On 3/20/2018 1:12 PM, jbeattie wrote:
You have to humor the old guys -- who are the ones spending the money. ... [But] You only need so much stuff.

I suspect that's the conundrum for the bike industry. I remember
drooling over items at the bike shop or in the mail order catalogs. But
I had higher priorities for my money instead of splurging on toys.

Now I've got enough money to splurge a bit. But after (ahem) many
decades of living and riding, I began to realize that no gadget or gizmo
or piece of clothing is going to transform my riding experience. No new
bike or component is going to make me ride faster or farther. I look at
advertisement after advertisement and think "I don't need that; I don't
need that..."

I suspect the "sweet spot" customers for the bike business a A) Young
folks fairly fresh into riding who still hope to become champions, and
B) MAMILs who are hoping to delay their bicycling senescence. The first
group doesn't care about having money, and the second group doesn't mind
spending some of the extra money to retain that glimmer of hope.

--
- Frank Krygowski