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Re: average new bike is around $200 Posted by PGAero [Email]  (#1143) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from PGAero) on Thu, 15 May 2014 20:55:56
In Reply to: Re: average new bike is around $200, A1-turbo, Thu, 15 May 2014 12:38:51 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I think that we run into some trouble when comparing bikes to cars.
Bikes are nearly always purchased for recreation, exercise, fun, or alternative transportation. MANY bikes get used fewer then 10 times per year.
Cars are nearly always purchased to meet a specific, daily need that cannot be easily eliminated from a person's routine. For this reason, "entry-level" cars serve nearly the exact same role as any other daily-driven car. There are almost zero cars sold which are solely used for recreation (of course these cars exist, but it is a miniscule percentage of the market). In fact, I would argue that ANY car purchased exclusively for fun or recreation is not a first car, but a second or third, and demand a premium over purely utilitarian cars.
Discretionary purchases (like bikes) have a very different price range and structure than items which are (for all practical consideration in north America and much of the rest of the developed world) necessity.
Anyone who expects to ride a bike on a daily basis and demands reliable, long-lasting performance, will soon decide that a bike that retails for $1000 is a completely reasonable ball park figure to toss around. You don't need to be a professional to need a reasonably high quality product. You just have to be someone who rides bikes fairly regularly.
A $200 bike has no direct comparison to a new car in a market where a car is expected to work every day and last for even 100,000 miles.
A professional (someone who consistently earns money riding bikes) will likely look at a $1000 bike and see something that falls far short of their expectations, and something that falls apart when ridden in the manner that they are used to.
Cheers,
Peter
_______________________________________ Current: '03 9-5 Aero Wagon, 5spd, Polar/Black Past: '06 9-5 Combi, AT, Polar/Black '04 9-5 Aero Wagon, AT, Nocturne/Granite '03 9-5 Aero Wagon, AT, Steel/Charcoal '00 9-3 Viggen, 5D, Silver/Black '93 9000 Aero, 5MT, Cirrus/Black (Owned this one twice) '86 900 SPG, 5MT, Edwardian/Buffalo Grey
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