the "i dont know **** about bikes" thread

[Christophe Noel]

It would be interesting to see the breakdown between mountain bikes and road bikes.

Here are just a handful of fun stats:

There are an estimated 40 million people in the US that consider cycling as a hobby. 5 million of those are "avid" riders that ride at least 110 days a year. 17 million ride between 25-109 days. There is a steep increase in recent years in those two number sets.

Road bikes still command the largest portion of the market. You could say it's roughly 60% to mountain bike's 40% if you fold in the varients of those categories. The fastest declining segment are 26" wheeled bikes, with 26" wheeled full suspention bikes taking the largest down turn of any category in 2012. The 26" hard tail north of $2000 is virtually gone. Doesn't even show up on any reports I've seen. Obviously, the fastest growing category are 29" wheeled bikes of darn near any varient.

Things like touring bikes are sold in such tiny numbers, they don't bother tracking them as a category and simply fold them into general road bikes.

 

[goodtimes]

Got any numbers that are split up between mountain & road bikes?

It would be interesting to see the distance/frequency of the mountain bikes vs road bikes.

Well, that and I'm curious to see where I fall in the larger picture, with my 2 or 3 rides per week @ a typical 8 - 10 miles (45 minutes) of single track per ride (1100 miles/year). Not that knowing that info would change anything - just interesting to see where you fall in the statistics.

 

[Christophe Noel]

Two to three rides a week puts you in the "avid" rider category. Miles are seldom included in the reports I've seen. Annual hours of riding is often the most common metric. Competitive road and mountain bike riders are usually in the 600-800 hours per year range. That's actually moving time. I'm usually in that 700-750 range. During seasons when I focused primarily on road racing, I usually put in 750+ hour years with as much as 9,000 miles, or even more. Now that I mostly play in the dirt, my mileage is easily half of that. I consider myself your garden variety avid rider.

Competitive road riders tend to put in more miles as well as hour per year just because of the extremely competitive nature of that discipline. You can ride 750 hours a year and still suck at road racing and never finish within view of the pack.

Statistically, most "enthusiast" riders spend about 200-300 hours riding. That's riding a couple times a week, often not riding at all in the shoulder seasons.

 

[p nut]

P nut, I think you are confused with how the bike industry really works with regard to setting parts spec and the corresponding retail prices. The parts spec is not set to increase profits. That's silly. They make the same margin whether they spec a bike with XT, SLX, or what ever. The parts spec drives the retail price.

So, a particular brand may spec a bike with various parts simply to hit a targeted retail price. As an example, if the average price across the board for an XT equipped aluminum hard tail is $2000, it may not be wise to throw a bunch of carbon bits on a bike that works out to be $2200 in that category. It looks like a poor value. So, the manufacturer will spec that bike with lesser expensive bar, stem, what ever, and get it back to the "price point" that's like everyone else - $2000. In essence, a $2000 with normal spec, and a $2200 with better spec, are a similar value, or "profit" to the manufacturer. However, consumers tend to not always understand the nuance of bike spec and simply see the $2200 bike as more expensive. It is, but not a lesser value.

Again, they make the same margin whether that bike has better or worse spec than similar bikes in the price point...

I understand what you're saying. I'm not arguing the point of the bike company picking parts to stay within a certain price-point. That's to be expected in any industry. Correct me if I'm wrong (and I may very well be), but when a bike company specs out a bike at a certain price point, there are certain parts that are picked to attract customers to get more sales than for performance. In my example above, putting a "bling" XT derailleur on an $800 bike shod with mostly crap components was a business decision, not performance.

 

[Christophe Noel]

P Nut, what the various manufacturers will do is place the money they have to spend where it counts most. That may be to appeal to the percieved value of a given bike at a given price point, but it's mostly just to not be wasteful with the spec parts applied to a bike.

If the objective is to creat a bike at a given price point, it would be counter productive to drive the retail up with fancy parts. Is a $100 handlebar going to ride better than a $20 handlebar? No. But the consumer will benefit, and appreciate, a better derailleur.

There are companie that pander to the percieved value of a bike with sneaky spec. Bikes Direct is shameless with how they sell their bikes. They'll categorize a bike as an "XT build" when really it only has a few XT parts and also feature a $5 stem, $100 wheelset, etc. Consumers unfamiliar with bikes just see a low price and XT and think it's a great value.

Ultimately, in bicycles, you largely get what you pay for. There are few good or bad values. If one bike is $2000 and the other $2200, it's very easy to pin-point the additional $200. Not always the case, but largely true.

 

[p nut]

I think we're on the same page. Thanks.

PS I die a little inside whenever I see bikesdirect stuff on trails. My bro in law bought one without my consent and the welds look like a 5-year old did it. I guess the positive thing is they're promoting cycling.

 

[goodtimes]

Two to three rides a week puts you in the "avid" rider category. Miles are seldom included in the reports I've seen. Annual hours of riding is often the most common metric. Competitive road and mountain bike riders are usually in the 600-800 hours per year range. That's actually moving time. I'm usually in that 700-750 range. During seasons when I focused primarily on road racing, I usually put in 750+ hour years with as much as 9,000 miles, or even more. Now that I mostly play in the dirt, my mileage is easily half of that. I consider myself your garden variety avid rider.

Competitive road riders tend to put in more miles as well as hour per year just because of the extremely competitive nature of that discipline. You can ride 750 hours a year and still suck at road racing and never finish within view of the pack.

Statistically, most "enthusiast" riders spend about 200-300 hours riding. That's riding a couple times a week, often not riding at all in the shoulder seasons.

Interesting - If I'm in the 'Avid' category, I must be an [ab]normal rider. I'm just breaking into 100 hours/year (well below the 'enthusiast' category) if you assume that my typical 'after work' ride (7.5 miles / 45 minutes) is a safe measure of my average speed (10mph).

 

[Christophe Noel]

Brian, for the better part of 20 years I was solidly in the "so avid we need therapy" category. Road racing at the elite level is the world's worst time suck. Some weeks early in the year would be in the 300 mile, 20 hour range. Then there was travel to races all over the US. Then there was time chasing down sponsors, going to trade shows and events. Then there was the time in bed, as big weeks need big rest. No, can't meet you for wings and beers. Gotta eat my boiled chicken and hit the sack at 9pm.

Amazing it took 20 years of that to realize it was't fun.

 

[goodtimes]

Road racing at the elite level is the world's worst time suck.

Wait - you mean that "road racing at the elite level" = facebook?!?!?!

:sombrero:

 

[ywen]

I have a bd windsor touring bike.. Great deal @ $600 to my house... Awesome service too.. Could have spent double that to get a surly touring bike..

Got my eye on the bd ti 29er.. Great review all over the webz..

 

[Klierslc]

Brian, for the better part of 20 years I was solidly in the "so avid we need therapy" category. Road racing at the elite level is the world's worst time suck. Some weeks early in the year would be in the 300 mile, 20 hour range. Then there was travel to races all over the US. Then there was time chasing down sponsors, going to trade shows and events. Then there was the time in bed, as big weeks need big rest. No, can't meet you for wings and beers. Gotta eat my boiled chicken and hit the sack at 9pm.

Amazing it took 20 years of that to realize it was't fun.

That is an insane amount of riding. Last spring the kids and wife hadn't caught up to me in San Diego and I had nothing to do but work and ride the bike. An hour or so (18 miles) most mornings and the mornings that I didn't get in a ride I usually rode for an hour at lunch. 32 mile hammerfest on thursdays with a local club and a 48 mile hammerfest on Saturday's with a different club. I would usually ride a couple hours on sunday after church and bike maintenance, but even with all that, I am well short of 20 hrs. I don't think I could have sustained that for much more than the month or so that I was doing it.