On 9/14/2020 9:42 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
On Sun, 13 Sep 2020 20:54:33 -0500,
AMuzi wrote:
On 9/13/2020 8:23 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 9/13/2020 9:14 PM, AMuzi wrote:
On 9/13/2020 7:59 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 9/13/2020 5:36 PM, AMuzi wrote:
On 9/13/2020 2:06 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 9/13/2020 1:46 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Sunday, September 13, 2020 at 9:20:35 AM UTC-7, Lou
Holtman wrote:

OK, if you need to sell a bike/frame to pay your
property taxes that is a good idea, but please make up
your mind it is getting very confusing.

His point about top-end bikes is true, though.???????
My son is always telling me about the newest Specialized
bikes, including the new super-secret ones that I can't
mention, and then he asks me to guess the price for the
S-Works founders edition of the bike.??????? The numbers
are staggering and just keep going up into the
stratosphere -- with big jumps as compared to just four
years ago. $7K doesn't get you close to the top. Even the
Canyon offerings are up by 20% or more. I don't think
manufacturing costs have risen nearly that much -- maybe
its tariffs (but I doubt it).??????? I think it is just
market elasticity.

And that raises a point about diminishing returns. Is a
$7000 road bike really twice as good as a $3500 road bike?
Is it four times as good as a $1750 road bike? How much
does it increase your speed, or your riding comfort, your
maximum distance, or anything beyond your bragging rights?

One of my earliest biking buddies (back in the early
1970s) said "I can't afford the best car in the world. I
can't afford the best stereo system in the world. But I
can afford the best bike in the world."

Note that his statement wasn't in terms of performance
benefits or longevity or anything practical. It was
essentially bragging rights and self satisfaction.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Often the case. In my situation, I had certain wishes in picking
a tandem--ability to pack it into suitcases, and absence of paint
(for least damage). So that ratcheted up the price pretty
dramatically.


Almost no consumer items are a linear progression of
price/quality at the top end. Bicycles are not different or
special in that regard.

You're right, of course. I'm sure I could make the same
point on discussion groups devoted to airplanes, violins,
wine, goldfish...

...tandem bicycles, academic staff pensions...

Hey, tandem bicycles are a good topic for this group! Discuss
away!

I only mentioned them because you so frequently claim to live
outside normal economic phenomena. Tandems are a great example,
your typical quality tandem being $5000 to $12000 versus $500
for a department store 7 speed.

True, to some extent. My second tandem ran about $12k, in part
for the reasons I mentioned above. My first one cost $1200 in
1996, and I sold it for $1k earlier this year. A very serviceable
Rodriguez, that had received a number of upgrades. So indeed
quite a variance.


Right. And I only mentioned the current range of popular
items. A custom carbon tandem can get expensive.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971