#61
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U.K. Distributors aren't doing anything illegal. Neither are the USA distributors who sell direct. The entity who should be controlling their distribution and pricing are the manufacturers. Them going direct to bike shops would solve a lot of this but expensive to do so.
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Chisholm's Custom Wheels Qui Si Parla Campagnolo |
#62
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Not slow...not fast...half-fast |
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#64
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#65
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I am just saying that even though some of the customers get screwed when it comes to replacing broken components or upgrading, the price disparities appear to help the big bike companies, so those companies might not want to pressure Shimano. |
#66
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Chisholm's Custom Wheels Qui Si Parla Campagnolo |
#67
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Isn't collusion only an issue if you're on the supply side?
E.x. it was collusion & anti-competitive behavior when Apple and the big publishing houses ganged up to try and raise bike prices. But it's not collusion if everyone on Paceline agrees to boycott parts ordered from QBP. In any case I'm 38.. I've only bought one road bike & one MTB complete in my life. I really don't think buying a frame & building it up is dead in any way at all or is only for old guys. And it's not like it has to be bespoke.. I've had 2 Giants that I built up from framesets, a Trek, etc.. the only one of the bikes that wasn't a stock "big bike co." frame was my Serotta. What is dead is that if you want a brand new current modely year frame at a good price you're not going to get it from the big companies since they refuse to sell anything but the most expensive $3k+ made in china stuff as frame only. (E.x. Trek 6, Specialized S-works, etc..) All my stuff was mostly the LBS had a frame that hadn't sold and it was a couple years old and things worked out at a decent price. |
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#69
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If Amazon is working on margins of less than 1 percent (.31 according to an earlier post) isn't *that* an anti-competitive business practice?
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#70
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Yah but would the shops be guilty of anti-trust for trying to get a better deal, or would the parts manufacturers be found guilty for colluding with the distributor to raise the prices in the first place?
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#71
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It's all about getting people in the door and building a certain amount of brand loyalty.
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Choices for Gorge riding: wind or climbs. Pick two. |
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Maybe if it Amazon's pricing policy is predatory, i.e., it is selling at unsustainably low margins to drive competitors from the market so it can later capture "monopoly rents" by raising prices once the competition is gone. There is a lot of competition out there, and this would b a difficult theory to prove.
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where are we going, and why am i in this handbasket? |
#74
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As to your second question, I'm not sure what you mean by "collusion" between a manufacturer and distributor. In any event, the entities have a vertical, rather than horizontal, relationship, so there is a lesser likelihood of there being antitrust issues, and a lot would depend on the market power enjoyed by the manufacturer and/or distributor. In short, it depends but probably not. |
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Examples of major manufacturers frame sets under $3K
Specialized Allez Giant TCR Advanced Pro Felt F1 Cervelo R3/S3 |
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