is mtb a rich kids and working peoples sport??

[®ider]

its cheaper than racing Forumlar 1 or ocean yachts

yes this is a very good point that all mtb'ers should compare to

 

[Rik]

The sport of MTB'ing is as accessible as you make it. Anyone can ride any bike, just because the magazines have pretty pictures doesn't mean you need the latest and greatest to ride.
The only major costs I can see is safety gear (moreso for DH), and entry/travel costs. But how many other sports have those costs too?

Plus the fact that we're such a small sport, with a small industry in .au, means that shops can't really thrive as much as they should.
Plus don't go comparing bike shop prices to moto shop prices, it's not fair, as wombat mentioned, they're turning over fair chunks of cash with each bike sale, thus can run at lower margins for P&A, and they don't always buy from the same guys as bike shops...

 

[Glock]

I know this guy whose parents are filthy rich. His first car (current) is a BMW convertible. Do you really someone who is spoilt rotten will really appreciate, enjoy and look after an expensive item more than what someone who worked their arse off for what they have? I don't. I think that the same principle applies here. Of all the riders that i have seen over the past 3 or so years i've been riding, i have rarely seen a rich kid rider out-manouver (sp?) or out-ride a person who has worked their arse off for their 5k rig. It seems as though if you work really hard for your tricycle, then you will most likely use that tricycle a lot more, and hence ride better than someone who was given their tricycle on a silver platter. As someone else said before, practice, practice, practice.......

 

[fiddler]

Sorry Wombat,

Perhaps greedy wasn't the right word but I still think my point was clear.

However I still stand by what I said

 

[Silver Wahoo]

Plus don't go comparing bike shop prices to moto shop prices, it's not fair, as wombat mentioned, they're turning over fair chunks of cash with each bike sale, thus can run at lower margins for P&A, and they don't always buy from the same guys as bike shops...

Why??? I think it's a perfectly reasonbly comparison to make. Per capita I'd say Push bike sales would bury the sales of Moto's. So would'nt this negate Bicycle shops to lower there margin and moto to up theres.

It's not sales driven either i can get Fox Raptor knee and shin guards from my local Moto Mechanic (thats right a mechanic work shop) for $90 and my large Nth side bicycle shop sells the same kit for around $140. Whats doing there?? :?: :?: :?:


To say that moto shops can lower there margins cause they deal in large volumes of cash is just silly. It's all comparitve. The moto shops are'nt buying bikes for $200 wholsale and then selling them retail for 8k hence making a crap load of profit. And Moto shops and Push bike shops do get there clothing and protective gear from the same place. Australia has some crap parrallel import laws that do'nt allow people to just import the latest FOX/Shimano gear from where ever they want. Australia has one Distributer and they all get it from the same place. IT"S THE LAW.

 

[tu plang]

...your lucky to find a after school job that pays well.

well that depends on how much u want a new bike (or wat ever it is u would like to buy) really... i know half a dozen ppl at least who have applied for jobs at macdonalds and got the job straight off (and these were the last ppl who i would give jobs). there is plenty of work for highschool aged kids who are willing to work, maybe not if they all want a job at a cool place like city beach :roll: or something. but basically all food places look for high school aged employees because they are cheep.

 

[luckyphil]

if your that serious about mtb and your parentals wont get you a bike. u could try to GET A JOB! do a paper round, you get paid to ride!! its fun, and it'll also stop u from gettin to fat! (to bad for joseph ey live_to_ride?) . and when you save up about $500, next time its chrissy or your birthday convince parents to pitch in half or even a little, but a second hand bike and just do it! you dont need top end gear to have fun.

 

[Rik]

Per capita I'd say Push bike sales would bury the sales of Moto's. So would'nt this negate Bicycle shops to lower there margin and moto to up theres.

Yeh, let's be fair, let's compare every bicycle sale (including deptartment stores) to motorbike sales. Sure, turnover is there, but where's the profit? Not much to be had if all you're selling is sub $500 bikes.

When a moto shop can sell the same gear cheaper than what a bike shop can buy it for, there IS something going on. I don't know what it is, but I'd love to know.

 

[luckyphil]

...your lucky to find a after school job that pays well.

but basically all food places look for high school aged employees because they are cheep.

only problem with that being that they dump u like a sack o shit when you turn 18 cause they gotta start paying u decent wages...

 

[tu plang]

true with large chains, maccas etc. thats why small businesses are good. u work at maccas u gotta expect that to happen... and u find another job. i was simply saying that there is plenty of work for school aged kids.

 

[Silver Wahoo]

Good work Guys

This is the best thread I've read in ages, Some good quality debating.

Good stuff

keep it coming.

 

[RCOH]

When a moto shop can sell the same gear cheaper than what a bike shop can buy it for, there IS something going on. I don't know what it is, but I'd love to know.

Moto shops would by more of the one product than bike shops would, & probably get a better price for bulk buying.

eg moto shop might buy 50 sets of FOX pads as opposed to a bike shop buying 5 or 10 sets, because i imagine turnover for such a product would be a lot higher in a moto shop, especially if all us MTBers are going there to buy them.

which brings us back to supply & demand

 

[Rik]

Exactly what I was thinking RCOH. A moto shop could say "right, we've got 15 bikes in stock, that's 15 padsets almost guaranteed sold".

And then the loop continues... cheaper if more was bought, yet more would be bought if they were cheaper. Oh fun.

 

[Silver Wahoo]

Better % discounts to to larger shops with more turn over is fair and just. It the same in my industry. (Shopfitting) We buy chip board at a much better rate than your average small cabinet shop but 80% to 100% difference is ridiculous.

 

[wombat]

80 to 100% is rediculous, but I know that the $140 for raptor pads you quoted is very dear; 30% difference should be closer to the mark, even a little less.

I'm not going to deny though that the industry definately needs a bit of a shake up in some areas; it'll get it soon enough.

 

[digger]

There are plenty of rich kids out there, you can probably pick them by the s#%t hot bike and not so hot skills. For that reason they stick out so it looks like there's heaps of them. Best thing is to take your focus off the bike and look at what's inside your head. Is the bike really holding you back or is it just an excuse for being a pussy. There was a day when bikes didn't have suspension and you couldn't spend any more than about $1000.00 on a MTB. Check out the 'biggest drop on a hardtail' thread. some of these guys are pulling 5ft drops on a fully rigid, so it's not about the bike. Conclusion: it's not a rich kids sport there are a lot of rich kids that do it though. There are also people that spend every living cent on their bike and on nothing else.

 

[toodles]

Better % discounts to to larger shops with more turn over is fair and just. It the same in my industry. (Shopfitting) We buy chip board at a much better rate than your average small cabinet shop but 80% to 100% difference is ridiculous.

I get 90% discount on 316 and 304 stainless fittings and 85% discount on titanium because of the quantities we order at my work so discounts that big are feasible.

Moto shops are bound to get a bulk discount because of their order sizes. I doubt bike shops are going to go broke on lost body armour sales though when you still have to get the rest of your gear from them. Stuff like hydrapacks and armour are cheaper from moto shops but until they start selling shimano drivelines and similar we all still have to go back to the LBS. I think it is more expensive to ride/race MTBs in Australia than in other countries though, possibly to do with extra shipping costs and our f*cked import and duty tax system.

 

[dunk]

Australia has some crap parrallel import laws that do'nt allow people to just import the latest FOX/Shimano gear from where ever they want. Australia has one Distributer and they all get it from the same place. IT"S THE LAW.

I might be wrong here but my understanding of parrallel import was that you were allowed to import a product from an official overseas distributor of that product into this country for retail sale.

 

[Silver Wahoo]

That's because you are buying them by the thousand, not ten at a time.

Go into Noyes and tell me how many Dainese MTB compatible body armour suits they have in stock. I bet you've got a finger or two left on one hand. So it's not about quantities. It's about Margin and the fact that most punter think "I need Bicycle part and/ or accesories therefore I must go to a bike shop"

 

[Silver Wahoo]

Australia has some crap parrallel import laws that do'nt allow people to just import the latest FOX/Shimano gear from where ever they want. Australia has one Distributer and they all get it from the same place. IT"S THE LAW.

I might be wrong here but my understanding of parrallel import was that you were allowed to import a product from an official overseas distributor of that product into this country for retail sale.

You would be right and it is not permitted in lot of cases in this country.

Once upon a time anyone could go to taiwan and buy bulk shimano gear and bring it back by the container load. This is no longer allowed.