No more Vredestein recumbent tires?

Cletus D. Lee wrote:

I recall a that when certain Asian tire mfg stopped making their tire
and took production elsewhere, that you jacked up the price of your
remaining stock. Have you forgotten?

If anyone is interested, here is the original thread (or at least the
postings preserved by Google).

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=e...cles.recumbent


Tom Sherman - Close to 411/2 N, 901/2 W

"redshift" wrote in message . ..

S-licks are still on the Vredestein website in both 559 and 406 varieties,
and are still being adverstised by dealers in the uk, so perhaps it's just
in the USA?

Yes. It is an issue with the N. Am distributor, Veltec Sprots.

John Riley

john riley wrote:

: But the 20" size of the S Lick and the Monte are not in the print
: catalog, and I was told at Interbike that they would not be importing
: them, unless someone special ordered "a large quantity." Not sure how
: many.

From my discussions with R. Stein I recall that the minimum
wholesale batch from Schwalbe is 50 pieces. So probably something
similar?

PS. Maybe this is the reason why Vredestein tires were very cheap
in Cycle Vision? Monte Carlo for 7.5 euros a piece...

--
Risto Varanka | http://www.helsinki.fi/~rvaranka/

Zach Kaplan Cycles wrote:
snip
Turns out my prediction was correct. The Japanese Comp Pool was a very
reliable and low rolling resistance tyre, an unusual combination. The
new Comp Pools from the Phillipines have a very high rate of premature
failure. They are prone to having casing seperation resulting in
anything from a bulge to the tyre catastrophically blowing apart. I've
heard of quite a few failing in this way including seeing it happen
first hand at a recumbent race and have also had a number of failed
Comp Pools from the Phillipines returned. In fact the failure rate has
been so high that I am no longer keeping the Comp Pool in stock and am
only special ordering it for people who really want it and have been
made aware of the high failure rate.

snip

I have some Comp Pools that I have yet to use. Is there an easy way
to determine the origin? (Probably as easy as just reading what's
written on the tire, but they're 'way down in the basement, and I'm up
here at the 'puter.)

--
Larry Varney
Cold Spring, KY
http://home.fuse.net/larryvarney

Zach Kaplan Cyc wrote:
I don't believe the general readership of A.R.B.R. wants to continue to
see your continued unfounded personal attacks on me.


I know I do not. I think it is practically courageous for you as a sho
owner to participate in any of this


-

"Will these be available with the customary 'Zach Kaplan' surcharge?"

Shame on you Cletus.

Those were Zach's tires and as far as I am concerned he could sell them
at any price he chose.

If you or anyone else objected you sure didn't have to buy them.

Jerry (free market) Rhodes



--

Larry Varney wrote in message ...
Zach Kaplan Cycles wrote:
snip
Turns out my prediction was correct. The Japanese Comp Pool was a very
reliable and low rolling resistance tyre, an unusual combination. The
new Comp Pools from the Phillipines have a very high rate of premature
failure. They are prone to having casing seperation resulting in
anything from a bulge to the tyre catastrophically blowing apart. I've
heard of quite a few failing in this way including seeing it happen
first hand at a recumbent race and have also had a number of failed
Comp Pools from the Phillipines returned. In fact the failure rate has
been so high that I am no longer keeping the Comp Pool in stock and am
only special ordering it for people who really want it and have been
made aware of the high failure rate.

snip

I have some Comp Pools that I have yet to use. Is there an easy way
to determine the origin? (Probably as easy as just reading what's
written on the tire, but they're 'way down in the basement, and I'm up
here at the 'puter.)

If the Comp Pools have black sidewalls they are definitely made in the
Phillipines. Some of the early Comp Pools from the Phillipines had tan
sidwalls like the Japanese versions had and if this is the case you
will have to read the labeling on the tyre.

Zach Kaplan

In article ,
says...
Cletus D. Lee wrote in message news

Will these be available with the customary 'Zach Kaplan' surcharge?

Man you sure hold grudges. That was nearly 4 years ago...

I don't hold grudges. I thought (and still do) that your actions were
very revealing of character. An honorable person would have sold those
remaining tires at a fair price without additional mark-up. You will
notice that I have not made any purchases from Zach Kaplan since that
time.

--
Cletus D. Lee
Bacchetta Giro
Lightning Voyager
http://www.clee.org
- Bellaire, TX USA -

On Fri, 2 Jan 2004 13:28:04 -0600, Cletus D. Lee
wrote:

An honorable person would have sold those
remaining tires at a fair price without additional mark-up.

There is a bike builder and shop in the UK which habitually buys up
end-of-line or hard to find stock of popular touring products, like GB
Randonneur handlebars and SunTour XC cantilever brakes. Their prices
for these products are steep, most can be found elsewhere in ones and
twos for much less. But they have stock by the boxload, and you know
that you can always get the product. Selling these products at a
significant marlkup is not "dishonourable," it's economics. They have
a product which sells in small numbers, costs a lot to keep, is used
on the bikes they themselves build - and replenishment stock is
incredibly hard to find.

Nobody is forcing you to buy from any particular retailer. Nobody is
preventing you from shopping around and getting a better deal. Quite
why you should consider this a question of honour, rather than a
straightforward commercial judgement, is beyond me. Zach's
explanation is entirely reasonable, in my view - I would not have
bought the marked-up tyres, but that's not a reason why Zach should
not be allowed to mark them up. He was, after all, completely
up-front about it.

Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://chapmancentral.demon.co.uk

I recall a that when certain Asian tire mfg stopped making their tire
and took production elsewhere, that you jacked up the price of your
remaining stock. Have you forgotten?

Like Zach says below. Everyone was pretty certain that the new tires would
suck. Supply and demand. It's no different than paying more for an out of
print vinyl LP or a classic car is it?

BTW - Everything I know about tires I learned from Zach.

--
Bryan J. Ball
Publisher/Editor
'BentRider Online Magazine
www.bentrideronline.com
"In this world, hate never yet dispelled hate.
Only love dispels hate." - The Buddha