Direct to Consumer Brands are Putting Downward Pressure on Road Bike Prices

Did you know that you can get a full Shimano Claris Groupset on Amazon for less $250 dollars? And that you can purchase a single one-off carbon or aluminum frame on eBay that will arrive painted with your recommendations within a month?

Gone are the days when the only way to purchase a quality road bike was too spend hours at the local specialty bike shop and pay a significantly inflated price. Today market tailwinds have provided opportunities for more competition to enter the market, pulling prices down.

With manufacturing advancement, component manufacturers like SRAM and Shimano, have been able to provide more pricepoint driven groupsets to consumers. And with global technology companies like Alibaba and Facebook, classic barriers to entry have become less arduous. It is now easier than ever to connect with overseas frame manufacturers that have with the ability to design any off-shelf road bike frame without research or safety testing.