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How Could There Be So Many 'Bent Makers???
Reminds me of the ol' Commodore Amiga (hello, Wogster; 'member that, too?), and how there were like fifteen separate magazines devoted to it, with another twenty that regularly covered it due to its revolutionary promise at the time...within a year there was but three left.... How could there be so many makers of 'bents, given that there seems to be so small a market for it such that even NYC, Capital of the World, hasn't got one damned 'bent dealer, with the closest one miles away and available by special appointment during non-business hours only??? Then again, maybe us 'bent riders own two or three! I'm already looking at the titanium Hase Pino tandem...how much is it? |
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#2
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How Could There Be So Many 'Bent Makers???
NYC XYZ wrote:
How could there be so many makers of 'bents, given that there seems to be so small a market for it Same way there are lots of small custom building DF bike outfits... They make quality niche products for a small clientele and charge large amounts of money, which said clientele feel is worth paying. Pete. -- Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/ |
#3
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How Could There Be So Many 'Bent Makers???
What got me wondering was Reynolds Weld Labs folding recently. I hope no one else goes under. We need all the brains we can get working hard on this market! Peter Clinch wrote: Same way there are lots of small custom building DF bike outfits... They make quality niche products for a small clientele and charge large amounts of money, which said clientele feel is worth paying. Pete. -- Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/ |
#4
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How Could There Be So Many 'Bent Makers???
It seems to me that recumbent builders (at least in the US) survive
when they are "not too big, not to small". Clearly BikeE and Vision became too big! That is they could not sell enough bikes to cover their corporate overhead and make money. Similarly I am guessing that a one man operation like George Reynolds probably couldn't make enough money per bike to compensate him for the extensive custom labor he put into each of his bikes. I think RANS, Bacchetta, and Volae are probably the "right" size companies. Yet I wonder how RANS and Bacchettta can offer so many models. Volae seems to have a good thing going. First, Volae is a natural extension of a very successful retail bike business (HostelShoppe). Next, they are not trying to build and market a dealership network. Finally, they have essentially one frame with mutiple options manufactured by a rock solid manufacturer, Waterford Bikes. Jim Reilly |
#5
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How Could There Be So Many 'Bent Makers???
NYC XYZ wrote:
Reminds me of the ol' Commodore Amiga (hello, Wogster; 'member that, too?), and how there were like fifteen separate magazines devoted to it, with another twenty that regularly covered it due to its revolutionary promise at the time...within a year there was but three left.... Commodore 64, remember that one? How could there be so many makers of 'bents, given that there seems to be so small a market for it such that even NYC, Capital of the World, hasn't got one damned 'bent dealer, with the closest one miles away and available by special appointment during non-business hours only??? Well the recumbent market, is very small, I read somewhere that it represents only 1% of the total bicycle market. So bike shops know this and IMO cater to the masses, which is why if you want a bent you just might have to travel a bit further to get one. Then again, maybe us 'bent riders own two or three! I'm already looking at the titanium Hase Pino tandem...how much is it? Ken -- You never have the wind with you - either it is against you or you're having a good day. ~Daniel Behrman, The Man Who Loved Bicycles Homepage: http://kcm-home.tripod.com/ |
#6
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How Could There Be So Many 'Bent Makers???
NYC XYZ wrote:
How could there be so many makers of 'bents, given that there seems to be so small a market for it such that even NYC, Capital of the World, hasn't got one damned 'bent dealer, with the closest one miles away and available by special appointment during non-business hours only??? My impression is that there are many more bent dealers per capita in the Northwest than there are in the Northeast. For instance, Burley lists 4 bike shops within 20 miles of the Portland city center that sell their recumbents. It lists 2 within 20 miles of downtown Seattle, 3 for Los Angeles. And only 1 for NYC. I think it's a regional thing, and that bents are more popular in some areas of the country than others. I don't know what factors drive that difference in popularity, but it seems like I see many more bents on the streets of Portland than cities of comparable size in the Northeast. --- John Knez |
#7
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How Could There Be So Many 'Bent Makers???
wrote in message ps.com... It seems to me that recumbent builders (at least in the US) survive when they are "not too big, not to small". Clearly BikeE and Vision became too big! That is they could not sell enough bikes to cover their corporate overhead and make money. Similarly I am guessing that a one man operation like George Reynolds probably couldn't make enough money per bike to compensate him for the extensive custom labor he put into each of his bikes. I think RANS, Bacchetta, and Volae are probably the "right" size companies. Yet I wonder how RANS and Bacchettta can offer so many models. Volae seems to have a good thing going. First, Volae is a natural extension of a very successful retail bike business (HostelShoppe). Next, they are not trying to build and market a dealership network. Finally, they have essentially one frame with mutiple options manufactured by a rock solid manufacturer, Waterford Bikes. Jim Reilly There are other small successful builders too, and so far Catrike and Whizwheels have built up their businesses to make and sell large quantities of three wheelers. Don't forget about J&Bs EZ line of bent 2 nad 3 wheelers available to any bike shop that's a J&B customer. ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups ---= East/West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- |
#8
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How Could There Be So Many 'Bent Makers???
"John Knez" wrote in message ... NYC XYZ wrote: How could there be so many makers of 'bents, given that there seems to be so small a market for it such that even NYC, Capital of the World, hasn't got one damned 'bent dealer, with the closest one miles away and available by special appointment during non-business hours only??? My impression is that there are many more bent dealers per capita in the Northwest than there are in the Northeast. For instance, Burley lists 4 bike shops within 20 miles of the Portland city center that sell their recumbents. It lists 2 within 20 miles of downtown Seattle, 3 for Los Angeles. And only 1 for NYC. I think it's a regional thing, and that bents are more popular in some areas of the country than others. I don't know what factors drive that difference in popularity, but it seems like I see many more bents on the streets of Portland than cities of comparable size in the Northeast. --- John Knez Keep in mind it's one thing to be "listed" as a bent dealer and quite another to actually have product (as I found out with Optima, Challenge and M5) |
#9
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How Could There Be So Many 'Bent Makers???
Mark Leuck wrote: Keep in mind it's one thing to be "listed" as a bent dealer and quite another to actually have product (as I found out with Optima, Challenge and M5) Double-LOL!! Hase Spezialraeder listed some unusual US dealers -- a sleep-away obediance school for dogs in North Carolina and wheelchair dealer in Rhode Island, among others -- some of whom don't seem to actually sell any Hase bikes!!!! |
#10
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How Could There Be So Many 'Bent Makers???
oldslowbenter wrote: There are other small successful builders too, and so far Catrike and Whizwheels have built up their businesses to make and sell large quantities of three wheelers. Don't forget about J&Bs EZ line of bent 2 nad 3 wheelers available to any bike shop that's a J&B customer. I understand that J&B is anything but small - rather they are a major player in the Taiwanese bicycle and bicycle component manufacturing cartel. -- Tom Sherman - Fox River Valley (For a bit?) |
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