| This in no way, shape, or form will be my notice of resignation from riding, or even slowing down, it's the formal announcement that mountain biking in North America is about to change. |
Cam Zink is a busy guy. Hands on and head deep in Sensus, chasing around a toddler, and continually progressing his riding - and breaking world records - it should have been obvious to everyone that he would take on yet another challenge. While on the road Cam took the time to talk to us about his new venture bringing YT Industries to North America, what it means for the industry, and how he sees the future. After announcing your move to ride for YT Industries last year, what has your experience with the brand been?When I was given the opportunity to ride for YT Industries last year I thought that it was about as good as it gets. After all the bad experiences with bike brands over the years I have finally found my home. It is a company unlike any other and they just so happen to be making the best bikes on the planet. Righteous.
What is the next step in your relationship with YT Industries?Every YT Industries bike sold in North America will come directly from our offices in Reno, Nevada and carry a warranty serviceable from the same location.
How did this come about?It was pretty obvious that they planned on expanding to North America when they hired me to ride for them. YT is a consumer direct bike brand that can sell their bikes to the customer, sometimes for half of what competitors can because there is no middleman and the savings are passed on directly to the consumer. So with no distributors, expanding would not be as simple as running it through a simple third party distributor. YT's forward thinking found that a franchise model was the best way to expand to North America. YT cares too much about customer service to let the future of their reputation in a new market be uncertain. I think in their earlier years, as a growing company, they struggled keeping the customer service as good as it could be because they expanded so fast. Now it is their top priority; they needed to expand with franchisees whom see customer service as the top priority, as well.
When the opportunity struck, I made sure it was my brother and I who were the ones to bring YT to the biggest market in the world.
How does this new endeavour align with Sensus?When I started Sensus, it was a pretty big stepping-stone. I wasn’t just thinking ahead to financial security for after my riding career. It was a creative outlet and somewhere that I really thought I could make a difference. When I was a little kid I was always drawing logos for imaginary brands and really looked up to my dad, who was an entrepreneur. I’ve always really loved cool brands whether they were lucrative or not. I never imagined owning a component company (or a bike franchise), as I didn’t have the expertise, but I was always particular about my grips and felt like I could make a better grip than anything on the market. It is obviously subjective, but I made my dream grip, and there are a ton of people who won’t ride anything else after riding Sensus Grips.
Beyond the product, I love having full control over marketing and ad creation, it’s not about whether or not they are approved by focus groups, an ad agency or anyone else in the company, it’s about whether or not they’re cool. Sensus hasn’t made much money, but it hasn’t lost money. The way I look at it, it was putting myself through business school without racking up the debt. And because of this experience YT took me seriously when I approached Markus (The YT CEO) about buying a North American franchise of the incredible brand they have built and put their lives into.
How do you feel that your career as a professional athlete has prepared you to take on this venture?Being a professional mountain biker for over 12 years has shown me a lot of inspiring things and has grown me as a person exponentially. I have met a lot of brilliant business minds that I would have never had the chance to meet had I not ridden for their company or the company they represent. They inspire me and open up a world of opportunity to bring out my Dad's entrepreneurship that is buried inside me somewhere. The way I have ridden my bike since I was a kid is a full commitment strategy that had helped me with everything I have done. Committing to a plan and not giving up is key in business just as it is in riding. There is no way to be 100% sure about succeeding, but the only way to be 100% sure to fail is to half ass it. We are going into this new market for YT full throttle.
What does this announcement mean for your riding career?This in no way shape or form will be my resignation from riding, or even slowing down; it's the formal announcement that mountain biking in North America is about to change.
How are you managing to balance work, riding, and family?It could easily be perceived as a new chapter in my life, but the majority of things people know of my riding career was done when I was also single handedly running Sensus. It’s not a new chapter; It’s more like reading a couple different books at the same time. I’m not moving on from anything, I guess I just have to get up earlier. I am the type of person who needs to be doing something all the time, even though having so much on my plate can be stressful, I need to be busy to be productive. I’m not interested in doing anything half-assed; I feel like a better rider every day, I’m still progressing every time out and my companies continue to grow. It just takes more time. I just have less free time to play video games, watch TV or do other stuff that really isn’t very important in the first place. Spending any free time with my daughter is the best anyway.
What is it about the YT Industries that you appreciate the most?The V4L linkage design was born at YT, and designed by Stefan Willard, an engineer with many endeavours on his resume including designing Mercedes AMG chassis; a man who cares about mountain bikes nearly as much as air. Outside the box thinking, without a bureaucratic atmosphere to limit it's greatness, or any of their amazing advancements for that matter. Everything they do is for the purpose of creating the greatest mountain bikes on the planet at the lowest price, yet focusing on promoting neither. The purpose of the best bike is to offer the best experience possible, and the price is to offer it to as many people as possible. The extremely low leverage ratio and high progression curve allows me to ride a 300 lb spring at Rampage and still ride normal DH trails on the same set up. The long stroke of all YT bikes also makes the shock much more tunable. Our Tues has captured many awards and the new YT Capra has Enduro Bike of the Year wrapped up by many medias of the world and traditionally costs 60% less than inferior competitors it has beat in tests. That just means “Good Times” for less cash.
What differences do you see between YT Industries and other bike brands?Every sport, even surfing, has brands with politics and a façade of a cool, core and nonchalant image. Many companies spend a lot of money and effort to appear that they don't have money, that they are authentic while hiring the cool kids to run their campaigns. Most are trying to copy authenticity. With enough money, even without integrity, brands can get you to believe pretty much anything. But there is still authenticity in this world and brands that are real- real, living breathing brands that wreak of a bitchin’ sense of what they are about, ran by people that also live and breath the brand. YT represents living an amazing life filled with good times. Our customers use their bikes as a catalyst for good times, not just World Cup or Rampage wins. Passion is the most important ingredient to anything great. It is with passion that work feels like play and great ideas are grown; not made up.
Big companies often become complacent with minimal innovation and progression that comes from a bureaucratic way of doing business when the majority of time, money and effort is spent on fooling the people and cheating the system. The efforts main focus can't be just running the business nor doing so from the outside in with the outdated traditional models of business. A bike brand will flourish when motivated and passionate people are given an opportunity to create. The brand is built from the inside, with heart and creates it's own beating heart. When the brand builds steam, gains valuable budgets, it is more important than ever to stay true to its roots and values. The greatest leaps in innovation come from a brand with money to fund the amazing ideas from the amazing people that are the brand. It all goes to shit if you think you are too powerful to take shit from anyone; shit keeps us humble and we encourage people to give us shit to help make us better.
Why do you think the consumer direct sales model is good for our industry?Mountain biking needs professional quality bikes at entry-level prices and the top end bicycles can't be the same price as a top-level motorcycle, and especially not $13,000.
It's like a divine intervention of the industry, checking and balancing it, not just on the financial level; YT brings the image and marketing that no American bike brand is brave enough to promote along with a ridiculous list of achievements including Dirt Magazine's DH Bike of the Year, two years running, and Dirt's current Enduro Bike of the Year. The Capra has scored a perfect 5 out of 5 or 10 out of 10 in every test I have seen. It’s pretty remarkable.
What challenges do you anticipate facing with the introduction of the direct to consumer mountain bike sales model? A lot of people, even some consumers, will be pissed off that bikes will be sold for a fraction of the price. We all take part in e-commerce. It is taking over because it is the most efficient and economical way; it is the future. It’s not unlike how Tesla is pissing off the world by selling their cars directly online and all the while literally breaking the machines that the department of road uses for safety tests. They are selling a better car at a better price, directly to you.
What effect do you think direct to consumer sales will have on our bike shops and jobs in our industry? I know this is a touchy subject and there are pros and cons to everything. There are a lot of really cool shops out there and good shops will continue to flourish as they cater to the specific needs of customers in their area. It just doesn’t make sense when a shop doesn’t stock the bike that you want and they, plus the distributor take their cut while you wait weeks for your bike because they only stock recreational bikes.
Aside from a much lower cost, the most advantageous piece of the puzzle is being one or two steps closer to the customer and their concerns. If you have a bad shop that sells your bikes they have the capability to tarnish your brand and reputation. As I said, there are many bike shops that do it right, but I have been racing Mountain Bikes since I was nine and have been talked down to so many times for asking something like,”Do you have any 1.5 inch headsets in stock?”
“pffff, there is no such thing as a 1.5 inch headset” We need to provide good customer service. The customer is always right and even when you think they are wrong you don’t need treat them like a dickhead.
People are often waiting six or seven months for repairs or are given misinformation by people who don’t know the products well enough. I know we can be better than the shop experience I have had over the years and cater to the needs of our customers.
However, there are some pretty amazing shops that are the backbone of what Mountain Biking is and should be. We plan to work with the best shops in North America and set up YT service centers in the future. There are a few in the works already.
How do you plan to get bikes to people that may not know of YT in North America or are skeptical of the quality and ride of the bikes? We plan to have a demo tour, it will be small for the next few months, as we are a new company, but it will grow fast and blow people’s minds. Sensus “Sorry for Partying Pilsner” beer on tap, Coldcock Whiskey and a big party wherever we go. We will have some bikes roaming around this year at Sea Otter including a special SRAM build with a custom Troy Lee paintjob that will be a work of art. We just have to get creative on a shoestring budget, utilize all my friends and relationships in the industry. We will mostly focus on cool smaller festivals like Spring Thaw in Oregon, but make an impression wherever we go. Eventually we plan to have rigs all over the country – we want people to be able to try the bikes so that they understand they are not just cheaper versions of other brands but are a better brand. Once people have the bikes in their hands, like Sensus grips, they won’t want to ride anything else.
Thanks for everyone that has supported me over the years and all the people who enjoy watching me ride my bike and hear what I have to say!
MENTIONS @EeehhZink @YTIndustries @dbaker
I can understand top of the line bikes for $6000... but some of these bikes approaching or even surpassing $10k is pretty ridiculous. You can get AMA ready to race supersports for only a little more.
Try replicating a factory kawi. It will cost you $50K+. You get the top performing mountain bikes in the world for 1/5th the price and all you are missing is the motor.
The material costs alone just don't really add up.
That being said, I'm okay with bikes costing a lot, but some of them are starting to push into ridiculousness. I think a lot of it is frame costs. Frames being $3000 stand alone while you can get complete bikes for $5k is a little ridiculous.
To replicate a factory KTM you have to spend at least 30k, except if you're one of the few KTM sponsored prodigies in which case you get the 2 for 1 offer, which is still 30k.
The Redbull edition is just the base bike with Red Bull decals and a couple of orange anodizes parts.
motocrossactionmag.com/bike-tests/ktm-tests/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-all-new-ktm-factory-edition-iv
This is Ryan Dungey's and Dean Wilson's base bike. Obviously it is heavily modified to suit their needs, but the base 'Factory Edition' is sold to consumers to meet the AMA's homologation rules.
You are stating that you buy a production and add the additions, no, KTM sells a Factory Addition to the public for $10K, look it up smart guy!
I ride a 2010 KTM 450 xc-w Six Days edition in addition to my KX450. Don't tell me about what I know and don't.
Again, the bike you mentioned, albeit being called factory edition, is just the base bike with minor mods and a lot of orange bling.
I'm sure your bike is pretty sweet. But, is it excessive? Well, I would wager that the CF Tues Pro is just as durable and bad ass as your current bike. Maybe a bit heavier. But, likely you could ride just as hard, have just as much fun, and be just as fast. And it's less than half the price. That's a pretty strong argument for YT right there.
us.yt-industries.com/products/bikes/downhill/240/tues-cf-pro?c=261
The part that I worry about is the stuff consumers will end up breaking since they don't tighten to torque spec. I've seen triple clamps overtightened which stressed the clamp and weakened the part, headsets overtightened, BB threads stripped, bearings over compressed. I imagine YT is taking care of most of that before the bike arrives. But, if you like to tinker and you're not confident on how to fix it yourself - watch a youtube video or three.
You can get an equally good build from another company for half that (ok it might not be completely custom, but I've found that the top end stuff is pretty similar in performance).
And now you can get a top end build fr 1/4 of that in N America!
Also, how did you manage to spend 13k? I know custom builds cost a lot but did you buy all the kit for the RRP?
I got a full saint groupo (shifter, mech, cranks, brakes and rotors, plus a new chainring and ceramic bearing bb along with an ultegra chain and cassette) for just over £500 or about $850 I believe.
So AMA supersport sound f*cking cheap for me.
I built my downhill bike the same way when I was younger. I enjoyed more rides because I could worry less.
Someone may spend ridiculous money but only that person will understand the true reasons. And that's ok. It's life.
2nd..to all your riders out there that complain about parts consistently breaking, harden up and maintain your shit! Take some actual care and pride in your bike if your that worried with braking parts..but on the other hand stuff will break!! nothing is indestructable
So just in the main components the Capra wins. But then when you look at the smaller stuff, you'll see the the Trek is all Bontrager and the YT Isn't. Maxxis tires vs Bontrager. Race Face Atlas Vs Bontrager. E-thirteen wheelset vs Bontrager. The Capra has a chainguide where the Trek doesn't.
And I don't mean to knock Bontrager, it's not bad stuff IMO by any means, but it's still no Race Face or E13.
So the Capra is clearly the superior bike and it's $4600 to the Treks $6100. That's almost a 25% difference... that's massive (again considering that the Capra actually has better specs).
Rule of thumb in the sporting goods industry for a classic sales model is FOB price times 5 for a US ore Euro brand in order to survive. Survive and pay their employees that is not make shitloads of money and get rich!
However Depending on the brand this might not be enough if they have a lot of marketing expenses, a demo fleet, a racing team, a lot R&D, Warranty claims, customer support or simply investors that insist on a higher margin because they want a return of investment.
taking your stupid 300$ frame from china that you are constantly talking about you will end up at a minimum retail price 300*5=1500
now those 300 dollar frame is hard tail right? so you are right there...
www.competitivecyclist.com/niner-air-9-carbon-mountain-bike-frame-2015?ti=U2VhcmNoIFJlc3VsdHM6Y2FyYm9uIGZyYW1lOjE6MTE6Y2FyYm9uIGZyYW1l&skidn=NNR002A-ARCWHI-XS
and that was without paying for molds, prototypes and samples and things like that which you would have to ad into the FOB
So the thing YT is doing is to cut out the dealers. A dealer needs to earn money as well if he wants to keep his store open so usually, depending on product a dealer gets a margin between 30-60% of the suggested retail price. Dealers are the ones getting the biggest amount of dollars from everything sold and as YT is not using them they are able to offer better pricing. What they do is they basically sell for a little more than wholesale price (dealers cost) directly to consumers.
Now grow up and face reality. Nobody wants to pay too much but the prices companies are asking for are reasonable.
Actually there is a saying in this industry: The only way to make a million in cycling thees days is to start with two...
and the boarder it is called NAFTA.......it will be 18$ handling fee and 20% exchange rate but if you buy american money in america it is significantly less......I love living near the border......lets make a run for it
By the way, you're means you are. Your means your.
"When you can get a 200hp superbike for a little more than a mountain bike something is wrong."
- Let me guess, because it has a motor?
"I'm just saying you're a fool to spend so much on something that cost so little to make."
- Stop whining and buy something cheaper, or you could get into a new sport.
"No one from the industry ever produces any actual figures on the cost of frames, which is why I know I'm right."
- There's absolutely no point in companies showing figures of the cost of frames. This could be the dumbest thing I've heard in a long time.
Why? Because it has a motor? Yes! Because it has a motor, and about a million other parts that a mountain bike doesn't have. Titanium this that and the other, brembo brakes, ohlins forks, computers, the list goes on and on. Hundreds of engineers designing and testing its thousands of components as opposed to tens for a mountain bike. Of course motorbikes should cost a lot more to buy because they have so much more tech, so many more parts and so many more people involved in their design and manufacture. I thought it was obvious.
You're right about the retail costs though. I will stop complaining about it. It's supply and demand, and there are people who think ten grand is chump change.
There is a point in companies publishing data on the cost of manufacture. I, and many other people, am interested to know. Clearly the money is going in someone's pocket since YT are able to offer equivalent bikes at a fraction of the cost of the big boys. Or are we expected to believe YT is of inferior quality, less R&D went into their bikes and after sales service is worth 40% of the sticker price of dealer bikes?
YT , I applaud you for making the top tier of bike companies look complacent.
If you cant spend it you cant buy it, but thats no reason the person wont be able to ride as hard/good as someone who has a top bike.
So, think back to that time when you rode a bike that you thought was amazing. And how it gave you the confidence to up your game. So, this crazy bike he has, that's what it's doing for him. Most people won't spend that much. But, if it helps you enjoy the sport and inspires you to ride more often, then that's exactly the point.
Going to be a 20% exchange rate! shipping costs! and at least a 14% duty depending on where in Asia it's made.
It isn't government theft. It's the government protecting jobs.
Love how in this article it's all about how bikes should be free and then in that SRAM article it's all about how people in the industry should get paid what they're worth. Get real.
Love how he talks about 6 month waits. Worked in the industry for 10 years and yet to see anything close, except for Evil bikes. But hey, let's see where this goes. Making grips to running the NA wing of a bike brand. Who will handle the warranty for the parts on the bike?
I tried to give you the rundown how those prices come together. did you read it?
Anyway if you are so clever and so sure it works the way you think why don't you start dealing with those frames? you should have a sustainable business in no time according to your thinking. I strongly recommend you try selling a number of these frames for 300 bucks. I would love to see how you pay for logistics, for molds shipping and duty rates, the salaries of your marketing department, your engineers and designers, your sales reps, your warranty and customer service people and your team riders by only asking what the factory charges you for the goods! and don't forget putting some accountants on your payroll that help you calculate your losses.
And by the way someone from the industry did tell you to shut the up, right here and right now, and before, but you are not getting it!
Also whats your problem anyway when people want to treat themselves to something special and spend a few extra bucks on their bikes? You can buy a full suspension mountain bike starting at 1500 USD or you can spend 10k+ and you can buy a 200hp super-bike from Japan for under 20k or spend 35k for a ducati and you would still need to ad another 10k to get any of these race ready if you would want to win a flower pot here and there...
The way I handle it is: No TV or other electronic gimmicks, No cable bill (100$ a month), No I-phone (at least 50$ a month) no more drinking or going out on weekends (100$ a weekend) no car Payments (300$ a month), no loans for anything for that matter, equals about 450+300 for 3 times going out a month 750$ or 9000$ a year enough for a really nice bike. Or two nice YTs a year for that matter.
But if your priority is watching cable TV and running around with 1000$ mobile phones, heck yeah it will be tough to afford a high end mountain bike in addition to that.
To tell you the truth, I'm really glad that I decided to build my Slash when the Canadian dollar still had some strength to it. I ended up getting some amazing deals.
we need a poll, about components and see what % use non Sram/Shimano components
Unless YT/Cam step up to do that sort of thing, however, they're just freeloading off the investment made by the current market participants. Distributors/manufacturers, but to a much more important part, local shops are doing a lot to support trails, trails associations, access to trails, and providing advice and help to get more riders out there. Yes, they do that to make a profit (as I'd expect YT to do), but hey, without that infrastructure, the sport won't do very well. So unless they do something to pitch in, they would just be benefiting from others' investments.
As for cost issues - yes, distribution through retailers adds to the cost of the bike. But your LBS uses margin made on new stuff to subsidize service activities. It's not cheap to maintain a service department and have capacity there for you if you need it. If bike prices are under pressure, that will cause service to either throw in less value, or raise prices.
The service center contracts with the LBSs seem like a good idea to get their customers the support they need. Especially if they provide service loaners, demos (so you can try before you buy), stock replacement parts locally, etc.
We'll see how this all shakes out.
One can make an argument that until YT can do this, they are more of a whore than the bigger brands. Selling d2c at a higher margin than they would sell to a bike shop, while investing nothing back into the community. The big companies support bike charities, trail building, teams, IMBA, etc.
Not an accusation against YT. They are starting out at ground zero in the U.S. so time will tell whether Zink and team are able to take on the noble and burly task of building the sport, and not just building the brand. Perhaps a burlier undertaking even than a massive 360 step down....... Good luck.
I keep reading things like "1/3 the price of XYZ." The Capra costs about 1500 less than my comparably spec'd SC Nomad, so a little over 20%. Nothing to scoff at, but hardly revolutionary. I think people are making a mistake and comparing an X01 Capra to an XX1 Nomad with Enve wheels, a steak dinner, and a handjob, and then exaggerating a little bit on top of that. Also, SC is a premium brand. There are mainstream brands like Giant offering sweet bikes even closer to YT price point.
It will definitely turn some heads, it will probably have all the other manufacturers take notice when their marketshare gets hit and may change the future of the industry. Only time will tell....but for now, YT is an option for those willing to stick their neck out and wait for their bike. In a few short years, we may see more of this business model and it might be the new way of doing things. In the mean time you can save a few bucks!
It does? Why? Does the auto industry need professional quality cars at an entry-level price? What a weird statement.
PS. www.ktm-parts.com/15250SXFFE.html
“pffff, there is no such thing as a 1.5 inch headset”
^^^ this part of the interview really resonated with me. I've been to so many bike shops and had people be complete f*ckers. Like do you want my money? No? Support your local bike shop? It is easier to piece together a bike on the internet these days.
Anyway, off to the shop now to get the steerer tube cut on my new fork. Hope it goes well.
One of those stores sold me two bikes over a period of 4 years. I was reasonably happy with the service, but not thrilled. I referred my girlfriend to them when she was looking for a bike - and was utterly underwhelmed with the help she received (or didn't). They didn't have demos in relevant sizes. When they hosted one of their main brand's demo days, they finally had a bike for her to try - but it was so poorly maintained/tuned that she couldn't even tell what the bike was like. And they were really bad about basic stuff like returning phone calls (something that had already been grating on me). They didn't make a sale - another store did - because they stepped up, provided excellent service and sound advice, and generally acted like pleasant human beings stoked on bikes and biking and wanting to share that. That store has since won my business - due to good follow through, good service, and being a pleasure to deal with. There are some stores that will do well even in world where some brands go direct. Others will not. Looking at my local scene, I'm pretty confident in my predictions on who's going to be in which camp...
What happened? I spent $2500 on parts and had to deal with some of the most unprofessional, condescending, inattentive, and disrespectful guys I've ever dealt with. I asked questions about forks and cranks and gearing and whathaveyou, and one guy actually said "you should just buy something off the rack 'cuz you clearly don't know what you're buying or going to do with it."
Asshat. Haven't spent a penny there since and I wrote a hand written letter to the manager.
Funny how Zink talks about a company buying credibility in the bike industry. Sounds very much like what YT has done..
2015 Reign or Dixon - $58 Chile Pepper
2015 Remedy or Altitude - $65 Poison Spider
2015 Patrol or Tracer - $68 Chile Pepper
2015 Bronson or Enduro 29 - $80 Moab Cyclery
2015 Mach 6 - $85 Poison Spider
Imagine how embarrassing it would be if Specialized or Trek did a European ad with an athlete eating spaghetti(Italy), a baguette(France) or some other stereotype.
Thing is, their products are of premium quality and their prices are just fair, but people find it hard to believe that such a good thing exist from a country that despises all that is MTB. A 12K+ bike is still really expensive and downright stupid. Most components cost way more than they should and it is just robbery how manufacturers get away with it. So a carbon bike with E13 wheels and cranks and BOS Suspension costs 1/3 of the price of a bike with the exact same components but different frame? I know I am getting a Tues the first chance I get
At some point, after spending a certain amount of time and money you get tired of relying on others for tasks you could do yourself for less or free all within equal or less time. It may seem pointless until you're alone in the middle of nowhere. Or worse yet you go for a group ride and nobody has the know how to fix a bike or the tools.
Throw racing into the mix and now you're juggling race dates, travel times and costs and before you know it it makes more sense to do it yourself. Plus you don't have to worry about some young kid who doesn't care working on your hard earned cash.
Because, by providing good technical work and a nice atmosphere (along with reasonable prices) the shop might acquire you as a future customer who might buy his next fork, damper and/or other parts through them.
Shops have to start to reacquire their customers, while the traditional manufacturers have to overthink their distribution stucture and how they have to adjust in order to maintain their dealers margin.
Also say, you buy a giant because you really wanted THAT Giant, not a Specialized, not a Trek. A Giant.
But your local shop doesn´t sell Giant.
Are you really going to buy a Trek instead? Or are you ordering a Giant from somewhere else, while still taking it to your local shop for repairs?
It´s not a matter of direct sales. It´s a problem that has always been around. Online sales just challenged the status quo and call for a paradigm shift.
Now, even the service part is changing, as people are using tutorials online to fix stuff they wouldn't have touched before. My LBS says his model is to fix the f@#kups that get that wrong.
Even i'm a YT's bikes owner, i'm a little bit skeptical about this.
Especially for their quality control.
"...best bikes on the planet. Righteous."
Performance + value wise, indeed.
Quality control, big question mark.
I'd (really) love to see they fix their quality control this year.
Great looking product though and good to see them getting behind Zink
Much more than just a flavor, a gradual paradigm shift that will have some affect on everyone.
Props to zink, really want to buy a Yt
All topics of discussion here.
DID ANYONE EVEN NOTICE THERE WILL BE FREE BEER AND WHISKEY AT THEIR DEMOS!!!!!!!!!!
YT = FTW.
Why? Because Zink, acting as a businessman trying to generate some revenue, tells you so? For what its worth you could put Zink or Lacondeguy on a Walmart bike and they'd still be riding faster, jumping higher / wider / better than 99% of us. So that for itself is no benchmark if a bike is really good.
YT had a lot of build quality and quality control issues in the past. I don't know if things changed considerably, lets hope so. Don't believe me? There gotta be some German speaking Americans here, ask them to hit the German boards or some German riders and ask them. I know a true patriot will defend everything coming from his country, but just take a critical look.
Anyways, thanks for the down votes, I don't care.
They did have some issue with the chainstays in 2010 but that got solved long time ago.
This may be another hit to the LBS, but the cheapest Capra is still around $2,995. That's way more than the average customers is spending on bikes at a LBS. I'd guess that most bike sales at an LBS are around $1,000 or less.
instagram.com/p/z3QDOkObgy
Would like to sit on a bike for sizing etc.
But yes, Zink is right when he says that bike shops are just parasites (sorry for being blunt). All they do is taking their profits and don't bring very much else to the table. The big bike manufacturers should get their shit together and offer direct sales the same way YT does.
BTW, most bike parks I know are sponsored by the bike companies themselves, not by LBSs.
Not a bold statement at all. :-)
www.mbr.co.uk/reviews/full-suspension-bikes/longtermer-yt-industries-wicked-150
the LTD had XO carbon cranks and DT swiss carbon shock and fork if i remember right..
www.bike-magazin.de/workshop/2012/teile/show/23934
also they had a hardtail: www.bike-magazin.de/workshop/2012/teile/show/20376
On that note no more talking to Mary Jane tonight!