People Are Angry With GCN & Bike Muggings On The Rise - The Wild Ones Podcast Ep.30

[@gregor9921]

My issue with GCN (as someone who enjoys 80% of their videos), is that they don't have the view of consumer a lot of times, being ex pros and having a lot of sponsoring. You shouldn't argue why bikes are expensive, but why they should be cheaper

[@dominicbritt]

Name one industry where prices are less than 5 years ago...

[@rangersmith4652]

@@dominicbritt Look how inexpensive televisions have become. Sure, there are OLED sets that are quite expensive, but an average 55" LED 4K set can be had for a small fraction of what such a set cost just a few years ago when such sets were high-end. In the bike industry, the bikes that were high end a few years ago should be enjoying the same price cuts, but they aren't. Instead, they're hardly being built at all because the industry doesn't want us to buy such bikes.

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

​@@rangersmith4652 not a really good example, high end tv always have a new feature or tech to sell while you can get older tech cheaply made for peanuts. That's the same as taking a Trek VS a Walmart bike...

[@MacMasore]

@@rangersmith4652in the last few years those prices also stagnated. Btw you can still buy cheap bikes like you still can buy expensive tv’s. People just don’t buy enough cheap bikes.

[@Vixen1525]

I like their content and their challenges

[@peterowen851]

I ride an old Dutch bike, 3 speed with kick back brake for transport and shopping and race bikes for training and racing only. With the Dutch bike you can park it anywhere with simple chain lock and it’s always there when you return. The bike cost £250 and I have had it over 12 years. Fully enclosed chain and hub gears means minimal servicing required and only one change of tyres. The answer is get the right bike for the job if you don’t need a race bike don’t buy one.

[@virtualmartijn]

This. But as a Dutchie I've grown up with city bikes so it's a no-brainer for me. My race bike is for fun, I have a workhorse for the other stuff.

[@DanMehlig]

Loving the podcast. Some underrated vs overrated suggestions: Tailfin Dynamo Wheels Scotland Wales Mullet groupsets

[@boriente]

Wary of people who tell folks what they should and shouldn't do. Let people buy the bikes they want. If a bike inspires an "average" cyclist to pretend they're a world tour pro and sprint down their home-street at the end of their ride, then great! More power to 'em. Let them work out the fit the way they want. Prices are wild, though. No argument there.

[@kylehagertybanana]

If it is subtracting value from other peoples bike purchases then I think weekend warriors could knock 5k off what they were gonna spend

[@jakobjas4212]

The prices are ruining the bike market in my opinion. £10k for a carbon frame with Dura Ace and all of a sudden you're now looking at £2k for an aluminium frame with 105.

[@mlee6136]

I have high end bikes, however I get them 2nd hand which takes the edge off the new sticker prices. This means my SL7 is a couple of years old but that doesn’t matter.

[@ianbradshaw1661]

Morrisons supermarket asked me to leave with my bike, after a bloke pushing a *larger* trolley complained. So I went to Aldi instead. Never been back in Morrisons, with or without my bike, and have spent over £10k on groceries in Aldi since. No bikes, no £$¥

[@garylewis1475]

Gcn pretty much say if it ain't expensive don't buy it attitude! Even the tech and indoor trainers etc! It's constantly " you can buy a cheap one but it's not as good" this is GCN all over! Sick to death of it! People can't afford these bikes , not even the entry level bikes! Way to much!

[@denbot.cycling]

7:30 is it a nice bike.... but xr700 or 900, you'll have more fun on it I disagree some what though, you can still get a 105 group set for a good price, and a alloy framed bike for way under £1000... the issue is people want the Ferrari equivalent for the equivalent price of 1999 ford fiesta

[@legrandaile1]

It took me far too many years to realise that focusing on time in the saddle is the best metric. If you do something for pleasure, do it as much as you can NOT as fast as you can 😉

[@patrickjosephmarayag826]

there's a sub-compact crossover car here in the philippines, 1.2 L with an automatic CVT. costs about 15,000 USD. New Tarmac SL8: 14,000 USD 😅

[@gordonhenderson1965]

One thing getting left out of the Motorcycle argument is all the law standards they have to meet, emissions, safety, you name it. Nearly everything on a Motorcycle needs to be certified and compliant and many different countries have different laws and you must know them all. I don't think this is the case at all for bicycle manufacturers. That's largely a self-regulated industry, no?

[@rob-c.]

I believe there are safety standard that manufactures have to meet to sell in the EU.

[@CrazyAboutCycling]

@@rob-c.these are CE certifications for safety. There are safety regulations.

[@KeithHeinrich]

Motorcycles have economies of scale on their side as well. Bicycles are assembled from components by hand, and I doubt its anything like the volumes of motorcycles.

[@TheRimBrakeGuy]

Carbon as such as frame, wheel material, has been around for 20 years! where is the trickle down that they are talking about? This is just GREED from Marketing and CEOs that want to scam you all.

[@djfler]

Motorbikes can reach much higher prices than bikes, 300kph easily, so the components also needs to be tested a lot more and as you mentioned emission and safety regulations. yes, you can buy a scooter for 4K and a bike for 15k, but usually people buy cheaper bikes and more expensive motorbikes.

[@danielrussell9416]

GCN changed quite a bit once much of its content became sponsored. When they are riding climbs in Mallorca and they spend a segment showing the bikes they are riding, the video is effectively a 20 or 30 minute commercial for those bikes. Being paid directly by the industry leads to defending the industry whether conscious or not. This morning Ollie and Alex were talking about indoor training. At some point Ollie says, "don't get the $40 turbo trainer, get the $400 Wahoo Kicker". I don't think it's even conscious for them at this point, they are just in the mode of sell, sell, sell. Today I will ride my Giant Tempo spinning bike just as I have for each of the previous 20 winters. GCN has some good content but always keep in mind what they are selling.

[@nicolas2838]

I loved the video about the "spontaneous" visit at alex house where he presented his "perma" wahoo indoor cycling set up, just to ride the same bike which was supposed to be permanently in his indoor set up in the next video outdoors. Ofc he had only the latest wahoo stuff looking like it was never ever used at his house. Since GCN+ went bankrupt the yt channel in german and english just became trash tv. Even topics which are interesting to me like "does to much sugar/gels during training cause diabetes" is presented in a way to sell stuff. For me its even hard to watch their insta stuff now, because its just about hitting your face with a canyon bike as much as they can. I dont mind them riding canyon, orbea or what ever manufacturer is paying them to ride. But i want them to be honest about stuff and not tell me how great something is just because they get payed for it.

[@danielrussell9416]

Exactly. GCN has some good content but you have to remember it's wrapped in a commercial so they are only going to say good things about that product. For reviews I like channels like The Ride with Ben Delaney, his reviews are honest. He has a clothing sponsor so he does not review clothing at all. He does not have a bike or tire sponsor so those review as his own opinions, he is not receiving any money for his review.

[@TheRimBrakeGuy]

GCN has been garbage for years now.

[@gregmcnicoll5520]

Ollie is an absolute snob, that's why. If it isn't the cream of the crop stuff, he doesn't like it. I have a dumb trainer and speed+cadence sensors, whole set up cost me £70. I get the same training as I would with a smart trainer.

[@chris1275cc]

@@nicolas2838 That's a little unfair I consider my trainer setup permeant in the sense that the Trainer, Climb, Rocker, mat etc. All sit in front of a dedicated screen most of the time, and there is usually *A* bike on it, just not always the same bike.

[@CyclingAlgarvePortugal]

GCN is a marketing tool.

[@TheTomster21]

Everyone of there video has a P on the thumbnail for paid partnership…

[@kivriel2660]

Without sponsoring they couldn´t produce videos in the scale they are from worldwide.

[@cauldron101]

Well said man!

[@bikemirror6620]

Most of the videos here are specially when they ask you subscribe

[@dahorn100011]

I started following GCN around 2013-14. Back then it was talking about how to do maintenance tasks on your own bikes, how to improve your FTP, riding in groups basics, training plans. Now it's all silly challenges, crazy bikes, justifying huge price increases.

[@SystemParanoia]

Let start with the problem of 10 million different BB standards 😭

[@rangersmith4652]

Put another way, with a few dozen different "standards," there really is NO standard.

[@nicvieri2627]

Headset's are even worse :(

[@hananas2]

​@@nicvieri2627 if you ignore all the proprietary crap especially with internal cable routing through the headset there's really only 3 types and a couple different sizes. EC (external cup) ZS (zero stack) and IS (integrated)

[@gerrymcbride6429]

but remember that in the motorcycle and automotive industries there is also very little commonality amongst similar components.

[@SystemParanoia]

@@gerrymcbride6429 I can buy a Yamaha mt09 for less than a top end bike from trek And a mt07 for less than a well specced carbon road bike from trek

[@daryltill70]

Marketing and R & D are the 2 words that manufacturers use to excuse their greed

[@lukewalker1051]

Profit due to inflated sales prices suckers are willing to pay, some of this goes back into R&D to create 'more marketing opportunies' to sucker more people. Putting it bluntly, the bike industry...the people at the top are just trying to make money. They don't care about value or the consumer and the reality is, they are deliberately making bikes more fragile which coincides with lower weight so they will be more disposable, and the consumer will need to buy a replacement bicycle more quickly. Btw, planned obsolescence is the business model of auto manufacturers now as well as society devolves to a more disposable society.

[@williamko4751]

I add 'future trickle down' to your list

[@nicolas2838]

they could just stop, paying everyone having 1k followers on insta to ride their bike or wear their kits and it already would save so much wasted money. All those companies want to become apple of the bike industrie. But they dont understand that there was one person creating apple out of unique ideas no one else had. And the marketing and price tag was just an additional feature to the product, not the main feature of uniqueness. Since this one person is gone apple isnt the same unique company and the myth about it, is slowly fading. When specialized did win 10 grand tours in a row they could argue to be the most expensive company because they had the best bike. Or when the test values of their bikes in an independent windtunnel did stand out, while their bikes weight 6.8 kg. Even when their bikes are super robust or you can get a free service when ever you wish too. Its not the case, so the price is just a fantasy product of a marketing guy. For the trek bike on the other hand a lot of the price is included in the color scheme.

[@TheRimBrakeGuy]

Especially when the Chinese factory has its own designers doing a yearly catalog every year to suggest to the bike companies.. The business model is ridiculously funny the more you dig into it.

[@elgorrion52]

Applies to a lot of industries, like the word "emergency"

[@jamesc5780]

The Muck Off 5ltr motorcycle cleaner (2 for £25) when I got it, is identical to the vastly more expensive bike version. I checked with Muck Off and also checked the very detailed spec sheets

[@TheRimBrakeGuy]

Cyclists are rich cows!!

[@wingmantx]

This sounds like Bicycle equivalent of Pink Tax, Razors, Shampoo, bodywash that are marketed for female cosumers cost somewhat more than the normal one.

[@ollieh98]

@@TheRimBrakeGuymore like they’re getting ripped off!

[@patthewoodboy]

car cleaner is even cheaper and better

[@medina1440]

The new Path Less Pedaled podcast with Jeff Frane did a really good job of getting into the weeds of getting a frame manufactured

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

Fred TV

[@newttella1043]

I'm impressed by how grounded the folks at Path Less Pedaled are.

[@nickporter3531]

Well worth a watch!

[@jamiehiggins1462]

I thought the same thing! I thought it was very informative. Also, check out some of GC Performance youtube channel. He goes into comparing bike prices several years ago until now.

[@Fango925]

Jeff's a cool dude, local to me. Huge on hosting rides and giving back to the community. The other day he had some people from Maxway, where they build their frames, over to the home shop of Wilde for a tour. It's nice to buy from a brand you can put faces to

[@DeHa-pn6qp]

To be fair, there was also a GCN video a couple of months ago "the bike you want vs. the bike you need" or videos on what to look out if you buy second hand. The presenters are all quite humble characters, who know how privileged they are to ride the bikes they are riding.

[@WillPower46]

They are also well informed on bicycles but don't know the first thing about motorcycles.

[@gregmcnicoll5520]

Most of them are normal humble people, Simon did all those videos with the cheap ebike and loved it. Ollie on the other hand is a legit snob

[@tomyeager7563]

​@@gregmcnicoll5520 I think Ollie is just super into the technical geeky side of things and it comes across as being snobby. I don't really get what people expect out of gcn. I think they usually do a pretty good job making the point that you don't need an expensive bike or upgrades. They wouldn't exist if they didn't take marketing money and advertise products though.

[@cd0u50c9]

Worth noting that those types of videos are very few and far between - it's mostly selling far and wide.

[@rianwhitham9222]

I’m not a cyclist. I have an old old mountain bike that’s broken and can’t go out. But I’ve find this channel recently and have loved every minute of the content and discussions! Thanks!

[@MrMuggsly]

The issue is greedflation. During covid companies realized that people would pay more due to demand and they are still trying to maintain those prices. Many industries are now paying the price for this greed and we are seeing more and more stock and super discounts. The issue is I doubt prices will ever go down just same MSRP with discounts eventually.

[@Real28]

Lol it's not "greedflation". That's literally called supply and demand. If people are willing to keep paying the increasing cost, then it behooves you to raise your price because you will end up having more orders than you can handle, which can trash your supply chain and have a really negative outlook on your product if it is never in stock. The problem is the consumer paying for it. Vote with your wallet. As he said, things sell for what people are prepared to pay. Just because we're out of covid and people are still paying the price isn't companies fault, people have to STOP buying until prices come back down. It's basic economics.

[@MrMuggsly]

@@Real28 I love basic economics lessons from someone who doesn't understand economics. But to explain and I will say it slowly if it was pure inflation then industries would not have made record profits during these time. They were exploiting inflation to create an excessive profits. Look at GPUs, bikes, cars, etc they all make record profits during this "supposed lack of supply" they weren't selling at inflation prices they were pricing things 3-5x inflation and raking in money. If inflation was up 20% you would expect a 20% increase in price not 50 to 100% increase. This is just basic economics.

[@demonstructie]

​@@MrMuggslythat little rant had absolutely no relation to anything he said

[@linesided]

@@demonstructieActually he hit the nail on the head. My local grocery store wants $5 for a loaf of bread that used to be 2.50 and costs 1.00 to make today instead of 50cents it used to cost before "inflation". The correct new price should be $3, not $5 - that extra 2 bucks is someone's Porsche money.

[@TheTomster21]

I gave up watching GCN a couple of months ago, feel like they just recycle the same couple of videos again and again with a different person presenting

[@nacnud2323]

So they educated you enough that you didn’t need the instruction. Seems like they have done a good job. I’m in the same boat but come back for the documentary vids that appear now and again.

[@BrianRPaterson]

That's a bit unfair. They produce a lot of entertaining content. Sure, some of it is better than others. But it's all completely free!

[@TheTomster21]

@@nacnud2323 maybe I’m looking at it all wrong. I just couldn’t watch another tyre/rim width or vs pro type video

[@ncc1107]

With Nick's point about cars being a weapon and educating drivers about it, as someone who was seriously injured after getting hit by a negligent driver, the number of people who blamed ME for even riding my bike in the first place was shocking. I even quit my job over one of my supervisors insulting me behind my back about it. This was in the US where the attitude is bikes are children's toys, so we definitely need an educational advertising campaign to teach people about road safety especially with regards to bikes.

[@whitej85]

Funny that bikes are considered kids toys in this U.S., yet most Americans seem to want to dtive around in something similar to a Tonka Toy Truck.

[@ncc1107]

@@whitej85 Don't get me started… I just visited the UK for the first time and almost wanted to cry over seeing how many practical sized cars there were and how much better the drivers were overall (that's not a joke). The number of Tonka Trucks and massive SUVs in big cities in the US is a disaster for road safety, but everyone wants to blame the bikes.

[@whitej85]

@@ncc1107 completely agree 👍 I’m from the Uk but even we are starting to see the proliferation of larger&taller pickups and SUVs. When need authorities to be putting sensible restrictions on the size of vehicles.

[@dlewis3574]

Buying a bike that costs more than a car when you’re not a pro rider making money from it is crazy

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

Older dudes making money like to think they could have been pros with the right bike. 💀 Short answer: no

[@arieakaarto]

​@@LaurentiusTriariuslol you literally just described the retired dude with 12 bikes that I know😂😂😂

[@Robc1987]

It’s completely subjective - if you’ve got a lot of spare money and spend a lot of time on the bike, the value equation works out. If you are struggling to pay rent, absolutely not. It’s all diminishing returns at the high end anyway, said as someone with a new custom geo Ti bike!

[@paopixel]

I value my bike more than I would value a car. I don't get stuck in traffic, my health improves and I don't have all the other costs associated with owing a car (Maintenance, tyres, gas, taxes) I don't have a car by choice, and I'm more inclined to buy an expensive bike than a car.

[@mikebrewer1346]

​@@paopixel You're bike doesn't have tyres!?

[@zhuyufan1186]

GCN crews can be out of touch sometimes. Generally speaking, i like their content. But when Alex tried to use a dura ace crank during a bike build, it makes me wonder hows that crank gonna fit into the budget theme.

[@vaska00762]

GMBN has the same problem too. I watched a budget DH build, and they just pulled out a Rock Shox fork that they "had lying around" and also a 26" wheelset they were given to review for a separate video. Only thing legit about the build was the Nukeproof Hardtail frame, which you can buy for pretty cheap from Wiggle/CRC.

[@timtaylor9590]

You guys made the same mistake gcn made. They compared the highest end road bikes that are 10k plus, to low mid end motored bikes. You see the high end road bikes are available to buy, but take a high end motor bike that the pros race and your talking custom parts that could exceed 10k. Then there's less of an argument in that comparison. Bottom line, yes the mark up is a bit extreme but consumers are very stupid, it's clear to see in today's society, especially with electronic tech devices like I phones and computers that loose value over night. Any way point made feel free to mention it in your next show. I have no idea but I would guess some of those high end motor bikes have 100k in em.

[@davidnicholson6680]

As you said, bikes are worth what people will pay for them... and for about two years many people were willing to spend quite a lot on bikes. Specialized, Trek, Cannondale and others raised prices 20%-40% during the pandemic as demand spiked due to the closure of indoor exercise options. Consumers were flush with cash as they couldn't spend it on vacations / eating out or were given disposable money through stimulus checks. This was compounded by lower bike supply due to manufacturing disruptions. Higher demand + lower supply = higher prices. As a result, an SWorks Tarmac went from $10k in 2019 to $14k in 2021. Trek started selling a Madone build with 105 Di2 for $8k. Scott is weirdly selling their top-end Foil for $16k. The Allez Sprint with 105 mechanical and garbage wheels iss $3k. Used bikes were briefly selling for full retail on TPC. The other thing that happened is that the industry stopped selling reasonable entry-level bikes. A big factor in that is the rise of electronic groups. Shimano and SRAM have both basically stopped selling reasonably priced mechanical groupsets. 105 Di2 sells for roughly triple was 105 mechanical used to cost. Even 105 mechanical is now selling for what Dura Ace used to cost in 2015. SRAM has completely abandoned enthusiast mechanical. There are very few new or revised entry-level bikes. The Scott Speedster and Giant Contend are still being sold but are fairly ancient designs. The base Specialized Allez has become more of a commuter-focused road bike with a cheap build. Now all of that has been reversed: inflation has sucked excess cash out of everyone's wallets, bikes are wildly overstocked (and panic-bought pandemic bikes have flooded the used market) and anyone that wanted a bike has already purchased one. Demand has cratered and now prices are falling. All of this was extremely predictible in 2020, and was predicted by basically every industry analyst. I don't think this is ending any time soon, this correction will last at least through 2024. The market for higher-end bikes just isn't that big and the induced demand and lower supply of the pandemic was a once-in-a-lifetime collision of factors. Prices have already started to moderate across the industry, but they clearly have further to fall.

[@KeithHeinrich]

There is a whole market of commuter bikes no one ever talks about. It’s all about road bikes. Bianchi for example have a huge commuter bike portfolio and likely sell more of them than performance road bikes. For companies dedicated to performance road bikes with nothing else to fall back on they will be hurting now.

[@richardcarr6493]

IT DOESNT TAKE A GENUS to figure out there s way more R&D into a motorcycle than bicycle !! SO there s no reason for bikes costing too much , no reason for a race bike being priced more than 5k especially now because we all know they being made cheap in asia Just look at the cost of CHINA bike parts pricing ,even some of those are getting overpriced today !! l will stick to cheaper used bikes and parts like my 86 Raleigh city bike original for $40 to go shopping with and my old TREK 5200 for training :)

[@mrhankbotful]

I sure get why people are annoyed with GCN helping justify stupid expensive bikes.

[@curtvaughan2836]

Prime reason for 12-13 speed cassettes is that they're mated with 1X on the front.

[@briansmith2125]

...which is equally pointless if it costs more.

[@fenderbenderspecial]

1x makes sense in MTB to keep the chain from dropping. Seems less important on road disciplines.

[@williamko4751]

@@briansmith2125 💯

[@briansmith2125]

@@fenderbenderspecial My sentiment exactly.

[@horrovac]

@@fenderbenderspecial Arguably, rather pointless with the clutch-equipped derailleurs. And without shifting in the front you have to shift across the WHOLE range when you get from a descent to a steep incline, and WAIT until the proper cog is engaged. On a triple, you'd click the shifter 2 times and have low-range IMMEDIATELY. 1x is stupid in any application.

[@GeorgiaPopplewell]

I visited Bogotá, Colombia, recently, where I was thrilled to discover that, in addition to the city's lauded bicycle infrastructure, practically every parking lot or garage in the city has space allocated for bicycles, usually with pretty decent security arrangements, and available at very low cost. I usually paid around US$1-$2 to leave my rented bicycle for several hours, and a few of them I used even charged $0 for bikes.

[@bluemystic7501]

Well, it's a poor country.

[@andrewsphone84]

I watched that GCN video and it kind of just seemed like they were trying to legitimize biking as a serious thing by excusing the high costs against motorcycles, an industry people already take seriously. As a poor, the thing I find frustrating about most of bike KZbin is that almost no one aims their content on people like me. I couldn't hope to afford any of the bikes or groupsets. The KZbin space makes it seem like you need more expensive gear than you do to have a good time or even participate in events at most people's skill level. I recently got an RC 120 (which I could only afford because it was on sale and my SO paid half) and I think you guys are the only channel who gave it praise. Every other channel sort of just aims you at bikes that would cost over 2k in Canada but the RC 120 is more bike than I will ever need. The MTB space is even worse honestly, I'm riding a 7 year old GT hardtail and kept up on trail for a while weekend with multiple groups using 4-7k full sus and 8-10k ebikes.

[@leinadster]

Check Seth from Berm Peak. He is the type of guy who tells you why a department store bike might be what you need to start MTB.

[@andrewsphone84]

@@leinadster should have called him out too. He's fantastic

[@lazylonewolf]

TBF to GCN, they _did_ praise the RC 120 in a couple of their videos, though a couple of them are years old.

[@gerrymcbride6429]

You can't say that modern bikes are overpriced when your major sponsors are Pinarello, Canyon and Orbea.

[@a1white]

Completely agree about groupsets. It’s not just initial cost of 12 speed, it’s the ongoing maintenance costs look at the cost of a 12 speed cassette vs a 10 speed. You really don’t need it either 2x10 is perfect. Don’t get me started on wireless either 😅

[@a1white]

Oh and completely internal routing too through an integrated cockpit . Go get your headset serviced and see how much that costs you

[@johnlesoudeur3653]

Just do it your self, it is not difficult and you can give yourself a pat on the back.@@a1white

[@gerrymcbride6429]

I grew up on 1x 5 speed mechanical and it was fine.... I now have 2x 2x 12speed electronic group-sets and its still fine...What does that actually matter to anyone other than me?

[@a1white]

@@gerrymcbride6429 it doesn’t, have what the hell you want but the comment was about how to keep bike costs down. 2x12 di2 is lovely I’m sure, but will cost you more when parts need replacing.

[@gerrymcbride6429]

@@a1whiteor do it yourself and it costs you bugger all.

[@gregorysteffensen3279]

Worth noting that the Harley Iron's Evo 883 was built on American union labor rates, too -- and it still costs less than a high-end bicycle! But then this is why when it comes to bicycles, I love a good fixed gear -- very hard to spend over $4k in that niche and mine was under half that figure for a shop build. If I can buy a handmade custom fixed-gear made in my own US city for less than an average road bike... Yeah this industry's got something screwy going on. Also, strangely, I live in one of the most dangerous cities in the US -- Baltimore -- and bicycle or motorcycle crime is incredibly rare here outside of very certain niches of motorcycle (dirt bikes, sport bikes) and ebikes. I've heard of one or two folks in the district I commute to getting seatposts stolen but for whatever reason it's not A Thing here to steal bicycles. But then Bmore is one of those cities where most of the danger is between people who are already involved in or around criminal activity and just existing is pretty safe besides occasional petty theft

[@andrepetrov1778]

About registering bikes: In Japan every bike is registered and has a QR Code which the police and bike Shops can scan and see the owner. It is illegal to ride a non registered bike and bike theft is non existent. I repeatedly saw road bikes not locked up in front of shops and nothing happened. That's how it should be (Obvously there are more factors that play into this l, crime being very low in Japan in general for example but still its a good idea in my opinion)

[@thomasf.9869]

I have just come back from a trip to Japan with a visit to the Shimano museum in Osaka to boot. What I noticed during my travels is the high number of road bikes with rim brakes, and group sets such as Tiagra and Claris. That includes the road bikes in cities used for commuting as well as those on famous routes such as the Shiminami Kaido. Perhaps it comes down to the same reason that Heineken is a cheap beer in the Netherlands, but marketed as an exclusive beer in other countries?

[@supakidgalaxy]

An aluminum bike with 105 and shit wheels shouldn’t cost 2300+ I don’t want electronic shifting as a standard.

[@JJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ]

Another great episode! Nic's a great addition to the podcast team.

[@eva-kr8pf]

Bike mugging are a thing in California as well. Another common type of bike theft is to follow cyclists home, then to break into homes for the bikes. And because it’s hard to simply move, the bike robbers just go to the same homes repeatedly.

[@steveaguay]

Oh I didn't watch that video because the entire concept was stolen from FortNine a motorbike channel. I knew it was lazy content but not this bad

[@SecwetGwiwer]

If you think people were angry about this video you need to check out the comment section of their video about hookless rims 😆

[@dylan-5287]

End of the day, no one's being forced to buy the ridiculous bikes. Clearly people are buying them or they wouldn't offer them in the first place. Ironically there are better deals than ever before on affordable bikes. People just love to whine these days lol.

[@dylan-5287]

Also just to add, prices for everything are crazy these days. It's called mass inflation, stop voting for such terrible politicians who love to spend money on everything.

[@TiensvanZyl]

Yeah, here in South Africa the muggings happen with guns, Just up the road from me we've had several muggings in the last few months. One lady was hit in the face with a handgun which obviously made her fall and the bike was hijacked with her phone. Sad world we live in. Stay safe out there. with regards to stripping the bikes, we've seen reports of people who got hijacked or their bikes stolen seeing them being advertised on Facebook market place within a day already. At least some arrests have been made.

[@qumeriqbal8337]

Not just road bikes have become ridiculously expensive. So have the merchandise that goes with it. I’m talking off Cycling clothing running into hundreds of pounds.

[@Tofu_tim]

One of the my favorite KZbinrs Fortnine recently made a video explaining why mountain bikes cost about the same as entry level motorbikes (right around 8k). You can get a new Iron 883 for less than 10k, and used in good condition for 5-6k. I’m fairly new to cycling so I’d love to know whether the used market isn’t as large in this sport - maybe thats allowing manufacturers to set the price higher and higher?

[@dylangrantz8124]

Yeah that channel rocks. Used market in carbon is not good for reasons you can't tell how abused it is really. I am not buying someone else's time carbon unless I know how abused it was. In gravel bikes used people do stuff I never would do.

[@gregorysteffensen3279]

The used market for bicycles is more difficult than that for motorcycles because of a whole pile of factors, though one of them is frame sizing - doesn't matter if my unicorn vintage bicycle is available at a perfect price if it's a size 59 frame and I'm a 51-54 in basically all brands. Also, a lot easier to hold on to an unused bicycle in the back of a shed or basement than an unused motorcycle because it doesn't need stuff like license fees, insurance, etc

[@chris1275cc]

The motorbike comparison is a dumb argument anyway and best not even acknowledged. At the end of the day if you want the Bicycle equivalent of an "off the shelf" road legal crotch rocket (that would not stand a cat in hells chance in even a semi-pro level race with a top pro rider on it), take about £300 to Decathlon. MOTO race bikes that are capable of mid to high level competition cost between 250k to a million...a year......TO RENT!

[@merckxy54]

Years ago two of my friends bought a mountain bike each. One was about 5ft tall and the other was 6ft 4in tall. The bike shop in Eastleigh, Hampshire sold each of them the exactly same sized bike! So one had a lot of seatpin showing, and the other shorter guy had none showing! The bike shop obviously had no idea!!!!

[@VishnuRajendranAmboo]

KEEP IN RIGHT!! CADE MEDIA IS DOING THAT SO FAR!! GCN IS JUST A COMMERCIAL CHANNEL & GETTING DAMN BORING!!! 95% WATCHING IT DONT OWN 5% OF THAT BIKES!!

[@TtnKolonyasi]

I'm always taking my bike with me when I get in to a supermarket. if they try to make a scene I'm like this is worth this much. If your market is taking the responsibility in case being stolen I can leave it outside. 99% they like ohhh okay go inside

[@mrrodriguezHLP]

They tried to argue that my wheels were dirty from the roads. I pointed out that anything that was on my bike, was also on the shopping carts, the difference is that my bike gets cleaned once a week, and the shopping cart is washed zero times.

[@hillariat2147]

Lol wish I could do that in my country. Sadly people go hard on anything out of the norm here.

[@narisevansangynriivaama9903]

JFC, the "discussion" about the average speed was probably one of the stupidest things I have ever heard. Of course, it is a performance metric. And if you know how to use it, it's a good one. Obviously, you shouldn't be comparing apples to oranges. Still can't really believe how stupid your reasoning was.

[@markrskinner]

Yep, love GCN but them, or anyone for that matter, trying to justify prices is laughable.

[@merckxy54]

Especially as all the presenters ride pro level bikes!

[@LaurentiusTriarius]

I just bought a new pair of Sidi genius 10 at 120$ under retail, you should have heard the guy at the shop when I asked if he was still making a profit 😂

[@did4h2k]

couldnt care less if the upper end costs 5, 10 or 15k..... not buying highend anyways ;) 2 years ago i got myself a 2nd hand full carbon 8.2kg gravel bike with an 11 speed sram apex and tyreclearance for years (my 45mm look tiny in there). did cost me 1k€, will be my bike for years to come (unless the frame cracks, but why would it? not riding bikeparks with my gravel, lol) and no, marketing is not the problem. its people buying into these marketing bs, they are the problem

[@cb6866]

Thanks Jimmi , Nic, Emily and "Emily from the future " AND..I got a Redshift stem , after seeing Jimmi get all their stuff , and I love it ! I am OAF , crashed in July and seperated a shoulder and its not the same . I got the stem as a gift , put it on and immediately noticed......nothing , at first . All the small bumps were gone , but after? I didn't ache half as much , my whole upper body felt better , Thanks again. I learn a lot from you folks . P.S. wishing Francis and his dad the best...I am going to have a biopsy tomorrow , and then decide on my own treatment . And so it goes , eh?

[@ernestporee3697]

People buy these things ! People buy $5000. Speaker cables ? People will buy $5000. Group sets , people will buy what ever they can afford ? If nobody was buying this stuff it would not exist ? Part of the so called reason is also race and one upman ship ...one way of showing a class system is in material . What does a person on a 105 bike , vs someone with Dura Ace ? The dura ace person is some kind of pro or rich person ? If everyone could affotd the same then there would be no class system ? Know your market ! If your market is white people with money then you target that group ! If you can sell $200. Sneakers to inner city kids then you target that group. If you can sell $1000. Pulleys then people will buy them ? This is about false pride and greed ! And it works !

[@eduardoschneider2010]

we need someone to leak the real production cost of the big brands

[@Muppetkeeper]

Considering Specialized tried to sue a cafe in Canada called "Roubaix", that had existed years before Specialized even had a bike called Roubaix, and was infact named after the original Roubaix in France, says a lot about not taking on Amercian bike brands unless you have a lot of money to spare.

[@TheRimBrakeGuy]

Most of their costs are marketing, sponsorships and salaries. The bikes cost is a very low % of the final price you see at the shops, even half price offers for older models nets them a margin.

[@JeremyLawrence-imajez]

That's not quite the how that legal affair occured@@Muppetkeeper. Lots of the negative press re Specialized in that case came from folk who had zero idea regarding IP/copyright and automatically sided with the small guy. When I looked into it, he was clearly in the wrong. Via my work, I need to be au fait with such things because it's a huge problem.

[@nathienael8343]

GCN will pay for their sins. The bike industry is overhyped, overpriced, overzelous, logically overlooked, convoluted, unregulated nonsensical garbage. People literally use their physical bodies to locomote around and they're asking us to pay premium for aesthetics and accessories. Don't don't even get me started with Aero and carbon fiber shams. Right now I'm glad many companies are suffering with losses and going out of business. These man are exposed.

[@joshjaren5408]

This episode spoke to my core on so many levels - from bikes being geared (literally!!!) to regular folks, to Jimmi's confessionary love of the hated step-child of the 883 Iron (as a previous owner of one with a 1200 SCREAMING EAGLE **que eagle sound, which is actually red-tailed-HAWK sound** conversion). Keep 'em coming, it's great company as I ride the currently cold, desolate plains of the great American midwest, albeit currently sad and snowless. King Regards, my friends!

[@DavidCraig-er6kq]

GCN lost me completely with their video justifying bike prices v motorcycle prices. I have been into motorbikes for 30 years and road bikes for 20 years, and they couldn't have talked more absolute BS if they tried. They were good years ago, but they peaked I think at the start of the GCN app. They produced some quality documentaries, then the quality really dropped and they just churned them out for the sake of it, same with their youtube videos and it all became very samey and boring. Quantity over quality. Pity really.

[@asambatyon]

These are some of the reasons that led me to totally change my mindset for my last build. No carbon but steel. Maximize fun potential and functionality over performance. I don't run races, I go on rides as often as I can in whatever weather I have, so having a dynamo/fenders seemed like a great idea. I definitely have more fun riding, less stress thinking about the bike failing, getting stolen and the bike ride just as good as any carbon bike.

[@nyohaku]

Your bike makes you feel like a kid again. Maybe that’s why people think about spending money on it as soon as they get out of the saddle. When the downtube got fat, it was the beginning of the end; a new surface for branding you could see a block away. A new gaudiness for an object that had always been beautifully simple. It does, however, make it easier to read the logos as you pass them going up the hill.

[@KennethWuAU]

Buy and ride whatever will motivate you to get out and ride more. If keeping up with your RCC group in the latest tech, speed vanity will motivate you to ride, then that's where you should spend your money. I don't judge anyone for spending on marginal gains or vanity; I think there is value there for some people. For me, I like to be comfortable, and I like to fix my own mechanical issues quickly and get back on the road. I will say the bike industry should move away from proprietary groups and standards; proprietary standards are stifling bicycle component innovation.

[@rangersmith4652]

Absolutely we need attitude adjustment among road users. Roads are for everyone, and motorists need to be re-taught this.

[@liamblood5239]

We have a road outside my apartment in Dublin which they turned half into a bike lane and its now a one way street. Well it should be. Now it's just a really difficult to get out of lane when a car comes barrelling down the new bike lane at 50kmph and those stupid little bumps that devide the bike lane and road make it difficult to get out of the way

[@davewyman]

Bike companies aren’t forcing anyone to buy an expensive bike. Why are bike companies making 12 rather than 5 gear bikes? Might as well ask why they are making diamond frame bikes rather than high wheel bikes. 😂

[@pphaneuf]

PathLessPedaled just had a very interesting video related to the subject of the costs involved in making bikes, highly recommended!

[@jrguk]

Just watched their video myself, last night, after having listened to this chat the other day, and came here to see if it had already been mentioned. Particularly interesting were the costs on tooling for carbon, and (for small manufacturers) shipping costs during manufacture if you don’t have the nearby ecosystem.

[@toxicexplorer1382]

You have choice in affordable, reliable, good bikes! just not from the big name manufacturers. Smaller name manufacturers make bikes just as good for a third less in price. It's just the marketing image that buyers are not going for. In the end, bikes are simple machines - you don't need the equivalent of a £60k car for your bike.

[@yakwabbit]

Love Nick. More Nick please!

[@LoscoeLad]

GCN is a spent force. schills for the corporate madness. how tf can they compare bikes to motobikes? ludicrous. fk gcn

[@davechaplin912]

Really having fun listening to Nic, who really supports my philosophy of cycling!

[@Hill_Walker]

I hope Jimmy is wrong about the finance. Personally I have no interest in buying a depreciating asset, like a car or bike on finance.

[@sylvainbernaers]

the most honest video . good work. most people sense gcn is just marketing

[@josemanuelriveroandreusala9273]

Hyper expensive bikes are not worth it unless you are a professional cyclist. Otherwise it is overkill.

[@MTBScotland]

GCN is a joke. They are the tabloid equivalent of bike channels.

[@asams7255]

To think I could buy a motorbike with an engine, computers, big wheels double front brakes and everything in between for the same price as a frame with tech by far less advanced is mad

[@ShawnIsBatman]

Jimmy commented that the bike companies "are engineering products to sell new stuff" ~ yep, pretty much every industry in existence, cycling is not unique here.

[@fennec13]

5-23 to 5:45 - You are not a world tour rider, we need bikes developed for the rest of the 95% of the (normal) riders out there. your bike will go faster by being more comfortable ! Yes thank you . I enjoy their content at GCN, but sometimes its all too obvious that they are sponsored by certain companies who are (obviously) interested in selling bikes and wheels and components for way way more than they are worth. Besides no non-pro rider needs a $15,000 bike. if you were that good then the team you ride for would GIVE you the bike. That said the videos here have been much more reasonable and down to earth, showcasing bikes and products that us "mere mortals" can afford with life and other expenses on the rise. Bikes in the under $3,000 range of cost are just amazing bikes nowadays, and that amount of money for a bike is still A LOT !! If you want to spend more because you need the same thing that some pro rides - fine. But normalizing $10K and $15K bikes to make $5k bikes seem reasonable may as well be printed on shirts and jerseys as GCN's mission statement. smh

[@Hill_Walker]

I remember huge road safety campaigns around seatbelts and Think! for motorbikes and children crossing roads or drink driving. I can't recall any campaigns for cyclists. Although just having checked, their website does mention us.

[@gerrymcbride6429]

Just looked back at the old "Think once, think twice, think bike" Its surprising that it only featured motorbikes as it is equally applicable to pedal cycles.

[@gc641]

More gears are for old farts like me😂😂😂 and people that work in office, wait till you get into your 60’s and going up a very steep long hill 😂😂

[@nalissa77]

Armed bike robbery has become a problem. This reminds me of an incident in Oakland Hills, CA (USA) where a woman was robbed by 3 individuals at gunpoint for her mountain bike. It happened in 2022 when bikes were still hard to get, so I don't know if that added to its allure. It was a heartbreaking story as she just got the bike for Christmas. It happened in April.

[@phorest]

There have been quite a number of bikejackings in the Oalkand/Berkeley, sadly. I've known [not well] a few of the victims.

[@shrkys4]

Yeah sadly it has happened frequently, on the Redwood road side, Grizzly peak, Joaquin Miller and Skyline. Don't ride solo up there...

[@renegadeflyer2]

Bicycles cost as much as they do , is because they were selling. The prices probably will go down, do to the sales slowing. Free enterprise.

[@Astronomater]

Returning to the hobby and am blown away by the astronomical prices. The companies are blind to real world economics of consumers. When I went to school we were warned about bike thieves and that was back in the 90s

[@Mankind-Journey]

😆😆

[@adredy]

Welcome in hell, need new chain? 189£😂 PRO VERSION

[@destinationbikeatboxhillin8255]

If you can't afford a premium bike then don't buy one!? You don't need a Porsche GT3RS to drive about in but if you can afford one you get one! Always compare apples for apples. Pro level equipment with exotic lightweight and aero developed materials is lovely to have but it's expensive. If you drove a car /motorbike that was a top level race machine how many hundreds of thousands would that cost!?? Compare that with buying the same race machine that a world tour race team use and theres your comparison - 12K🤷‍♂️

[@marcogme]

Average people dont drive f1 cars, average cyclist dont need expensive carbon disked bikes.

[@sylvainbernaers]

who wants to buy a racebike with electronics secondhand?????????

[@ashleyhouse9690]

I'm totally in accord with what Nick said about comfort and durability of bikes. After seeing damage to multiple friends' carbon bikes and my own plus several high profile failures and recalls from all the major manufacturers, I'm done with carbon frames. Going back to steel.

[@hananas2]

#steelisreal

[@redauwg911]

who makes a good quality light steel bike

[@ashleyhouse9690]

@@redauwg911 I'm not sure lightness is really the forte of steel bikes but it's the Fairlight Strael I'm going for, Lightness is overrated any way. I've lost 3kg on the carnivore diet recently so I'm up on the overall system weight even with a steel bike!

[@lazylonewolf]

@@redauwg911 I only know Surly, but even their bikes start at like $1000

[@redauwg911]

@@ashleyhouse9690 I lost 12kg on the whole foods plant based diet. And never had so much energy. I like to go on 100 mile rides now, I could only do 60 before.. Will check out that bike thank you for the suggestion

[@Shadow-ru5pq]

I get it. It costs money to be able to transport yourself...but a bike that costs more than used cars are just plain rediculous

[@bbbikesbrooklyn]

Using Scott Foil as an example, if you bought any of their 10spd 1st edition Di2 bikes in the 2010's, you cannot buy crucial replacement parts today. Shimano stopped manufacturing and selling 10 speed chainrings (I called Shimano). So, let's say you've resisted all the marketing to buy the latest and greatest over the years, cared for your bike, etc. eventually you are forced to upgrade. This is true of older older bikes, of course, but the lifecycle of components has shortened. It is not in Shimano's interest to support replacement parts and trickle down, but to make the old obsolete and the new readily available, shiny, and in your face. If you have an 11 speed bike, the release of 12 speed is not innovation, but setting an expiration date on your groupset.

[@williamko4751]

Bogus point. There are plenty of good non Shimano brand 10 speed chainrings available . If you must stick to few big brands for replacement parts, you are part of the problem.

[@bbbikesbrooklyn]

​@@williamko4751The largest parts manufacturer ceasing to supply parts is not bogus, but I agree that other brands play an important part in market! But since it's so easy, please do share a few links to 53/39 10sp chainrings compatible with Shimano FC-6700! I could use 'em!

[@chris1275cc]

Actually Shimano stopped manufacturing ULTEGRA and DA specific chainrings in the old 10s 5 bolt arrangement, not that they are hard to find NOS if you want them (took me 10 seconds and Google) they still make 105 for now and non series ones that are compatible. Also Shimano 11s chainrings are spaced the same and are backwards compatible so you can always just get a new 11s chainset which will probably work out cheaper and lighter. I do know what you are getting at but Shimano is a terrible example to use, of all the big manufactures they are the only ones that make components or compatible equivalents available truly long term, they also make small individual parts available and easy to obtain so you can repair rather than replace alongside publishing the technical docs to undertake those repairs to anyone who who wants them not just "authorised dealers/mechanics". Not sure why you think "It is not in Shimano's interest" to support "trickle down" it's basically their whole business model, it allows people to upgrade and benefit from previous gen' higher tier groupsets and remain at the same level or even drop down a tier to keep an older bike going at reduced cost without losing any of the benefits.

[@bbbikesbrooklyn]

@@chris1275cc I appreciate this perspective! Esp. the POV on how the trickle down fuels Shimano’s business. Learning from the internet is good! Cheers

[@simonm1447]

​@@bbbikesbrooklynStronglight still makes aluminium chainrings for bolted Shimano 5 arm cranks, I just do not know if they, offer the exact ones you would need.

[@Stikibits]

In Japan, you have to register your bike when and where you buy it. It costs 500yen. If you buy a second hand bicycle, then you need to register it at the local koban (police box).

[@AquidoSquido]

In reality, that rarely works. Nothing is digital and basically, you can just remove the sticker and re-register under your name in a shop with a fake receipt.

[@Stikibits]

@@AquidoSquido The bike comes up as being registered under another name.

[@123oner2]

Every place of work should have to factor in internal bike lock ups. If they're building a new office it should be designed into the architecture. With it being mandatory for companies to have this it would mean bikes are 100% safe, encouraging more people to cycle to work and make the planet greener. I never leave my bike outside, it's either in my home or inside my office. Having had bikes stolen the it just isn't worth the risk.

[@robertrjm8115]

Average speed are a good metric over extended rides and routes you do regularly. I typically ride 90 to 120 km with a total ascent of around 1% of the ride distance. On most of these rides I average out at 20 km/h ( I am 70 years of age). But right now I am a bit slower at 18.5 to 19 km/h but as the spring comes my fitness will increase and my average speed will climb back up. At the end of a season I might hit 21 km/h average, but then I am also 1 year older and I can assure you things do not always get better, hence, if at the end of 2024, I will again be at 21 km/h I will be extremely happy and content. By the way, my rides are mostly in the Scottish Borders or out to the sea and back inland and this area seem to have this inherent tilt of 1%. Nearly all of my rides end up with this 0.8 to 1.2% ascent of ride distance. Has anybody else noticed this ?

[@stop223]

I think we need some positivity here. Listening to this left me with a depressed feeling. The topics are all negative (angry, the problem with, death, rise of theft...) I would appreciate keeping most of the topics on a positive note since I do listen for entertainment. Of couse it is necessary to talk about some of this but I would prefer to have at least a balance between positive and negative topics.

[@LongbranchOlivetti]

It's funny to me that this is the thing people have decided to be angry at GCN about, and not their years of misinformation, poor bike maintenance ideas, promoting muc-off, not informing viewers about paid adverts. No, people have chosen to be angry about their dodgy opinions.

[@theankiteroonie_6373]

Wait whats wrong with muc off? Just curious

[@LongbranchOlivetti]

@@theankiteroonie_6373 Specifically their chain lubes which actively increase wear rate to both the cassette and chain by attracting contaminants and abrasives. We have known for years that dry wax is the best lubricant. GCN took muc-offs money for a long time and told their viewers that it was the best lube and then one day last year when they suddenly started promoting wax. So they have knowingly promoted a product that wrecks drivetrains at a far greater rate than wax.

[@Ryan.T89]

I’ve been having muc off on motorbike and push bike since in came out, and nearly all their products are excellent. The only thing they really fall down on is their chain lubes in my opinion.

[@SimonMcGowanHenderson]

I am a former South African bike shop owner, and I can weigh in on several points here. As a country known for its crime, the number of times I had customers call to be rescued after being jacked for their bikes, or hear that they had been held at gunpoint is scary. We had one group ride in the south of Johannesburg where two vehicles with men armed with AK47's stopped the group, and chose select bikes, then left with them. I fear this will take off (although not a violently) in the UK. As for the cost of things, the only thing I can liken the cycling industry to is a snake eating its own tail. The cost of things is too high, small bike shops will never he able to compete with big online stores, and the online stores will never give the personal service. I disagree that bikes have a 40% margin, and as a former shop owner, if I had made 40% on a bike I sold, I'd have been thrilled. Thats not to say the manufacturers dont make those profit levels, however, I would have thought it would have been higher. Profit is not a bad word, and shops dont run on charity...but honestly, the way the prices are going, its ridiculous. Sports Direct...great for price hunters. Terrible for cyclists who enjoy their local bike shops...remember my snake analogy?!

[@TrippyLighting]

$3000+ for a bike frame that takes 44 hours to make is NOT overpriced whatsoever. If you divide the price by the hours, what you end up with is the fully burdened labor rate. It takes a space to make that stuff in, equipment to make it with and very skilled labor. The frame has to be designed/configured. There administrative cost and obviously a profit margin.

[@gregmcnicoll5520]

The frame design is no different from any other frame any other brand puts out.

[@gerrymcbride6429]

...and nobody even said that was man hours.

[@richardcarr6493]

PS GCN HAS BECOME A BIG BIKE COMMERCIAL FOR PRIMIUM OVER PRICED BIKES N PARTS !!

[@grahambell9831]

Great to have Nic' s wisdom and viewpoints on the channel this week. Some insightful and candid opinions expressed by Nic, Jimmi & Emily. Nice one! 👍👏

[@daryltill70]

I watch GCN for entertainment value only, they are just a public face for the bike industry

[@dominicbritt]

Here we go - Jimmy is off on one again...in what way is the bike industry different from ANY OTHER INDUSTRY!!

[@bgrutterdds]

£79/hour doesn't really seem that bad at all for a custom built bike. Take into account the materials as well, that's actually pretty darn good. Car mechanics, plumbers, electricians, etc all charge way more (rightly so). This is someone that is making a one-off bike for you.

[@terry_hutt]

Link the bike to the phone so the bike can't be ridden if your phone isn't there. Great idea until they steal your phone.

[@bgrutterdds]

One idea to detour bike theft. If you have electronic shifting, shift into the lowest gear before parking. Then, take the battery with you (SRAM are easy for that). How frustrated would a thief be trying to pedal away in a granny gear...

[@Return_oftheMac]

They should treat bike theft like horse stealing in the American west. Politicians and police treat bikes like accessories or gadgets, not like essential transport.

[@Feralchicken]

Phone theft reduced massively when Apple and Google started making it possible to remotely disable your phone. I'd love an equivalent where I could remotely set my derailleurs into the hardest gear and then brick them. (Actually, what I want is the bikes from Virtual Light - a massive capacitor in a steel bike frame which charges while you ride. When you park up, attach the capacitor output to the frame to make an open circuit...)