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SoftTail

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  1. Mtb-Bfk, there was nothing fair and honest about your commentary! Many hundreds of people offered their feedback in a civil and constructive manner. Yours was insulting and slanderous. In this instance you are actually wrong. Face it!
  2. Do you know the person who organised this race? On what do you base your statement that his motives are "so far from giving a 5#it, and it really all seems to be about the cash"? I think you should apologise to him!
  3. Bud, a dropper post will change your riding life. Just do it! Now! Depends how much you want to spend. In my opinion the best brand is KS Lev. I have bought four of them and have not had one minutes problems. A bit pricey but worth every penny. Contact jason at International trade.
  4. Allround an awsome event! I cannot wait for next year! This is going to become Big! Well done to the organisers.
  5. Awsome event. Yes things can be improved but allround a blast!
  6. Is this not the first bike hijack in Johannesburg for quite a while?
  7. Posted by Steve Gale on Critical Mass Johannesburg today Just a note, a friend and I (both males) were bike jacked on the melville mtb trail by 3 men this afternoon. Be aware and on the lookout if up there in a small group, they were very agressive.
  8. MCT oil is perfect (Medium chain triglyciride) I start every day with 2 or 3 tablespoons clean. Google MCT oil.
  9. LCHF Pancakes (crepes) - better and easier than regular pancakes. Two eggs, two oz of smooth cream cheese. Beat in food processor to smooth consistecy. Bake like a regular pancake with a little butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and Xyletol (or any other filling), roll and eat. Best pancake ever and faster than ouma's recipe.
  10. Hey Bud, Next time try Riaan at Tribe on Main (cor Posthouse & Main, Bryanston). Best customer service and MTB service in town. PM me for tel no.
  11. Francois, as an optician, can one get them done through you?
  12. What do I want from an LBS? Great service! After using "the best mechanic in Gauteng" for some time (yes you will probably all recognize his name) I became progressively unhappy with his arrogant, slack service, broken promises and, yes, shoddy workmanship. Despite spending more than 50k with him in the past year he treated me like he was doing me a favour! So, somebody suggested I try Tribe on Main in Bryanston, which I did. Well What an awesome experience! Mechanic Riaan treated me like his most valued client. He phoned me several times to discuss what needed to be done, and then he did it. First time right. In the process he fixed up behind my famous former mechanic. Speak of the extra mile! I took a full rebuild service and my bike is as new. It all took only two days and he busted a gut to accommodate my short timeline. And the price was great. Rave for Riaan at Tribe on Main!
  13. Speak to Riaan at Tribe on Main. He has an excellent alu welding contact. Btw, great mtb service at Tribe.
  14. Has anybody done the Sandspruit Trail from near Corlett Drive to Grayston Drive, more or less parallel to the M1 North? Looks good on Google Maps but may be dodgy safety wise.
  15. In Johannesburg your man is SLiiick. Best skills trainer in town!
  16. Could anybody please assist with links to reviews of different brands of body armour? Anybody have a view on Cleaver?
  17. My final thoughts on this sage... In the end the Specialized response was not what I would have wished for but Synyard actually did the right thing by extending an olive branch to Cafe Roubaix, even if his hand was forced by ASI. Kudos to him. ASI came out of this smelling of roses and Specialized still smells of .... (You fill in the blank). And Cafe Roubaix lives another day. The secondary debate on the ownership of Specialized is puzzling to say the least. Why the need to obfuscate the truth? The fact is that Sinyard is the majority owner with 51% and Merida a minority owner with 49% and Specialized bikes are built for them by Merida in Taiwan. So what? Virtually all big brand bikes (Scott, Giant, Cannondale, Fuji and the list goes on) are built at least in part in Taiwan. Fact of life. And they are none the worse for it. Taiwan just happened to have claimed that corner of the market for themselves and they are very good at it. Ask all of the very happy riders of these Taiwanese built bikes. Go in peace!
  18. Dear Wyatt Earp Let me help you a little. There are a large number of media reports available on the Internet, dated July/August 2001, in which Merida's acquisition of 49% of Specialized is recorded. Here is just one of the many. The original version of this particular report is also the source of the confusion over the percentage acquired by Merida. The initial error is corrected in this report. If you need more I will be happy to oblige. Best regards Hardtail http://www.bike-eu.com/Home/General/2001/8/Correction-Merida-Buys-49-of-Specialized-BIK000680W/ Correction: Merida Buys 49% of Specialized by Bike Europe 8 August 2001 TAIPEI, Taiwan (August 8) - Merida Industry Co. stated today that it has acquired 49% of Specialized Bicycles Inc., the US company that was first in taking the mountainbike to production. Bike Europe mistakenly reported earlier on this website that Taiwan's number two bike maker bought only 19% of Specialized. Merida Industry spokesman Cash Yang confirmed the 49% stake of Merida in the US bicycle company today. This marriage of one of the world's top brands with one of the world's top manufacturers will create synergy at all levels of business, from R&D to finance to sales and distribution, said Cash Yang. In a prepared statement, Specialized emphasized that its founder and president, Mike Sinyard, would remain firmly at the Specialized helm after the deal, as Merida was only a minority shareholder. For it's 49% stake in Specialized, Merida paid around US$30 million in cash. Sinyard also devoted an undisclosed amount of personal funds to bolster his company. When asked whether Specialized was strapped for funds, however, Merida officials offered no comment. Practically, the arrangement should bring short term benefits to both companies. Merida will gain near immediate exclusivity for Specialized's orders to Taiwan, as Specialized will no longer use competitors Giant and Ideal. Specialized, meanwhile, receives a quick cash influx to support its current marketing, sales and merchandising programs. Over the long term, Yang said that Merida hopes to win out through a close working allegiance with one of the world's top brands. In the past, Merida has experienced some difficulty in establishing its own international brand, despite years and millions of dollars spent in the effort. Specialized announced several far reaching goals for the new cooperation. The first is the continued support of the independent bicycle dealer, a goal in accord with Specialized's focus on products for cycling enthusiasts. Another goal was future expansion and investment in Europe.(DF) http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/specialized-bicycle-components-inc-history/
  19. Merida Gets Ownership In Specialized By LOU MAZZANTE Publication: Bicycle Retailer Date: Sunday, July 1 2001 MORGAN HILL, CA—Merida, the world's second largest bicycle manufacturer, in mid-June acquired a minority share of Specialized Bicycles in an all cash deal. At the same time, Mike Sinyard, Specialized's founder and chief executive officer, increased his investment in the company. Sinyard declined to reveal what percentage of his company Merida acquired or how much he invested. According to Sinyard, Specialized needed capital to meet the company's long-term goals. He said the financing will be used to expand its sales efforts, increase its service to specialty retailers, bolster its research and development budget and expand in Europe, which accounts for half of Specialized's sales. "These investments will allow our company to grow in the right way by offering better products and better service," Sinyard said, adding that Specialized is in sound financial standing. Sinyard retains full control over the company as the majority shareholder. He said no changes in the company's management or strategic plans will be made. Specialized will continue to use all of its manufacturers, he said. Specialized had been looking for additional investors for some time, but Sinyard wanted to find a partner like Merida that understands the bike industry. "Investment from Merida is preferable to going public or courting the investment banking community. Merida understands our business and shares our passion," Sinyard said in a letter to Specialized employees regarding the Taiwan bike maker's investment. "We have been working with Merida for more than 10 years and there is great trust between us. It's important to understand that Merida has a long-term view of this industry," Sinyard said. "Merida knows the bike business and understands the needs of specialty retailers. I am extremely committed to Specialized and want to ensure our expansion in today's challenging economy," he added. Sinyard declined to say if Merida had the option to invest further in Specialized or if it had first right of refusal to buy Sinyard's share in Specialized if he left the company. Just as important as the cash infusion, Specialized's deal with Merida creates a strong bond between manufacturer and supplier. Sinyard said Specialized's relationship with Merida will continue at the same level as in the past. Even so, many in the industry see Specialized's move as a necessity in today's market. "Controlling your supply chain is vital; companies that don't control it are in great danger," said Scott Montgomery, a Cannondale vice president. "The mountain bike boom is over and the market is made up of lots of little niches. The days of ordering 10,000 red mountain bikes in August and hoping they sell through by July are over. But if you control your own manufacturing you can make them to order," Montgomery added. Sinyard said Specialized will continue to use all of its suppliers but many in the industry wonder how closely Specialized will be tied to Merida. "Specialized will continue to use other manufacturers, but only for niche products out of line with Merida. But I think Merida will do all of Specialized's volume bikes," said industry analyst and former Specialized employee Gary Coffrin. Merida also manufacturers bikes for Bridgestone, Scott, Schwinn/GT and others. Sinyard said he was excited about working with Merida to develop new technologies that will take bicycles to the next level. The company is building more high-end offerings to compete with the volume of bicycle production in Mainland China. "Our investment in Specialized is in line with Merida's vision of investing in best-of-breed businesses that are profitable. We are extremely excited to contribute to the success of Specialized," said Ike Tseng, Merida's chief executive officer. Many who talked to Bicycle Retailer said they believe the success of Giant's U.S. division forced Merida to break into the U.S. market. Giant is the world's largest producer of bicycles. Merida had been named as a possible buyer of Schwinn/GT. While it sells Merida-brand bikes in Europe and Asia, acquiring GT would have given it a stronger brand name worldwide. Specialized now fills that role. Merida made approximately 1.15 million bicycles in 2000, with estimated revenues of $194 million. It operates manufacturing plants in Taiwan and China. Click here to find out more!
  20. All is well that ends well. ASI are clearly the PR winners and Specialized have a well deserved big black eye! The emperor has no clothes! Here are the facts: http://bicycleretailer.com/north-america/2013/12/09/asi-says-calgary-bike-shop-can-use-roubaix-name#.Uqe9S3-9KSP ASI says Calgary bike shop can use Roubaix name The trademark owner says Specialized's enforcement of the trademark was out of line BOULDER, CO (BRAIN) — Specialized Bicycle overstepped its bounds when it registered the Roubaix trademark in Canada and then tried to prevent a Calgary retailer from using the name, Advanced Sports International’s CEO told BRAIN on Monday. ASI says it owns the worldwide rights to the Roubaix trademark — it’s had a Fuji Roubaix road bike model in its lineup since 1992 — and has licensed it to Specialized since 2003. ASI’s Pat Cunnane said the company has no problem with retailer Dan Richter using the name on his store, Cafe Roubaix. “We have reached out to Mr. Richter to inform him that he can continue to use the name, and we will need to license his use, which we imagine can be done easily,” Cunnane said. Richter told the Calgary Herald this weekend that lawyers representing Specialized told him he had to rename his store and transfer its website’s URL to Specialized. Besides the store, Richter sells Cafe Roubaix-branded wheels. The general manager of Specialized Canada told the Herald that Specialized had to protect its trademark or risk losing it. Specialized’s U.S. office has not commented on the situation, despite negative press and an outpouring of support for Richter over the weekend on social media. Cunnane said his company left a message for Richter but has not communicated with him yet. Cunnane also said he has reached out to Specialized with no response yet. “We are in the process of notifying Specialized that they did not have the authority, as part of our license agreement, to stop Daniel Richter … from using the Roubaix name,” Cunnane said in an email to BRAIN. “While ASI does have the authority to object to Mr. Richter’s use of the name and while we at ASI understand the importance of protecting our bicycle model names, we believe that Mr. Richter did not intend for consumers to confuse his brick-and-mortar establishment or his wheel line with our Roubaix road bike. And we believe consumers are capable of distinguishing his bike shop and wheel line from our established bikes.” According to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, Specialized registered the Roubaix name in 2007 for use on “Bicycles, bicycle frames, and bicycle components, namely bicycle handlebars, bicycle front fork, and bicycle tires.” But Cunnane said that registration was “inappropriate.” “Like many trademark owners, ASI does not register its trademarks in every country and never tried to register the mark in Canada. ASI only recently learned of Specialized’s registration of the Roubaix trademark in Canada and ASI’s position is that Specialized’s registration of the mark in Canada was inappropriate under the terms of their license agreement. ASI has used the mark in Canada for well over 10 years, giving it first-use trademark rights in Canada.” In a phone call, Cunnane noted that ASI has been able to reach amicable agreements with several other brands over trademarks. For example, ASI owns the U.S. rights to the name Gran Fondo for use on bicycles, while BMC owns the rights in Europe. The two brands have a co-existance agreement to share the name in both markets. Besides Fuji, ASI owns the Breezer, Kestrel and SE Bikes brands.
  21. Fact: Mike Sinyard owns 51% of Specialized and Merida 49%. Try and keep up!
  22. http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/12/bikes-and-tech/specializeds-disastrous-trademark-case-is-unnecessary-to-defend-the-brand_310878?utm_medium=whats-hot A Comprehensive and Factual Legal Analysis Of The Specialized versus Cafe Roubaix Affair It took less than two hours for the story of Dan Richter’s small bike shop to jump from the pages of a Canadian newspaper to the screens of cyclists across the globe, and for that same small story to have a dramatic impact on one of the largest bike brands in the world. Richter, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, is the owner of a small shop in the town of Cochrane, Alberta, focused on custom wheel builds and other high-end projects. Business was humming along nicely late last summer when he received a cease and desist letter from Specialized Bicycle Components, the contents of which would spill out onto social media last weekend, setting off a tidal wave of outrage at the bike brand. According to Richter, the letter demanded that he change the name of his shop, Café Roubaix, and that he cease to sell wheelsets and other components under the same name. Specialized claimed sole rights to the Roubaix mark under Canadian trademark law; a fact that is easily verifiable with a quick web search. What would normally be a simple trademark dispute, settled behind the scenes and out of the public eye, quickly became much more. It became David versus Goliath, underdog versus The Man. As the Twitter fire spread onto Facebook and beyond, the incident turned into a symbol of everything wrong with corporate culture and overzealous lawyers, a stand-in for every swirly ever inflicted upon the weak and defenseless. There was outrage, anger, disgust, and disbelief. How could a company own something with such meaning to an entire community? How could anyone lay claim to Roubaix? Fire spreads The original Café Roubaix story, written by Tim Babin for The Calgary Herald, published to the paper’s website at 7:36 a.m. on Saturday. Moments later, a Google news alert landed in the email inbox of popular race announcer Brad Sohner, who Tweeted “Specialized owns the trademark on the word “Roubaix” and they’re getting aggressive enforcing it,” along with a link to the Herald story, to his 1,300 followers. The single Tweet, posted at 8:20 a.m., was a spark to gasoline. Within an hour, helped along by re-Tweets from conventional cycling media as well as heaps of other heavily-followed Twitter users, the story was splashed across the feeds of hundreds of thousands of cyclists. Specialized’s Facebook page lit up with negative comments; hundreds would stack up before the company changed the settings to show only its own posts. Even then, the anger simply moved into the comment section of every new post. Calls for a boycott of Specialized products and proposals for a legal fund for Richter and his shop flew in from every corner of the net. There was no escape for the “Big Red S.” The Roubaix defense Conspicuously absent throughout the weekend was a thorough response from Specialized, at least beyond the limited comment within Babin’s original story. There, the company defended its trademark, and its right to protect it. “A simple trademark search would have prevented this,” said Larry Koury, managing director of Specialized Canada via email. “We are required to defend or lose our trademark registration.” Koury is correct in his first statement, that a trademark search would have quickly turned up Specialized’s claim to the Roubaix mark. But does Specialized actually have to take action against those that infringe on its trademark? In a word, no. Except it’s not quite that simple, either. First, a bit of background. Specialized holds the trademark for Roubaix in Canada; it has since 2007 when its application was approved. It does not hold the Roubaix trademark in the United States. It licenses that mark from Advanced Sports, which has held it since 1990 and used it within its Fuji brand. It may seem absurd that a commercial entity can hold the trademark on the name of a city in France. In fact, Richter claims he was not aware that a word like Roubaix could be trademarked at all. “I had assumed I could not register Roubaix as a trade mark as it is a geographical location well known in cycling, not to mention the wide-spread use of the term ‘Roubaix’ throughout the industry,” he said in a press release. “I thought I could freely use Roubaix.” The backlash over the weekend showed that the notion of Specialized owning the Roubaix mark doesn’t feel right to many in the sport. But virtue and the law can be like oil and water. Specialized isn’t alone, either; Trek holds trademarks on Alpe d’Huez, Dolomiti, and even Maillot Jaune. The Canadian approval process is similar, though not identical, to the one in the United States. To avoid an even longer story, written in legalese, we’ll leave it at this: Three separate intellectual property lawyers contacted by VeloNews have stated unequivocally that Specialized’s trademark is valid. It is legitimate. There is nothing the prevents the company from trademarking the name of a city, even one with an emotional context that is in no way related to a carbon fiber bicycle frame. It may feel wrong, but it’s the law. But is it defensible? Would Richter win in court if Specialized followed through? That much is as clear as mud. Trademark law is largely based on the “standard of likelihood of confusion,” explained intellectual property lawyer and masters racer Jeffrey DiTolla. A trademark has been infringed if a consumer is likely to be confused regarding the source of a product being sold under the mark in question. By that standard, Café Roubaix could be in trouble. “Under the laws of this country, and under the standard of likelihood of confusion, it might be a tough argument in his case,” said DiTolla. “A reasonable consumer could look at that and say ‘oh, Roubaix bicycle and Roubaix wheels, they must come from the same people.’” This is not to say that a lawsuit against Dan Richter and Café Roubaix would be a guaranteed success. In fact, “the guy has a good shot at beating this for a variety of technical reasons, the most obvious being that the word has been used by other businesses for a bunch of different products,” said Christopher Beall, trademark and intellectual property litigator with Levine Sullivan Koch and Schulz. “From a trademark point of view, this means the mark is weak. Coke, for example, is a strong mark because there’s only one.” The fact that Roubaix is a city would help Richter as well. “One of the problems with a geographic term is that lots of people end up using the term, which diminishes the distinctiveness,” Beall said. Specialized’s public relations team did not respond to a request to clarify the company’s internal trademark enforcement policy. But it is clear that argument put forth by Mr. Kuory, that Specialized must protect its trademark in any circumstance, is weak. “People accused of infringement often go into court and make the same argument you might make when you get pulled over by the police: that five people just sped by you so why are you the one getting pulled over? Most of the time, the judge will say, ‘What the hell does that have to do with it?’” said DiTolla. “Nobody is required to sue everyone who might infringe, just like a cop doesn’t have to pull over every speeding car to make your speeding illegal.” The legal outcome of any potential trademark suit is anything but certain. The difficulty for Richter is compounded by the fact that he faces a relative giant, with its own legal department and plenty of cash to throw at the problem. It’s a big ask to send David running into battle with Goliath. In this case, though, social media has changed the math. Normally, it’s the little guy that has everything to lose. But the backlash on Twitter and Facebook and every other corner of the Internet over the weekend proved that the huge brands like Specialized do indeed have one thing to be scared of: fear itself. It was the erroneous fear of losing a valuable trademark that catalyzed the public flogging of the brand. Specialized damaged its brand by defending its brand. Is Specialized a bully or bulldog? “Specialized knows (that) the cost of defending allows them to win,” said lawyer Jim Moss, who specializes in recreational law. “Is this legal bullying? I can’t find that term in Black’s Law Dictionary, but yes.” Just because Specialized’s trademark is legitimate does not mean it is required to come down like a ton of bricks on a small Canadian bike shop. Legal action in this case is not compulsory. For its own sake, Specialized should have considered the optics, the PR ramifications, of its action. There are other ways to protect the mark, and lay down some rules in a way that could be beneficial for both parties. “There’s a really easy way to solve this. It’s called a trademark coexistence agreement,” said DiTolla. Essentially, Specialized and Café Roubaix would agree to certain terms — say, Café Roubaix could keep its name but would have to change the branding on the wheels it sells. Or, Specialized could offer to license the name to Richter. “For $1 or $1000, we’ll license the right to use the name,” said Moss, playing the part of a Specialized lawyer. “If not, we have to sue to protect. We can protect (the mark) if we have a license with you and we can both benefit.” But Specialized’s legal power acts as a deterrent, and it may see little reason to haggle with small competitors. Even though Richter has a very real chance of winning in court, he claims he can’t afford to take the chance of a loss. Specialized, on the other hand, can easily afford to test the waters. What it can’t afford, and what it should have foreseen, was the public backlash. The public relations catastrophe is compounded by Specialized’s status as a repeat offender. Many will recall the aggressive maneuver against boutique bike brand Volagi last year, which brought about similar uproar across the cycling world. According to one source who requested anonymity due to his position in the cycling industry, Specialized recently threatened to take bike brand NeilPryde to court over its Alize model, which Specialized claimed was too close to its Allez model. Specialized pursued Mountain Cycle over its use of the name Stumptown, which Specialized felt was too close to its own Stumpjumper. Mountain Cycle changed the name in 2006. Specialized also forced Epic Designs, a manufacturer of on-bike storage bags, to change its name to Relevate Designs in 2009. Epic Wheelworks was later forced to change its name under the same trademark. The list goes on. And on. Specialized holds trademarks for Epic and Stumpjumper and all the rest; those legal maneuvers were completely legitimate within our legal system. But, again, the law lacks nuance; it is rightly unconcerned with underdog stories. The public is not. Have these incidents harmed the Specialized brand more than they helped protect it? That is the million dollar question.
  23. http://blogs.calgaryherald.com/2013/12/09/bike-shop-owner-humbled-by-outpouring-of-support-in-fight-with-bike-giant-specialized/ BIKE SHOP OWNER HUMBLED BY OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT IN FIGHT WITH BIKE GIANT SPECIALIZED It’s been a “crazy” and “humbling” couple of days for Dan Richter, the Cochrane, Alberta war vet who, only a few days ago, had resigned himself to changing the name of his tiny bicycle shop after a lawsuit threat from giant U.S. bike maker Specialized. Now, however, Richter is feeling a little more hopeful that his Café Roubaix Bicycle Studio will remain the way he wants it. After I wrote about Richter’s plight on Saturday, the story exploded across the Internet. Thousands of people spread the story on Facebook and Twitter, almost all of them in support of Richter, who claims he wasn’t trying to cash in on Specialized’s Roubaix brand of road bikes in choosing his store’s name, rather he was trying to conjure up feelings related to one the sport’s most storied and gruelling races, the century-old Paris-Roubiax, a.k.a. The Hell of the North. I called Richter on Sunday and caught him trying to finish building some wheels amid a cacophony of emails and phone calls pouring in from supporters from around the world. There were lawyers offering to take up his case pro bono, cycling fans raising money on his behalf, Twitter users organizing boycotts against Specialized, and hundreds of others who placed orders for his products. He quickly sold out of Café Roubaix T-shirts, and is hurrying to print more. “This is encouraging and exciting, and I’m finding it very humbling as well,” Richter told me. “I’m really amazed by the level of support. It’s overwhelming.” Richter always thought he had a good case – Canada’s trade mark rules have some restrictions on place names – but he said he couldn’t afford the lawyer fees to fight it. He’s been so overwhelmed last couple of days he hasn’t even looked into the offers of legal and financial support. Specialized has not made a further comment. On Friday, Larry Koury, managing director of Specialized Canada Inc., told me in an email the company is simply defending what it legally owns. “We are required to defend or lose our trademark registration,” he wrote. While most of the feedback has been positive, others have criticized Richter for choosing a name in the first place that had already been registered as a trade mark in Canada. Richter, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from his time serving in the military in Afghanistan, has not heard from Specialized since the story broke, but he’s hopeful the company will at least be open to a compromise. He says an earlier offer to give up the Roubaix name on his brand of handmade wheels while maintaining it on his shop was rejected. He is allowing himself a little hope that the strong reaction to his story will prompt Specialized to reconsider. “We were ready to roll over. Maybe now we can come to an agreement,” he said. “We’ve always been willing to compromise.”
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