Probably the two cycling channels I religiously watch as soon as a video drops. Quality over quantity from them is unmatched. Chris seems like a really good dude. Dream group ride.
Great episode, Mitch! Chris’s videos were a huge inspiration for me to get a Crux as my do-it-all bike when I got back into cycling last year. Ended up riding 7,200 km in 2024, and I’ve loved how versatile it is across different setups - from road rides to gravel adventures. Such an awesome versatility!
Hey Mitch. Just recently stumbled upon your channel and I’ve really enjoyed it so far. Definitely one of my favorite cycling channels on RUclips without a doubt. I’m originally from Lake Forest in Orange County and just moved to LA last year. Hope to see you out on the road. Cheers!
Great episode. Excellent discussion. Grant calling in made it even better. I wish I didn't like Specialized so much. I live in Kansas and do some distance of Unbound each year and I have a Crux. Before that I had a Diverge. My road bike is an Aethos. I have tried other bikes like a Giant TCR, but I keep getting pulled back to Specialized.
Cool video. Bikes are getting more expensive but the lower end kit is getting better. I picked up an Aethos with a 105 DI-2 group set and its excellent (and I am someone thats had Ultegra, Dura Ace and Record over the years) A note on buying used bikes -Tread carefully, theres lots of scammers out there and they know their stuff. Make sure you see the bike before you send cash, if remote, why not get them on a zoom to check the bikes real as a starting point.
@@SurpriseMeJT I mainly ride alone unless it’s on zwift & have yet to encounter any egotistical narcissists. I’m sorry you’ve had a bad experience in the past. I hope you can find an inclusive group to reshape your view point & enable you to enjoy more aspects of cycling.
I think the challenge for the big brands is to keep the entry level bikes and components at high enough quality and low enough prices as to not push away absolute beginners, AND make these "beginner" bikes easily upgradeable because once the bug bites, people are inevitably going to want better
I would go with a Bastion, Battaglin, Ritchey Road Logic, Mosaic, Rock Lobster, Sarto, Prova, or English Cycles. Everything else is going to be replaced and usurped by the next bike iteration. It'll always be there to grab in the future
youtuber invitational would be siiick!! different types of races (crit, climb, gravel/mtb), minigames (power, track stand, wheelie, no hands), plus off the bike stuff would all be super fun
The used market is not that low in Australia. Folks still ask top dollar and they have to been raced hard. Make sure you have a mechanic check it over. Great show. thanks.
Learn to eat real food for LOTOJA early on in the race, then rely on liquid/mixes. I live in Logan Utah and have done this a few times. I have liked boiled red potatoes in salt water and eat those for the first 35miles. If you can get in real foods for the first 75-100 miles has been my trick. You really don't ever need to train more than 125miles on a ride. Mitch come do LOTOJA just for the ride, not race it. I'll have a place for you, come here a week before the race and we'll get you accumulated.
I definitely have a similar schedule like Chris, 4:30am wake up on the bike by 5:00am 20miles ride. Back by 6:00am wake up my 5&8 year old, take them on a 20min bike ride then back to get ready for school & work. It’s a lil satisfying knowing that I’m not the only crazy one following a hectic morning routine 😂
I think competition will push bike prices down. Canyons are already thousands less and are great bikes. Chinese brands are starting to make some really compelling stuff.
The issue is canyon just recently raised their prices. Still loads cheaper than other brands, but even they are following the trend of trying to capitalize as much as they can
While I don't think high-end bikes like Sworks and r5 will ever get cheaper. do think the point of entry will change a bit, that mid tier will go down. You're already seeing it with the crux.
MTB question. 56YO. Got a SuperCaliber, will probably use that for XC and gravel. Got an Aspero for road. Hung up my Ridley for now. Looking for a trail bike. Leaning towards the new Stumpy Aluminum comp with the Genie shock. They offer a non Genie option but it seems like that bike is optimized for the Genie. Is this bike Genie shock or not at all?
Honestly, for bike prices to go down, the big brands will really need to figure out how to deliver a direct-to-consumer experience. I mean, 30+% for the cost of a bike is paid to the bike shop, and way more if they're going through multiple steps in a distribution system. Bike shops really need to consider moving to a "service-focused" model and cut down on major expenses like excessive floor space. In addition, I would be very curious to see how these DTC Chinese brands fair in major races. Ex. X-Lab in the World Tour, and maybe Wheeltop groupsets in Unbound.
Yeah, Canyon's are so cheap. But somebody's paying the sponsorship money to get teams to race on 'em...and I think it's the buyer, not the seller? Whattya think is gonna happen with this X-Lab thing...prices aren't gonna go down once they have the "WT cred" so many will pony-up for.
I’m sort of a Specialized hater but ride an SL8, Allez Sprint, and a Crux. I previously managed a couple of dealerships and rode them because I needed to showcase product but at this point their geometry is what works best for me. Their road geo is a little lower and longer than the other brands now as everything else has gotten more relaxed.
"I’m sort of a Specialized hater but ride an SL8, Allez Sprint, and a Crux." JFC - scary to know what you'd have if you LIKED them! HTF is their geometry so different from their competitors? I'm not buying simply "little lower and longer" so...
@larryt.atcycleitalia5786 lol, I understand but it’s the way it is now that geo’s have changed. It’s about a cm lower and longer than the equivalent BMC, Cannondale, etc. I’m slammed on a 56 with an enve 132.5mm stem, so…? Don’t have to use proprietary bar/stem in limited sizes and can get lower than I would on other brands.
Why is everyone fixated on top end bike prices? They’ve always been high, for a reason - they are generally focussed for World Tour Teams, not for normal cyclists. For normal and midrange bikes there is a sh£t load of value out there - you get far more now for 3000 than you ever did. Over the horizon however is Shimano CUES for road - this will change the road bike market drastically as low end bikes will suddenly be really good (NO MORE MECHANICAL DISC BRAKES!!)...
this guy gets it. there are very very good affordable bikes (still not cheap), but the bike community has a problem with always wanting the latest and greatest.
I’d say it’s right in between road and gravel. Other than feeling taller, I think it feels a lot like the Melee. If you don’t need a race bike and want added versatility, I think the Fray is a great option.
The best part about all of this is watching dentist or finance bros show up to Ragbrai on their 15k bikes to get absolutely destroyed by a dude on a 1994 steel bike for 7 days straight while he’s pounding IPAs and eating pancakes 😂
Nah, cycling is not as expensive as horse riding. My sister spends 800 pounds a month on her horse all in, so around 12,000 USD per year. And horses live 25-30 years... Cycling can be very expensive, but people spending 10K on a bike (including myself) are not the only people cycling. It's perfectly possible to spend
I don't get the whole crying about bike prices thing. You can get a TanTan FM301 with carbon wheels for like 1000 bucks. It's an open mould Trek Domane with Toray T-800 carbon, it's the exact same thing as the Domane SLR from a few years ago. If you don't mind riding a cyclocross frame and wheels you can shave 200 bucks off that 1000 too. Throw a used 10 speed setup on that you're golden, how are bikes expensive that's like 1 paycheck at a fast food job in California. If you like steel bikes like me then that's even less to spend.
The bike brands don't make any money off of used bike sales. If the majority of the market moves to buying used bikes because they are priced out of any new bikes, the bike brands won't be able to subsist only on the sales of high-end bikes to the smaller market of high-end cycling customers. The big bike brands don't want to lose sales to use bikes so I do think there will be a tipping point.
That's exactly why there will be a tipping point SMH. If everyone starts buying second hand and holding onto bikes for longer, bike brands have to do something to entice people to hand over their cash to them...ergo, reducing price..which is pretty much always the driving factor. They might also streamline their manufacturing and/or also offer things like bike fit at time of purchasing a bike or pre-purcahse bike fit.Something they should be doing with any significant bike purchase to justify the absurd price.
@@out_spocken Pretty much. I generally build up my bikes from a frame/fork and sometimes swap out parts/groups....so I don't really spend a ton (still running SRAM 11 speed eTap on my 2020 Emonda ALR rim brake bike). I have no interest in spending 5 figures on a bike, but like having good stuff. I have a Merlin Sandstone Ti gravel bike, but I bought that before Phil bought the company and jacked the prices way up (buy Moots instead if you're spending that much)......I got the frame for $2,380 a few years back, but now the same frame with the options I have would cost $7,100. I built the entire bike with GRX Di2 for around $7k or so.
If you organize to ride with a mate you ride with a mate...UNLESS they tell you to go at your own pace. If you want to train...do it on your own time...coz there's every chance they only said yes to riding with you because they wanted to ..wait for it...ride WITH you. Don't like it when others do it and are happy to do it too...well...that's just perpetuating that culture isnt it. If it's a drop ride..then all well and fine. But I can count the times I've left a mate on a ride on one thumb of one hand. And again..that's after riding with him for 2hrs on the climb already and being near the top. Each to their own
HA! Only thing worse is when you show up and have to wait for the f__king guy to air-up his tires, and otherwise fart around...then the mofo tries to drop you right away! That's a one-and-done for me! Buy a license, pin on a number..otherwise it's just riding around.
Personally I just can’t see prices ever going down. What we might get is more bang for buck over time at all price points - eg better groupsets, disc brakes rather than rim etc - as tech trickles down and economies of scale kick in. It will just be “I used to get xyz for £3k, now I get abc too.” I expect today’s price brackets to stick around for a while sadly. Pro bikes (eg £12k+ S-Works) will always be extortionate for 99% of riders. Manufacturers will charge as much as they can get away with purely because it’s top of the line (and any pricetag increase is a drop in the ocean for the pro peloton anyway).
Currently almost all R&D money in bike industry is going into making top end bikes "faster" - aero shapes, better CF layups for reduced weight, disc brakes (debatable, according to rim holdouts), and wider wheels/tires they allow for, etc. Some smaller bike company needs to come along and innovate a more efficient manufacturing process for carbon frames. It is very labor intensive currently, which is why almost all of it happens in China. The big brands have large facilities with lots of capital dumped into the current processes, they will not change process to reduce cost unless forced by a competitor that figures it out. That's how bike prices will stop increasing so rapidly, not sure it will actually reduce cost.
@@adamolig3865 I suspect you’re right. Arguably we’re already seeing this to an extent with the likes of D2C brands like Canyon. Van Rysel is another interesting case study as Decathlon’s overall portfolio/better integration means they can probably be more competitive on margin (eg they’re not relying solely on bike sales to keep the lights on). More players like that could change things 🤷
Thanks for listening! Appreciate the feedback. Here's the full behind-the-scenes process: The phone line opens a few hours before recording--the number is shared on Instagram stories. We get a few calls with voice messages, the guest and I listen to a message and then immediately return the call. Not everyone answers--sometimes they get cut entirely, sometimes I save the question for a later episode. In those cases, I do text them before hand. I could cut out the "introductions" part of the call but often a funny moment occurs and in my opinion it's fun to hear the caller's reaction. I think it helps set the tone for the conversation. That said, the specific process may change in the future. It's still early days!
Hi. I weighed 295 pounds two and a half years ago. Bought a Poseidon X and lost 50 pounds. Then bought a pinarello, Lost another 50 pounds and bought an SL8. I am that guy. Lol.
Hello Mitch, hope you are well - I really enjoy watching your content.. anyway just a random question out of this topic - do you have tubeless set-up on your bikes?
Thanks for watching! I have tubless set up on my Ritte and BMC roadbikes. My 1990s Specialized Hardrock commuter and my wife's Cannondale road bike both have tubes because they are not used as often.
Real question: Where is the average point of diminishing returns about a bike to not get dropped on a group ride if you are reasonably fit? Drafting equals 15 pct more or less, so where is the bike only 5 percent slower, 10 percent slower, than your SWorks?
If you are getting dropped on a group ride, it's probably not the bike. If you can keep up but seem to be working harder than everyone else, THEN maybe look to your equipment. Just my experience after 40 yrs of group rides. 😊
It always amazes me how little people I hear on podcasts do that I assume are big time cyclists. 10,000km/7,000m. I need to do double that before I feel like I've actually done anything substantial in a year.
Former pro. Bought a bike 1999 for $479 bucks all campy best wheels These bikes are not BETTER NOR MUCH LIGHTER NOR FASTER. DISC BRAKES ARE NOT NEEDED.
Cycling tech is not moving so fast you have to be using the latest gear to be competitive....and most definitely for almost most of us, not to enjoy cycling to a very high level. The people buying the latest gear are either those that (1) absolutely are needing to chase the very marginal gains (2) people with gobs of money where the price of these top end bikes are mostly irrelevant (3) people stupid enough to believe the marketing/consumerism machine. No-one needs them and anyone that does shouldn't balk at the price...anyone else knows the cost of them before buying and there is an infinitely large sceond hand market or lower tier level of bikes for everyone else to buy and not whinge on socials about what they paid for their bike...ultimately enabling things to continue on as it is. SMH
Lmao, risk your life for a backalley deal, hopefully when paying cash for a bike parties have the common sense to meet up at an LBS or somewhere a little more secure.
I’m going to say it. Chris and Mitch should do this podcast as a team permanently. You guys jive perfect!
Probably the two cycling channels I religiously watch as soon as a video drops. Quality over quantity from them is unmatched. Chris seems like a really good dude. Dream group ride.
Might have to make that happen. After all, we’re practically neighbors.
@@carlosb555you’re too too kind- thank you!
What a blast! Thanks for the good chat, Mitch.
Also, please consider this an early RSVP for the Malibu Dream House™️
Top of the list! Thanks again for coming on the pod dude 🫡
Thanks for hanging up on me hahahaha
I’d gladly do it again anytime 😂
Ha! What a legend. Thanks for calling in.
Chris is the shit. Knowledge, experienced and his passion for riding shines through. He should be a regular monthly guest for you.
Thank you!
Great episode, Mitch! Chris’s videos were a huge inspiration for me to get a Crux as my do-it-all bike when I got back into cycling last year. Ended up riding 7,200 km in 2024, and I’ve loved how versatile it is across different setups - from road rides to gravel adventures. Such an awesome versatility!
Glad to hear I didn’t oversell the Crux!
Hey Mitch. Just recently stumbled upon your channel and I’ve really enjoyed it so far. Definitely one of my favorite cycling channels on RUclips without a doubt.
I’m originally from Lake Forest in Orange County and just moved to LA last year.
Hope to see you out on the road. Cheers!
Great episode. Excellent discussion. Grant calling in made it even better. I wish I didn't like Specialized so much. I live in Kansas and do some distance of Unbound each year and I have a Crux. Before that I had a Diverge. My road bike is an Aethos. I have tried other bikes like a Giant TCR, but I keep getting pulled back to Specialized.
Tons of great brands out there, but the big S undeniably makes a decent bike.
Cool video. Bikes are getting more expensive but the lower end kit is getting better. I picked up an Aethos with a 105 DI-2 group set and its excellent (and I am someone thats had Ultegra, Dura Ace and Record over the years) A note on buying used bikes -Tread carefully, theres lots of scammers out there and they know their stuff. Make sure you see the bike before you send cash, if remote, why not get them on a zoom to check the bikes real as a starting point.
I’m a skater and a cyclist.
Love to see more of us getting into it.
Need more skater roadies 😂
I find too many egotistical narcissists that do road. It didn't used to be that way.
Let’s bring in more of the culture, shall we?
@@SurpriseMeJTreally? I feel like it’s less of that “egotistical mania” now, thankfully.
@@SurpriseMeJT I mainly ride alone unless it’s on zwift & have yet to encounter any egotistical narcissists. I’m sorry you’ve had a bad experience in the past. I hope you can find an inclusive group to reshape your view point & enable you to enjoy more aspects of cycling.
Best episode for sure!
Loved your guy's chemistry! Definitely need a follow up with John and his former friend
Sending a box of cookies to John’s friend asap.
I think the challenge for the big brands is to keep the entry level bikes and components at high enough quality and low enough prices as to not push away absolute beginners, AND make these "beginner" bikes easily upgradeable because once the bug bites, people are inevitably going to want better
That bug bite is the most espensive bite I've ever received 🫠
Accurate
I would go with a Bastion, Battaglin, Ritchey Road Logic, Mosaic, Rock Lobster, Sarto, Prova, or English Cycles. Everything else is going to be replaced and usurped by the next bike iteration. It'll always be there to grab in the future
bike community is great. I see all the same people on the rides, I know all the same podcasts you had on today. I LOVE BIKES! RIDE ON!
youtuber invitational would be siiick!! different types of races (crit, climb, gravel/mtb), minigames (power, track stand, wheelie, no hands), plus off the bike stuff would all be super fun
Putting a camera on my bike now....and weighing the bike daily. Good stuff here :)
Hahaha! Please share Ring camera data feed.
Awesome listen so far. Subscribed, thumbs up! Ride on.
Was fun watching y’all
Mitch, love the pod. Keep it up!
Sick lighting my guy, wink wink.
Haha, thanks! I made a few little tweaks after the episode with Mike. The full new setup will drop in the next episode!
The used market is not that low in Australia. Folks still ask top dollar and they have to been raced hard. Make sure you have a mechanic check it over. Great show. thanks.
Learn to eat real food for LOTOJA early on in the race, then rely on liquid/mixes. I live in Logan Utah and have done this a few times. I have liked boiled red potatoes in salt water and eat those for the first 35miles. If you can get in real foods for the first 75-100 miles has been my trick. You really don't ever need to train more than 125miles on a ride. Mitch come do LOTOJA just for the ride, not race it. I'll have a place for you, come here a week before the race and we'll get you accumulated.
Had no idea about skaters to cyclists. Skated a few years and started cycling because skating just messed up my joints
I definitely have a similar schedule like Chris, 4:30am wake up on the bike by 5:00am 20miles ride. Back by 6:00am wake up my 5&8 year old, take them on a 20min bike ride then back to get ready for school & work. It’s a lil satisfying knowing that I’m not the only crazy one following a hectic morning routine 😂
What a champ
Dad hours 👊🏻
BMC ticks all the boxes on covering the range
Great episode and interviews 👍👏
Long form rambling 👍🏼👍🏼
I think competition will push bike prices down. Canyons are already thousands less and are great bikes. Chinese brands are starting to make some really compelling stuff.
The issue is canyon just recently raised their prices. Still loads cheaper than other brands, but even they are following the trend of trying to capitalize as much as they can
While I don't think high-end bikes like Sworks and r5 will ever get cheaper. do think the point of entry will change a bit, that mid tier will go down. You're already seeing it with the crux.
MTB question. 56YO. Got a SuperCaliber, will probably use that for XC and gravel. Got an Aspero for road. Hung up my Ridley for now. Looking for a trail bike. Leaning towards the new Stumpy Aluminum comp with the Genie shock. They offer a non Genie option but it seems like that bike is optimized for the Genie. Is this bike Genie shock or not at all?
I'm the wrong guy to ask here, but I'd be hesitant to be the early adopter of the Genie shock.
Honestly, for bike prices to go down, the big brands will really need to figure out how to deliver a direct-to-consumer experience. I mean, 30+% for the cost of a bike is paid to the bike shop, and way more if they're going through multiple steps in a distribution system. Bike shops really need to consider moving to a "service-focused" model and cut down on major expenses like excessive floor space. In addition, I would be very curious to see how these DTC Chinese brands fair in major races. Ex. X-Lab in the World Tour, and maybe Wheeltop groupsets in Unbound.
Yeah, Canyon's are so cheap. But somebody's paying the sponsorship money to get teams to race on 'em...and I think it's the buyer, not the seller? Whattya think is gonna happen with this X-Lab thing...prices aren't gonna go down once they have the "WT cred" so many will pony-up for.
I’m sort of a Specialized hater but ride an SL8, Allez Sprint, and a Crux. I previously managed a couple of dealerships and rode them because I needed to showcase product but at this point their geometry is what works best for me. Their road geo is a little lower and longer than the other brands now as everything else has gotten more relaxed.
"I’m sort of a Specialized hater but ride an SL8, Allez Sprint, and a Crux."
JFC - scary to know what you'd have if you LIKED them! HTF is their geometry so different from their competitors? I'm not buying simply "little lower and longer" so...
@larryt.atcycleitalia5786 lol, I understand but it’s the way it is now that geo’s have changed. It’s about a cm lower and longer than the equivalent BMC, Cannondale, etc. I’m slammed on a 56 with an enve 132.5mm stem, so…?
Don’t have to use proprietary bar/stem in limited sizes and can get lower than I would on other brands.
Why is everyone fixated on top end bike prices?
They’ve always been high, for a reason - they are generally focussed for World Tour Teams, not for normal cyclists.
For normal and midrange bikes there is a sh£t load of value out there - you get far more now for 3000 than you ever did.
Over the horizon however is Shimano CUES for road - this will change the road bike market drastically as low end bikes will suddenly be really good (NO MORE MECHANICAL DISC BRAKES!!)...
this guy gets it. there are very very good affordable bikes (still not cheap), but the bike community has a problem with always wanting the latest and greatest.
my 1000 dollar rim brake SL6 is fastest and lighter than any bike you can buy in shops
Good perspective from Outdoor bros, despite his own bike collection being a little Vebleny.
Much appreciated.
Question to Chris: where do you put the enve fray then? Is it or not a road bike? Can it or not do (light?) gravel?
I’d say it’s right in between road and gravel. Other than feeling taller, I think it feels a lot like the Melee. If you don’t need a race bike and want added versatility, I think the Fray is a great option.
Brah…dude…it’s like… yeach
Skater turned cyclist here I can confirm
🤘
@@MitchBoyeryew 🤘
Same
The best part about all of this is watching dentist or finance bros show up to Ragbrai on their 15k bikes to get absolutely destroyed by a dude on a 1994 steel bike for 7 days straight while he’s pounding IPAs and eating pancakes 😂
Ha!
I'm still having chest pains for what I paid for my last bike😢.
Nah, cycling is not as expensive as horse riding. My sister spends 800 pounds a month on her horse all in, so around 12,000 USD per year. And horses live 25-30 years...
Cycling can be very expensive, but people spending 10K on a bike (including myself) are not the only people cycling. It's perfectly possible to spend
btw - UCI rules say pro teams can only use stuff that can be sold to the public
Uh, yeah. And we know how this is so enforced by....nobody.
I don't get the whole crying about bike prices thing. You can get a TanTan FM301 with carbon wheels for like 1000 bucks. It's an open mould Trek Domane with Toray T-800 carbon, it's the exact same thing as the Domane SLR from a few years ago. If you don't mind riding a cyclocross frame and wheels you can shave 200 bucks off that 1000 too. Throw a used 10 speed setup on that you're golden, how are bikes expensive that's like 1 paycheck at a fast food job in California.
If you like steel bikes like me then that's even less to spend.
The bike brands don't make any money off of used bike sales. If the majority of the market moves to buying used bikes because they are priced out of any new bikes, the bike brands won't be able to subsist only on the sales of high-end bikes to the smaller market of high-end cycling customers. The big bike brands don't want to lose sales to use bikes so I do think there will be a tipping point.
That's exactly why there will be a tipping point SMH. If everyone starts buying second hand and holding onto bikes for longer, bike brands have to do something to entice people to hand over their cash to them...ergo, reducing price..which is pretty much always the driving factor. They might also streamline their manufacturing and/or also offer things like bike fit at time of purchasing a bike or pre-purcahse bike fit.Something they should be doing with any significant bike purchase to justify the absurd price.
@@out_spocken Pretty much. I generally build up my bikes from a frame/fork and sometimes swap out parts/groups....so I don't really spend a ton (still running SRAM 11 speed eTap on my 2020 Emonda ALR rim brake bike). I have no interest in spending 5 figures on a bike, but like having good stuff. I have a Merlin Sandstone Ti gravel bike, but I bought that before Phil bought the company and jacked the prices way up (buy Moots instead if you're spending that much)......I got the frame for $2,380 a few years back, but now the same frame with the options I have would cost $7,100. I built the entire bike with GRX Di2 for around $7k or so.
If you organize to ride with a mate you ride with a mate...UNLESS they tell you to go at your own pace. If you want to train...do it on your own time...coz there's every chance they only said yes to riding with you because they wanted to ..wait for it...ride WITH you. Don't like it when others do it and are happy to do it too...well...that's just perpetuating that culture isnt it.
If it's a drop ride..then all well and fine. But I can count the times I've left a mate on a ride on one thumb of one hand. And again..that's after riding with him for 2hrs on the climb already and being near the top. Each to their own
HA! Only thing worse is when you show up and have to wait for the f__king guy to air-up his tires, and otherwise fart around...then the mofo tries to drop you right away! That's a one-and-done for me! Buy a license, pin on a number..otherwise it's just riding around.
Personally I just can’t see prices ever going down. What we might get is more bang for buck over time at all price points - eg better groupsets, disc brakes rather than rim etc - as tech trickles down and economies of scale kick in.
It will just be “I used to get xyz for £3k, now I get abc too.” I expect today’s price brackets to stick around for a while sadly.
Pro bikes (eg £12k+ S-Works) will always be extortionate for 99% of riders. Manufacturers will charge as much as they can get away with purely because it’s top of the line (and any pricetag increase is a drop in the ocean for the pro peloton anyway).
Currently almost all R&D money in bike industry is going into making top end bikes "faster" - aero shapes, better CF layups for reduced weight, disc brakes (debatable, according to rim holdouts), and wider wheels/tires they allow for, etc. Some smaller bike company needs to come along and innovate a more efficient manufacturing process for carbon frames. It is very labor intensive currently, which is why almost all of it happens in China. The big brands have large facilities with lots of capital dumped into the current processes, they will not change process to reduce cost unless forced by a competitor that figures it out. That's how bike prices will stop increasing so rapidly, not sure it will actually reduce cost.
@@adamolig3865 I suspect you’re right. Arguably we’re already seeing this to an extent with the likes of D2C brands like Canyon. Van Rysel is another interesting case study as Decathlon’s overall portfolio/better integration means they can probably be more competitive on margin (eg they’re not relying solely on bike sales to keep the lights on). More players like that could change things 🤷
Are you texting the people that youre about to call? the initial 'hey its mitch, 5ou keft me a message' bit loses your flow
Thanks for listening! Appreciate the feedback. Here's the full behind-the-scenes process: The phone line opens a few hours before recording--the number is shared on Instagram stories. We get a few calls with voice messages, the guest and I listen to a message and then immediately return the call. Not everyone answers--sometimes they get cut entirely, sometimes I save the question for a later episode. In those cases, I do text them before hand. I could cut out the "introductions" part of the call but often a funny moment occurs and in my opinion it's fun to hear the caller's reaction. I think it helps set the tone for the conversation. That said, the specific process may change in the future. It's still early days!
I think it’s silly call people back with the same question!
Hi. I weighed 295 pounds two and a half years ago. Bought a Poseidon X and lost 50 pounds. Then bought a pinarello, Lost another 50 pounds and bought an SL8. I am that guy. Lol.
Hello Mitch, hope you are well - I really enjoy watching your content.. anyway just a random question out of this topic - do you have tubeless set-up on your bikes?
Thanks for watching! I have tubless set up on my Ritte and BMC roadbikes. My 1990s Specialized Hardrock commuter and my wife's Cannondale road bike both have tubes because they are not used as often.
Based on the results of Strade Bianche I think Tadej would dominate gravel racing if road went away. Just saying...
😂 nothing can stop that man from dominating
Real question: Where is the average point of diminishing returns about a bike to not get dropped on a group ride if you are reasonably fit? Drafting equals 15 pct more or less, so where is the bike only 5 percent slower, 10 percent slower, than your SWorks?
If you are getting dropped on a group ride, it's probably not the bike. If you can keep up but seem to be working harder than everyone else, THEN maybe look to your equipment. Just my experience after 40 yrs of group rides. 😊
6,500 miles in 2024! (10,460km)
👏👏👏
It always amazes me how little people I hear on podcasts do that I assume are big time cyclists. 10,000km/7,000m. I need to do double that before I feel like I've actually done anything substantial in a year.
Today in socal cycling….
What does Chris do for a living?
Dentist, of course 🫡
@outdoorbros_ nice my dentist cycles as well, and my mom was a R.D.A.
Specialized all day.
Bought new only 799. Has 105 group mechanical. Color is ugly. Just threw some Grand Prix on it . 2 triangles welded together for 10k. I just couldn’t
dachshund? Knew you were a good guy
Former pro. Bought a bike 1999 for $479 bucks all campy best wheels These bikes are not BETTER NOR MUCH LIGHTER NOR FASTER. DISC BRAKES ARE NOT NEEDED.
Cycling tech is not moving so fast you have to be using the latest gear to be competitive....and most definitely for almost most of us, not to enjoy cycling to a very high level.
The people buying the latest gear are either those that (1) absolutely are needing to chase the very marginal gains (2) people with gobs of money where the price of these top end bikes are mostly irrelevant (3) people stupid enough to believe the marketing/consumerism machine.
No-one needs them and anyone that does shouldn't balk at the price...anyone else knows the cost of them before buying and there is an infinitely large sceond hand market or lower tier level of bikes for everyone else to buy and not whinge on socials about what they paid for their bike...ultimately enabling things to continue on as it is. SMH
Lmao, risk your life for a backalley deal, hopefully when paying cash for a bike parties have the common sense to meet up at an LBS or somewhere a little more secure.