Bike prices

[Mugshot]

TdF speeds increased about 50-55% over its history. The riders improved by something like 45% IIRC. The other factors were the introduction of paved roads and the TdF course being progressively shortened. But the improvement due to faster bikes was only 6%, according to the study.

How do they separate the two?

 

[the snail]

Will a £2000 cue make and average player a better player? Absolutely not.

IIRC Stephen Hendry won 7 world titles with a £40 cue?

 

[albion]

The weird thing about cycling is that if you ride in a group, the fittest person is logically more likely to have a cheap bike.

 

[Gixxerman]

IIRC Stephen Hendry won 7 world titles with a £40 cue?

Well remembered. He did indeed.
He was once described as "the best player in the world with the worst cue in the world".

 

[snailracer]

How do they separate the two?

They benchmarked cyclists against the improvements seen in runners over the same time period.

 

[Dan_h]

£8k is a bit cheap really, the Cervelo RC5ca is that just for the frameset, add the groupset, wheels etc and you are well over 10k (I think I saw somewhere one build for about £12k).

http://www.cervelo.com/en_us/bikes/2012/R5ca/prices-specs/

 

[Mugshot]

They benchmarked cyclists against the improvements seen in runners over the same time period.

Oh right, that's interesting, thank you
How do they separate the improvements in the runners gear*, tracks and the like against their training and diet?
If you have a link I'll look at that to save you having to put up with my mithering

*As in shoes etc not as in

 

[RhythMick]

If you look at a lot of other sports you would find the same. Archery is a very good case in point. There is a lot of guff about in the archery world that if you buy this really shiny and expensive piece of equipment that your scores will magically improve to grand master levels, when the reality is that the gains you make would be marginal at best. However people have seen their scores jump significantly by just buying a brand new quiver, this effect is just purely psychological.

You could apply this effect in cycling. If you have just brought an £8000 bike, who wouldn't suddenly think they have suddenly become Mark Cavendish or what ever their favourite rider is.

And don't get me started about hi-fi. A pair of Western Electric 300B valves for £850?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

 

[Night Train]

It is funny how relative it all is.

Back in 2001 I bought a new Marin Hawkhill for £400 and brought it home proudly as the most expensive bike I've ever had.
Neighbouring friends thought I was mad for spending such a rediculus amount on a bike and claiming that their £100 bike were as good. Earlier this year I sold my Marin for £200, and regretted letting it go as it was in near perfect condition and still rode fantastically well. I doubt any of the £100 bikes lasted 10 years never mind held a good value.

Now I look at recumbent trikes and happily accept their price tags as reasonable.

 

[cyberknight]

I hope that the fact that £8000 bikes exist will seep into the general public's conciousness and start to erode the myth that bicycles cost less than a tank of petrol and are ridden only by people too poor to buy a car.

I very much doubt it, my co-workers think i am absolutely crazy for spending £800 on a "best " bike and keep telling me to buy a car etc etc .........

 

[snailracer]

Oh right, that's interesting, thank you
How do they separate the improvements in the runners gear*, tracks and the like against their training and diet?
If you have a link I'll look at that to save you having to put up with my mithering

*As in shoes etc not as in

I can't find the original link, but here is another link that references the original study:

http://cozybeehive.blogspot.com/2010/08/modern-bicycles-and-cycling-speeds-any.html

 

[MarkF]

You can apply that to a million different things - I don't understand having a £5k watch, as my £50 watch works just fine, but it's not about having a watch that works, it's about having a REALLY EXPENSIVE WATCH so all the women can secretly think that you are very poorly endowed or a bit stupid.

Or both.

I collect watches (seem to have started collecting bikes too) and wouldn't be able to concentrate enough to cycle straight if I had a shitty 50 nicker "watch" on my wrist, my yin yang levels would be all over the place. I treated myself to Rolex Deepsea Sea Dweller with money my dad left me, cost more than £5k actually. I moved it on after 12 months with no financial loss, nothing. You've lost more cash on your 50 nicker trinket, so put that in your pipe.


Agree with a lot posted, an 8k bike? I'd love one and think it's great that such a thing could exist, however, to make it a "known" and "desirable" £8k bike would I think, cost an awful lot of money spent on marketing, money that has got to be recouped.....

 

[Mugshot]

I can't find the original link, but here is another link that references the original study:

http://cozybeehive.b...speeds-any.html

Fantastic, I shall have a read, thank you

 

[oldfatfool]

When you look at the first years depreciation on a new car the a few K on a bike and kit that will last a few years is a sound investment. If my bike gets me round my hols next year then as far as I am concerned it will have effectively paid for itself compared to the usual cost of an holiday and what I hoping to raise in sponsorship for charidee.

Have to agree a good Swiss timepiece will hold its value if not appreciate so long as you don't take into account servicing uch:

 

[snailracer]

When you look at the first years depreciation on a new car the a few K on a bike and kit that will last a few years is a sound investment...

I'm now waiting for someone to say how £200 is good value for a pair of shoes, because it's a lot cheaper than the £800 they might otherwise have spent on a bike