Say it ain't so Shimano!

I wouldn't put anything past Shimano. Just look at their
past .

Fire up MTB 03

Werehatrack at wrote on 8/15/03 3:21 PM:
On a trip to California about 5 years ago, I had to eat in restaurants
more than I usually would. On the second day of the trip, at three
different facilities in a row, after being seated by the greetron
unit, a blond-haired twentyish male waitron walked up and said "Hi,
I'm Scott, and I'll be your server for this meal." The first time,
the incredibly artificial nature of the statement was merely a minor
annoyance. The second time, it was...spooky. Very spooky. This was
obviously not the same guy, although he could have been a close
relative. The third time was about 100 miles away from the other two,
and when the skinny blond kid walked up wearing a nametag that had
"Scott" on it, I had this awful sense of deja moo...for about two
seconds, and then the Dreaded Phrase was uttered once again. I very
nearly had to get up and leave. That was just a bit more of The
Universe Having Fun At My Expense than I was ready for in one day.


The Scott units are cheap and reasonably reliable. Can't program 'em to
work in the vegan restaurants, though. Some BIOS glitch...

On Fri, 15 Aug 2003 22:21:17 GMT, Werehatrack
wrote:
"Scott" on it, I had this awful sense of deja moo...for about two

Would "deja moo" be when you see the same cow over
and over again?

(I was very disappointed that I didn't get to use one of my favorite
spielbreakers while out there; when a greetron asks me "Do you have a
smoking preference?", I generally say either "Salmon" or "Ribs". It
completely throws them off; the results are fun to watch.)

When somebody says "Any questions?" I say "Why do
dogs have black lips?"

I got it from some book, but I don't remember what.
It may have been the title of the book.
--
Rick Onanian

ajames- To combat this practice Rock-Shox and Pulstar (two name only two)
made visibly different products for their OEM stream ... it
didn't work perfectly but at least the consumer had some idea of
what was happening. BRBR

We still install components from MO that have 'OEM only, not for resale'
printed on them all the time...

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

Bill- Price fixing is considered normal and acceptable practice in Japan.
They think a bit differently there. I wonder if there's enough to
make an anti-trust case here in the U.S. though. Maybe a bunch of
LBS's and distributors could get together and do the class action
thing against Shimano. I don't know. BRBR

shimano retires more debt each year than Sram or Campagnolo grosses...They have
some really high priced AMERICAN lawyers...think it would be a tough road.

Maybe if all of the U.S.
distributors got together and refused to buy Shimano until the
policies were changed, they could force the changes down Shimano's
throat. BRBR

shimano would just buy them...

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

JFT- REI and Super-Perform-Bar from
undercutting local dealers on price.
I can't really view that as a bad
thing.

Sure....it keeps prices higher. Great...for retailers.
BRBR

Heaven forbid that I be allowed to sell something at a margin to keep my lights
on...

Ya know, no bike shop owner I have ever seen drives a new Mercedes...

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

Art- Not questioning that it can happen. But all the Shimano stuff I've
bought
from Nashbar, including two sets of STI levers (one set for each bike),
derailleurs, hubs, cranks, cassettes, etc., came in the Shimano box. BRBR

The stuff we see and install from the 'local' MO companies, all are inna bag...

Peter Chisholm
Vecchio's Bicicletteria
1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535
http://www.vecchios.com
"Ruote convenzionali costruite eccezionalmente bene"

Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:

JFT- REI and Super-Perform-Bar from
undercutting local dealers on price.
I can't really view that as a bad
thing.

Sure....it keeps prices higher. Great...for retailers.
BRBR

Heaven forbid that I be allowed to sell something at a margin to keep my
lights on...

Ya know, no bike shop owner I have ever seen drives a new Mercedes...

Dont know about Mercedes, but there are a few with house on the river
etc. from owning several stores. Bike industry is not too different from
other industries, some do badly, some do well, some do extremely well...
not surprising really.

On 17 Aug 2003 13:27:51 GMT, (Qui si parla
Campagnolo) wrote:

Heaven forbid that I be allowed to sell something at a margin to keep my lights
on...

Ya know, no bike shop owner I have ever seen drives a new Mercedes...

Why would it be such a bad thing if the price of a component was the
same to a consumer wherever they bought it? i.e., a 105 front
derailleur costs $29.95. You wouldn't have to waste time shopping and
could buy from a source that offered you other values.

I enjoy shopping and did it for a living for part of my career. I
owned an International trading company. With bicycle stuff I do it
for fun. There's not enough money in it to earn a living.

See how much of a discount you can get on a BMW.

The vast majority of consumers don't have a clue as to what something
is supposed to cost or how to use the item.

"Gary K" wrote in message
news:1fzs4zw.g0o44mg3vi5kN%

because Shimano is a near monopoly. (Especially if you're a mountain
biker.

My mtn. bike, built last year, has exactly 3 Shimano componants: XT front
derailleur (because SRAM didn't make one when I built it); XTR rear cassette
(because even with SRAM everything else, somehow I get better shifting with
the Shimano cassette); and XTR quick release (because it just feels more
secure).

My old hardtail was full XTR (except for the SRAM chain), and, yes it
performed flawlessly. But I've got to say I'm completely happy with SRAM
drivetrain and their stuff is only improving. If you're a weight wienie,
SRAM XO is lighter than XTR. Raceface cranks and rings are quality; no
problems with Truvativ bb. Crank Bros. Eggbeater pedals are the best I've
used, bar none. Avid mechanical discs are excellent and good enough for me,
but if I want hydraulic there's Hope and Hayes and other quality product to
choose from besides Shimano. King hubs, Mavic rims, 32 DT spokes: remember
when you always had to build a wheel?

If Shimano wants to screw around with price fixing and limit the availabilty
of their parts, I wager they won't continue as a near monopoly in the mt.
bike market.