Why are fixies so expensive?

thebouldwhacker

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

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

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

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

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

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

i71jskz5xu42pb

Hipsters have more money than sense.

penexpers

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

penexpers wrote: »

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

Zen is much improved with pretty components.

potlatch

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

blorg

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

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

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

gman2k

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

flickerx

Why are road bikes so expensive?

Raam

flickerx wrote: »

Why are road bikes so expensive?

So manufacturers can make money.

Chips Lovell

flickerx wrote: »

Why are road bikes so expensive?

The addition of gearing would make them generally more expensive.

Golfanatic

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

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

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

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

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

Never happens with road bikes that.

flickerx

blorg wrote: »

Never happens with road bikes that.

Heaven forbid.

jimzy

hipsters are a bit stoopid.

flickerx

Anyone who uses the word hipster is stupid.

blorg

flickerx wrote: »

Anyone who uses the word hipster is stupid.

Spoken like a true h**pster.

DirkVoodoo

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

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

Fashions are transient, euro is a way of life!

flickerx

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

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.

DirkVoodoo

flickerx wrote: »

Admittedly I am still somewhat in the dark when you roadsters mention this euro thing.

How to describe it......??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33slw3P1eL8

But with white shoes and a white buffalo thingy.

Swaine55

In my experience, i built up a fixie because i didnt have the money to initially buy a bike, so i bought parts.
When it came down to deciding fixed or single speed, i choose fixed because it was more interesting. fashion has nothing to do wit my choice yet i agree it has a lot to do with the price. for example on adverts there is a basic fixie asking for €600 and a similar asking for €300.

maybe the reason is that people built these themselves and dont want to let all their hard work go for a small price.

DirkVoodoo

Swaine55 wrote: »

maybe the reason is that people built these themselves and dont want to let all their hard work go for a small price.

It's not art, it's a bike. Unless you are buying a custom built frame and parts, then you are willing to pay the market price. I've put a lot of time into my road bike, I've taken care of it, added new bits and bobs. It's more unique than when it was wheeled out of the shop but at the end of the day it is still a stock bike with stock parts and is second hand.

Unfortunately "I put in x hours of work sourcing stock parts and putting it together" is not enough to warrant a doubling in price. It might make it harder to part with and reluctant to sell, but it doesn't really add value in the way that a custom paint finish or chris king hubs would.

What would carzone be like if nissan micra prices were starting at 50,000 euro for models with baby-on board stickers, custom radio/mp3 players, alloy wheels, "I have a photo of when she ticked over 10,000km". Alloys, nice, it will sell quicker and might get you a few extra quid, but I'm not gonna pay 50,000 for it. After all, it's only a micra.

flickerx

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

What would carzone be like if nissan micra prices were starting at 50,000 euro for models with baby-on board stickers, custom radio/mp3 players, alloy wheels, "I have a photo of when she ticked over 10,000km".

I'd buy that. Do they have them in Urban Outfitters?

blorg

flickerx wrote: »

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

With me though there is not a hint of irony.

flickerx

blorg wrote: »

With me though there is not a hint of irony.

A true fashionista denies their status.

rottenhat

flickerx wrote: »

A true fashionista denies their status.

I find your subtextual implication that Blorg is some kind of messiah disturbing.

niceonetom

flickerx wrote: »

A true fashionista denies their status.

Are you a hipster?

Chips Lovell

The Cretan said that all Cretans are liars.

niceonetom

If a hipster falls of his fixie, and there is no one there to laugh, is it still funny?

flickerx

niceonetom wrote: »

If a hipster falls of his fixie, and there is no one there to laugh, is it still funny?

He'll blog it to death the next day, people will laugh then.

Squidgy Black

Don't mean to purposely dig this up,

but the prices some of the fixies are going for on adverts are ridiculous. 400 quid for some BSO that's made from a 30 year old frame and random parts found in a shed is ridiculous.

GTDolanator

flickerx wrote: »

A true fashionista denies their status.

guarentee you this guy is a complete deuche-bag hipster

pretty sure he is a mod on the dublin(hipster)fixed gear site

TinyExplosions

GTDolanator wrote: »

guarentee you this guy is a complete deuche-bag hipster

pretty sure he is a mod on the dublin(hipster)fixed gear site

Holy irony fail/zombie thread resurrector batman!

goldencleric

GTDolanator wrote: »

guarentee you this guy is a complete deuche-bag hipster

pretty sure he is a mod on the dublin(hipster)fixed gear site

can't we all just ride our bicycles in a way that pleases us?

...except triathletes man they really burn me

Keep_Her_Lit

blorg wrote: »

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.)

Now THAT is one high saddle. blorg, do you ride this bike as shown? How long are your legs?

blorg

Keep_Her_Lit wrote: »

Now THAT is one high saddle. blorg, do you ride this bike as shown? How long are your legs?

No, that was when the bike had just arrived and I has stuck it together. Here it is as I actually ride it (on the road, I have the bars/fork above on for the track- the track fork isn't drilled for a brake.)

Planet X Track

Keep_Her_Lit

blorg wrote: »

No, that was when the bike had just arrived and I has stuck it together. Here it is as I actually ride it (on the road, I have the bars/fork above on for the track- the track fork isn't drilled for a brake.)

Planet X Track

Super! A very tasty looking piece of kit indeed (the concrete background works very well in the photo).

kona

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_5uVdy5YmA

Hahahahaha Pretty much the answer why they are expensive is because Dickheads will pay stupid money for them.

FatSh!te

just read through this thread and thought of this similar themed skit:

http://youtu.be/V3nMnr8ZirI

Both made me laugh....