The rising cost of cycling and its demographic shift — should the financial playing field be levelled?

Whether we got one or not was another matter, but as youngsters many of us over a certain age wanted a bike for Christmas at some point during the pre-digital and internet era. After all, isn’t a bike the very meaning of Christmas? Be it a Chopper, a Chipper, a Grifter, a Burner, or even a 10-speed racer, for decades it was bikes that topped that seasonal wishlist; the one that we’d send glazed in stick-on glitter and sealed with starry-eyed hope to Santa (who I have since found out isn’t actually real. What a swiz, eh).

These days, it’s all about iPads, PlayStations and other fancy electronic gadgets – for both children and adults alike, which is a real shame for the overall health and wellbeing of humankind. They call it progress, though as we’ve learnt all too often over the years, progress cannot be paused; although I personally think it should and could be manipulated in some cases.

Needless to say, this evolution, or progress, runs right though modern society, which is inevitable; and yet, although many will argue the toss on this one, there seems to be an ever-deepening gulf between the have and have-nots in life. This financial disparity has also had a huge impact on cycling and the cost of it for those on the darker side of that divide, and accessibility of the sport to those on a finer financial line is much tighter than it once was.

Although cycling was not a mainstream sport or pastime by any means in the UK until recent times, in Europe and many other regions, cycling was effectively a working-class sport, including the majority of those who participated in it, especially at the completive sharp racing end. Sure, many will point to examples that contradict this narrative, and those who’ve come to the sport since the 90s (especially since Bradley Wiggins’ 2012 heroics) are probably far less attuned to the not-so-distant past. Even so, many of us who’ve been around in the sport for decades will likely be all too aware that the demographic of cyclists and the cost of bikes and kit has changed dramatically in the past 20 years, and way out of proportion to reasonable inflation levels.

How did cycling become so expensive?

It's hard to pinpoint exactly how and where cycling took the high road, although there are a few clear markers along the way. The first was perhaps the mainstream arrival of mountainbiking in the early 1990s, which brought a whole new technological arms race to the equipment side of the sport. This was great for most cyclists, although it didn’t really impact the cost of the dropped bar side of the sport too heavily. It was a welcome and much-needed kick in the rear of the bike industry.

Mountain biking also introduced a whole new demographic to the sport, many of whom transitioned to the road later, and therefore bypassing the traditional old-school club system. This did also bring a change in attitude along with it; all good stuff, which has benefitted us all in one way another over the years.

On the flip side of this, this evolution also partly introduced the never-ending trend of manufacturers producing new models of just about everything each year. I think these are often over-hyped and largely minor changes, and they can bring in compatibility issues down the line. Many products tend to focus on weight and supposed speed gains over practicality and durability, meaning a higher profit margin and faster turnover of product and a higher long-term cost to us. I guess you can’t blame them. It’s business, and many cyclists have tagged onto their wild goose chase for an extra watt or second here or there, whether they like it or not. That’s an expensive game. 

> The rising price of entry-level road bikes

Around about the turn of new century many were terming cycling as “the new golf,” due largely to a demographic change/influx of what we now call MAMILs. The MAMILS had far more disposable income than cyclists of old could imagine, especially younger riders. This did also fuel the birth of high-end - and dare I say, overpriced – kit, and brands such as Rapha came along, with rising costs following suit. Needless to say, this was music to the ears of many brands, who seemed to find ever more complex and costly answers and unnecessary products in order to fuel this change.

Cycling’s popularity, its status, and the cost of it all rose considerably through the early 2000s. In the UK the sport’s growing popularity was fuelled in part of Team GB’s success on the Olympic velodrome. This started in awe with the 2000 Sydney Games and increased rapidly after that, before the doors were fully blown off in London 2012. The upshot was that cycling became big in the UK (as it became elsewhere) and cycling stars became mainstream celebrities, which was simply not the case before that.

Major corporations, non-cycling nations, state entities and more all jumped on the pro cycling publicity bandwagon. The stakes, pro rider salaries, pro team budgets, and the rewards became tenfold in comparison to the previous century. Cycling became big business in most spheres, and along with that it also became extremely popular with a whole new group of people, including those who could afford the new £10,000 bikes and £250 shorts to go with it.

Introducing new people and more external funds to the sport and leisure side of cycling is largely for the good, although I think it has pushed the entry point and general participation cost of cycling way beyond the means of many. Being a working-class kid, I very much doubt that I would have been able to entertain taking up cycling with the costs of today. Sure, there are many others who will chant that you don’t need a £10,000 bike, and I whole heartedly agree – I certainly don’t have one kicking around all these years later, despite having been in the industry and sport or most of my life.

It's not just in the UK

I’ve been fortunate enough to spend much of my ‘adult’ cycling life travelling and living in different places around the world, and have seen some shocking extremes in terms of the cost of cycling and it’s demographic. Everything from ‘hard as nails’ young guys riding 20-year old bodged and welded bikes to victory in the Philippines, to passion-driven standard bike racers in Sri Lanka (old pre-1960s colonial roadsters) racing for a tyre as a prize, right through to wealthy MAMILs and young kids on bikes and with set-ups better that WorldTour pros in other regions. Some of what I’ve sen melts my heart with passion for cycling, while some of it churns my soul and raises many inner questions about the state of cycling, and wealth rifts in general.

The good, the bad & the ugly

There’s no doubt that on the whole, cycling as a sport needed a lick of fresh paint a while back. Naturally that will come at a cost – but that cost hits way beyond the wallet, which is what concerns me the most. 

It’s all of those youngsters from less privileged backgrounds who will not be able to afford to take up cycling seriously, or who will simply find themselves out of their depth and intimidated when they turn out for a group ride or race. They don’t need to be of course, but it can be a huge deterrent.

Cycling was never a cheap sport, but it is now very much an expensive sport in comparison to days gone by, with the well-heeled image to match. The great clocks of progress are impossible to turn back, and while there are indeed budget kit options out there, they may not be as cool as those with the brazen few letters on their backs. I just wish that at grass roots level there were less barriers for those who cannot afford the latest dogsbollox, WTF-branded shorts and jersey, and weird (but apparently very fast) aero helmets. Imagine a 13-year-old aspiring bike racer lining up in their Aldi trainers and on a second hand oversized bike against another kid on a fancy Dogma with all the spangly overpriced kit; should (or could) there be some form of financial standardisation for youth bike racing? Or has it all gone way beyond that?

With all the said, in 2025 and beyond I’d somehow like to see the playing field levelled so everyone can get a fair crack at the cycling whip. Give the underdogs a go at this cycling lark!