Bike Part Availability & Prices

And somehow you manage to get a political statement in?

 

Ok Doomsday hillbilly...when somehow you manage not to get a political statement in.

 

As previously mentioned, I like to plan ahead and buy things even when I don't need them if I see a decent deal.

Backcountry appears to be blowing out their FIFTY tooth SRAM Eagle derailleurs. The GX are gone but I picked up an X01 for 20% off or $180. Since I ordered via Active Junky, I'll also get a 12% kickback so about $160 ( before tax of course).

 

Possibly not a popular idea, but Bikes Direct has 1 X 12 SX Eagle & Shimano hydraulic disc hardtails for $899. Seems like there may be enough parts to make it worthwhile even though the frame and fork would need to be disposed on ebay.

 

It's time for a new helmet...was looking at photos the other day and realized my current lid is over 5 years old.

Tried on a couple at an Lbs and really liked the Giro Montero ( checked it out because of the reviews on it here). Fit good, had my size, check manufactured date.. Oct 2018??? Bummer.....I wanted to buy at an LBS.

So ended up ordering from Giro directly as it's a safe bet theirs are current production. Of course with supply issues they had only one color in my size. But that's OK, black is always in style.

 

Interesting view:

 

Man this sounds familiar. I’ve spent too much of my career sitting on suppliers’ shop floors. I’ve flown across the country and back in a day, for a half hour meeting, where the whole point was to beg them to not quit on a difficult development project.

It is very hard to keep parts on schedule right now. Without the ability to sit in the owner’s office, listen to their fishing stories, and chat up the shop, I’ve got zero insight into where my parts are, beyond their word. And it’s not bad faith or ill will, it’s just that there is always another reason for a schedule slip—the packaging shortage sounds familiar. The shipping delays. The raw materials. Unauthorized substitutions. If I’m not in the shop poking around and getting an earful from the folks actually doing the work, I end up getting blindsided when delivery dates get blown by.

I was trying to look at the Gantt charts on the back wall to see what their critical path looked like...

The part about people being sold bikes that they can’t legally ride was interesting. He didn’t really unpack that topic as well as I think he should have.

 

The auto industry lives and dies by effective supply chain management, and they got seriously blindsided by the global semiconductor shortage.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/arstec...ambles-to-address-global-chip-shortage/?amp=1

 

I heard Rekon's were getting scarce. LBS ordered me up a pair. Don't really need them now, but soon.

 

Everything is scarce and it’s going to be that way for awhile.

 

We’ve created these sprawling supply chains and subdivided product categories that were efficient but brittle. The toilet paper/paper towel manufacturers have responded by drastically curtailing the number of SKUs they sell. I suspect most industries will have to follow suit.

translation: Shimano better not be wasting time running GRX down the line. Run Ultegra in Japan, SLX in Malaysia, and nothing else until we’re swimming in midrange groupsets. (Or 105 in Malaysia and XT in Japan. But you get my drift...)

 

Be prepared to wait, for example we cannot get an 11 speed rear derailleur from any of our distributors and timelines are weeks out. A Trek Fuel.... June or July and it seems to change all the time.

As for Shimano, it’s hit and miss on the parts. We just got a sh*t load if Di2 stuff but nothing else we could actually use. Hope Shimano and SRAM are thinking like you

 

Got a pair of Shimano 4 piston XT brakes (M8120) in May and replacement pads are pretty hard to come by and $$$$$. Recently ordered pads from Galfer.com. I got a set of the pro and normal versions for $31 and $17 respectively. Yet to try them out but reviews online seem to be pretty good and supposedly they manufacture some of the OEM pads for other companies (Hope I think?). They also make rotors that seem to be well reviewed.

I know others have had luck with Truckerco, but just wanted to throw out another option. Customer service was pretty good, they called me up the day I ordered when they found out one of the pads wasn't in stock to let me know it would be a 2 day delay. Warehouse is in Oxnard so had the pads in less than a week from ordering.

 

Thanks for that… I like options.

Long time, no see… Catalina Gran Fondo 2015 or 2016? Time sure does fly by…

 

Just a heads up for those running 2 piston Shimano brakes. I was perusing Pinkbike classifieds and ran across (2) separate sellers with NEW brake pads for sale at great prices. One guy has one set for $20 and the other has 4 sets for $75. That’s Pre-Covid pricing!!

 

Found out on Thursday that The Shop @ Pedalers Fork in Calabasas has just become a Transition dealer, and is supposed to have a starter run of bikes in June. I just mention it as I know there were some folks looking for Spurs, so that might be the quickest way to get one. I'll be back by there midweek and am happy to inquire what they're getting if anyone is interested. PF is a real pleasure to deal with, FWIW.

 

Checked availability of the brake pads I use almost daily for a couple months. Everywhere out of stock....kind of disappointing.. and then today Backcountry had them! In stock! Oh yeah! Felt almost like I won the lotto.

So I ordered 2 sets and they shipped within a couple hours. I'm good for a while now.

Simple pleasures

 

Looking for Shimano 3X8 shifters for my friend's daughter's bike hasn't been fruitful. Located a set of Microshift thumbies for $85, but I'll pass.

 

Try finding some SRAM compatible Grip Shifters.

 

Hmmm. I just may have....

 

So your looking for MRX 3x8? Let me see what we have.

 

I looked and we don’t have any.

 

https://www.jensonusa.com/SRAM-MRX-Comp-Grip-Shifter

$12 for the rear, $10 for the front.

 

A BIG thanks.

 

i have 3x 9 xt laying around free to good home

 

Looks like JRA has a good selection of tires right now.

 

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Any white Porcupine Onzas? Gumwalls were so yesterday...

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I hope you took your vernier calipers with you! Did you happen to look at the prices for the Kendas? Poor things...they're engulfed by Maxxis.

 

I'm just sharing a pic from the shop. I have no interest in any of them. I run Goodyears.