Former Amazon Country Manager Sam Nicols Joins YT Industries as New CEO

Nov 16, 2020
by James Smurthwaite  
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YT Industries has announced this morning that Sam Nicols, 45, has been appointed as CEO, replacing the founder of the brand, Markus Flossmann.

Flossmann is stepping aside as CEO 12 years after first introducing YT Industries to the world with a batch of 150 steel dirt jump frames. He will remain a crucial part of his brand and is now becoming Chief Visionary Officer (CVO), in charge of brand and product identity. Flossmann has decided to bring in Nicols to help, "further accelerate YT’s growth trajectory, already turbocharged by this year’s demand, while navigating the increased business complexity and customer expectations."

Following his master’s in engineering, Nicols started his career in R&D in Sweden before completing an MBA at Columbia Business School and moving into management consulting for three years. Nicols joined Amazon in Munich in 2010 where, among other things, he led the Prime team in Germany for five years, and later led Amazon’s Turkish business as country manager where he launched the website in 2018.

Nicols will oversee all business operations and, alongside Flossmann, will be spearheading the future strategic and operational development of YT.

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bigquotesWhen I founded YT in 2008, I never expected the company to be as successful as we have become. Within 12 years, we have been able to make our mark within the mountain bike industry and created a global community. For YT to reach the next level of its evolution, we welcome Sam Nicols as the new CEO. We are convinced that his experience will propel us into a new era. I really look forward to shaping the future of YT together with Sam and the rest of our team.Markus Flossmann, Founder & CVO YT Industries

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bigquotesThis is a dream come true for me –from mountain biking in the forests of Oregon as a teenager, I never would have imagined I would one day get the opportunity to join a brand like YT. Markus and the team have already started making the necessary changes needed to enable YT to scale and continue to redefine how customers around the world buy and experience gravity mountain bikes.

I feel strongly that my background in operational excellence and e-commerce, my data-driven decision making, and the customer centricity that was honed during my nine years at Amazon will complement the brand, product and design expertise that Markus brings as Founder and CVO.
Sam Nicols, CEO YT Industries


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213 Comments
  • 141 0
 Maybe they will improve the customer service at last
  • 59 12
 YT customer service is so bad I would not recommend anyone to by a YT. If I send in a warranty I expect an answer in a couple of days, I'm ok with a week or two, with Corona and general chaos. Response time before Corona where bad, 5-10 working days, but I have had nothing but automatic response for 5 weeks on my creaking Fox 34 now, that is simply not acceptable.
  • 362 2
 Only if you pay £7 a month for YT Prime
  • 6 1
 You would have made a better CVO.
  • 74 5
 @lideri: why not just go through Fox if it is under warranty? I did just that with a new fork on my Yeti that was set to hit warranty expiration by a few days. I sent my receipt to Fox, filled out an application, and a new CSU was installed under warranty. When you face an obstacle and can’t get through, try going over, under, or around it...
  • 14 0
 @lideri: go straight to your countries fox distributor . If you have proof of purchase should sort it for you
  • 19 23
flag MountainJnky (Nov 16, 2020 at 5:38) (Below Threshold)
 I don't think Amazon's customer service was any better.
  • 21 0
 @lideri I'm already waiting for any kind of response for 2 months. After this experienceI will never buy anything from YT ever again. This is not the way how to treat customers.
  • 6 1
 @Arobb: This just made my day
  • 5 0
 Yeah. Bring it up to Amazon level...?
  • 19 0
 Had the previous YT Capra and cracked seatstays in March last year, they got replaced quite fast, but the replacement totally collapsed 2 months later when I was in Madeira, on the first day of riding..... After that it took them 6 months to get a replacement, with the bike being gone the whole time.... So even without corona quite unreliable. So after 3 cracked frames, my trust is gone and I'm on another manufacturer...
  • 37 16
 I couldn't be more disappointed with the generous discount YT gave me when my last bike was delayed. The way they communicated it via an apologetic email, detailing the nature of the delay, offering a price reduction was frankly shocking. The arrival of the bike slightly earlier than the anticipated delay was heartless. The fact the rear triangle did not crack after 2 years of riding was the last straw. Be warned.
  • 12 0
 Man I hope so. Many stories of poor customer service. People say they sometimes get better results reporting to the Better Business Bureau in Canada/US but it should not be that way.

If you live in Canada or the US and want to save money, get used and save a lot. Maybe not in covid times but usually yes. If you have a budget of 4+ then buy local, shop a sale, honestly it is worth saving the headache.

I dropped 4400 on an alu frame and it cracked, 4 months latter YT is still ghosting. I am kicking myself for not going with any brand around Vancouver. If something broke in that case I could go into the shop and at least talk to a real person and not just send emails into the void.
  • 3 0
 @lideri: why don’t you do a warranty claim directly through Fox? That’s what YT had me do anyway when I had an issue with my fox transfer
  • 11 5
 @Steventux: They had the sheer cheek to send me a couple of T-shirts plus a hat and some other freebies for no apparent reason with my older Tues (which is still working) The newer one still rides great also.
It seems you only ever hear mostly doom and gloom on forums, so this is just for balance.
  • 2 2
 @lideri: That is definitely not acceptable. But, let me do you a favor and reply on their behalf: go to your closest LBS with your proof of purchase and your bike. They will submit warranty claim for you through Fox.

YT should have been able to come through with that response almost instantly. But for those of you with mail order bikes, this is how the industry works: 2nd or 3rd party manufactured parts that come on your complete bike must be warrantied through the specific manufacturer of that part. If your bike brand isn't stamped on the part, start the process with the brand that is.
  • 3 0
 @MountainJnky: I don't know how it is in the US but here Amazon accepts every claim and dump it on the seller to sort it out, with so many people abusing the system and Amazon abusing the sellers with no second thoughts. From a customer point a view tho this is great service since no mater what they get their money back.
  • 9 0
 Haha- they got back to me pretty quick when I told them they'd sent me two bikes and I only ordered one! They even shipped me a sticker pack for letting them know and getting the bike back to them...damn my guilty conscience!
  • 2 0
 @Arobb: BOOM!!!!
  • 12 1
 Bought a Capra myself in March. Broke the rear chain stay in July. Hit them up for a warranty, and they came back saying they wanted $1200 for a crash replacement. I laughed. Needless to say, i learned to shop warranty/customer service. Now on Trek, best move I've ever made. Solid customer service and lifetime warranty with quick turn around on replacement parts. Couldn't ask for a better peace of mind for a hard charging park rat. Really Sucks, because the Capra **was** such a fun bike.
  • 6 0
 @Staktup:
I've tried this with bos. After a year, they still have my fork with them.
  • 4 1
 @moferenc: but that’s because it’s BOS... not Fox! Got mine back after a week, and had them replace the damper from FIT4 to Grip 2 and increase the air spring from 150 to 160...
  • 1 0
 @lideri: You should ask the Danish FOX Distributor for help with your creaking crown.
  • 2 0
 Yes, yt needs to listen to rge customer service dept, especially those in ca and get some feedback on what the issues are...of.course mainly its not having any parts to send out.
  • 3 0
 @lideri: Canyon is no better with "play in the frame is planned and ok". I wonder how it is with Radon and Propain.

For good customer service - Banshee. Never had problems with my frames but I was one of the crazy peeps who preordered a Banshee Legend in 2010 and I waited for it 6 months (if not more) but the contact with the company has been amazing and I knew no one was trying to just ignore me
  • 5 1
 @spaced: I wonder if it's just because of the amount of YT's that are out in the world. They're by far the most ridden bike at the bike park. With that many units, there has to be a warranty rate that's just unrealistic to keep up with.

But I will say my experience with Transition's warranty process is phenomenal. I cracked my front triangle and submitted a warranty claim through their website. They reviewed it and had a replacement shipped out that same day. I was riding the new frame the following weekend.
  • 1 0
 @Arobb: yeees hahahahaha
  • 1 0
 @Arobb: very, very well played
  • 85 6
 Remember when yt did cool things like sign Aaron gwin or have cam sink run their American division. Sorry guys but Christopher walked, anime, and Jeff bezos doesn’t make me want a bike.
  • 55 0
 Or even before that, when they lived up to their name and made affordable bikes for young (low budget) shredders
  • 3 1
 Hahahahha
  • 25 4
 Now YT seems to dump any racer as soon as they want to be paid a decent salary. Vitus makes just as good of a bike at a lower price and probably better customer service.
  • 4 5
 I don't want any of their bikes either, but more on the account of them not having refreshed their line-up in too long. Unpopular opinion maybe, but they should have rather refreshed the Capra instead of coming up with the Izzo.
  • 3 2
 I had outstanding customer service with them when they were in Nevada.
  • 4 2
 @BenTheSwabian: They refreshed the Capra in 2018. Last check that was less than 2 years ago.
  • 7 2
 @bombdabass: 2 years is a lifetime with the progression of current bikes. The Capra's geo is old news compared to similar bikes like the Meta AM. Only 460mm reach on a size L.
  • 11 4
 Remember when they scapegoated the Zink brothers by blaming them and their business as the problem behind their supply chain and warranty claim issues, and then things got exponentially worse when they moved NAHQ to southern cal? That was cool.

Remember when they cornholed Gwin and told him the Mob was being dissolved just so they could get rid of him, but then the Mob lived on....that was super cool.

YT is a garbage company to boot. As they say, actions speak louder than words.
  • 1 0
 @bombdabass: At this point it was nearly 3 years ago and even back then the geometry wasn't exactly progressive. Just look at the reach and seat tube angle.
  • 2 1
 @TruckeeRiverTroll: Reading your comment I feel like I need to put some things into perspective here.

As much as I appreciate Aaron Gwin (which I really do), he did the same thing to Trek when switching to Specialized back in the day... I'd even go as far as to say that situation was quite a lot uglier.
Gwin had a great team with Trek, everything went perfectly for both him and the brand with a record winning-streak, but he flipped on ultra short notice solely for the bigger paycheck at Specialized. Thus, in all fairness, trusting Gwins loyalty was absolutely off the table from the very beginning.
I think it's also safe to say YT, again, upped that check by a pretty significant margin in order to get the best chances of putting the brand on the map in the US with the most popular American athletes Zinc and Gwin. After a successful expansion, and - on a side note - Gwins performance visibly diminishing, there was no reason to keep paying an exorbitantly outrageous price for his "dream program".
After all, the guy built an absolute Mega-Mansion on top of his own personal hill shortly after just turning 30 and he's driving a brand new Porsche 911 alongside some sponsored cars. He's certainly not living the bad life.
YT, on the other hand, is still a very young company compared to most if not all of the big names and it still has to invest a lot into its own growth and a clearly overstrained global service infrastructure. Keeping Gwin on the team was simply not affordable. I'm quite certain that YT has upped its prices per bike easily by $1000 just in order to make signing Gwin even possible.
That being said, I'm not even riding a YT. I am riding a Specialized right now because I simply loved the Enduro... but in all seriousness, if there is any company that deserves being labeled a garbage company, it's them. There is no other company that has been more of a dick in terms of screwing and suing business partners and little people over absolute peanuts. Their price policy is shit, too.
I'd say the hate on YT is objectively overexaggerated in your comment.
  • 33 0
 Shall we add Alexa to the Decoy?!
  • 53 0
 Hey decoy, where’s the closest mcDonalds?
  • 8 1
 @utley06: how do you say 100 in Welsh?
  • 15 0
 @jaame: undred boyo
  • 28 0
 ALEXA order a new set of chain stays please.
  • 3 1
 Nope it will just be specced with Amazon Basics parts now
  • 4 0
 @jaame: we only did up to 20 in school. I assumed that's as far as welsh numbers went.
  • 2 0
 @utley06: GOLD(en Arches)
  • 1 0
 @takeiteasyridehard: more like Jeff will plug this into some analytics and deem demand suitable for an Amazon E mtn bike... strangely similar looking to the YT Decoy... the Amazon Lure
  • 3 0
 @unrooted: Best comment of the week!
  • 38 8
 Amazon is the devil
  • 10 5
 You'll be fine.
  • 13 2
 Because buying things online and not supporting local business is not cool correct?
  • 22 0
 To be fair this guy almost certainly took a pay cut to go to work for an mtb company. He may have come from an organization that is more machine than human but clearly he is following his heart/dreams here in stepping away from the corporate world. If he can bring some of his attention to detail to YT it can only be good for a company with such a bad rep.
  • 37 0
 @TheBearDen: And because paying employees far below the living wage to the point where they have to rely on government assistance to survive while simultaneously making billions in profits and paying almost no tax is a state sanctioned pillaging of society and is morally repugnant.
  • 4 4
 There is No God, so.........
  • 8 31
flag phops (Nov 16, 2020 at 9:30) (Below Threshold)
 Get off internet leftism. Its a drug, and its bad for you.
  • 4 24
flag youknowitsus (Nov 16, 2020 at 10:55) (Below Threshold)
 @phops: Agreed. Upvoted.
  • 16 2
 @phops: if you had a more cogent argument than "the left is bad" someone might care what you have to say. And if you don't understand why supporting companies like Amazon and Walmart actually decreases your wealth, even though it seems like you're saving money, you should go take an economics class.

As for this guy, I don't think that everyone who works for Amazon is necessarily as crappy as the company as a whole. Should be a good opportunity for YT
  • 6 21
flag youknowitsus (Nov 16, 2020 at 13:30) (Below Threshold)
 @friendlyfoe: Who cares. Quit virtue signaling dickhead.
  • 2 0
 @CONomad: lm sure he'll be fine with the monies 'n all.
  • 11 0
 @youknowitsus: That's extra funny because saying "get off internet leftism" is virtue signalling.

Me explaining how economics works isn't. I get that it's easier to just call someone an idiot than it is to be humble and admit that you don't understand something. It's okay to ask questions. If you want to learn about why supporting small business actually makes you richer even if it costs more to make an actual purchase, look up economics - multiplier effect.

Have a nice day
  • 4 14
flag phops (Nov 16, 2020 at 18:12) (Below Threshold)
 @friendlyfoe:

I dunno mate, I buy stuff from Amazon all the time for lower prices and fast delivery, so my personal wealth has actually increased. But Im sure you got some regurgitated facts from some leftist blog memorized that you can respond with, lacking even the basic understanding of economics.

The bigger thing about internet leftism is that its not even real. Its just a bunch of kids trying to feel woke about themselves by being contrarian. Not even worth arguing with.
  • 12 0
 @phops: Nope just basic university level macroeconomics. Not sure what you're so mad about. You haven't addressed the multiplier effect which is why you perceive your wealth as being greater when in fact purchasing from amazon slowly erodes your wealth over time.

Also do you get how ironic it is to complain about people being contrarian when your only comment is being against the popular discourse?
  • 1 17
flag phops (Nov 16, 2020 at 18:27) (Below Threshold)
 @friendlyfoe: When you learn a little bit more about economics rather than saying that "we should all just socialize each other by spending locally", let me know and well have a discussion.
  • 7 0
 @phops: How much more? Really looking forward to when that time comes since you've contributed nothing of value so far but clearly have a lot to say.
  • 2 1
 @friendlyfoe: that wasn’t much of an Econ lesson. I was genuinely looking forward to it.
  • 6 0
 @Hayek: The multiplier effect is a fairly basic concept and addresses the discussion of why spending money with large corporations actually makes you worse off.

An in depth conversation might include discussing that calculating a marginal propensity to save of 10% and using 90% for your multiplier effect is a flawed example because the business only keeps the profit. So just vaguely from memory I think a 90% MPS results in a multiplier effect of about 4x so $500 spent turns into $2000 spent in the community. In reality most of the tertiary products we buy are made in other countries, so the multiplier effect would only be relevant to the gross profit portion of the purchase.

Still it has an affect on total wealth in the community. I am not an economist and that is a basic level understanding of why spending local actually benefits you. If someone with a more advanced understanding of economics had a view that using the multiplier effect to justify why purchasing with large corporations hurts you is a flawed way of looking at it I'm all ears.
  • 8 0
 @friendlyfoe: it’s just fun to talk Econ since everybody here is an engineer. A multiplier in its simplest term is any input that produces outputs at a greater than 1:1 ratio. Your intuition is right, but we don’t even need to bring up MPS to illustrate your example. Using per capita GDP as a measure of wealth, if C+I+G=GDP, then an increase in consumer spending would create a multiplier effect on GDP, or per capita wealth. That consumer spending multiplier requires an increase in real wages, which happens most effectively among many small firms where profits are spread among many capital owners rather than a few large firms (i.e. Walmart) where profits are spread among only a few.

The only problem is, a consumer spending multiplier doesn’t mean that you or I necessarily get wealthier, only that per capita GDP increases.

Amazon probably isn’t the best example because, among other things, it is a massive marketplace made up of many millions of business owners selling their wares. So while Amazon takes a cut, spending on Amazon still has a strong multiplier effect because those profits are distributed among so many entrepreneurs, creating an increase in real wages.

Of course the empirical work on multipliers is messy so people can disagree about how effective they actually are, but there’s generally consensus that there is some effect.

I’m a microeconomist so this isn’t really my wheelhouse either, but it’s fun to not have every conversation be about engineering.
  • 8 0
 @Hayek: Yeah I find economics fascinating but statistics is not my strong point so I haven't taken any elective classes.

Agreed it is absolute common sense, or should be at least, that the conglomeration of industry results in a handful of high paying jobs, and a greater number of low paying jobs. Therefor supporting large business makes the majority of people less well off.

Why I like referring to the multiplier effect is I think it is a more effective example of why shopping with large corporations makes you as an individual less well off. If a person was middle to upper middle class and worked at a company who manufacturers lets say airplane parts. It would be easy to say well Amazon doesn't make airplane parts so why should I care if they put other people out of business, I'll be fine. The multiplier explains (as you know) the also common sense principle that if I spend money with someone within the community, then they have money to buy things from me. In this example supporting local business means people can afford plane tickets which keeps airplane manufacturing in business. The extent to how effective the multiplier is only affects how much it benefits people on the whole, but it doesn't negate that it makes a difference.

As for the Amazon example, in my mind it would be interesting to think of Amazon as being the wholesaler and the people selling on it's platforms as the manufacturer. So you lose the multiplier on Amazon's profits but gain it on items that were produced within the same country they are being purchased. That gets kind of messy because a lot of the people selling on amazon are wholesaling products they are purchasing from overseas. In that case only the profit they make would be a multiplier.

By contrast you could look at walmart, so in theory you gain the multiplier on wholesalers but lose it on the manufactured products since the majority of the product is again overseas.

So in both examples someone within the country, is making some money off the process. What makes companies like amazon and walmart even worse is that they put so much pressure on suppliers to run razor thin margins that no one is making any money, including walmart and amazon. They only make money because of the scale they are able to operate on.

TL: DR for everyone else. If no one local is making money they don't have any money to buy stuff from you and that's bad for you even if you don't care about other people.
  • 5 0
 @friendlyfoe: thank you for appropriate response to the above nonsense.
  • 1 8
flag phops (Nov 17, 2020 at 1:27) (Below Threshold)
 @friendlyfoe: All of this is nice disseration, but completely irrelevant to reality.

For starters someone has to be very privileged to say "you shouldn't shop at Amazon/Walmart, instead, spend more money locally", considering the number of low income people that rely on cheap goods from both places for their way of life. Nobody is going to give a shit about some multiplier effect or hypothetical money being injected into the local economy if the immediate effect is that they have less spendable money every month.

Secondly, you are completely failing to address the benefit of using mass retailers for things like exchanges, returns, as well as membership services that pay for themselves, like Amazon Prime with shipping. Or things like when a pandemic hits and you are in a high risk group, but you are able to get essentialls delivered to your door. Local buisnesses don't have this value.

Also, plenty of suppliers make plenty of money with Amazon and their distribution. Doesn't matter if the margins per item are thin, the scale of sales very well make up in profits. If this wasn't the case, the suppliers would not chose Amazon to distribute their product.

Like I said, get off leftism. Its very addictive because it sounds super fantastical and nice, but its so, so very stupid. Capitalism works, whether you like it to or not, and you can't do anything about it.
  • 6 0
 @phops: "Capitalism works"

Also @Phops: "considering the number of low income people that rely on cheap goods from both places for their way of life. Nobody is going to give a shit about some multiplier effect or hypothetical money being injected into the local economy if the immediate effect is that they have less spendable money every month."
  • 7 0
 @phops: @phops: "get off lefitsm" - you think you know economics but you know reddit economics. You would be surprised by the views of most economics nobel winners in the last 20 years. Common sense economics is most often wrong.
Also your last argument is wrong because you basically assume since amazon has some advantages over local businesses that it means it's better. What matters is a total cost/benefit analisis and as FriendlyFoe mentioned - in the long run people lose more even if in the short term they save by using amazon. What you view as evil leftism is just viewing the economy in the long term
  • 4 0
 @friendlyfoe: Thanks for taking time and posting this. I find economics fascinating too but my writing style is usually incomprehensible.

BTW. The local vs Global Businesses creates another problem - Tax avoidance. Given that in many Euro countries many local bike spots get some extra govt funding supporting tax-paying companies has extra benefits.
  • 7 1
 @phops: hey man if living your life 1/4 mile at a time works for you then have at it. Capitalism without restrictions doesn't work, that's why antitrust laws exist.

It's also an insane talking point on the right that the left wants socialism. It's not socialism unless the workers own the factories. No one is trying to get rid of capitalism. Unregulated capitalism leads to oligarchy, not dissimilar to the wealthy land owners all over Europe around the end of the 19th century.

But you just enjoy your bunker
  • 3 0
 @friendlyfoe: It's clear you guys aren't going to change each other's minds. Pinkbike is a place I like to go to to get away from stuff like politics and we all have something in common here. But I can't even go on here anymore without seeing this "yOu daNg leFtist LibTaRds" crap. Political views aside, try to remember that stupid people are often the loudest. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  • 3 0
 @friendlyfoe @phops @spaced: Good economics is always agnostic to current political tribalism. As a field, it is much more nuanced than people appreciate. You've all made valid points, but you're talking past each other. Multipliers are not some leftist fantasy -- they are an empirically substantiated part of orthodox economics, though there is debate about their effect size. Amazon is not the antichrist -- it, as well as small businesses, constitute an essential part of a complete economy, and that is well documented in the population ecology and resource partitioning literature. Their expertise, scale, and efficiency bring the cost of goods down -- the entire premise of Ricardian Comparative Advantage -- which leaves more disposable income in the pockets of many people that rely on that, but that comes at the cost of wielding too much power in their own supply chain. Capitalism has lifted more people out of abject poverty than any other system, bar none, but it is highly imperfect and has no normative basis of values. Adam Smith, the father of Capitalism as we know it, was not some kind of free-market zealot -- he was a moral philosopher that argued constantly for human benevolence and morality to bridle it's power.

The reality of all of these positions is highly nuanced and lies somewhere in the middle, but that doesn't make for very catchy news. Don't let tribal politics get in the way of what should be an interesting, thoughtful discussion.
  • 4 0
 @Hayek: So one issue is what people accept as a "basic" standard of living. One can easily argue based on a number of metrics that standard of living is by far and away the best it has ever been. As standard of living increases so do peoples base expectations.

30 years ago it was relatively common for anyone with a middle class job to be able to purchase a house. Now given the incredible housing boom (which isn't based in economics so much as an influx or foreign cash) many would say their personal standard of living has decreased, despite overall improvements in technology and healthcare.

Much in the same way I feel that using comparative advantage only addresses total productivity much in the same way GDP does, and does nothing to address the widening gap of wealth inequality. It seems to me that saying companies like Amazon and Walmart are beneficial because of the comparative advantage only addresses short run improvements and doesn't address the long term damage done.

Using Walmart as an example, I don't think I need to explain the process of how them coming into a town puts other small enterprise out of business resulting in an overall decrease in wages. Saying that there is a comparative advantage because of cheaper goods does nothing to address the problems it creates.

And I agree the middle ground is definitely where reality lies. As soon as you've picked a side, the tendency is to defend it regardless of the facts because your ego is now attached to that ideology. Most of us are moderates and it's group think that is polarizing people to the point where we can't even discuss non-political ideas.
  • 24 0
 Sensible decision. Founders that step aside and let someone else run the business find their businesses continue to grow.
  • 2 0
 Yup, happens all the time in the startup world. Guys start a company with the idea or vision, grow it to a certain level and then move on a do something else. The tech startup world is littered with guys who have started multiple highly successful companies on after the other.
  • 1 0
 True - and it reflects that all the hate comments directed at poor customer experience (warranty etc) are being heard. And that their internal systems and management can not improve the situation to a level that they are satisfied with.
  • 20 1
 Looks like a sensible business decision but it will be interesting to see how the new CEO takes to the entrepreneurial culture of YT.
  • 20 0
 But I would guess that’s part of the reason they brought in a new CEO like him in the first place. Seems YT is now past the entrepreneurial stage now, and they may have realized the way they were doing things was no longer working.
  • 2 0
 @sino428: Interesting thought but I was specifically referring to the culture rather than their phase of business. The decision to bring in a CEO and move Markus to a CVO role makes a ton of sense (check out Gymshark as an example of a company that did this really well). My concerns (having hired Amazon people) is that the "live uncaged" culture and Markus' "no f$Ck's" attitude might be a challenge for someone coming from the Amazon world. Either way, good luck to him as I'm a YT fan.
  • 24 1
 @skill7: I think you have a wrong impression there...YT is not that cool from-riders-for-riders company they are trying so hard to be. Markus F. has a strong marketing background and the whole image is just professional marketing BS. I think the Amazon guy is a good fit for YT.
  • 1 0
 @skill7: but that’s kind of my point. It’s hard to separate that kind of culture from the phase of business. That type of ‘disruptive’ (for lack of a better word) attitude works to point. But they when a business reaches a certain size and scale things need to change. I think hiring this guy in the first place is the signal that the culture and attitude need to and will change, at least on the business side of things. The customer facing side of the business will likely still try to portray that scrappy startup ‘us against the world’ vibe for marketing purposes, but from a business perspective it’s likely to become more ‘professional’.
  • 7 0
 @moerkster: this! If you want rider to rider, buy a last/airdrop/banshee
  • 3 0
 @moerkster: Haha, maybe I've just fallen for the marketing BS! Regardless, I think what they've done as a business is incredible and I believe Markus when he talks about his inspiration for starting the business.
  • 1 1
 @Stokedonthis: don't go for last if you like to get responses faster than 4 weeks after your inquiry.
  • 3 1
 @Stokedonthis: Or a Transition? (I am partial to Transition's because they are from Bellingham)
  • 4 0
 @sino428: YT's bikes are usually sold out for a number of coming months delaying both sales and warranty replacements. This dude has a background in manufacturing and business. If they can determine more accurate sales forecasts and acquire the capital needed to increase production capacity the business should easy be able to double in size while paydown debt.
  • 18 2
 poor YT staff....
  • 1 0
 the staff in CA. didn't seem to care about much when I was there
  • 12 0
 Same day delivery on a bike?? Or even in stock?? Will the new model be called the Bezos?? So many questions..............
  • 162 0
 The Jeffsy Bezos
  • 5 1
 @nyhc00: i hope you get all the upvotes for this one
  • 3 1
 @nyhc00: hahahaha brilliant
  • 3 1
 @nyhc00: colorway: rainforest gold
  • 8 0
 Interesting to see if this will change their production/availability things/issues.
  • 3 0
 Not unless the new CEO can fix the pandemic. Otherwise don’t expect supply chain issues to resolve anytime soon.
  • 6 0
 @sunringlerider There are too many permutations to your sentence.
  • 4 0
 @stevemokan: unfortunately YT issues with trying to buy a bike have been shitty long before COVID.
  • 5 0
 Sensible business decision. They really needed this. Their brand has declined in popularity a lot lately, on account of not refreshing their top selling and most popular models, but also partly because of their abysmal warranty and service reputation. Maybe this guys can turn things around.
  • 4 0
 Yeah, because because a good shot of AMZ culture is what all MTB brands are missing to improve their popularity.
  • 2 0
 Not around here. Bike park is full of Tues, Capra and occasionally other models. One of the reasons why I got a Tues was knowing I could sell it a year later if I wasn’t a big fan of it.
  • 5 0
 Take money, bike in stock, no bike arrives , no communication, 5 days to reply to an email wont answer phones, initial confidence with @YTIndustries isn't looking good Frown
  • 1 0
 Update , contacted by @YTIndustries UK customer centre and my faith has been restored thank you YT
  • 1 0
 Update 2, after being contacted by YT via Pinkbike !! as they obviously dont like bad press I thought we were getting somewhere. I was wrong, invoice says bike will arrive in 2-3 business days and now apparently its going to be 2-3 weeks. This is for a bike that is in stock. So how long will it take for a bike that isn't in stock. @YTIndustries im sorry but you suck a big one !!!
  • 4 0
 But before they grow further, I hope they take the time and fix a few things that have fallen behind (or have actually never worked properly to begin with) the past years because they were growing too fast.
  • 7 0
 Here's to all the skeptical guys: I'm with you.
  • 6 0
 I can confirm that the customer support is non-existent. To say the least. It can only improve!
  • 4 0
 Going on six months waiting for a replacement rear triangle now. Will it ever come? Does YT even care? At what point do you just call it a loss and buy another bike.
  • 2 0
 I really like my 2018 AL Jeffsy. cheap, delivered complete. Later upgraded to a rear coil and new lyric when I could afford it. It kills on the downieville DH. Good customer service. good value. I'm happy and glad to see them making changes to the business model.
  • 4 0
 so they're doing the reverse thing of what Pole did a few months ago. hope it works well. the brand had an amazing growth and have made biking possible for alot of people
  • 5 0
 What do you mean with possible for a lot of people? Back then, when they had good pricing?
  • 4 0
 Was about to comment exactly the same thing. I would risk to say this is why YT is likely to succeed and Pole.... not so much
  • 2 0
 @Stokedonthis: well yes, that's what I meant
  • 2 0
 After their frames started exploding or before?
  • 4 1
 I have an Izzo arriving this week but the more I hear about their subpar customer service the more I wonder if it’ll ever ship. I emailed them with a question and never heard back.
  • 3 0
 I ordered my YT on the 27th of Oct. and had it in hand 8 days later. I'm good with that.
  • 3 0
 I'm considering an Izzo Pro Race. Hearing all of this negative chatter about crappy customer service just might turn me off to them.
  • 5 8
 @Arepiscopo: Might I direct you over to a Yeti, Karen?.. lol
  • 1 0
 @Arepiscopo: that’s the model I ordered last Thursday.
  • 3 0
 I’ve had awesome customer service with YT. Had an issue with my Decoy’s computer and they went above and beyond to help. I’ve bought 3 of them over the last couple years and would buy another. My only real complaint has been the paint quality. It’s better on my new Jeffsy/Decoy than my Capra. I’d recommend taping every exposed part. Seems like a lot of the customer service issues are related to Europe and Canada.
  • 2 2
 @Xlr8n: so it makes someone an ass if they want a company that responds to an issue? Whatever dude.
  • 2 0
 Every model I have bought from YT (3) has turned up on time.
  • 1 1
 @Arepiscopo: Buy a Transition Spur instead, You will be much happier you did.
  • 2 0
 @likeittacky: they’re all sold out.
  • 1 0
 @extratalldirtrider: Jog and snowboard in the meantime it will be worth the wait.
  • 1 0
 @likeittacky: ha I’m not waiting months for a Spur although they seem like rad bikes.
  • 1 0
 @extratalldirtrider: Riding is a hell of a drug, i know
  • 2 0
 Interesting move.
I've owned two of their bikes and, all in all, i was quite happy. It's not that i bought them just because they were the cheapest. I test rode bikes from local shops too as i wanted to support LBS. Sadly, some of them were not available (Norco) and others just didn't fit me (Trek). I found YT to make some really good bikes, not without exception (but show me a company getting everything right). For me, customer service has worked well too. Maybe i was lucky, maybe i'm part of a more silent majority.

I shall however be having an eye out for what will happen now. If it goes the 'Amazon' way, exploiting employees and business partners for squeezing every penny out of shit products, then they can go bust for all i care. And they might well be facing that if they sell out, seeing as the brand has already been watered down and the general opinion on them it seems has taken a swing for the worse. We'll see.
  • 2 0
 From a conspiracy point of view I am not at all surprised that YT sold out to the literal "man". All of YTs symbolism is all big brother and some could make the argument satanic. Eye in the capstone, baphomets. It first Amazon perfectly.
  • 3 1
 This is a positive move for YT.

If you're curious how this new CEO might emphasize in his management of YT. Take a look at Amazon's leadership principles:
www.amazon.jobs/en/principles
  • 1 0
 I Have a 2020 YT DECOY 29 had some wiring harness problems. Contacted YT they answered my emails and phone call. and had me back on my bike in less then a week. I am very happy with YT USA.. Hopefully the 700wt battery will be out soon.
  • 3 0
 There is a Amazon warehouse 2 minutes from my home. I see the trucks everywhere, does this now hopefully mean they will be delivering bikes at a prime rate?
  • 2 0
 Hey Markus my phone was on the charger when you called. If I would have known you were deciding immediately I would have answered. Now I am stuck with product line manager? I will take it.
  • 5 2
 Lots of negative comments about YT....weird. Have bought two bikes, they reply to any emAil within a day, help w tech issues, have been nice....
  • 2 1
 Oh this is definitely what I felt was missing from the company; I'm so glad they finally figured it out.

Did I want their bikes to actually be in stock and deliverable before the end of a riding season? Nope. Did I want an aluminum model with better than SX spec? Nope. Did I want affordable models be in stock rather than continually rolling out ultra high end spec special editions? Nope.

What I really wanted was someone poached from a tech company and a reshuffle involving vague and meaningless job titles
  • 3 0
 Issue #1 - Address the Horrible Supply Chain!!!! Imagine how much more this company would be worth if they had bikes in stock for the past 3+ years.
  • 1 0
 I wish YT would put as much effort into their customer service as they do in advertising every little detail they are up to. We're into our 7th week waiting for a response from YT's so called customer service. I just want to buy a replacement seat stay after it cracked. I'm on the phone every other day for over 7 weeks. I've lost count how many emails I've sent. About 4 weeks in YT's German customer service center answered the phone! However, they redirected my email to their new UK show room without checking if they have spares - they don't. But here's the incredibly stupid part, The UK Mill told me they use the same customer service number to contact YT as the public. The Mill said I would be quicker contacting YT in Germany directly and cutting them out! Incredible - YT are not helping themselves!
  • 5 2
 Props to Markus. Stepping aside couldn’t be an easy decision to make but shows a lot of maturity and vision.
  • 16 0
 Chief Maturity Officer (CMO)
  • 2 0
 @mi-bike: a position I will never hold.
  • 4 3
 Quality will go down further but customer service will probably get better. Noting how prone to crackinf yt seems to be.. i don't know if that's going to be a successful business model.
  • 3 0
 The business model you just create out of thin air?
  • 6 5
 Not sure if this takes the right direction. I'd rather buy a dirt bike assembled in the garage by a true passionate than the top-notch Enduro from another large corporation managed by an amazon-ish businessman.
  • 8 3
 so dies yt, well done
  • 2 2
 I had nothing but good things to say with my YT experience... of course I never had a warranty issue. My order lead time was three weeks to my door. Any small issues i had, were immediately responded to by the US branch and taken care of to my satisfaction. Sorry to hear so many others have had issues. I recently bought a new Specialized Status, but if a Capra would have been in stock, I probably would have bought one.
  • 1 0
 I could send them a bunch of emails between Banshee and myself on how you do customer service. They probably made my son a Banshee rider for life, and yet they did not have to anything.
  • 1 0
 This could mean a positive movement, if someone from Amazon is getting involved maybe the supply chain issues and support issues will start to resolve, or maybe it'll get worse than nonexistant.
  • 2 1
 Coming from Amazon, one of the most disgusting companies in the world in terms of employer rights, salaries and environmental responsibilities, this does not look good for Yt.
  • 1 0
 learned from past experience: spend yur money on brands that have a history, a history, not just a few props, of treating the buyer with respect...while standing behind a decent warranty.
  • 1 0
 Hiring a C to get the O off a founders back seems sensible. I really hope it's not a case of "oh, he's worked with Amazon, he must be great".
  • 3 0
 GUYS, I FOUND HIS MYSPACE!!!
myspace.com/sam_nicols
  • 6 0
 seems like a cool guy, has an engineering degree as well. HOWEVER: no evidence of him riding a bike found!!! Maybe he is on the those... you know... HIKERS!!!!
  • 1 0
 ^ hahahaha nice!
  • 1 0
 @shr3d: Would you take his word for it? "This is a dream come true for me –from mountain biking in the forests of Oregon as a teenager..."
  • 5 5
 @shr3d: Maybe YT will be able to finally engineer their suspension so it actually works.
  • 10 1
 @Lousicle: Or simply provide the manual in large print for those of you too challenged to set it up correctly....
  • 5 1
 @Lousicle: because you never see them on big events like rampage where suspension is crucial
  • 1 0
 @nordland071285: get in close on the suspension and welds. They are not what you get from them.
  • 1 0
 Everything seems to be 'no stock' on the website. Here's hoping that will change as I'm in the market for a Jeffsy (or something similar).
  • 1 0
 Hopefully his Amazon experience brings valuable supply chain experience. Or at least the willingness to hire supply chain consultants.
  • 3 1
 Alright, how about this: Congrats Sam! Sorry about some of the commentators, helmets aren't a thing for some of them.
  • 3 2
 Well done YT, hoping this move strengthens your footing in the bike industry. Regards and best wishes from a very happy Jeffsy rider!
  • 1 0
 Ouch. Had been toying with a capra as an infrequently ridden shuttle and park bike but had not done any real research yet. Thanks everyone for saving me the time.
  • 1 0
 hey yt you can't use a rock Shox remote lockout for a fox rear shock! The settings are different and it makes the bike preform like trash.
  • 4 2
 a better decision would be a move back to a threaded BB.
  • 2 2
 Amazon?....boooooo #boycottamazon.
Boycott Amazon, support your local bike shops and dedicated online retailers that give a damn.
  • 2 0
 Wouldn‘t be surprised if YT goes public soon.
  • 26 0
 I'd be very surprised. They're never in stock.
  • 1 6
flag Xlr8n (Nov 16, 2020 at 6:06) (Below Threshold)
 @sjma: Yup. They make limited numbers of each model and are very popular, so yes, they sell out. Likely the reason the Amazon dude was brought on board: To facilitate larger production volumes to meet the current market demand.
  • 12 0
 @sjma: underrated comment. I see what you did there
  • 1 4
 @Xlr8n: Amazon is a tricky space to play in. With how little control vendors have, there is a lot of risk. Is Amazon really the place you want to purchase a super expensive mountain bike? I would find that at extreme odds with their previous strategy of decadent showrooms. I’ve not yet seen anything where Amazon is a pure shipper like UPS but something like that could help with distribution. Seems unlikely
  • 4 1
 @usedbikestuff: Who said they were selling YT's on Amazon? I was simply referring to the CEO's experience in commerce and logistics with a major company in that field.
  • 6 0
 @Xlr8n: The masses don't get that Amazon has zero to do with this guy's positive life choice of working in the bike industry.
  • 2 0
 @sjma: Never in Stock Market
  • 2 4
 Remember has time YT came up and spent a bunch of money on showrooms to unnecessary opulence? And I said, we will say remember YT in a handful of years? Step two right here. Pay way too much money for someone who will help your business who leaves once they realize they had it better before.
  • 2 0
 Positive move for YT if they want to stop paying taxes.
  • 1 0
 Anytime a company has an executive with the title of "Visionary", that company is screwed.
  • 4 2
 YT Emploees, check your checks carefully next month
  • 2 1
 Big fuck you to Amazon and anyone that is involved at a high level with them.
  • 2 1
 Until YT stops speccing @ethirteen I wasn’t going to buy one anyways.
  • 1 1
 Customer service? I could never get the size I wanted so went elsewhere, many times.
  • 1 0
 bad customer service is not acceptable! BIG buying point for me at least.
  • 4 5
 Wow, definitely not buying a YT anymore. And to think I was ready to pull the trigger. SELL-OUTS!
  • 4 1
 Serious sellouts.. the Metallica of bikes.
  • 3 0
 hahaa, why sellouts, care to explain?
i personally have never cared for bikes that cant fit a water bottle, but i dont see them as sellouts
  • 1 0
 #operationalexcellence
  • 1 0
 Amazon's the devil.
  • 1 4
 Chief Visionary Officer. I love it! I am changing my title from CTO to CVO (at Liquid Carbonic, my non-bike-related company).
  • 3 0
 Hey at least you tried.
  • 1 2
 Bet the move all of their manufacturing to CHINA.
  • 1 2
 age 45 is still Young Talent..right?
  • 3 0
 Ageism isn't cool breh
  • 2 3
 great move!
  • 5 8
 YT is the Amazon of bike brands. Go to your local bike shop instead.
  • 9 2
 Where you can buy Specialized and Giant? Hahaha - please.
  • 2 2
 @suspended-flesh: you can buy those brands at your local bike shop
  • 2 1
 @WavisOShea: Right - LBS selling mega-conglomerate cycling factory stuff? No thanks.

YT is far, far below from that level. Does your LBS sell Forbidden or Commencal?
  • 1 3
 @suspended-flesh: nope. Amazon sells those.
  • 2 0
 @WavisOShea: Troll better than that.
  • 2 2
 @suspended-flesh: yer out lunch. U asked wher to buy G or S... at your LBS... where U can't buy YT. U can support the virtual economy all you like, then one day there won't be a bike store around when you need it!
  • 4 0
 @WavisOShea: No, re-read my reply...."where you can buy" -not- 'where can you buy.' I'm saying your LBS has a brand line more like Amazon than what the DTC companies offer.

The bike stores that deserve to survive are doing just fine, but I don't run to a Toyota stealership evey time I need help. I do my research, buy a part and install it myself. If I don't have the tools or expertise, then I go to an independent shop or LBS.
  • 1 0
 @suspended-flesh: hey look at that I totally dyslexia'd your original comment!
We can argue about whether YT is a premium brand compared to G or S some other time... as you were haha!
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