All these Eurobike threads make me wonder if people ride their bikes or just buy them intent on finding an epic bit of scenery to position it in snap a pic and upload to Instagram using their fave filter

The people complaining about the hope cranks having naff graphics and won’t be buying them….. Despite not knowing weight prices, stiffness etc
Never buying another Transition it looks like a giant…..
Thomsons new seatpost looks like cheap tat…..
Well the transition might ride like a dream and Thomson, never really got that one, how is an 80 quid seatpost any better than a 30 quid ritchey one ?

I know we are all guilty of if it, brand snobbery is the bread and butter of the bike industry and consumerism in general but most kit works very well these days, even though my light bicycle rims aren’t the cheapest IMHO you’d have to be a fool to pay > 5x the price for Enve

Whinge over

how is an 80 quid seatpost any better than a 30 quid ritchey one ?

Generally lighter & stronger

The people complaining about the hope cranks having naff graphics and won’t be buying them without knowing weight prices, stiffness etc

The first bite is with the eye, Kimbers.

Also, you can only make a judgement based on what you know. All we know is what they look like. So it’s all about the looks for now.

I’m sure if it turns out they weigh less than a gnats cock, are stronger than Samson pre-haircut and cost less than the contents of a Yorkshireman’s pocket, peoples will change their opinion.

I was keen on the hope cranks until I saw the price. firmly into XTR territory…

I only ever ride my bike around Llandegla car park on a Saturday morning. The name on the components it sports are very, very, very important

I don’t even do that, I just put my bike on my Audi and drive to Peaslake. Ergo the aesthetic is absolutely crucial.

Surely you can’t actually ride these sorts of bikes?

How dare you question my lifestyle choices. But if you must know, it’s because I’m worth it.

I was keen on the hope cranks until I saw the price. firmly into XTR territory…

Oh, I didn’t know a price had been released.

The constant updating and flow of new components and tech (whether an inprovement or not) can get a bit wearing.
The pace of this seems to be getting quicker too, so your new shiny stuff is ‘out of date’ in 6 months.
Perhaps it’s an age thing too 😉

Have always found bike shows a bit meh, anyway.

£245 according to Dirt’s article on them.

Never buying another Transition it looks like a giant

Only thing stopping me buying a Transition is the name of the bandit replacement.
Need to be very careful with word choice.

Not seen any prices for anything yet, just bling photos.

how is an 80 quid seatpost any better than a 30 quid ritchey one ?

I’m willing to pay a bit extra for one where the clamp works and the diameter is true.

I think Thomson have proved that their aesthetic design department is staffed by a blind dog.

£245 sounds fair for a British product.
XTR territory is more like £450!
Close to XT.
Now all I need is Hope to make a BB92 bb for the 30mm axle to fit into my pressfit frame!
Thanks,
Max

The pace of this seems to be getting quicker too, so your new shiny stuff is ‘out of date’ in 6 months.
Perhaps it’s an age thing too

I agree, and it took the new wheel size thing to make me see it. The result has been stepping out of the MTB arms race for a few years to enjoy what I have. In the last year I’ve bought a new chainring and that’s it (do need some brake pads though). It’s saving me a fortune!

XTR territory is more like £450!

i’m guessing for £245 you don’t get a chainring or a BB with the hopes either.

shame, they could have been a contender…

don’t come on here waving facts about like they’re relevant to the discussion Jamie!

kimbers
intent on finding an epic bit of scenery to position it in snap a pic and upload to Instagram using their fave filter

Pfttt, I have NO idea what you’re talking about….

let me check again:

3rd time to be sure:

Nope, on balance, still have no idea……… 😉

To be fair to Hope, that’s probably just the RRP. So will likely be cheaper once CRC/Wiggle etc have got their hands on it.

Not by much, Hope are pretty strict on the (limited) discounting of their products online.

I was interested, but then the stupid 30mm axle & specific BB just for one bike put that on hold. I’ll wait for the new XTR’s 🙂

I don’t like the look of the new XTR so I’ll stick with my SLX.

don’t come on here waving facts about like they’re relevant to the discussion Jamie!

😆

Generally lighter & stronger

Generaly not in Thompsons case though, they’re actualy quite chunky. And I’ve only ever broken one seatpost in a crash, they’re all strong enough IME for “just riding allong”.

Dunno, I’ve got 3, but they were all on s/h complete bikes. The clamp is much nicer to install than most other posts though, I’ve bent Easton posts and had ritchey and easton posts clamps slip, I’ve not yet broken a Thompson in any way so I’m happy to keep them, but if buying new I’d probably get one of the knock offs like controlltech.

I do like nice looking bikes, I put some thought into my road bike’s re-build, but then de-stickered the wheels so the nice 1200g wheelset now looks like a cheap OEM one. My MTB’s are usualy juct functional and gravitate by trial and error (breaking stuff) towards kit that does the job and lasts, that does tend to be thompson, XTR and hope bits.

Its All About Image

Thus was it ever…

Leisure and competitive cycling in general is seen as a middle-class pursuit, hence the price tags are applied…

£245 sounds fair for a British product.

I find it sort of sad that we’ve decided British made has to mean expensive, and that that’s become a sort of badge of honour/USP for some…

A Hope “Retainer ring” is getting on twice the price of Superstar’s “I/O” with no describable functional benefits, but Brand Cachet and worries about what the other boy’s might say in the car park will always weigh the snobbery towards Hope’s end of the market…

You’d have though maybe with what? ~20 odd years of making bike parts hope might have figured out how to make them a bit cheaper by now, or am I being a bit wishful there?

A Hope “Retainer ring” is getting on twice the price of Superstar’s “I/O” with no describable functional benefits, but Brand Cachet and worries about what the other boy’s might say in the car park will always weigh the snobbery towards Hope’s end of the market…

You’d have though maybe with what? ~20 odd years of making bike parts hope might have figured out how to make them a bit cheaper by now, or am I being a bit wishful there?

It shouldn’t be a race to the bottom with the associated lack of product support you get from superstar and the like but when the price puts you squarely against the top of the range shimano offerings I think they will struggle.

A Hope “Retainer ring” is getting on twice the price of Superstar’s “I/O” with no describable functional benefits, but Brand Cachet and worries about what the other boy’s might say in the car park will always weigh the snobbery towards Hope’s end of the market…

You’d have though maybe with what? ~20 odd years of making bike parts hope might have figured out how to make them a bit cheaper by now, or am I being a bit wishful there?
Hope is available from an lbs – Superstar is direct sales. Both are made in Britain.
You pays your money – you makes your choice.

Not by much, Hope are pretty strict on the (limited) discounting of their products online.

Though that of course would be illegal, so I’m sure you didn’t mean that.

Though that of course would be illegal, so I’m sure you didn’t mean that.

It is?

Setting pricing is illegal
https://www.gov.uk/competition-law-unfair-pricing-agreements

Though that of course would be illegal, so I’m sure you didn’t mean that.

Of course, “we have a recommended retail price, we recommend you stay within 10% of it when advertising online, if you don’t, we will use someone who will”.

Hmmmm…

Biking’s turned into a far more fashion-led sport to some extent over recent years. More and more riders are obsessed with looking the part and, as the OP mentions, recording themselves looking the part. It’s an inevitable consequence of a marketed-to-death industry and the boom in social media (selfie and Go-Pro cultures – everyone wanting their 15 minutes of fame). Generally speaking, it’s bollocks.

I love buying from companies that don’t make any money because the warranty support is so good once they’ve gone bust. And there’s nothing better for a sport than every company selling direct and doing zero traditional marketing – we don’t want professional athletes or international race series or shops with people who can fix your bike if you don’t know how. Clearly cheapest is always best.

It can be worth asking Hope retailers in person if they can do you a better deal on Hope stuff.

^ have you got the link for that?

Do people notice that cranks flex? Never noticed it on my bikes.

Its All About Image

Guilty as charged.I covered up the logos on my cheap,heavy,tatty,Halfords second hand 16 speed road bike.Not to save my embarrassment of course but so that those on their carbon bling road bikes don’t feel too sad when I cream their Strava times 😉