When will we make the change needed?...

 I have been on a bike on and off since I was a child. Back then for me the bike was a Diamondback Viper, all chrome, with black and grey accents. It was for me a beast machine. BMX was basically king; it ruled all the outdoor sports kids would do outside of team sports. It is amazing to me how much things have changed since those days. When an expensive BMX bike was about $400. Look at now when the cheapest junk mountain bikes are $400. I think though in modern terms they are pricing out 80% of possible riders. I think that in an odd way bike brands secretly do not want more riders they want less riders who are willing to pay more to ride. My Trek Fuel ex7 from 2013 was about $2300 that is insane when see today with higher income levels. My current YT Jeffsy was $2399 in 2023. Now take that 10 year gap of bike advancement to consideration. That Trek was back then a better bike than the current Jeffsy is, even with what should be better components and geometry. It is becoming harder and harder to love and enjoy a sport or lifestyle as it is for many. When you begin to feel like bike brands really do only want to have Dentists, Lawyers and Doctors as customers. It becomes more exhausting for the average person to keep up with it.