Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 126 total)
  • Am I tight – or are prices getting silly
  • PrinceJohn
    Full Member

    I’ve been after a Cotic Rocket for a while & am getting to the point where I thought I would be able to afford £2700 to drop on a new bike. However having looked today the cheapest Cotic Rocket is now nudging £4,000
    Looking at the Whyte post earlier on this week as well the prices for them seem to be an additional £500 on last years.

    And we’re told following Brexit is when things are going to get even more expensive…

    Not much point to my post really than just having a whinge about the cost of nice things.

    steelbike
    Free Member

    I cant actually afford the level of gear I would like , I can still afford to partake because I do need the latest wonder gnar bike.

    The pot of cheap suppliers is drying up CRC have nothing I need same with Wiggle and Merlin and the prices are climbing with those folks.

    Is it silly , I think 4-5k for a bike definitely ,same with ebikes ,I can buy a motorcycle for the cost of a bike with a battery and motor, you never know though if its too expensive to buy it from abroad we might have to resort to making things in the UK again?

    marksnook
    Free Member

    I could sort you a rocketmax, 29er wheels and a pike ultimate for under your budget! 😂
    Stealth what?!

    I kind of agree that bikes are pricey! But there are cheap ways around everything

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
    Latest Singletrack Videos
    rathz
    Free Member

    The premium stuff seems to be getting silly, there is still value at the other end:

    e.g. carbon/fox factory trail bikes ~£3.5k
    https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/vitus-escarpe-29-crx-mountain-bike-2021/rp-prod195293
    https://www.radon-bikes.de/en/mountainbike/fullsuspension/slide-trail/slide-trail-100-2021/

    reluctantjumper
    Full Member

    Prices are going up rapidly, been looking at a new trail bike and my budget of around £2k would have been fine for what I want last year. This year I’ll have to add at least another £500 on to it an after the new year possibly another £500. Taking your Rocket example as I bought one of the first Gen 3 ones 2 1/2 years ago my bike was £3600 with the following spec:

    Helm Fork
    DBiL shock
    Hope wheels
    Deore brakes (had Hope to go on so they went on the old bike)
    WTB tyres
    RaceFace Dropper
    XT drivetrain
    RaceFace Turbine cranks
    Everything else was standard.

    That spec now is £5k! Not having a go at Cotic, they have to make money and as they sell out of most stuff they’re not overpriced, but that is a huge jump that is well above inflation. I think we just hit a sweet spot of value the last 5 years or so and now things are readjusting. No bargains from grey imports, the direct sales effect has diminished, lack of oversupply and a Brexit/Covid double-whammy means it will be a while before we get back to the value we had before.

    wzzzz
    Free Member

    All the mfrs are struggling to make components fast enough, and every bike co is ordering more of them this year. Supply and demand innit.

    However…..

    Try the facebook mtb for sale boards

    They are flooded with 2020 bikes hardly used. bought on a whim.

    You may not get a cotic, but you will get a hefty discount off a nice bike for that money.

    I’ve nearly spent £2K every day last week on a well priced bike that popped up, had to leave the groups…..

    intheborders
    Free Member

    Buy something cheaper or take advantage of Cotic’s 0% 2-year deal?

    But do note the value of Sterling over the last couple of years, down pretty much 20% against major currencies.

    chakaping
    Free Member

    Cotic FS frame/bike prices have jumped dramatically over the last two or three years.

    From one POV, why shouldn’t they be on par with Orange price wise (lack of LBS middleman cut notwithstanding)?

    From another POV, it’s nice for them that frames are being built in the UK, and they have a smoother supply pipeline, but many of us have no problem at all with riding cheaper Taiwanese welded frames.

    tuboflard
    Full Member

    I may be wrong but didn’t their prices change when they moved production to Five Land Bikes? If so, not entirely surprising when moving to a small scale independent UK based frame builder. As is often the way in life you get what you pay for.

    PrinceJohn
    Full Member

    Please don’t think I’m having ago at Cotic – far from it, I want a Rocket, & I understand as a premium brand they will be more expensive.

    I bought my LS Soul nearly 3yrs ago now – it was about £1800 & I expect prices to go up incrementally.
    It just seems that they’ve taken a massive jump recently – as I mentioned the Whyte bikes the G180S being £500 more expensive than the 2020 G170S

    reluctantjumper
    Full Member

    From one POV, why shouldn’t they be on par with Orange price wise (lack of LBS middleman cut notwithstanding)?

    My Rocket arrived with me just as Orange were announcing the Formula spec 5 which was near-identical in spec to my Rocket. It was £3k more expensive!

    dc1988
    Full Member

    I think you can still go for a very good budget option which does what you need. For example I’m still running 10 speed because it still does the job, I used to run an expander cog to get a 42t big cog but then 11-42 10 speed cassettes came along, now you can get an 11-46 10 speed cassette. It’s much cheaper than 12 speed and doesn’t require a new freehub body.

    chakaping
    Free Member

    My Rocket arrived with me just as Orange were announcing the Formula spec 5 which was near-identical in spec to my Rocket. It was £3k more expensive!

    Good point, well made.

    I must confess I was thinking of the frame-only prices as I rarely buy full builds.

    As is often the way in life you get what you pay for.

    Country of manufacture is a bit of an intangible to the end user though. What am I getting for my extra £hundreds, apart from the warm glow of supporting a small UK business?

    devash
    Free Member

    I was looking to get a new bike this year but coronavirus has really hit our household income with me out of work for over six months, savings dried up to a puddle and now I’m working again I’m making only half as much as I was in my new job. The upside is that I work less hours so have more time to go riding midweek.

    I have a very nice bike that I enjoy riding (Giant Anthem kitted out with full XT and Fox suspension) but wanted something more trail orientated as we now live near to some proper mountains. I bought a load of cheap components as spares just before the price hikes so I’m just going to run my current bike for a couple more years and rethink then.

    If I was looking to get into the sport nowadays then second hand / the lower end of the market brands like Vitus would be my go to.

    Yetiman
    Free Member

    One of the few companies to buck the trend is Bird as I can still buy the latest AM9 frame for the same price I paid for mine back in Feb 2018. Okay, the frames aren’t made in the UK but that’s still good going. Some of the component prices have risen of course, but they are still managing to offer complete bikes at prices that are not a lot higher than pre-Covid times.

    jimdubleyou
    Full Member

    @wzzzz

    Try the facebook mtb for sale boards

    Got a link to the groups you’re using? Every time I look on marketplace I’m seeing budget brands, nothing like 2020 premium bikes at bargain prices…

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    I do think, as ever, that prices are rising.

    I’m also of the opinion that we are in a sport that is ever more complex, with a marketing push to go that way to sell both more and at a higher price.

    I only ride HT and kids/wife have second hand as that’s how we afford to ride.

    Add in the current global pandemic, Brexshit and more, and prices are rocketing.

    chiefgrooveguru
    Full Member

    “What am I getting for my extra £hundreds, apart from the warm glow of supporting a small UK business?”

    That’s what you’re getting extra. I think that matters. You may not. But don’t you own some Oranges?!

    Regarding price increases, pound sterling is far weaker than it was a decade ago. And costs in China, Taiwan etc continue to increase.

    tuboflard
    Full Member

    What am I getting for my extra £hundreds, apart from the warm glow of supporting a small UK business?

    That’s often enough for many. I like supporting businesses that I can “see” and there must be a good reason they switched production as the older bikes weren’t crap in terms of QC. Part of the appeal of Cotic must be being able to do the demos, speak to the owner, pop to Calver (not just now of course) and speak about what best fits your needs.

    dangeourbrain
    Free Member

    And we’re told following Brexit is when things are going to get even more expensive…

    Not wishing to state the obvious but the prices you’re looking at from whyte etc are post brexit pricing.

    Not sure on cotic but bigger brands are announcing prices they plan to hold through till this time next year.

    ogden
    Free Member

    One of the few companies to buck the trend is Bird as I can still buy the latest AM9 frame for the same price I paid for mine back in Feb 2018. Okay, the frames aren’t made in the UK but that’s still good going. Some of the component prices have risen of course, but they are still managing to offer complete bikes at prices that are not a lot higher than pre-Covid times.

    Beat me to it! Bird FTW

    robertpb
    Free Member

    intheborders
    Free Member

    But do note the value of Sterling over the last couple of years, down pretty much 20% against major currencies.

    Where did you pluck that 20% from, over the past 2 years the pound has not moved against the dollar, it’s been up it’s been down but 2 years ago it was ranging around 1.30 the same as now, Euro is pretty much the same. Even if you take the dollar/pound from January 2016 up to the referendum 2016 the pound was averaging at this time 1.45 so it is only 10% down at this moment.

    wzzzz
    Free Member

    MTB UK buy and sell

    I was severely tempted by a geometron last week.

    chakaping
    Free Member

    That’s what you’re getting extra. I think that matters. You may not. But don’t you own some Oranges?!

    I’m not saying that doesn’t have value. Personally I was happy to support Cotic as a UK business when I got my Solaris, and felt some benefit from that – but I didn’t feel any need to pay more to support a second UK business to actually build the frame. Especially when Taiwan is the undisputed world-leader in framebuilding.

    Yes I have two Oranges. But full disclosure – I bought them both secondhand.

    Having seen the build quality and felt how they ride, I would now buy a new one. They just feel more lasting than identikit carbon framed, four-bar bikes.

    But then they are the only brand doing what they do (light, single pivot alu frames). If there were alternative options fromn Taiwan I may not be so virtuous when spending my limited resources.

    PS. And I wouldn’t buy an Orange full build unless it was heavily discounted. They have been taking the piss with their full-bike prices for years.

    HoratioHufnagel
    Free Member

    I think you can still go for a very good budget option which does what you need. For example I’m still running 10 speed because it still does the job, I used to run an expander cog to get a 42t big cog but then 11-42 10 speed cassettes came along, now you can get an 11-46 10 speed cassette. It’s much cheaper than 12 speed and doesn’t require a new freehub body.

    Surely the cost isn’t in the drivetrain though?
    I got a 12 speed SLX drivetrain groupset (minus cranks and brakes) for 150 brand new.
    A shimano microspline FH-MT400 hub can be bought for 30 quid.
    That’s quite a small proportion of the 4k cost.

    dangeourbrain
    Free Member

    Buy they are box shifting rapid stock movement minimum handling tiny margin prices. Those prices don’t pay for anyone to do anything that takes more than a few minutes to pick a box, label and send.

    Assuming you want the folks building and QCing your bike to eat and pay rent, you need to pay them to do that work not just chuck packets in the post.

    StuF
    Full Member

    I think one thing that pushes Cotic prices up is they spec a decent shock with them, down specing the shock takes nearly £500 off the price of the frame+ shock, likewise you can drop £200 if you down spec the wheels off a full build

    footflaps
    Full Member

    Bikes are selling like hot cakes this year, so no need to discount to sell them, so manufacturers have (probably) upped their prices so their limited supply matches demand better (and they make more money).

    fossy
    Full Member

    How about a ‘non fancy badge’ bike ? Big names are expensive full stop.

    You’d get a blooming good Bird for much less (and that’s a Badge).

    I’ve a non-badge FS that was less than half the price of a badge, and I get better components.

    twisty
    Full Member

    Economics is a factor, back in 2016 the pound significantly devalued against the countries where bicycle components are manufactured, and where materials for local production comes from. Therefore the £ cost of bikes increased.

    RichPenny
    Free Member

    The base standard RocketMax build is £3600, Rocket is £4300. So you could probably get well under £4k. As above, supply chain challenges, additional demand, Brexit and ongoing Covid issues seem likely to push prices up further next year, so most setting their 2021 RRP are probably going to price this in.

    On the UK thing, I work in specialist UK manufacturing, broadly similar principles to UK bike industry. So for me it is definitely a factor in purchases, but not the most significant one and I’m more likely to buy S/H on full bikes. I’m lucky in that I can afford the choice though, other choices equally valid.

    sharkattack
    Full Member

    It’s not just bikes. The price of everything across the board has shot up. We bought a house last year so we’ve had to buy a lot of stuff I’ve never even heard of and some of the prices are eye watering.

    I built my Geometron over 3 years ago when I was a mechanic and had access to trade pricing. All I’ve bought since that time is tyres and brake pads.

    Even though I’ve got a wandering eye and there’s other stuff I’d like to try I’m not willing to pay the prices. I like the new Stumpjumper Evo but the mid range model is 5 grand. Absolutely not happening.

    joebristol
    Full Member

    Cotic is a premium U.K. brand though – and building in nice quality steel. So it’s always going to be more expensive.

    As above, if you go with something like Bird it’s still a U.K. business designing and assembling bikes here – just they aren’t a U.K. manufacturer of frames.

    With a quick play for £2800 you get an AM9 with a Pike Ultimate, DT Swiss M1900 wheels, deluxe ultimate shock, deore brakes and drivetrain, Bird dropper, bird finishing kit and Maxxis tyres. That still seem like good value to me.

    The only companies beating that at present are German direct sales and maybe Vitus. Although it looks like they’ve now gone carbon mainframe on the Escarpe and Sommet which has meant the components are probably lower spec than on their equivalently priced alloy frames.

    lucky7500
    Full Member

    Some things never change!!

    11 year old Cotic thread

    chakaping
    Free Member

    Cotic is a premium U.K. brand though – and building in nice quality steel. So it’s always going to be more expensive.

    Not really. They used to be on par with many other brands.

    Actually, they still are – as prices have gone up across the board. They’re probably better value than brands like Kona and Transition.

    Daffy
    Full Member

    Over the past 3.5 year GBP>USD has dropped 10-12% and GBP>euro has dropped almost 40%

    in 2016 My German colleagues were on €70-75k (average) and us Brits were on around £50k (€70-75k) so about right. Now they’re on around €85k and we’re on £52k (€58k euro). That’s a big slice of income differential in 3.5 years.

    If I moved to Europe with my current employer my salary would be under €50k and I wouldn’t be able to afford housing in/around Munich. I’d have to quit and be re-hired to be on a commensurate wage to my peers.

    Thanks Brexit!

    intheborders
    Free Member

    Where did you pluck that 20% from, over the past 2 years the pound has not moved against the dollar, it’s been up it’s been down but 2 years ago it was ranging around 1.30 the same as now, Euro is pretty much the same. Even if you take the dollar/pound from January 2016 up to the referendum 2016 the pound was averaging at this time 1.45 so it is only 10% down at this moment.

    1.55 to 1.30 – near enough 20%

    https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=GBP&to=USD&view=5Y

    And it was 2.5 when I started work…

    Not wishing to state the obvious but the prices you’re looking at from whyte etc are post brexit pricing.

    Which bit of the last couple of years have you missed…

    robertpb
    Free Member

    Sorry intheborders but you said in the last couple of years, that’s 2018, the highest for that year was 1.43. You’d have to go back to 2015 to get to 1.55, that’s 5 years ago.

    Also 1.55 to 1.30 is 16%

    If you realy want a headline figure over the laqst 10 years the Euro has fallen against the dollar slightly more than the pound.

    dangeourbrain
    Free Member

    Which bit of the last couple of years have you missed…

    I’m assuming you mean you doubt it’ll happen on Dec 31st, another deadline come and gone? Anyone pricing anything into 2021 on that basis is likely to get a very nasty surprise if boris turns out not to be the genius and brilliant prankster a little part of me still hopes he is.
    So yeah, anything being priced as 2021 range will be working on the theory brexit will happen, they’ll probably even have a price list ready in cabbages and sub denominations there of in case it goes full mad max.

    RichPenny
    Free Member

    Which bit of the last couple of years have you missed…

    Think his point was on pricing on 2021 bikes – which logically as a business you should be attempting to set based on post Brexit costs.

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 126 total)

The topic ‘Am I tight – or are prices getting silly’ is closed to new replies.