The modern day cost of mountain bikes

[jaybee]

I'm starting to see more and more often people listing mountain bikes for sale on facebook groups/forums etc second hand for thousands of pounds. I know this is not a new thing and has happened over years, but it occurred to me the other day that I actually can't afford a brand new (full suspension) mountain bike even at what I would consider low to medium specs now.

When I look at what some of them cost, I can't help but think that the mark up is higher than any equipment associated with any hobby/interest I have ever had, by quite some way.

So how and why did we get to this state? I know it doesn't cost £5000 to make a carbon fiber full suss mountain bike, so what does it cost?

Are there bargain 26 inch second hand MTBs out there or are they still selling well? I'll be looking to buy something newER next year, which will basically be a more aggressive trail bike but still second hand for preferably as cheap as possible.

Do you think it hurts people trying to get into the sport?
Do you think the prices are fine?

It's not just the bikes. Component cost and accessories are also very high.

 

[jaybee]

The gap between top end equipment and budget has grown for sure, but i wouldnt necessarily agree that MTB is on the whole massively more expensive,I mean back 17-18 years ago when i was starting out, prices for budget bikes etc werent massively different to what we have now, ok to time and inflation maybe looking at a little bit more, but what you also have to consider is that you get a lot more bike for your money these days, even low spec equipment is actually not that bad in the grand scheme.
I'd agree prices at the top end are getting a bit out of control, but people are prepared to pay.
but that dosnt stop those who have lesser budgets from enjoying the sport, what you have to realise is that you dont have to spend Huge amounts to get a great performing bike, there are plenty of brands doing mid range specs that are only marginally lower performing than the top spec rides, lets face it majority of us wont be racing, majority of us probably would notice the difference, most of us only going out for a laugh at the weekends, we dont need the best of everything.

again for components and accessories you dont need the latest and greatest, you dont need to splash out on a full XTR groupset when deore or SLX will perform flawlessly, latest dropper posts? do you need it, yes they make life easier, but you have managed to go so far with a standard post, see what i'm getting at?

Yes spend as much as you can to get the best spec you can, but just remember the amount you spend on a bike shouldnt equate to how much fun you have on it.

The used market is as strong as it ever has been, so much choice, be patient and buy carefully, I wish the used market was this good when i was starting out.

A refreshing read. Yeah.
Dropper posts though....I really want one but I do think they are a lot for what they provide. Everyone I speak to says to just get one already! It transforms the ride supposedly.

What I found hard when I was looking for second hand bikes, were two things:

1: You sort of need to know all the bike manufacturer names and model names to search for the right stuff on ebay that would be appropriate for you.

2: The amount of people that forget to list size of frame! Then when you ask, it's 90% of the time a medium.

 

[jaybee]

We had this thread with road bikes a while ago.

You can get a full suspension bike from decathlon for under half a grand. I don't know a thing about modern mtbs, but if they're anything like their road bikes it'll be perfectly serviceable for the casual rider or someone just starting out.

Link please? (It will be terrible)

 

[jaybee]

But you could apply the "how much does it cost to make" argument to anything..

It doesn't cost £1300 to make a macbook. It doesn't cost £40 to make a T-shirt.

Brands need to make money to survive, expand and develop new product.

Yeah..... My point was that with Mountain bikes, or road bikes come to that, are VERY heavily marked up. Do you disagree? Maybe they aren't.

Some high end full suspension mountain bikes (not even downhill bikes) are selling currently for over £4000. If you look at a highly profitable device like an iphone 5, Apple sell them for approximately 3 times the cost to manufacture. Applying that logic to a MTB that costs £4000, that would indicate it costs £1333 to manufacture. I can't see it.

Is it to do with Shimano and SRAM charging excessive amounts to manufacturers for the bolt ons that make up a bike? i.e. Drivetrain, wheelsets, gears, brakes etc? I know it's not as simple, as a lot of bike "manufacturers" are making the frame and bolting other peoples bits on to it.