Traditional road bikes have been a popular transport solution from the moment they came onto the scene. Providing people with the option to travel further and faster for an affordable price. This sort of success attracts people from all walk of life, but none more frequent than a new competitor and their attempts to de-throne the bicycle. For almost 200 years, the humble two-wheeled chain powered bicycle has faced tough competition!
From skateboards, rollerblades and scooters, or their modern electrified cousins e-scooters and electric roller blades they have all tried their hand at replacing bikes as the primary form of single occupancy transport.
But what effect has that had on the cost? Surely with more options for consumers and with increased competition between businesses, the cost of all single occupancy travel must have come down but especially so for cyclists who have faced the longest most consistent challenge to their hegemony.
Well, let’s take a look. In 1900, Triumph released their ‘No 14B’ Imperial Triumph Road Racer for £15 & 15 shillings. In today’s money, that’s equivalent to £1,642.45. This bike would catapult both itself and its manufacturer, Triumph, to the forefront of popularity after winning the 1900 Bordeaux-Paris Race. Looking back from the modern day, it’s safe to say the Triumph 14B would’ve been considered as the crème-de-la-crème of bicycles, comparable to the Tour-de-France bikes of our time.
Yet, if we were to take a look at the bicycles that competed in 2024’s Tour-de-France we’ll see that the cheapest bike competing in the pro-peloton is the £9,000 RCR Pro bike, used by Van Rysel. Clearly this is far beyond the £1,642.00 price tag of 1900’s best bike.
So why is it so much more expensive? Admittedly the technology has come a long way, you’ll find no carbon fibre on triumphs 14B, and you’ll find no iron on the 2024 RCR Pro. Everything from gear changers, weight saving framework, aerodynamic wheelbase and spoke design, even the type of rubber on the tyre. Near every part of the classic 14B has been updated, stripped out, or simply redesigned to create as efficient a transport vehicle as possible.
Looking at a bike at a similar price point the Cannondale Synapse 2 2024 Road Bike. This bicycle is priced at £1,650.00, a much more equivalent price to the 14B, but you can definitely tell that times have changed. Since 1900, we have progressed the study of Cycling so far and so deeply that the sum that would once afford you a top of the range product would now only be able to afford you a “mid-range” bicycle. Make no mistake however, the 2024 offering is a far more capable and usable machine. Had the Cannondale Synapse 2 been released in 1900, there is no doubt that it would cost a similar amount back then as a pro bike does today, with the cheapest offering starting at £9,000 (5.4x more expensive than the 14B!)
In conclusion it is clear that the cost of cycling has dropped dramatically since days of the 14B. Advances in technology have led to bikes getting lighter & stronger, leading more people to get interested in cycling as a recreational activity or a sport.
