That's a good possibility, however I'm on my 4th Morewood and the prices have never seemed to waver much in either direction. They've always been expensive (due to having to import, etc is my guess) but the quality of bike is awesome.
Post Your Morewoods!
- Thread starter Calid0wnhiller
- Start date
If you look at that page and the contact page of the website (http://www.morewoodbikes.com/contact/)you will see a US sales office. Actually it is even on the find a dealer too. That is because I work for Morewood South Africa.
The 2010 line is selling out!
The 2011 Morewoods will only be available directly through Morewood South Africa (So me)...I think you will recognize the design from a very popular MTB designer in the 2011 bikes. I just shipped 9 Makulu's with the Fox RC4 to our friends at Fanatikbike.com 1 had a Bos Stoy on it.
Now than...
The Morewood Demo Fleet:
Ndiza
Kalula
Makulu
Zulas...One black, one white...to be built
Mbuzi and a Izimu are also being built up to love on.
Morewood (Me) has been on display at:
The Ranchstyle
Chalk Creek Stampede
AngelFire
and will be at...
Wild Flower Rush - Crested Butte
Blast The Mass - Snow Mass
US National Championships
Crankworx Colorado
Kokanee Crankworx
Full Tilt in Telluride
Winterpark Pursuit
Interbike
...and I will be strolling around the Rampage.
The 2010 line is selling out!
The 2011 Morewoods will only be available directly through Morewood South Africa (So me)...I think you will recognize the design from a very popular MTB designer in the 2011 bikes. I just shipped 9 Makulu's with the Fox RC4 to our friends at Fanatikbike.com 1 had a Bos Stoy on it.
Now than...
The Morewood Demo Fleet:
Ndiza
Kalula
Makulu
Zulas...One black, one white...to be built
Mbuzi and a Izimu are also being built up to love on.
Morewood (Me) has been on display at:
The Ranchstyle
Chalk Creek Stampede
AngelFire
and will be at...
Wild Flower Rush - Crested Butte
Blast The Mass - Snow Mass
US National Championships
Crankworx Colorado
Kokanee Crankworx
Full Tilt in Telluride
Winterpark Pursuit
Interbike
...and I will be strolling around the Rampage.
So you are saying from now on we won't be able to deal through Richard Beytagh for Morewood Bikes USA?
That would a downright silly business move if true.
Our team alone has bought 13 Morewood frames, and that had more to do with us wanting to deal with and work with Richard over the frames themselves.
QFT. Richard is the best person in the bike industry I've ever dealt with. My buying another Morewood would have just as much to do with working with Richard again as it would the product.
MTB R&D, nice list of venues there, but what about the east coast?
I should have rephrased that.
For dealers the only way to get the bikes is through Morewood South Africa.
For dealers the only way to get the bikes is through Morewood South Africa.
Not this year...sorry. Hoping to add some demos on the list for next year.
Ok, thanks. I almost had a heart attack!
Like I said before, I wish them the best with tuning. We have one of the best suspension manufacturers in the world in our back yard and they can't even figure out how to get the Makulu dialed perfectly.
The way that you put the word "me" in parenthesis (and bold letters) makes me think that you feel you have something to do with their popularity in the US. You should attend a race in the Southeast for a reality check.
Or maybe it's due to the fact that the 2008 national champion was on a Morewood?
I have me in with Morewood since I work for Morewood South Africa though I am in the US. I don't want anyone to confuse me/us with Morewood USA.....The way that you put the word "me" in parenthesis (and bold letters) makes me think that you feel you have something to do with their popularity in the US. You should attend a race in the Southeast for a reality check.
Or maybe it's due to the fact that the 2008 national champion was on a Morewood?
If you would like a reality check...there has been less Morewoods sold in the US last year than Israel and Hong Kong. Morewood is trying to do something about that now.
Ok - now we're getting somewhere.
It's none of my business what you guys do and I certainly don't want to fault you for growing your brand. This discussion just seemed a little counter-productive.
Like I said before though, I'm on my 4th one for a reason.
I'm on my 4th as well, and it's not for lack of other options
Here is a reality check. On a random day, at a local shuttle spot, 7 (count them, 7) Makulus just showed up. This wasn't a team shot or a demo. This was 7 random Makulus all bought from Morewood USA.
Some dealer in Israel might be sitting on a bunch of frames but I doubt at some random shuttle spot in Israel there will be 7 Makulus that just show up one day.
Morewood USA is a family. You buy a bike from Richard and you are part of the family. My suggestion is buy one from Richard and be part of the family.
Just counting off the top of my head I know of 20 frames sold to friends of mine. This doesn't include Jeremy's team. Almost each one person has two. That is because of Richard supporting our scene and his customer support. Our local races wouldn't be the same with out his spiced wine.
I have heard great things about Morewood USA and Richard. The relationship between them and their supplier is their business.
True this...the first time I saw Richard at a race after I bought my shova he insisted that I help myself to the beers in the cooler at the morewood tent.
Sealed the deal for my izimu purchase...In all seriousness though, any high-dollar DH frame is gonna do the trick under a skilled rider. I bought two morewoods because they are the ones that have supported our local racing and riding scene more consistently and visibly than any others. The sick bikes are a nice bonus! Highly recommended.
So if all dealers and fanatikbike.com get their 2011 bikes thru you what the bloody hell does Richard and Morewood USA do now? Who deals with them? Just wondering because if you are doing alll the demos/promo/distribution I am missing something so maybe you can sort this out for me.If you look at that page and the contact page of the website (http://www.morewoodbikes.com/contact/)you will see a US sales office. Actually it is even on the find a dealer too. That is because I work for Morewood South Africa.
The 2010 line is selling out!
The 2011 Morewoods will only be available directly through Morewood South Africa (So me)...I think you will recognize the design from a very popular MTB designer in the 2011 bikes. I just shipped 9 Makulu's with the Fox RC4 to our friends at Fanatikbike.com 1 had a Bos Stoy on it.
Now than...
The Morewood Demo Fleet:
Ndiza
Kalula
Makulu
Zulas...One black, one white...to be built
Mbuzi and a Izimu are also being built up to love on.
Morewood (Me) has been on display at:
The Ranchstyle
Chalk Creek Stampede
AngelFire
and will be at...
Wild Flower Rush - Crested Butte
Blast The Mass - Snow Mass
US National Championships
Crankworx Colorado
Kokanee Crankworx
Full Tilt in Telluride
Winterpark Pursuit
Interbike
...and I will be strolling around the Rampage.
Morewood USA (Richard) is a dealer, and will get his Morewoods through Morewood SA (MTB R&D).
Why would he be a dealer now since as far as I know he has been the U.S. Distributor since Morewood arrived in America. He already gets his bikes from Morewood SA, so now he has a Morewood SA middleman here in the U.S. and is demoted to just a dealer? I think there is probably a lot more to this than what info is on this thread so I will hold my conclusions but if this goes worst case sanario all 3 of my Morewoods will gone and I will ride something else. As Andrew stated above everyone's top offerings are good enough for any top racer to perform on the leval. There is more to to a bike company than geo #'s and marketing rubbish and I think anyone that has dealt with Morewood USA know what has set them apart from the rest.
Last I knew Morewood USA was a distributor/dealer. Heck their email is @morewoodbikes.com not @gmail.com. Them just being a dealer now is a little weird?????
Well said Tiago.
Well said Tiago.
It's pretty shady to get on a message board and spout rambling bits of gibberish about Morewood USA. Act like a professional and consult Morewood USA before babbling on about sales and either subtly or inadvertently trying to throw them under the bus.
Corporations, businesses and/or business partners don't do what you're doing. It's childish. If you pop up in a 23 page long thread of Morewood owners to announce something, do it right. Issue a press release through the usual channels that is clear, concise and leaves no doubt as to what is occuring. And allow for Morewood USA to properly inform it's client base before doing so.
Corporations, businesses and/or business partners don't do what you're doing. It's childish. If you pop up in a 23 page long thread of Morewood owners to announce something, do it right. Issue a press release through the usual channels that is clear, concise and leaves no doubt as to what is occuring. And allow for Morewood USA to properly inform it's client base before doing so.
If i remember correctly there weas an interview with Patrick Morewood himself in a Dirt issue some months ago, where he said the US is a diffiicult market for them and they are not happy how things are going there......
Back on topic: what new designer at morewood - did i miss something?
Back on topic: what new designer at morewood - did i miss something?
For a small, completely unknown boutique manufacturer in 2005 to come in the States and sell as many frames as they have is pretty remarkable. I think to expect them to capture the share of the bike market as they might be able to in Europe, Israel, or Hong Kong in the States is a little unrealistic. You just can't waltz into a Specialized, Trek, or Giant bike shop and ask them to be a Morewood dealer.
I'm a little confused as to why the new distributor would just come in and burn bridges with Morewood USA. They have a solid reputation around the East Coast - why not build upon that instead of blasting in like the new sheriff in town?
Alot of that is because we have easy access to alot of great bikes. For instance, take our team's local bike shop, Sycamore Cycles. They sell Specialized, Yeti, and Santa Cruz as well as Morewood. They all make great bikes. Specialized, Yeti, and Santa Cruz all constantly fill up the World Cup DH podium.
So, when it comes to what bike we choose, we choose off the intangibles,
and the reason that we pick Morewood is because of the support and service from Richard, and his support for our race scene. Its the same reason we choose our bike shop, because they support our race scene as well.
If you take away the intangibles where you don't have the "family" or "tribe" atmosphere then they are just another bike. Its like following the path of Iron Horse. They went from bike shops, to mail order, to Dick Sporting Goods.
I don't want to buy my Shova where men shop for Camo. They scare me.
This is going to break profro's heart to learn.....
I don't want to buy my Shova where men shop for Camo. They scare me.
The is The South. Camo and Morewoods go so well together.This is going to break profro's heart to learn.
My observation is that Morewood has come along way and is now trying to break out from a small time boutique operation.
However, IMO a big part of Morewood USA's success has been due to Richards grass root non stop "family" atmosphere that people really identify with.
I have always seen them with a fleet of demo bikes and i've seen them help out non Morewood riders which goes along way.
If the new direction of Morewood (factory) is without Richard (morewood usa) then they are not maintaining the key ingredient that has got them to this point in the states!
A few years back nobody really had heard of Morewood and now they do have a presence in the USA.
Like someone else posted, most morewood riders have more than 1. Sure the bikes are great but there are alot of other great bikes to choose from.
The difference is the vibe and customer service/support of the vender.
In all fairness, the new importer may be a nice guy but i just can't see them growing and pleasing customers(old and new) over the long haul without morewood usa.
I have 2 morewood frames and have been looking at a Makulu and now i'm just going to hold off.
However, IMO a big part of Morewood USA's success has been due to Richards grass root non stop "family" atmosphere that people really identify with.
I have always seen them with a fleet of demo bikes and i've seen them help out non Morewood riders which goes along way.
If the new direction of Morewood (factory) is without Richard (morewood usa) then they are not maintaining the key ingredient that has got them to this point in the states!
A few years back nobody really had heard of Morewood and now they do have a presence in the USA.
Like someone else posted, most morewood riders have more than 1. Sure the bikes are great but there are alot of other great bikes to choose from.
The difference is the vibe and customer service/support of the vender.
In all fairness, the new importer may be a nice guy but i just can't see them growing and pleasing customers(old and new) over the long haul without morewood usa.
I have 2 morewood frames and have been looking at a Makulu and now i'm just going to hold off.
Back to the topic at hand...
My current Wood
it's quick, stupid simple and likes to boost every rock and root on the trail
My current Wood
it's quick, stupid simple and likes to boost every rock and root on the trail
well i was going to make a separate thread but i figured this might not be a bad spot to post my question...so i was getting ready to order a new izumu but found out the US dist. is out of them for the next week(s) but he does have kalula's and zuma's in stock...does anyone out there think that these bikes could be suitable for DH (i primarily ride Diablo but am looking for a fully competent rig)...there'd be a 888 going up front and a CCDB in the back...all input appreciated
Get yourself a Kalula. Sounds perfect for what you want to do
A buddy of mines has a Kalula and did get a chance to test ride it at Diablo. I test rode a medium with a Totem front end and equipped with the CCDB.
The bike jumped really well on the jumps, had a really nice pop to it and what really impressed me was when I took it the rock gardens, bike literally floated over mother nature. The shock set up on the bike felt very stable through the hairy sections and the bike the bike felt nimble. However the medium felt small and i'm 5'5", maybe since it had a single crown and coming from the Makulu made it feel small. I think it'll be a very fun bike for Diablo and for sure it's a worthy sled for the Diablo.
The bike jumped really well on the jumps, had a really nice pop to it and what really impressed me was when I took it the rock gardens, bike literally floated over mother nature. The shock set up on the bike felt very stable through the hairy sections and the bike the bike felt nimble. However the medium felt small and i'm 5'5", maybe since it had a single crown and coming from the Makulu made it feel small. I think it'll be a very fun bike for Diablo and for sure it's a worthy sled for the Diablo.
Hey Tanker X I think I actually did some runs with you and Tufino a few weeks ago (i was on a banshee legend at the time) and I had a feeling it would rip dominion, alpine etc but I'm curious about how it handles the rough stuff because some of my favorite trails are stalker, ripper etc....at any point does the bike feel like it has a shortage of travel?
Wait for JeremyR to post up. He has everything from a Turner to a Demo to a Izimu and now he has a Kalula. I know he is really happy with it even at windrock which is a lot like diablo but steeper.
I sent him a PM...I'm hearing a lot of good things about the Kalula, the geometry is not too different from the makulu (slightly steeper angles) but part of me feels that as a smaller rider a 'freeride' bike might be a little easier for me to flick around the trail....
Sorry, I have been away from the computer all day.
When I got my Kalula, I got it to be a full on DH race bike.
I was not getting it to be a mini-DH or a freeride bike.
The tighter geometry really appealed to me from what I have liked in the past. Morewood said that this frame was designed with tighter more technical trails in mine which is pretty much all I ride and race on the East Coast.
Tanker X already nailed how the bike feels. Those are my impressions as well.
The BB is low, and this bike makes it really easy to rail corners. Its got a lively feel with a lot of pop off of jumps, and when hopping over stuff.
Its only has 180mm of travel, but the kalula uses a 3.0 stroke shock, and the linkage on the kalula is more progressive than the makulu. I can run alot of sag, and still never bottom harshly.
I expected this bike to rail corners and be easy to throw around, but the one thing I did not expect was how it handled rough rocky sections.
It is kinda hard to explain, but I will give it a shot...
The rear suspension on my kalula never uses more travel than it needs for
any bump. It never feels too plush or too harsh. The rear end just stays really steady no matter what you throw at it. I was hitting big rock gardens at Windrock filled with holes, and the back end of my bike felt like it just floated right over the top of everything. It just does not get hung up on the rough stuff. If you have any more specific questions about it let me know, but I am loving it as a full on race bike.
I am 5'10 and the large fits me perfect. The medium kalula is the same size as a small Izimu which is a small bike. I would recommend the large on anybody 5'8 and up.
Get one.
First off, I want to make it clear that I am in no way affiliated to Morewood other than knowing Patrick and all the other employee's at Morewood South Africa personally. I agree that Morewoods' success until now can be attributed for the most part to their family atmosphere BUT Richard and Morewood USA isn't the reason for that family atmosphere. He may be the friendly face in the states but the family atmosphere is something Patrick and all the other Morewood employees hold dear to them. If the above is true, Patrick and Richard Carter will make sure that the same ethos is upheld by the new distributer, give them a chance before you run away like wounded animals.
I want to tell you a few stories about Morewood to express what I am trying to say. A few years ago, before most of you knew what a Morewood was, the first thing Morewood did in South Africa was set up a local race team. It has been through various incarnations over the last few years but one thing has never changed. The fact the Morewood is one of the title sponsors. About 2 years ago, a good friend of mine cracked his Izimu frame that was out of warrantee, it was replaced. You may say "its not the first time" but the same happened with a 1999 Morewood Prime8(an 8/9 year old frame) a few months later. Then I, a Kona rider, cracked my Stab. Patrick told me to bring it in and he'd have a look. He gave it to his Russel(one of the welders) and he welded it up for me. Not only that but he noticed one of the bushings in the rear suspension wasn't in the greatest condition while he was reassembling the bike for me so he asked me to wait a second while he MACHINED me a new one. Free of charge. All that for a rider who's never owned a Morewood(not by choice) and is actually riding a competitors bike. I could go on for ever. Morewood has powder coated general, run-of-the-mill riders(including a bmxer I know) Morewood and non Morewood frames for less than the equivalent of $15. They're a class operation.
The family atmosphere comes from Morewood South Africa and as far as I'm aware, continuing with that family atmosphere would be one of Pat and Richards foremost concerns.
Back onto the topic of the Kalula. Its an amazing bike and you really cant go wrong with it for downhill. When I first heard whispers of it, I was told it was going to be a bike for South African downhill courses(far less technical in as a rule of thumb than the Euro courses) and what do you know? They pulled it off to perfection. I've never got the feeling it was a park or mini dh bike. From the first incarnation, its always been a Makulu with an inch less squish out back. Fabien(Morewoods resident engineer) is riding the first prototype as his downhill rig even though he has the choice of any one of their current bikes.
I want to tell you a few stories about Morewood to express what I am trying to say. A few years ago, before most of you knew what a Morewood was, the first thing Morewood did in South Africa was set up a local race team. It has been through various incarnations over the last few years but one thing has never changed. The fact the Morewood is one of the title sponsors. About 2 years ago, a good friend of mine cracked his Izimu frame that was out of warrantee, it was replaced. You may say "its not the first time" but the same happened with a 1999 Morewood Prime8(an 8/9 year old frame) a few months later. Then I, a Kona rider, cracked my Stab. Patrick told me to bring it in and he'd have a look. He gave it to his Russel(one of the welders) and he welded it up for me. Not only that but he noticed one of the bushings in the rear suspension wasn't in the greatest condition while he was reassembling the bike for me so he asked me to wait a second while he MACHINED me a new one. Free of charge. All that for a rider who's never owned a Morewood(not by choice) and is actually riding a competitors bike. I could go on for ever. Morewood has powder coated general, run-of-the-mill riders(including a bmxer I know) Morewood and non Morewood frames for less than the equivalent of $15. They're a class operation.
The family atmosphere comes from Morewood South Africa and as far as I'm aware, continuing with that family atmosphere would be one of Pat and Richards foremost concerns.
Back onto the topic of the Kalula. Its an amazing bike and you really cant go wrong with it for downhill. When I first heard whispers of it, I was told it was going to be a bike for South African downhill courses(far less technical in as a rule of thumb than the Euro courses) and what do you know? They pulled it off to perfection. I've never got the feeling it was a park or mini dh bike. From the first incarnation, its always been a Makulu with an inch less squish out back. Fabien(Morewoods resident engineer) is riding the first prototype as his downhill rig even though he has the choice of any one of their current bikes.
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JeremyR thanks for the response I too was looking at the geometry and thought to myself it would be pretty spot on for my size and riding style...what shock are you running on your kalula? I've definitely been very impressed by Richard so far he's been very helpful and patient, i look forward to buying a kalula and finding out for myself how good that frame really feels, i'll be sure to post once its all built up