Transforming Our Transactions

I was at the dentist today. The bill was $2,297.

- Tom Demerly

My dentist is excellent. He is professional and current on modern dental techniques. As luck would have it, my dentist is also a triathlete. While I was at his office, I picked up his bike and brought it back to our bike shop to do a tune-up on it. He’s got a nice bike. He should.

I got to thinking: Why can my dentist command more than $2,000 for services, but I will only bill him about $90-150 for his bike tune-up that takes the same amount of time? And before you argue that your teeth are a serious “health issue,” I will suggest that your bike brakes are too when you need to avoid a collision with a car.

Why is the bike industry unable to command prices for service and products commensurate with other industries? Why is a doctor, a dentist, a plumber or an auto mechanic so much more expensive to hire than a bike-fitter, bike salesman or bike mechanic?