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Thanks for this comment. Very interesting. I think Wiggle and Chain Reaction have now merged, but both are struggling. I was wondering if you could explain wh

Thanks for this comment. Very interesting. I think Wiggle and Chain Reaction have now merged, but both are struggling. I was wondering if you could explain why bike components are so expensive in the first place? For example, why can a bicycle, which is mechanically quite simple, cost as much as a motorbike or small car? Is this a patent situation?

bluGill 6y ago
Volumn, bikes just don't sell enough to pay off the engineering that goes into them without high prices.
C19is20 6y ago
I don't purchase as much due to global events - I need the cash in my pocket. My cycling purchases used to be top end, really top end, but now I can go for a ride in a pair of regular shorts just as well as €80 ones. And I feel such a dick for blowing so much, so unnecessarily. Equally, thanks to various YouTubers (Hambini, Durianrider etc) - it's all a scam, anyway. I'm glad I woke up. Sorry lbs, and online stores, but it's back to basics for this non-pro.
- trentnix 6y ago
  I'm familiar with Hambini - and his bravado is well ahead of his actual knowledge. I'm not familiar with Durianrider. I can say this with confidence - the bike industry isn't built on a scam. There are scammers within it (like any other industry) but the established brands are not scamming you with their higher priced offerings. They may be wrong about some of the benefits they believe they are offering, but it's not a scam. It sounds mostly like your cost-value threshold has changed. And that's fine. But that €80 pair of shorts - if it comes from a reputable brand - actually does offer some benefits and advancements that a few consumers find valuable. When I read a comment like yours it sounds like someone lamenting that people purchase high-end GPUs. Sure, nobody needs 4k graphics at 120 fps, but there's a market for it anyway.
trentnix 6y ago
I'm probably being a bike industry apologist when I say this, but I think maybe you don't appreciate how complex some of the parts and materials used in bikes are. The quality of the manufacturing and materials is outstanding. Also, the bike company doing research and development to design a frame, prescribe a carbon layup for that frame, service and warranty that frame, and distribute that frame is only going to sell 4-figure and sometimes 5-figure numbers of those frames on complete bikes. My general understanding of the economics on the product side of the bike business (which isn't as deep as my understanding of the retail side) is that the manufacturers aren't making much money either. They've got lots of hands in their pockets, a lot of pricing pressure thinning margins, and a low barrier of entry for new competition in the marketplace. In regards to Chain Wiggle, I'm not surprised they are struggling. The graveyard is full of businesses that won on price and their is no business strategy easier to emulate than being the price leader.
- acomjean 6y ago
  Seems to be the business is design, go to china and find a manufacturer. I found these videos about china bike show interesting. "Specialized" gave the keynote apparently. Some crazy bikes there (I like the offcenter wheels for hop riding.). Also very high end road bikes. (though italian carbon fiber seats). Carbon Bike design process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WinYdscJi0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WinYdscJi0 Bike show part1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9BAc0kL55o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9BAc0kL55o part2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQVoKKwydwQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQVoKKwydwQ part3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKa3iQ3akHk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKa3iQ3akHk
DenisM 6y ago
A 2000kg car can produce 200hp, or 10 kg/hp. A 100 kg man + bike combo will produce 1/3 hp, so 300 kg/hp. The bikes are underpowered and every bit of extra performance is very welcome. A bike manufacturer cannot produce a better man, but they can keep optimizing the bike itself and they will keep doing it until even the wealthiest customers balk at the cost. Which is why the best gear is out of reach for most people. You can easily purchase a bike that is not that heavily optimized - they are $100 a pop in Walmart. The details of these optimizations are numerous and elaborate, but they are only a consequence of the weight/power balance.

bluGill 6y ago

Volumn, bikes just don't sell enough to pay off the engineering that goes into them without high prices.

C19is20 6y ago

I don't purchase as much due to global events - I need the cash in my pocket. My cycling purchases used to be top end, really top end, but now I can go for a ride in a pair of regular shorts just as well as €80 ones. And I feel such a dick for blowing so much, so unnecessarily. Equally, thanks to various YouTubers (Hambini, Durianrider etc) - it's all a scam, anyway. I'm glad I woke up. Sorry lbs, and online stores, but it's back to basics for this non-pro.

trentnix 6y ago
I'm familiar with Hambini - and his bravado is well ahead of his actual knowledge. I'm not familiar with Durianrider. I can say this with confidence - the bike industry isn't built on a scam. There are scammers within it (like any other industry) but the established brands are not scamming you with their higher priced offerings. They may be wrong about some of the benefits they believe they are offering, but it's not a scam. It sounds mostly like your cost-value threshold has changed. And that's fine. But that €80 pair of shorts - if it comes from a reputable brand - actually does offer some benefits and advancements that a few consumers find valuable. When I read a comment like yours it sounds like someone lamenting that people purchase high-end GPUs. Sure, nobody needs 4k graphics at 120 fps, but there's a market for it anyway.

trentnix 6y ago

I'm probably being a bike industry apologist when I say this, but I think maybe you don't appreciate how complex some of the parts and materials used in bikes are. The quality of the manufacturing and materials is outstanding. Also, the bike company doing research and development to design a frame, prescribe a carbon layup for that frame, service and warranty that frame, and distribute that frame is only going to sell 4-figure and sometimes 5-figure numbers of those frames on complete bikes. My general understanding of the economics on the product side of the bike business (which isn't as deep as my understanding of the retail side) is that the manufacturers aren't making much money either. They've got lots of hands in their pockets, a lot of pricing pressure thinning margins, and a low barrier of entry for new competition in the marketplace. In regards to Chain Wiggle, I'm not surprised they are struggling. The graveyard is full of businesses that won on price and their is no business strategy easier to emulate than being the price leader.

acomjean 6y ago
Seems to be the business is design, go to china and find a manufacturer. I found these videos about china bike show interesting. "Specialized" gave the keynote apparently. Some crazy bikes there (I like the offcenter wheels for hop riding.). Also very high end road bikes. (though italian carbon fiber seats). Carbon Bike design process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WinYdscJi0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WinYdscJi0 Bike show part1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9BAc0kL55o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9BAc0kL55o part2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQVoKKwydwQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQVoKKwydwQ part3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKa3iQ3akHk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKa3iQ3akHk

DenisM 6y ago

A 2000kg car can produce 200hp, or 10 kg/hp. A 100 kg man + bike combo will produce 1/3 hp, so 300 kg/hp. The bikes are underpowered and every bit of extra performance is very welcome. A bike manufacturer cannot produce a better man, but they can keep optimizing the bike itself and they will keep doing it until even the wealthiest customers balk at the cost. Which is why the best gear is out of reach for most people. You can easily purchase a bike that is not that heavily optimized - they are $100 a pop in Walmart. The details of these optimizations are numerous and elaborate, but they are only a consequence of the weight/power balance.