Another bike company goes direct to consumer - Yeti
- Thread starter rick81721
- Start date
Captain Brainstorm
Well-Known Member
This seems to be the model that many consumer goods companies are moving too, even car companies aspire to move this way in the future. I also just checked the Yeti site and realize why I hardly ever see anyone on a Yeti. I know bikes are expensive, but $4.5k for just a frame? Do they weave gold and platinum in with the carbon? Shit, if I had the juice to spend that kind of scratch for just a frame, I'd go full-send and get a custom Atherton or Unno.
I kinda feel like companies in all industries just say, "Fuck it, send it," anymore to see what sticks. People seem content to pay through the nose for just about anything these days.
If the subscription works as well as the apps, good luck. Only need three gears on an e-bike anyway. Just use more POWER.
Captain Brainstorm
Well-Known Member
I don't mind paying a little more for something that's worth, where I get a tangible improvement for the added expense, but almost $5k after taxes for a factory frame? At the rate I break frames, I'd rather get something from Guerilla Gravity where everything is modular. Ibis was useless when I broke my Ripmo. The customer service from some of these "boutique" brands straight up sucks. If I pay $5k for a frame, I better get a free replacement no questions asked.
rick81721
Lothar
Seems like a no-brainer to me. Why sell to bike shops at a discount when they can sell direct to consumer for full msrp? Cost is the same for the consumer.
sundaydoug
Well-Known Member
Some of the companies are using a hybrid approach, where they'll allow the consumer to purchase a bike direct, but they'll ship it to a retailer for assembly/prep and then give the retailer a credit, or in some cases, their full margin. For those companies the whole direct thing isn't really about eliminating the middle man, it's really about getting the product to people that want it but don't want to go into a shop to buy it.
Those are the companies that actually value their retailers, and know that they need them in order to be successful.
serviceguy
Well-Known Member
Guerrilla Gravity Appears to Have Closed Up Shop - Pinkbike
Murky news all seems to point in one direction.
We spend 1/2 of our days at the shop advocating for our customers during warranty claims (as do all shops). When you buy direct to consumer, you become your own advocate and quite literally a number. I know it sounds like sour grapes coming from a shop guy, but you get what you pay for with customer service. Pay now or pay later.
I buy my moto stuff from solid performance and whenever my bike goes in for tear down, I almost always hear them tell me they warrantied 2-3 things that i didn't know I broke.
This model works well for us most of the time. The caveat here, is that most people end up with a different bike than what their internet research led them to believe. Test rides still are relevant and important. Sizing alone is reason to shop in you local shop. I personally can go med or lg in many bikes. Often the decision is made in a test ride, not in a spec sheet.
bergsnj
Well-Known Member
Yeti bikes are basically the same price as every other high end bike (santa cruz, pivot, top models of trek and specialized, etc). They just don't have aluminum versions for "entry level". All bikes are completely over priced. I think $5,000 should get you the best of the best. Go on any bike brand website and you will find top end models for 10-12K. Its not just yeti, they are all a huge rip off
Captain Brainstorm
Well-Known Member
That sucks, I thought what they were doing was pretty novel, too bad.
I don’t know, I don’t think I would buy a bike without a demo ride first. I rode my bike for a solid 3hrs (others also on different days) before I made my decision. Then again, lots of people buy based on journalist reviews, which I always take with a grain of salt.
sundaydoug
Well-Known Member
Totally agree.
rick81721
Lothar
Guerrilla Gravity Appears to Have Closed Up Shop - Pinkbike
Murky news all seems to point in one direction.www.pinkbike.com
We spend 1/2 of our days at the shop advocating for our customers during warranty claims (as do all shops). When you buy direct to consumer, you become your own advocate and quite literally a number. I know it sounds like sour grapes coming from a shop guy, but you get what you pay for with customer service. Pay now or pay later.
I buy my moto stuff from solid performance and whenever my bike goes in for tear down, I almost always hear them tell me they warrantied 2-3 things that i didn't know I broke.
I would only buy a new bike from a bike shop for all those reasons. But I also see why bike manufacturers are doing this - it has to help their bottom line. There is a segment of the cycling population that think they can assemble, fit and service a bike as well as a bike shop. Not me!
mtbiker87
Well-Known Member
Most direct to consumer bikes comes damn near fully assembled these days. In my opinion, if someone buying anything more than an entry level bike can't tighten a few Allen bolts to spec, and bolt the wheelset on ( which you need to be able to do just to fix a flat folks ! ), you probably shouldn't be riding a bike.
serviceguy
Well-Known Member
Don't you know @rick81721 always takes a minion with him on every ride in order to address those issues!?!?
mtbiker87
Well-Known Member
The only reason warranties matter is because of the modern day lack of meaningful quality control. Cost cutting manufacturing processes used to increase productivity that sacrifice the overall quality of the product. And the use of cheap labor, and materials. All things that increase profit for the company, without benefit to the end user.Guerrilla Gravity Appears to Have Closed Up Shop - Pinkbike
Murky news all seems to point in one direction.
We spend 1/2 of our days at the shop advocating for our customers during warranty claims (as do all shops). When you buy direct to consumer, you become your own advocate and quite literally a number. I know it sounds like sour grapes coming from a shop guy, but you get what you pay for with customer service. Pay now or pay later.
I buy my moto stuff from solid performance and whenever my bike goes in for tear down, I almost always hear them tell me they warrantied 2-3 things that i didn't know I broke.
The price for all this baked in. That's why these carbon wonder bikes with electronic drivetrains cost so much. You're paying for all the crap ones they have to replace for free. And half the time they don't honor them anyway. I'd personally rather pay the price for a decently built product with a limited warranty, as the warranty isn't worth the price of a second bike. I'd rather not subsidize a company's losses due to poor manufacturing. Because that folks, is exactly what you're doing.
And if Jay is spending all that time on phone calls, dickering over warranty claims, who the hell is fixing your bikes ! The bike companies have turned your favorite mechanics into customer service advocates, leaving them no time to do their jobs.
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rick81721
Lothar
So you picked the easiest of the three - assembly - and ignored the most important - fit and service.
o nvmd
