Been looking at picking up a new full bouncer for downhill duties, and am genuinely astonished at the RRP's on lots of bikes now.
Seems it's rare to actually pay full RRP on any of them... but be honest... is anyone actually buying these bikes? I avoid trail centres like the plague these days... so don't see much of what others are riding (I suspect e-bikes)... but how does anyone justify doing this financially?
No judgment at all.. I'm just curious. Do you have a bike which RRP's at £8000-10000!?
Own? Yes.
Paid full price for? No chance.
Yes, but I paid 50% of RRP.
Kenevo SL Expert
As above RRP £8,200
Salary sacrifice approx £4,200
The whole industry is based on the DFS model, never pay RRP. Either 30-40% off in ‘sales’ or salary sacrifice
Yes. More than one.
Some more than that.
None of them are e-bikes.
All built from scratch, no full bikes
If you do, don’t put it on Reader’s Rides as it’ll make it very easy for thieves to track it down and steal it!
I do wonder/worry sometimes..
@tomhoward does that mean none of them are finished yet?
If you can tell where I live/where my bikes are from the readers rides pics, you’re welcome to them.
Most are, one’s getting a triggers broom refresh. Should be finished at end of April.
I think i ride with 2 people with bikes that cost that much and they probably paid full price, they are ebikes I think they saw them as one off purchases. She was in remission for a cancer that nearly killed her. She saw it as a route back to the outdoors. Long well paid career no dependants.
I can’t see me spending that much on a bike but some people have lots of money. A guy on here said that he and his wife had £5000 a month left over after food and bills.
I see lots of land Rover Defenders on the road. Had they bought a RAV4 instead they could have bought a posh bike. Had they bought a second hand Berlingo then the whole family could have posh bikes and they could probably go heli biking too.
how does anyone justify doing this financially?
Why does anyone need to justify it?
Ok, it’s a large amount of money, but if you can afford it then why not? Makes as much sense as buying cigarettes which are proven to kill you but cost a fortune, yet lots of people still smoke. Why buy beer in a pub when you can get at at a quarter of the price in a supermarket?
As mentioned above, lots of people buy them to “cycle to work” or on credit. In those cases it’s “how much can I afford a month” rather than the actual retail cost.
Also as above, I have bikes that were near than at rrp but I bought is the mega sales of the last few years.
at full retail, yes, but as mentioned, who pays full price? (mines a Raaw Madonna built from a frame).
No. I think my most expensive one was £4500 RRP, but I don't pay much attention to that it, cost just over 3k direct from the manufacturer. It feels like the bike industry has adopted a bit of a sports direct model with inflated RRPs they don't expect anyone to pay.
I don't mess around in fun cars anymore and my motorbikes are gone.
The MTB's just sit there with no ongoing costs. You only have to buy them once. They feel like a bargain in comparison to other hobbies.
Technically yes - RRP on my S- Works Levo was £12.5k
Paid £7.5k brand new
Is it worth anything like £12.5k, no
Is it worth £7.5k - that's probably a stretch
Here's something I'm wondering (slight thread derailment), if you buy a £3,000 bike you can be fairly certain you'll get more bang for your buck than if you bought all the same components individually.
Does the same hold true for £8,000 - £10,000 bikes? Like, if you bought the same bikes in bits it would end up costing more like £12,000 - £15,000 or once you get up to that sort of price point there's no real saving?
I'm thinking more about regular bikes rather than ebikes here.
They feel like a bargain in comparison to other hobbies.
That quote about getting kids interested in bikes so they'll have no money left over for drugs? That's me.
RRP of my eMTB was just under £8k. I paid about half that.
RRP would have been 10 grand (in 2022!). Stumpjumper Evo.
I paid 6. Still a fair chunk of change, but I figured that with the adjustable geometry, mullet-ability, etc., it would be pretty future-proof and so it has proved. Only non-consumable I've changed is the dropper.
No plans to replace it any time soon. Does everything and brings me joy.
Here's something I'm wondering (slight thread derailment), if you buy a £3,000 bike you can be fairly certain you'll get more bang for your buck than if you bought all the same components individually.
Does the same hold true for £8,000 - £10,000 bikes? Like, if you bought the same bikes in bits it would end up costing more like £12,000 - £15,000 or once you get up to that sort of price point there's no real saving?
I'm thinking more about regular bikes rather than ebikes here.
Tends not to be much of a saving at RRP TBH, that’s why I build from scratch. If I’m spending that much, I want to specify everything.
That being said, a full bike is more likely to be discounted at the end of season, especially if it’s from a big brand, as opposed to a smaller one that builds to order.
I've a Hb916 which is about 8k new I think. I paid just under 3k s/h though.
Own? Yes.
Paid full price for? No chance.
100% this.
Havent built (or kept standard) an off the peg bike for about 25 years.
The insured value, IE what it would cost to replace some of them if I had to start again from scratch, is well up near these figures though.
How are folk getting such chunky discounts on new bikes? Are you regulars at your LBS so it's a "mate's rate" or do you just walk in (or phone up) and haggle?
No, my stable is quite old and I've one full sus MTB, and even though it's a lowly Boardman Pro, it's better than I am off road.
I do have a top end road bike from 30 years ago, as good, if not better than the Pro's rode (mine is custom made for me, unique paint scheme full Dura Ace) and an off the peg framed road bike (built from bits) that's Ultegra. Those are sort of the equivalent of expensive road bikes now.
I've also a really old 90's MTB that does commuter duties, and then I bought a used Colnago CX bike that's my general do it all, winter road/off road and bike packing bike.
PS all bikes are 'off the peg' these days. Although handbuilt, it had been 'produced' already. A little bit different than going into a bike shop, getting measured up, then sitting down and designing a paint scheme and speccing everything, like lugs, braise ones etc. Probably would cost mega bucks these days.
I get attached to my bikes so don't get rid. I don't ride the old road bikes too much as they are rare now, and I'll only ride when dry as parts are expensive and hard to obtain. That's where the CX comes in, road wheels and off road wheels, clip on guards etc. Easy to obtain parts.
not too far off, around £7100 if full build is priced at RRP.
but in reality it cost me 5250
Does the same hold true for £8,000 - £10,000 bikes? Like, if you bought the same bikes in bits it would end up costing more like £12,000 - £15,000 or once you get up to that sort of price point there's no real saving?
Specialized are known for selling S-Works models where the RRP is more than the cost of the components. They're either bought by people in the trade at trade prices or by people who genuinely have money to burn and just want the most expensive version of everything because it's 'the best one'.
I work near a Specialised dealer and they do sell the occasional 10 or 12k bike at RRP. It's usually bought by someone who isn't necessarily a bike nerd and gets thrown in the back of a Range Rover or RS6. It either gets hung up in the garage next to the other toys or sold to 'wash' some money.
As for discounts, you just wait till you see one. Last year's stock, shop demo.
I have a road bike that would probably cost not far short of £8k to buy now. To be honest, I'd probably get a less boutique frame and save a grand or two.
To be fair, it's none of my business what people spend their money on. I overtook people walking their £10k superbikes up the climb on Etape Loch Ness last year, while being overtaken myself by folk on 1990s rigid MTBs wearing trackies and hoodies. We all seemed to be having fun.
Nope, nowhere near that price. My 2020 mega was meant to be 3k, paid 2600.
Feel like the poor man on the forum 🤣
Yeah, I got one of these - Moterra SL . £8.5K! I paid less than £4K with only 100 miles on it. Bargin!
My car was £14K and RRP on that would've been £32K. Imagine spending that on a stupid car
Really great reponses guys...very interesting to see. I also wondered the same about complete bike prices - they often seem to be more than the complete cost of building the bike which was never the case before.
I walked into a local specialized store a few years ago.
1/3 off a fancy ebike, ooh I'll have a look at that, must be a bargain. £10,000 reduced from £13,000
So someone's buying them perhaps not at full RRP.
Feel like the poor man on the forum
I can confidently say that I will never own a £8,000 bike, electronic or otherwise. I just don't have - and never will have - that sort of money to spend on a bike.
If I added up all the RRP's of my fleet, (4 bikes) they'd not reach 8 grand.
Second hand market is very interesting. If you don't want a disc equipped road bike, then there are some extremely nice bikes for not a lot of money. Bit different with MTB's but if you don't go new you can save a fortune on a lightly used bike.
That is probably a huge risk with an e-bike as there is no motor warranty.
That's how the economy works - people buying stuff they don't really need.
Good luck to them, enjoy it!
Stuff is expensive.
8k ain't what it used to be just like a 75k salary isn't.
I took my kids to see a gig at the O2 last night.....4 tickets, one meal in a chain restaurant, parking and fuel - no change from £600. For one evening of entertainment - how long does a bike last - a lot longer then that
I'd probably not spend 8k but I'd happily spend 5k on an analogue bike if I had it (which with two kids at Uni, I don't).
I'm not so sure about ebikes - they seem to cost a fortune and have low specs. A discounted expensive normal bike has loads of loverly kit on it and say a titanium frame etc - ebikes not so much and the motor/battery is just tech which doesn't excite me.
I grew up with not much. Worked and raised kids with the wife, heads above water but no way I could have brought expensive bicycles. Now mortgage free and kids grown up, so I’ve got lots of bikes and two are above that price! Still very average riding the bloody things though 😂
2 bikes which should've been around 8k but I paid a fair bit less for both of them
That is probably a huge risk with an e-bike as there is no motor warranty.
Is with mine as the seller is a Cannondale rep 🙂
Oh god now, I think my Ebike was £6k and only then I got it on r2w.
Friend of mine usually pays more than £10k, flashest brands and then will upgrade the existing top end stuff to his preferred top-end stuff. He doesn't seem to be having any more fun than I am.
No, it feels much too much like 'eggs in one basket'.
Or alternatively, very much diminishing returns, and since I'm so fussy (no reflection on ability 🙄 ) I'd be absolutely fuming to pay £8k on a bike and still have the brakes squeaking, or something that still seems common, have it supplied with 175mm cranks or a duff saddle or tyres that I didn't like etc.
I can confidently say that I will never own a £8,000 bike, electronic or otherwise. I just don't have - and never will have - that sort of money to spend on a bike.
I could spend it but it is not something I would do. I tend to ride bikes that cost me under £1000 as they do all I need them to and as I ride them all year round I don't have to care as much about it as if it was £8000 purchase.
Admittedly, I do like rather simple bikes and spending £8000 would be quite hard to do.
Nope, £6k is about my psychological limit for spending on a bike (although I did buy 4 last year...). The amount of £8k+ bikes at trail centres these days (compared with about 8 years ago when I was last going to them) is pretty astounding though. A lot won't be discounted as makes like Amflows and Athertons aren't generally are they?
Amflow currently have £1350 off, Athertons are built to order, so no discounting.
No, it feels much too much like 'eggs in one basket'.
There's an element of that too I guess. My riding is too varied to spend a lot on any one niche. Plus there's nothing I ride that would actually benefit from a £3k bike, let alone £8k.
I ride my bikes lots and lots and lots. I like owning nice bikes. I like owning stuff that works well and lasts a long time. I own a couple of bikes that would probably have RRPs in the region of £8k. They're exactly what I want with nice kit on them (XTR drivetrains, DT wheels, Formula brakes, Rockshox Ultimate suspension etc).
BUT
I'm not a psychopath. No bike is worth that much to me. It's a bicycle. I've never paid more than £2k for a bike. If I even thought about it I'd want to be sectioned. I buy second hand, through bike to work, build from the frame up and buy bargains when they're what I want.
tbh i find it more enjoyable hunting around for 2nd hand bargains or sale items and building stuff up. I don't feel like it's mine until I've invested some time in fixing maintaining or building it.
Buying an 8k bike thats already finished would remove most of the enjoyment! Plus I'd be too worried about damaging it. I like the "don't buy anything expensive unless you can afford two of them" way of thinking about things. Family creates enough mental load without worrying about material goods as well.
To replace my carbon scout with all the upgrades would cost more than that. But I won't be doing that anytime soon and wouldn't be paying full price
I don't believe anybody is buying complete £5k+ bikes and paying that. The vast majority who walk into a bike shop and point and say "i'll take that one please" will be higher earners doing it on C2W. There's 40% off straight away.
I've not bought a new, complete, really to ride bike in decades - tend to build my own. I reckon my Rocketmax (early 2020) was the closest I've come. Drivetrain and saddle was used (bar cranks); second hand bars, pretty much everything else was new but at mates rates and deals. reckon that set me back about £3.5k. In the last 6 years though I've changed forks, brakes, wheels, cassette and endless chains and chainrings, so there's another couple of grand. I've done some ACE riding on it though, so I (mostly) don't begrudge the spend.
I think I'd struggle to spend much more than that on a depreciating asset though. I already have a loft full of unsaleable frames gathered over the last 30 years that are worth money to me, but not to anyone else.
My Cotic Rocket Max is the equivalent of their Gold XT version so RRP of just short of 6k. I got the frame & shock at a discounted price, then on C2W so saved fair a bit there, although I'm not a higher rate tax payer so not as much saving as others.... Then I built it up with some bits from a previous bike and other discounted bits inc very cheap forks from Merlin, so all in I probably paid no more than 3k.
I couldn't justify more than 5k I don't think. Even for a e-bike.
How are folk getting such chunky discounts on new bikes?Last years new bike... I'll happily buy last years colours, (or three years old colours!) as long as the kit is still relatively current, it doesn't bother me if the colour is out of fashion, they get ridden, not looked at.
Usually upgrade as soon as i buy, as no one seems to build the specs i like, so i've never spent 8k on a bike. Why buy top end kit that i don't like and then take it off and replace it with other top end kit?
TBH, my most expensivest bikes are all my ex team stuff, so would probably (given inflation) make even an S-Works owner wince... Think my nicest road bike would have cost about 6-6.5k to put together at retail. In the late 90s. So probably 13-14 grand now. Still in storage, skinny round tubes, no hidden cables, tubulars, rim brakes... Most expensive MTB was probably about 5k, maybe 2005-6. Long since gone to the tip. In pieces. The 4k FS i bought 5-6 years ago is more competent in every way. (that was discounted too)
There’s a lot of talk on why bike industry brands are struggling, especially at the smaller end. I think this thread demonstrates perfectly what, or at least one of, the reasons is.
I have an sworks tarmac that, even building from parts, cost me 9 grand.
Bought it 3 years ago. I reckon I coukd get 3k if I sold it tomorrow. It's a great bike, but it sure ain't woth what i paid for it.
Most I've spent on a full bike was 3.4k for an eeb but I probably spent more on my flaremax which was 2k for frame and shock. But as above, it's diminishing returns over a certain price point, especially when you're a no-talent bimbler like me. There's always parts and frame bargains to be found so even if building something custom with new everything I'd get nowhere near 8k.
There’s a lot of talk on why bike industry brands are struggling, especially at the smaller end. I think this thread demonstrates perfectly what, or at least one of, the reasons is.
Bit cryptic.
Can I take a guess at what you are getting at and say you reckon it's because no one (or very few people) are willing to pay RRP for anything?
Nope, £6k is about my psychological limit for spending on a bike (although I did buy 4 last year...). The amount of £8k+ bikes at trail centres these days (compared with about 8 years ago when I was last going to them) is pretty astounding though. A lot won't be discounted as makes like Amflows and Athertons aren't generally are they?
8 grand now is £5910 8 years ago .... Is is still as astounding?
*BOE Calculator, Dec 2025...
(I'm not disagreeing with you, its still mad, but you just have to remember to account for the passing of time)
I'd quite happily spend £8 on a bike. I bought one for over £5k back in 2009 so probably similar.
Absolutely no way I would spend that on a car though. It's all about priorities isn't it. A car is just a tool for carrying a bike to races. A bike is something which is fun, can be a work of art and something on which you make memories.
how you all getting these discounts? just wait for the end of season sales, or is there some magic incantation?
There's an element of that too I guess. My riding is too varied to spend a lot on any one niche. Plus there's nothing I ride that would actually benefit from a £3k bike, let alone £8k.
Yes, very true! I have six (old) bikes which combined might have been £8k RRP, but they're between 2 and 10 years old. Each one has quite a specific use.
And also yes. I did pick up a very light carbon fibre gravel bike which probably weighed 3kg less than my steel equivalent AND with wider tyres. I briefly convinced myself that YES it would be faster and YES it would be more fun. But since I couldn't afford it I then convinced myself it would probably break or squeak so I walked away 😎
I don't and probably never will.
Mate has just splashed north of £8k on a custom Atherton S150 build......
When I change my bike it will just be frame only and swap bits over from current build which has Hope kit, XT and Fox suspension.
I've only ever bought 3 complete bike since I started riding seriously and they were all less than £1k each.
I have bought 2 Santa Cruz's this year, which even I can see appears excessive. However the cost of the pair is still 1k less than the RRP of one. Previous years model and ex-demo both with warranty.
Last frame I paid RRP for (from memory) was an IBIS Mojo4 as there were are rare as the poo of a rocking horse and I really wanted one. Those SCs are the first full bikes I've bought for years. Some of the "savings" may have gone in upgrades...
I have owned £8k bikes... I don't currently, but I have
That said, I do own 3 bikes that would all have been around £6k each when new, another that would have been £4k, and 2 others at £3k...
My only defence here is that I have spent most of the last 20yrs working in the bike trade, so have had access to various trade discounts as well as buying most of them at the right time too (end of season, new model coming etc.)... I would guess I probably have around £14-15k invested in bicycles in my garage, but to be fair, would realise 80-90% of that back if I had to sell them soon for whatever reason too... There has to be an upside to working in the bike trade eh?!?! 🤣
There’s a lot of talk on why bike industry brands are struggling, especially at the smaller end. I think this thread demonstrates perfectly what, or at least one of, the reasons is.
Bit cryptic.
Can I take a guess at what you are getting at and say you reckon it's because no one (or very few people) are willing to pay RRP for anything?
Yeah. I think people forget that brands, again, especially the smaller ones, don’t really factor in a margin to specifically allow for discounting. The bigger ones don't either, but needs must sometimes to save storage costs/clear room for a newer version. The RRP is the price they want to sell at to cover their costs, pay their bills, staff etc and then have some money left over to reinvest in RnD/build a rainy day fund Etc to sustain the business. ‘Profit’ shouldn’t be a dirty word.
7 bikes in our house totalling less than £3000 between them. Most I've paid is £1100 for a new canyon road bike which I've had 12 years and will be keeping as long as it still works.
‘Profit’ shouldn’t be a dirty word.
No, but 'chasing profits' should be.
Just when it looks like things are starting to settle down 'the industry' decides it's time to launch a new wheel size. I would be very skeptical about paying any significant money for a bike if we have a new wheel size on the horizon. If there is a new wheel size then soon there will be new hub standards, new crankset standards, and whatever else needs to be tweaked in the name of 'incremental improvements.'
If I could be reasonably certain I could buy a bike and it would be a forever bike and all the bits that bolted onto the frame wouldn't be out of date and difficult to get hold of in ten years I'd quite happily pay £8k plus to get everything just right.
As it stands everything I buy feels like it has a sell by date. When you look at it like that you'd be mad to not find the biggest discount you can get.
But yes, smaller brands are always going to be the unfortunate victims of the big brands' corporate greed.
Profit isn't a dirty word, but people don't owe it to you to buy your products if they are too expensive. If a brand devalues it's products through extensive discounting, that isn't the consumers fault.
And the people who won’t buy without a discount regardless of price?
I bought me, my daughter and wife e-bikes for around £6.5k in total. Two Merida e-one sixties used and a Lapierre Overvolt AM new (very low spec and insanely cheap as bought). Lots of part swapping, selling and buying bits. All have an excellent spec now, Zeb, Fox 38 Performance Elite and Psylo for my much lighter daughter, Fox X2 shocks, 4 pot Shimano brakes all round, excellent and bombproof wheels along with our favourite tyres. There is nothing I would change on any of them although note, I have mentally put aside a contingency in case one of the Merida EP800 motors decides to leave this cruel world! 🤣 anyway, I really enjoy the process of getting “cheap” bikes and building them up, regardless of whether I need to.
We have the same approach to most things, which means we don’t have mortgages, only need to work part time and can both retire early if we want. We don’t care about the next new car or the biggest house we can afford, we’d much rather have time to do everything we love which is outside and largely on bikes. Cheap (er) bikes are just part of the story that facilitate this.
I dread to think, but yeah, if I had to replace some of my custom ti bikes they would easily exceed that.
I love how many of you are coming up with the comment of 'I bet I have just as much fun as you', I'd be interested to also do a comparison on how much you paid for your houses, I bet my house works just the same as yours and I have just as much fun as you do and I didn't pay as much as you. It's all relative isnt it as to a persons priorities and what they want to spend their own hard earned money on.
For me I dont have kids and nor do I drink or smoke, I have a very sensible house and mortgage which fits two adults and all their associated hobbies. I can't take my money with me so I shall spend it however I decide and instead I shall take my memories with me.
Spec Levo SL I paid £7.5k for discounted and I think my transition sentinel would be around the same if I added up all the parts as it's a custom build rather than off the peg as I have a preference for components that dont generally come on the off the peg builds.
I love how many of you are coming up with the comment of 'I bet I have just as much fun as you', I'd be interested to also do a comparison on how much you paid for your houses, I bet my house works just the same as yours and I have just as much fun as you do and I didn't pay as much as you. It's all relative isnt it
Not really no, more expensive houses have more things you can do more stuff. My £1000 road bike can keep up with £10k road bikes. Expensive MTB's are also only marginally more capable than a decent modestly priced one. I can race my Whippet xc and beat people on much pricier bikes.
I can't take a shit in my house when my son is on the bog though, and I'll bet a more expensive house would have two bogs, or a swimming pool or a gym for the turbo etc.
I can't take a shit in my house when my son is on the bog though, and I'll bet a more expensive house would have two bogs, or a swimming pool
Peeing in the pool you can get away with but I think taking a dump is a step too far!
And the people who won’t buy without a discount regardless of price?
You can give them a discount or not sell to them!
Just priced up my Stanton and if I'd bought the frame new and done the same build it would have tipped over the £8k mark.
S/H frame and shock, some full price parts, some slightly discounted parts and probably stands me around £5.5-6k
Does absolutely nothing better than a £3k bike, it was just a wish/want
I'm not saying it's easy but people don't owe it to you to buy your stuff.
I just bought a bike because it was pretty and at half off was hard to resist. Canyon had the option to hold onto the inventory or take a hit to shift it. No way would I have paid the 4k rrp for it unless I really needed a new bike and there was nothing similar for less. Even then I would probably have settled for something cheaper with less fancy kit. So there was never an option to make that sale happen at RRP.
Have not paid that much myself, nowhere near. RRP of one of my bikes is £7k but I got it second hand for £1600. Built my XC bike for around £4k I think? Probably the most I've ever spent? Similar spec at RRP would be a chunk more.
I had a 2006 Orange 5 that I kitted out with full XTR so that'd be expensive now. The original bike was discounted though. Thinking about it every main bike I've had since then was either in the sale or second hand.
Reckon I'm going to get an e-bike when I retire in a few years and that could easily be over £8k going by what I've been eyeing up so I'd certainly pay it, just haven't had to so far.
In the not full price camp.
My FS has full axs and flight attendant, that and the carbon wheels are worth way more retail than I paid for the whole bike.
Saying that it only has that because it was such a ridiculous bargain.
RRP and actually worth are two very different figures.
My new ebike (Norco with Bosch SX motor) has an rrp of £8K... I paid £3k
I bought a Santa Cruz Hightower 18 months ago... rrp well over £8k... I paid under £6k. So that's two £8k bikes for the price of one 🙂
Some of my bikes are worth far more to me than £8k, even if I paid nothing like that!
Wait till you see the price of a top level track bike frame. That 8k will almost get you something you’ll see on the TV. You will need some wheels, bars and chainset, and see no change from about £12-15k. Of course there are cheaper options. But who wouldn’t want a Factor, Look or (gasp) Koga Kinsei like Harry’s?