No worries... In the future it may temper how much regard we have for your opinion or as I suspect, we will probably forget about your shoe/cycling equipment ignorance. I can only speak for myself though.....
Let's get your input abou this lawsuit.
- Thread starter loco-gringo
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I wouldn't argue with you regarding my equipment ignorance. However, I *DO* know what I like.
thats wierd cause ive had mo-86s for 3 years now and theyre amazing. ive used them for everything from dh to road. i didnt have a car for nearly a year so theyve gotten quite a bit of abuse in that time. my old shimanos lasted for 5 years prior to that. probably would have lasted longer had i not left them at the local dh trrack
my hematomas on the other hand. the soles cracked after barely a year.
My old Hematomas were even worse.
This lawsuit should be about consumer choice and, by extension, the survival of small dealers.
It sucks walking into what used to be a diversified shop to see that they have become a Trek and Specialized fantasy land. It is one reason i (and many of my friends) do not go to local shops anymore.
It is one thing to require the purchase of a certain amount of Specialized shoes to remain a dealer, get credit, etc. It is entirely another thing to forbid sales of competitive products. I hope Easton sticks with it and wins.
I am ashamed to wear a Specialized helmet today. And I think I'm going to get some Giro shoes. (Which, BTW, look pretty awesome.)
It sucks walking into what used to be a diversified shop to see that they have become a Trek and Specialized fantasy land. It is one reason i (and many of my friends) do not go to local shops anymore.
It is one thing to require the purchase of a certain amount of Specialized shoes to remain a dealer, get credit, etc. It is entirely another thing to forbid sales of competitive products. I hope Easton sticks with it and wins.
I am ashamed to wear a Specialized helmet today. And I think I'm going to get some Giro shoes. (Which, BTW, look pretty awesome.)
definitely.
fixed that for you.
I've had SO many issues with specialized being absolutely retarded over the years i cringe at the brand anytime i see one of their bikes.
We had such a bad relationship building up with them at one place I worked at, we agreed in principal to fulfill their requests to have 100%
of our accessories be specialized branded and be the only major bike line in the shop (dropping giant, scott, devinci, but still allowing limited boutique brands), when it came time to actually sign off on the agreement, we simply dropped them as a brand and closed our account, best decision ______ shop ever made.
I wonder if Speshy's decision to try and stop sales on Giro shoes has to do with the designer of Giro's shoes being the same guy who used to design shoes for Specialized. According to our Giro rep, Mike Sinyard and the shoe designer(I don't remember his name) disagreed about the 1.5 degree outward cant of their shoes; designer believed they should be neutral, Sinyard wanted them to stay canted. Eventually designer left, and now is at Giro.
The plot thickens!! DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNN
Obviously it all comes down to your personal foot shape, but several models of Specialized shoes had an inner seam that literally digs right into a sensitive part of my foot. No clue if they've fixed it or not, but I couldn't ride more than ~5min in them before having to take them off.
It mostly has to do with the erosion of profit share. I think they think they have earned a right to be in the market alone. I think competition is healthy.
If I owned the shop, I know what my answer would be. As it is, I see this being unhealthy for their business. It remains to be seen what will happen.
It also sounds like so many dealers in CA, where the suit is filed, won't stand up, so the suit will likely not hold water.
I have been running Specialized shoes for years because they fit well and were priced reasonably. If Giro can fit that bill I will definitely try them out. I am really avoiding donning the S logo anymore because of their business practices.
I'm sure other companies have similar business ethics, but Specialized seems to have a way of taking it to new levels. I never hear of other bicycle companies doing things like this.
All this from a company founded on ripping off somebody else's design.
It's certainly possible that Specialized's actions are based on some claim that the shoe designer stole ideas and used them to create Giro shoes. But if that was the case, the proper course of action would be to sue Giro on a trade secret type of claim, not the bully tactic of telling dealers they can't sell Giro shoes.
I completely agree that competition is healthy. But small shops and customers are unable to protect themselves. That's why we have anti-monopoly and other anti-trust laws. Hopefully Giro will use those laws to stop this.
I completely agree that competition is healthy. But small shops and customers are unable to protect themselves. That's why we have anti-monopoly and other anti-trust laws. Hopefully Giro will use those laws to stop this.
The laws are often not enforced, see eye glass industry (mentioned on NPR the other day):
http://glassyeyes.blogspot.com/2007/07/luxottica-suxotticas.html
This is BS. Everytime I start to tell myself that the quality of Specialized products is such that I could overlook their business practices they go and do something like this. Anybody else remember the saga with Epic Courier Bags? Stratos?
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I remember those episodes all too well. The bummer is that my favorite LBS has become a Specialized dealer. The owner is a sponsored racer, so it makes sense. Still disappointing.
Another local shop is nothing more than a Specialized showroom. I swear Specialized owns them. They have about 100 S-bike on the floor and then three boutique road bikes on one rack.
I should open a bike shop called Epic Bikes Specialized for You.
Who watched Klunkerz?
yoeddy.blogspot said:
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I was so hammered when I watched it at the premiere in Somerville I couldn't tell you a single thing from it. I do remember asking who the fruitcake talking before the movie was (Gary Fisher).
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If I walk into a shop and see nothing but specialized I quickly realize that they know Jack-shoot about bikes and I turn right around, never to return.
Wouldn't go so far as to say they know jack, but I immediately get a sense for what kind of shop I'm dealing with... with a similar response.
SpecEd is about on the same level of sliminess as Ellsworth as far as I'm concerned. Screw them.
This. Mike's Bikes in the Bay Area used to be a phenomenal, well rounded shop. Now it's a Specialized factory store, if you will. Their mechanics have gotten better, surely because they can pay better due to the high volume.
Either way, their selection has gone to isht so I only go in there if I need something and my local shop doesn't have one.
Bell owns Giro?
WalMart sells Bell products, but not Specialized.
WalMart sucks, therefore Bell must suck.
Ergo, Specialized is the only logical choice for the average RideMonkey poster.
WalMart sells Bell products, but not Specialized.
WalMart sucks, therefore Bell must suck.
Ergo, Specialized is the only logical choice for the average RideMonkey poster.