[CyclingConscience]

Hi,

I am writing on behalf of members of the cycling community.

I am sharing a manifesto in response to the current state of the cycling market, where the prices of bicycles and components have long since crossed the point of post-pandemic absurdity. This is not an attack on specific brands nor a marketing action, but a collective voice calling for an honest conversation about necessary change — because the current situation cannot continue.

The manifesto will be distributed globally across media, the industry, and cycling communities.

If you do not see it directly in this thread, a link to download a safe, virus-free PDF version is provided below.

https://www.swisstransfer.com/d/b4a5e491-7804-40d6-9e9d-ef724da82846

If you believe this issue matters, please help spread the word — share the manifesto on social media, send it to friends, show it in your local bike shop, or pass it on to local media. The wider this message travels, the harder it will be to ignore.

Regards

Conscience

Topic

[GravelIsNothingNew]

Post-pandemic price absurdity

Post-pandemic price absurdity is rife across most industries, not just cycling (and not least housing). …The solution is not more growth capitalism, which is not what the majority want to hear. …So it’s only going to get worse until it (eventually) implodes. 

[Dnnnnnn]

quiff wrote:

chrisonabike wrote:

You probably missed it; most people left after the red light jumping debate

I didn’t even stop for that

I logged-in purely to give you a ‘Like’ for this.

[chrisonabike]

Shouldn’t we *all* be
Shouldn’t we *all* be shouldering responsibility and leading by example? Self-criticim session:

I have sinned against the poorest and against sustainability. I own *three* bikes and yet I can only ride one at at time! Worse, only one of them is rim-braked, and two have more than durable 6/7(!)/8 speed blocks (which were and should be more than good enough for everyone really).

And the last was bought new!

Also, I could just walk, thus saving us building expensive roads (a vast cost which falls on all tax payers and covers the land in asphalt). That was not enough though: I own more than one pair of shoes!

In fact – I *own* shoes; most people haven’t needed them (and didn’t even in this part of the world)…

[Rendel Harris]

Quote:

…show it in your local bike shop…

Yes, I’m sure every LBS owner will be delighted to display a manifesto telling people not to buy bikes and components.

 

 

[quiff]

chrisonabike wrote:

chrisonabike wrote:

You probably missed it; most people left after the red light jumping debate

I didn’t even stop for that

[ktache]

I believe it was discussed,

I believe it was discussed, but after the cake…

[chrisonabike]

You probably missed it; most
You probably missed it; most people left after the red light jumping debate or the helmet row.

[mdavidford]

Quote:

I am writing on behalf of members of the cycling community.

Was this sanctioned in committee? I don’t remember it being on the agenda.

[mark1a]

Very true, and I believe that

Very true, and I believe that the low to mid range market very much depends on the high end existing. For example, the Tiagra of today would be nothing like as good as it is, without the previous iterations of Dura Ace that have preceded it. 

The document makes reference to a “manufacturer whose name begins with ‘S'” saying nothing in a particular bike could justify even half the high price. Well, there’s a lot of R&D expense that goes into bringing stuff to market, and in that example, they won’t sell very many with which to recoup the cost. The halo effect of these models will however drive sales of the lower ones. Again, similar to the groupset example above, the entry level Tarmac Comp model of today is as good as it is thanks to the S-Works model of 10 years ago. 

Finally, the document seems to think the entire bike industry is driven by greed. If that’s the case, why are we constantly reading that the whole sector, from LBS to distributors to manufacturers, is dying on its arse?

[Tom_77]

Last time I checked you could

Last time I checked you could still buy a reasonably priced bike in Decathlon.

High end kit is expensive, but hasn’t it always been?

[Author]

Replies