State of the industry: a running thread

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Splatter Paint said:
On topic: Kona is going back to a distributor model:

cyclingindustry.news

Kona switches to distributor model in the UK & Ireland

Kona is transitioning to a distributor model for sales in the UK and Ireland after 13 years of working direct with dealers
cyclingindustry.news cyclingindustry.news

I saw an article on Hostess, who make the famous Twinkie bar; when going direct to shops a third of the company outlay was distribution costs. Presumably going to a distributor saves quite a lot.
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It certainly does. The offset can be a disconnect of hands-on support for the product. But in these days, I think that's increasingly less important for the majority of users/buyers.

Glad to see this out in the open; it's been on the cards for a while.
 
Here's an update on the industry -
Our insurance wants another £250 and that we lock down any bikes on the premises worth over£1500 at night. Thats 20 or 30 bikes🤔.

(did we get a 30 years no claim discount? I dont think so)

They haven't come to look at our building security, which is extensive.

I rang around other insurers and was told you can't work on e-bikes or use second hand parts!

So the powers-that-be have allowed the country to be flooded with illegal and dangerous ebikes (often ridden by young people with no road sense) and now we can't fix their punctures!🤣

And the no-win no-fee lawyers looking for an easy target will go for the last professionals that touched a bike, as the actual supplier is a tax-dodging offshore shell company with no legal UK existence.

And good condition used parts?
They can just go in the recycling!
This probably brought about by the proliferation of well-meaning charity style bike depots using volunteers to fix donated bikes

Nice.
 
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What totally baffles me is how do they make a profit on a bike costing £100 as the vat on that is £20. Then their is the shipping costs as well.
 
manwell said:
Wow we never had it so good boys and girls.


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Still better than my first mountain bike (and yes, it genuinely went into the mountains of Snowdonia) - the Emelle Silver Challenge ATB. Hi-tensile steel frame, side pull brakes, steel rims, centre ridge tyres. Frankly terrifying in the wet on the roads, never mind in the hills. Had a ton of fun with it though. Bought it for £60 secondhand, sold it for £50 10 weeks later looking far more worse for wear.
 
I bet the Emmelle went further than this thing would.
Cheap bikes 30 years ago were cr4p but lasted.
Now the bearings fail and the cables seize up after the first wet ride.
Almost a single use item.
Bikes like the raleigh mustang, we've see them with 10,000 miles "on the clock" as commuters🤣
These new ones we consign them to the recycling when they've had a single sunny ride with the grandkids, then left in a shed for a year, and then need bb, headset, r wheel, cables - 🤯
 
al-onestare said:
It certainly does. The offset can be a disconnect of hands-on support for the product. But in these days, I think that's increasingly less important for the majority of users/buyers.

Glad to see this out in the open; it's been on the cards for a while.
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Looks like Kent Outdoors are using an existing distributor for their watersports brand to service Kona. Mount Green Agencies run watersportsworld.co.uk.

makes sense for them I guess , but good to see the Kona UK team being transferred over though.
 
Tjatuddyfox ebike has a markup high prices dfs style (and to be fair sports direct style).
When you click on the images you get the £629 actual price shown above it.

That down tube is just a very fat PACE tube so they can cheaply run the electricary cables to the hub. Be great to jet wash any dog shit, snow, mud that will easily get thrown into the large holes in it.

That crank makes 200GS look lightweight.
 
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