On 2007-06-07, SMS <
[email protected]> wrote:
> Ozark Bicycle wrote:
>>>> <http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=22271>
> How much would a comparatively specced cro-mo mountain
> bicycle cost these days? I bought one two years ago (Marin Bear Valley),
> and it was on sale for about $400 with an MSRP of $600, though it did
> have a suspension fork. Since then the manufacturer has decontented that
> model, and it's no longer available with the same specs.
Steel mountain bikes with high end components are for the most part
boutique items, and very often 29ers, which complicates matters. That's
especially true if you insist on a rigid fork. A few examples:
On-One Scandal with rigid fork, XT drivetrain and LX discs: 1149 GBP or
$2258 currently
Soma Juice frame $439, rigid fork $120
Surly Karate Monkey 29er frame & fork $450
Salsa El Mariachi frame & rigid fork $876
Gary Fisher Ferrous $1980 complete w/suspension fork
Or you could build up Nashbar's $50 steel frame. Just to see what would
happen, I spent a few minutes putting together a comparable spec to the
Stumpjumper. I came up with a total of $1295.28 not including tax,
shipping, and any parts I forgot. I didn't shop around, so what you see
is Nashbar's price for items they have, and Harris Cyclery's for items
that Nashbar doesn't have.
Nashbar steel frame $49.95
Nashbar steel fork $49.99
Cane Creek S-2 headset $14.99
Nashbar stem $16.95
Nashbar handlebar $14.95
Nashbar grips $7.99
Nashbar seatpost $27.99
Nashbar seat binder $7.99
Nashbar saddle $14.99
XT crankset w/BB $229.95
XT front derailer $33.99
X0 rear derailer $199.99
HG93 chain $27.99
XT 12-34 cassette $79.95 (Harris)
X0 trigger shifters $199.99
Nashbar shift cables and housing $8.90
Shimano BR-R550 cantis $73.90 (Harris)
Shimano BL-R440 levers incl. cables and housing $29.95 (Harris)
Deore/Rhyno Lite wheelset $145 (Harris Cyclery)
Panaraser Smoke Classic tires $49.90
Nashbar tubes $9.98
This is not to say that that you should rush out and buy a Stumpjumper
Classic. Although it has a certain je ne sais qua that I find appealing,
I can only assume that mountain bike builders moved away from that kind
of frame geometry for a reason. I will not be rushing out to the local
Specialized shop to buy one. However, if you look at it strictly in
terms of price in relation to component spec, it's not completely out of
line. There are some rather expensive parts on that bike.
If you abandon any idea of comparable component spec and just want a
steel mountain bike, you can get the Trek 820 with mostly high-tensile
frame, RST fork, and very cheap components for $260 or any number of
department store klunkers for under $100.