[8fGTBjZxBcHq]

I live in a big city with a lot of tech workers and white collar professionals so plenty of disposable income.

Just from talking to people out riding this summer it seems like a lot of people bought bikes they could technically afford but were way above their preferred price range simply due to availability.

What people wanted was $500 bikes but there were only $2500 bikes so that's what they got. It's not like they're stupid or even necessarily made a bad choice. They wanted a bike and got the bike they could get.

[midnightclubbed]

I wonder if this will negatively impact mid-tier bike sales in 2-3 years time? Some of those riders would have bought a $500 bike, realized how much fun they were having and then upgraded. A $2500 bike is unlikely to be upgraded for a good while longer.

Not being able to dine out, take vacations, or go to concerts has put a lot of disposable income in the hands of a good chunk of the population this year.

[8fGTBjZxBcHq]

I kinda doubt it. A lot of those were bought by people who wouldn't have bought any bike this year or any year without the pandemic. So they were definitely not going to upgrade next year or whatever.

Some of those people are probably on bikes that don't fit that great due to availability and they'll be looking for better sizing as they get more into it.

And of course the majority probably won't get super into cycling but again they weren't going to either way so it's not really a "lost" sale.

Plus I mean it's kind of a running joke among bike people that you don't really upgrade like it's a piece of technology. You keep the old ones and just accumulate more as you go.