PENDULUMS SWING
Cycling is becoming crazy expensive. You've got your house, college, and car... after which your cycling just might be the largest purchase you make in your life. It's typical to walk into a shop a see a $5000 rig, $6000 rig, 7, 8, even upwards of $10,000 for a bike.
$300 for off-the-shelf shoes and $7-900 for a custom pair. $200 jerseys or shorts (not "and shorts" but "or shorts"). $150 each month to have proper nutrition. $40 gloves. $1500 wheelsets. Carbon. Titanium. Scandium. Boron. More carbon... and will someone please stab me with a blunt fork before they take my wallet?
I visited a shop recently that was selling a youth-sized, Tour de France replica jersey for over $100! Note, that I said they were "selling" this jersey, I did not say they were "stocking" the jersey. Some toolbag was actually buying this thing.
But every pendulum must swing. Every culture has a counter culture. How long before cyclists realize that they simply don't need or want fancy, featherweight, Jay-Z-priced rigs? How long before they DEMAND quality in a bike under $400? Or under $300? Under $200?
When the market demands it someone will find a way to provide it.
We're already starting to see the shift in the single speed market. It's now very reasonable to get a single speed mountain bike, road bike, or fixed gear for $4-600. And SUR-FLIPPIN-PRISE, people are finding them as fun as their $3-5000 machines. Many people are (re)learning that the experience of riding a bike should outweigh the expense of it. That's called INVESTMENT people!
CAN YOU SAY "WOW"?
RASMUSSEN BIKE SHOP CHRISTMAS PARTYAt the shop, Christmas Eve, starting at 2pm. Bring Greg gifts in the form of 12oz red and white cans.
Check it!
FIXIE RIDE YO!
Monday nights in DSM. Starting at 5:30pm from Zanzibar Coffee Shop on Ingersoll. Casual pace.
DON'T RIDE THE FAT LANE
TIME KILLERSTrackstar NYCReload BaggageSquirrelClick on Furry Kama Sutra
F### YEAH BLUE LIGHTS!!I'm really digging the blue holiday lights that Allied/Nationwide has hung in downtown DSM.
MARKETING IDEAWhy can't someone lease bicycles? We all know that guy who always needs the newest, hottest ride every year or so. This idea is for that cat... we'll call him Scott S. No wait- that's too obvious, we'll call him S. Sumpter instead.
Let's say the retail cost of a bicycle is X. The wholesale cost to the dealer is Y. And the difference between the two, the mark-up, is Z.
Scott likes a tricked out Specialized S-Works mountain bike with full XTR. Instead of paying X, the dealer will instead charge him Y over 24 monthly payments (Y/24). At the end of the two years Scott turns in his rig for a brand new one and payments continue as normal (automatically yanked from from credit card of course).
The bike dealer then takes the used bike and sells it for Z. Everyone wins! Scott gets the newest and best ride every two years, pays a fraction of the cost, and has his payments spread out over time. The second buyer finds a great bike at a great price. The dealer gets year-round payments and doubles his customer base by bringing the Used-Bike-Buyer into the store. Suh-weet, huh?
WATCHING THIS WILL MAKE YOU COOL.
Donny Quixote lives in Des Moines, Iowa. He works for Rasmussen Bike Shop as the in-house bike fit specialist and cycling coach. Anything Donny has written or implied here may not represent the viewpoints of Bike Iowa or Rasmussen Bike Shop. If you have any questions, concerns, death threats, or debaucherous photos of your sister please direct them to Donny at donnyquixote@yahoo.com. He eagerly awaits! If you'd like to read more from Donny visit his website at www.donnyquixote.blogspot.com