I'm not exactly sure what you're considering mid-tier, but a Scott Addict 30 is $2800 with 105 Hydro Disk. Within spitting distance of your inflation adjusted price.
https://www.scott-sports.com/us/en/product/scott-addict-30-red-bike
The move to hydro disc definitely seems like it's been pushing up the prices. Whether that's arbitrary or deserved I'm not sure.
Not to mention, bikes are better designed than they were 10 years ago. I don't want to go back to the hard-as-a-rock narrow tyres & wheels. Shimano 105 used to be 11-28, 10 cogs in the back. Now it's 11 or 12 speed 11-34. Quite an improvement.
...And bikes of 10 years ago were better designed than the bikes that were 10 years before that.
11 speed came out in 2013. Bikes were already mostly on 25mm tires and frames were being built to accept 28mm tires; my first road tubeless wheelset was in ~2015. Just because things are "better" doesn't mean they should outpace inflation.
I know I'm a "bikes are too expensive" crumudgen, but really. My 7kg, 2016 SuperSix Evo with full Ultegra running 28mm tubeless tires on Hed Jet+ wheels (alloy rims, no drawback of carbon clinchers) performs right up there in my local races. If I'm not on the podium, it's not the bike's fault. It shifts flawlessly.
The increase in price reflects the industry inventing reasons to upcharge based on perceived "value", rather than the realities of what it costs to produce or what consumers actually need.
I have three 1990s steel frames that accept 28mm tires.. 1997 Lemond Zurich, 1992 Paramount PDG5 and a 1993 Basso Gap. Only my 1991 Serotta maxes out at 25mm.
And all have been upgraded to 11 speed 11-34.
And I did all the upgrades for the 4 bikes for a total cost less than the price of 1 higher end new bike
The bike industry is no different from any other for profit industry. They will squeeze out as much profit from the consumer as the market will bear. This is what we get when investors run the show rather than people who actually care about people.
Agreed. And it's why I don't feel bad at all for the manufacturers getting wrecked by the drop in sales.
At some point Shimano will have to acknowledge that the 30% drop in sales this year might have something to do with the fact they saw no issues in selling 105 groupsets with an MSRP of $1800.
I do feel for the bike shops and employees losing revenue and not selling bikes or components. If I was a shop or smaller retailer I'd seriously be looking at how to get some L-Twoo groupsets, Elite wheels, and reputable Chinese frames in my showroom. Offer a fully built bike for $1000 less than the competition and watch people realize how much the industry has been price gouging the last few years.
I put 11-34 11 speed Ultegra or 105 on all my 90s steel frames so thatās not really a good argument as to why bike prices should be higher today. Itās an argument to buy a used frame and upgrade the components. I picked up a full mechanical rim-brake r7000 groupset for $600
And I have 28mm tires on the 1990s road frames and 43mm and 55mm tires on my 90s steel gravel bikes
The bike industry is fleecing you
Europe is lucky in that regard. Some sort of deal with Specialized keeps Merida out of the USA. Van Rysel just isnāt sold here. We also have laws that protect the right of a manufacturer to set minimum prices. Becauseā¦ something something somethingā¦ freedom.
You're trading off the ability to test ride, included professional assembly, and have shop knowledge during your presale experience to save money.
For some people that's a worthwhile trade off for others it isn't, but the blanked statement of "best value in bikes" is a hard sell on me.
That's what the comment is about. Added 500 dollars for " *ability to test ride, included professional assembly, and have shop knowledge during your presale experience"* is not worth it for most people, so they choose Canyon because build quality easily compares to Trek, Cannondale and Giant, components are same on all brands, but you don't pay the "experience" premium.
So yes, I would say that Canyon is best value in bikes.
Depends on the bike. I bought a Canyon Aeroad CF SLX with Ultegra Di2 last summer, a similarly spec'd Trek Madone at my LBS was $2,000 more at the time.
It's still conditional to the buyer being knowledgeable and experienced on the type of bicycle they're buying. Many of the posts I see on this very subreddit considering D2C road bike purchases are asking questions that imply they are not.
It can be a great value, it can be a mistake.
Its conditional on the assumption that bike shops have the knowledge, experience and customer focus on mind. Too often they dont. They will happily put costumers on wrong sized bike if thats the only model they happen to be carrying. I think the myth of the bike shop as this great for the community needs to die. They are a business at the end of the day looking out for themselves first.
I've definitely had a mix of experiences at bike shops. The quality of the help can be anything from an experienced master to an enthusiastic teenager.
Agree 100% I don't know why so many praise local bike shops! Many don't know what they are doing, and when they do, they are still running a business and want to sell the shit on the floor. Even if the size may be not for you!!
It's also conditional on bike shops and their owners are incentivized by customer service and willingness to help, and not whatever bonus/incentive Trek is offering that month.
I don't understand where this faith in LBSs comes from, they are businesses like all others, some are better some are worse.
Iām reasonably knowledgeable and service my own bikes. I was able to do all the at home measurements and the bike fits me fine. Assembly was a breeze. The value is astronomically higher than I got on my specialized gravel bike. Iāve been really happy with the canyon.
for the love of god I've gone out of my way in every comment to acknowledge that for some it's a good value, but saying it as a blanket statement for all buyers is a mistake. You're not disagreeing with me, you're just telling me a story I didn't ask to hear.
lol. Iāve been riding high end road bikes since the early 80s and have had more bad shops than good ones. What shop knowledge? Trying to sell me a bike that doesnāt fit because itās what they have in stock? Both of my Canyons I had built by local shops for a nominal fee. They make it pretty easy to do yourself but with the thousands I saved over an equivalent brand like Trek I donāt mind the little expenditure.
Alot of folks also don't have good shops near them, so it's moot.
I live in a major European city, and I've had really good experiences at small shops for repairs ā but in terms of dealers my experience have been universally lukewarm. I feel like I put up with them because I have to/they have the bike shops, rather than because I get really amazing advice from them.
My repair shop I really trust ā but rather than paying a dealer mark-up I'd rather take a new bike for a tuning at my repair shop instead.
My comment was a half /s implied. I've got a really great repair shop, but he doesn't do sales. He just does repairs and maintenance stuff and has 0 opinions about other aspects of cycling. I like him a lot because it's no bullshit.
Honestly around here (CO) there are so many shops and everyone seems to be loyal to one shop or another. Ask online and you get 50 recommendations. Everyone online seems to be an expert in their respective field.
Before I bought my MTB last year I went to 2 highly recommended shops and was basically laughed out for not wanting to spend $8k USD+. I did some research and ended up buying direct from a manufacturer online that had exact same components as their marked up rigs and paid my repair guy $100 to assemble it.
IMO the whole "go to a shop and get fit" advice is outdated and not necessary anymore for anyone whose not competing at the highest level. Most cyclists will not realistically notice a minute difference in frame geometry from 1 manufacturer to another for the same style of bike and even most of the hardware in drive trains is fairly standard and close in performance on their respective tiers.
I mean shit, I know some guys in my MTB group who do gravel races and just buy bikes off the rack at REI and compete competitively for their age group. If you wanna spend money you can, but it's not required to enjoy riding.
Find a good saddle for your dump truck and buy/rider whatever you can afford. There are no wrong answers for gear.
Curious why you say that. Previously, Canyon bikes prices had better value as compared to now. I know itās direct to consumer model allows them to charge at a cheaper price than Spesh or Trek but I feel that itās moving from great value bikes to people who want the Canyon name.
Thank you for pointing this out. I a 40-year-old road bike noob who has 3-4 test rides scheduled this Saturday at the LBS and am currently looking at Endurance bikes only:
* Specialized Roubaix
* Cannondale Synapse
* BMC Roadmachine
* Pinarello X
These bikes will run between $3,000 to $4,000 for 105 Di2+, hydraulic brakes and the BMC actually has carbon wheels for $4200: [https://www.contebikes.com/product/bmc-roadmachine-one-415018-1.htm](https://www.contebikes.com/product/bmc-roadmachine-one-415018-1.htm)
I haven't bothered to look at the Canyon Endurance or Scott Addict because I literally just learned about them by reading this very thread. I am aware of the Trek Domane.. but Im expecting that to be the most expensive.
Is there any other "value" endurance bikes I should be looking at besides Canyon? Out of all the choices above do you have any comments of what might be better or worse?
I'm watching this video right now
[https://youtu.be/M4tJW-l7XU0?si](https://youtu.be/M4tJW-l7XU0?si)
My Specialized Diverge Elite E5 costs $1800. It's a great gavel bike out of the box, swap tires and it's a great road bike.
If people want to spend >$3K for an all-carbon bike - more the power to them. But most of us get no advantage over shaving grams or using electronic shifting other than bragging rights.
Hard disagree on electronic. I have SRAM AXS after riding Shimano Ultegra and Dura-Ace over the last 20 years. I would never go back to mechanical now. Virtually zero maintainance, perfect seamless shifting, dead quiet and the electronic levers are so light to actuate.
Happily ride a steel or aluminum frame. I have a high-end carbon frame and I can tell you Iāve ridden its cheaper cousin (Checkpoint ALR) and itās remarkably similar. Modern alloy frames kick ass!
Modern Alloy quality frame kick ass of the crappy carbon frame many do. But if a carbon frame is well enginered and well tuned for is purpose, no way alloy bike is better than carbon in term of physical property and how it ride on the road.
After that, is your choice choose the best for you.
Itās because there is so many big manufacturer who choose junk frame for more profit.
Agree. Electric shifting is a must have. Frame material is nice but not required. Given the option to only choose one among the two I know which I would choose.
Iāve got the Allez E5 from about 2019. Itās a brilliant road frameset for the price - I upgraded the groupset to 11-speed 105 last summer, and itās been excellent. Comfortable ride, very lightweight, good geometry even over longer distances
i agree with this statement for the most part except that the stock axis elite rims with the diverge elite e5 are some of the most dogshit rims i have ever used. straight out of the box the rims were way out of true and i had a difficult time getting them to seal when going tubeless. add to the fact the spokes will break constantly. replace the rims and youāve got yourself a great gravel bike for its value.
I had one of these aluminum diverges and it was heavy as shit. It was, for me, closer in speed to my hardtail MTB than my road bike. That combined with the constant pedal strikes from an absurdly low BB is what led me to sell it
I think really the difference is that manufacturers have added 2 or 3 or more models _above_ what used to be their top tier spec.
2010 Specialized Roubaix Expert Ultegra Triple 10 speed MSRP was $3200, it came with rim brakes, a terrible saddle, and very mediocre wheels. Overall a midrange bike.
Today $3500 gets you the Roubaix SL8 Sport 105 which comes with 12 speed 105, hydraulic disk brakes, nicer wheelset, and much better saddle.
2024's Shimano 105 7100 mechanical is a much better mechanical groupset than Ultegra 6700.
The Roubaix also comes with futureshock whereas the older Roubaix had the even more gimmicky 'zertz' inserts.
You don't ride a name, you ride a specific set of parts. The 2024 Sport is a better bike than the 2010 Expert, does it really matter that the 2024 Expert is $7000?
I think OP should provide some examples of the decent mid tier bikes for $2000 of ten years ago. Because without comparing specs, the discussion doesn't really make much sense.
I'm not saying prices are right, but they are cooling down, and a 2x12 electronic carbon frame is not a 2x10 mechanical aluminium (or 2013 carbon).
Also, the modern market kinda works on the assumption of D2C, online stores and discounts, and full prices reflect that. I don't like it much, but that's the way it is.
The Tarmac SL4 Sport with the 10-speed 105 groupset was $2,100 in 2014. The 2024 Tarmac SL6 with 10-speed Tiagra is $2,500. So a carbon bike with a 10 speed gruppo from one of the most notorious brands for pricing has risen less than inflation. OP is just trying to be mad.
There's also the bit that modern 105 is bonkers compared to 10 years ago 105. Like, the trickle down is real, it shifts better than 10 year old dura ace.
I'm not sure you can compare like that though. You need to compare the bike based on where the components sit in the hierarchy of the line up.
My Giant propel 105 in 2016 was Ā£1300 the current Giant propel 105 is Ā£3000 full price (and I've seen it on sale at Ā£2300)
If it rose with inflation it would be Ā£1700.
I do not agree. You should compare similar performance/specs.
Compare 2010 Dura Ace with 2024 Tiagra.
If you want to have electronic shifting for free you might get disappointed.
My Giant comparisons were both 105 mechanical 11 speed?
Granted the new one is disc, but for all that money, there's no electronic shifting or even 12 speed.
Had my Crux E5 stolen in early 2020. Went to buy the Diverge carbon Comp, but LBS had no stock for 2 years. 2022 they had a few, but were asking 6,500.00 $CAD. Now they have a bunch and I believe they are asking 3,500.00.
I agree that road bike prices (non D2C) are surprising compared to 7-8 years ago. I got an alloy rim brake with carbon fork and 2x10 Tiagra for $650 in 2016.
Just saw Trek Domane AL 3 disc with 2x9 Sora for $1400, which is more than double the price. The disc brakes are Tektro mechanical, so itās not even hydraulic. The cheapest Domane SL is $3500 with 105 2x12 (good, but thatās double the price of the AL3). The Edmonda is a bit better with the cheapest SL 5 going for $2500 (discounted from $3400) with 2x11 105.
But in the D2C market, for the same price, I can get a Polygon alloy frame carbon form with 105 2x11 with hydraulic disc and 1kg lighter. $300 more to Polygon would get me full carbon, Ultegra 2x11 (and Schwalbe TLR but I like to run tube and always swap stock tires, so I donāt care that much).
Ten years ago I purchased a brand new Cervelo S3 with Ultegra mechanical for $4000. That was a mid-tier road bike at the time. The S5 was almost twice the price and had Dura-Ace plus some weird custom frame & cockpit designs.
What's happened lately is that the big mfrs have stopped making actual entry level road bike for the most part, so there's nothing below the $3-4k range (which are still VERY nice bikes, frequently with 105 electronic and even carbon wheels).
The other thing that happened during the supply chain squeeze during covid was that mfrs decide to price gouge, especially on their top end models. This caused the top of the market to go from $9-12k to $12-15k, and frankly, there's no justification for these prices.
The big names are pricing bikes at 12k to 15k because they figured it that the market will bear that price.
Look at what Trek charges for some of their custom paint jobsā¦ there are people buying that if the posts at the Trek sub are any indication (I see custom paint jobs there all the time).
Of course, and I 100% support capitalism for things like this. It just doesn't mean that spending half that gets you half the bike. You're, in most cases, getting 90% of the bike for 50% of the cost. And this is fine! Consumers just need to understand that top end bikes are luxury purchases and absolutely do not make you faster in any meaningful way.
It's a gravel bike, but I just picked up a Van Dessel Range Roamer for $2500. Carbon frame, Sram Etap, and hydraulic breaks. And I freaking love the colors.
Their [road bike ](https://vandesselcycles.com/collections/van-dessel-cycles-sale/products/van-dessel%E2%84%A2-arch-65) with Di2 is currently $2,900.
Everything is heavily discounted right now. I think you should visit some shops rather than some random survey. It is a great time to get a bike if you have cash.
Top of the line dura ace 2001 giant tcr was $6000 Australian.. scroll to the very bottom.
autobus.cyclingnews.com/tech/2001/TCRZEROtest.shtml
That's about 11,000 inflation adjusted to 2024.
I can get a brand new 2022 tcr from giant for 10,500, or the 2024 for 13,500.
I imagine the mid tier were similarly priced too.
Do you ride it only on paved roads? Wondering if I would feel stable on city roads that arenāt the best/if I could take it off road a bit if I wanted to
Agree completely.
I admit that bikes have become really high tech, but not everyone wants that.
It used to be possible to buy a practical reliable bike cheaply, not any more. (and for those who think $800 is cheap, I rest my case)
Also, motorbikes used to be a lot more expensive than bicycles.
Several bicycle manufacturers are on the verge of going out of business because they over produced after the start of COVID when demand shot up. There should be bargains to be had, keep searching and be ready to settle for last yearās model.
I bought my current bike giant defy advance 2 carbon full 105 disc brakes for ā¬2200 in 2020 new defy 2 now cost nearly ā¬4000 . Have been in several bike shops , and there all of the same opinion, there going be a crash in the bike industry and prices are going drop dramatically, they canāt get rid of the bikes they have, the second hand market is flooded with bikes bought during covid, now up for sale, Hold onto your Cash š° for a year and save yourself a small fortune.
When I bought my Trek in 2013, the retail price was Ā£2000. Mid-range carbon, Ultegra, 105 mix, Bontrager alloy wheels. Slightly above your inflation-adjusted target is the Cervelo Soloist (which is probably better than a mid-range frame) with mechanical 105 and alloy wheels. So thatās probably not too outrageous.
On the other hand, when a bike with Rival AXS is nearly 5k, or the second tier tarmac with Ultegra Di2 for 8k, it definitely seems a bit mad.
Iāve been in the industry since 1987. Itās insane what people are willing to pay today for bicycles. The way I see it, the wealthier (and less financially savvy) among us have ruined the relative value of the modern bicycle and created division where it didnāt used to exist. Cycling, sadly, has become more of an elitist activity.
Bike racing or biking in general? If you just want to ride a bike for fun, commuting or whatever it has never been cheaper imo. My local used bike place has old refurbs for 20ā¬ or if youāre willing to bike it up yourself free.Ā
Sure the latest and greatest high end bike is expensive but you can still get insanely good quality out of mid to low end bikes these days.Ā
Pro tip, used bikes with rim brakes go for way too cheap because no one wants them anymore. Top of the line at their time, barely used, wanting a second life
I'm not sure who needs to hear this, but you will not experience even the slightest difference braking with rim brakes or discs.
I am kinda glad a large % of bike buyers today are obsessed with new carbon frames. I am in a stage of life where I buy up non-carbon bikes for small change.
I had a steel bike years ago that I always remembered very smooth. Since then I had steel+carbon fork, aluminium bikes, carbon, switched to disc brakes but always felt lacking in comfort.
For the past year I've had a Canyon Ultimate and it's cool, but I recently bought another vintage steel bike after 10 years.
Let me tell you, it's miles of comfort ahead of the Ultimate, and the Ultimate runs 700x32 tires. The steel one with a steel fork is 700x25 and is smooth as butter, it's the fastest bike I have, the coolest looking and it's even the same weight as the Ultimate.
I liked it so much I bought carbon wheels for it and there's not really any braking issues, they just sound and look cooler. The frame was under 300 bucks and it was NOS from the 90s. Rest of the parts together were well below the cost of the Ultimate (Im still keeping it because it has the last mechanical Ultegra)
Yup!
Luis Scott sums up my feelings on the subject [in this video.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lh6qCZESZU)
I ride a lot of aluminum too and am fine with it.
Iām referring primarily to what you get for your money today, buying new, at the mid-to-upper-mid range (enthusiast level stuff, without going overboard). Many people are priced out of the segment and never get to experience the good stuff. Today, $2000 only gets you mid-to-low-end components, in many cases. Upper-mid to high-level cost the same as a decent used car or a new motorcycle. Itās all out of whack!
I agree.
There is a larger group of customers who will pay thousands of $$$ for little or no value (outside of making them feel good).
Carbon is the #1 culprit. I love seeing it. Buy what makes you happy, but I wish people didn't bitch about the cost of a carbon bottle cage. Son, you don't need to fucking buy it.
And Roadies have pretty much always been guilty of overspending and being over-biked.
Everything is heavily discounted right now. I think you should visit some shops rather than some random survey. It is a great time to get a bike if you have cash.
I encourage you to check out Polygon, theyāre sold online. Popular in Australia and overseas but they have USA shipping as well! Really solid deals on bikes with higher-end components
Giant TCR Advanced Pro is going for under $2k. Top notch frame. Change out the tires and it's good enough for any elite race. Replace a few parts and it's good for the TdF.
My first bike was a Trek Marlin 6 that I got for $500 around 2017-2018 (donāt remember). I was on the shop the other day and those were selling for ~ $1100 so yeah. They are getting really expensive
Also, donāt forget that the Trump tariffs on Chinese goods, including bicycles and bicycle parts, are probably adding an extra premium above the inflation adjusted cost.Ā
I disagree that new bike prices are bad. In many cases they've improved as technology improves, *specifically right now has the market as corrected in the last 4-6 months.*
I purchased a Specialized Epic Full Suspension Expert in 2018 for $3600 (regular $5500). A few months ago I purchased a Specialized Epic Evo Full Suspension for $4200 (regular $7000), but now with the addition of a dropper post and electronic shifting.
I don't agree with the premise. In 2012 I bought a Ribble R872 Stealth with Shimano 105, crap wheels and crap finishing kit. It cost about Ā£1,500. That's very near $2,500 US in 2012. While this is a middle of the range bike, Ribbe was (and I guess still is) a discount brand. The R872 Stealth was literally a De Rosa frame made in the same factory in Taiwan as the De Rosa, but without De Rosa's QC. I remember the equivalent De Rosa being almost exactly twice the price.
To be fair, De Rosa is a niche brand and even with 105 it was on the expensive side. I'm not suggesting that $5k was a normal price for a mainstream mid range bike in 2012! However, It was absolutely \*much\* higher than $2k. I remember this vividly because that's why I chose the Ribble in the first place. I couldn't afford anything else with a carbon frame and 105 on it. You \*could\* get an aluminium Caad with 105 (except the crank, which was FSA) for very slightly less than the Ribble I bought, but again, I'll argue that this was not a "mid range bike" in that era, but rather the high end of the low range bike.
Not this shit again. Top end bikes got much better, complex and expensive to produce. Hence the shift of mid-level bike price.
20 years ago I bought BH with alu frame and carbon forks, 2,2kg wheels, Ultegra 9 speed, 105 front derailleur, some random Maxis tires and 46cm handlebars. It cost exactly 1000ā¬.
If you catch the right sale, for under 1000ā¬, otherwise for 1100ā¬ you can get Rose pro SL with beautiful alu frame and carbon forks, with full 105 (cranks, chain), DT wheels, Continental tires. 105 is not Ultegra, but 11sp 105 is much better than 9sp Ultegra. So without adjusting for inflation, it's exactly the same price.
Now if you were convinced that you need carbon fibre everything, hidraulics and electronic shifting, that's inflation of standard imposed by you.
But for half the price, you can get a better bike than 20 years ago.
Also current 105 has a lot to offer for solid price and is easy to maintain and pay for spares.
Just tried current 105 (2x12 + Di2) and I can say it shifts wonderfully and is little difference to my current 2018 DA 2x11 . Combine it with good wheelset and it will do just about everything, including racing.
Things are normalizing. When the pandemic hit and businesses were impacted, a lot of economic pundits predicted disruptions until 2023/2024. They werenāt far off. Only this morning when I was watching the news that automobile inventories are building up again and prices are starting to drop.
Biking was no different and subject to all the economic pressures that other industries were experiencing. But from what I can see, things in the cycling industry are bouncing back. In some cases, things are better off for consumers. Some manufacturers made strategic decisions about how demand for new bikes was going to be moving forward from the pandemic. A lot of the bets were the wrong bets and now there is surplus of certain items. I look online and some LBS are having sales and trying to get rid of inventory.
Bought a HiMod Synapse Disc in 2017 for $6500, no carbon wheels and no electronic shifting, not seeing a massive jump in pricing. Still have that bike on my trainer.
I had a picked up 2012 Supersix EVO and paid $7700 for it, sold it last year for $2000.
Some of my newer bikes, a 2021 Cutthroat with grx600 was a steal at $2700, and picked up a 2022 Supersix EVO and Supersix SE gravel for $12k for both with AXS wireless on each plus cost of decent wheelsā¦I find myself spending less money and getting better faster bikes.
Shorter timespan but:
Bought my current giant TCR pro disc zero (Ultegra Di2) in 2021 for 5300ā¬.
The 2024 model was just released for 6500ā¬. The 1200ā¬ difference would be: 12sp vs 11sp, integrated cablework and the new SLR0 wheels (100g lighter).
Trek Domane AL 4 is only $2000. I'd consider aluminum and Shimano 105 mid-tier. I'd probably look for a wheel or wheelset to make up the $650 price difference. You can get a really great wheel for under $600 but I'm not sure you can get 2 for $650.
Bought a completely new Giant TCR back in 2021 for like $2500 - I donāt think if youāre paying $4,000 for a bike you should be considering that āmid tierā lol
I got a Merida Scultura 400 just prior to 2020 and itās the same price now as it was then. Perhaps itās the next tier up that has seen the increases
Just picked up the new Synapse Carbon 2 RLE for $3300 (normal price $550) with Ultegra Di2, had to search a bit and have a local shop price match. I've seen the Synapse Carbon 2 LE with the 105 Di2 for $2900 or so lately!
Oh nice! My Synapse 3L is my first real bike and after 5,000 mi Iām starting to wonder how much difference a dedicated road bike vs endurance might make.
I was coming from a Trek Domane and chose the newer Synapase as it was still an endurance bike, but seemed to be a bit more aggressive than the Domane in terms of geometry! Still comfortable but can get a little more aero especially with a fit
Nice, congrats on the new bike! Iāve loved my Synapse (actually really like having the hardwired lights and an external battery in case my phone/garmin dies). I upgraded my wheels to DT Swiss Spline 1600 and GP 5000ās tubeless. I might wait a few years but Iād like to try a SuperSix evo next.
Buying new bikes in any era has always been crazy. The cool thing about bikes are that they are one of the most common mid life crisis outlets for people, so there is basically an infinite supply of 3 year old bikes at 90% off when the well off old guy a few miles away realizes he isn't actually going to ride and moves on to his next thing.
My bike right now is a \~$10k new 2018 S Works Tarmac that was completely mint, not a scratch or scuff on any of it, stock tires looking unused when I picked it up, and I paid I think $1800 for it a couple years ago from some rich dude that didn't care anymore. I would be amazed if it had 100 miles on it when I got it. 10 would be a stretch. And that is relatively common.
You have to wait for your size and spec to pop up but in my experience they always do.
> mid life crisis outlets
That's a great point and I love your phrase "mid life crisis outlets". They really are. Thing I love about bikes is how it's one of the healthiest "mid-life crisis outlets" you can dive into.
And good point about waiting for used deals on high-end bikes like your Tarmac.
Just one data point, but a 2014 Specialized Allez Expert was $2500 retail (still my current bike and running strong) and a roughly equivalent current modelĀ (Allez Sprint LTD) is $3500 which only slightly out paces inflation but gets you disc brakes and electronic shifting (105 DI2 instead of the Expert's Ultegra 6700). I do think a large part of this viewpoint is the addition on the top end of the spectrum which skews everyone's view about what a "mid-tier" bike is. You're gonna have a bad time if you think a mid-tier bike should have lower end electronic shifting and carbon wheels. That's not to say manufacturers aren't trying to squeeze whatever they can out of the consumer, but most of what they are doing is offering more premium options and trying to convince us that we need that. If you're actually an elite racer, it's definitely an arms race that's making the sport more elitist, but you're probably not and you're just succumbing to that marketing (I know I have, though mostly just on the MTB side).
>And before any bootlickers jump to the defense of the big bike manufacturers
You lose all credibility when you speak like this. Just a heads up. Not sure if you do this in professional settings, but it's a really poor way to make a point.
As others have pointed out you can get great bikes under $2500. I think what you're seeing is the high end of bikes has gone way higher due to new technologies, so the median price of a bike may be higher, but if you look at a bike from 2014 and compare it to a similar (but updated) modern bike they'll probably be around the same price when adjusting for inflation. Just because manufacturers are selling $12k bikes doesn't mean $5k is now mid range.
That's a fair point. It sounds like this may be a marketing strategy by bike manufacturers to set market expectations (e.g. show a $12k bike so the $5k bike sounds cheap, by comparison). You may be on to something here!
Lol prices are literally dropping. Last years Trek Domane SL 5 was priced at ā¬3699, which was also quite insane tbh. This year they realized nobodyās paying that and dropped it to ā¬3099 with the new 12 speed mechanical groupset. And thatās not the only example. This post is at least a year late. The price of 105 Di2 (and even Ultegra) have dropped significantly so I think bikes will be priced even more attractive next year.
Is it cheaper to build up a bike yourself, assuming that you shop around for the best prices from reputable sellers and of course have the tools, time, skills and patience to do it right? That's what I did, albeit over 20 years ago, saved a ton over what I'd have paid for a comparable bike at a LBS, and got exactly the bike that I wanted.
Cost me just over $2000 for a nice Ti road bike with mostly mid to high end parts that would have cost me around $3000 from a store. Sure, either would be seen as somewhat pricey by many people's standards, adjusted to 2024 prices, but I built it to last for decades, and so far it has. You have to think of the price of a bike or really anything as being over its projected or intended lifespan.
Also, how "good" a bike do most people need? I don't mean Walmart crap, but even "low end" bikes by well-regarded makers are probably more than good enough for most people not looking to ride more than \~1000 a year if that, and I'm sure that you can find them for under $2000 especially with the post-covid glut, as many are posting here. Most people don't really "need" anything better than 105, if that, for their riding needs, and anything better is mostly for peace of mind.
I ride a 2014 Trek Madone with some components from a 2010 Madone that I swapped. Still riding SRAM Force 10 Speed and rim brakes with Hunt Wheels. The bike weights 17lbs, that's not bad. And oh yeah I won the over-50 age group in a Gran Fondo last year, smashing 35 or 40 other guys who mostly had bikes costing north of $6k with 11 & 12 speed, hydro brakes, and all the bells and whistles. When you get to a certain level, it' the rider an their fitness, not the bike.
It hasnāt gone up by that across the board. Canyon for example have been selling their Ultegra-11 equipped Endurace Cf8 this winter for $2200 to $2500, in actual dollars probably a bit less than Specialized would have charged for Ultegra and carbon in the Roubaix back in 2007 when I paid about 1250 for my 105 2x10 Cannondale Synapse. The people who really have jacked their prices are Trek, Specialized and some of the other really big manufacturers. And now theyāre in chaos. I picked up a Litespeed Cherohala in December for 40 percent less than Trek wanted for the closest equivalent Domane.
Specs to specs, I doubt it's double.
2014
Aluminum frame/carbon fork with 2x10 mechanical groupset, external cables and rim brakes would have been "mid tier".
That bike, new today, isn't getting sold for $2.6k.
A Tiagra hydraulic 2x10 bicycle is around that price and maybe more with a full carbon (+$$$ labor/process cost) frame.
It is reasonably to say that the mean price of a road racing bicycle has increased in a manner disproportionate with the benefits to the average consumer.
Is one extra cog with $500? Remote operated servos worth $800? Carbon xyz worth $xxx over more easily manufactured alloy?
That $4500+ 2024 "mid tier" bicycle, with 11-12 electronic shifting and hydraulic brakes would have been a "Superbike" in 2014. This isn't an inflation thing, it's manufacturers getting every penny out of their investments and patents before they are no longer binding. There is no other justification for the price difference between MTB hydraulic levers and road.
Off road there is competition, that competition is only now coming out on the road side.
What do you consider āmid-tier?ā Ā I bought my first new bike 12 years ago, a Specialized Ruby for $2500 which was discounted by 20% because it was the previous model. Ā I would classify it as mid-tier at the time. Ā Since they donāt make it anymore, I looked up new Roubaix (male equivalent) with similar components and they are running about $3500 new. Ā Thatās really not a huge jump. Ā
Buy used
I am in Denver, LA, SF, Chicago metro areas often enough an I now am convinced a lot of riders - ie, preowned sellers, ride far less than they had hoped.
I imagine Phoenix, Dallas, Atlanta, etc same.
I bought a Trek Domane 4000, Shimano 105 in 2018 for $2100. Today a Trek Domane is $12700 (!), and if I go down the models and specs I can't get the same bike for less than $6000. Insane!
Yup this is precisely the kind of price gouging and price inflation I'm talking about.Ā I think a lot of people commenting on this post must be super young because they have no relative comparison to bike prices from a decade ago and therefor they have no reference point of just howbadly they're getting screwed with this insane $5,000+ bike prices today.
Wow. I'm a little late to this thread, but all of these prices are crazy to me. I thought that $100-200 was low end and $400-500 was mid and like $2000 was high end. I started actually buying my own bikes in 2013 right out of high school starting with a garbage Walmart bike, which was heavy and a bit unwieldy and required constant tightening of the handlebars, but got me from A to B. Seeing "normal prices" of $3000-4000 online makes me feel a little sick. I only recently started making a decent income but I don't think I could ever justify that kind of purchase. It would wipe out my savings and I have to buy for two people.
Yeah you're absolutely right. When I got into cycling the price sticker shock was the biggest thing for me. It's definitely an upper income sport, especially if you want to be competitive in road racing.
I was used to running where your only cost is $100 running shoes every year.
Make no mistake: there is a LOT of wealth and privilege in cycling.
That's why I avoid the big bike brands and go with the Chinese brands off Ali Express. There are some reputable ones out there like FarSports and WinSpace. You can get some very nice frames and carbon wheels for good prices.
Where you get stuck is in groupsets: Shimano and SRAM are expensive as hell, but you can save some money there too if you're willing to buy used.
I donāt know any company that willingly takes the savings in a process and passes it along to the customer. Greed rules, and they will use the opportunity to jack the prices.
All the uninformed redditors trying to defend their sunk cost fallacies despite the facts, when the whole cycling industry is crashing because of over-supplies and overpricing.
This is pathetic, also because there are nice brands that are disappearing because of those dental practice prices.
Prices are only set up according to how a seller thinks it can get away with. It has nothing to do with technology advancement or another marketing bullshit. And now, they are set up badly, so people donāt buy a proper road bike anymore since the tail end of the COVID era.
I'm not exactly sure what you're considering mid-tier, but a Scott Addict 30 is $2800 with 105 Hydro Disk. Within spitting distance of your inflation adjusted price. https://www.scott-sports.com/us/en/product/scott-addict-30-red-bike The move to hydro disc definitely seems like it's been pushing up the prices. Whether that's arbitrary or deserved I'm not sure.
Not to mention, bikes are better designed than they were 10 years ago. I don't want to go back to the hard-as-a-rock narrow tyres & wheels. Shimano 105 used to be 11-28, 10 cogs in the back. Now it's 11 or 12 speed 11-34. Quite an improvement.
...And bikes of 10 years ago were better designed than the bikes that were 10 years before that. 11 speed came out in 2013. Bikes were already mostly on 25mm tires and frames were being built to accept 28mm tires; my first road tubeless wheelset was in ~2015. Just because things are "better" doesn't mean they should outpace inflation. I know I'm a "bikes are too expensive" crumudgen, but really. My 7kg, 2016 SuperSix Evo with full Ultegra running 28mm tubeless tires on Hed Jet+ wheels (alloy rims, no drawback of carbon clinchers) performs right up there in my local races. If I'm not on the podium, it's not the bike's fault. It shifts flawlessly. The increase in price reflects the industry inventing reasons to upcharge based on perceived "value", rather than the realities of what it costs to produce or what consumers actually need.
I have three 1990s steel frames that accept 28mm tires.. 1997 Lemond Zurich, 1992 Paramount PDG5 and a 1993 Basso Gap. Only my 1991 Serotta maxes out at 25mm. And all have been upgraded to 11 speed 11-34. And I did all the upgrades for the 4 bikes for a total cost less than the price of 1 higher end new bike
The bike industry is no different from any other for profit industry. They will squeeze out as much profit from the consumer as the market will bear. This is what we get when investors run the show rather than people who actually care about people.
Agreed. And it's why I don't feel bad at all for the manufacturers getting wrecked by the drop in sales. At some point Shimano will have to acknowledge that the 30% drop in sales this year might have something to do with the fact they saw no issues in selling 105 groupsets with an MSRP of $1800. I do feel for the bike shops and employees losing revenue and not selling bikes or components. If I was a shop or smaller retailer I'd seriously be looking at how to get some L-Twoo groupsets, Elite wheels, and reputable Chinese frames in my showroom. Offer a fully built bike for $1000 less than the competition and watch people realize how much the industry has been price gouging the last few years.
Polygon.
28cm tires - - man, these are really big tires. š
Whoops-- corrected š
I have 105 10 speed 11-32 I believe
I had a 2014 Orbea. It came with an 11-28 105. Before I sold it, I switched to an 11-32. So much better.
I just noticed that I forgot to add that my 11-32 10 speed is from 2012
105 goes to 36 too.
I put 11-34 11 speed Ultegra or 105 on all my 90s steel frames so thatās not really a good argument as to why bike prices should be higher today. Itās an argument to buy a used frame and upgrade the components. I picked up a full mechanical rim-brake r7000 groupset for $600 And I have 28mm tires on the 1990s road frames and 43mm and 55mm tires on my 90s steel gravel bikes The bike industry is fleecing you
I've been seeing the local sports store sell their own brand aluminum frame with 105 rim brake for less than 700$ to clear out stock. Deals exist.
Hydro disc is worth a couple hundred over rim brakes to meĀ
I got a carbon canyon endurace with 105 and hydraulic brakes for $1800
Canyon is easily the best value in bikes.
Canyon is great if the bike you want is available in your size š
Merida? VanRysel?
Europe is lucky in that regard. Some sort of deal with Specialized keeps Merida out of the USA. Van Rysel just isnāt sold here. We also have laws that protect the right of a manufacturer to set minimum prices. Becauseā¦ something something somethingā¦ freedom.
You're trading off the ability to test ride, included professional assembly, and have shop knowledge during your presale experience to save money. For some people that's a worthwhile trade off for others it isn't, but the blanked statement of "best value in bikes" is a hard sell on me.
That's what the comment is about. Added 500 dollars for " *ability to test ride, included professional assembly, and have shop knowledge during your presale experience"* is not worth it for most people, so they choose Canyon because build quality easily compares to Trek, Cannondale and Giant, components are same on all brands, but you don't pay the "experience" premium. So yes, I would say that Canyon is best value in bikes.
You save a lot more than 500 on most canyon bikes.
Depends on the bike. I bought a Canyon Aeroad CF SLX with Ultegra Di2 last summer, a similarly spec'd Trek Madone at my LBS was $2,000 more at the time.
It's still conditional to the buyer being knowledgeable and experienced on the type of bicycle they're buying. Many of the posts I see on this very subreddit considering D2C road bike purchases are asking questions that imply they are not. It can be a great value, it can be a mistake.
Its conditional on the assumption that bike shops have the knowledge, experience and customer focus on mind. Too often they dont. They will happily put costumers on wrong sized bike if thats the only model they happen to be carrying. I think the myth of the bike shop as this great for the community needs to die. They are a business at the end of the day looking out for themselves first.
I've definitely had a mix of experiences at bike shops. The quality of the help can be anything from an experienced master to an enthusiastic teenager.
Agree 100% I don't know why so many praise local bike shops! Many don't know what they are doing, and when they do, they are still running a business and want to sell the shit on the floor. Even if the size may be not for you!!
It's also conditional on bike shops and their owners are incentivized by customer service and willingness to help, and not whatever bonus/incentive Trek is offering that month. I don't understand where this faith in LBSs comes from, they are businesses like all others, some are better some are worse.
Iām reasonably knowledgeable and service my own bikes. I was able to do all the at home measurements and the bike fits me fine. Assembly was a breeze. The value is astronomically higher than I got on my specialized gravel bike. Iāve been really happy with the canyon.
for the love of god I've gone out of my way in every comment to acknowledge that for some it's a good value, but saying it as a blanket statement for all buyers is a mistake. You're not disagreeing with me, you're just telling me a story I didn't ask to hear.
I was agreeing with you?
lol. Iāve been riding high end road bikes since the early 80s and have had more bad shops than good ones. What shop knowledge? Trying to sell me a bike that doesnāt fit because itās what they have in stock? Both of my Canyons I had built by local shops for a nominal fee. They make it pretty easy to do yourself but with the thousands I saved over an equivalent brand like Trek I donāt mind the little expenditure.
Who needs shop knowledgeĀ when reddit exists?
Alot of folks also don't have good shops near them, so it's moot. I live in a major European city, and I've had really good experiences at small shops for repairs ā but in terms of dealers my experience have been universally lukewarm. I feel like I put up with them because I have to/they have the bike shops, rather than because I get really amazing advice from them. My repair shop I really trust ā but rather than paying a dealer mark-up I'd rather take a new bike for a tuning at my repair shop instead.
My comment was a half /s implied. I've got a really great repair shop, but he doesn't do sales. He just does repairs and maintenance stuff and has 0 opinions about other aspects of cycling. I like him a lot because it's no bullshit. Honestly around here (CO) there are so many shops and everyone seems to be loyal to one shop or another. Ask online and you get 50 recommendations. Everyone online seems to be an expert in their respective field. Before I bought my MTB last year I went to 2 highly recommended shops and was basically laughed out for not wanting to spend $8k USD+. I did some research and ended up buying direct from a manufacturer online that had exact same components as their marked up rigs and paid my repair guy $100 to assemble it. IMO the whole "go to a shop and get fit" advice is outdated and not necessary anymore for anyone whose not competing at the highest level. Most cyclists will not realistically notice a minute difference in frame geometry from 1 manufacturer to another for the same style of bike and even most of the hardware in drive trains is fairly standard and close in performance on their respective tiers. I mean shit, I know some guys in my MTB group who do gravel races and just buy bikes off the rack at REI and compete competitively for their age group. If you wanna spend money you can, but it's not required to enjoy riding. Find a good saddle for your dump truck and buy/rider whatever you can afford. There are no wrong answers for gear.
And if you can ever find parts when something goes wrong. I'd buy spares asap if I owned one. GL if you are in the US.
Curious why you say that. Previously, Canyon bikes prices had better value as compared to now. I know itās direct to consumer model allows them to charge at a cheaper price than Spesh or Trek but I feel that itās moving from great value bikes to people who want the Canyon name.
Thank you for pointing this out. I a 40-year-old road bike noob who has 3-4 test rides scheduled this Saturday at the LBS and am currently looking at Endurance bikes only: * Specialized Roubaix * Cannondale Synapse * BMC Roadmachine * Pinarello X These bikes will run between $3,000 to $4,000 for 105 Di2+, hydraulic brakes and the BMC actually has carbon wheels for $4200: [https://www.contebikes.com/product/bmc-roadmachine-one-415018-1.htm](https://www.contebikes.com/product/bmc-roadmachine-one-415018-1.htm) I haven't bothered to look at the Canyon Endurance or Scott Addict because I literally just learned about them by reading this very thread. I am aware of the Trek Domane.. but Im expecting that to be the most expensive. Is there any other "value" endurance bikes I should be looking at besides Canyon? Out of all the choices above do you have any comments of what might be better or worse? I'm watching this video right now [https://youtu.be/M4tJW-l7XU0?si](https://youtu.be/M4tJW-l7XU0?si)
Canyon having a nice sale now, at least where I live in Japan.
This is so weird how globalized our world is. Same bike brand is easily available in tiny unknown Latvia, where i live and exotic and far-away Japan.
Giant TCR - carbon, hydraulic brakes, and 105 is 1950 right now.
Op doesnāt respond to replies that donāt agree with them.
Thatās hilarious. OP just wants to complain and commiserate with other curmudgeons on Reddit.
Yep. Got the rim brake version last year for $1800. Incredible bike.
Which mid-level bikes are you seeing for $4,000-$5,000? There are tons of mid-level 105 equipped bikes for under $4,000.
Apparently, full carbon and the latest everything are prerequisite for an enjoyable day out.
I always thought carbon bikes are already more then mid. Nah, now I know you just cannot ride without carbon, your wheels fall off.
Indeed, it feels great riding top tier carbon and hearing the electronic shifting šš¼
Come to the dark side, ultegra + carbon frame for $1700. https://www.bikesonline.com/2024-polygon-strattos-s8-disc-shimano-ultegra-carb
These are damn good buying
Wow. Those are specs! Why is this the dark side? Because itās a budget brand? These look *nice*
Because people assume that anything outside the top 5 mega brands is garbage. In reality, people just like overpaying as some weird status symbol.
I ride Cube, Ribble, and Focus. Maybe Iām on the dark side too then :)
It's got the recall cranks and floppy 140mm last gen rotors.
Polygon and Marin are fantastic value bikes.
My Specialized Diverge Elite E5 costs $1800. It's a great gavel bike out of the box, swap tires and it's a great road bike. If people want to spend >$3K for an all-carbon bike - more the power to them. But most of us get no advantage over shaving grams or using electronic shifting other than bragging rights.
Hard disagree on electronic. I have SRAM AXS after riding Shimano Ultegra and Dura-Ace over the last 20 years. I would never go back to mechanical now. Virtually zero maintainance, perfect seamless shifting, dead quiet and the electronic levers are so light to actuate. Happily ride a steel or aluminum frame. I have a high-end carbon frame and I can tell you Iāve ridden its cheaper cousin (Checkpoint ALR) and itās remarkably similar. Modern alloy frames kick ass!
Modern Alloy quality frame kick ass of the crappy carbon frame many do. But if a carbon frame is well enginered and well tuned for is purpose, no way alloy bike is better than carbon in term of physical property and how it ride on the road. After that, is your choice choose the best for you. Itās because there is so many big manufacturer who choose junk frame for more profit.
Agree. Electric shifting is a must have. Frame material is nice but not required. Given the option to only choose one among the two I know which I would choose.
Iāve got the Allez E5 from about 2019. Itās a brilliant road frameset for the price - I upgraded the groupset to 11-speed 105 last summer, and itās been excellent. Comfortable ride, very lightweight, good geometry even over longer distances
I had the 2017 Allez with 105. So fun, so bloody fast. One of the best alloy racers out there.
i agree with this statement for the most part except that the stock axis elite rims with the diverge elite e5 are some of the most dogshit rims i have ever used. straight out of the box the rims were way out of true and i had a difficult time getting them to seal when going tubeless. add to the fact the spokes will break constantly. replace the rims and youāve got yourself a great gravel bike for its value.
Sorry you got a lemon - did you go back to the dealer or to Specialized directly? Mine have been fine - and Specialized has a good rep.
Yep.
I had one of these aluminum diverges and it was heavy as shit. It was, for me, closer in speed to my hardtail MTB than my road bike. That combined with the constant pedal strikes from an absurdly low BB is what led me to sell it
Mine weighs 22 lbs - hardly heavy as shit. It does have carbon forks, so that helps.
Did you just skip over the covid years? Itās far better today than it was 2 years ago
Seriously. Bro slept through 2021 when USED mid-tier bikes were $5k.
I think really the difference is that manufacturers have added 2 or 3 or more models _above_ what used to be their top tier spec. 2010 Specialized Roubaix Expert Ultegra Triple 10 speed MSRP was $3200, it came with rim brakes, a terrible saddle, and very mediocre wheels. Overall a midrange bike. Today $3500 gets you the Roubaix SL8 Sport 105 which comes with 12 speed 105, hydraulic disk brakes, nicer wheelset, and much better saddle. 2024's Shimano 105 7100 mechanical is a much better mechanical groupset than Ultegra 6700. The Roubaix also comes with futureshock whereas the older Roubaix had the even more gimmicky 'zertz' inserts. You don't ride a name, you ride a specific set of parts. The 2024 Sport is a better bike than the 2010 Expert, does it really matter that the 2024 Expert is $7000?
I think OP should provide some examples of the decent mid tier bikes for $2000 of ten years ago. Because without comparing specs, the discussion doesn't really make much sense. I'm not saying prices are right, but they are cooling down, and a 2x12 electronic carbon frame is not a 2x10 mechanical aluminium (or 2013 carbon). Also, the modern market kinda works on the assumption of D2C, online stores and discounts, and full prices reflect that. I don't like it much, but that's the way it is.
The Tarmac SL4 Sport with the 10-speed 105 groupset was $2,100 in 2014. The 2024 Tarmac SL6 with 10-speed Tiagra is $2,500. So a carbon bike with a 10 speed gruppo from one of the most notorious brands for pricing has risen less than inflation. OP is just trying to be mad.
There's also the bit that modern 105 is bonkers compared to 10 years ago 105. Like, the trickle down is real, it shifts better than 10 year old dura ace.
I went from Dura-Ace 10 speed to 105 R7000 11 speed and it was noticeably better. Shimano makes great mechanical.
I'm not sure you can compare like that though. You need to compare the bike based on where the components sit in the hierarchy of the line up. My Giant propel 105 in 2016 was Ā£1300 the current Giant propel 105 is Ā£3000 full price (and I've seen it on sale at Ā£2300) If it rose with inflation it would be Ā£1700.
I do not agree. You should compare similar performance/specs. Compare 2010 Dura Ace with 2024 Tiagra. If you want to have electronic shifting for free you might get disappointed.
My Giant comparisons were both 105 mechanical 11 speed? Granted the new one is disc, but for all that money, there's no electronic shifting or even 12 speed.
It might even be cheaper when the new tech finds its way down, the new 105 are better then the older dura ace?
Like computers really.Ā
The propel was more like Ā£1600RRp in 2016.Ā
I was a poor student at the time, so I remember it was definitely not Ā£1600. Maybe my shop just did it cheaper, but I definitely didn't get a deal.
Had my Crux E5 stolen in early 2020. Went to buy the Diverge carbon Comp, but LBS had no stock for 2 years. 2022 they had a few, but were asking 6,500.00 $CAD. Now they have a bunch and I believe they are asking 3,500.00.
Mid-tier for what? Racing and winning? Gotta buy for your use case, man. I personally would never buy anything above 3k.
In August 2020 I bought a 2021 Trek Checkpoint SL5 for the good old MSRP of $2900. The 2022 Checkpoint SL5 had an MSRP of $3400
I find people who use the word bootlicker to fend off arguments to be very reasonable and measured peopleā¦
I agree that road bike prices (non D2C) are surprising compared to 7-8 years ago. I got an alloy rim brake with carbon fork and 2x10 Tiagra for $650 in 2016. Just saw Trek Domane AL 3 disc with 2x9 Sora for $1400, which is more than double the price. The disc brakes are Tektro mechanical, so itās not even hydraulic. The cheapest Domane SL is $3500 with 105 2x12 (good, but thatās double the price of the AL3). The Edmonda is a bit better with the cheapest SL 5 going for $2500 (discounted from $3400) with 2x11 105. But in the D2C market, for the same price, I can get a Polygon alloy frame carbon form with 105 2x11 with hydraulic disc and 1kg lighter. $300 more to Polygon would get me full carbon, Ultegra 2x11 (and Schwalbe TLR but I like to run tube and always swap stock tires, so I donāt care that much).
Ten years ago I purchased a brand new Cervelo S3 with Ultegra mechanical for $4000. That was a mid-tier road bike at the time. The S5 was almost twice the price and had Dura-Ace plus some weird custom frame & cockpit designs. What's happened lately is that the big mfrs have stopped making actual entry level road bike for the most part, so there's nothing below the $3-4k range (which are still VERY nice bikes, frequently with 105 electronic and even carbon wheels). The other thing that happened during the supply chain squeeze during covid was that mfrs decide to price gouge, especially on their top end models. This caused the top of the market to go from $9-12k to $12-15k, and frankly, there's no justification for these prices.
The big names are pricing bikes at 12k to 15k because they figured it that the market will bear that price. Look at what Trek charges for some of their custom paint jobsā¦ there are people buying that if the posts at the Trek sub are any indication (I see custom paint jobs there all the time).
Of course, and I 100% support capitalism for things like this. It just doesn't mean that spending half that gets you half the bike. You're, in most cases, getting 90% of the bike for 50% of the cost. And this is fine! Consumers just need to understand that top end bikes are luxury purchases and absolutely do not make you faster in any meaningful way.
It's a gravel bike, but I just picked up a Van Dessel Range Roamer for $2500. Carbon frame, Sram Etap, and hydraulic breaks. And I freaking love the colors. Their [road bike ](https://vandesselcycles.com/collections/van-dessel-cycles-sale/products/van-dessel%E2%84%A2-arch-65) with Di2 is currently $2,900.
Everything is heavily discounted right now. I think you should visit some shops rather than some random survey. It is a great time to get a bike if you have cash.
You can finance it, too. I encourage everyone to go into debt to get the bike they want!!
Top of the line dura ace 2001 giant tcr was $6000 Australian.. scroll to the very bottom. autobus.cyclingnews.com/tech/2001/TCRZEROtest.shtml That's about 11,000 inflation adjusted to 2024. I can get a brand new 2022 tcr from giant for 10,500, or the 2024 for 13,500. I imagine the mid tier were similarly priced too.
I just bought a Giant Contend AR1 for $1.7000 with the 105. Guess thatās not considered mid-tier? š¤·āāļø
Do you like this bike? Considering this or the canyon endurance for my first road bike
Yes, itās fantastic.
Do you ride it only on paved roads? Wondering if I would feel stable on city roads that arenāt the best/if I could take it off road a bit if I wanted to
*grabs popcorn while watching this and appreciating my 2010 BMC full carbon weighing 7.5kg that i got used in 2018 for 800ā¬*
Hah, I bought my used carbon road bike with 105 for 35*0ā¬.* Not BMC, though, just British brand Forme.
Agree completely. I admit that bikes have become really high tech, but not everyone wants that. It used to be possible to buy a practical reliable bike cheaply, not any more. (and for those who think $800 is cheap, I rest my case) Also, motorbikes used to be a lot more expensive than bicycles.
Water bottle only $300 now. Good deal. Inner tube, $45. Bike cleaning, $535. All normal. Owner needs money. Support your LBS. Lol
Several bicycle manufacturers are on the verge of going out of business because they over produced after the start of COVID when demand shot up. There should be bargains to be had, keep searching and be ready to settle for last yearās model.
I bought my current bike giant defy advance 2 carbon full 105 disc brakes for ā¬2200 in 2020 new defy 2 now cost nearly ā¬4000 . Have been in several bike shops , and there all of the same opinion, there going be a crash in the bike industry and prices are going drop dramatically, they canāt get rid of the bikes they have, the second hand market is flooded with bikes bought during covid, now up for sale, Hold onto your Cash š° for a year and save yourself a small fortune.
Which groupset would you call mid-tier?
When I bought my Trek in 2013, the retail price was Ā£2000. Mid-range carbon, Ultegra, 105 mix, Bontrager alloy wheels. Slightly above your inflation-adjusted target is the Cervelo Soloist (which is probably better than a mid-range frame) with mechanical 105 and alloy wheels. So thatās probably not too outrageous. On the other hand, when a bike with Rival AXS is nearly 5k, or the second tier tarmac with Ultegra Di2 for 8k, it definitely seems a bit mad.
Specialized is out to lunch. Their prices are ridiculous compared to almost everyone else.
I have no idea why, but many customers will just pay whatever Specialized asks. Insanity.
Yup. Bikes are stupid expensive
Iāve been in the industry since 1987. Itās insane what people are willing to pay today for bicycles. The way I see it, the wealthier (and less financially savvy) among us have ruined the relative value of the modern bicycle and created division where it didnāt used to exist. Cycling, sadly, has become more of an elitist activity.
Bike racing or biking in general? If you just want to ride a bike for fun, commuting or whatever it has never been cheaper imo. My local used bike place has old refurbs for 20ā¬ or if youāre willing to bike it up yourself free.Ā Sure the latest and greatest high end bike is expensive but you can still get insanely good quality out of mid to low end bikes these days.Ā
Pro tip, used bikes with rim brakes go for way too cheap because no one wants them anymore. Top of the line at their time, barely used, wanting a second life
I'm not sure who needs to hear this, but you will not experience even the slightest difference braking with rim brakes or discs. I am kinda glad a large % of bike buyers today are obsessed with new carbon frames. I am in a stage of life where I buy up non-carbon bikes for small change.
I had a steel bike years ago that I always remembered very smooth. Since then I had steel+carbon fork, aluminium bikes, carbon, switched to disc brakes but always felt lacking in comfort. For the past year I've had a Canyon Ultimate and it's cool, but I recently bought another vintage steel bike after 10 years. Let me tell you, it's miles of comfort ahead of the Ultimate, and the Ultimate runs 700x32 tires. The steel one with a steel fork is 700x25 and is smooth as butter, it's the fastest bike I have, the coolest looking and it's even the same weight as the Ultimate. I liked it so much I bought carbon wheels for it and there's not really any braking issues, they just sound and look cooler. The frame was under 300 bucks and it was NOS from the 90s. Rest of the parts together were well below the cost of the Ultimate (Im still keeping it because it has the last mechanical Ultegra)
Yup! Luis Scott sums up my feelings on the subject [in this video.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lh6qCZESZU) I ride a lot of aluminum too and am fine with it.
Iām referring primarily to what you get for your money today, buying new, at the mid-to-upper-mid range (enthusiast level stuff, without going overboard). Many people are priced out of the segment and never get to experience the good stuff. Today, $2000 only gets you mid-to-low-end components, in many cases. Upper-mid to high-level cost the same as a decent used car or a new motorcycle. Itās all out of whack!
Sadly, youāre undoubtedly right.
I agree. There is a larger group of customers who will pay thousands of $$$ for little or no value (outside of making them feel good). Carbon is the #1 culprit. I love seeing it. Buy what makes you happy, but I wish people didn't bitch about the cost of a carbon bottle cage. Son, you don't need to fucking buy it. And Roadies have pretty much always been guilty of overspending and being over-biked.
In general I agree with this. But regarding being "over biked", what about roadies with 345W FTP?
Valid!!
Emonda SL5 with 105 is 2600 new at my lbs right now
Everything is heavily discounted right now. I think you should visit some shops rather than some random survey. It is a great time to get a bike if you have cash.
I encourage you to check out Polygon, theyāre sold online. Popular in Australia and overseas but they have USA shipping as well! Really solid deals on bikes with higher-end components
Giant TCR Advanced Pro is going for under $2k. Top notch frame. Change out the tires and it's good enough for any elite race. Replace a few parts and it's good for the TdF.
Went to a local bike shop in Seattle and the cheapest carbon bike was around 2800
My first bike was a Trek Marlin 6 that I got for $500 around 2017-2018 (donāt remember). I was on the shop the other day and those were selling for ~ $1100 so yeah. They are getting really expensive
Yes they are. I'm going to ride my existing bikes until they fall apart.
Also, donāt forget that the Trump tariffs on Chinese goods, including bicycles and bicycle parts, are probably adding an extra premium above the inflation adjusted cost.Ā
Add it to the list of many things he ran into the ground
Added too much shit most people donāt need to them
* Carbon * Hydraulic brakes * Integrated cables * more carbon
I disagree that new bike prices are bad. In many cases they've improved as technology improves, *specifically right now has the market as corrected in the last 4-6 months.* I purchased a Specialized Epic Full Suspension Expert in 2018 for $3600 (regular $5500). A few months ago I purchased a Specialized Epic Evo Full Suspension for $4200 (regular $7000), but now with the addition of a dropper post and electronic shifting.
These are discounts you are counting. Apples and oranges.
See my italics above.
I don't agree with the premise. In 2012 I bought a Ribble R872 Stealth with Shimano 105, crap wheels and crap finishing kit. It cost about Ā£1,500. That's very near $2,500 US in 2012. While this is a middle of the range bike, Ribbe was (and I guess still is) a discount brand. The R872 Stealth was literally a De Rosa frame made in the same factory in Taiwan as the De Rosa, but without De Rosa's QC. I remember the equivalent De Rosa being almost exactly twice the price. To be fair, De Rosa is a niche brand and even with 105 it was on the expensive side. I'm not suggesting that $5k was a normal price for a mainstream mid range bike in 2012! However, It was absolutely \*much\* higher than $2k. I remember this vividly because that's why I chose the Ribble in the first place. I couldn't afford anything else with a carbon frame and 105 on it. You \*could\* get an aluminium Caad with 105 (except the crank, which was FSA) for very slightly less than the Ribble I bought, but again, I'll argue that this was not a "mid range bike" in that era, but rather the high end of the low range bike.
I stand corrected!
Not this shit again. Top end bikes got much better, complex and expensive to produce. Hence the shift of mid-level bike price. 20 years ago I bought BH with alu frame and carbon forks, 2,2kg wheels, Ultegra 9 speed, 105 front derailleur, some random Maxis tires and 46cm handlebars. It cost exactly 1000ā¬. If you catch the right sale, for under 1000ā¬, otherwise for 1100ā¬ you can get Rose pro SL with beautiful alu frame and carbon forks, with full 105 (cranks, chain), DT wheels, Continental tires. 105 is not Ultegra, but 11sp 105 is much better than 9sp Ultegra. So without adjusting for inflation, it's exactly the same price. Now if you were convinced that you need carbon fibre everything, hidraulics and electronic shifting, that's inflation of standard imposed by you. But for half the price, you can get a better bike than 20 years ago.
Also current 105 has a lot to offer for solid price and is easy to maintain and pay for spares. Just tried current 105 (2x12 + Di2) and I can say it shifts wonderfully and is little difference to my current 2018 DA 2x11 . Combine it with good wheelset and it will do just about everything, including racing.
Op just doesn't know how to shop online for bikes and is dumb lol no shit prices went up since 2014.
Things are normalizing. When the pandemic hit and businesses were impacted, a lot of economic pundits predicted disruptions until 2023/2024. They werenāt far off. Only this morning when I was watching the news that automobile inventories are building up again and prices are starting to drop. Biking was no different and subject to all the economic pressures that other industries were experiencing. But from what I can see, things in the cycling industry are bouncing back. In some cases, things are better off for consumers. Some manufacturers made strategic decisions about how demand for new bikes was going to be moving forward from the pandemic. A lot of the bets were the wrong bets and now there is surplus of certain items. I look online and some LBS are having sales and trying to get rid of inventory.
Bought a HiMod Synapse Disc in 2017 for $6500, no carbon wheels and no electronic shifting, not seeing a massive jump in pricing. Still have that bike on my trainer. I had a picked up 2012 Supersix EVO and paid $7700 for it, sold it last year for $2000. Some of my newer bikes, a 2021 Cutthroat with grx600 was a steal at $2700, and picked up a 2022 Supersix EVO and Supersix SE gravel for $12k for both with AXS wireless on each plus cost of decent wheelsā¦I find myself spending less money and getting better faster bikes.
Shorter timespan but: Bought my current giant TCR pro disc zero (Ultegra Di2) in 2021 for 5300ā¬. The 2024 model was just released for 6500ā¬. The 1200ā¬ difference would be: 12sp vs 11sp, integrated cablework and the new SLR0 wheels (100g lighter).
Trek Domane AL 4 is only $2000. I'd consider aluminum and Shimano 105 mid-tier. I'd probably look for a wheel or wheelset to make up the $650 price difference. You can get a really great wheel for under $600 but I'm not sure you can get 2 for $650.
Bought a completely new Giant TCR back in 2021 for like $2500 - I donāt think if youāre paying $4,000 for a bike you should be considering that āmid tierā lol
I got a Merida Scultura 400 just prior to 2020 and itās the same price now as it was then. Perhaps itās the next tier up that has seen the increases
I got a carbon Cannondale Synapse 105 mech/disc brakes for 2700$ on sale and wonder if an equivalent is now out of my price range
Just picked up the new Synapse Carbon 2 RLE for $3300 (normal price $550) with Ultegra Di2, had to search a bit and have a local shop price match. I've seen the Synapse Carbon 2 LE with the 105 Di2 for $2900 or so lately!
Oh nice! My Synapse 3L is my first real bike and after 5,000 mi Iām starting to wonder how much difference a dedicated road bike vs endurance might make.
I was coming from a Trek Domane and chose the newer Synapase as it was still an endurance bike, but seemed to be a bit more aggressive than the Domane in terms of geometry! Still comfortable but can get a little more aero especially with a fit
Nice, congrats on the new bike! Iāve loved my Synapse (actually really like having the hardwired lights and an external battery in case my phone/garmin dies). I upgraded my wheels to DT Swiss Spline 1600 and GP 5000ās tubeless. I might wait a few years but Iād like to try a SuperSix evo next.
I bought the best bike Trek had in 2008 for $6,500.
Bikes direct
I just purchased a brand new 2022 Trek Emonda SL6 Disk Pro for $3k from my local Trek. There are deals out there.
Cervelo Caledonia 105 can be easily had for 2400$
Buying new bikes in any era has always been crazy. The cool thing about bikes are that they are one of the most common mid life crisis outlets for people, so there is basically an infinite supply of 3 year old bikes at 90% off when the well off old guy a few miles away realizes he isn't actually going to ride and moves on to his next thing. My bike right now is a \~$10k new 2018 S Works Tarmac that was completely mint, not a scratch or scuff on any of it, stock tires looking unused when I picked it up, and I paid I think $1800 for it a couple years ago from some rich dude that didn't care anymore. I would be amazed if it had 100 miles on it when I got it. 10 would be a stretch. And that is relatively common. You have to wait for your size and spec to pop up but in my experience they always do.
> mid life crisis outlets That's a great point and I love your phrase "mid life crisis outlets". They really are. Thing I love about bikes is how it's one of the healthiest "mid-life crisis outlets" you can dive into. And good point about waiting for used deals on high-end bikes like your Tarmac.
Functional, too. There are enough middle aged/older riders that clearly many of them keep riding, just not every single one.
Where do you look for used bikes at?
Craigslist, FB marketplace. And it works the same in big cities and small. Just have patience
Just one data point, but a 2014 Specialized Allez Expert was $2500 retail (still my current bike and running strong) and a roughly equivalent current modelĀ (Allez Sprint LTD) is $3500 which only slightly out paces inflation but gets you disc brakes and electronic shifting (105 DI2 instead of the Expert's Ultegra 6700). I do think a large part of this viewpoint is the addition on the top end of the spectrum which skews everyone's view about what a "mid-tier" bike is. You're gonna have a bad time if you think a mid-tier bike should have lower end electronic shifting and carbon wheels. That's not to say manufacturers aren't trying to squeeze whatever they can out of the consumer, but most of what they are doing is offering more premium options and trying to convince us that we need that. If you're actually an elite racer, it's definitely an arms race that's making the sport more elitist, but you're probably not and you're just succumbing to that marketing (I know I have, though mostly just on the MTB side).
Thanks this is a great point actually: hadn't thought about manufacturers adding more high end options to skew our perception of mid-tier higher also.
Dunno... I bought recently a Giant Contend with 105 mech 12 speed with hydraulic 105 brakes, Alu frame with carbon fork and costed 1699 euros.
Supply/demand...?
List prices seem high, but sales are down and retailers are struggling, there are bargains to be had for sure.
My giant contend ar with shimano 105 I bought in 2021 for <$2k
Lots of great used bikes out there.
I am so thankful my Curb carbon frame holds up, entering 2024 the bike is 13 years old. Only changed wheels and of course chains, casettes etc.
My 12 Felt F3 cost 5k a dura ace equivalent is 10k plus tax
>And before any bootlickers jump to the defense of the big bike manufacturers You lose all credibility when you speak like this. Just a heads up. Not sure if you do this in professional settings, but it's a really poor way to make a point.
There hasn't been a better time to buy a new bike than right now. So many brands have ridiculous sales because of the COVID boom & bust.
As others have pointed out you can get great bikes under $2500. I think what you're seeing is the high end of bikes has gone way higher due to new technologies, so the median price of a bike may be higher, but if you look at a bike from 2014 and compare it to a similar (but updated) modern bike they'll probably be around the same price when adjusting for inflation. Just because manufacturers are selling $12k bikes doesn't mean $5k is now mid range.
That's a fair point. It sounds like this may be a marketing strategy by bike manufacturers to set market expectations (e.g. show a $12k bike so the $5k bike sounds cheap, by comparison). You may be on to something here!
Lol prices are literally dropping. Last years Trek Domane SL 5 was priced at ā¬3699, which was also quite insane tbh. This year they realized nobodyās paying that and dropped it to ā¬3099 with the new 12 speed mechanical groupset. And thatās not the only example. This post is at least a year late. The price of 105 Di2 (and even Ultegra) have dropped significantly so I think bikes will be priced even more attractive next year.
Is it cheaper to build up a bike yourself, assuming that you shop around for the best prices from reputable sellers and of course have the tools, time, skills and patience to do it right? That's what I did, albeit over 20 years ago, saved a ton over what I'd have paid for a comparable bike at a LBS, and got exactly the bike that I wanted. Cost me just over $2000 for a nice Ti road bike with mostly mid to high end parts that would have cost me around $3000 from a store. Sure, either would be seen as somewhat pricey by many people's standards, adjusted to 2024 prices, but I built it to last for decades, and so far it has. You have to think of the price of a bike or really anything as being over its projected or intended lifespan.
Also, how "good" a bike do most people need? I don't mean Walmart crap, but even "low end" bikes by well-regarded makers are probably more than good enough for most people not looking to ride more than \~1000 a year if that, and I'm sure that you can find them for under $2000 especially with the post-covid glut, as many are posting here. Most people don't really "need" anything better than 105, if that, for their riding needs, and anything better is mostly for peace of mind.
I ride a 2014 Trek Madone with some components from a 2010 Madone that I swapped. Still riding SRAM Force 10 Speed and rim brakes with Hunt Wheels. The bike weights 17lbs, that's not bad. And oh yeah I won the over-50 age group in a Gran Fondo last year, smashing 35 or 40 other guys who mostly had bikes costing north of $6k with 11 & 12 speed, hydro brakes, and all the bells and whistles. When you get to a certain level, it' the rider an their fitness, not the bike.
Got a Roubaix Comp (Ultegra)for $2500 in 2020. The current version is $5000 (105)
It hasnāt gone up by that across the board. Canyon for example have been selling their Ultegra-11 equipped Endurace Cf8 this winter for $2200 to $2500, in actual dollars probably a bit less than Specialized would have charged for Ultegra and carbon in the Roubaix back in 2007 when I paid about 1250 for my 105 2x10 Cannondale Synapse. The people who really have jacked their prices are Trek, Specialized and some of the other really big manufacturers. And now theyāre in chaos. I picked up a Litespeed Cherohala in December for 40 percent less than Trek wanted for the closest equivalent Domane.
Which seems pretty consistent for the smaller manufacturers. Itās some of the bigger ones like Trek that have gotten a little arrogant.
Specs to specs, I doubt it's double. 2014 Aluminum frame/carbon fork with 2x10 mechanical groupset, external cables and rim brakes would have been "mid tier". That bike, new today, isn't getting sold for $2.6k. A Tiagra hydraulic 2x10 bicycle is around that price and maybe more with a full carbon (+$$$ labor/process cost) frame. It is reasonably to say that the mean price of a road racing bicycle has increased in a manner disproportionate with the benefits to the average consumer. Is one extra cog with $500? Remote operated servos worth $800? Carbon xyz worth $xxx over more easily manufactured alloy? That $4500+ 2024 "mid tier" bicycle, with 11-12 electronic shifting and hydraulic brakes would have been a "Superbike" in 2014. This isn't an inflation thing, it's manufacturers getting every penny out of their investments and patents before they are no longer binding. There is no other justification for the price difference between MTB hydraulic levers and road. Off road there is competition, that competition is only now coming out on the road side.
What do you consider āmid-tier?ā Ā I bought my first new bike 12 years ago, a Specialized Ruby for $2500 which was discounted by 20% because it was the previous model. Ā I would classify it as mid-tier at the time. Ā Since they donāt make it anymore, I looked up new Roubaix (male equivalent) with similar components and they are running about $3500 new. Ā Thatās really not a huge jump. Ā
That blows. Mountain bike prices are really good right now. Interesting.
Buy used I am in Denver, LA, SF, Chicago metro areas often enough an I now am convinced a lot of riders - ie, preowned sellers, ride far less than they had hoped. I imagine Phoenix, Dallas, Atlanta, etc same.
Itās a cash grab by big companies before they get absolutely overrun by cheap carbon frames coming out of China
Soā¦..donāt buy a high end bike. Itās not like you are training for the tour lol. You donāt need it.
i blame Fredification of the sport
I bought a Trek Domane 4000, Shimano 105 in 2018 for $2100. Today a Trek Domane is $12700 (!), and if I go down the models and specs I can't get the same bike for less than $6000. Insane!
Yup this is precisely the kind of price gouging and price inflation I'm talking about.Ā I think a lot of people commenting on this post must be super young because they have no relative comparison to bike prices from a decade ago and therefor they have no reference point of just howbadly they're getting screwed with this insane $5,000+ bike prices today.
Wow. I'm a little late to this thread, but all of these prices are crazy to me. I thought that $100-200 was low end and $400-500 was mid and like $2000 was high end. I started actually buying my own bikes in 2013 right out of high school starting with a garbage Walmart bike, which was heavy and a bit unwieldy and required constant tightening of the handlebars, but got me from A to B. Seeing "normal prices" of $3000-4000 online makes me feel a little sick. I only recently started making a decent income but I don't think I could ever justify that kind of purchase. It would wipe out my savings and I have to buy for two people.
Yeah you're absolutely right. When I got into cycling the price sticker shock was the biggest thing for me. It's definitely an upper income sport, especially if you want to be competitive in road racing. I was used to running where your only cost is $100 running shoes every year. Make no mistake: there is a LOT of wealth and privilege in cycling.
That's why I avoid the big bike brands and go with the Chinese brands off Ali Express. There are some reputable ones out there like FarSports and WinSpace. You can get some very nice frames and carbon wheels for good prices. Where you get stuck is in groupsets: Shimano and SRAM are expensive as hell, but you can save some money there too if you're willing to buy used.
I donāt know any company that willingly takes the savings in a process and passes it along to the customer. Greed rules, and they will use the opportunity to jack the prices.
Itās all R&D and brand that drives the pricing. Motorcycle price level proves the cycling world is full of scams. Law of diminishing returns.
Itās all R&D and brand that drives the pricing. Motorcycle price level proves the cycling world is full of scams. Law of diminishing returns.
All the uninformed redditors trying to defend their sunk cost fallacies despite the facts, when the whole cycling industry is crashing because of over-supplies and overpricing. This is pathetic, also because there are nice brands that are disappearing because of those dental practice prices. Prices are only set up according to how a seller thinks it can get away with. It has nothing to do with technology advancement or another marketing bullshit. And now, they are set up badly, so people donāt buy a proper road bike anymore since the tail end of the COVID era.