Bike parts cheaper today than tomorrow
 

If you've been lusting after some new gear for your bike but can't quite
pull the trigger... best to take the plunge sooner than later. I'm getting
new price increase sheets every single day (literally... they're coming in
like mad) from all major vendors. Shimano posted big wholesale price
increases on Friday. Pearl Izumi a couple days ago. Continental this
morning. Various pump vendors last week. Tubes? You wouldn't believe the
increases we're seeing in tube prices.

Doesn't matter whether you're talking about mail order or retail stores,
prices are going UP as you read this. Are the price increases justifiable?
In most cases, I don't think so. But the industry has seen flat to declining
prices over the last 5 years or so, and I think they're trying to make up
for it all at once. Hopefully all at once; I'd hate to see many more price
increases like these.

I'm having to go through the entire store, section by section, to discover
where increases have already hit that I wasn't paying attention to. At the
end of the year shops operate on the very thinnest of margins, so don't be
too surprised if you see a few more shops going out of business because they
didn't pay close enough attention to their bottom line.

Who's to blame for the increases? The obvious monster in the closet is the
exchange rate, especially after mainland China got wise and floated their
currency (which had previously been pegged to the dollar, which made Chinese
stuff artificially cheap for us, but oil more expensive for them). Toss in
energy-driven price increases, plus a certain momentum (as in hey, we can
finally push through some price increases because everybody else is!) and
you get the picture.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

Bike parts cheaper today than tomorrow
 

Partly justifiable. Manufacturers have to pay higher prices for energy,
the producers of the materials they use must pay higher prices for
energy, the companies that transport materials to the manufacturers and
products to the retailers must pay higher prices for fuel. All these
people have to make up these exra costs somehow. And you don't think the
exec's are all going to trade in their Lexus' for Prius' and car pool,
do you?

I guess it's a good thing that a noteable percentage of the equipment on
at least one of my machines is outdated and out of production, and that
I have long since stocked up on enough replacement components to last me
a couple of decades at least on these items...

- -
Compliments of:
"Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

If you want to E-mail me use:
ChrisZCorner "at" webtv "dot" net

My website:
http://geocities.com/czcorner

Bike parts cheaper today than tomorrow
 

"Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote in message
...

Doesn't matter whether you're talking about mail order or retail
stores, prices are going UP as you read this.

There's a fair amount of evidence that the current numbers
substantially underestimate inflation.

More info on this controversy he
http://mikekr.blogspot.com/2008/08/i...-deflated.html

Bike parts cheaper today than tomorrow
 

"Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote

Doesn't matter whether you're talking about mail order or retail stores,
prices are going UP as you read this. Are the price increases justifiable?
In most cases, I don't think so. But the industry has seen flat to
declining prices over the last 5 years or so, and I think they're trying
to make up for it all at once. Hopefully all at once; I'd hate to see many
more price increases like these.


If you ask me, bicycle tire prices are already grossly overpriced. Any price
increase in this segment is surely blatant opportunistic greed.

I would say the same is probably true for tubes as well.

Bike parts cheaper today than tomorrow
 

On Aug 6, 6:01 am, "Roger Zoul" wrote:
"Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote



Doesn't matter whether you're talking about mail order or retail stores,
prices are going UP as you read this. Are the price increases justifiable?
In most cases, I don't think so. But the industry has seen flat to
declining prices over the last 5 years or so, and I think they're trying
to make up for it all at once. Hopefully all at once; I'd hate to see many
more price increases like these.

If you ask me, bicycle tire prices are already grossly overpriced.

What??? You don't think a ~25mm wide bicycle tire should sell for
$30+ ???
Heretic!!!


Any price
increase in this segment is surely blatant opportunistic greed.

Or just the desire to maintain a fat profit margin in the face of
increased costs.


I would say the same is probably true for tubes as well.

Bike parts cheaper today than tomorrow
 

Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
If you've been lusting after some new gear for your bike but can't quite
pull the trigger... best to take the plunge sooner than later. I'm getting
new price increase sheets every single day (literally... they're coming in
like mad) from all major vendors. Shimano posted big wholesale price
increases on Friday. Pearl Izumi a couple days ago. Continental this
morning. Various pump vendors last week. Tubes? You wouldn't believe the
increases we're seeing in tube prices.

I've been paying $3 for tubes for many years, wondering why they never
went up in price.

Bike parts cheaper today than tomorrow
 

"Ozark Bicycle" wrote in message
...
On Aug 6, 6:01 am, "Roger Zoul" wrote:
"Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote



Doesn't matter whether you're talking about mail order or retail
stores,
prices are going UP as you read this. Are the price increases
justifiable?
In most cases, I don't think so. But the industry has seen flat to
declining prices over the last 5 years or so, and I think they're
trying
to make up for it all at once. Hopefully all at once; I'd hate to see
many
more price increases like these.

If you ask me, bicycle tire prices are already grossly overpriced.

What??? You don't think a ~25mm wide bicycle tire should sell for
$30+ ???
Heretic!!!


Any price
increase in this segment is surely blatant opportunistic greed.

Or just the desire to maintain a fat profit margin in the face of
increased costs.


Yes, you're right.


I would say the same is probably true for tubes as well.

Bike parts cheaper today than tomorrow
 

Ozark Bicycle wrote:

What??? You don't think a ~25mm wide bicycle tire should sell for
$30+ ???
Heretic!!!

Looking at the Performance on-line prices, it seems $40 is a median
"sale" price. That's about what I pay for car tires.

Bike parts cheaper today than tomorrow
 

"Peter Cole" wrote in message
news:Cllmk.279$ZV1.170@trnddc07...
Ozark Bicycle wrote:

What??? You don't think a ~25mm wide bicycle tire should sell for
$30+ ???
Heretic!!!

Looking at the Performance on-line prices, it seems $40 is a median "sale"
price. That's about what I pay for car tires.

Apparently not anymore. Car tire prices are heading skyward as well.
However- I still don't understand how you can buy a car tire for about the
same price that it would cost just to ship something that heavy. I don't get
it.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

Bike parts cheaper today than tomorrow
 

Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:

Apparently not anymore. Car tire prices are heading skyward as well.
However- I still don't understand how you can buy a car tire for about the
same price that it would cost just to ship something that heavy. I don't get
it.

Because it doesn't cost much to ship them in large quantities.

Mass market bicycle tires are actually very cheap, it's all the designer
tires that cost so much.

Yeah, car tire prices are going higher as well. It's rather interesting
around here to see how Costco seems to have cornered the market on tire
replacement. I won't go elsewhere. They don't gouge on balancing, they
don't charge extra for new valves or for road hazard, and they actually
honor the tire manufacturer's warranty.