PurpleFrog":c2zg2qwc said:
Neil wrote:
Merely that inflation, alone, doesn't adequately explain the dramatic burgeoning in cost of some modern day "rigs"
Again, is this really a mystery?
Nope.
Well not to me. It's merely in contention to the trotted out "inflation" argument.
PurpleFrog":c2zg2qwc said:
High end carbon fibre full-suspension bikes are more expensive, even adjusted for inflation, than Zaskars were in '91 because they are more complex to produce. The top levels of performance are higher and cost more.
I'm not convinced of all of that.
I suspect there's more expensive stuff produced, largely because there's a willing demographic that'll splurge on it.
PurpleFrog":c2zg2qwc said:
And again, you don't have to buy them. Feeling butt-hurt because other people do - even people who can't really benefit - just seems silly to me. Life is full of real injustices; why waste time brooding on "That guy has an Albino Alp Ascender - and he's clueless"?
But I'm not butt-hurt, brooding or anything else about it - I merely pointed it out, and put it in the background. I mentioned it as an artifact of something else that had increased over time - the money spent, or time spent discussing subjects, as a proxy for actually being any good with them, or using them.
It's not something that keeps me awake at night, merely a note if interest, plus I do get a little amused at the un-self-righteous indignation it tends to tease out...
PurpleFrog":c2zg2qwc said:
The real state of the market is that people can spend a lot of money and buy stuff now that wasn't available at any price in 1991, or they can buy a Zaskar or Lava Dome equivalent for inflation adjusted 91 prices or less.
And that hasn't happened purely because of innovation or true need - it's come about because there's people prepared to splurge a load of disposable on things.
And as I said - why not. There are worse things they could waste money on. My subtle point, though, and it's hardly something unique to cycling, is that often throwing money at something is a proxy, or compensating - that's all. From where I'm sat, fair comment. I'm not upset, troubled, or bothered by it. On the contrary - it appears to bother some people that I pass such comment.
But there's the rub - we're all entitled to pass comment on what we see fit, it's hardly breaking any taboos.
