It seems like road bikes are getting more and more expensive, with a top of the range bike costing a whopping $15,000 or £15,000! For that, you could buy a motorbike, with an engine, lights, ABS, and… all that other stuff! So why are road bikes now the same cost as motorbikes? Alex and Manon take a look…

00:00 Intro
00:41 How do road bike and motorbike prices compare?
01:49 How quickly is bike tech changing?
03:15 How ready are road bikes to go racing?
05:00 Different options and specs to choose from
07:00 What are the profit margins on road bikes vs motorbikes?
09:17 Conclusions

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How the hell does a motorbike cost the same as a road bike motorbike like this can cost around £1 155,000 EUR or dollars it can hit speeds of up to 150 mph and it can weigh 150 kg whereas a road bike like this can also cost

155,000 e or dollars weighs around 7 kg it top speed is never going to exceed double digits but it is likely to have been ridden by some of the world’s best at the tour to France you’re watching gtn Tech and we’re going to take a big

Deep dive into how a motorbike and a bike can cost the same amount of money that’s absolutely crazy let’s find out road bike prices seem to be creeping up and up year after year where when’re now at the point where you can buy a fully blown motorbike with an engine and

Stuff for the same price as a road bike without an engine it’s kind of crazy but let’s start off by having a deep dive in into the prices in 2022 143 Million Bicycles were sold worldwide now admittedly not all of those would have been road bikes that compares to motorbikes during that same

Period which was around the 50 million Mark I say three times less I didn’t think there was that much of a gap between yeah like a big divide between those two sales however when you look at the difference in sales numbers that actually kind of works against the road

Bike trying to justify its price because simple rule of thumb is you make anything on a bigger scale where it helps drive down the price well usually however it would appear that isn’t necessarily happening with road bikes typically you might be saying that a road bike looks less complex than a

Motorbike but the rate of progression at which bikes have evolved is far greater to that of a motorbike so next let’s dive into research and development so here in the bike industry the evolution of bikes being made from round steel tubes to having frames are optimized in

Wintters made from the very best carbon fiber has been dramatic it’s happened so quickly we’ve gone from one extreme to the other and even now from year to year we’re constantly seeing bike manufacturers and bike models being made better each year with more aerodynamic they’re going to save you this amount of

Whats made from better Carbon kind of like the iPhone where every every year there’s a new one the new one’s better lighter faster slightly different yeah whereas the progression over in the motorbike world and that side of things I feel like it’s relatively slow because it’s not uncommon for certain models of

Motorbikes to remain pretty much largely unchanged for years and years and if you look at motorbikes which are at the same price point of road bikes well they’re pretty much using the same materials and processes as what they were doing say like 50 years ago interesting but the

Money that is plowed into road bike R&D is huge and it is quite Poss possibly the largest factors contributing to sale prices as manufacturers try to recoup the money that they’ve spent on developing those bikes that are essentially going to win the Tour to France which brings us on to our next

Point Race Readiness now earlier in the year we ranked Tor of France bikes from cheapest to most expensive and team unox will raceing on a bike which cost just less than £6,000 I mean if people can complete the tour to France on a bike that’s around

The £6,000 6,000 is still quite a lot of money it is still quite a lot of money but when we’re talking about 15,000 price point it seems a lot more sensible but if they can do the Tour of France on that price point of bike I don’t think

Anyone could ever argue that they need a 15,000 bike to go ride at the weekend but if you head over to the motorbike world you will never ever ever see a motor bike there worth £15,000 in the race Element no in you know in the world very best in the to

France equivalent of a motorbike yeah all right I get what you mean but anyway but in Moto GP yeah bikes ST cost a cool 2 mil that’s wild isn’t it so when you think of it like that you can see why it perhaps does seem appealing to some

People to think that they could like stretch the budget a little bit and have the same kind of bikes that to France I think a lot of people would be like oh yeah you know this is the bike that the M Star Team have and I’ve got the same the same

You I can buy the same bike that someone’s won the Tour to France on yeah and I think that is a really cool thing about cycling that you can do that whereas motor bike side of things like have to be a millionaire well regardless of how rich you are I don’t think you

Can actually buy a Moto GP bike and even if you could buy it well there’s literally no way you could ride it at the weekends like around the park or like to to a cafe with your friends is there no it just doesn’t ex not very realistic and which leads us on nicely

To our next thing to discuss which is options and spec x that you have to choose from okay picture this you can close your eyes if you want yeah you’re walking into a motorbike shop and you’re looking for your new motorbike you pick one from a fairly small selection that

You like and then you choose the engine size you you choose another few different spec options the color maybe and you’re good to go love it I’ve chosen my motor bike it’s brilliant what color is it pretty straightforward it’s um black and green thought so flip side

This you go into a bike shop you got far more different models to choose from do you go Arrow do you go lightweight do you go lightweight Arrow you’ve got loads of different sizes to choose from some bike brands have got 12 different sizes within the same model do you go

Carbon steel titanium do you go electronic shifting you go sham sh sham what crank length a p meter what saddle what handlebar width what color do you go maybe custom paint pedals crank length so many different options to choose from anything else tires Wheels yeah so what you’re

Saying is by having so many different options you are driving the price up of the bike 100% And I guess you could argue if you had less options the price of the bike could come down and it’ be way cheaper but it doesn’t really work that way because there are so many

Different aspects of a bike that manufacturers need to get right so they need to have a bike that fits hundreds and thousands of different people and that is one of the most important parts of a bike it needs to fit you correctly but also as you mentioned there’s lots

Of different you know gears and x y z things that need to fit on that bike so they need to make it really adaptable I think yeah this is the fact that there’s so many different variations that everyone’s got to account for whereas obviously there’s lots of different spec

Options in motorb world the same as there are in the car world but the numbers that you got to choose from are far like far more reduced and you haven’t got like two or three options you haven’t got like extra small small medium large extra large extra extra

Large motorbike in the same model for all different options have you no um it’s pretty crazy what does that lead us on to next leads us on to profit margin okay so when it comes to profit margins across all different Industries they’re usually a pretty closely guarded

Secret in terms of actual numbers but I’ve done a little bit of digging and research online and I’ve found that is broadly considered the average profit margin for a motorbike sales dealership is around the 10% marker so pretty conservative i’ say yeah but then if you

Go to the road bike side of things and according to the National Bike Dealers Association I bet you love that website Ely love it the profit on road bikes is quite a bit more it’s closer to the 40% mark it seems quite High it does but before you go thinking you’re being

Ripped off let’s just think about this okay so most road bikes will need a lot of assembly and setup which eats into the Shop’s profit margin but nothing vastly different to a motorbike so you’d assume there’s still plenty of profit left to run a successful bike shop but

If that is the case why are we seeing so many bike shops close down well unfortunately I think one reason for this is because some online retailers are selling at heavily discounted prices so whilst the total number of bikes sold might seem high the number which is sold

And actually have that 40% profit margin on is likely to be quite low and therefore when a bike shop does sell a bike well they need to generate more money per sale to cover their costs well that’s my theory anyway and you know what maybe road bikes do just have a bigger

Profit margin and either you’re okay with that or or you’re not because you’ve got lots of different ways to go about trying to buy a bike if you don’t want to feel like you want to spend that crazy high amount of money on super high tech bike well you don’t have to you’ve

Got lots of different options you could shop around and buy a secondhand bike you could wait till stuff is discounted in the sales if people aren’t buying it well they have to discount it or um if you do buy a secondhand bike well you’re getting a far more value for money and

Someone else’s wallet has had to pick up and on that big initial outlay yeah definitely but whatever way you look at it I think road bikes especially at the top end of the price point they are getting a little bit out of hands it’s absolutely crazy isn’t it so there you

Go those are some of what we feel are the important aspects to consider when you’re trying to discuss how the hell a motorbike is costing the same as a road bike but that’s not everything though and I am really Keen to see how this discussion evolves in the comments

Section down below so please do get involved yes definitely and we hope you enjoyed this video if you did make sure to give it a big Thumbs Up And subscribe to gcn Tech for more Tech related videos love it right see you later bye

49 Comments

  1. I will never ever swap my bikes for ever-polluting motorcycles/motorbikes. However, I may use e-bikes (electric bicycles) in conjunction with my bicycles because they are environment-friendly as well.

  2. It's no surprise that almost 3x more bicycles are sold than motorbikes when you have to be 16 to have a motorbike! Also, very few bikes cost £15,000 and there's going to be far less people buying bikes like that, than people buying motorbikes. For every super light £15,000 road bike there must be a thousand or more kids bikes.

  3. GCN should really have a disclaimer here that they are sponsored by many of the brands selling top end gear. Of course they are going to try and justify the prices.

  4. A bicycle weights about 10kg, and it costs 10k. In other words, 1kg = 1000 (or even 2000). Motorbike is 100 $/kg, while a Camry is about 20-30 $/kg. I can't justify in my mind that a car of equal technical complexity as a bike costs 1.500.000. It's either incredible profit margin, or irrational business model of selling bicycles.

  5. I think that that the boom of MAMIL’s has an awful lot to do with the pricing issue, there are folk out there who are ABLE to spend this much. Your average consumer will struggle once something heads north of £2k (but arguably much less) for a bicycle. Anyone can walk to a shop, pony up and pedal off. A motorbike has some far more sinister challenges, your age dictates the cc of a bike, your licence dictates your capacity but regrettably your postcode and access to to a garage holds as much sway on the purchase decision, and hence the tolerance to pricing in the market. Buy a £15k bicycle and maybe a £100 premium on your house contents insurance. Buy a Ducati in London without a garage and even a 50yr will be paying proper money for the insurance if quoted at all, add in leathers, helmet, gloves, boots and the total cost of ownership rockets. Don’t get me started on 125 prices for younguns…. I would strongly argue that EVERY 16 year old ought to pass a CBT before they are allowed to learn to drive a car, teach bicycle control and road sense at primary, secondary at all levels, put more folk on 2 wheels and the supply/demand curve ought to bring prices down. But leave the elite prices where they are, some folk want and need them, just bring the useable first hand market down, as Royal Enfield are doing for bikes, great stuff. As for high end materials and exotic shizzle… Alexi Sayle said in a bike interview back in the 80’s that titanium bolts were such a need but realistically eating one less Cornish pasty before heading off would be a better way to shave the weight. So you can do Cat& Fiddle in 18.3 seconds faster… last time I checked someone else was KoM and it really doesn’t matter other than to say oooo that’s shiney..

  6. That's pure non-sens and BS, really. Are you guys riding motorbikes ?
    The amount of new features out these days is crazy, electronics and security mainly. GP bikes would never be allowed on the road, fighting against all regulations. GP bikes are not sold on the market (except yamaha H2R not allowed on the road), guess why ? No one want them, it's unusable on the road and doesn't bring anything for everyday riders.
    80% of bike evolutions doesn't even bring any value to riding them, it's pure business! Ask Quitana who refused disc brakes and was forced by the team. Do you guys want Grand Tours with automatic shifting (even if i can recognize for pros it does improve their performances) ? Business is business, selling useless things to people not being able to afford them.
    Very disappointing seeing you supporting industries marging over 40%, half for marketing purposes, producing in Taiwan (motorbikes as well) when cycling is supposed to be a "people sport". God! Missing simple frame, wheels, your legs and in the mountain.

  7. GCN . The only way to have a fair debate on this is to compare apples to apples. A top of the range road bike eg a top of the range Trek that you can bye from a retailer vs say a Yamaha R7. And get someone from the motor bike industry who knows what they are talking about to debate with. I'm wondering where the presenters got there information from. Anyone who's ridden a motor bike more than ten years knows that what they are saying is laughable. Saying that motor bikes haven't changed in 50 years LOL. Quite funny

  8. A Bike should always costs so much how much the production costs are +-30% for the profit of marketing and salary costs for the company.

    Companys should be accused and should pay penalties to the government if they sell bikes with double and tripple of the value of what they are.

    This is only possible because People let this happen to them.

    Bike price should be more regulated to curb dishonest prices .

  9. Shockingly poor take on this GCN. And just feeding the machine and their ability to continue to rip off the consumer. I’ve needed a new bike for years now and just can’t justify the spend. We ARE being ripped off.

    I ride both.

  10. You know, there's this little word that explains the absurd prices we are more and more used to see on cycling equipment/accessories: INDUSTRY. The manufacturers are constantly raising their prices using research as excuse and we got to the ridiculously overpriced bikes we have nowadays.

  11. Unfortunately, GCN is part of the problem.

    I understand it, hyping everything and anything the bike industry asks for is great for the advertising-based business, but not good for consumers. Every year we hear the same stuff – more aero, faster, fewer watts, etc. Then since Obera launched the new bikes the lightweight bike has suddenly become fashionable again.

    Most frames come out from the 5-6 factories in the Far East, where the design advancement is restricted by UCI rules anyway. So what are we actually paying for? The brand's marketing budget. (Same for luxury "watches", golf clubs etc)

    Don't get me wrong, I love some of the contents and I will miss GCN+ dearly. But it is getting to a point where I would actively follow people like TraceVelo instead, where they talk about more relatable products.

  12. I have worked in the cycle industry for over three decades and I hope that the automotive industry is considerably better in terms of regulation and professionalism. For example, I do not know of any country where a pedal cycle has to pass an objective test before you can ride it on the public road, though there may be some. Margins may be tighter in the automotive industry but I do not think bike companies are ripping customers off, the markets are just very different. There are quite a few bike companies, the market is competitive and no one is being forced to buy expensive bikes. A few decades ago cycling was referred to as the new golf, which might be a better comparison. When you buy a luxury leisure item you are paying for a different set of things. When we buy this kind of stuff, spending a lot is part of the appeal for some of us. For example, carbon rims with rim brakes are, arguably, not fit-for-purpose. However, there was no regulation to stop bike companies selling them and the market wanted them, despite marginal gains and clear down sides: they were an expensive thing that people wanted partly because they were expensive. Expensive pedal cycles should be compared with other extravagant things we don't really need and actually want to spend more on than is sensible.

  13. Lol so someone, many of them are paying way more for a good bike than they need to. If you have thousands laying around, why not. Still average joe and jane wont cant pay that much. If they want to they can always get financing. Maybe they just want to see if they can go as fast a tour de France or a sprint racer. To each thier own. Most shops sell very nice bikes for less than 14k. My new aluminium kona libre. Costs nearly the same amount of money, as my 37 year old mountain bike cost, adjusted for inflation. My mountain bike still rides. It's not the same as my new one. Spend what you want. Merry xmas and great new year to you all!!!!!

  14. Huge progression made quickly? Bullshit
    Road bikes just changed the looks and now gears are more convinient, that's it. Rest is just empty promises backed up by dumb prices.
    A 80s bike with a current shimano sora is as good as top of the range new bike for a fraction of the price, so no don't count me in on this scam

  15. Thats just justifying acrobatics, every time! They always make it sound like motorcycles are built like they were in 1950, and bikes come from the future.

  16. There is one big reason for the prices on bikes have exploded the last years, and thats the pandemic and greed. Because of a huge demand for especially group sets in these years, the prices sky rocketed and customers just accepted the new reality. When the dust have settled after the pandemic, the bike industry experienced what kind of money you could rob people of and just never lowered their prices all though the prices of producing groupsets have to gone down. I bought a new Cannondale CAAD12 with ultegra groupset for 1000$ in 2019, now you have to put out third times that amount. No way production costs alone can justify a 300% increase, road bike is getting way too elitist imo.

  17. I think you've strayed into an area that should be left well alone and thereby made yourself apologists for the parlous state of the cycle industry. Take a look at, say, a mid-priced bike produced by a volume manufacturer. Now look at the price of just the frame. The difference is the wholesale cost of all the parts, leaving a frame made of charcoal costing what some might consider a ridiculous amount of money. Or, put it another way, that bunch of parts cost an eye watering amount to you and me compared to the cycle assembler. Unlike a motorcycle manufacturer who is manufacturing many of the parts from scratch, the cycle industry is building the bulk of the cycle from a set of off-the-peg mass-market parts.

    There just is no comparison to what is delivered when you buy a sophisticated motorcycle and it’s best not to make that comparison because we might just all give up on pedalling and get ourselves a 150mph road eating monster.

  18. Honestly GCN, you need to start showing some integrity.

    There is zero justification for road bikes costing 15k. I've seriously gotta consider whether I keep subscribed to your channel. I get fed up with this sensationalist nonsense.

    Just speak some truths and be a trusted source of information.

  19. Bull. Market drives the price and sadly people buy into it so it drives the price up. Quit making excuses. No way can a human powered device cost as much as a motorized unit. I've owned both and size/fit is an issue but I've riden both for hours at a time.

  20. Not sure why people are mad at the bike industry. Ive never heard of a rich bike shop owner or a wealthy bike company owner. The profit margins are extremely minimal.
    If you have the money, spend it. If you don't keep riding and find discounts, rent one, or join a club.

  21. I think the main thing that people are missing is that the bicycle company only gets revenue off of the initial sale. Especially while the motorcycle is under warranty the dealer gets a lot of service revenue. The OEM gets sales from Yamalube oil and filters, brake pads, etc. The bicycle doesn't get any revenue when someone buys SRAM or Shimano Brakes pads and rotors.

  22. I've owned and rode both.
    Commenting on road bikes. In 2019 I bought a new Sensa Aquila for £1345. Full carbon all ultegra 8000. A great bike by any tour standard and fantastic value. Now that bike today is about £1700 with 105 spec. Less bike more money. Actually still great value into todays bike world. Even if i upgraded to an electronic group set and better wheels. An extra couple of grand.
    So please explain a £15000 bike? That is basically saying that a frame is worth way over £10000. I think it is just a joke.
    It's not just shops with their 40% mark up. It's bike manufacture's marking up their very over rated products. I guess that a second improvement in performance, costs about £5000 per second.
    P.S. I still reckon that my Z11 would take some beating if rode well. I am fast. Although, I was beaten by a pro rider on a 6oocc Ducati. So, in conclusion. It is not your bike that is ever the limiting factor. It is the person in the saddle.

  23. Please do not do that "three times less" thing. It sounds like it might make sense, and most people think they know what you mean, but it just does not at all make any sense.

  24. I think this article was a bit naive. Performance motorcycles cost upwards of $50,000 and the options and customizations are endless. One good point that did come through was the rare opportunity we have to ride the very bikes that the pros use. That is unheard of in motor sports.

  25. The carbon fiber frames on $15k bicycles are entirely hand crafted in a very painstaking and time consuming process. The frames and forks on $15k motorcycles are robotically built, and having worked in the powersports industry, I have seen some pretty low grade welds on the frames of $10-15k “sport” motorcycles.

  26. it is stupid yeah. but you know what, you should concentrate on bikes for us regular folk. i mean i wouldn't watch fancy car videos if i was an enthusiast and bought my own cars. you guys seems to be focussing on expensive bikes and components that most of us don't buy. can't buy. why concentrate on top pro gear all the time? especially for people just getting into cycling. i just got a canyon with regular 105. tell me whats good about the new E-105? i bet you haven't done a video on that?
    also your comparing a super bicycle withy a shit motorcycle??? compare the top pro bike with a top motorbike that runs the Isle of Man?! oranges / oranges please. you should concetrate on bikes that cost $500 – 3000. i spent 3000 and thats still alot!
    id like the Cervelo that i see in the window near my house. but cant afford even that 7000. i personally think alot of the price is the fancy paint jobs.

  27. Many folks like to describe the things they cannot afford to purchase, own, and maintain as overpriced. Sometimes those things are, but in most cases they are not. You just don’t have enough money to buy those things. Expensive does not mean overpriced.
    .
    I like Ferrari automobiles, but I cannot afford to buy or even rent one. They are not overpriced, and there is no conspiracy at work there. They are just expensive.
    .

    Live within your own means, and enjoy what you have. You’ll be happier and healthier for it.

  28. One of the most ridiculous videos about bicycles i have ever watched!
    Also can you explain to me with regards to a bicycle, what is a superbike or hyperbike? I can fully understand these terms when referencing a car for example, but a bicycle….😂😂

  29. Too Expensive. If bikes were moderately priced you would sell more units. Why have an empty bus with only 1 person on it who’s paid $30 because no bugger can afford to get the bus, when you could have 30 people on the bus that paid $1 each. Greed – Simple as that. Keeping manufacturers in luxury production plants with wind tunnels and exec’s in swanky cars on high wages. We’re funding their luxury lifestyles only. Their attitude is to push prices to the limit of what people are prepared to pay rather than charge its true worth. More fool us for buying them. We need a revolution!!!🤣

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