Bogey Speedwell

thinking the same, finding a couple drop bar bikes in the Midwest to compare the ride is still pretty difficult. I would assume the saturation point has to be close, then hopefully the supply outweighs the demand. Shopping is pretty frustrating, it’s to the point where I’m just about to put it on the back burner for a year.

livedarklions

I think they generally keep a low margin, so the increase reflected their high costs during that period, and are now coming back to their more normal levels. I would expect that might happen with other retail outlets as well.

Anyone following Canyon's pricing?

Bimmer69

I’ve definitely seen better availability of used bikes here in the southern Ontario market, which is one of the tightest, higher priced markets in North America. Bikes which would’ve been snapped up within a day are languishing for weeks if not months.

SkinGriz

We picked up an emaciated Dobie off the street. Really sweet girl.

zen_

Still not seeing a lot of good used bikes in my midwest market at reasonable prices, and I have had trouble selling parts on FB marketplace / CL that should have been easy sells.

The bike shop supply situation is certainly interesting. It seems like the larger stores carrying the best known brands (Trek, Cannondale, Giant, etc.) are full of low-mid range bikes in odd sizes that are overpriced. I still can't get things like Shimano chains (bought some fake ones online that lasted 300 miles...) at the bike shop either. I have no doubt that inflation pressure is real, but I also think a lot of the price hikes are feeling out the limits of greed. Polygon (DTC) has hardly increased prices at all over the past two years, and is one of the few good values left.

The early 2021 bump may also have been fueled by stimulus checks and people getting wary from COVID restrictions, maybe more new year's resolutions to be more active and such that never materialized beyond buying a bike and hanging it in the garage too.

NoWhammies

SkinGriz Well done!!! Nice to know good people (and pet lovers) still exist. We now return you to your regular bike related thread.

DMC707

gotta go to FB Marketplace now

cycleheimer

The asking prices of used bikes listed in my area are about 3x+ what they should be. As usual, there are also very few that are above entry-level. They don't sell and then seem to get reposted eternally on CL and FB. Some sellers post the same overpriced bike multiple times in a row, and the photos show low-end bikes in extremely poor condition. I think that may have caused many people to stop looking on CL and FB. Amazingly, I've found a couple of great deals recently.

Harhir

We seem to be back to pre-covid conditions here in the DFW area. I hardly see people commuting by bike anymore or on trails in general. Car traffic has picked up again, bike shops seem to be fully stocked again and a lot of used ones offered as well. Prices don't seem to be crazy and there have been quite a few good deals out there. I wish I had more room for bikes.

2old

MTB activity still seems strong in socal and bike availability is good. As far as new bikes, a few friends have purchased Trek Marlin 7 bikes for about $1K, a great deal of bike IMO. The CR market appears flat. I put up my Santa Cruz Superlite, which has a new Manitou Markhor fork, DT front wheel XT/XTR derailleurs and in good overall condition for $400 and didn't get one call, so (of course) I'm keeping it as a spare.

cycleheimer

Yea, where is everybody? Gas prices are climbing daily, and there seems to be more people driving and fewer people cycling around my area. I am one of the few bike commuters out there. I do about 25 miles a day and find myself dodging more cars and trucks than ever.

rydabent

I also predict that a higher percentage of DF bikes bought now will be the ones sold. The reason, DF bikes cause pain to new riders. OTOH those that bought recumbent will be less likely to sell off their recumbent or trike, because of virtually no pain.

livedarklions

This is another "sun will rise tomorrow" prediction.

Recumbent bikes are a tiny fraction of the bikes sold in the US. They are a lot harder to obtain than a DF bike. Someone who is buying a bent has probably put a lot of time and effort into finding an appropriate bike to buy, whereas anyone can basically find a new or used DF just about anywhere, so a greater proportion of DF sales will be impulse purchases and/or purchases that are just not well-researched. I don't need your cockamamie "cause pain" over-generalization to make that prediction, just the fact that people who buy bents need a fair amount of commitment to the project just to purchase it in the first place, while buying a DF is mostly just a matter of plunking down enough money.

Was there a COVID bent boom, btw? I'm skeptical.

sean.hwy

The bikes I was looking at both went up in price from just a few months ago. GRX Ibis mx and GRX stigmata. Stigmata have to wait months. Ibis I bought a 55 when 53 might have been touch better for me.


Used gravel bike prices have not come down in the bay area. I don't shop enough mnt or road bikes to know a good deal.

rydabent

What I posted, is pretty much an on going thing. Middle aged or older people decide to exercise. They see people just rolling by on a bike, and make a snap decision that is for them. They go to a bike shop, and likely as not will end up with some form of mountain bike. They ride it, and right off they end up with a sore rear end, and find there is more effort than they expected riding up hills. After a couple dozen rides the $500 bike get hung up in the garage for four or five years, and is sold off at a garage sale for $50.

On the other hand if the person bought a recumbent or a trike, they experience no butt pain, but maybe just some tired legs. Second since most of them are not the racer type, they find the view from a bent or tike is fantastic. Yes they also find that hills are hard work, but with the comfort and view, they are willing to go ahead and get more fit. The end result Im sure is that bent and trike buyers keep their machines at a higher rate than new older DF buyers.

billridesbikes

Nah, they be trad’n’ that bike for a shiny new e-bike where they can sit upright and beat cheeks ‘round the hood with minimal effort. Nobody be going bent unless it’s an e-bent.

livedarklions

Which is why I see so many more older people riding bents than DF bikes. Oh wait, I don't. It's probably 20 to 1 the other way.

Bents are a niche product. I don't need your ridiculous $500 mountain bike scenario to know that there will be fewer people selling an unused bent than df bikes.

You really don't need to make ridiculous claims about how bad df bikes supposedly are to extol the virtues of bents. One look at how much more popular df bikes are makes that line of argument rather stupid.

LarrySellerz

The used market is insane right now, but honestly I don't think many people who bought a fancy bike at the start of covid will be hurting enough to make ends meet. Poor people just don't spend multiple thousands of dollars on a single bike, and the bike boom was largely the laptop class buying high end bikes.

LarrySellerz

I don't think so lol, I think its mostly high end road and mountain bikes. Ooh and e-bikes. Cheap commuter bikes were still available throughout the pandemic. recumbents are sweet, wonder if they are less visible to the cagers though

livedarklions

Nonsense, cheap bikes sold out very quickly.

LarrySellerz

I disagree but would listen to an expert/someone who sells bikes if they put their 2 cents in. I bought two new cheap hybrids during the bike shortage, one for me and one for my brother

livedarklions

Pretty much everything sold out at Wal-Mart, Target and Dick's very early on: https://www.wcpo.com/rebound/bicycle...lated-shortage

jaxgtr

Well, I agree with most of this statement, except I was not directly discussing the poor. There are plenty of people that have jobs and were\are not poor, but maybe decided to opt our of their jobs, that seems to be a trend lately. There are plenty of people that live above their means and the massive inflation we are seeing right could be the impetus that puts them over the edge between surviving to needing to unload stuff.

Freerojo

Early on Covid (2020) we were seeing lots of families riding together. Don’t see that anymore.

Guttooth71

It is unfortunate how "life" returns and family time disappears.