In article <
[email protected]>, Mike
Jacoubowsky <
[email protected]> wrote:
> you the cheapest thing they can. I can only speak for Trek in this case,
> although it may be true for some others as well... Trek has a full-time
> person, sometimes more than one, basically living in the factory that builds
> the bikes. This isn't an option if you want the product built to a
> particular spec... it's a requirement. This was first learned (by Trek) a
> number of years ago, when they switched overseas suppliers to a "famous
> name-brand label" and quality went to ZERO. Why? Because they (the offshore
> bike producer) built to the absolute-minimum description of the merchandise.
> Basically, they produced a BSO, affectionately known in shops as a "Bike
> Shaped Object."
>
It's true for outsourcing anything, especially things to China. QC is
spotty at best and most companies usually eat the cost of poor QC and
sell it as seconds. You see, they can't do nothing to these people
aside from persuading them to try better next time. You can't turn
back to clock either and move production back to the states as we all
now expect to pay CHEAPER goods. So, unless you know of a good
offshore outsourcer that do good work (few do), then you'll more than
likely have to live and learn from your mistakes which no doubt Trek
had done. Then you have to contend with production capacity from the
very few that do well and being used by everyone in the bike industry.
However, you are very correct in saying that your experience in this
topic limits yourself as being a Trek dealer. This is simply not the
case with Cervelo bikes, which some of them are offshore made and still
attain very good quality workmanship on par at least with Canadian
quality, notably the Dual. In fact, it's the most sold bikes and are
widely seen in many tri events because of the price point. It's
definitely "NOT" a BSO.
> So your more-reputable companies will most likely have someone at the
> factory monitoring things, and spec to a higher level of quality (not parts,
> but actual frame quality)... for which they're charged more. This isn't
> rocket science. It's amazing that people have this idea that a bike frame is
> a bike frame, all equally-long-lasting, all equal in ride quality, between
> brands. This is not the case.
>
That's good news, though it is not only limiting to just Trek. Seems
to be a consistent song to sing from our local Trek dealers here too!!
Cervelo, Dion, Marinoni or Guru aren't too shaby either when it comes
to QC.. They are certainly not the level of Trek when it comes to
marketing, but not too far behind.
Trek dealers enjoy a certain ease when it comes to selling bikes.
You've got the 28 million dollar man touting the bikes to be his
personal best rig that won 7 TDFs. You've got the commander in chief
(Mr. Bush) that rides a fancy Trek Fuel I believe (personally given to
by Trek).
Good marketing does very good things to Trek now..
Star power sells.. If you ever pay attention to all of the older car
ads, you will see what I mean.. Tina Turner touting the Chrysler mini
van to name a few. Many vehicles that were sold because of star power
were not necessarily good reliable vehicles either, eventhough they
were all domestically made in the good old US of A.
I don't say Trek bikes are bad. They are good, but please don't
worship that Project One stuff like gods.
>
> Some shops are dying off; many others are thriving. It all comes down to
> taking care of the customer, recognizing their needs, and supplying
> solutions. It also means spending less time on "educating" the public in
> forums like this because, realistically, people who believe that all bikes
> are the same and that BikesDirect.com is offering such a great bargain that
> the local shop is ripping you off... those people aren't going to change
> their minds. But I'm a sucker for punishment, and also a very fast typist,
> so it's not a huge sacrifice. Besides, it helps me to better understand how
> people work, which allows me to better optimize my business practices.
>
I also had been working in the bike business for many years and would
have to agree with Mike on this. I used to work in stores and have
customers pound me with stupid questions like which components I should
get and which bikes should I buy. Worse of all, some of them use our
fitting service to steal some vital info so they can use them to buy
their own bikes off the net and believe they got the right fit.
Unfortunately, the right fit even with the best measurements isn't
always bang on.
In the end, however, these mistakes will cost them more than they would
have saved. Some people just don't learn. They keep looking for the
next best bike, hoping that gimmicks that would end discomfort would be
in their calling. These people will always feel that a full LBS is
ripping them off, while neglecting the vital importance of a good bike
fit provided by good staff at the LBS which bikes.com do not always do
a good job at.
That service costs money and are denominated in US dollars, not in
Chinese Yuan.
David.
