So, what more do we get on bikes after 4 years?

In early 2005 I bought a 2004 FS bike in the sales. £999 bought me 100mm travel, basic Manipoo Blacks, basic Float R shock Vee brakes, own brand finishing kit, 317 rims and crap tyres, and Deore group with XT mech.

I’ve just done the same thing on a 2008 bike, for almost exactly the same price, from the same maufacturer

For the same money I got delivery (OK, not really relevant!;o) lots more travel, Quality bolt through forks, more adjustable RP2 shock, good hydraulic discs with 185/203mm rotors, DT rims with bigger, far better, kevlar tyres on them, a slightly better level of own brand finishing kit (2 bolt seatpost, OS bars, cartrige bearing front hub) and a similar level of drivetrain but with HT2 cranks and SRAM instead of Shimano.

Yeah, I can see some improvement there!
🙂

shweet…

Top end prices have gone through the roof though, using your dates, I think top end stumpy FSR was about £2k. similar bike now is about £4.5K

Nick – Look at those bikes from last year at today’s sale prices….

EG – 2008 @ £1000 off – http://www.bikescene.co.uk/moreinfo.php?variation=1193&sale=0

Like any maturing competitive market, manufacturers try to prevent price erosion by offering better performing products for the same price rather than the same performance at lower prices.

At the same time, especially in a growing economy there is more opportunity to offer premium products at premium prices to people who either need the performance or (probably the majority) those who can afford what they don’t actually need.

Bottom line is we have better products and more choice at a given price point than 5 years ago.

Great. That’s explained the thread to death!
😉

Sorry 😕 I was expecting to attract various rants about overpaid knobs paying for overpriced stuff they couldn’t actually use except to prop up outside the pub after riding to collect the papers on a Sunday.