific=33oz/$10! 10 times more expensive?
Next, I need a special slotted socket to remove a large bolt on the fork, despite the large cable and housing coming from it, to get into the air piston; a 22mm slotted socket. I google for a bit trying to find it, I can't remeber exactly what key words I had to use now, but I found a store selling somthing probably rebranded by the fork's manufacturer. Price was around $30. Now, I also discovered during this time that virtually every car for at least the past decade has been built with an oxygen sensor that requires a 22mm slotted socket to remove and install. Maybe then the fork manufacturer intentionally chose this size for that reason, maybe it was just a coincidence. Either way, they are still selling a "bike specific" tool for it. So anyway all I do is look for oxygen sensor socket. Boom! somthing comes up in an online store for like $5 bucks. Bike specific=$30, Non Bike=$5. 6 times more expensive.
How much else is there? I mean there has to other examples like this.