Deep discounting in January sales?

[LittleGreyCat]

There was a puff piece in (I think) the Guardian about deals over the sales.

One item was about bikes, claiming that there was a major over supply and 30-40% price cuts from some retailers.

Does anyone know if this is true?

[Jdsk]

"Energy saving: the best deals in the UK sales, from bikes to air fryers":
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/ ... air-fryers

Jonathan

[rareposter]

One item was about bikes, claiming that there was a major over supply and 30-40% price cuts from some retailers.

I think that's mostly already happened - some of it is probably covered in the Cycle Trade thread:
viewtopic.php?t=159202

I got my new MTB at pretty much half price a few months back. Chain Reaction / Wiggle have sold a lot of their stock now at liquidation prices, not sure what their deal is with any potential restock / buyout but there's not much left. The industry seemed to be pushing Black Friday (more as an entire month than one actual day!) a lot so how much is left is anyone's guess - certainly in the common sizes.

It'll probably take another 6-12 months to get the supply / demand thing sorted again after the disruption of Covid, the lack of supply then the sudden oversupply. The secondhand market is also pretty depressed - fewer people buy S/H when there's so much new stock at such discounts.

[JohnR]

Chain Reaction / Wiggle have sold a lot of their stock now at liquidation prices, not sure what their deal is with any potential restock / buyout but there's not much left.

It's unclear to me how much stock is remaining but the month long Black Friday sale included some bargains and must have turned some stock into cash. I bought a pair of wheels for £59.99 which are still available at £219.99. Of course, they are only a bargain if I use them and like them, but at the sale price that's a risk I was willing to take.

[ChrisF]

Chain Reaction / Wiggle have sold a lot of their stock now at liquidation prices, not sure what their deal is with any potential restock / buyout but there's not much left.

It's unclear to me how much stock is remaining but the month long Black Friday sale included some bargains and must have turned some stock into cash. I bought a pair of wheels for £59.99 which are still available at £219.99. Of course, they are only a bargain if I use them and like them, but at the sale price that's a risk I was willing to take.

I bouht one of these https://www.wiggle.com/p/vitus-e-substa ... bike-fazua on 'Cyber Monday' when there was an additional 10% off. Still a good bargain now, and available in most sizes.

[SimonCelsa]

It's all about perception.

2 grand for that Vitus e-bike is not cheap. When compared with the supposed RRP of £3700 it may seem like a bargain but I don't think many (if any) would buy that bike at RRP.

You can purchase a decent conversion kit (hub or BB) plus battery for around £700, With a budget of £2K there are many decent bikes you could buy, and fit the conversion kit to and still have change.

I see Tesco selling some ordinary Colgate toothpaste at times for £4, this allows them to subsequently sell it at 'Half Price' a few weeks later; "only £2, wow!!" Everyone loves a bargain and these strategies obviously work and help shift stock.

Having said that, as long as you are happy with the purchase, and get good use from it, is all that matters really!!

[al_yrpal]

I buy Aldi toothpaste - 67p! That ebike is no bargain, would be if priced at £1250. Got a pair of very nice Clarks shoes yesterday £34 rrp £90. So many things these days are rip offs....avoid....

Al

[Cugel]

It's all about perception.

2 grand for that Vitus e-bike is not cheap. When compared with the supposed RRP of £3700 it may seem like a bargain but I don't think many (if any) would buy that bike at RRP.

You can purchase a decent conversion kit (hub or BB) plus battery for around £700, With a budget of £2K there are many decent bikes you could buy, and fit the conversion kit to and still have change.

Having said that, as long as you are happy with the purchase, and get good use from it, is all that matters really!!

Well .... prices are relative. That's the least expensive Fazua-equipped e-bike I've come across, with only a Boardman coming anywhere near it. Most Fazua-equipped bikes have been in the £3500 - £9000 range.

Having already bought 3 Fazua-equipped bikes (the rot of age is ever-increasing - one must prepare) I did think of buying this particular example purely for spares - but I wouldn't want anything except the Fazua system parts (about £1500 to buy as such) and the wheels, so no.

Conversion kits are all very well but I doubt they can create a bike as well-designed and integrated as that e-substance or any other Fazua-equipped bike. Not to condemn conversions but don't underestimate the good effects of a more integrated e-bike design. Moreover, that bike would be all-new whilst your conversion would be just a new motor on an old and perhaps well-worn bike.

[PH]

Maybe it's my nostalgia, but I'm sure sales used to be a big thing, I queued overnight for a couple in the 80's. Pre internet you'd only compare between one High St shop and another, even in a city that might only be two or three, there wasn't the competition. Sales were used to clear stock, maybe with a few headline items worth queuing for, and a lot of lesser savings. Now retailers need to be competitive all the time. Probably with less need to clear stock and thinner margins to discount.
There's also been a huge change in consumer pricing over the last thirty years that I sometimes feel hasn't been understood, though my own understanding isn't comprehensive. The cost of product as a percentage of retail price has fallen drastically, for some retailers the cost of stock is less than the cost of sales staff, for others the main source of income is finance rather than sales. The old idea that a producer set a price and the chain between them and the consumer added a percentage to that is in many cases reversed.

[gxaustin]

It's all about perception.

2 grand for that Vitus e-bike is not cheap. When compared with the supposed RRP of £3700 it may seem like a bargain but I don't think many (if any) would buy that bike at RRP.

You can purchase a decent conversion kit (hub or BB) plus battery for around £700, With a budget of £2K there are many decent bikes you could buy, and fit the conversion kit to and still have change.

Having said that, as long as you are happy with the purchase, and get good use from it, is all that matters really!!

I think it's a good buy for £2k. I know 2 people who've put kits on an existing bike and they weren't a patch on a properly integrated bike. they had batteries where one of the bottle cages would go or needed a rack mounted battery. The add ons weighed about 4kg - a consideration for when they ran out of power, even when used sparingly.
I definitely wouldn't pay much more though.