If you don’t stock up soon, you’ll have to start lurking by your bike shops loading dock so you can try to steal a case of inner tubes. The shortage of butyl means inner tube prices are likely to shoot up about 40%, so you’ll have to pay almost $8 for a tube. Not exactly breaking the bank, but come on, we’re a bunch of deadbeats. Add the shortage of steel, the Chinese plant closures for the Olympics, plus the weakening dollar and you might be shopping for bikes at the police auction this year. At the Taipai Cycling Show people are saying bike prices will rise 8 to 10 percent next year.

via Dirt Rag