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Why do bike companies suck so much all the sudden?

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Why do bike companies suck so much all the sudden?

Old 06-13-08, 07:03 PM
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Why do bike companies suck so much all the sudden?

My girlfriend wants a new bike. She is insistent on a road bike (cool). We went shopping, she has a budget of about $700. Every entry level bike we have looked at is decked out entirely with Sora. When did they start pulling this crap? Does this mean you get a (formly known as) Trek 1500 with Tigra? When i bought my 1500 three summers ago it had 105 and ultegra...

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Old 06-13-08, 07:07 PM
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Since the dollar started to suck.
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Old 06-13-08, 07:07 PM
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It's just he economy, not that bike companies suck. I'd blame increasing demand and inflation before the bike company.
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Old 06-13-08, 07:08 PM
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Gas prices. Costs more to drive the 105 over to the shop than the Tiagara.
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Old 06-13-08, 07:11 PM
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Welcome to Planet Earth, 2008.

As an "insider" in the bike biz; buy while they're still [relatively] cheap. At least on what I sell, prices are going up for the 2009's. LBS's have had a few price increases from their suppliers just in the past six months.
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Old 06-13-08, 07:13 PM
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Old 06-13-08, 07:14 PM
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Yep. Bush's fault.
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Old 06-13-08, 07:18 PM
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Originally Posted by FigBug
Since the dollar started to suck.
Correct.

Do they offer Economics 101 at your school Timmy?
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Old 06-13-08, 07:19 PM
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Originally Posted by The Weak Link
Yep. Bush's fault.
Everything is not Bush's fault, just the F'd up World and National crises. All the cycling related problems are Cheney's fault.
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Old 06-13-08, 07:20 PM
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Originally Posted by patentcad
Correct.

Do they offer Economics 101 at your school Timmy?
I didn't know that recession meant that products turn to crap, no...

They seem to be lowering the quality of their products in order to maintain the price. I'd be fine with rising prices, that seems a bit less shady to me.
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Old 06-13-08, 07:20 PM
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Originally Posted by timmyquest
My girlfriend wants a new bike. She is insistent on a road bike (cool). We went shopping, she has a budget of about $700. Every entry level bike we have looked at is decked out entirely with Sora. When did they start pulling this crap? Does this mean you get a (formly known as) Trek 1500 with Tigra? When i bought my 1500 three summers ago it had 105 and ultegra...

i believe the jamis ventura comp is tiagra and 750$.
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Old 06-13-08, 07:21 PM
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Originally Posted by CrimsonKarter21


Welcome to Planet Earth, 2008.

As an "insider" in the bike biz; buy while they're still [relatively] cheap. At least on what I sell, prices are going up for the 2009's. LBS's have had a few price increases from their suppliers just in the past six months.


ahhh BUSH........

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Old 06-13-08, 07:22 PM
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Originally Posted by timmyquest
I didn't know that recession meant that products turn to crap, no...

They seem to be lowering the quality of their products in order to maintain the price. I'd be fine with rising prices, that seems a bit less shady to me.
In that case, you can get that bike with 105 for $1250, or whatever it is.
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Old 06-13-08, 07:23 PM
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Originally Posted by njm
In that case, you can get that bike with 105 for $1250, or whatever it is.
I actually haven't been able to find such bike. I think i'm just gonna have her pick whichever one is prettiest, then ebay some 105 stuff for $80...
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Old 06-13-08, 07:26 PM
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Entry-level / Sora bikes have hovered around $700 for at least 2 years now. Back in 2004, entry-level was around $650.

Doesn't seem to me like anything's changed....
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Old 06-13-08, 07:32 PM
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I can't believe nobody has seen the 800 pound gorilla yet.




Or rather, suggested it to the OP.






Won't be long now.
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Old 06-13-08, 07:40 PM
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Originally Posted by timmyquest
I didn't know that recession meant that products turn to crap, no...

They seem to be lowering the quality of their products in order to maintain the price. I'd be fine with rising prices, that seems a bit less shady to me.
It's the same thing little Tim. Give it some thought and get back to us on this.
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Old 06-13-08, 09:08 PM
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Tim, you can buy a similarly equipped bike for a little more money now. The falling dollar makes it more expensive to buy stuff produced by companies that are not in the US -- think Taiwan and Japan. $1 does not buy what it used to out of the country. Pretty much anything imported is going up in price (including oil) at least in part, but not wholly because of, the declining value of the dollar. Now as to what caused the declining value of the dollar? I don't want this to get moved to politics and religion.
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Old 06-13-08, 09:13 PM
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Buy a used bike, bought my wife a nice steel Bianchi with Campy Centaur last year for $500.
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Old 06-13-08, 09:19 PM
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Also don't forget that the 1500 with 105 was introduced and sold when 105 went to 10 speed so the price of 9 speed 105 dropped a fair bit. The 1500 was a killer value, awesome bike for the money.
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Old 06-13-08, 09:46 PM
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i just today turned 10,000$ U.S. into a little under 7000$ EUR.
some small currency dealers in some countries aren't even accepting dollars.
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Old 06-13-08, 09:51 PM
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Though it's a relaxed road bike, my Felt Z70 was $899 at the LBS with a 105 group. The z90 with Sora brifters, Sora front derailleur, and Tiagra rear was $599.

A Jamis with the Tiagra group was around $750, it's more of a traditional geometry as well...
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Old 06-13-08, 10:00 PM
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Timmy, Timmy, Timmy... I thought you were learning?
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Old 06-13-08, 10:12 PM
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Kick in a few bucks of your own Timmy. Cheap bastage.
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Old 06-13-08, 11:00 PM
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Originally Posted by dcbikeguy
Kick in a few bucks of your own Timmy. Cheap bastage.
look at the sig, look at the budget, do the math
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