Has ever occurred to any of these companies that people stopped buying bikes, components and equipment because they are so expensive and don't justify the price for the average consumer? No wonder they are not selling anything. I worked in a bike shop as a salesperson when things were somewhat decent, but now they are out of their minds. They want to make money from every bolt. I do get that they are businesses, but a lot of potential customers don't have a tree to collect money from. I have an example: A driver on a rear hub of dirt jumper cost almost half of the price of a new rear hub. That is not normal. When I was a kid, biking was dirt cheap, even if you had the pinnacle of technology (for the consumer, not for racing/competitions). Now it's slowly transforming into a niche sport for the rich. There was a joy in riding a bike, that is now gone. Discovering new areas and going further than you could get while being on foot. Now everything is Garmin's, Strava's and showing of who's got the bigger balls by getting the ever-increasing expensive bike. Where is the joy in that?

Spent my whole life in the bike industry and retired right before covid after the last 30 years on the wholesale side. I love the bike industry and still help a local shop out part time because its so much fun wrenching bikes. As I look back, things were so much simpler and I feel for the shops that are struggling just to stay in business. The old joke "how do you make a millions dollars in the bike industry", start with 2 million" is so true today. Good luck!

You know everything's wrong in the mtb industry when motorcycling costs less.

14k for a bike is ridiculous. All bike brands are out of hand with these crazy prices.

Last year I was saving for a new Trek Slash. When the shop told me the cost, i laughed and left. I went over to the motorcycle dealership and bought a new KLX300, full kit and gear, saddlebags and some other things. I found a used Beta Techno 250 trials moto for 800. I got 2 motos, full safety gear and all of that was still less than the Trek. 30 years and living in Steamboat Spings and the costs pushed me out of pedaling. Ill keep my Giant Anthem. Its a shame these cycling companies pushed me out.

Bike prices are just too high! When motor cycles are cheaper than bikes that's a problem! A Specialized SL8 19k a KTM team addition 450 notor cross bike 10k. Go figure?

If I owned a shop my hours would be 11am to 8pm (most ppl eat at noon and 5pm) but secure 24hr drop off using bike lockers would be interesting.

I agree with the used market. When bikes cost like cars, residual value is key. Especially In the e-bike space which is probably where growth remains. As the economy is tight, an e-bike as a car alternative becomes attractive.

One thing that amazed me with business choices during COVID... All of these companies saw a rapid change, people buying bikes, Zwift getting many more subscribers, Peloton getting a ton of subscribers. They all seemed to expect this growth trend was going to continue. It boggles my mind.

LBS is the glue that holds everything together… invaluable information. They always give me deals on everything. My LBS has my loyalty for life. I had bad experiences in other bike shops and never went back in ever. Customer service is always the key…. Warren buffet once said nobody remembers years later what they paid for something… they remember how they were treated.

In Feb. 2023 I bought my Specialized Creo SL Expert Carbon EVO at my LBS for $9750. Took until now to get everything right, but I love that sucker. Out every morning at 6 to 7 am here in Southern Arizona for a hour and a half ride. Use eco mode only. Love the Di2, hydraulic discs and dropper post. Sure it was expensive, so is my Apple stuff. Traded my Lemond Zurich in. Needed the ebike to get up a steep Issaquah hill where my son lives. 87 years old.

Man, I have been waiting for someone to say this! We have a great bicycle shop here in my area, I watched them build the Specialized brand for 30 years and then they turned around and stabbed the guy in the back. I was so pissed off for the retailer that I wanted to burn my Specialized bike on line and post it. The guy that owns this bicycle shop cut ties with them because he has great integrity and customer service. Honestly, I hope Specialized does fail, they deserve it. They got lost on whom the important people are.

If you google "supply chain bullwhip effect" it pretty much lays out the exact situation that we all just witnessed play out in a lot of industries. Bikes just happened to have an extreme case of it.

Came across your channel, and listened and watched...it was like going down memory lane. My brother and I started a bike shop in the early 80's, selling what ever we could the first year. Eventually getting Schwann, trek, cannonade, bianchi, klein, etc. You are so correct, when we opened, we used to sell 300 bikes for kids at Christmas, then , BMX was hot. Soon, mom and dad, started buying bikes for themselves, and another market emerged. Every one came in and said, i want a bike i don't have to bend over to ride, soon the MTB and hybrid arrived. I love bikes and still do, I sold one of our shops in the mid 90's. My brother, ended his bike ownership in 2021, with his best year ever, but he knew it was time to retire. How right he was! I still ride 3 to 4 times a week, and this spring I took a part time job at a bike shop in town, that has 11 other stores. I wanted to work at the shop to get back into the local social scene in bikes, since I had moved 900 miles west. The shop, was very corporate, data driven, computer entry very important, but the folks coming in were looking for the family bikes, or a hybrid, etc. Eventually, although i was selling lots of bikes, I could not master the 9 steps in the computer program of gathering data on the customer, accessories, mechanic schedules, lay a way, special orders, etc, and let the manager end my employment, which after a few months now, makes me happy to not be working. I enjoy mt biking, gravel, and road riding and wrench my friends bikes for free. I've crewed on a couple solo RAAM races, started bike clubs, co-directed many Tris, sponsored a Cat2 team, started a group that wrenched bikes for poor kids, training the children to take apart and rebuild a bike, that they got for free after the session. I remember when i was out on a road ride, in the 80"s, meeting an engineer riding the first Cannondale prototype, we switched bikes, and I rode it before it was on the market. Schwinn home grown, Klein Attitudes, Campagnolo tool set, Bianchi Supperleggera and Eco pista, etc. I'm not a fan of Specialized although I own 4 of their bikes. They have squeezed the dealers, as you mentioned, to get the best margin, you had to buy from all the categories. Specialized screwed us, as dealers, and I'll never forget. They were nothing, in the beginning, no one knew their name or bikes, but the LBS, got behind their bikes and pushed them up the hill to the top. I think they are pushed a little thin, but they will survive. They cut some fat, but they still sponsor 3 pro UCI teams, which I figure must be 90 to 100+ S work bikes per team, plus equipment. Is it worth it, in Europe, yes of course, but here in the US, other than the Tour, hardly any one follows pro cycling. Keep up the dialogue, Some one i knew is involved on the credit side for a big bike company who says, Specialized is teetering. I hope they do not fall, the consequences for the LBS and the bike industry would be catastrophic. Time will tell. Keep the faith!

I have a 2000 Stumpjumper and a Salsa Timberjack. They are both simple and rip. The Stumpjumper is lighter than any of the new hardtails (minus all the schmo tech) and makes the local moderate trails near me a blast. Lived in Colorado Springs years ago and ripped around on an SE Stout 29er single speed with rim brakes. Made the trails a real challenge but increased my tech skill 10x. Road bike is a 1980's Fuji club (red/yellow looking like Ronald McD) with some new age wheels and SRAM components off a totaled Madone. Keeps up with snobs on 10K bikes all day and doesn't require a wifi connection.

Specialized started off building bikes to purpose but ended up building to price point like everyone else was doing. When I first started riding pro bikes you just bought a frame and fork set and chose what components you wanted. The market is vastly different now.

Did you seriously say that bicycle magazine reviews resonate more with consumers? They’re one of the most corrupt parts of the industry.

Mid tier trek madone with ultegra in 2012 was 1800 pounds. Same bike now is 6000. Nowhere near inflation.

Mountain bikes are out of control , one of the main issues is that the sport has evolved into skiing where people go to bike park resorts every weekend as it's typically people in the upper-class that can afford to do so . Bike manufacturers know this as they jacked up the prices over the past 10 years as people making 150k+ a year can easily afford an $5-10k bike. Residing in NH , during the warmer months there's a line of vehicles heading North from Massachusetts every weekend , many carrying suspension bikes to the Bike/SKI resorts in the White Mountains as they use the ski lifts . Not me , as I'm still bombing through the various trail systems in my area as I enjoy climbing uphill on my old ass bikes.

Who all remembers the green klein always in the background on the Seinfeld show?

The difference that will make or break LBS is customer service/experience. I know shops that won’t even touch a bike they didn’t sell or stock. The service department is where the future money is. Retrofitting older models, assembling DTC brands, fitting, servicing suspension, and even offering used bicycles are revenue streams LBS can control

Bikes for majority of people are considered toys or hobby items. The prices are out of line what the majority of people are going to pay for a hobby/toy. The biggest seller at the shop I work part time at is a cheap ass GT aggressor. These manufacturers need to make good quality entry level bikes to squeeze out walmart and big box junkers out of the bike market.

This was a hoot to listen to, thank you for such an honest, fresh and on point take. Customer focus 👌 plus giving the mechanics time to ride in the morning before starting work is the dream set up. Everyone is happier to work on bikes if they’ve got a ride in beforehand 😄

The market has shifted. America is more Obese than ever. Fewer people want to pedal a bike. Chinese Electric Bicycles (Ebikes) are taking over the $750 to $3000 bike purchasers. The ones sold in brick and mortar stores are overpriced (for the features they offer). Most importantly, the Chinese are not even pretending to pay attention to class 1, 2, and 3 Ebike categories. They are selling REAL commuter bikes that will get you to work without being sweaty when you get there. They are riding on the wave of "electric transportation". I rode to work Friday, and used less than 5 cents worth of electricity to do it round-trip. This is (obviously) much cheaper than even driving an economy car (or a Tesla) to work. America is getting older too. Fewer children are born to people who were Born in the USA. Electric Bikes (Ebikes) are growing in appeal to an older generation which still wants to get out, but are struggling with Arthritis and joint issues. People with disposable income, are choosing transportation which comes without the sweat and sore joints. And most kids can't afford a "better than Walmart" bike. The market for bike shops has most certainly diminished. I see nothing on the horizon which will improve this. I do see things on the horizon which will make it much worse.

Lbs owner. Non standard size parts are to be avoided. Way to many different bottom brackets, aero seatposts, etc. They don't have to volume to survive and won't be available in the future. Keep it simple and standard.

Got my 2023 Specialized Turbo Levo Carbon for $3500. Cant believe I got it so cheap. Was told 5k was the lowest and was able to get $3500

Back in the 90s I managed bike shops for a well known national chain (P……….). To make my managers annual bonus we had to meet several sales goals. I almost choked when I learned we had to sell 1,100 bikes for the year. We did it. ( I had a fantastic team ).

i know ive said it before but again, i really enjoy these straight shoot em talks about the business.

Bike manufacturers are going through the same market realisation as the car yards in the US are currently going through. They could get away with high prices but now they can't and all the unsold inventory proves it.

a brilliant and very honest assessment of industry. loved that he didnt tryto hide the beer can.

Please "Like" and also " Share" to keep the conversation going. Also, The Drink I have in this video is a Bing Energy Drink, and I'm completely sober in all my videos. If you think I'm slurring my words, maybe it's from having a stroke over our industry being upside down. Or lack of sleep from my children. (or Both) In any case, that's just how I speak, so be kind. More insights from my perspective with 30 years of experience in the cycling Industry in the playlist: kzfaq.info/sun/PLdfUXv0-z1u42bZpCLWmT2VtNW-7AIf2A

I have an sworks enduro 22 model custom, a canyon sender, a canyon spectral-on and a salsa timberjack. My kids have downhill and enduro bikes. Will bike for food.

This is really great to watch. Every bike company executive should be forced to sit down and watch this. Who’s buying $5k to $10k bicycles?? Would they not do better selling five $1000 bicycles vs. that one $5k bike? (With five times the service opportunities) Thinking about someone whose kids are older, now they can afford a new ride, and have the spare time for it, walk into a dealership and see a bike for $5000. They turn around and walk right back out. Or, see a $7500 bike on “sale” for $6200 🤣 It’s going to be interesting.

Looking at frame prices recently. Some brands still real proud. $3729 for a boutique carbon trail bike frame. Wonder if the retail price for those ever go down.

I bike a lot and I see that half the riders are on ebikes. All the new riders are on ebikes. If specialized, trek etc want to survive, they need to make an affordable ebike that is around 1 to 2k. Just put a hub motor on a frame and call it a day.

90s: light bikes, 26" wheels, MTB = everybody could ride trails with casual friends. 2023: MTB = Red Bull Rampage, $5,000/heavy downhill bikes, big gaps. One is more profitable than the other.

I contributed to the bike industry this year. On one carbon mtb and one aluminum mtb l am $15k invested. I do have to say l was sticker shocked when l first started looking. If l wouldn't have been somewhat pressured by my friends to bike with them l probably wouldnt have spent the money

I remember riding mount Tamalpais in the '70s on our generic old Schwinns, modified with big tires and we called them "Stump Jumpers." I later found out that there was an actual brand name for Stump Jumper and they eventually became Specialized. Cool cheap bikes went out of favor, I guess.

bikes just became too expensive...

Something happened to the bike industry over the last ten years or so. The prices have skyrocketed and the bikes are essentially the same thing they have been. No real new technology that matters just stupid high prices. I’ve ridden road bikes for 50+ years and I’ve never purchased a brand new bike. There’s no need to do that when you can buy last years model for a fraction of the price. Anyways I don’t feel sorry for these companies at all. Canyon sells a kick ass endurance road bike with disc and Di12 for $4,200. Why on earth would anyone buy the specialized version for $14,000

I picked up 2 bikes. One was in a scrap pile and one was $50. The scrap bike got about $150 in parts and the one that cost $50 just needs tires and tubes, but I plan on buying some upgraded parts. At the end of the day, they are still gonna be Walmart Mongooses, but they will be reliable. That’s all I really was looking for. It beats spending $400 per bike for low end new, plus it keeps them out of the scrap yard.

Companies/Brands should take a cue from the auto industry. Offer "certified" used bikes. The American marketing push for bikes to be "extreme" in performance, weight, and tech has priced most people and former riders out of reconnecting with the sport. $3500 buy-in ($7k for a couple) is a hard pill to swallow. There is a gaping hole in the $600-$1500 bike market. It is a gap that drives smaller players to sell direct and cut out the middle man- your LBS. But brands love differentiators, and weight is the one quantifiable marketing point other than color. A dream of a simple yet quality bike brand that FITS one of their tested models to your needs and sends you home with a dependable bike that you can be proud to own, fits you, is serviceable/upgradable.

I'd say rapacious corporate greed is responsible for most or all of these failures. When shareholder value trumps all other aspects of a business, it's doomed.

Big brands like Specialized, Trek and Giant will be able to weather the storm. The smaller boutique brands don’t have the large bank accounts to survive.

My Specialized Stumpjumper Evo Pro was 8.3k. Dropped to 6.3k. Now I see the leftovers at 5.5k. I paid 6.3k. The only reason I bought the Stumpjumper Evo because it is highly adjustable, and a bunch of aftermarket parts. This is the perfect bike for me but Specialized is so FN expensive. I think it's driven by all the overhead they have, sponsorships, marketing, and high corporate salaries.

Specialized is charging $2800 for 10 speed Tiagra. Of course nobody is buying them. They are out of their minds if they think that is going to sell.

I wouldn’t want to be bringing my “straight” to customer bike to my local shop for service....I want to support that shop every way I can

My friend bought a 29 " stump jumper , was so heavy and cheap group set , rear hanger broke on first trip scraping rear stay !

3:27 and Eastman Kodak. In the 1970s they were on top of the world but eventually went to zero. It was unfathomable. Imagine the iPhone becoming obsolete and Apple going bankrupt and disappearing as a modern analogy.

Love the shirt. Buying it for my friend who broke his collarbone and the first thing he said was his bike is fine.

Sometimes children feel they have overgrown their 20"" or 24" bike and they get an adult sized bike. This small bike is given to a younger child after being fixed up, instead of a parent buying a new bicycle for the smaller child. This is re-cycling which people feel is a very good thing now. The result is fewer new bicycles are sold.

Quality and Salsa are moving in ..not pushing just offering great bikes - competition for the big companies- it is a different world today but the industry is still rolling along. So much for innovate or die !

Not even half. I bought a trek dual sport in 22. Had to go out of town for like a year. Left my bike home, so i only road it fora total of 10 short rides. The bike is immaculate. They said the would only give me 150 for a practically brand new bike

100% agree, cycling, just to sum it up it seems like it has just become a cash grab. This starts with companies trying to justify 4,500 frames, yeti, bike shops that have no interest in trying to be competitive, what's worse if you walk in one of these, they almost act like it would be a privilege for you to buy something from them at full MSRP. It's like they think there's an endless supply of rich people.

Ever heard the saying "win on sunday orders on Mondays" ? Winning anything sells products. Consumers need confidence that their purchase yields a certain value. Its very important for a brand to have market value. Bike companies needs riders to win races, this has a flow-on effect from the international race scene to the local club races. I think it's a shame that GT have pulled out of racing, I sure it will impact in bike sales and will slowly decline the longer they take to put race team together and start landing podiums.

Totally stripped and re-built a full squish MTB during my time in hell, wrenching at a bike shop. The last bolt broke. I called the manufacturer and they said no, you're not one of our shops we can't sell it to you. Called the customer told them what happened n he came in and paid/picked up his bike. He was really nice about it n told us that the manufacturer's shop wouldn't touch his MTB bcz it, the bike, was more than 3 years old. I'll never own a bike from that manufacturer, not even a free one. Can you guess the brand of the manufacturer? 🤭🤭🤫 We, the entire mechanical staff, kindly pleaded with the idiot customer to abandon any hope of re-building/refurbishing his old MTB but he didn't listen....shocker.

Very Interesting - I'm no businessman. I ride my 32 year old Schwinn and have noticed something. Old bikes seem to be a bit simpler. There may be less to break. If Trek sells old bikes in their stores, I think there is a market out there for reconditioned reliable old bikes. The lower price of old bikes may also mean that there may be a higher volume of sales of these less expensive bikes. Perhaps being able to quickly move the used bikes will generate as much revenue as these new expensive bikes. The new expensive bikes may not sell as often. Nothing was said about smaller brands like Quality Bike Products, i.e. Surly et all. They seem to sell niche bikes. How do they fit into the picture? At any rate, this video and others have convinced me to avoid Specialized bicycles. Thanks.

We saw Canondale do this in the 1990’s here in the South. They cut ties with locals & went bigger. Hurt them. That little went Specialized shop, one of the First. It’s crazy.

I've owned a lot of bikes in my life but I'm part of the problem. My road bike is a Motobecane TTT aero built in the 70's My tandem is about 20 years old. It has an aluminum frame but came with a lot of steel parts so over the years those have gotten replaced with stuff that won't rust

30:55 Here in Las Vegas I've never once seen any used bikes in a bike shop anywhere in town, only new bikes. I like your philosophy that. Nice to give a new rider a choice by having new and used bikes to choose from. It's a win-win situation!

You brought back some memories with that Schwinn Home Grown sign on your wall, also companies like KHS and IronHorse came to mind. Miss those 😢. What about companies like Giant?

Pretty simple: specialized wants $15k for a bike. You can get an evil for $8k or a diamond back for $6k. I just fompared the top of the line for all 3. The issue is specialized was testing the elasticity of demand and they got greedy. Another thing i noticed is that parts availability never did recover ftom covid. This is not an accident. Manufacturers realized they could make more money by scaling production back, creating artificial demand, and raising prices. This is capitalism and this us why capitalism is not good.

Your so right about the red barn situation, I would love to be able to put my hands on nice used bikes.

They have been ripping us for decades thinking they could become the new golf

Online v. brick and mortar: how to do enough to survive against the behemoths? Very informative talk here, persuasive points made on carrying a used line to get people in the door and ideally growing that customer over time. And to be an independent shop carrying a major mfg'ers line only to have them go consumer direct- what a punch in the gut that must be. But to be frank, if I was poised to splurge on a new high end bike, I would def (right now) go Canyon. The value is so apparent. You can see why Specialized is scrabbling to emulate and salvage market share, with their retailers getting caught in the middle.

Watching you, I keep wondering if you are pissed?? What's in that can? Nevertheless, lots of what you are saying makes sense. My experience aligns with your comments. Starting in the '80s I purchased a bunch of Specialized bikes in a row. I had a few different StumpJumpers in a row and I loved them. The first was a '90s hardtail. Then, I progressed to dual suspension. I grew with the changes in technology. On the road bike side, I had a beautiful carbon Roubaix that was the same as we watched going around on the Tour de France. Then, when e-bikes came along, I purchased a 2017 S-Works Turbo Levo 6 Fattie. It was excellent; leading edge. You might say I was a loyal customer. That was before the extreme greed began to overtake. Within the next year or so the price of my Levo literally doubled. Yes, they tweaked it with a little new tech. But honestly, where was the added value to justify doubling the price. By 2020 Specialized had totally buggered their own future business by price gouging. People aren't buying new bikes today because Specialized totally burned customers during COVID-19 times. We all got screwed so bad that it still hurts. People don't forget and people certainly won't forgive big corporate for being so damned greedy. If Specialized folds, then it is their own greedy fault.

In lockdown you couldn’t buy a bike because all the idiots bought them , where are they now? In sheds and garages around the world especially the uk 🚲

2010 specialized enduro base model: one of the greatest mtb ever made. 2018 specialized enduro s-works: complete garbage.

I work and build my own bikes, yes I still have to buy a bike but I'm calculated on what I buy then ride it longer then most keeping up with my own maintenance. Every once in awhile I go to the shop for work like a wheel build or initial tune up that comes with the bike. If i need something asap I'll stop at the bike shop for a tube or tire, chain or brake pads.

“About direct consumer sales” First I totally support my local bike shops. I went there first, didn’t have the size bike for my wife. They suggested I call Specialized for direct sales as we needed the for my wife’s first half century in 6 days. Specialized had the bike in stock. But the fastest way to get the bike was to ship it to the local dealer. The time difference was 3 weeks compared to 3 days. So we shipped it to our local shop.

Can't charge a frame for 4-5000. never made any sense when all of them are made in taiwan for a fraction of the price.

Too much focus on high-end. Unless you're in the Tour de France, you don't need to spend an extra thousand bucks to lose 100 grams. Most of us would be better off with a slightly heavier, more durable bike. Everyone willing to spend $12k on a bike already has one. There's a lot of room for high enough end bikes for people that ride centuries and bike tours. And they could be sold for thousands less than the ridiculous, and ridiculously good, bikes Specialized is trying to sell us.

I will only buy used. I bought a 2020 Madone SLR7 for 35% of its sticker price. I'm a Gen X'er and a bike that is over $800 still sends me into shock. That being said, I have spent double that in accessories like shoes, helmets, kits etc.

Great Video and nice Real Talk. SUBSCRIBED! As for the Bicycle Industry, I think it is more of a market correction than anything. People had money to spend during Covid, and now they don't. Covid helped the bicycle industry to grow exponentially because it got more people into bicycling. Even the "low budget" but serious bicyclist, who never really spent money, were spending like crazy during Covid. Covid was truly a BOOM TIME. However, all booms must crash, and now here we are. It won't be just the Bike Industry that will be crashing, All Industries and Markets will suffer in the next 2-5 years. We have always had economic corrections in the country, so a crash should not be shocking to anyone. The Companies that did NOT plan for the "famine" during the times of "feasting", will all end up starving to death. That is just the way it is. Like you said, bye bye K-Mart, Blockbuster, and Sports Authority. Remember though, it was not even that long ago when the bicycle industry was hurting, in 2019 the Bicycle Industry also was hurting badly due to lack of sales, but Covid came and that was a God Send for the Bicycle Industry. I can't believe anyone in the Bicycle Industry would really believe that the good times would last forever. As for all the comments of high prices, I don't think they are that high at all. I myself always remembered the top end bicycles and parts being overly expensive. In 1999, it cost me $4.5k to build up an Intense Tracer (of course it had the best parts). $4.5k was a lot of money back then! Now a Top Build is about $11k, but we get so much more with that $11k than I got for my $4.5k back then. Now we get stuff like Carbon Frame and Wheels, Dropper Seat-Posts, and really Nice Fox Suspension. Now I will say, a $14k Road Bicycle is a little bit shocking, because Road Bikes are simple devices with no suspension or dropper. I do remember a top end Pinarello Dogma costing $12k in 2015, so in the big picture, a 15% increase over 8 years is really not that big of an increase considering how much worse the devaluation of the dollar is now. For reference, Bacon Prices has gone up 100% in the past 8 years. Another thing shocking to me is the amount of top end bicycles I see at the races or other biking events. I guess more people are just willing to spend more money on bicycles now. In 2002, I always had the best bikes at these events, but now in 2023, there are so much more people with top end bikes, and many even more top flight than my builds. About me: Since the age of 9 (1980), I have always had an interest in bicycles and motorcycles (of all types). I got out of all bicycling in 2002, but got back into it full steam in 2015. Since 2015, I have probably invested about $70k in the Bicycle Industry for parts, accessories, lift tickets, races, parts, clothing, etc, etc. During Covid till now (2020-2023), I bought 4 new higher end bicycles. I currently have 8 bicycles now, all higher end stuff, that are all in great shape (a road bike, gravel bike, a 29er Enduro Bike, a 27.5" Enduro Bike, an E-Bike, an XC bike, and 2 DH Bikes). The Bicycle Industry should send me a THANK YOU LETTER!

You know a lot about the competitive dynamics of the industry. Good insights, and a welcome divergence from the usual discussion about bike component comparisons. One more dynamic that I observed during Covid, when supplies dried up, is that the Trek-owned dealership -- a half hour away from my local Trek independent shop -- was able to get the bike that I wanted a year (!) ahead of ANY local Trek shop in my area. Instead of keeping a list at the warehouse that any authorized dealer can pick from on a first-come-first-served basis, they clearly gave preference to their own store. I am sure that this will have implications, as well. Maybe they are moving towards all company-owned stores so that they can integrate with a future DTC strategy. Their current website already directs you to local stores and has a free-ship-to-local-store option for components.

hold off on buying new bikes a bit longer boy we almost there

Bikes are overpriced simples , the manufactures-milked it during Covid and thought it would go on forever. They deserve everything coming

93 Merlin Road bike, 84 Ritchey Competition Mountain Bike, Simple bikes to work on.

The new pivot for that new DH bike better shoot sparks or turn you into Super Bruni, but how many sales will a DH rig generate? Average Joe doesn't need one.

LL Bean in Freeport Maine is open 24 7..every day..and they sell bikes...

Off topic but when you mentioned schwinn my mind went immediately back to when I owned my Paramount. It was an incredible frame.

I’ve been riding Road for 30 years....from my fathers Motobecane Super Mirage...given to me, stripped down, toe strap pedals and a Profile triathlon bar attached (15/16 years old )😁....to my first serious bike, a late 90s I think, 3.0 Criterium frameset Cannondale equippwith Campagnolo Mirage 9 speed (still own it)....to a Fuji Team Super Lite equipped with Chorus 10 speed......I always WANT BIKES🤷🏻‍♂️....I’m a Bike Nut...it’s IMPLIED....I DO NOT HOWEVER, possess the desire to go into HOCK on a bicycle.....or empty my savings..... I am rebuilding the Cannondale with a 10 speed Campy group and that’s it....the frame is in excellent condition, my weight has never exceeded 142 pounds and I don’t abuse my bikes

Great video, but Blockbuster is a terrible analogy. Blockbuster went under because their ENTIRE reason for existing evaporated! They could have TRIED to see what was coming and get ahead of it, but they didn't have the technical knowledge or foresight to see what was truly coming. Now if bicycles were rendered completely obsolete like the buggy whip, then this analogy would apply. Luckily for all of us, it doesn't!

Appreciate the authenticity and truth telling.

Maybe it's just me & if so I apologize, in advance. Granted I'm much older than you but cut out the energy drink(s) just before or during a video. Your mouth is doing 110 mph while my ears/brain are floored and barely hitting 55 ! What I did gleam , ( after some repeated replays), was very informative & thought provoking. Good Luck.

I wanted to replace my Specialized Rock Hopper. There aren't any Specialized Dealers in my area anymore. There used to be 5 or 6! I refuse to buy a bike I can't test drive (somehow) first. You can't do that without a local bike shop that sells the product. Now I'm exploring other options.

Hi guys , there are cheap bikes available for 100 or 200. They are very good and have all the bell and whistles. The bikes that are priced at $4000 avg are for fun boys. The issue is that we will not have such demand all the time for high end bikes. Be realistic.

Everything I've heard is that dudebro at Spec has always had it against the LBS's and never wanted middlemen but the world had no alternative until now. Agree on the shop hours. I do 99% of my own maintenance and its usually between 8-12pm. Between 3 wheelsets I'm always buying crap like sealant. If they were open, I'd be in at least once a week.

thank you for sharing your knowledgeand your honest opinion

Specialized did this before too in the early '90s. Remember the SUPERGO controversy??? IBS were DROPPING 'S' SOOOO FAST, or closing their shops. 'S' started by dropping ALL their BMX teams, DH, and freestyle guys. The simple problem is TOO BIG and cannot accurately forecast trends. The inability to make needed key market / products to remain profitable to the 'wiser' budget-strapped consumer.

For a generally lower income country like mine (Philippines), Chinese bikes (Sunspeed, Trinx, Toseek, Mountain Peak) are affordable (can buy _something_ for $200) if you really need/want to bike. Yeahhh they could be questionable especially if they are unknown/unbranded/carbon fiber, although the first two brands I mentioned seem to be decent. Nonetheless, I'd still (and have) get a Giant or Decathlon or something if I can.

I think though that floor space is already tight to fit enough new models and sizes.

I bought a used aluminum frame and built my bike to fit my needs. 29-inch bontrager rims rock shox forks, shimano accessories , all in about 1600. And i got to ride while i upgraded it. My bike is great in the trails. It's a hard tail, but it works fine for me.1600 is a lot cheaper than dumping 3 to 4k all once. Prices today are out-of control. Just like harley davidson lol.

Trek's Red Barn whatever is a good idea, but they need to value the trade in on Treks a bit more. I want to upgrade to the top of the line Emonda SLR DA 12sp ($13K bike), but the trade in on my Emonda 11sp (still the latest frame from 2021) is a joke. Might as well give it to my little brother, and I don't even have a little brother. It's like when I used to lease cars. They would wave all kinds of fees on trade in just to get you in another one of their cars for three years.

Great vid, just found this in the feed. Never seen anyone talking about the more button. Good one! Good to hear the expereince, and future predictions 👌🏻

My MTB cost more than my motorcycle... I've ride competitively for the last 25 years! What am I suppose to do? I mean it keep me young and fit but, by now it cost a lot...

Justin...best name in the world of course! Whoever has that name is a flipping legend 🏆💯😎

It seems that too many things are priced according to "what the market will bear for the next 15 minutes" vs. a sustainable profit margin

there's no excuse to "overcharge" people with 10k-15k bikes. You can buy 2 MX motorcycles with that!!!

First to fall is bikes that never added Sram's UDH...Now you can not add the Sram Eagle Transmission system... the ultimate gearing for a bike... currently... Sadly for pinion and you, you have to have a pinon bike frame, too....