Yeah I asked another shop to match and they seemed pretty surprise by the deal at Erik’s and I wouldn’t put something like that past them - either notifying or having someone else buy it. I ordered it later the same day and despite the order going through and their email confirmation that it was available, I still got hosed.
Another local shop here has the same bike for $12,500, but at that point, is it worth it to get the 2026 model for lighter wheels and a few other items for $15k?
My wife gave the green light to buy the new model, but not sure I can stomach dropping $15k+ on a MTB right now in the middle of a cross country move. When it was a total steal at $10k that made it easy. I’ll probably wait until I move and get settled and make a decision.
Take every part off it and put on another cheap frame, then sell it for even more price offset or keep it as a mud bike. Take the the EE7 frame and build it up however you want for less than Eriks bike deal and potentially have (2) bikes
As someone who has a EE7 that is 21.4lbs - I can confirm that after 2-seasons of racing/riding it is getting beat up just like any MTB would and the rider is the real performer (not the bike, but it helps).
Also on an EE7 and that’s what I did almost two years ago. Mine is like 24-ish pounds with some weight to lose and is my everyday rig. Have a fun wheelset/tire combo I’ll toss on soon when I’m done chasing a few segments.
EE7 is a great bike. I built mine up to the pro level specs (no batteries on purpose) and is sitting 23.5 all in with pedals, water bottle changes, computer, etc. I have to admit I am Epic 8 curious but there isn’t anything that is pushing me to upgrade yet as the bike is so capable.
I cannot put my finger on it, but these photos of the Backcountry EE7’s don’t look great. Maybe a small frame vs whatever size specialized usually use? Maybe the cream frame on a white background? The fork stanchions look thicker too, probably seeing both at once.
The EE7 stock photos from the website look much better.
Still, buying EE7 and rebuilding is probably the best deal around since the EE8 frame only deal ended.
The industry has always been broken, but it’s really gotten out of hand in the last 5 years with the covid craziness.
I don’t buy the top end stuff, but I still have the better part of $10k in my new XC bike. As long as we keep paying it, they will keep asking these prices. When a non-cyclist asks how much one of my bikes cost, I’m too embarrassed to admit that what I paid. The bike prices really are dumb, but still cheaper than many hobbies overall.
Meanwhile, you can get a Honda CRF250 for under $10k. The material costs, engineering, and labor to produce a nice dirt bike has got to be 5x the cost of a high end MTB, but somehow they are over 30% cheaper. My next XC bike might just be a honda if the price is right.
Carbon frames and components are labor intensive, hence costly. But I think the biggest driver is the duopolies between SRAM and Shimano, and SRAM and FOX on the expensive components that really drive the cost of the bike (Drivetrain/Brakes, and suspension components respectively). I’d guess between those three, they suck up 75% of the profit pool in the high end MTB bike market.
Right, like what is the bike equivalent of that CRF250R? A 105 mech? 105 di2? Does it have a carbon frame?
Comparing the two is just silly but people think “Oh dirt bike goes fast so why cheaper?”. There’s basically only one trim of it. It’s primarily made of steel, aluminum and molded plastic. Because of the engine you don’t have to be a weight weenie so engineering is easier because there’s less trade offs. All these parts have pretty automated manufacturing where carbon is largely hand labor. No paint. More competition in the market. Mechanical transmission built on decades old tech. More in house products. Etc Etc.
The level of discounts you see on backstock gives you a good idea of how much margin the product has. I don’t think Honda is ever selling old stock for 40%+ off msrp.
The comparison is a bit silly, but not because the motorcycle isn’t 5x the unit cost of a high end MTB (the moto is probably higher than 5x). But unit costs obviously don’t tell the entire story here. And I’m not bashing on the bike companies for setting the prices so high, clearly many bike companies are struggling even with the high prices and there are some people buying them. But high margins only go so far if the business model is broken. I’m not close enough to the industry to know all the layers and cost structures, but I’d bet their overhead, engineering, and sales/mkt spend are a huge percentage of expenses compared to actual cost of goods sold. High end bike companies probably have more in common with high end fashion then they do powersports from a cost structure perspective. People don’t buy a Colnago or S-works (or any high end bike) just because it’s a good bike, they are also buying the image/perception/prestige that comes with it. And there is nothing wrong with that, just like there is nothing wrong with buying a Louis Vuitton bag if that’s your thing. And while the Colnago and LV both cost a little more to make than a mid-range bike or bag, the unit cost is not what dictates the huge premium in price. All luxury goods are ultimately priced by the buyer, not the seller. As long as people are buying $15k bikes, the bike companies will offer them.
Ordered another Epic last night from a local shop so hopefully it works better than my experience with Erik’s.
Does anyone here ride their XC bike on the trainer? Or bonus points if if it’s on an inside ride e flex plus (very specific example lol). My trainer is the Kickr v6 and it appears to come with separate parts for boost spacing. With family commitments at best I get one outdoor ride per week with the rest being inside. When prepping for longer XC rides it’d be nice to get the indoor rides in on the XC bike. Between the e flex and full suspension it seems like a lot of movement, although I could lock out of course.
Also, with the “learning” of FA, I wonder how it’d look at the indoor rides. I would probably be best removing the FA batteries for those rides anyways.
I put mine on the trainer as I get closer to events like Leadville so I can make sure the PM is calibrated and do my work in the same bike position. I should see if I can just match the trainer bike position to the MTB though.
What do you mean by this? Like your existing or dedicated trainer bike? I’d expect that a drop bar bike will generally be too different to try and match h the mtb just for the hand position portion but maybe not.
Yes, that’s what I mean. Don’t need brakes on a trainer bike, so pretty easy to just swap stem and flat bars on, even if you have to let the hoods just hang down off the front of the bike - Zip tie them to the fork.
