Trek prices , already gone up over the week end grrrrr

[mooby77]

Just looking , was going to buy a analogue fuel EX, as electric is scarcer than info around how many kids Boris Johnson has already hard to find

Noticed gone up £100.00 since I looked yesterday!!!.

Sunlit uplands my arse

So Trek already going up , guess everything , on the analogue front and E too , I am now looking at the Marin Alpine Trail , Available allegedly March , anyone have a view on Marin ?

Also if anyone has a analogue FS Medium/Large , Stance , fuel , hawk hill type and want to sell let me know.

Thanks,

Paul

 

[Sean1.0]

oof ... looks like 10% or more up on Carbon Rails ?

Rail 9.8 ... 7150 to 7850
Rail 9.8XT ... 6600 to 7300

Happy new year.

 

[Gary]

Everything across the board is likely to go up in price by 8-14% from 2020s pricing. (no prizes for guessing why ?)
Where you went wrong was...

Just looking

If its available now and you want it. Buy now. Worry later

 

[steve_sordy]

I thought it might be currency, but the GBP has been fairly stable over the last year with the US dollar, the Euro, the Chinese Yaun, the Vietnamese Dong and the Taiwan dollar. It could be just Trek putting their prices up, I'm sure all bike companies do it from time to time. But 10% does seem high, opportunistic pricing maybe - because bikes are in demand?

 

[Mteam]

Trek is an American company isn't it?

So there has been no change to their importation proceses caused by brexit?

Or were their bikes routed through the eu to the UK?

Or is it just trek being opportunistic to increase their prices because of increased demand?

 

[Sean1.0]

That's supply and demand.

Is what it is now.

 

[Kernow]

Well the email commencal sent out to customers basically blamed covid . all the bike factories rely on parts made in Taiwan and China . Ships are held up at ports Both ends Loading is slower and , labour numbers down etc etc , shipping costs have gone up

 

[Mikerb]

Trek is an American company isn't it?

So there has been no change to their importation proceses caused by brexit?

Or were their bikes routed through the eu to the UK?

Or is it just trek being opportunistic to increase their prices because of increased demand?

It makes no difference unless Trek,Marin etc actually constructed their bikes in the EU since "rules of origin" apply. Our best bet for more competitive pricing on EMTBs would be for the UK to strike a free trade deal with the US and/or Taiwan. The UK would first have to recognise Taiwan as a sovereign country rather than a Province of the CCP to achieve the latter.

 

[Sean1.0]

It makes no difference unless Trek,Marin etc actually constructed their bikes in the EU since "rules of origin" apply. Our best bet for more competitive pricing on EMTBs would be for the UK to strike a free trade deal with the US and/or Taiwan. The UK would first have to recognise Taiwan as a sovereign country rather than a Province of the CCP to achieve the latter.

It's nothing to do with any of that or Trek or anyone else being opportunistic...

it's just covidonomics 101... supply down, production volume down, production costs up vs demand significantly up.

 

[KeithR]

Our best bet for more competitive pricing on EMTBs would be for the UK to strike a free trade deal with the US and/or Taiwan.

Which at best - at the very best - will provide for arrangements no better than we already had in the EU.

And - in the case of the US - likely worse, given that it's already on record that the incoming US administration is disinclined to deal favourably with a country that has vocally and repeatedly declared its willingness to abrogate its international treaty obligations.

Not what I call a "best bet".

I wish I'd had the foresight to design and patent easily-transportable goalposts: I'd have made a fortune, because one constant in Brexit is the sheer amount of moving the goalposts that it has involved in trying to spin it into something positive...

 

[Mikerb]

such pessimism!! US brands have to compete on price/quality and do so at the moment with a trade tariff penalty. Everything coming from Taiwan ( or China) carries a trade tariff. The US appears to be the only country currently moving towards full international recognition of Taiwan. Removing those trade trade tariffs would introduce more price competition in the market. Market protectionism through trade tariffs benefits no one and always penalises the consumer. Both pre Brexit and now, nothing that is imported to Europe from a country with which it does not have a free trade deal is tariff ( or VAT) free. and there is no free trade deal with Taiwan or China. Coffee time???

 

[Rahr85]

No Keith, the one constant in Brexit, is that 49% of the UK's population will blame everything on it for the next.. what? 20 years, 50 years?

Move on.

The rest of the world will blame everything on COVID19 of course, that is until the next biggest ever crisis ever comes along.

without getting too political, in the next 20 years i imagine close to 30-40% of those that voted brexit will be dead from old age

 

[Mikerb]

without getting too political, in the next 20 years i imagine close to 30-40% of those that voted brexit will be dead from old age

and another 30/40% of people will acquire that age and with it the wisdom.
More to the point...because we are talking a bout the general price increase in the bike market...... we see a couple of conflicting pictures. One is of established brands increasing prices by c 10% in an almost cartel like way. At the same time we have seen newer players apparently capable of producing good quality bikes at significantly lower prices. Make of that what you will!!
It should also be noted that the Far East and most specifically China has been used as a low cost manufacturing centre by the West, enabled primarily by very low labour costs. It is now being recognised that not only does that give China a great deal of power and influence over global markets but a proportion of that low labour cost advantage has been achieved with slave/enforced labour. The UK Govt is in the process of limiting and banning some import of Chinese goods where that is shown to be the case. Whilst that may be most obvious in the textile manufacturing sector I doubt it will be restricted to that.
As I said before, the more free trade deals the UK can negotiate a round the world the greater our choice will become and the more competition there will be. That always benefits the consumer.

 

[Mikerb]

With respect to the 10% increase in price across most leading brands, it remains to be seen what impact that has on the level of demand. Is it likely that the models at the higher end of the range will not sell? Will yet more new players with lower price levels enter the market, further eroding market share of the leading brands? Will one brand break ranks and actually modify its cost base rather than sitting on its thumbs? The market is king...not the brands!!

 

[Gary]

Will yet more new players with lower price levels enter the market

Unlikely really. Pretty much all the big players have Emtb in their range and any smaller brand new to the Ebike market's running/manufacturing costs will be higher rather than lower than an established Ebike brand's. So the only way to undercut currently available Ebike prices to the public is to go direct sales (Competing with YT, Canyon, Commie etc.) or to offer a lower spec/cheaper product. Or to sell at a far lower profit margin.

Two years back folk interested in buying their first Emtb were saying they would wait until Emtbs were more affordable before dipping their toes in. Sorry, but that's just never going to happen. £5k is now considered an entry level RRP for an emtb in an LBS. And cheaper bikes like the Decathlon Stylus or Rob's DIY Dengfu still don't represent better value than many off the shelf bikes from big manufacturers did 2 years previous.

It actually amazes me how naive/noob so many Emtb owners thinking is with regard to how the bike industry works.

 

[Pdoz]

Re Marin, I'm building a pump track bike using a marin frame. I got nervous when I noticed " made in Indonesia" . Little things , like a chip in the paint at the bottom bracket with paint in the thread. The tags for the rear disc were a bit random in the machining, and the fit between the wheel lugs and frame is far from high quality.

No idea about their ebikes , but this was enough to curb my enthusiasm for the brand.

 

[#lazy]

Everything across the board is likely to go up in price by 8-14% from 2020s pricing. (no prizes for guessing why ?)
Where you went wrong was...
If its available now and you want it. Buy now. Worry later

That’s what’s got in this miss , worry later ☺

 

[Gary]

No idea about their ebikes , but this a small paint chip that would have absolutely no detremental effect to the function of the frame and be hidden from view when the bike's BB cups are fitted was enough to curb my enthusiasm for the brand.

#Perspective

 

[steve_sordy]

without getting too political, in the next 20 years i imagine close to 30-40% of those that voted brexit will be dead from old age

What makes you think that those who voted Brexit were selfish and only thinking of themselves and the short term? At the time, I voted Brexit on the assumption that it might be as long as 10 years before the benefits would come clear, just as my grandkids might be finishing university. I believe now that I was overly pessimistic. The pandemic is muddying the waters for both sides. It can be blamed or claimed for either side depending upon their internal logic.

 

[Kernow]

What makes you think that those who voted Brexit were selfish and only thinking of themselves and the short term? At the time, I voted Brexit on the assumption that it might be as long as 10 years before the benefits would come clear, just as my grandkids might be finishing university. I believe now that I was overly pessimistic. The pandemic is muddying the waters for both sides. It can be blamed or claimed for either side depending upon their internal logic.

Well said I voted out with my kids and grandkids in mind as well , sadly a lot of the younger generation is prevented or unable to see the bigger picture

 

[Pdoz]

#Perspective

Sorry if my description or the photo wasn't obvious enough, but the paint had run into the thread and there was no way that bottom bracket was going in without a facing tool. Only a few minutes work, but I hate being that person who buys online then goes to the lbs to borrow tools. Especially when the lbs won't accept payment.

Ps " little things" and " no idea about their ebikes" , I thought I was clear enough that I was talking about my experience with just one frame. The op asked for views on Marin, so yes this is my # perspective. I pressume you have much more experience from your role in the industry, what us your # perspective on marin as a brand?

 

[smtkelly]

It could be shipping costs being passed on. People have seen shipping cost rise double globally etc

 

[Gary]

what is your # perspective on marin as a brand?

No brand is perfect.
I haven't personally heard any horror stories about Marin... But I haven't gone looking either.
how a brand deals with it's customers is often what sets apart companies. how were they with your paint damaged BB shell/threads?

 

[Pdoz]

No brand is perfect.
I haven't personally heard any horror stories about Marin... But I haven't gone looking either.
how a brand deals with it's customers is often what sets apart companies. how were they with your paint damaged BB shell/threads?

Probably not relevant to the op because I'm in Australia , my only experience was with the distributor.

The distributor offered for ME to pay to post the frame back so they could run a facing tool across it , or for me to take it to the lbs and they would cover the bill. I wasn't excited about posting the frame back ( we pay postage by volume) , so I sucked up my pride and went grovelling at the lbs. Now I owe the lbs a favour , which is not the fault of the distributor but a personal lesson on why buying a bike online isn't going to work for me. Small town , I have the sort of job where I prefer to not owe people favours.

I realise this isn't a horror story, but I DO consider it a caution about quality control at Marin. There were 3 little issues on that frame , and to be honest I'd expect better quality control from where this brand is placed in Australia - Marin is the higher end product offered by the same distributor who sells polygon . They price polygon just below giant, and marin between giant and specialized. I doubt this frame would get past giant or specialized quality control? Marin are more expensive than Merida , for example.

 

[R120]

I would say over here the current iteration of Marin are definitely at the value end of the decent MTB market, not cheap, but a lot of bang for your buck and marketed as such - IMO they are putting out some great bikes right now at great prices, at least in the UK and US.

Did you not pay your LBS to do the work, and take up the distributors offer to cover the costs? No need for any favours from what you have written. In my experience a good LBS dont give a shit where you got the bike, a customer who pays is a customer who pays.

 

[Gary]

Did you not pay your LBS to do the work, and take up the distributors offer to cover the costs? No need for any favours from what you have written. In my experience a good LBS dont give a shit where you got the bike, a customer who pays is a customer who pays.

This ^^

 

[Pdoz]

Did you not pay your LBS to do the work, and take up the distributors offer to cover the costs? No need for any favours from what you have written. In my experience a good LBS dont give a shit where you got the bike, a customer who pays is a customer who pays.

The lbs refused payment, even after I explained the distributor would pay. It's a small town , I knew better than to order online , but I'd been watching a certain thread about carbon frames and bafang motors and wanted to try the whole build a bike from bits thing.

 

[The Hodge]

Interesting ...?
"Supply Chains are Kinked, Making it More Difficult to get a New Mountain Bike — Again - Singletracks Mountain Bike News" Supply Chains are Kinked, Making it More Difficult to get a New Mountain Bike — Again - Singletracks Mountain Bike News

 

[Tribey]

Isn't £100 less than 4% on an analogue Fuel anyway?
Sounds like a normal price rise, if there hasn't already been one.
Man maths anyway. Get it bought.

 

[Kernow]

Isn't £100 less than 4% on an analogue Fuel anyway?
Sounds like a normal price rise, if there hasn't already been one.
Man maths anyway. Get it bought.

I see my new trek rail 9 went from 5700 to 6400. So 10% . However when I was shortlisting bikes to buy the trek rail 9 seemed to be underpriced compared with most brands , even the mail order brands were more expensive . With 10% nhs discount off the old price Iam feeling quite lucky