HaloPower

@IamZOSO: Funniest comment of the year! These other state-sponsored media outlets agree! (Pravda, Pyongyang TV, Xinhua, Granma, etc.) PBS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsufMtUOXtI

Just wondering who else (besides myself) is in the minority "Racing isn't really my thing, so I don't bother paying any attention." category. I know I'll probably get crap for this, but I always considered racing a bastardization of the sport. That's the reason I despise the whole road racing, tour de France thing. So corporate sponsor, go-go yuppie bullshilt. I've always looked at MTB as the counter-culture to that whole scene. I admire the racers as great athletes, though I really only know about Aaron Gywnn since he's from SoCal :-)

I've always wondered if a smaller rear/larger front wheel would ever makes it's way into MTB. Looks like they already toyed with this idea long ago. I also own a couple of Enduro MX and Adventure Touring motorcycles and this has always been the design. Even my 500+ lb adv. touring bike can handle pretty gnarly SoCal fireroads like it was a KX250!

groghunter, well said. I'm not anti-LBS. In fact I'm very lucky to live near one of the best around (The Path in Tustin, CA). A number of bike manufacturers out there however are finding that the direct sales model is the way to go. This model couldn't exist 10 (or even 5) years ago without the Internet and the establishment of eCommerce and efficient logistics, etc.. And what about smaller boutique shops like Canfield Bros.? Maybe they find it easier to sell directly to their customer via the web instead of the extra cost and hassle of trying to establish a dealership network. I just looked at the Canfield site and I believe you can their frames direct via the website. Are these guys "sell-outs?" Shit, I just think these guys are trying to sell bikes to keep their dream going and put food on the table.

Dave, again I ask respectfully... what is the local bike scene? What does that even mean? I've been riding for 20+ years. Maybe I'm just anti-social so I don't know what my local "MTB scene is." I wake up, grab my bike and hit my local trail. When I'm done, I grab lunch and go home. Is that the scene you speak of? Also, speaking of "selling out".. should notable stores like Dunbar or Fanatik or Universal Cycles be told not to augment their revenue by selling bikes and parts via the Internet to "non-locals?" If you were the owner of one of these shops would you not do the same? How about big component manufacturers like SRAM or Shimano, etc. Should they be allowed to sell their products directly to customers via the web or does everything need to be marked up by a distributor and then a retailer before I can buy it?

So? With no LBS there would be no MTB? What is the "local scene" anyway? I love the guys who cling desperately to old romantic notions of the LBS. Economics is all about pricing and value-add. That's where companies with revenue models like Amazon and others I have mentioned before have dominated the competition. There's is this emotional belief that mountain bikes are somehow special and exempt from the laws of economics. At the end of the day, mountain bikes are vehicles made from labor and material. I can sell you a bike that's just as good if not better that what's available at your LBS for significantly less via my direct sales model. Would you be interested?

So you'll never buy anything over $10 over the Internet?

You're making an emotional decision, not a logical one. Emotion has no place in financial dealings. If that's the case, we should all go out and throw rocks at windows to make work for the local glass repair shop. Are you familiar in with Best Buy? The retail electronics model is on it's last dying breath (Radio Shack just filed for Chapter 11). The only reason Best Buy is still alive is because they have lobbyists who basically bribed politicians to vote to mandate sales taxes on purchases made on internet giants like Amazon. Why would I pay 8+% sales tax for a big ticket item when I could buy the same item on Amazon, pay $0 tax and get free 2-day shipping. Plus why should I get in my car, sit in traffic and the crowds to get to a store only to find that it doesn't have what I want in stock. Amazon has exactly what I want and I know instantly if it's available. I've been riding MTB since my first Pro-Flex 856. I've purchased all of my bikes from LBSs who charge me tax and % mark-up. The amount of the mark-up all depends on how well that particular business manages it's costs. Why should I pay extra for a business that isn't managed well? Plus of the 6 or so bikes I've owned, I don't ever recall saying "damn, if I had only demoed this bike beforehand!" Plus how much can you get out of a short demo usually taking place on unfamiliar terrain? Also, what's to keep direct sales manufacturers from providing demo bikes? Why do you need an LBS fort that? Hire a couple of guys with a factory trailer to drive around from trail-head to trail-head so people can demo their wares. If you're OK with paying such mark-ups, then just consider it a "just to feel good" surcharge.

4299 euros for a very nicely spec'd complete carbon bike. Even at today's exchange rate, that's roughly $4800 U.S.for a race ready bike. Meanwhile, Specialized and Santa Cruz are selling their high-end carbon enduro frames (Enduro S-Works, Nomad) to us dopes in the U.S. anywhere from $3200 to $4000. Just for the frame! The YT Capra CF Pro Race can be had for $5495 direct from the manufacturer. Direct sales model. It's the wave of the future.

I'm just weird like that. I wouldn't consider myself anywhere near a pro-level rider nor do I follow the racing scene, but I've been riding since the days of my ProFlex 856. I think I'm like Jay Leno is with cars. I have no idea whether the Strive CF is the ultimate or a piece of crap. I just want it because I can't have it. :-) It's like guys in Europe who buy Chevy Corvettes I guess. Or maybe it's like buying a Ferrari... don't be shocked when the bill for your first oil change is $1000