Why are MTB/cycle parts so expensive?

I know this has been done before (to death!), but to put things in comparison…

I’m building JuniorP a little ride on car thing (like Toylander..) and wanted a disc brake (cable) calliper.

On the good ol’Bay/CRC etc, and couldn’t find a MTB one for less than “too much”!. Then someone suggested mini moto parts:
-calliper £4.50
-120mm disc £2.20

Bargain!

I would say the calliper IS lower quality than, say, a BB7, but that IS cheap for a proper metal part, no?!

Not sure where I’m heading, but I do feel better for that grumble!

DrP

it’s a con, i’m a manufacturing engineer and the prices are unjustifiable especially when you think that car parts are cheaper ffs!.

luxury product market where a higher price tag seems to indicate higher quality and more “boutique”.

when people are willing to spend £4k on a “push bike” you open yourself up to all sorts of clever marketing designed to steal your cash! 🙂

As long as we pay the prices they will charge what they want!!

There must be an opening for someone to make good quality parts at a sensible price with viral marketing.
Why does no one do it ?

Isnt that what Superstar (and arguably On One/Planet X) do?

Sod that – I WANT TO SE THE CAR!!!

As Gnnr- this thread is no good without pics 😉

Agreed. This time 2 years ago you could buy SLX cranks for under £80. Now they’re double that.

To be fair a lot of this has to do with the UK importers buying stock a year in advance based on a falling pound, however and awful lot of it has to do with the fact that Shimano, Avid et al seem to want to up asking price for components that haven’t seen a meaningful revamp since 2008.

Hardtail frame prices seem reasonable but component prices have gone mental.

I’ve tried to rationalise the cost of bike parts against other everyday things and the truth is, you can’t. Some bike parts are a rip-off but if people are willing to pay there is not a lot which can be done.

I don’t think I’ll ever get my head around the price of some forks……and yes I did buy a car for the same price as THESE and it only needs serviced every 7000 miles!

This time six years ago you could buy top of the line Fox Vanilla forks for £439…

It’s those LBS owners inflating the prices so they can keep their fuel-guzzling Porsches on the road.

Outside TBC yesterday

Dammit can’t link image. It’s HERE[/url]

25 years ago I paid £400 for a rigid 15 speed Specialized Rockhopper with friction gears and cantilever brakes.
A couple of weeks ago I bought a Boardman Hardtail pro for £900 with Reba Race forks 27 speed X9 XO gears and avid elixir disk brakes.

That is a price rise of £20 a year.

So while bikes may be expensive it’s nothing new. And when I bought that Rockhopper I was going in to the Muddy Fox shop in London looking at bikes that cost £1000 even then.

And you could always resort to buying the bike you need rather than the one you want. 🙂

It’s the cost of replacement components that grates though…

Back in 2008, I bought an XT cassette for £30, now the cheapest I can find is £48. Likewise shifters, rear mechs and jockey wheels have all gone through the roof.

Woody – everyone knows an RS4 is my preffered planet terminator.

Twenty years ago the cost of a Sherbet Dip Dab was 10p, now I can’t find one for cheaper then 34p online.

It’s a swizz[/url].

everyone knows an RS4 is my preffered planet terminator.

Yeh – but you try finding a pic of one with a bike and bloody great chain parked next to it !

Disk pads are a real rip off to me, £20 a set in LBS!! WTF!

njee20 – Member
Isnt that what Superstar (and arguably On One/Planet X) do?

Yeah, and then the bike snobbery kicks in.
The ‘feel good’ factor of ownership is the real price being paid for.

‘You are not what you own’ (Fugazi – Merchandise)

I spy a gap in the market……….

More of a bling image than on-one

Less of the f*** you attitude of superstar’s ‘customer service’

becuase the demographic contains a high proportion of immature middle aged men.. (I include myself in that)

shooting fish in a barrel is an expression that springs to mind..

exchange rates and cost of labour / shipping etc.
think things are pricey now? wait another 3 years and they may seem cheap – things ain’t getting cheaper anytime soon unless there’s a change in routes to market. since we need the LBS in all of this, and they’re a good thing, parts aren’t cheap anymore unless you buy from a huge company like crc, or a sell direct re-brander like superstar.

supply and demand?

if cycle parts were bought at the rate of car parts they’d probly be a lot cheaper…

Just a thought.

Market forces…

Also most of the kit is getting better is it not? Smaller lighter but more effective, so it should cost more?

I do feel slightly sick just looking at new fork prices, mind.

Those downhill teams can’t be cheap to run!!

KB says “Light Strong Cheap – choose 2”