Why are fixies so expensive?

thebouldwhacker · 07-01-2010 04:28PM #1

The title says it all really. There isn't much to them, and in many cases are pretty inexpensive to produce a top notch bike so why do they cost so much?? Is there a fixie bike bubble that every one is waiting for??

rottenhat · 07-01-2010 04:31PM

Limited demand = smaller production runs = higher prices for the frames. At the price point of cheap fixies vs cheap road bikes, you're not saving much by leaving out shifters and derailleurs.

blorg · 07-01-2010 04:45PM

Because someone will pay for them. A lot of the fixie thing is about fashion, not the mechanics of the bike.

You can get cheapo BSO-style fixies and there are relatively decent mid-higher-end track bikes, I picked up this for £699 shipped which isn't bad for full carbon aero frame, fork and seatpost plus the finishing kit (all of very high quality too by the way.)

You can also get reasonable deals in the sales, I got both my Giant Bowery and Specialized Tricross at pretty reasonable money.

el tel · 07-01-2010 05:24PM

Apart from couriers I dodn't think I have seen anyone else ride a fixie for the last 15 years. In that environment fixies with their mechanical simplicity are perfect and of course the guys riding them are proper cool. Not wishing to cast aspersions but amoung the general population it's mostly fad/craze/fashion and buying into such a fashion is going to cost, particularly as having the lastest and/or greatest in cycling is never cheap anyway. I suppose it's like any fashion, it's all about want and not about need. I so don't need a fixie but I wouldn't mind one

Even my old man is putting one together! I don't care that he rode around Ireland on one in the 60s: I know it's 'cos he just wants to have that retro cool thing going on again. At least he'll be keeping it real with a steel frame.

Chips Lovell · 07-01-2010 05:32PM

Blorg got it in one, because people will pay those prices.

If you want to get them to pay even more, anondize your alloy parts in pretty colours.

Morgan · 07-01-2010 05:36PM

Some are expensive. Some are cheap. Same as any other bike really.

i71jskz5xu42pb · 07-01-2010 05:39PM

Hipsters have more money than sense.

penexpers · 07-01-2010 05:49PM

blorg wrote: »

A lot of the fixie thing is about fashion, not the mechanics of the bike.

I think you'll find that it's a zen thing.

blorg · 07-01-2010 06:13PM

penexpers wrote: »

I think you'll find that it's a zen thing.

Zen is much improved with pretty components.

potlatch · 07-01-2010 06:26PM

They're not so pricy if you harvest bikes for parts. But why would someone buy an OTP unless you're into track?

blorg · 07-01-2010 07:13PM

potlatch wrote: »

They're not so pricy if you harvest bikes for parts. But why would someone buy an OTP unless you're into track?

Because it can often be cheaper, you can get something that works better and there is no work/effort involved on your part. Why does anyone buy any bike rather than building one up themselves.

serendip · 07-01-2010 07:24PM

blorg wrote: »

Because it can often be cheaper, you can get something that works better and there is no work/effort involved on your part. Why does anyone buy any bike rather than building one up themselves.

To add to that ... I had access to a suitable frame recently, and had to decide whether to buy or build a (singlespeed) bike for commuting. With the bike-to-work scheme, however, and even with the ridiculous prices for a new buy, it was still working out cheaper to buy than to convert.

Greyspoke · 07-01-2010 07:43PM

It's not just fixies - bikes in general are absurdly expensive these days.

gman2k · 07-01-2010 08:10PM

Just found this alum frame on Ebay , What thinks ye?

flickerx · 07-01-2010 08:13PM

Why are road bikes so expensive?

Raam · 07-01-2010 08:27PM

flickerx wrote: »

Why are road bikes so expensive?

So manufacturers can make money.

Chips Lovell · 07-01-2010 08:29PM

flickerx wrote: »

Why are road bikes so expensive?

The addition of gearing would make them generally more expensive.

Golfanatic · 07-01-2010 09:11PM

because when you get a good one there extremely high quality and people want lugs and they can get very expensive and you need the best hubs to have a good fixie. and when people want vintage stuff it goes up even more. lots of reasons mainly quality

blorg · 07-01-2010 09:26PM

Giant brought out the Bowery as a slightly-cheaper-than-the-Langster basic fixie. Very nice bike to ride. It was £50 cheaper than the Langster and lacked the carbon fork.

A year after launch they jazzed it up with funny paintjobs, impractical handlebars, deep white rims, new names and admittedly in places some SLIGHT component upgrades, and doubled the price. I think they seem to have come a bit back to earth in 2010 but they are still more expensive than the original Bowery.

flickerx · 07-01-2010 09:32PM

el tonto wrote: »

The addition of gearing would make them generally more expensive.

But surely there are many, many more road bike components being manufactured, because of the many, many more people riding road bikes, and the road bike manufacturing processes are easier to duplicate rather than start afresh on a different type of bicycle (say, for example, a fixie, with different rear hub, spokes, crank, bottom bracket, dropouts/track ends, etc etc) - so road bikes should be cheaper. No?

I'm just playing devils avocado here by the way. I think fixies can both be cheap and expensive, just as road bikes can. The OP's comments are starting from an incorrect point.

gman2k · 07-01-2010 09:53PM

flickerx wrote: »

But surely there are many, many more road bike components being manufactured, because of the many, many more people riding road bikes, and the road bike manufacturing processes are easier to duplicate rather than start afresh on a different type of bicycle (say, for example, a fixie, with different rear hub, spokes, crank, bottom bracket, dropouts/track ends, etc etc) - so road bikes should be cheaper. No?

I'm just playing devils avocado here by the way. I think fixies can both be cheap and expensive, just as road bikes can. The OP's comments are starting from an incorrect point.

All this talk of fixie, I think I'll have to get in on the act.
Haven't completed the current build project yet, which is a Kona FS 9speed project....
A fixie would make it an even 6 full bikes.... Wait, there's an old racing bike at the aul lads house, and most of an MTB.... :eek:

blorg · 07-01-2010 10:30PM

Fixies tend to be massively overpriced for no good functional reason but purely out of fashion.

Never happens with road bikes that.

flickerx · 07-01-2010 10:36PM

blorg wrote: »

Never happens with road bikes that.

Heaven forbid.

jimzy · 07-01-2010 10:49PM

hipsters are a bit stoopid.

flickerx · 07-01-2010 11:35PM

Anyone who uses the word hipster is stupid.

blorg · 08-01-2010 12:17AM

flickerx wrote: »

Anyone who uses the word hipster is stupid.

Spoken like a true h**pster.

DirkVoodoo · 08-01-2010 12:43AM

Why (until recently) were house prices so ridiculously expensive? Did it reflect the actual value of the land, the cost of the bricks and mortar?

People are stupid and will pay crazy money for a steel frame that no one wanted a few years ago. That's not to say there aren't a lot of nice steel frames about, but a lot of the "fixies" you see being advertised aren't worth half of what is being asked. The problem is people are willing to pay even though they could get a just as good but not as cool hybrid for a lot less money. Of course, the idea of a skinny jeans wearing hipster riding a dawes hybrid through temple bar would do nothing for his street cred.

Adding up all the parts costs between a regular road bike and a fixie will not let you know how much they are worth, only what their actual value is. Anyway, you can apply that to anything: why is this Colnago, even though it has the same grade and amount of carbon fiber, more expensive than this Giant, etc.

flickerx · 08-01-2010 12:49AM

Blorg, you've got that nerd-cool/tweed thing going on, you're much more down with the fashionistas than you think - or want to admit to yourself

For people who give out about fashionistas so much, this forum seems to be quite conscious about what is trendy and what is not...

DirkVoodoo · 08-01-2010 12:51AM

Fashions are transient, euro is a way of life!

flickerx · 08-01-2010 12:54AM

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

People {snip} will pay crazy money for a steel frame that no one wanted a few years ago

You think? I've lost track of how many posts I've read in recent months on here from people looking for a free or "good, cheap" old road frame. Numerous PM's to me too. There are fixies out there alright made with v expensive frames but also old junkers stripped and done up (and more power to the people who've done this...)

flickerx · 08-01-2010 12:56AM

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Fashions are transient, euro is a way of life!

Admittedly I am still somewhat in the dark when you roadsters mention this euro thing. For me, obviously its something I use to buy my tight jeans in Urban Outfitters, not a credo.

Why are fixies so expensive?

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