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TEAMROBOT Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread

6/10/2026 7:08pm
Great question. To your point, I think the cannibalism is worse than that, because instead of wanting multiple pedal bikes for different sorts of pedal days with granular differences between each model, one ebike is pretty much fine for everything. In the past, as a MTB pedaler, I would have loved to have at least three mountain bikes: a long travel enduro bike, a shorter travel trail bike, and maybe a hardtail or XC bike. Maybe more. If I wanted to give up on pedaling and get an ebike instead, I don't need two ebikes. For ebikers who want to...
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pamtbr Added a reply to The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread

6/9/2026 9:12am
I don't know where paid vs free users normally fall on apps, but if 4 out of 180 is even close to right, that's what 2.2% paid users? CAC has to be fairly high, but I imagine it is a pretty sticky subscriber once they convert.

pamtbr Added a reply to The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread

6/9/2026 8:06am
Jeff will know way more on the topic; however, Strava is reportedly doing about $415 million in revenue on 4-5 million subscribers (~180 million users, 50/60 active). I don't think they disclose real numbers of subs or a split of where revenue truly comes from. As always, if it is free, you are the product, so your mid-pack data, and...

TEAMROBOT Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread

6/8/2026 7:56pm
If you're ever able to get this project going, I look forward to cheering you on, enthusiastically adopting your new tech, and inviting all my friends to join the platform with me, and then later calling down curses on you and the Brines family for generations to come for the inevitable enshittification of your platform after you've sufficiently saturated the marketplace.
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TomJones Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread

6/4/2026 11:28am
I've always maintained that if you had to pay for your Gopro, I don't want to see your shit.
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pamtbr Added a reply to The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread

6/2/2026 10:31am
Unfortunate to see a quality distributor find themselves in too deep and have to go down this path. They had a number of premium brands and, by all accounts, did some pretty heavy lifting on the marketing front, which can't be said of all distributors. Losing Cannondale and Enve certainly didn't help matters, but I would also guess Castelli and...

pamtbr Added a reply to The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread

5/28/2026 7:15am
Bicycle imports hit low point Imports to the US are down overall, with 1.98 million units imported in the first quarter. This figure is second lowest only to first quarter 2023, at 1.7 million units, when the industry was at the height of the inventory glut. Value is also unusually low, plunging below $200 million to $196 million, and continuing...

TEAMROBOT Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread

5/20/2026 1:21pm
I feel like you answered your own question when you said " a ton of people already do it for SXS, boats, and motorcycles." If the SXS, boat, and motorcycle people are making money by financing their overpriced toys, why would high-end bike companies not want to get in on the action with their overpriced toys? Yes, financing a high-end shiny ebike is completely unnecessary, unwise, financially imprudent, all of that. But so are cigarettes and gambling, and they're doing great!
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Eoin Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread

5/20/2026 1:17pm
I know I'm repeating common talking points that have been said over and over for years. But every so often it hits me, as I don't really follow regular mtb pricing too much anymore. But when I saw the tallboy release the other day, and it is a beautiful bike, all I could think was "How could anyone consider the entry level spec for 6k when a similar spec Amflow PR for 4,5k exists?" Apples and oranges, I'm not saying the ebike will be better for everything, but from a simple "add up all the parts on those frames and...
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pamtbr Added a reply to The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread

5/20/2026 7:40am
Leasing is becoming a pretty big piece of the market in Europe, at least for urban/commuting bikes. Decathlon has a program at around 35 Euro/mth for 3 years. They acquired 65% of Bikeleasing Service GmbH at a valuation of 525 million Euro last year. Lease A Bike, PON affiliated, works with a lot of corporations to run leasing programs in...
"Fashion has taken over mtb, if a bike doesn't look right it's not going to sell." Cycling has been in the fashion business for a long time. Image over substance. Marketing over engineering. Features over benefits. Trendy picks and subjective opinions of a few tastemakers (product managers) setting the course 24-36 months out. Where it has gone in the last...

Blake_Motley Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread

5/11/2026 6:37am
Perhaps our countries aren’t so different after all
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TEAMROBOT Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread

5/9/2026 7:10pm
An absolutely brutal read to slog through. Sorry! What I meant to say was that the subject matter of Orbea's deep dive failed to fully resonate with the intended audience, yielding a suboptimal reading experience, and failing to deliver a holistic win-win for big-picture strategic partners in the greater bike industry ecosystem.
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Simcik Liked a reply to forum topic The Bikeconomics (Mega)Thread

5/8/2026 9:45am
Better to have more power than you need, than need it and not have it. I find myself riding my Yeti MTe more often than my full power Propain. The full power is nice for riding to the trails, fire road climbs and 18 Rd nearby. But for the more technical trails in the area, I find myself riding in trail mode more often than full power regardless of bike. The Yeti rides more like a traditional bike. Having the full power bike is super nice for heading up to the mountains where there are times, I would not mind...
This forum topic has 4959 replies.
Specialized drops prices on e-bikes at 'a competitive moment' This seems relevant to the thread for one passage in particular (underline is mine): https://www.bicycleretailer.com/industry-news/2026/05/07/specialized-un… In an email to retailers from Matt Kephard, the company's North America commercial leader, the brand said "operational improvements on the Levo platform reduced cost structures specific to this product line, a nd the competitive moment...