4 ms·

A personal rant. 15 years ago middle of the road mountain bike could be bought for around 200 euros. Now similar class mtb is more like 600+ euros. Bicycle tire

A personal rant. 15 years ago middle of the road mountain bike could be bought for around 200 euros. Now similar class mtb is more like 600+ euros. Bicycle tires cost about the same as my car tires. This is turning into a rich-man hobby.

rubyn00bie 4y ago
Uh no. That was not the case even 15 years ago, they were still expensive. Yes prices have definitely gone up, but at no point in the last 20 years has a middle of the road mountain bike costed $200.
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jefftk 4y ago
Can you still get a mountain bike for €262 (inflation updated) that's about as good as one that would have cost €200 in 2008, but people's expectations are higher? Or is the same bike that would have sold for €200 now selling for €600+?
NorthOf33rd 4y ago
That may have been true 20 or 25 years ago but the technology gap technologically between a “cheap” bike and the highest end bike you could buy was much much smaller than it is today. Same with tires. You can still buy a 200 euro bike. It’ll be better than the 200 euro bike from before. You just don’t want it.
- ghaff 4y ago
  The decent but mid-tier at best mountain bike I bought 20 some years ago doesn't even have suspension. I'm not even sure you could buy a steel frame mountain bike without suspension (which otherwise had ~mid-range components) today--though I rarely ride these days and am far from an expert. But to the parent point, I still probably paid more than $200 for it.
dwater 4y ago
I bought a second hand mountain bike designed for riding single track around 2005 in the US for $600, what I wanted would have been $2000 and the best were $3000-4000 new. Today the high end is higher but the low end feels about the same, although technology has progressed and you get a more advanced bike for the money now.
Aaargh20318 4y ago
> 15 years ago middle of the road mountain bike could be bought for around 200 euros You couldn't ever buy a 'middle of the road' MTB, or any kind of bike, for €200. You could buy a piece of junk that falls apart in 2 years for that kind of money. A decent commuter bike starts at around €750. > Bicycle tires cost about the same as my car tires. Where do you get new car tires for ~€20 ? > This is turning into a rich-man hobby. Over here (the Netherlands) cycling is just a mode of transportation for most people. and it's by far the most affordable one there is.
- avtolik 4y ago
  https://imgur.com/a/Lzf4qzX https://imgur.com/a/Lzf4qzX This is a bike I bought 2005 for about 180 euros. And I still use it today as a city bike. The picture is from around 2013 after I did some upgrades - second hand hydraulic brakes, new cassette, chain, etc.

rubyn00bie 4y ago

Uh no. That was not the case even 15 years ago, they were still expensive. Yes prices have definitely gone up, but at no point in the last 20 years has a middle of the road mountain bike costed $200.

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jefftk 4y ago

Can you still get a mountain bike for €262 (inflation updated) that's about as good as one that would have cost €200 in 2008, but people's expectations are higher? Or is the same bike that would have sold for €200 now selling for €600+?

NorthOf33rd 4y ago

That may have been true 20 or 25 years ago but the technology gap technologically between a “cheap” bike and the highest end bike you could buy was much much smaller than it is today. Same with tires. You can still buy a 200 euro bike. It’ll be better than the 200 euro bike from before. You just don’t want it.

ghaff 4y ago
The decent but mid-tier at best mountain bike I bought 20 some years ago doesn't even have suspension. I'm not even sure you could buy a steel frame mountain bike without suspension (which otherwise had ~mid-range components) today--though I rarely ride these days and am far from an expert. But to the parent point, I still probably paid more than $200 for it.

dwater 4y ago

I bought a second hand mountain bike designed for riding single track around 2005 in the US for $600, what I wanted would have been $2000 and the best were $3000-4000 new. Today the high end is higher but the low end feels about the same, although technology has progressed and you get a more advanced bike for the money now.

Aaargh20318 4y ago

> 15 years ago middle of the road mountain bike could be bought for around 200 euros You couldn't ever buy a 'middle of the road' MTB, or any kind of bike, for €200. You could buy a piece of junk that falls apart in 2 years for that kind of money. A decent commuter bike starts at around €750. > Bicycle tires cost about the same as my car tires. Where do you get new car tires for ~€20 ? > This is turning into a rich-man hobby. Over here (the Netherlands) cycling is just a mode of transportation for most people. and it's by far the most affordable one there is.

avtolik 4y ago
https://imgur.com/a/Lzf4qzX https://imgur.com/a/Lzf4qzX This is a bike I bought 2005 for about 180 euros. And I still use it today as a city bike. The picture is from around 2013 after I did some upgrades - second hand hydraulic brakes, new cassette, chain, etc.