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I don’t get this at all, I would call £300-400 cheap to be honest... and at that price i don’t look for “special” just good enough and fairly smart.
What’s special about a surly at £700?
sbbohr-
The name?
Surly have always been innovators, trying to offer something that the giant brands don't eg they've been doing clearance for fatter tyres for years before it's become the norm. OK they're not pushing the boundaries of technology but it's unfair to say that they're not trying different things and offering something a bit niche. And as has been said, you pay for smaller production batches. The whole market has sorta invaded their space with gravel bikes and ever wider tyres becoming the norm now but for me the midnight special was still the only frameset I could buy (without waiting an eternity for custom) that ticked all my specific wants. So for me it offered good value in terms of my immediate need for a bike (having been dicked about royally by another manufacturer) and also price.
But if its not for everyone, that's fine too. You pays your money, you takes your choice.
I love riding mine.
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I couldn't say it much more clearly than @yetidamo.. If you do not think an article is worth the sticker price then go spend your money elsewhere.
Surly has tubing made to their specifications, and drop-outs and braze-ons in awkward places. They probably do several rounds of physical prototypes during developement of a model.
BiviBikes are cheaper, but only come in one size (less money for tooling) and Brother Cycles are less developed and more like catalogue models with standard tubing and specs, which makes them cheaper.
yetidamo
MisterMikkel
I think you forget that companies have to cover development cost and specialized tooling in the sales price as well. Especially with small production runs (<1500-5000 pieces).
In short:
Cheap, Special, Nice.. You can only pick two