Tubus Rack Shortage in U.S..

I wanted a Tubus Racktime Topit front rack for my Dahon, since Dahon has
discontinued their Traveler front rack, and apparently others have fit
this front rack to 20" wheeled Dahons.

I ordered one from a shop in the U.S. about three months ago, but they
recently told me that it would be at least six more months before they
could, maybe, get any. There is some problem getting Tubus to ship
product to the U.S..

I went ahead and ordered from a bike shop in Germany.
https://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=13&search=racktime+topit.

Of course Jay will probably now tell me that they are easily available
at every shop in Portland!

On Monday, July 25, 2016 at 11:50:45 AM UTC-7, SMS wrote:
I wanted a Tubus Racktime Topit front rack for my Dahon, since Dahon has
discontinued their Traveler front rack, and apparently others have fit
this front rack to 20" wheeled Dahons.

I ordered one from a shop in the U.S. about three months ago, but they
recently told me that it would be at least six more months before they
could, maybe, get any. There is some problem getting Tubus to ship
product to the U.S..

I went ahead and ordered from a bike shop in Germany.
https://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=13&search=racktime+topit.

Of course Jay will probably now tell me that they are easily available
at every shop in Portland!

Not every shop, but certainly REI -- in store at both the Tualatin and Hillsboro stores -- neither walking distance from my office, but I could have one brought downtown probably.

Excuse the long link. Tiny URL is embedding advertising, apparently:

https://www.rei.com/product/852184/r...FQqEfgodUmMNLg

Do you have an issue with ordering from REI?

-- Jay Beattie.

On 7/25/2016 2:28 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Monday, July 25, 2016 at 11:50:45 AM UTC-7, SMS wrote:
I wanted a Tubus Racktime Topit front rack for my Dahon, since Dahon has
discontinued their Traveler front rack, and apparently others have fit
this front rack to 20" wheeled Dahons.

I ordered one from a shop in the U.S. about three months ago, but they
recently told me that it would be at least six more months before they
could, maybe, get any. There is some problem getting Tubus to ship
product to the U.S..

I went ahead and ordered from a bike shop in Germany.
https://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=13&search=racktime+topit.

Of course Jay will probably now tell me that they are easily available
at every shop in Portland!

Not every shop, but certainly REI -- in store at both the Tualatin and Hillsboro stores -- neither walking distance from my office, but I could have one brought downtown probably.

Excuse the long link. Tiny URL is embedding advertising, apparently:

https://www.rei.com/product/852184/r...FQqEfgodUmMNLg

Do you have an issue with ordering from REI?

-- Jay Beattie.


Jeff Archer made some public and vociferous complaints about
his store's major bike brand being sold at REI stores. A
week later was run down and killed. Coincidence?

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On 7/25/2016 12:28 PM, jbeattie wrote:

snip

Not every shop, but certainly REI -- in store at both the Tualatin and Hillsboro stores -- neither walking distance from my office, but I could have one brought downtown probably.

Excuse the long link. Tiny URL is embedding advertising, apparently:

https://www.rei.com/product/852184/r...FQqEfgodUmMNLg

Do you have an issue with ordering from REI?

No, I just picked up a special order from them yesterday.

The issue is that I want the silver (unpainted) color because the rear
rack on the same bicycle is unpainted.

Ordering it from Europe is less than REI's price, even with shipping.
$51.62 is what showed up (forgot to use my Capital One card which has no
foreign transaction fee). Though with the REI rebate the total is about
the same.

On 7/25/2016 1:15 PM, AMuzi wrote:

snip

Jeff Archer made some public and vociferous complaints about his store's
major bike brand being sold at REI stores. A week later was run down and
killed. Coincidence?

Not funny at all.

There are a sufficient number of brands that if a shop is upset about a
manufacturer selling through REI that they can drop the brand and pick
up something else.

REI's prices are nothing terrific, though there is the 10% dividend and
5% credit card rebate. They also have periodic coupons, but they are not
good on anything other than their own Novara brand. The big advantage of
REI, to consumers, is that they are open long hours, 7 days a week, and
that they are good about returns. Most shops around me open after I'm at
work and close before I get home from work. So if I want to get any
issues taken care of during the week I don't have many choices other
than REI, Performance, and Sports Basement (the latter has a very good
bike department), unless it's a common enough part that they have it at
Dick's (which has a surprising number of non-high-end, but
non-department store quality parts).

When I was in REI yesterday picking up something, someone was returning
a bicycle. That bike will likely show up for sale at their "Garage Sale"
and they won't take any net loss on it if they can sell it for 65% of MSRP.

On Monday, July 25, 2016 at 1:23:27 PM UTC-7, SMS wrote:
On 7/25/2016 12:28 PM, jbeattie wrote:

snip

Not every shop, but certainly REI -- in store at both the Tualatin and Hillsboro stores -- neither walking distance from my office, but I could have one brought downtown probably.

Excuse the long link. Tiny URL is embedding advertising, apparently:

https://www.rei.com/product/852184/r...FQqEfgodUmMNLg

Do you have an issue with ordering from REI?

No, I just picked up a special order from them yesterday.

The issue is that I want the silver (unpainted) color because the rear
rack on the same bicycle is unpainted.

Ordering it from Europe is less than REI's price, even with shipping.
$51.62 is what showed up (forgot to use my Capital One card which has no
foreign transaction fee). Though with the REI rebate the total is about
the same.

O.K., then your post should be "shortage of Racktime Top-It front bike racks in silver that I would have bought via internet anyway since they were cheaper in Germany even with shipping to the US." Or something like that.

The silver racks are temporarily out of stock at Universal. I haven't looked to see if some other shop has them on the floor, like River City Bikes. I'm getting the sense that the shortage of the silver racks has really brought the city to a standstill.

-- Jay Beattie.

On 7/25/2016 2:51 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Monday, July 25, 2016 at 1:23:27 PM UTC-7, SMS wrote:
On 7/25/2016 12:28 PM, jbeattie wrote:

snip

Not every shop, but certainly REI -- in store at both the Tualatin and Hillsboro stores -- neither walking distance from my office, but I could have one brought downtown probably.

Excuse the long link. Tiny URL is embedding advertising, apparently:

https://www.rei.com/product/852184/r...FQqEfgodUmMNLg

Do you have an issue with ordering from REI?

No, I just picked up a special order from them yesterday.

The issue is that I want the silver (unpainted) color because the rear
rack on the same bicycle is unpainted.

Ordering it from Europe is less than REI's price, even with shipping.
$51.62 is what showed up (forgot to use my Capital One card which has no
foreign transaction fee). Though with the REI rebate the total is about
the same.

O.K., then your post should be "shortage of Racktime Top-It front bike racks in silver that I would have bought via internet anyway since they were cheaper in Germany even with shipping to the US." Or something like that.

But I would not have bought it from Germany anyway. My first order was
from the one source in the U.S. that purported to carry it
https://www.bikebagshop.com/racktime-topit-front-rack-p-1614.html.

I would never expect my LBS to carry any esoteric items like Tubus
racks. Unless I lived local to Andrew's shop!

On Monday, July 25, 2016 at 4:15:27 PM UTC-4, AMuzi wrote:
On 7/25/2016 2:28 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Monday, July 25, 2016 at 11:50:45 AM UTC-7, SMS wrote:
I wanted a Tubus Racktime Topit front rack for my Dahon, since Dahon has
discontinued their Traveler front rack, and apparently others have fit
this front rack to 20" wheeled Dahons.

I ordered one from a shop in the U.S. about three months ago, but they
recently told me that it would be at least six more months before they
could, maybe, get any. There is some problem getting Tubus to ship
product to the U.S..

I went ahead and ordered from a bike shop in Germany.
https://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=13&search=racktime+topit.

Of course Jay will probably now tell me that they are easily available
at every shop in Portland!

Not every shop, but certainly REI -- in store at both the Tualatin and Hillsboro stores -- neither walking distance from my office, but I could have one brought downtown probably.

Excuse the long link. Tiny URL is embedding advertising, apparently:

https://www.rei.com/product/852184/r...FQqEfgodUmMNLg

Do you have an issue with ordering from REI?

-- Jay Beattie.


Jeff Archer made some public and vociferous complaints about
his store's major bike brand being sold at REI stores. A
week later was run down and killed. Coincidence?

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

poss...... the EQ for apexal complainants was and is highly negative.

here too with a regular scheduled outburst of party gunfi 'idle hands'

did Archer drink CHOH ?

we rate REI as a pillar of reason n intelligence in their area.

I spoke with Yuma yesterday .....awake at 5 ....I found a Yuma thunderstorm on the opening screen. Could be the Goo droid's altering reality .... Sig Goo !

I wuz talking with our nab spreading gravel on the lane outback...lightning is a topic. The cell tower a 200 hundred yards away was moddded with a more effective ground reducing booooms and direct strikes 100%.

He cautioned me to get out of the rain....

a few minutes later as I wuz watching a solid bolt hit the tower directly thru an illuminated mist showing the difference ...the strike linked to the top tower but ran straight down the side abt 100' off n grounded with a light boom.

spectac !

always super photography


http://www.tubus.com/

if yawl wanna rack see bikepacker forums.

On 7/25/2016 2:51 PM, jbeattie wrote:

snip

The silver racks are temporarily out of stock at Universal. I haven't looked to see if some other shop has them on the floor, like River City Bikes. I'm getting the sense that the shortage of the silver racks has really brought the city to a standstill.

It has. Portlandia is in chaos because of the shortage.

Meanwhile, my Tubus Racktime Topit front rack, in silver, arrived from
Germany and was installed on the Dahon. A few minor mods including
bending the brake bridge bracket to go over the brake
cable.http://oi66.tinypic.com/ibif6a.jpg