5 ms·

Interesting idea. Unconscionable price. I don't think you could justify spending that amount of money on a bike unless it is one of your life's deepest passion

Interesting idea. Unconscionable price. I don't think you could justify spending that amount of money on a bike unless it is one of your life's deepest passions. Which seems rare. Does the quality of bikes really change that much when you go up the price range, for amateur users?

tokai 8y ago
€3000 is nowhere near the ceiling for expensive bikes, even for amateurs. I know plenty of people that have multiple bikes in that range and beyond. If you want specific solutions things often get expensive. And yes there is a world of differens from a €1000 bike to one that costs €4000.
- rhinoceraptor 8y ago
  It's also easy to spend quite a bit extra on a bike once you have it. You almost always need to replace the saddle and pedals, so that's about $200. You get a bike fit and decide you want to change your handlebars and stem, so there's another $200. A year or two later, you want to upgrade to a set of lighter wheels, and that's $500 or more, easily.
fabricexpert 8y ago
Plenty of people spend a LOT more than that on bikes
- pbhjpbhj 8y ago
  What proportion precisely, and in which locality?
mzybert 8y ago
What's really making a difference is proper assembly and setup. Then, as long the bike's made out of halfway decent materials and is the right size for you it's going to be a pleasure to ride.
rhinoceraptor 8y ago
It's expensive, but not unreasonable given the quality of the parts used. Their cheapest bike is 2500 euros, or 1600 on sale at the moment. If you were to buy all of parts separately, other than the frame and fork, it would be about 1000 euros.
analog31 8y ago
The price drives the sales volume in a predictable way, so it's a rather self limiting problem. But the "amateur using pro gear" is widespread, not just in cycling. And what's acceptable is a matter of culture. I've noticed that a person riding a $4k bike will get criticized by someone who drives a $40k car, with no irony. I'm an amateur musician, but I play a professional quality instrument. It really comes down to the sheer enjoyment of it. My instrument won't get me into the Chicago Symphony, but it sounds nice in my living room. And it still cost less than many pleasures that people afford themselves. At first glance, the wooden bike has to be for someone who is interested in the aesthetics and novelty of it. Disclaimer: I ride a bike that I assembled from mostly spare parts for less than $100.
kmlx 8y ago
the cervelo p5x time trial bicycle starts from $8k for “just” the frame: https://www.cervelo.com/p5x https://www.cervelo.com/p5x “full spec” is $16k.
- chirau 8y ago
  There is a bike messenger in NYC who rides a PX5...
  - superhuzza 8y ago
    At least he can get a tax deduction from it, I guess?
ubermonkey 8y ago
Within the world of go-fast or go-far riding, yeah, they do, with real measurable changes and gains up through probably $6-7.5K USD. For most riders, going above an entry level carbon fiber bike with Shimano 105 components and alloy rims is probably overkill. That price point is between $1500 and $2500US, depending on manufacturer and other options. If you're a larger rider, getting a better grade of carbon frame is worth it. I'm about 98kg, so I took that option. My bike was $3500US, but still with alloy rims. Wheels matter a LOT. The next step up in the Specialized line that year was exactly the same in all respects except wheels (carbon, aero) and price ($5,000US). The other thing you see in nicer enthusiast bikes is electronic shifting. This adds, say, $800 to $1500 to the price vs. an equivalent cable-pull bike. It sounds insane, but it's really quite nice -- and never goes out of adjustment. Disc brakes are taking over as well, but still command a slight premium. I don't have them because I live in a flat place, but if I lived in northern California or Colorado, they'd be a no-brainer -- they work WAY better on long descents or in the wet. Oh, and if you want titanium instead of carbon, well, the whole game STARTS much higher. The most common ti frames I see are from a company called Moots; entry level for the frame alone is about $4000US -- more than my bike was originally. Obviously, I don't see ti bikes except under fairly well-heeled riders MOST of the time (there are exceptions) -- but I see lots of normal middle class folks on $2500-$4000 (retail) bikes. That's kind of the default in the groups I ride in. Going higher is possible, but of limited utility. Going lower means you have a bit less fun, honestly. They didn't all pay full price or buy new, but that's the grade of bike around me on most rides.
- H1Supreme 8y ago
  > For most riders, going above an entry level carbon fiber bike with Shimano 105 components and alloy rims is probably overkill Even the Tiagra line is very good these days. Aside from the 11th cog on the 105's, I'd say that they're pretty even in terms of performance. Especially in regards to shifting.
  - ubermonkey 8y ago
    Really? I'd definitely disagree. I find the 105 materially nicer in feel, plus obviously having the 11 is nice, too. The maxim in the cycling community where I live is that 105 is fine, but Ultegra is worth it if you can afford it, and Dura Ace is just showing off. I think that's pretty accurate. (Of course, it probably needs updating for Di2/eTap...)
kaybe 8y ago
It is still far far cheaper than a car. If a bike is your main mode of transportation and you're not super-poor, and this bike gives you joy every day, I'd say go for it.
Overtonwindow 8y ago
I was fortunate to be sold a carbon and titanium bike at cost many years ago. It’s an amazing machine, and I truly love it, because nothing I’ve ridden since in aluminum or steel can compare. If I had $5k to drop on a new Specializes Carbon with RED, hell yeah id do it! It’s like: Once you’ve driven a Ferrari, the only thing you want to do is drive a Ferrari.
tonyedgecombe 8y ago
Like anything there are diminishing returns, the difference between a £250 and £500 bike is greater than between a £500 and £5000 bike.
TomVDB 8y ago
> Which seems rare. I don't think you've spent a lot of time around bikers!

tokai 8y ago

€3000 is nowhere near the ceiling for expensive bikes, even for amateurs. I know plenty of people that have multiple bikes in that range and beyond. If you want specific solutions things often get expensive. And yes there is a world of differens from a €1000 bike to one that costs €4000.

rhinoceraptor 8y ago
It's also easy to spend quite a bit extra on a bike once you have it. You almost always need to replace the saddle and pedals, so that's about $200. You get a bike fit and decide you want to change your handlebars and stem, so there's another $200. A year or two later, you want to upgrade to a set of lighter wheels, and that's $500 or more, easily.

fabricexpert 8y ago

Plenty of people spend a LOT more than that on bikes

pbhjpbhj 8y ago
What proportion precisely, and in which locality?

mzybert 8y ago

What's really making a difference is proper assembly and setup. Then, as long the bike's made out of halfway decent materials and is the right size for you it's going to be a pleasure to ride.

rhinoceraptor 8y ago

It's expensive, but not unreasonable given the quality of the parts used. Their cheapest bike is 2500 euros, or 1600 on sale at the moment. If you were to buy all of parts separately, other than the frame and fork, it would be about 1000 euros.

analog31 8y ago

The price drives the sales volume in a predictable way, so it's a rather self limiting problem. But the "amateur using pro gear" is widespread, not just in cycling. And what's acceptable is a matter of culture. I've noticed that a person riding a $4k bike will get criticized by someone who drives a $40k car, with no irony. I'm an amateur musician, but I play a professional quality instrument. It really comes down to the sheer enjoyment of it. My instrument won't get me into the Chicago Symphony, but it sounds nice in my living room. And it still cost less than many pleasures that people afford themselves. At first glance, the wooden bike has to be for someone who is interested in the aesthetics and novelty of it. Disclaimer: I ride a bike that I assembled from mostly spare parts for less than $100.

kmlx 8y ago

the cervelo p5x time trial bicycle starts from $8k for “just” the frame: https://www.cervelo.com/p5x https://www.cervelo.com/p5x “full spec” is $16k.

chirau 8y ago
There is a bike messenger in NYC who rides a PX5...
- superhuzza 8y ago
  At least he can get a tax deduction from it, I guess?

ubermonkey 8y ago

Within the world of go-fast or go-far riding, yeah, they do, with real measurable changes and gains up through probably $6-7.5K USD. For most riders, going above an entry level carbon fiber bike with Shimano 105 components and alloy rims is probably overkill. That price point is between $1500 and $2500US, depending on manufacturer and other options. If you're a larger rider, getting a better grade of carbon frame is worth it. I'm about 98kg, so I took that option. My bike was $3500US, but still with alloy rims. Wheels matter a LOT. The next step up in the Specialized line that year was exactly the same in all respects except wheels (carbon, aero) and price ($5,000US). The other thing you see in nicer enthusiast bikes is electronic shifting. This adds, say, $800 to $1500 to the price vs. an equivalent cable-pull bike. It sounds insane, but it's really quite nice -- and never goes out of adjustment. Disc brakes are taking over as well, but still command a slight premium. I don't have them because I live in a flat place, but if I lived in northern California or Colorado, they'd be a no-brainer -- they work WAY better on long descents or in the wet. Oh, and if you want titanium instead of carbon, well, the whole game STARTS much higher. The most common ti frames I see are from a company called Moots; entry level for the frame alone is about $4000US -- more than my bike was originally. Obviously, I don't see ti bikes except under fairly well-heeled riders MOST of the time (there are exceptions) -- but I see lots of normal middle class folks on $2500-$4000 (retail) bikes. That's kind of the default in the groups I ride in. Going higher is possible, but of limited utility. Going lower means you have a bit less fun, honestly. They didn't all pay full price or buy new, but that's the grade of bike around me on most rides.

H1Supreme 8y ago
> For most riders, going above an entry level carbon fiber bike with Shimano 105 components and alloy rims is probably overkill Even the Tiagra line is very good these days. Aside from the 11th cog on the 105's, I'd say that they're pretty even in terms of performance. Especially in regards to shifting.
- ubermonkey 8y ago
  Really? I'd definitely disagree. I find the 105 materially nicer in feel, plus obviously having the 11 is nice, too. The maxim in the cycling community where I live is that 105 is fine, but Ultegra is worth it if you can afford it, and Dura Ace is just showing off. I think that's pretty accurate. (Of course, it probably needs updating for Di2/eTap...)

kaybe 8y ago

It is still far far cheaper than a car. If a bike is your main mode of transportation and you're not super-poor, and this bike gives you joy every day, I'd say go for it.

Overtonwindow 8y ago

I was fortunate to be sold a carbon and titanium bike at cost many years ago. It’s an amazing machine, and I truly love it, because nothing I’ve ridden since in aluminum or steel can compare. If I had $5k to drop on a new Specializes Carbon with RED, hell yeah id do it! It’s like: Once you’ve driven a Ferrari, the only thing you want to do is drive a Ferrari.

tonyedgecombe 8y ago

Like anything there are diminishing returns, the difference between a £250 and £500 bike is greater than between a £500 and £5000 bike.

TomVDB 8y ago

> Which seems rare. I don't think you've spent a lot of time around bikers!