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@mattty
Well, that thread title should put off uninterested parties.
So, an interesting post on the Freakonomics blog:
http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/17/bicycle-inflation-in-paradise
After being surprised at the price of a used bicycle, Robin Goldstein takes a (very brief) look at prices of used cars and prices of used bikes in some US cities, finding a negative correlation.
I wonder if the correlation is genuine. More striking, to me, is that the cost of a bicycle is deemed outrageously high, despite being on average 4% of that of a car. When used as a vehicle for commuting and everyday general use, it seems pretty clear that an investment in a quality bike will pay dividends. Indeed, that could be a driving factor in the market price of 2nd hand bikes - where journeys by bicycle are more common, the price of a bike may be higher, not because demand is higher, but because people value a quality bicycle higer (witness the poor sales of $200 BSOs in Portland).
Anyway, don't have the time to think too much further, but struck me as interesting. What are your thoughts..?