solveg

I think we're all* bike price regulators, the same as we've been car price and house price regulators. The difference is that the guys here have a ton of knowledge with which to base their opinions on.

If you're thinking of buying a Subaru, wouldn't you like to hang out with some car guys and find out that the chassis of the forrestor is based off of a higher quality car while the outback is based off one of lesser quality?

I bought my house because I was standing behind some realtors at another open house and they were discussing what a sweet buy my current house was, and that the only thing that kept it from being sold was the retro kitchen. I learned more about my house and my neighborhood from eavesdropping that day than I learned during the buying process.

So if these guys are saying that CL people are charging too much for a bike, they are really bemoaning the fact that the buyer could get a lot more bike if they only did a little research, and that some bikes (like homes and cars) are priced to take advantage of this.

And you only have to look at the housing/mortgage industry to find similar situations on a larger scale. This particular Bianchi didn't make it into the "numbskull of the day" thread... it was brought up as an example of how bike prices are skyrocketing. Good for people selling bikes, bad for people looking for treasures.

And yes, there are people here who flip bikes... both for profit and to fund their hobby. There are also people who fix up bikes and give them to people who need them. We like those people a lot, and it will be tougher for them to find bikes for a while.