Is there a bicycle price bubble?

[OreoCookie]

@iLLucionist

I STILL ride a Cube Agree SL with Ultegra 6600 SL from 2007 (!!!). I have tried so many bikes, I would love an Orbea Orca with Ultegra Di2, or the new Tarmac SL7 but I can literally not buy one!

If you are happy with what you have, stick to it I still carry an iPhone 7 and my mountain bike is 8 years old.

@iLLucionist

So how far has bike technology come actually? Yes, more aerodynamic. Lighter? Yes. I think an Orca or SL7 is around 7 kg whereas my bike is 8.2kg. But that’s only 1kg lighter for 5 times the money I spent 15 years ago. That is the progress we’ve made.

Weight isn’t a big factor in most circumstances, and given the UCI weight limit, there is little incentive to develop cheap(er) bikes below 7 kg. But I think the biggest advancement apart from aero are bikes like the Open UP or the 3T Exploro that allow you to go anywhere, on-road and off-road. Disc brakes were essential since caliper rim brakes usually max out with 28 mm wide tires.

@iLLucionist

We had press fit which is a disaster. Di2 already existed and pros were riding it, we already had carbon everything. And hiding cables may be more aero, but I think most “improvements” were in the looks department (how they route cables internally, hide junction box in seatpost, cables through steer in frame instead of going outwards and then in frame, disc brakes, etc.).

Internal cable routing isn’t just a visual thing. I don’t know why people are so against it. My mountain bike has external shift cables, and even though it is affixed to the chain stay with two cable ties, my shoes still get caught on my rear derailleur cable — very annoying. Internal cable routing not only looks nicer, it also protects the cables from dirt and the weather

@iLLucionist

Compliance?

Yup, that’s a big factor. I’ve recently had a 3T Strada for a week. Even though this is an aero road bike with aggressive geometry, it was significantly more comfortable than my endurance road bike, a 2016 or 2017 Cube Attain SL Disc. Ditto for BMC’s Teammachine.