"ryancycles" <ryancycles@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:5aae3dbf-5d9b-4240-9503-8d732aba2038@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>About the cost of building bikes, the key word here is "BUILDING", not
"MANUFACTURING", nobody I know of in the recumbent business
manufactures bikes, they build them. A friend of mine once took a tour
through Trek's factory. At the time one of their products was a carbon
fiber bike (not their oclv frame) the frame tubes and lugs were made
elsewhere. The frame was glued together. The tubes and lugs were
placed in a jig that pressed all the tubes into the lugs after they
were coated with glue. Approximate time to manufacture a frame, 7
minutes. It took me seven minutes to put a shipping box together. I
don't know what our labor costs were as a percentage of the cost of
building, put I'm sure it was a few of orders of magnitude greater
than Trek's.
I don't know what the current cost of manufacturers liability
insurance is, at the time I was building bikes it was $50 per bike.
Large companies such as Trek are self insured. The cost to build a
seat is close to what it costs to build frame and takes almost as much
time. Remember, the Idea was to eventually find a company to buy us
and MANUFACTURE the bike. But due to all of the problems getting it
into the market place, unable to build more than about 150 bikes a
year, not making as much money as we would on welfare and just general
exhaustion we decided to pack it in. At the last minute Mr. Peek came
along and bought the company for short money. He has done a great job
building the bikes and has made some good improvements.
But he also can't build the bikes at a low price and has had to raise
the retail price of the bike from $1800 to $2600,. Which in my opinion
is a BARGAIN.
Dick Ryan
Well, Mr. Ryan, it is a difference of opinion that makes a horse race.
In my opinion, you needed to figure out a way to MANUFACTURE your bikes
instead of BUILD them. Trek also started out small, but they thought big.
That is why they succeeded and you didn't. Just don't blame your lack of
planning on the poor bike shop employees. Good grief, now I have heard
everything!
$2600. for a recumbent is an outrageous price, but thanks for telling me
that you think it is a bargain. We live in different universes. Frankly, I
am glad that someone with your attitude failed. May it also happen to all
others who think as you do.
Gardiner Martin at least had the brains to farm out his designs to Sun.
But
he like you was never smart enough to figure out how to MANUFACTURE a
recumbent that anyone could afford. A pox on him too!
I remember Bob Bryant's comment in RCN when Bill Cook brought out his SWB
recumbents some years ago. It was .... ho hum, another $2000. SWB
recumbent.
That is why I admire Bob Bryant and have nothing but contempt for Bill
Cook
and all his ilk who think it is smart to BUILD $2000. recumbents. May the
Devil take them!
$2600. a BARGAIN - indeed!
Regards,
Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota
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