'Bicycle prices fixed'

[_im_from_earth]

Now for the next target - companies denying gaurantees because of modifications that have nothing to do with the initial failure of the product.

 

Examples:

 

1)Paint your frame and lose your gaurantee*

2)Drill a drainage hole in your BB shell to increase the life of BB bearings and lose your gaurantee.

3)File out your cable stops to create space for continuous cable housing.

 

All of the above practices are legitimate upgrades to frames for which the distributors penalise you.

 

* I understand that removing paint by sanding on some frames that are shot-peened could structurally affect the frame. However, chemical removal will not jeapordise the frame's integrity and approved painters should be allowed to paint frames.

 

Catch: Take our frames for example, we powder-coat the Morewood frames. Prior to powder-coat the frames are treated with a passivating agent making it difficult if not impossible for most industrial paint strippers to remove the paint. This means sanding or sand/ bead blasting is required. Don't need to explain the issues there.

 

Once the frame has then been stripped of paint how is it re-painted? If powder-coated again the coating process requires baking of the powder which affects the ageing of the aluminium frame, artificially ageing the frame rendering it more brittle.

 

PLUS: you need to remember there are some very "intelligent" individuals out there who like to use large amounts of common sense when doing these things. These clauses are usually built into warranties to allow MFG's a scape-goat to void them for these "special" individuals.

[Pappa Bear]

Catch: Take our frames for example, we powder-coat the Morewood frames. Prior to powder-coat the frames are treated with a passivating agent making it difficult if not impossible for most industrial paint strippers to remove the paint. This means sanding or sand/ bead blasting is required. Don't need to explain the issues there.

 

Once the frame has then been stripped of paint how is it re-painted? If powder-coated again the coating process requires baking of the powder which affects the ageing of the aluminium frame, artificially ageing the frame rendering it more brittle.

 

PLUS: you need to remember there are some very "intelligent" individuals out there who like to use large amounts of common sense when doing these things. These clauses are usually built into warranties to allow MFG's a scape-goat to void them for these "special" individuals.

 

Will Morewood respray a bike if asked? Also......not all of us are special

[Johan Bornman]

Catch: Take our frames for example, we powder-coat the Morewood frames. Prior to powder-coat the frames are treated with a passivating agent making it difficult if not impossible for most industrial paint strippers to remove the paint. This means sanding or sand/ bead blasting is required. Don't need to explain the issues there.

 

Once the frame has then been stripped of paint how is it re-painted? If powder-coated again the coating process requires baking of the powder which affects the ageing of the aluminium frame, artificially ageing the frame rendering it more brittle.

 

PLUS: you need to remember there are some very "intelligent" individuals out there who like to use large amounts of common sense when doing these things. These clauses are usually built into warranties to allow MFG's a scape-goat to void them for these "special" individuals.

 

I'm 100% with you, but that is not the scenario I'm painting. I have perhaps been a bit slack in this post on the issue but not in previous ones where I've stated my case.

 

 

The typical scenario is as follows.

 

1) I paint my frame. The dropout cracks. Distributor says no, you've modified the frame.

2) I paint my frame, the headset cups come loose. Distributor says no, you've modified your frame.

3) I file my cable stops. The frame cracks where the top tube mees the seat tube. The distributor gives me a toffee.

4) I drill a drainage hole in the BB. The fork breaks. The distributor laugs me off.

 

I'm after cause and effect. If the modification is not linked to the cause of the failure, the consumer should not be penalised. I thing that's fair?

 

So, with your example, I agree, should the frame crack say, at the seat tube where the suspension attaches and bad paint removal is the cause, don't honour the gaurantee.

 

It is easy to catch the chancers, why penalise everyone?

[YUMEYA]

Smells like a bike shop

Cant be, I don't smell Vaseline.

[Zeps]

Will Morewood respray a bike if asked? Also......not all of us are special

 

But it's surprising how many 'ubbers are

[MeridaV]

Smells like a bike shop

 

... or a bread baker, but no, all I am saying is that righteous indignation is useless - do your homework and buy where the service/cost offer suits you. I think it is laughable that people who would yesterday have bought happily from the offending parties wouldn't today - did they not check prices yesterday?

 

Bottomline: if your LBS is not on the list it does not mean you are getting a good deal (now tell me I am a bike shop)

[Skott5]

Just because your LBS is not on the list doesn't mean you haven't been ripped. Bar a few - CWC they all sell for pretty much the same margins. Word gets around. Those that don't appear on the list but were charging the same price because down the road that's how much they sell for are just as guilty.

[Gatiepie]

... or a bread baker, but no, all I am saying is that righteous indignation is useless - do your homework and buy where the service/cost offer suits you. I think it is laughable that people who would yesterday have bought happily from the offending parties wouldn't today - did they not check prices yesterday?

 

Bottomline: if your LBS is not on the list it does not mean you are getting a good deal (now tell me I am a bike shop)

 

 

As said before. It has nothing to do with the price or margin or markup. It is about doing business with honest people.

[RedDevil]

This is just ridiculous.

 

So the government finds them guilty and makes them give the governement 10%.

 

I wonder where the 10% shortfall in everyone's bottom line is going to come from? Ah yes. Us.

 

I believe we've just been double f*cked guvner...

 

I couldn't agree more. All the shops will now pay a huge fine & will have to recover it from their new sales. It's like coming home to find your wife getting screwed by your neighbour then he beats you up before leaving with a double wide grin on his face. Utter bullsh1t.

[AndreZA]

I couldn't agree more. All the shops will now pay a huge fine & will have to recover it from their new sales. It's like coming home to find your wife getting screwed by your neighbour then he beats you up before leaving with a double wide grin on his face. Utter bullsh1t.

 

Why is it wrong? If you speed down the road and get caught, you pay the government. Where is the money suppose to go?

[rock]

Johan, this is a bit like my next favourite topic - motorplans, I change my CD player to an aftermarket one, the rear wheel falls off (for a bad example), motor plan is void cause I plugged in a non-BMW radio.......

[Mats]

I'm 100% with you, but that is not the scenario I'm painting. I have perhaps been a bit slack in this post on the issue but not in previous ones where I've stated my case.

 

 

The typical scenario is as follows.

 

1) I paint my frame. The dropout cracks. Distributor says no, you've modified the frame.

2) I paint my frame, the headset cups come loose. Distributor says no, you've modified your frame.

3) I file my cable stops. The frame cracks where the top tube mees the seat tube. The distributor gives me a toffee.

4) I drill a drainage hole in the BB. The fork breaks. The distributor laugs me off.

 

I'm after cause and effect. If the modification is not linked to the cause of the failure, the consumer should not be penalised. I thing that's fair?

 

So, with your example, I agree, should the frame crack say, at the seat tube where the suspension attaches and bad paint removal is the cause, don't honour the gaurantee.

 

It is easy to catch the chancers, why penalise everyone?

 

Johan

 

Why on earth would you want to modify your frame?

Don't you think that if a frame needs modification the manufacturers would have included it into their design or in the next available models?

 

Sorry but you won’t get my sympathy on this one.

[mark ellis]

& 5fm - with no snotty comments from Gareth.

 

I must have heard a different one to you then, 5:30 this morning he say "does not surprise me, cyclist are all cheaters anyway, why should their shops be any different"

 

LOL

[RedDevil]

Why is it wrong? If you speed down the road and get caught, you pay the government. Where is the money suppose to go?

 

Huuh??? If you speed down the road and get caught you can't recover the fine you pay to the government from anyone else. In this scenario, the bike shops could pay upto 10% of their annual turnover - the majority can't afford that & will just increase sales prices to the public to recover the fine money.

 

The government gets the fine money and the consumers (us) get screwed twice.

 

Like i said, it's bullsh1t.

[Sharkie 2]

Ok so a shop does a R200000 turnover with an average mark-up 0f 35% that gives them a profit of R70 000. They then still have to pay salaries, say its R25000(for four employees)which is ridiculous. Rental for 200 square metre shop at R160 per square works out to R32000.00 again below market. Add operational costs to that for water, lights, telephone,internet, insurance etc. +- R5000. So that leaves R8000 profit or salary for the owner to survive on. For an average bicycle shop with start up costs of R1 000 000 its really a bad return on investment with allot of risks.

[AndreZA]

Huuh??? If you speed down the road and get caught you can't recover the fine you pay to the government from anyone else.

 

Really? If I'm on my way to a client I can add the fine to his bill.