High Gear Cyclery go out of biz?

Does the skateboard thing get even cheaper as you buy just the deck and move the trucks/wheels over? IE, small purchases like wheels/bearings/tape make it easy for kids?

The fun-riding with NICA was an interesting comment. We keep hoping they're the future, but we don't know how many will ride for fun after school. As of now mountain biking is hard to do WITHOUT driving. The NICA kids have structure. I've said that starting mountain biking made me drive more than pre-biking.
 
sptimmy43 said:
I think this is right on the money. When you stop and think about it...it's crazy to think that the MSRP on a very mid-level bike can be close to $3k. Enthusiasts are a very small sliver of the overall market.
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olegbabich said:
The $$$$ of brand name bicycles and components also contributes to general public not purchasing at high end bike stores.

People roll their eyes when they ask how much I paid for my mountain bike. Then I tell them that my bikes are not the top of the line models and I saved a bunch and got better components by building the bike at home.

The industry is overpriced and majority of folks are not willing to pay $900 -1200 for bicycle with lower end components.
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I don't completely agree the industry being overpriced. Anything of high-end quality will be premium. What most don't factor into the cost of their bike is the R&D, manufacturing tooling, patents and marketing which goes into the cost. Bike frames are no longer 3 main tubes, lugs and stays. Pivot and others pay a hefty sum to use the DW linkage. Want a little cheaper, but a small boutique brand which advertises less (e.g., Banshee). Before the tech and full suspensions, anyone handy with a torch could build a frame. I've know quite a few who have done that for a road bike or hardtail but none for a full squish.

My first mtb was a Fisher Aquila back in 1996 for $650, full rigid. The current Trek Marlin 7 is a similar level of bike, but comes with a suspension fork and disc brakes. It's currently selling for $700 on Trek's website. Is a Fuel EX5 for $1800 or 9.7 for $3500 really that drastic given these examples?:
- computers: HP i3 laptop $400 vs MacBook Pro $3000
- soccer cleats: Nike Victory $65 vs Nike Superfly $300
- tennis rackets: Head Ti Series $70 vs Head MxG $250
- back packs: high sierra $40 vs Osprey $400
- mustangs: base $25K vs GT350R $70K
- beers: Bud 75 cents? vs Other Half $5
 
stb222 said:
Powell is a makerting master, do re-issues of classic designs AND charge more.

The last few decks I have bought have been local, whoever, they have been at the Vans store at the Quakerbridge Mall. They will mark brand name boards down to $35. Similar to bike store, mom and pop skateshop are almost extinct in the suburbs with only the largest shops surviving. So even though vans has deep roots in skating, it is kinda like buying from Target and saying I shopped local. However, it is a notch about those other skate style stores in the mall. Mind you, I hardly skate at all anymore but have had trouble finding a deck I like. But for $35, buying 3 in the last two years barely makes an impact to the wallet. I did the same with different size wheels, for $10-$15, if I want to try a different size, just go buy it.
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We always went to the Underground in NYC, but it's not the same shop as the ones in NJ. It was near the old Forbidden Planet comic books store. Think I'm going pop into a local shop in the coming weeks but the cruiser decks are hard to find.

Santapez said:
Does the skateboard thing get even cheaper as you buy just the deck and move the trucks/wheels over? IE, small purchases like wheels/bearings/tape make it easy for kids?

The fun-riding with NICA was an interesting comment. We keep hoping they're the future, but we don't know how many will ride for fun after school. As of now mountain biking is hard to do WITHOUT driving. The NICA kids have structure. I've said that starting mountain biking made me drive more than pre-biking.
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Trucks were the only thing salvageable for me when moving to a new deck, which is why not to go cheap on them. Hi-end German made bearings were what was expensive back then.
 
qclabrat said:
What most don't factor into the cost of their bike is the R&D, manufacturing tooling, patents and marketing which goes into the cost.
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Also, the quantity of the bikes they sell. The market for top end bikes is small, so the price is high.
The greater the consumer base the bigger the production and lower profit margin. The manufacturer makes money selling many bikes. A smaller consumer base requires a manufacturer to charger a higher fee to recoup production costs.
Skate boards, bmx bikes...every kid has one in his garage. How many people have a full suspension bike(non walmart) sitting in their garage?
 
so that corridor along route 78 isn't exactly the poorest in NJ. enough people along there that need a bike for the company ride,
and wouldn't show up on just anything. so yeah, walk into the store, and pick-up something with a decent number hooked to it.
then it goes in the garage until whenever...

the triathlon group likes to spend money too. and they don't like to work on bikes. HG had a good relationship with a couple of groups -
but they went to a different shop that offered more incentives.
 
fidodie said:
so that corridor along route 78 isn't exactly the poorest in NJ. enough people along there that need a bike for the company ride,
and wouldn't show up on just anything. so yeah, walk into the store, and pick-up something with a decent number hooked to it.
then it goes in the garage until whenever...

the triathlon group likes to spend money too. and they don't like to work on bikes. HG had a good relationship with a couple of groups -
but they went to a different shop that offered more incentives.
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It's the same in China now, the privileged classes big on road and tri bikes, not so many mtbrs due to the distance to parks and just overall marketing. I follow a guy on WeChat who runs a bike shop in Shanghai and they go the full experience for riders. He runs indoor training classes, strengthening program, race prep/coaching and a nutrition bar. The classes are popular since the city has poor air quality, is in line with the health revolution hitting the new population and a different way to socialize personally, which is something new to China, where the last generation, just went back and forth to work and home with little play time.

Shops which only sell bikes, parts and service won't last in the long run, unless they can compete on price locally and online. Those supporting teams, rides, races, community have the greatest chances. I'd more likely shop at a store who supports the community over another. I think in recent times online companies are not always winning at capturing the market either. Pricepoint was my goto for parts not too long ago.
 
qclabrat said:
I don't completely agree the industry being overpriced. Anything of high-end quality will be premium. What most don't factor into the cost of their bike is the R&D, manufacturing tooling, patents and marketing which goes into the cost. Bike frames are no longer 3 main tubes, lugs and stays. Pivot and others pay a hefty sum to use the DW linkage. Want a little cheaper, but a small boutique brand which advertises less (e.g., Banshee). Before the tech and full suspensions, anyone handy with a torch could build a frame. I've know quite a few who have done that for a road bike or hardtail but none for a full squish.

My first mtb was a Fisher Aquila back in 1996 for $650, full rigid. The current Trek Marlin 7 is a similar level of bike, but comes with a suspension fork and disc brakes. It's currently selling for $700 on Trek's website. Is a Fuel EX5 for $1800 or 9.7 for $3500 really that drastic given these examples?:
- computers: HP i3 laptop $400 vs MacBook Pro $3000
- soccer cleats: Nike Victory $65 vs Nike Superfly $300
- tennis rackets: Head Ti Series $70 vs Head MxG $250
- back packs: high sierra $40 vs Osprey $400
- mustangs: base $25K vs GT350R $70K
- beers: Bud 75 cents? vs Other Half $5
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pooriggy said:
Also, the quantity of the bikes they sell. The market for top end bikes is small, so the price is high.
The greater the consumer base the bigger the production and lower profit margin. The manufacturer makes money selling many bikes. A smaller consumer base requires a manufacturer to charger a higher fee to recoup production costs.
Skate boards, bmx bikes...every kid has one in his garage. How many people have a full suspension bike(non walmart) sitting in their garage?
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I should have elaborated a bit more before. I totally understand why high end bikes are expensive. I fully appreciate the build of my trail bike. It is worth every penny in my eyes. But from an outside view looking in it seems absurd. About 1 year ago I got a reality check when I got an itch to get back on a bike. Like many, I pretty much stopped biking after I got my DL except for some commuting to and from class in college. I bought an entry level bike from Dick's (don't hate me) never intending to do serious riding but something was sparked in me. I was utterly shocked when I learned that a decent FS bike would be at least $2,500. Honestly, it almost turned me off from mountain biking. We have all been conditioned to the pricing on these things but I can tell you it's a hard nut to swallow. My wife is not a "cyclist" so getting her on board was tough. Very tough. In her eyes a $3k for a bike is utterly insane. That's how most people see it.
 
sptimmy43 said:
My wife is not a "cyclist" so getting her on board was tough. Very tough. In her eyes a $3k for a bike is utterly insane. That's how most people see it.
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My wife was preconditioned due to my fishing. I picked up a Carbon FS bike with carbon wheels this winter. My wife's comment when I told her the price was....."I thought it was going to be worse, thats way better than your boat".
 
Fat Trout said:
My wife was preconditioned due to my fishing. I picked up a Carbon FS bike with carbon wheels this winter. My wife's comment when I told her the price was....."I thought it was going to be worse, thats way better than your boat".
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this is so funny - my trout set-up (spin casting) is about the same price as my hardtail......
sold boat - very happy.
skis, bindings, boots, poles are going to be around that price
golf clubs, bag, shoes are in that range, and that is just a ticket to spend $200+ for a round of pain
bowling balls are $250 at the better end. you need a few of them if serious. we already mentioned the license fee to enter pba events....

gotta have a hobby!!! just not too many ;)
 
sptimmy43 said:
I should have elaborated a bit more before. I totally understand why high end bikes are expensive. I fully appreciate the build of my trail bike. It is worth every penny in my eyes. But from an outside view looking in it seems absurd. About 1 year ago I got a reality check when I got an itch to get back on a bike. Like many, I pretty much stopped biking after I got my DL except for some commuting to and from class in college. I bought an entry level bike from Dick's (don't hate me) never intending to do serious riding but something was sparked in me. I was utterly shocked when I learned that a decent FS bike would be at least $2,500. Honestly, it almost turned me off from mountain biking. We have all been conditioned to the pricing on these things but I can tell you it's a hard nut to swallow. My wife is not a "cyclist" so getting her on board was tough. Very tough. In her eyes a $3k for a bike is utterly insane. That's how most people see it.
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My wife has hand bags the price of my bikes. Now that's absurd
 
fidodie said:
this is so funny - my trout set-up (spin casting) is about the same price as my hardtail......
sold boat - very happy.
skis, bindings, boots, poles are going to be around that price
golf clubs, bag, shoes are in that range, and that is just a ticket to spend $200+ for a round of pain
bowling balls are $250 at the better end. you need a few of them if serious. we already mentioned the license fee to enter pba events....

gotta have a hobby!!! just not too many ;)
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That's kind of my problem, too. I ski. I golf. I played around with a drone for a while a couple years ago (now it's collecting dust). None of that stuff is cheap. Collectively, there is a bunch of $$$ tied up in "toys."

If I had to whittle it down to only one hobby I would keep the bike. It would be tough to choose between the bike and skiing but I think the bike would win out. I suck at golf. I rode a bike everywhere as a kid. My parents took my bothers and I on rides all over the place. We rode just to enjoy riding. It wan't only a means of transportation. As was mentioned earlier in the thread. You can't blame the kids for not being into cycling. It's on the parents to expose them to things other than Xbox. I am proud to say my son was on a bike (with training wheels) at the age of 3. Took the training wheels off before his 4th birthday. He's 5 now and on his first real bike and loving it. I will say it's tough to spend a pile of money on a bike you know will be outgrown in just a couple short years. Then again it isn't tough from the standpoint of knowing how a better (lighter) bike will foster development and enjoyment. I hope riding becomes something that sticks with him...
 
sptimmy43 said:
I was utterly shocked when I learned that a decent FS bike would be at least $2,500. Honestly, it almost turned me off from mountain biking. We have all been conditioned to the pricing on these things but I can tell you it's a hard nut to swallow. My wife is not a "cyclist" so getting her on board was tough. Very tough. In her eyes a $3k for a bike is utterly insane. That's how most people see it.
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It was definitely something I grew into. My first good mtn bike was from a local shop in PA near work. A Head 600 (yes, the tennis racket/ski company) back in 1990. It was about $550 - or a bit over $1000 in today's money. Seemed like a lot at the time, especially for my salary back then. I rode that bike for a year or two, even doing my first XC races on it before the want for front suspension led me to look for something else. Part of what softens the price shock was reading the various bike magazines. The next bike was a Cannondale Delta V 900 with the first generation Head Shock (with a whopping 2" of travel). Did my first DH races on that bike. And spent tons of money upgrading it for the next 4+ years. Which led me to the succession of high-end and expensive bikes I have today.

Nearly 30 years later, I've become somewhat jaded to the costs, although I do seem to have limits. The amount I spent building my Intense M16C DH bike is more than I care to think about, but since I am fortunate to have access to team pricing, it was nowhere near what it should have cost. Right now, I am thinking of paring down the quiver and picking up a Santa Cruz Nomad to cover the endure and DH riding duties since I am coming to realize my days of serious DH riding/racing are behind me and I will never push the Intense to the point where it really works as its designed to. It's also a lot of money to have tied up in a bike I don't ride very much, plus the fact I have limited storage space.

It still amuses me how I won't hesitate to drop X dollars on a pair of mtn bike wheels, but hem and haw over a set of FOUR wheels for one of my cars that cost as much or less (sometimes much less).

Hobbies and time are definitely something that has hit home hard lately. I have too many of the former and too little of the latter. Snow sports for me have always been something I do when it's too crappy to ride. I enjoy telemark skiing (the only type of skiing I know), but whenever I'm on the mtn, I'm always wishing I was on a bike instead. I didn't ski at all this year. I've also bought into dirt bikes, but haven't really ridden them. Again - I really don't have time for this and on a nice day when I could go riding, I'd rather be on a bicycle (road or dirt) or driving one of my classic cars. Which brings me to my cars - all EIGHT of the bloody things (one is a parts car). I have too many and too few are fully operational. All of them need something. And then there's my music hobbies... see what I mean? Too many toys, not enough time. Plus a house that always needs work.

Something has to give.
 
Ian F said:
Something has to give.
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I'm in a similar boat (which I also sold). Toy car I barely use, a custom chopper I haven't ridden in two years and sold the Ducati because I wasn't using that. Loads of high end saltwater fishing gear gathering dust. What has to give is NJ and it's taxes. I'm looking at houses in NC now that are same size as mine and just as nice, but $200k less on 20-30 acres instead of one and taxes are $1500 - $2k instead of $13k. Schools all suck there though compared to where we"re at now. Soon as the kids are out of school we're gone.
 
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off $1000 cash, no warranty except direct w seven, talk only to owner....it is already written off.
 
TJYeti said:
I'm in a similar boat (which I also sold). Toy car I barely use, a custom chopper I haven't ridden in two years and sold the Ducati because I wasn't using that. Loads of high end saltwater fishing gear gathering dust. What has to give is NJ and it's taxes. I'm looking at houses in NC now that are same size as mine and just as nice, but $200k less on 20-30 acres instead of one and taxes are $1500 - $2k instead of $13k. Schools all suck there though compared to where we"re at now. Soon as the kids are out of school we're gone.
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So your getting the same house for $200K less and $11K less in taxes by moving out of this horrible and sinking quickly state, but how are the trails in NC? LOL
 
terrabike01 said:
So your getting the same house for $200K less and $11K less in taxes by moving out of this horrible and sinking quickly state, but how are the trails in NC? LOL
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Depending on the area, they range from horrible to awesome.

We've already established in this thread that those awesome trails have bike shops that serve coffee and beer.
 
qclabrat said:
I'm actually starting to build a board for my older and you are spot on, prices haven't moved much for over 30 yrs. I had this same deck in 1985ish. Paid about $60 back then now $70. Do you buy local or online? Looking for the cruiser size.

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