John Forrest Tomlinson <
[email protected]> wrote in message news:<
[email protected]>...
> It's simply not true that cycling is more expensive now than it was in
> the 1980s. You can buy bikes for less money in real dollars that work
> better than material back then. Even a "serious bike." And they'll
> last just as long in terms of providing equal performance.
Here are some prices best I can remember them from circa 1984
Columbus SL bike with Campy SR parts: $1,500
Clement Criterium Cotton sewups $30
Vittoria CX sewups $45
Several decent training sewups were ~$10
Michelin Supercomp clinchers $10
SunTour New Winner freewheel $35
Sedisport chain $5 (when you buy by the box)
Skinshorts most were $10 - $40 depending on quality
Thinking in terms of adjusted dollars.
You can get a pretty nice bike for $2,739.
You can still get good hand made sewups for $55-$82 (I assuem anyway)
but I don't know of any $18 sewups worth riding any more (I haven't
been shoping for them though)
Clinchers have gone up more than infation. Good clinchers are more
than $18 and while they are pretty colors now they don't work as well
as the old black ones and they wear more quickly.
You can get gear clusters for $64 though today all you get are cogs
since the freewheel is built into the hub. I'm pretty sure that
individual cogs are more now though I don't remember what they cost
back then.
Chains have gone up a lot. Most people spend $20-$40 on chains now
and they don't last as long now since they are narrower. Chains used
to be cheap enough to throw away when they got dirty (and most of the
racers I knew bought Sedis chains by the box and did this).
$18-$73 is the range most shorts fall into today best I can tell.
> Sure, maybe "the best" stuff is more expensive now, but that's not
> comparing apples to apples as the best stuff now is way way way
> better.
While bikes are pretty similar in cost, consumables (tires, chains,
cogs) have gone up more quickly than inflation.
The real problem now is obselencence. In the 1980's it was conceivable
to ride the same parts for a decade. Now with indexing and adding
a new cog every few years everything gets obsolete long before it
is worn out. When you have an orphaned drivetrain you may have to
junk it as soon as one part breaks or is worn out since you may not
be able to find a replacment.
Is cycling better or more fun than it was 20 years ago? Not that I can
tell. Everything in the early 1980's worked well enough that it didn't
detract from the enjoyment or sportingness of the ride. Brifters, and
more cogs are only incremental improvements from the rider's point of
view and detract from the simplicity and durability of the drivetrain.
It is debatable if dual pivot brakes are actually an improvment, they
have higher mechanical advantage so they don't require as much effort
but they have to be adjusted closer to the rim and don't track a damaged
wheel as well. Aero wheels may shave seconds off time trials but are of
dubious value for training or recreational rides.
--
Bruce Jackson - Sr. Systems Programmer - DMSP, a M/A/R/C Group company