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Home / Mountain Bikes and Gear / Bike Industry

The First Law of Bike Design [Cartoon]

So THAT'S why we can't have cheap, nice things.

By Jeff Barber
February 12, 2021

3 comments

Singletracks may receive compensation for purchases made through any affiliate links in this article.

So THAT’S why we can’t have cheap, nice things.

Since we’re picking just two, which one can you live without? Tell us in the comments.

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Jeff Barber

Jeff Barber has been mountain biking since 1992 and has tested hundreds of mountain bikes and components. He is the co-founder of Singletracks and serves as Editor in Chief. Contact him at [email protected].

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3 Comments

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scbiker South Carolina // 2013
Feb 12, 2021

I used to race motorcycles offroad. I started racing on Yamaha and moved to KTM. KTM had and still does have the reputation of building their bikes to last and last. They come with parts people used to upgrade their Japanese bikes. The amazing thing is KTM was competitive in price with the Japanese brands and your serve was near nothing in cost. So what I am getting at is why does a derailleur that weighs 30 grams less cost $150.00 more? Why does a fork cost several hundred more for one extra adjustment? Why does a wheel that is light and strong cost $800.00 to $1000.00?

I love mtb but the cost are so high I think it prevents many good young riders from getting involved. I am a NICA coach in a district where we only have one high school with predominantly affluent families. The school where I teach has some great athletes who can't get into mtb because a $500.00 bike is out of the question much less a $1500.00 or $2500.00 bike. Hopefully sponsors will help with this. Just saying the sport I love is way over inflated.

2 reply

JoeLee Georgia // 2015
Feb 12, 2021

I want light and durable. I’ll pay for it.

1 reply

killer climb Pennsylvania // 2019
Feb 12, 2021

I'm all for durability and lower price. Being a old schooler I remember building my bikes piece by piece because it was too expensive to buy a complete bmx bike. I''ll gladly sacrifice some lbs for cost and as parts wear out buy more of what I want as opposed to what they offer.

1 reply

Tagged: bike design, bike industry, cartoon, cheap, design, durable, engineering, lightweight, gear

First published February 12, 2021 @ 2:38:18