ben and the jerk: more alike than you'd guess

[Climb01742]

this is a christmas story.

i had this idea to give the people at our company a bike-related christmas gift. riding is fun. riding is healthy. riding is something that almost anyone can do. riding is something people can do with their family and friends. riding is something that our little company could, maybe, do together; a way to stay connected to each other as we grow.

separately, ben and the good people at serotta, and the jerk and the good people at his bike shop, tried to make this idea happen.

to make it happen, each was willing to forgo every penny of profit. each was willing to undertake a great deal of work for zero immediate monetary gain. each worked darn hard to make this little christmas story happen. each went above and beyond, to say the least.

it's easy sometimes to forget that business people are people too. work isn't a charity, to be sure. but some business people have their hearts in exactly the right places.

though you may never have thought of ben and the jerk in the same thought bubble before, consider it. one thing that makes the cycling community special is that, at our best, we share something meaningful. something deeper than money or the profit motive.

ben serotta and his company are genuinely good people, deep into their bones and hearts, because lots of companies talk good deeds, but not so many are willing to put their values into profitless action. exactly the same goes for senor jerk and the folks at his shop. both groups of people walk the walk.

i mention all this for a simple reason. if you're on the fence about what frame to buy and a serotta is in the mix, please think hard about choosing the serotta. good people and good companies are hard to find; ben's people qualify in spades. and if you're thinking about buying something from a bike shop, please think hard about the jerk's emporium. despite his screen name and demeanor at moments, he and his folks are good folks.

it may sound corny, but serotta-ites and jerk-ites are human beings that frank capra would approve of. please consider shooting a little business their way. their hearts are in the right places.

[weisan]

WOW!

Climb-pal you are gifted with the pen.

[Ken Robb]

somehow I never learned where Jerk's shop is or how to contact him at work. I understand that he has cornered the world market on short take-off stems.

[davids]

That's you, climb. Dunno what you're planning, but I already approve! :beer:

[DarkStar]

somehow I never learned where Jerk's shop is or how to contact him at work. I understand that he has cornered the world market on short take-off stems.
Ken this site may help.

http://web.mit.edu/johnston/www/boston-bike-shops.html

[andy mac]

that narrows it to 5...

[rphetteplace]

Ken this site may help.

http://web.mit.edu/johnston/www/boston-bike-shops.html

so the International shop has a sweaty guy that is said to be an @sshole, is that close to being a jerK?

[SoCalSteve]

International Bike and his location is the Boston store, not the Newton store.

I too have had the pleasure of doing business with Senor Jerk and can recommend him highly.

He was very patient and helpful in answering all my questions via email and on the phone and just the other day I pulled the trigger and purchased a custom Pegoretti Big Leg Emma through him.

I love the idea of telling everyone that I bought my bike from "The Jerk".

Oh, by the way, I went with a very long stem...

Steve

[CalfeeFly]

Also a good reason not to buy Specialized...all Taiwan all the time with American Flags requiring you to read the small print to find out what they mean.

Good reasons to buy from Craig and Richard...carbon from Calfee and steel from Waterford; hubs/headsets from Chris King; wheels from Rolf (back to the old Rolf now handbuilt in Portland using White Industries hubs; White Industries for hubs; Bottom bracket etc from Phil Wood; a seatpost from Thomson; sunglasses from Oakley (the Lance story of how they bailed him out when he was sick is reason alone to buy them) and dare I say virtually any bike company that has kept production here; kept a high quality product; charges reasonably for what you receive all factors included such as labor cost; and plain old does it because they love the industry. I don't know the folks at Vanilla for example but from what I've seen, read and heard I'd suspect we would include them as well. That is why I left the end open ended.

I consider this a major factor before I buy something...if not USA then European. I do not have much time for companies that are only chasing the mightly dollar or Euro. I annoys me no end to see a company switch to 3rd world labor but charge 1st world price.

I even stick up for a company like FSA since their factory is their own and they employ Americans to actually live and work in Taiwan to keep it an American operation. That combined with their pricing being reasonable make me accept them. The SLK could never hit the price point it does unless their factory was there...plus Taiwan has reinvented itself as the carbon king. For example their new ceramic bearings are from Europe. They are pricey but that is where they felt they had to go for the quality they wanted.

This is what impresses me about Campy. They have become their own carbon king in Italy. Their prices are higher but their product is impeccable. This from a guy who rides Shimano. I'd love a Campy Record carbon crank.

Lastly this is why the folks who nickel and dime a fine local shop into the ground disturb me. It is also why folks who shop in the LBS and buy on line to save $25.00 disturbs me. Yet they will go out and spend $100 on a high end dinner.

Great post Jerk. I hope those who need to heed it do.

[slowgoing]

Very nice story. And not surprising in the least.

And good for you for trying, climb.

[andy mac]

Great post Jerk. I hope those who need to heed it do.[/QUOTE]



did i miss something? did jerk post something? are you on the right thread?

this is about jerk & serotta love.

[Kevan]

that Sandy played any part of Clarence the angel in this story.


Though he's certainly old and seemingly sweet enough to have played the part.

There's nothing like a brandy-new bicycle hangin' out by the Christmas tree.

[93legendti]

this is a christmas story.

i had this idea to give the people at our company a bike-related christmas gift. riding is fun. riding is healthy. riding is something that almost anyone can do. riding is something people can do with their family and friends. riding is something that our little company could, maybe, do together; a way to stay connected to each other as we grow.

separately, ben and the good people at serotta, and the jerk and the good people at his bike shop, tried to make this idea happen.

to make it happen, each was willing to forgo every penny of profit. each was willing to undertake a great deal of work for zero immediate monetary gain. each worked darn hard to make this little christmas story happen. each went above and beyond, to say the least.

it's easy sometimes to forget that business people are people too. work isn't a charity, to be sure. but some business people have their hearts in exactly the right places.

though you may never have thought of ben and the jerk in the same thought bubble before, consider it. one thing that makes the cycling community special is that, at our best, we share something meaningful. something deeper than money or the profit motive.

ben serotta and his company are genuinely good people, deep into their bones and hearts, because lots of companies talk good deeds, but not so many are willing to put their values into profitless action. exactly the same goes for senor jerk and the folks at his shop. both groups of people walk the walk.

i mention all this for a simple reason. if you're on the fence about what frame to buy and a serotta is in the mix, please think hard about choosing the serotta. good people and good companies are hard to find; ben's people qualify in spades. and if you're thinking about buying something from a bike shop, please think hard about the jerk's emporium. despite his screen name and demeanor at moments, he and his folks are good folks.

it may sound corny, but serotta-ites and jerk-ites are human beings that frank capra would approve of. please consider shooting a little business their way. their hearts are in the right places.

Kudos to Ben, Jerk and you, Climb, for your kind thoughts and deeds.

[bluesea]

He's been revealed as the anti-jerk!

[Sandy]

The jerk reminds me of someone from the old forum- DMan (or something like that). I am sure that a lot of you must remember him. I think that the jerk and DMan are quite alike- They give a tough image on the outside but are both probably warm and giving on the inside. At least that is how I see it. I think that if you asked the jerk to help you in some manner, he would be there for you.



Sandy

[loctite]

Hmmmm, Thats funny, the jerks shop dosent even sell Serotta, and all ive ever herd him do is slam Serotta's. On the other hand Ben is a kind, giving person, I am glad I have the pleasure of knowing him.

[Sandy]

Ben Serotta certainly is a most gracious, sensitive, caring, humble, and giving person. A lot of us know that because we have met and/or dealt with him. Few of us really know the jerk, other than posts on the forum. He tells it like he sees it, and is often quite blunt. But that doesn't tell you what is in his heart. I just sense that he is a giving and helpful person. That is all.


Sandman

[jerk]

Hmmmm, Thats funny, the jerks shop dosent even sell Serotta, and all ive ever herd him do is slam Serotta's. On the other hand Ben is a kind, giving person, I am glad I have the pleasure of knowing him.


the jerk only slams your serotta bub.

jerk

[fstrthnu]

Yo Bros,
IMHO the Jerk is keepin' it real in the 617 Yo. All You playa hayta's be MP, probablly have a Trek in the garage too Yo.
Fstrthnu

[e-RICHIE]

mad painful

[jerk]

mad painful


what e-richie said.

[jerk]

Yo Bros,
IMHO the Jerk is keepin' it real in the 617 Yo. All You playa hayta's be MP, probablly have a Trek in the garage too Yo.
Fstrthnu


yo bro,
aren't you s'posed to be on the ostrich skin wheel bmw forum or something?

don't hate the playa hate the game.

jerk

[e-RICHIE]

...aren't you s'posed to be on the ostrich skin wheel bmw forum or something?


mad precious

[fstrthnu]

Thats KOP dog! Ferrari be prescribin' Lance from jail now!!!!!!! I'm going back to hotbimmer.com for some Culture Yo!
Word

[vaxn8r]

Also a good reason not to buy Specialized...all Taiwan all the time with American Flags requiring you to read the small print to find out what they mean.

Good reasons to buy from Craig and Richard...carbon from Calfee and steel from Waterford; hubs/headsets from Chris King; wheels from Rolf (back to the old Rolf now handbuilt in Portland using White Industries hubs; White Industries for hubs; Bottom bracket etc from Phil Wood; a seatpost from Thomson; sunglasses from Oakley (the Lance story of how they bailed him out when he was sick is reason alone to buy them) and dare I say virtually any bike company that has kept production here; kept a high quality product; charges reasonably for what you receive all factors included such as labor cost; and plain old does it because they love the industry. I don't know the folks at Vanilla for example but from what I've seen, read and heard I'd suspect we would include them as well. That is why I left the end open ended.

I consider this a major factor before I buy something...if not USA then European. I do not have much time for companies that are only chasing the mightly dollar or Euro. I annoys me no end to see a company switch to 3rd world labor but charge 1st world price.

I even stick up for a company like FSA since their factory is their own and they employ Americans to actually live and work in Taiwan to keep it an American operation. That combined with their pricing being reasonable make me accept them. The SLK could never hit the price point it does unless their factory was there...plus Taiwan has reinvented itself as the carbon king. For example their new ceramic bearings are from Europe. They are pricey but that is where they felt they had to go for the quality they wanted.

This is what impresses me about Campy. They have become their own carbon king in Italy. Their prices are higher but their product is impeccable. This from a guy who rides Shimano. I'd love a Campy Record carbon crank.

Lastly this is why the folks who nickel and dime a fine local shop into the ground disturb me. It is also why folks who shop in the LBS and buy on line to save $25.00 disturbs me. Yet they will go out and spend $100 on a high end dinner.

Great post Jerk. I hope those who need to heed it do.
Nicely written. Well done!

[SoCalSteve]

Ok, OK...

Lets get back to whats important.

Beyond this time of year, (all year as a matter of fact) we have some pretty great, informative, experienced and very giving members on this Forum...You've all enriched my life greatly, time after time. Thank you all!

And, thank's to everyone at Serotta for bringing us this Forum, keeping it running (sometimes slowly) and for making, selling, servicing and supporting great bikes.

This is what this thread is about.

Steve

[shaq-d]

Hmmmm, Thats funny, the jerks shop dosent even sell Serotta, and all ive ever herd him do is slam Serotta's. On the other hand Ben is a kind, giving person, I am glad I have the pleasure of knowing him.

wierd..all i ever hear is jerk saying how great serotta is..

sd

[Dr. Doofus]

Thats KOP dog! Ferrari be prescribin' Lance from jail now!!!!!!! I'm going back to hotbimmer.com for some Culture Yo!
Word


the vanilla iceman cometh

[Dr. Doofus]

jerk is great for sending doof the same stupid stella stem twice, which doof never should have sent back to begin with

right?

[Serpico]

.

[Climb01742]

Ok, OK...

Lets get back to whats important.

Beyond this time of year, (all year as a matter of fact) we have some pretty great, informative, experienced and very giving members on this Forum...You've all enriched my life greatly, time after time. Thank you all!

And, thank's to everyone at Serotta for bringing us this Forum, keeping it running (sometimes slowly) and for making, selling, servicing and supporting great bikes.

This is what this thread is about.

Steve

steve is right.

maybe i should have been more specific from the beginning. there are 50 people in our company. i wanted to give each a bike as a holiday "thank you" for busting their butts all year long and to give them something that could bring fun and a bit of health into their lives. but at 50 bikes, our budget wasn't limitless. ben and his folks were willing to build 50 frames at cost. they even took the time to make calls to help find components at a great price. all of which would have gotten them zero profit. they were willing to do it all for no immediate monetary gain. for reasons beyond their control, the deal fell through. the jerk then stepped in and gave me a phenomenal deal on 50 bikes. doing a lot of work for zero profit. helping 50 folks discover the joys of riding seemed like a worthy thing to ben, serotta, the jerk and the folks at his shop. in my book, that makes them all damn good people. i just wanted to give good folks their props.

[cs124]

wow climb, can i come and work for you?

[William]

wow climb, can i come and work for you?

I've been waiting at the door since 5:07 AM this morning to drop off my resume and pitch "Why they should hire William ASAP". :banana:



Cold shivering William ;)






PS: Very nice gesture Climb, Ben & Co, & Her Jerk. :beer:

[TimD]

Wow.

I know a lot about networks, got a network? :)

TimD

[Fixed]

bro climb you are my hero that's great there are great people around and most of them are on this forum i.m.h.o cheers :beer:

[loctite]

the jerk only slams your serotta bub.

jerk

I know, i provoke, nothing personal!

[Fixed]

bro I don't know much but i know the jerk has said the legend is the best ti bike made cheers :beer:

[OldDog]

steve is right.

maybe i should have been more specific from the beginning. there are 50 people in our company. i wanted to give each a bike as a holiday "thank you" for busting their butts all year long and to give them something that could bring fun and a bit of health into their lives. but at 50 bikes, our budget wasn't limitless. ben and his folks were willing to build 50 frames at cost. they even took the time to make calls to help find components at a great price. all of which would have gotten them zero profit. they were willing to do it all for no immediate monetary gain. for reasons beyond their control, the deal fell through. the jerk then stepped in and gave me a phenomenal deal on 50 bikes. doing a lot of work for zero profit. helping 50 folks discover the joys of riding seemed like a worthy thing to ben, serotta, the jerk and the folks at his shop. in my book, that makes them all damn good people. i just wanted to give good folks their props.


BRAVO Climbo, Beno and Jerko. A wonderful gester.

And to think I was buying my guys 28 fruit cakes....just kidding.

[dave thompson]

Climb, what a fantastic idea! I'm self-employed and have been thinking of giving all my employees (me) a new bike. Thanks for the impetus.

Seriously, what a great gift; love for others.

[Needs Help]

I'll join in with you Dave. If we can get 48 more people, can we get them at cost as well?

[Roy E. Munson]

Climb,

If any of your employees "disappear" between now and Xmas, I'll take the extra bike off your hands!

[andy mac]

just wondering, re the original order of 50 with serotta, how many bikes do they actually make a year?

are numbers stable, growing like crazy???



(great gift climb, very classy!)

[Big Dan]

50 CSi 's ?....

Yeah bro that's a gift for you....................... :D


:beer:

[Fixed]

bro very nice of you but I bet half those bike don't get used or will be sold for next to nothing my dad used to say you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink i.m.h.o. a very kind act on your part but some guys makin min wage would rather have the cash .cheers :beer:

[Climb01742]

bro very nice of you but I bet half those bike don't get used or will be sold for next to nothing my dad used to say you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink i.m.h.o. a very kind act on your part but some guys makin min wage would rather have the cash .cheers :beer:

worry not, fixed-bro. the bikes are not a substitute for a traditional cash christmas bonus. my partners and i are quite aware that cash is indispensable. a bike is icing on the holiday cake. and luckily, no one here makes minimum wage. ;)

[RABikes2]

Climb,
You are unbelievable; class act. What a great gesture to show such appreciation to your employees for the hard work they perform all year long; that will come back to you many fold. ;)

Now...does your company need an "on-staff" massage therapist? One of the services I offer is "in-business" chair or table massage! :D

Bravo bravo to you, Ben, and the Jerk; it is a privilege to "know" such nice people.

RA

[Climb01742]

business is like sports. the importance of managers/coaches is overrated. players/employees win games. sharing the success with the people who created it is right, fair...and ultimately, good business. :D

[Tom Byrnes]

Climb,
You are unbelievable; class act. What a great gesture to show such appreciation to your employees for the hard work they perform all year long; that will come back to you many fold. ;)

. . . .

Bravo bravo to you, Ben, and the Jerk; it is a privilege to "know" such nice people.

RA


WHAT RABikes2 SAID!!

Climb, Ben and the Jerk & Co. -- all very classy and generous.


:banana: :banana: :banana:
:beer: :beer: :beer:

Tom

[Sandy]

business is like sports. the importance of managers/coaches is overrated. players/employees win games. sharing the success with the people who created it is right, fair...and ultimately, good business. :D

Without excellent employees, a business will be mediocre at best. To share that success is the correct thing to do. My little wholesale meat business existed and prospered because of the effort and dedication of its employees. Without them, I had nothing. Share the gains with those who made the gains possible. I wished that we had made more money, so that we could have shared more.


Sharing Sandy