It can't work like that in the world of mass produced equipment. You can only buy what the manufacturers are making, and as far as I'm aware there haven't been any wheels that are offered in different widths that the consumer can choose from.
It's always: this is the latest model, it has these features, thanks.
I don't think this is a realistic world picture: if this was true then the wheel manufacturers would just keep making rim brake wheels, which a apparently more profitable in your view. In real world a wheel supplier will make wheels for the specs their customers, bike manufacturers and bike shops, order. And those order what their customers, cyclists, demand.
I hear what you're saying and that would normally make sense, but there are reasons why I don't think its true in the bike industry. It comes down to the same arguments that you often see on HN about whether or not a free market works.
Shimano can decide to stop manufacturing rim brake groupsets and spares for existing rim brake groupsets unilaterally. It doesn't matter if the customer wants it or not. The rest of the bike industry supply side won't object to it, because it pushes people towards replacing whole bicycles which benefits all of them.
Other component manufacturers can play the same games in the areas that they can control. Wheel manufacturers can start pushing to wider rims, and then increasing profitability with hookless. Benefits the frame manufacturer (oh no, you need a frame with more clearance!), the tyre manufacturer, doesn't negatively affect any other the other players who aren't directly affected, spin a marketing story about how great this new thing is based on dubious test results and claims, and off it goes.
Repeat that cycle a few times in a few different areas and you have the situation we are now currently in:
The price of a mid/high end bike has doubled in the last 5 years.
The bikes have got heavier and more complicated and harder to maintain.
The consumers are all pissed off with it and start leaving the sport.
Sales suddenly fall off a cliff.
I'm not saying this as a conspiracy theory nut, but rather that there are a set of dynamics at play in this industry that mean that this kind of thing can happen.
pandaman|1 year ago
bennyelv|1 year ago
Shimano can decide to stop manufacturing rim brake groupsets and spares for existing rim brake groupsets unilaterally. It doesn't matter if the customer wants it or not. The rest of the bike industry supply side won't object to it, because it pushes people towards replacing whole bicycles which benefits all of them.
Other component manufacturers can play the same games in the areas that they can control. Wheel manufacturers can start pushing to wider rims, and then increasing profitability with hookless. Benefits the frame manufacturer (oh no, you need a frame with more clearance!), the tyre manufacturer, doesn't negatively affect any other the other players who aren't directly affected, spin a marketing story about how great this new thing is based on dubious test results and claims, and off it goes.
Repeat that cycle a few times in a few different areas and you have the situation we are now currently in:
The price of a mid/high end bike has doubled in the last 5 years. The bikes have got heavier and more complicated and harder to maintain. The consumers are all pissed off with it and start leaving the sport. Sales suddenly fall off a cliff.
I'm not saying this as a conspiracy theory nut, but rather that there are a set of dynamics at play in this industry that mean that this kind of thing can happen.