Campagnolo parts (Shimagnolo in the making) - part prices? Best courseof action?

[Matt O'Toole]

On Wed, 26 Apr 2006 23:00:06 -0600, Franz Bestuchev wrote:

> I've read about the "customer oriented" decision that Shimano made and
> enforced in order to shut down the OEM markets. I've personally always
> felt the "quality merchant and 30 day warranty" kind of policy is a good
> thing to have for those who know enough to do the work themselves.

Generally it suits me too, except for things like STI shifters -- which
are known for spontaneous failures, can't be fixed, and are very expensive
to replace, even at a discount.

Matt O.

 

[Phil, Squid-in-Training]

"Qui si parla Campagnolo" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Phil, Squid-in-Training wrote:
>> Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:
>> > Phil, Squid-in-Training wrote:
>> >>> Forget Campy chains. Get a SRAM or Wipperman with the removable
>> >>> links. Work alot better and way cheaper - can easily save $20.
>> >>
>> >> IIRC, Campy chains have a quicklink, too.
>> >> --
>> >> Phil, Squid-in-Training
>> >
>> > Phil...oh my!! Campag chains have never had a quick link and do not
>> > today...a push thru pin...
>>
>> I pulled either a 9 or 10 speed Record out of the box and installed the
>> included quick-link on it. I'll double-check it but I'm pretty sure...
>> it
>> even said C9 or C10 on the sideplate.
>> --
>> Phil, Squid-in-Training
>
> Quick link like a Sram or Wipperman, reusable tow piece link, take
> apart w/o tools? Nope, not with Campag.....Push thru pin now, 9s chains
> had a push the pin back in system, first gen 10s had the permalink, not
> reuseable either.
>

Does the new chain have one?

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

 

[Qui si parla Campagnolo]

Alex Rodriguez wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] says...
>
> >Good prices, tossing MSRP?..They buy it and apply a margin to keep the
> >lights on, about 35%. They are not getting rich at these prices, often
> >just breaking even. I really dislike those that throw the 'MSRP' words
> >around as if they are a swear word. Most good bike shops just apply
> >this margin NOT outrageous at all.
>
> In other markets, like electronics, MSRP are complete fantasy with no
> basis on reality. So paying MSRP is foolish, for some stuff.
> ----------------
> Alex

Or jewelry, but on bike stuff, there are no outrageous markups in most
places. Unfortunately, MO and discount stuff has become the 'norm'.

 

[Franz Bestuchev]

Alex Rodriguez wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] says...
>
>> Good prices, tossing MSRP?..They buy it and apply a margin to keep the
>> lights on, about 35%. They are not getting rich at these prices, often
>> just breaking even. I really dislike those that throw the 'MSRP' words
>> around as if they are a swear word. Most good bike shops just apply
>> this margin NOT outrageous at all.
>
> In other markets, like electronics, MSRP are complete fantasy with no
> basis on reality. So paying MSRP is foolish, for some stuff.
> ----------------
> Alex
>
>

....and those are the MSRP markets I'm familiar with.

 

[Franz Bestuchev]

Matt O'Toole wrote:
> On Wed, 26 Apr 2006 23:00:06 -0600, Franz Bestuchev wrote:
>
>> I've read about the "customer oriented" decision that Shimano made and
>> enforced in order to shut down the OEM markets. I've personally always
>> felt the "quality merchant and 30 day warranty" kind of policy is a good
>> thing to have for those who know enough to do the work themselves.
>
> Generally it suits me too, except for things like STI shifters -- which
> are known for spontaneous failures, can't be fixed, and are very expensive
> to replace, even at a discount.
>
> Matt O.

Not spontaneous, I knocked them around in a crash but I didn't expect
failure, they appear just sort of scraped up a bit.

I've made many other bike pieces look much worse cosmetically and still
gotten years of service out of them. Granted there's a lot going on in
these levers...so I could understand a delicate something getting hurt.

As a consumer though I felt absolutely insulted. It's *fine* if they
can't be repaired...but don't put the price of replacement at a level
where that "insult", combined with needed to replace a rear wheel drive
me to shell out a bit more and start moving to the (rebuildable, and
affordable enough to start with) competition.

I still figure the costs at less than ~2 months of what I was paying
last fall before I switched to solely cycling. (...then losing my job
not too long afterwards).

Live and learn (and thank Giro for their helmet replacement program)

 

[Franz Bestuchev]

Franz Bestuchev wrote:
> I've read about the "customer oriented" decision that Shimano made and
> enforced in order to shut down the OEM markets. I've personally always
> felt the "quality merchant and 30 day warranty" kind of policy is a good
> thing to have for those who know enough to do the work themselves.
>
> The DIY computer world has a very similar kind of market. Usually the
> same warranty, but a white box and none of the bundled software worth
> "over $500!"
>
> So I now have some decisions to make regarding my intentions to to move
> away from Shimano components - having been rudely woken up to the way
> they're doing business.
>
> Here's the parts I was thinking (and suggested for) building/replacing
> with and then the cost the LBS had given me on those parts.
>
<snip>

Thanks everybody. This gives me a lot of helpful ideas

Fortunately this is my "secondary" bike, but my beefy commuter bike, is
no fun on the weekend rides and should it die on me. I'd have to get
this one out there for the around town work.

I'll spare you the whine about my job loss just after converting my life
to one without a car...hence my fixation on "durable parts/best price".

 

[[email protected]]

Traditionally some of the "Campy has spare parts" reputation came from
the fact that there were a lot of clone makers for Campy parts. If you
broke a campy derailleur, your LBS would have lots of spare parts -
parts from not only Campy derailleurs, but Ofmega, Zeus, Favorit, Gian
Robert, and the lesser campy models, etc., were likely to fit.

As less and less companies clone the campy parts, you are more and more
forced to buy genuine Campagnolo parts. For example, who makes hub
parts that interchange with today's Centaur and higher hubs ?? In the
old days, Miche, Zeus, OMAS, Ofmega, etc., all made their hubs with
dimensions identical to Campy.

So, while Campy still has a reputation for repairability, I think the
reputation has been sullied by price-gouging (by both Campy and the
LBS) for replacement parts. In the 1970's I remember seeing that you
could build a Nuovo Record derailleur from spare parts from Bike
Warehouse(=Nashbar) for 2X the price new. And, 100% of the parts of a
derailleur were available as spares. Today, that 100% is always 95% -
the biggest part (hub shell, derailleur cage) is NEVER for sale as a
spare part. If it were possible to build a derailleur from spare
parts, I think 5X the MSRP would be the likely price from Campagnolo at
spare parts MSRP. That's not terribly affordable!

This is why I've posted many joking emails to this group over the past
few months, e.g. when people ask about buying Brake cable adjusters, I
say,

"Sure, these spare parts are available at your LBS from Campagnolo
USA, and the price is only $85 a pair."

In fact my LBS charged me almost $40 for one adjuster and two plastic
"bumps", and I figure with the prices of everything else going up like
crazy, my $85 price estimate is not too far out of whack, for the
common everyday I-rip-you-off-LBS.

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA