Andre van Aarde

No stress at all, I think all of the comments above were pretty fair and based on what people know and see. For us the most important thing is sustainability and servicing customers, sometimes this requires difficult decisions to be made and egos to be set aside

Not to add to the derail of the thread further, but just to give some clarity on some of the points and questions raised by the various Bikehub members: We (Rush Sports) have maintained our focus and commitment to providing service and value to independent South African retailers (and you their customers), and over the last 24 months this has of course meant navigating the oversupply within the bicycle industry, especially in the bicycle segment where mid-range brands have taken a massive hit with a glut of inventory they have had to clear well below their cost in order to liquidate the post Covid hangover. Coming off an incredibly exciting participation in the School Series followed insanely successful "test run" at the Cape Epic, Signal was building some great momentum and as you've all noted, was starting to make it's way into the hearts and minds of kids and racing snakes alike. Unfortunately however it cannot overcome the rules of supply and demand, and when virtually every competitor in the market is sitting with warehouses full of bikes that they are having to clear below their cost in order to create space (and free up capital) for new bikes, we had to make the difficult but necessary decision not to participate and to sit on the sidelines. A decision which was obviously communicated with our retailers across the country who have done an amazing job at supporting Rush and Signal along the way. The decision to sit on the sidelines from a sales perspective has not meant that the wheel have stopped however. Product development, testing, planning etc is still being done daily thanks to the fact that we are a company of multiple brands and resources. So while we've not been in the market selling Signal we've certainly not stopped developing it's future product or delivering value elsewhere such as in tyres, tubes, bearings, accessories and bicycle care products from our other brands. The lessons learned at Morewood will never be forgotten... Fortunately things are proceeding nicely with factory trips already planned for the first quarter of this year, and our Signal dealers all know and can be excited by the fact that the silly cycle is passing and we can all look forward to having fresh looking product available for the second half of 2025.

Just dropping a sneaky post hijack here in case you missed it - we will be giving away daily Motul prizes for the duration of the Cape Epic. The prize will include every product from their Bicycle Care lineup. Just click any of the Motul banners to go through to the webpage to submit your entry. Bikehub will announce the winner each day following the draw.

Thanks for the message. This is exactly it; ultimately our focus is to supply product through independent retailers, but this does not mean that we're palming off the consumer. In fact we're working harder than ever to get more and more information to the consumer so that they are able to make better and more informed purchase decisions. And at the same time, we're also working to better train, educate and empower BOTH the consumer and the retailer. Relationships are always key, and having a good relationship with your local bicycle shop and workshop is always a great start, especially in a sport such as cycling. Much like training, repetition builds perfection, and in the workshop this is very true. The more consistent we are with who and where we get to service our bike, the better and more experienced this mechanic and workshop get with both us and our trusty bicycle. This not only helps when (not if) things go wrong, but it also helps to ensure that things get right more and more often.

There is some super interesting test data [independently verified] that I've seen in regards to ceramic bearings. There definitely are some pretty unfounded claims here... One of the most challenging things is of course where the information is coming from, who is conducting the "testing" and what the intended agenda is (there is always an agenda or a purpose). I think the same is true for many things, but in cycling specifically at the moment there is a lot of this type of "testing" being done and published on things such as chains, lubricants and of course ceramic bearings. One of the biggest take away things I've seen from the data Enduro have sent us is that from new there is virtually no significant gain in any premium bearing related product from any of the brands tested. The "gains" happen in what is called "watt soak" which is essentially the loss of efficiency in the bearing over time and the impact that this degradation has in friction and resistance. But this is a topic in and of itself

Hi Mechcal - sorry to read about your frustration here, feel free to DM me directly with the details on this as I would be interested to know. We regularly [every 30 days] supply 150+ retailers with a pretty extensive range of bearings, and are constantly working with their workshop managers to ensure they have stock of what they need for the bikes they see on a regular day-to-day basis. In addition to this, we are able to process orders and get them off to dealers pretty quickly [generally dispatched the same day and sent overnight to all major centres across SA. The challenge for any dealer is always going to be complete cover. With the multitude of bicycle brands, differing applications etc, it is extremely difficult for them to have absolutely everything, and this is why we work on processing and shipping orders as quickly as we can, so that where there are items that are "irregular" for them we are able to get them out ASAP. Regarding supporting the little guy", though we don't supply directly to the public, supporting independent bicycle retailers of all shapes and sizes is exactly what we try to do. Given our spread of products we tend to cover everything from the most high-end premium retailers to the smaller general trading stores in far outlying areas. I've personally fielded dozens of calls and emails this year alone from consumers looking for specific bearings for their bicycles who I have directed to retailers and ensured that the retailer either has the stock on hand or has it enroute, and I always welcome these calls or emails from consumers, especially on the more niche / hard to find bearing sizes.