Radon Factory EWS Team Announced
The German bike manufacturer RADON will be making its entry into the top levels of Enduro racing this year. The RADON Factory Endruo Racing Team will consist of James Shirley (SCO), Petrik Brückner (GER), Raphaela Richter (GER) and Joost Wichman (NED). RADON means business this year.
At only 17 years of age Germany’s rising talent Raphaela Richter is capable of winning races in the U21 category of the Enduro World Series as well as the SRAM Specialized Enduro Series.
James Shirley’s technical riding skills originate in the Scottish Highlands. James will focus upon top results in the European Enduro Series, the first ever European Enduro Championships and he will also race the Enduro World Series.
Petrik Brückner, Germany’s most outstanding Enduro racers, has his eyes set on the SRAM Specialized Enduro Series and will be looking for the win during the German Enduro Championships.
The team is managed by former 4X World Champion Joost Wichman from The Netherlands. “We have a young and talented squad, who will be focused on making their mark in the Enduro scene. The team's attitude is very down to earth, we love riding and this reflects RADON’s philosophy perfectly.”
RADON has been pushing hard to engineer a top-notch Enduro bike. Its 27.5” Slide Carbon is the weapon of choice for the team. With a proven track record, the light race bike has been tweaked to compete at the world series level. With RADON’s direct sales to consumers, the bikes are priced at an affordable rate while offering top quality to all riders. From 2015 on, the German company will be expanding its business to non-German speaking countries.
The Radon Factory Enduro Team ( @RADON-BIKES ) is happy to pronounce our team partners:
Manitou Suspension, BBB Cycling, Winterberg Holiday Resort, Magura Brakes / @MaguraPassionPeople , DT Swiss Wheels, Continental Tires, IXS Protection / @iXSsports , SRAM @SramMedia , Answer Components, Fizik Sattles, Carbocage Chainguards, Thirty7even Clothing, Acros Headset, RSP Bike Care, Phidra Accountants
MENTIONS: @RADON-BIKES @MaguraPassionPeople @iXSsports @SramMedia
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Interesting brand name choice from a marketing point of view. But sponsoring Joost Wichman makes up for it.
Their DH bikes are as impressive of a value as YT considering the spec, but their most interesting bike is the Swoop expert; 27.5 in front and 26" rear wheel.
www.radon-bikes.de/en/bikes/mountainbike/superenduro/swoop-175/swoop-175-70-expert
I can ensure you that you will not have to pay any tax in the USA, unless you live in Nevada, because legally we have to charge NV tax. Please let us know if you have any questions.
service@ytindustries-usa.com
Here is an example - I have a custom ECU in my car, and last year I had to ship it back to the manufacturer because it was acting up and wouldn't do as it was told. The ECU isn't very heavy and it's just a bit bigger than a standard computer hard drive. Shipping from Canada to the California, via Canada Post, with tracking and insurance (I believe I insured it for $600) was just over $170. When the repaired ECU arrived at my door, I had to pay additional handling fees (somewhere between $40-$60). Therefore, I could only imagine how pricey it would be to ship a frame back and forth...
@oxide Really wish you guys could open up a distribution branch in Canada. Shipping in from the US is a killer for us Canadians. Dollar conversion, taxes, duties, handling fees... I'd really love for my next bike to be from YT. One can dream I guess
I work in bicycle parts distribution. I know I might not be exact with my numbers, but I know I'm pretty close.
it's sad...i will never ride with one of those...NEVER... (but hell yeah look nice, and work well...i tried a yt capra, and a Canyon stitch)
Listen, If bike shops want to be more successful they need to evolve and get better at what they do.
Just like the bikes have.
This isn't kid stuff anymore, the job needs to be taken seriously, and it really isn't
Generally bike shops are a ridiculous f*ck up. Staffed by slackers that don't really care to do a better job, and don't have the ability to do one anyway.
The other day my friend went to a bike store to get spokes and his cassette removed.
The guy at the shop broke the splines off of his x01 cassette. And gave him a handful of nipples containing a mix of brass, alloy, and even a few used alloy ones.
Classic bike shop story.
Thats who your hard earned money goes to. Jackasses.
forums.mtbr.com/sram/xx1-cassette-broken-mounting-spline-920534.html
The reality of bikes being sold on the internet is a definite growing trend. And I agree, the business world is always changing and therefore must adapt to those changes. Like the old saying goes, innovate or die. However, the argument is getting someone fitted on the right bike. Some of us are on the bubble of a medium to a large, some bike manufacturers have longer top tubes, different geo, etc. all of which can make a big difference in how someone prefers to ride down the trail. Thats not the worst though, once you got that bike now when a part breaks you need to take it to a shop. For a lot of us on pinkbike, we know how to fix a lot of stuff but the other 95% doesn't even know there is a tube inside of their tire.
From working at a bike shop there is a lot of people that do not know where to even start if they were to buy a bike online today. My guess is they would just get annoyed by the feel of the bike and hardly ever ride it. When a customer buys the bike from a reputable shop, they will give a free fit when buying the bike and will give life time tuneups for free. That in return is going to keep the 95% (which is the percentage that bike companies target) happy and want to keep riding bikes and thats what we all want right?
I think we will see more and more companies go to direct sales but I think its gonna create less value to the customer. The way a company differentiates itself from competitors is NOT the price, but the added value of the product.
@airsoftesneeto i think it really is a lot about the price (and marketing). thats why canyon, yt, ..... are so successful.
i just hope, the market for good bikes stays as diverse as it is now. i dont really got a reason but i dont like those direct sales companies...
what i would love to see are more companies which dont create a new model or update every year and just stick to what they think is a good and reliable! product.
when i buy quality stuff and pay a bit more, i hope the company isnt like:
thumbs.newschoolers.com/index.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.newschoolers.com%2Fuploads%2Fimages%2F17%2F00%2F70%2F45%2F46%2F704546.jpeg&size=600x564
Guess what? There are shops in NZ where the mechanic will ignore the f*** wits and just carry on with his task. I moved in OZ and it took me a while to find a shop that does state of the art job. We stock race bike only and we sell few 12k $15k custom bikes a week and the mechanics -we are two- are doing the job like we used to in Europe when I was a kid -25 years ago.
A plonker complained because I did not left my stand and went to him! WTF?
Internet it's even better for shops like us. Canyon or similar are cutting sales of big companies like Spesh or Giant or something similar. When they want to spend 12 grands or more, customers are more likely to spend them on a Colnago or a Pinarello rather than some mass market suff.
Very honorable to say "I don't support that", but that doesn't change anything and you have to spend more money for less value.
If you like to spend much more money for the same value, why not. If you think it's a question of honor or something..... well, good luck
If the shop has a respectable and professional costumer service, it will take care of you and you will pay accordingly for their service (e.g. the mechanics' time). If the shop ower is offended by me buying parts (they don´t have) and taking them to his shop to assemble them, he does not deserve my money. Shops should focus on the quality of their service and adapt to a new reality to keep their costumers.
Essentially, what direct to consumer will do, is force massive consolidation, which we already see. The only way for the shop to survive will be to become a "Specialized Store" or "Trek Store." This way the physical retail store is also direct to consumer. The entire outdoor industry is already moving this way, Amersports, etc. new pitch to investors is a more direct to consumer model with "Apple" like stores. This will ultimately leave us with less choice, but lower prices. But maybe that's what everyone wants...
What's left for shops now with the some people buying almost everything for the internet is that they only come after they have f***** so many things on their bike they are asking for help. Fair enough but they have to pay for the time we have to spend to fix up the mess.
But damn guys you'd realised how hard it is for us when some guys complain because another shop will do it "free" or the "but I could have done it myself". Well my dear boy if you can do it yourself just do it and get the f out.
Even worse than the direct to customer brands is a concept of website called bike exchange. Originally from Australia where they are very successful, they are starting in California and some countries in Europe. At first it was a way for shop to discount old bikes but now everyone is fighting everyone on brand new parts and it's very bad for shops.
I do believe there is a place for every one, but stop believing direct sales or internet big discounters are here for your own pleasure. They are here to take the money from you. Their share of profits are not paying all the expensive tools good workshops should have -bio part washer, $500 chain breaker and all sorts of expensive stuff.
Like many said, if service centers are the future when it comes to servicing bikes, you will pay for all the small things shops are doing for free.
"If you can do it yourself just do it and get the f out."
"Sounds like fantastic customer service you're providing here. You're hired! When can you start?" said no one ever.
Nonetheless I put his bike on a stand, did a quick check over and gave him a fair price for the job and he said other shops are doing it for free -fyi We never had this customer before- and argued about the price I asked him to pay. This time he said that shops were doing the job for 25% cheaper.
And that my friend is the typical "I buy everything online" plonker mechanics hate so much.
Bottom line is, this stuff happens everywhere. People are focused too much on the 'me first' mentality, and getting the upper hand in everything they do in life, without ever considering the individual on the other end of the deal. It's selfishness, pure and simple.
I prefer to learn and do things myself whenever I can, but when I can't, then I look for a professional to do it for me, and I expect the job to be done well. In turn, I expect for the professional doing the work to be compensated fairly. If you 'expect' to be treated to bargain bin prices, then you better be ready for bargain bin service.
I recently bought a new car. I grinded them a bit on price. I told them up front that I would. But I also told them that I sold bikes and I understand margins, so I know we're going to get to a point where they wouldn't be able to go any further, so just tell me when we get there so I'm not wasting anyone's time. They laid out a bunch of different financing options and I went back and looked at all of them. They were all very similar, some with 0% interest, some with bigger discounts and a small interest rate, and the amounts paid weren't that much different over the term. I went back to them and said that since we're already at the bottom for their margin, is there a preferred way that they can do the deal (where maybe they write off some of the interest or something like that) where they make more money, since I was at the point where it didn't make that much of a difference to me.
They actually gave me a slighly better deal at that point, and both of the sales people I had been dealing with said I was the most understanding and easiest customer they've ever dealt with in working there.
It's good to try and get a deal, but it doesn't pay to be a prick.
I was wondering the same, with Float X, Monarch Plus, CCDB's and the likes, seems there is a quite a demand for those type of shocks and Vivid Air and whatever Fox are working on besides.
Manitou seem to be on quite a roll lately, wondering if and what they come up with in this segment. Swinger is quite 'old' now isnt it? Perhaps a 29'er Mattoc too?
Too late?