Online Deals September 2016

 Most of them are deals... That said, I don't know why Dunbar makes the cut here. They are a small brick and mortar store in Vancouver and do not have anywhere close to the sales other guys have.

 @mgrantorser: because they pay Pinkbike to advertise here, simple as that.

"This is a sponosred news piece for Pinkbike advertisers"

 Yes but they are cheap because they don't pay to advertise on sites like PB.

 They are cheap because they have internal voids, folded fabric in the layup and they are known to de-laminate at the spoke holes.

 @HerrDoctorSloth: What's the source of your info?

From personal experience, it seems like they stand up just as well as other carbon rims and they just cost 1/4 or less what brand name stuff does. I don't doubt that their QC and manufacturing processes are not as good as some of the big names and they may not have quite the same strength to weight ratio but they are a great way to get into carbon rims for those who can't afford the ridiculous cost of the brand names.

That said, all carbon rims are more subject to cracking (rather than bending or denting) if you bottom out on the rim edges.

 Yeah what the hell happened. I was pricing out a cassette the other week and now nothing.

 @Jokesterwild: This is what I got as a reply when I emailed them...
"We have a great relationship with RochShox who provide us with a great range of products. We have agreed with them that we will not sell their products outside of the EU."

 @DTD93: well there go my chances of getting a pike at a good price fack!!!!!

 @mhoshal: www.tbsbikeparts.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=pike&cat

 That sucks; I'm glad I've got Shimano! CRC's prices on Shimano are so awesome. Now if Shimano would only release a 1x with the same range as Eagle so my old legs could carry me up the North Shore mountains then I might finally make the jump from 2x to 1x.

I got a pretty good deal from Jenson USA on a Rockshox Pike last year; hopefully they at least keep carrying Rockshox.

 Here's what happened (information I got from SRAM's tech clinics): The British government was sponsoring shipping for CRC to send products to North America because of the massive amount of revenue it was bringing in. In an effort to protect IBDs (independent bicycle dealers), SRAM placed restrictions on the sale of their products from Europe to North America. They also do a great job of monitoring current year model online sales of their products within North America. Shimano on the other hand started selling directly to IBDs and cut out the middle man, distributors like QBP (this was supposed to solve the problem of being able to buy parts online cheaper than in a bike shop). They do nothing to monitor online sales and prices, sell to IBDs at prices higher than what you can buy the products online for from places like CRC, rarely have what we need in stock, and take forever on shipping. @Jokesterwild @captaincrunch3

 @travduant: thanks for the info. Makes total sense. I'd rather support our Canadian online retailers anyways.

 @travduant: bingo. Ski manufacturers have been doing this for years.

 Oooo, sounds like the monopoly effect is in effect

 For the most part the used buy/sell prices are surprisingly high for drive terrain. CC R prices are equovalent or even lower.

 I've got a fuzz. It's the 26" version and it's the most nimble DH rig I've ever ridden, I love it.

Side note they run big so double check the geometry before buying. I ride Med but the SM was closer in size to my Med Rocky Mountain so I got that.

 Classic loss leader - must suck to run an LBS and see CRC advertise this stuff (which is probably OEM stock - friend of mine got some Shimano stuff from them and it came in plastic baggies instead of the standard boxes) shipped from Europe to the US at prices lower than what the retailers can get from the official whole sale channels in the US. Can't say that seems like a smart thing for Shimano to allow if they care about their distributors and retailers. Frankly - everyone likes cheap components; trouble is when all the LBSs stop stocking stuff because they can't make any money on it. Curious to see how that all shakes out.

 @g-42: the shops shouldn't be marking up stuff 30% over what it costs online. they can find more revenue in service. The shops should charge a service for ordering the part and seek a partnership with an online retailer. Nobody should have to give charity to bike shops, the ones in my area have wealthy owners.

 @hamncheez I had the 26" Fuzz and now have the 27.5". Absolutely love it. Great mix between plow bike and playful. I've had a lot of DH bikes over the years, and this is by far my favorite.

 @g-42: You're exactly right. Not only is it cheaper to buy online than what it costs an LBS (or IBD, the official industry term, short for independent bicycle dealer), I can buy things online cheaper than what Shimano will sell them to me with my Platinum discount for completing their training courses. SRAM is much friendlier to IBDs, which is why I've switched from running Shimano components for the last 8 years to all SRAM products on my current bike.

 @deadtime: We don't mark stuff up 30% over what it costs online. We sell it for what Shimano tells us to. There are plenty of Shimano parts that if I sold them to a customer for what they can buy them online, I would have to pay them to get it from me. The cost we get stuff for is literally higher than the price at which you can buy it online. As to why Shimano allows this, I don't know. And they've made no real effort to do anything about it, unlike SRAM, who has made efforts to protect bike shops from unfair competition. Nobody in the bike industry makes money anyways; if we sold stuff for online prices, there would be no more bike shops.

 @travduant: A friend of mine, who used to own a shop until this spring, commented to me that he had been told by Shimano reps that there's nothing Shimano could do about this. He found that unconvincing - as he pointed out, it is apparently impossible to find similar on-line deals on Shimano fishing gear (which is a pretty big market).

 @g-42: Precisely. They have complete control over where their product goes. It's as simple as not allowing their products to pass through those channels any longer. While it may take some leg work on their part, it is absolutely possible. Some may say it could get to those outlets through other doors (black market type of situation); however, all Shimano products originate from Shimano itself and a trail can be traced back to them regardless of which outlets offered the product for sale.

I've been to Shimano. I've spent time with people from SRAM. SRAM, as a whole, seems to be much more passionate about the industry. On the contrary, Shimano tries to convey that they are passionate about the industry, but are more passionate about the dollar.

 I'd buy some of the new Fox shorts, but none have belt loops on them (that I've seen). Velcro waist stuff drives me nuts

 Nope, different bike altogether. That's a Tallboy 3.